In the dim warehouse, Shion was racking her brain, thinking of ways to counter the dangers lurking outside, when Nozomi suddenly stirred beside her.
"Nomi-chan!"
Shion rushed toward her but, in her haste, tripped and fell to the ground. Being unable to use her hands was incredibly inconvenient, but seeing Nozomi about to wake up made Shion forget everything else.
On the other side, Nozomi slowly opened her eyes. Her head still ached, and her vision was blurry, but she could hear Shion's voice calling from nearby.
"Shion…" Nozomi whispered.
"Yeah, Nomi-chan, it's me! How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay… More importantly, where are we?" Nozomi asked, glancing around. The dark space made it impossible to see anything except a faint sliver of light coming through the small window on the door.
Nozomi tried to move but quickly realized her hands were cuffed behind her back.
"Shion, this is…"
Shion, who had been overjoyed to see Nozomi awake, lowered her head at the question.
"Nomi-chan, I'm sorry… Your condition was so serious back then, I had no other choice…"
Nozomi fell silent, her mind replaying the moments before she lost consciousness. She didn't blame Shion for her decision—if anything, it was likely why she had woken up so soon. Still, she felt troubled, unsure of how to escape.
"Shion, while I was out, did they do anything?" Nozomi asked.
"Oh, about that…!" Shion began recounting everything she knew, including the information Saya had provided earlier.
Nozomi listened, her face—already pale from just waking up—growing even grimmer.
"If that's the case, this is really troublesome."
"Nomi-chan, I'm so sorry…" Shion apologized again, her eyes glistening like those of a wounded puppy.
Nozomi shook her head. "It's not your fault. If you were the one hurt like that, I'd have made the same choice. What matters now is finding a way to escape."
Nozomi tried to exert force with her arms, but the cuffs remained sturdy, and being restrained from behind made movement far more difficult.
"It's no use," Nozomi sighed.
"Nomi-chan, don't rush. Your wounds haven't fully healed yet. Besides, I think we could ask Saya-san for help. She doesn't seem like a bad person," Shion suggested.
Nozomi didn't respond.
"For now, let's take care of ourselves first," Nozomi said.
"What do you mean—?" Before Shion could finish, her stomach growled loudly, and she quickly turned away, embarrassed.
"You haven't eaten anything?" Nozomi asked.
"Saya-san brought some food, but I was so worried about you and caught up thinking about how to escape that I forgot to eat," Shion admitted.
Nozomi shook her head. "That won't do. Eating properly is something we need to ensure so we can take the next steps."
"Alright, let's say I was waiting for you to wake up so we could eat together, but… how are we supposed to eat with our hands cuffed like this?" Shion asked, glancing at the tray of food, which held only a small bowl of porridge.
"Just one bowl of porridge like this…?" Shion grumbled.
"Stop complaining. Having something to eat is better than nothing. If what you said is true, those people still need us, so they won't just abandon us," Nozomi reassured her.
Shion nodded but returned to her earlier question. "So, how do we eat with our hands cuffed…?"
Nozomi fell silent.
It was indeed an awkward situation for both of them.
"There's a simpler way—just lean down and eat with your tongue, but that would…" Nozomi trailed off.
Shion caught her meaning immediately. If they had to bend over and lick the porridge like that… it would be no different from animals eating in a cage.
"Oh, how about I turn around, hold the spoon to feed you, and you do the same for me?" Shion suggested.
Nozomi nodded. "That could work."
Shion quickly shuffled toward the tray, turned her back, and fumbled for a while before managing to grab the spoon. Carefully, she scooped up a small portion of porridge.
"Here, Nomi-chan!" Shion called.
Nozomi approached, feeling that eating this way was strange, but it was the best option they had. "Hold it steady," she said, lowering her head to sip the porridge from the spoon, making sure not to spill a drop.
"Wow, this actually works!" Shion grinned, feeling proud for coming up with a useful idea for the first time.
"Alright, hand me the spoon," Nozomi said.
Shion's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Make sure to give me a big scoop, okay?"
Nozomi gave a faint smile. "Got it. Just don't let it spill."
Nozomi carefully scooped another spoonful of porridge. She had to maneuver her wrist and fingers with precision, as their cuffed position meant even a slight misstep could cause the porridge to spill.
