Whose voice was that... The question kept spinning in Leon's head like a clock that wouldn't stop. His face was pale, eyes wide as he looked left and right warily.
"What's wrong with you now?" Shion, seeing Leon acting strange again, asked with an irritated and suspicious tone, her pretty eyebrows knitting together.
"I don't know..." Leon answered weakly, trying not to let his voice shake. "Just now... I think I heard someone's voice..."
Shion crossed her arms, looking Leon up and down assessingly. "You probably got poisoned by that grilled rat," she said, pouting slightly before turning to browse other stalls. "Is there anything around here that's actually edible besides rats..."
While Leon was still standing there confused by the mysterious voice in his head...
"Hey young man!" A deep voice from a middle-aged man called out from the side. Leon startled slightly and looked toward the voice. The man had a compact build, sun-darkened skin, and bright eyes that seemed friendly. He wore old but clean clothes.
"You from the inside... from Crafter?" the man said with a wide smile showing teeth that were surprisingly white for the environment. "What brings you around here, son?"
Leon gathered himself, trying to look normal. "Yes... sir, I'm from Special Operations Unit Four in Crafter."
"Oh! So you're from the special units!" the man exclaimed in amazement and admiration. "No wonder you look pretty tough." He chuckled. "Haven't seen any units patrolling around here lately. How are the Vine-born doing?"
"Uh... from what I know, their numbers seem to have dropped a lot," Leon answered truthfully.
"Ah, that's good then," the man nodded understandingly. "So where are you and that young lady headed?" His eyes glanced over to Shion, who was standing at a food stall on the other side, picking out something to buy.
"We're going to... uh... Flower," Leon replied.
"Flower?" The man raised his eyebrows high. "Whoa... that's quite a journey. You two planning to walk?"
"Y-yes sir," Leon answered weakly, feeling a bit embarrassed about his sloppy travel plans.
"Oh boy, that's really far," the man shook his head. "How about this?" he offered with a friendly smile. "I'll give you two a ride. I've got a bicycle trailer, and I'm free anyway." He raised his eyebrows with a slight hint. "That redhead girl is with you too, right?"
Shion was standing in front of a grilled egg stall at that moment. The eggs looked like the most appetizing food in the entire abandoned marketplace. She was about to open her mouth to order.
"Uh... yes sir," Leon replied. "But... could I go ask her first?"
"Sure thing, young man, no problem. Take your time," the man waved casually.
Leon quickly walked over to Shion, who was receiving a stick of hot grilled eggs from the vendor. The young woman's eyes sparkled with happiness at seeing food that looked delicious. She bit into the grilled egg, her cheeks puffing as she chewed.
"Mmm... so good..." a satisfied murmur escaped her lips.
"Hey, Shion," Leon called out softly.
"What!" Shion immediately turned to glare at him for interrupting her moment of food happiness. "Why are you bothering someone who's enjoying herself!"
"Well... that uncle over there," Leon pointed to the middle-aged man waiting. "He offered to take us to Flower."
Shion raised an eyebrow, glanced at the man briefly, then turned back to ask Leon. "Take us? That's good. How are we going? What did he say?"
"He said... it's a bicycle trailer."
Just then, the middle-aged man waved at both of them again before pointing to his vehicle parked not far away. It was an old bicycle with a small trailer attached to the back that looked like it could seat about four people. It showed heavy use but still looked sturdy enough.
Shion looked back and forth between the bicycle trailer and Leon, thinking for a moment before shrugging. "Yeah, sure. I'm too lazy to walk anyway." She spoke while taking the last bite of her grilled egg with obvious enjoyment.