"Pavela!"
A voice rang out among the ruins.
It was very agitated.
Very excited.
Carrying a certain joy of relief.
It even sounded a bit like a scream.
Pavela opened her eyes.
Through the open cockpit, she saw four people running toward her from the distance.
Victoria was running in the lead.
Her golden hair flew in the night wind.
Her skirt was covered in dust and debris.
The chains of the shackles on her wrists were still dangling.
But she ran very fast.
Like an excited large dog.
Charlotte barely managed to keep up behind her.
Her red hair was ssy and her face was pale, but she was trying hard to keep pace.
Frederick and Reinhardt brought up the rear.
Frederick's bandages had loosened a few turns, and Reinhardt was limping, but both were relatively steady.
Pavela watched them.
She reached out, controlling the cha to slowly kneel down.
The hydraulic system made a dull "hissing" sound.
White steam gushed out from the joints.
The cha's knees touched the ground.
A dull roar sounded.
The earth vibrated slightly.
The position of the cockpit lowered.
From its original height of three or four ters, it dropped to about one or two ters.
Just right.
A height a person could reach.
Victoria didn't stop at all.
She leapt directly from the ground, stepped on the armor plate of the cha's knee, and grabbed the handrail on the edge of the cockpit.
She flipped inside directly like a nimble cat.
Then, she threw herself directly into Pavela's arms.
"Mm—"
Pavela was knocked backward by this sudden impact.
Her back hit the pilot's seat.
Victoria's head was buried in the crook of her neck.
Long golden hair filled her vision.
And that familiar scent of shampoo with a hint of vanilla.
And—
And the sensation of Victoria's soft body pressed tightly against her.
Pavela was stunned for a mont at first.
But soon.
She felt it.
Victoria was shaking.
A very slight trembling.
Transmitting from her shoulders to her arms.
The hands holding her were also tightening slightly.
As if she were grasping at a life-saving straw.
Pavela's body slowly relaxed.
She didn't push Victoria away.
Nor did she say anything else.
She just raised her hand.
And very, very gently patted Victoria's back.
Once, twice, three tis.
Like coaxing a child.
The rhythm was very slow.
Very gentle.
Victoria's body trembled even more violently.
"...Victoria."
Pavela's voice was very soft.
"It's okay now."
She said.
"Everything is fine now."
Victoria didn't answer.
She only buried her face deeper.
Her arms were wrapped around Pavela's waist.
Her whole body hung on her like a koala.
Pavela could feel her warm breath.
Could feel her eyelashes fluttering against her neck.
And could also feel—
A bit of wetness.
Pavela sighed.
Her hand continued to gently pat Victoria's back.
“Go ahead and cry.”
She said.
“Cry if you want to.”
“I won't laugh at you.”
Victoria's body stiffened for a mont.
And then—
Her shoulders began to twitch.
Quiet sobs ca from her throat.
She was crying.
But she tried hard not to make a sound.
Only her tears wouldn't stop falling.
They wet Pavela's collar.
Pavela didn't speak.
She just continued to pat Victoria's back.
The rhythm was very steady.
Very reassuring.
A long ti passed.
Only then did Victoria's sobbing slowly stop.
But she still held Pavela.
She didn't let go.
"...I'm sorry."
She said softly.
Her voice was a bit raspy.
“I shouldn't have cried.”
“Why shouldn't you cry?”
Pavela said.
“It was so dangerous just now.”
“It's normal to cry.”
“But...”
Victoria's voice beca even smaller.
“I'm clearly fine...”
“What do you an you're fine?”
Pavela's voice carried a hint of helplessness.
“You were clearly terrified.”
“I can feel it.”
Victoria was silent for a mont.
Then she whispered:
"...Yeah."
“I really was...”
“I really was scared.”
She looked up.
Her erald eyes were red.
Tear stains still hung on the corners of her eyes.
“That woman...”
“She was really terrifying.”
“She turned the whole forest into monsters.”
“I thought...”
“I thought we were all going to die there.”
Victoria's voice choked up a bit.
“But you ca.”
“You really ca.”
“And you defeated her.”
Pavela looked at her.
Looking at those red and swollen eyes.
Looking at that face still marked with tear stains.
Then she raised her hand.
And gently wiped away the tears at the corner of Victoria's eye with her thumb.
“Yeah.”
She said.
