Bell and Haruhi got along better and better, and unconsciously, they forgot the ti.
By the ti they rembered, it was already two hours past the agreed ti.
The ti had also reached two in the morning.
"Ah! Oh no!"
Bell suddenly realized the ti, "Sorry, Miss Haruhi, I should leave."
"It is indeed very late, Mr. Cranel. Haruhi will see you out."
Haruhi also stood up to see Bell out.
"Thank you today, Miss Haruhi. Otherwise, I really don't know what I would have done."
Bell still hadn't figured out why Takatsuki had thrown him into the Entertainnt District, and he was grateful that he had t Haruhi today, otherwise tonight would surely have been…
"Haruhi also had a very pleasant day today. I think your senior in the Familia, Mr. Cranel, must have done this for your own good."
Haruhi walked Bell all the way outside the building before she saw Takatsuki and Aisha.
"Sister Aisha…"
As soon as Haruhi stepped out, she saw Aisha standing outside. Although she didn't recognize the other man, he looked like Sister Aisha's guest?
That was naturally impossible. Takatsuki had only taken Aisha to the door in advance after hearing that Bell finally realized how late it was. Otherwise, if Bell knew that the two of them were eavesdropping, the young man would probably have made a fuss.
"Let's go, Bell."
Seeing Takatsuki turn and leave after he ca out, Bell quickly bid farewell to Haruhi and then hurried to follow him.
Watching the two walk away into the distance, Haruhi looked at the Amazonian woman who had walked up beside her and always taken good care of her, "Sister Aisha, who was that person?"
"Just a good-for-nothing. Go back."
Takatsuki didn't walk fast, and Bell caught up to his pace in a few steps. The Entertainnt District in the early morning was much quieter than it had been at night, with most people choosing to spend the night in warm rooms.
"Takatsuki, why would you do sothing like that?"
Bell hadn't forgotten his previous question, and as soon as he caught up, he imdiately asked.
Takatsuki: "Aren't you happy?"
"How could I be happy!"
Stopping, Takatsuki looked at Bell: "I said it was for three hours, so why are you only coming out now?"
"Ah..."
Bell was speechless. Indeed, he was the one who had forgotten the ti while chatting. Although he felt ashad to be in such a place, honestly, Bell felt that chatting with Miss Haruhi was a very pleasant experience.
"Just admit it, you like that little girl nad Haruhi."
Seeing Bell's expression, Takatsuki knew he was just being stubborn. He chuckled lightly and continued walking forward.
Bell quickly followed: "No, no, how could I? I just... I just think Miss Haruhi is a very nice girl."
Takatsuki: "What's so nice about her?"
"She's very gentle, and she's understanding, and she knows a lot about hero tales..."
Are those even advantages? Oh, for Bell, maybe they really are.
Looking at Bell, who was still sowhat nostalgic about their conversation, Takatsuki secretly confird that his decision to bring him here was correct, but it wasn't enough.
For Bell now, Haruhi was rely a like-minded confidante with shared interests; it was unlikely she could inspire Bell's convictions. He still needed to fan the flas.
"Then let's co again tomorrow."
For now, let the two of them get more familiar with each other.
"No, no, no, I'm not coming again."
Bell, who was still reminiscing about their previous conversation, imdiately snapped out of it and quickly refused.
"Oh? You're not going to care about your Haruhi anymore?"
"She's not mine at all. Miss Haruhi and I only t today."
Looking at Bell's clear attitude, Takatsuki thought for a mont and asked in a sowhat low voice: "Bell, when you chatted with Haruhi, did you learn why she ca here? To Orario, to this Entertainnt District, and why she's in this profession?"
Takatsuki paused, then looked at Bell: "You should know what her profession is, right?"
"I..."
Bell certainly didn't know; Haruhi also had no reason to tell others about her tragic past: "Miss Haruhi only said she was from the Far East."
"Then let tell you, she was abducted and sold here. And do you know if she's doing her current job willingly? Or if she's satisfied with her current position?"
Bell shook his head in confusion: "I don't know."
He had only focused on chatting about hero tales. His understanding of Haruhi's situation was limited to the little she ntioned at the beginning. In his heart, this kind girl was very considerate of others' feelings and hadn't vented any negative emotions to him...
"So, Bell, you aspire to be a hero, don't you?"
Bell nodded. Although he didn't know why Takatsuki suddenly brought up heroes, he certainly admired heroes greatly. Coming to Orario was, in fact, because of this.
"Then do you know how to beco a hero?"
"How to beco a hero..."
Bell had never thought about it. He tried hard to recall the hero tales in his mory: "Work hard, conquer the Dungeon, beco strong, and then help those who need help, defeat powerful enemies."
A common and clichéd hero story, but one that was greatly loved by the people of this world, as they didn't have much other entertainnt.
"Then Bell, what do you think is most important for a hero: powerful strength or helping others?"
"Strength and helping others..."
To be honest, Bell felt both were important: "It should be strength, because only with strength can you help others, and only then can you step in when others are in danger."
Takatsuki shook his head at Bell's words: "No, if you only have strength, you're just a powerful person, or even an executioner."
"But if you have a heart willing to help others, even without strength, you can achieve the results you want through wisdom, friends, and the help of others. I think, in hero tales, heroes are never alone, fighting by themselves, right?"
Hearing Takatsuki's words, Bell thought for a mont and nodded: "That's right, even in the Argonaut hero tale, there were teammates you could rely on."
"So, Bell, a hero is not rely an honorific for the strong, but an affirmation for those who are willing to lend a helping hand to others."
Seeing Bell still hesitant and unable to fully grasp it, Takatsuki struck while the iron was hot: "Bell, are you willing to help Haruhi?"
"Of course!"
Although he hadn't fully understood, he was not stingy about lending a helping hand to others.
"But... does Miss Haruhi need my help...? And can I really help her...?"
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