"Open your mouth, Shion."
"Ready!" Shion complied, tilting her head slightly to receive the porridge with utmost seriousness.
After several rounds of taking turns, despite the difficulty and time it took, they managed to finish the bowl of porridge. Though it felt a bit comical and awkward, the satisfaction of a full stomach in such circumstances was more precious than ever.
Shion let out a relieved sigh. "It was kind of weird… but at least I'm not hungry anymore."
"From what I can tell, these cuffs are pretty old and show some signs of cracking, so I might be able to try something," Nozomi said. "Shion, could you turn around a bit?"
Shion wasn't sure what Nozomi was planning, but if it was Nozomi's request, she'd follow it. Nozomi moved closer, aligning her back with Shion's, her hands fumbling slightly until they found Shion's.
"Nomi-chan, what are you doing?" Shion asked.
"Breaking it!" Nozomi said decisively, beginning to exert force to snap the cuffs.
"Huh…?"
"Hold still," Nozomi reminded her.
Shion didn't know if Nozomi could do it, but she stayed still as instructed.
Nozomi put all her strength into trying to break the cuffs, but no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn't budge.
"Still too sturdy…" she muttered.
"Nomi-chan, don't push yourself too hard. Your wounds haven't fully healed, and Saya-san might come back to check on them," Shion urged.
"I know, but I don't want to just sit here and leave our lives in someone else's hands!" Nozomi said, trying again.
Nozomi's face flushed from the effort, but she refused to give up. This wasn't just about freeing herself—it was about protecting Shion too.
"My strength is normally just average, but when I fought that monster, I somehow had the power to hold out for so long. That strange feeling…" Nozomi recalled.
"Nomi-chan…" Shion murmured.
"Open!" Nozomi exerted one final burst of strength.
Crack!
A faint sound echoed in the quiet space. Both Shion and Nozomi held their breath, waiting.
Shion tugged her arms lightly, but the cuffs still held.
"It's not enough, but there's a crack…" Nozomi thought to herself.
"That's already great, Nomi-chan!" Shion said encouragingly.
Nozomi didn't push further. Even if she could free Shion now, her own cuffs would still limit their chances of escape.
"Let's wait for now," she decided.
"I didn't expect you to be so strong, Nomi-chan!" Shion exclaimed, leaning into Nozomi.
"Stop it, this isn't the time to mess around," Nozomi said, though she didn't stop Shion's actions. Seeing Shion so cheerful eased her tension somewhat.
But their brief moment of levity was cut short when the door creaked open. Shion and Nozomi instantly snapped into high alert. The person who entered was Saya.
"Saya-san!" Shion called, her demeanor relaxing slightly, but Nozomi remained on guard.
"It's great that you're awake. I was worried your wounds might worsen, but they seem to be healing well," Saya said, ignoring their differing reactions. She carried another tray with just a bowl of porridge.
"Saya-san, is something up?" Shion asked.
"Just checking in and changing the bandages for this little one," Saya said, pulling out medical supplies.
"Nomi-chan, she doesn't mean any harm. Let her change your bandages," Shion said quickly, as if worried Nozomi was still wary.
Nozomi nodded silently.
Saya began her work, and the room fell quiet again, as it had been before. After a few minutes, she finished.
Saya gave a faint smile. "All done. Make sure to eat. Tomorrow, you two might have to go outside."
The seemingly casual remark sent a wave of tension through Shion and Nozomi. Shion opened her mouth to say something, but Nozomi signaled her with a glance to stay silent.
So she did.
Saya packed up her supplies and left without another word.
After Saya was gone, Shion finally spoke. "Nomi-chan, why didn't we ask Saya-san to help steal the key to the cuffs? She seems like she'd help us."
Nozomi shook her head. "There are too many reasons why we can't. First, even with her help, we'd struggle to take on the other three, especially since that man has a gun. Second, in times like these, no one helps out of pure kindness."
"So what do we do?" Shion asked.
"For now, we should play along with them. I need an unexpected opportunity to gain the upper hand. If they want us to obey, let them think they're getting what they want."
Shion didn't know if this plan was good or not, but she knew that just listening to Nozomi would be fine, so she nodded.