“I'm here.”
“So you're safe now.”
She paused.
“And...”
“You were very brave too.”
Victoria was stunned for a mont.
“Eh?”
“Very brave.”
Pavela said it again.
“Look, after you were kidnapped, you were able to break free from your shackles on your own.”
"And knocked out so many guards."
“While escaping, you even helped guide Frederick through the vines.”
Her voice carried a certain earnestness.
“Victoria, you are already braver than most people.”
Victoria stared at her.
And then—
She suddenly smiled.
“Little Pa...”
She said.
“Are you comforting ?”
Pavela's movents paused for a mont.
"...No."
“You are.”
Victoria's smile grew wider.
“You are comforting .”
“You want to coax .”
Her eyes # Nоvеlight # were sparkling.
Though they were still a bit red and swollen.
But they had regained their spirit.
Pavela's face felt a bit hot.
“I... am not... no.”
“You are, you are.”
Victoria nuzzled into her arms.
“You are super gentle.”
“So gentle that I even want to...”
She paused for a mont.
“Even want to stay on you forever.”
The corner of Pavela's mouth twitched.
"...Aren't you right now?"
“Oh, right.”
Victoria said.
“Then I'm going to hug you for a while longer.”
Pavela was stunned for a mont.
"...Haven't you hugged enough yet?"
“Not enough...”
Victoria buried her face in Pavela's shoulder.
Her voice was muffled.
“Besides, once Eleanor cos...”
“I won't be able to hug you anymore.”
"...?"
Pavela's brain couldn't quite process that.
“Why?”
“Because she'll be jealous.”
Victoria said as if it were a matter of course.
“Last ti I planned to hug you in the dical Building, the way she looked at was like she wanted to throw out the window.”
“Even though she was still smiling.”
“But that smile was super scary.”
“It was the kind of smile that says, ‘If you hug her, I'll turn you into a specin.’”
The corner of Pavela's mouth twitched.
"...You're overthinking it."
“I am not.”
Victoria looked up.
Her face was very close to Pavela's.
Her erald eyes were sparkling.
“I know, Eleanor likes you super, super much.”
“That kind of liking isn't the liking of sisters anymore.”
“It's the kind of—”
She paused for a mont.
Her eyes blinked.
“It's the kind of ‘This is mine, no one is allowed to touch it’ liking.”
Pavela's face got even hotter.
"...Don't talk nonsense."
“I'm not talking nonsense.”
Victoria said seriously.
“So I have to hug you more while Eleanor isn't here.”
“Otherwise, when she cos, she'll look at with that gaze and then take you away.”
She buried her face back into Pavela's shoulder.
“Just let hug you for a bit longer, okay?”
“Just for this little while.”
Pavela sighed.
"...Suit yourself."
Victoria imdiately hugged her tighter.
Wrapping herself around Pavela like an octopus.
Like she was holding a lost and found treasure.
...
Frederick watched the scene of Victoria throwing herself into the cockpit.
He turned to look at Reinhardt.
The two of them exchanged a look.
And then, with great tacit understanding—
They found a relatively flat stone near the cha's foot and sat down.
Frederick placed his Flail to one side.
Reinhardt carefully adjusted the bandage on his leg.
Charlotte stood to the side.
Looking at them sowhat at a loss.
“Um...”
She said softly.
“Don't we need to do sothing?”
“No need.”
Frederick waved his hand.
“Just let them talk for a while by themselves.”
“But...”
Charlotte looked at the cockpit.
“Victoria, she...”
“She's fine.”
Reinhardt said.
“She just needs a little ti to calm her emotions.”
“After all, it was quite terrifying just now, wasn't it?”
He looked at Charlotte.
“You should sit down and rest for a while too.”
“Wait a bit, and Pavela's sister should be coming to pick us up soon.”
Charlotte was stunned for a mont.
“Eleanor... will she co?”
“Of course.”
Frederick said.
“Little Pa is here, so even if no one notifies her, she'll show up very soon.”
Charlotte hesitated for a mont.
Then she still sat down beside the two of them.
Hugging her knees.
Her gaze looked toward the distant ruins.
The night wind blew through the ruins.
Bringing a scent of scorched earth.
The cry of a nocturnal bird ca from the distance.
Along with so kind of heavy chanical sound.
Coming closer and closer.
Eleanor was about to arrive.
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