After the kids wake up in the inn, they look around and realize Rika is gone. Dante glances around and sighs deeply.
"Dude, our Blastie is gone," he says to Kaito, his annoyance clear on his face.
Dante calms himself as Kaito scratches his head, still waking up. "At least I paid our bill ahead of time," he says, thankful for his quick thinking.
Kaito stretches. "You think Rika knows what happened?"
Dante nods. "She's behind this," he says as he moves to open the inn door.
But there she is—Rika, standing right at the door, looking quite shocked.
"Oh, uhm, hey guys..." she greets awkwardly.
Dante and Kaito both stare at her with their arms on their hips, looking like annoyed mothers.
"Where'd the Blastie go, Rika?!" they shout in unison.
Rika whines. "I, uhm... went gambling..." she admits, nervously smiling while pressing her fingertips together.
Dante shakes his head. "So you lost it all?" he asks. She nods slowly.
"What's gambling?" Kaito asks.
"Nothing for you to worry about, Kaito," Dante replies quickly.
Rika sighs. "But it's okay! We can get the money back!" she says confidently.
With a quick "How?" the boys follow Rika to a shop.
"Alright, so listen—the guy who runs this shop is loaded," Rika explains.
They walk inside.
"Welcome to my shop. What have you all come in search of?" the weak-looking man greets them warmly.
Rika pulls the boys in. "Alright guys, huddle."
Kaito wonders what Rika's plan is. Maybe they're about to ask for a quest?
"We gotta rob this guy," Rika says without an ounce of hesitation.
"NO!" Dante shouts.
Rika whines. "Why not? Look at this dude, he's a total weakling," she laughs.
"No! He can totally beat us up! I don't know about you, but I don't want a beating!" Dante snaps.
The man tilts his head. "You three know I can hear you, right?" he asks.
"Hey, shut it! You can't hear us in the huddle!" Rika yells back.
"Listen, with or without you guys, I'm gonna rob this guy," Rika says.
She gears herself up... then just charges at the guy. And quickly, the three of them—
"SIT IN YOUR CELL AND WAIT, YOU FILTHY CHILDREN!"
—end up in a jail cell.
Dante and Kaito stare at Rika, bruised and disappointed, while she avoids their gazes.
Then Rika gets a smug smirk on her face. "We should do a jailbreak!" she announces.
"Yayyy, jailbreak!" Kaito celebrates.
"No! No!" Dante protests. "I've had enough of your ideas today!" He turns to his side as Kaito plays a harmonica.
"Where did you get a harmonica?!" Dante shouts and throws it away.
"Rika stole it earlier," Kaito admits.
Rika tosses her arms to the side. "How was I supposed to know the guy could fight like that!?" she yells in her defense.
"Or Rika, hear me out here—how about we not rob people?!" Dante shouts back.
Rika nods. "Okay, yeah... you got me there."
The guards return, banging on the gates.
"White hair—you're being summoned!" they shout as they drag Kaito from the cell.
"Wait, come back! Free me too—this guy forced me into this!" Rika yells, trying to pin it all on Dante.
The guards leave without even glancing at her.
"Seriously?" Dante mutters.
A bag is forcefully thrown over Kaito's head. Without his sight, he thrashes around trying to break their hold, but to no avail. He's dragged away and thrown into a chair. The bag is yanked off, tugging his hair.
"Hey, stop being so aggressive or I'll—" Kaito hesitates. "Or I'll..."
His breath catches. A lump forms in his throat. He cannot believe the sight before him. He wishes it were a bad dream.
Before him sits the esteemed Lady Nyla. Back straight, arms folded, legs crossed, fingers interlocked, resting calmly on the table.
Kaito is unsure what to say. Seeing her here, he wonders if the guards are here because she told on him for being a Kaya. Is he being hunted? A tinge of annoyance plays on his face—Moon would be disappointed he didn't even last a month.
"Kaito," Nyla's voice breaks the silence.
He doesn't respond—or rather, he can't. Words won't come.
"I have some questions for you," she says again.
Silence.
She waves her hand. "Guards, leave us."
"But young miss, leaving you alone with this ruffian could be dangerous!" a guard protests.
Nyla turns to him with a fierce look. "I did not ask you to speak. I said, leave us."
They obey.
"Is it true?" Nyla asks plainly.
"What do you mean?" Kaito asks.
"Are you truly one of those people?" Nyla says, and Kaito's shocked expression tells her what she needs to know.
"I didn't intend to hurt you with my words. I don't think you fully grasp what a Kaya is. Being accused of being one is no small matter," she explains.
Kaito swallows the lump in his throat. "You already told me what you think about people like me. Why follow me around? Do you want to turn me in?" he asks.
Nyla shakes her head, then crosses her legs. "No," she replies calmly—but her composure slips.
She slams her hands on the table and stands. "I trusted you! You gave me the first glimpse of what a free, simple life could look like! I don't think you're evil, but I was heavily caught off guard by the revelation of what you are!" she shouts.
She pulls out notes. "I've been following your trail since you left Mozam. And your exploits? They make no sense. For someone supposedly evil, you're just... helping people. Sure, you're chaotic, but you're not malicious!"
She takes a breath, calming herself.
"Kaito, I want you to hear me. I sincerely mean it when I say—even if you are a Kaya—I still trust you."
Her words surprise Kaito.
"I hope you can forgive both me and my rudeness. I honestly had no intention of hurting you. I was scared—from the rumors, and from my personal experiences with the Kaya. But I can see that you are not a malicious person."
She stands and extends a hand to him. "Kaito, I hope you can bring yourself to forgive me."
Kaito hadn't imagined anyone actually accepting a Kaya before. The scar on his eye was supposed to be proof they never would. But here stood Nyla—a girl with a history tied to his father—still offering him her hand. Wiping away the memory of the man who scarred him.
"Of course I forgive you, Nyla! You and Yukki were my first friends!" Kaito says happily.
Nyla feels relief hearing this. "That's reassuring to hear. I'll still work on getting that Unifates piece for you. That should suffice as a proper apology," she says proudly.
Kaito literally leaps into the air, landing in a hug around Nyla.
Such a gesture—touching someone as esteemed as her—would usually mean immediate execution. But since it was Kaito, her friend... the only person who ever treated her like just another girl... she allowed it.
She hugs him back, tightly, cherishing her first real friend. Kaito pulls away, but Nyla holds him a bit longer.
"Oh, I almost forgot—Nyla, you've gotta meet my friends!" Kaito says.
The door bursts open. Kaito jumps on guard, but it's just Rika and Dante flying in.
"Kaito, we're here to save you! All the guards went outside, and Rika got us out of the cell," Dante explains.
Rika sneaks around, peeking behind corners. "GET TO THE BOAT!" she yells.
Kaito laughs. "These are my friends I've been traveling with."
Dante's jaw drops. "How do you know the esteemed lady herself?!" he shouts. Then he notices her holding Kaito's arm. "And to be so friendly with her?!"
Rika notices too. "Whoa, noble blonde lady really is here."
Nyla smiles gracefully, mask of poise firmly in place. "It's very nice to meet the two of you." She shakes Dante's hand. Her soft touch and slender fingers cause him to collapse to the ground in shock.
Rika shivers. "She gives off so much cutesy aroma—it's infectious!"
Nyla laughs. "Your friends are very silly, Kaito."
"Yeah, they're the best!" Kaito says proudly.
Rika blushes. "Oh Kaito, please stop flattering me!"
Rika tosses her arm around Nyla. "You're not too bad yourself, you know?" she says as she slyly slides a bracelet off Nyla's wrist.
Nyla slips away before she can notice.
As Kaito and Rika carry Dante from the building, Nyla follows.
"It really was nice seeing you again. Will you be departing from Trays soon?" Nyla asks innocently.
Kaito nods. "Yeah. We didn't find anything here."
Nyla sighs. "You're always moving around," she says with a playful laugh.
Rika elbows her. "Couldn't agree more. The guy never sits still!"
"May I borrow your map?" Nyla asks. They pass it over.
"You should head to the town I'll be in—it's where my father stores all of his treasures. I'm sorry it's a bit far, but you should arrive in two weeks or so," she explains, marking it on the map.
Kaito smiles. "Thanks, Nyla. Really."
She fidgets nervously, avoiding eye contact. "It's uhm... also around my birthday, so when you arrive, I was wondering... if you'd like to celebrate it with me?" she asks shyly.
Rika smirks, clearly noticing the subtext, but Kaito remains blissfully clueless.
"Of course! We'll come!" Kaito agrees.
Nyla is delighted. "I'm relieved to hear that!"
Dante groans awake. "What happened?"
Rika drops him. Kaito quickly catches him up.
"Oh, that's great. A goal for us," Dante says.
Nyla shakes her head. "It wasn't easy getting away unnoticed by my father. Turmoil between the guilds and the empire is rising—but of course, that's nothing new."
Kaito hugs her again. "Thank you for coming at all!"
Blushing, Nyla turns away. "Oh, it's truly no big deal," she says like a giddy child.
Dante is stunned. The noble lady has a crush on Kaito?!
Nyla smiles. "I'll pay for your inn tonight—and any supplies you may need on your way to Furona," she offers with grace.