Though winter was drawing near and there weren’t many mosquitoes around, that didn’t mean there were none. And one little mosquito had managed to catch Elina’s attention.

A look of longing flashed in Elina’s eyes. She wanted nothing more than to swat the mosquito with her adorable little paws, but this mosquito truly was a tough creature to still be active so close to winter. It dodged with incredible skill, and Elina couldn’t hit it. Instead, it lured her into a dark alley.

........

Caro took some time to pay the takoyaki vendor back the rest of what she owed. She also bought two cups of juice, then headed outside. When she saw that Elina wasn’t where she’d left her, she panicked. “Elina?!” she cried.

But no one answered. Caro bit her lip. She knew Elina must have wandered off. With that silly head of hers, she wasn’t the kind of little kitty who’d play pranks—but Caro couldn’t panic. She had to stay calm. The first thing to do was find Eve and let her handle it. Caro was just a little girl; there was nothing she could do on her own.

Caro hurried over to Eve and called anxiously, “Eve! Elina’s gone missing!”

Eve’s lips curved slightly as she calmly asked, “What happened? Explain it to me.”

Caro gestured with her fingers as she recounted what had happened.

Eve nodded calmly. “I see. Good thing I prepared for this in advance. Let’s go find her.”

“Prepared? Huh? You’re not even a little worried, Eve?” Caro asked, confused.

“I knew Elina might wander off. See, this is a tracking spell. I left a trace of my wood-element aura on her earlier, so I can use this to find her.” Eve opened her hand, and a grid-lined map appeared in her palm. A green dot blinked steadily nearby.

“Oh, I see! Then let’s hurry!” Caro cried, delighted.

“Mm. Let’s go,” Eve said with a faint smile.

.......

In the quiet alley.

Ryan climbed to his feet in a daze and looked around. Feeling the pain in the back of his head, he grimaced and touched it. A smear of cold blood stuck to his hand.

“Blood?” Ryan murmured blankly.

As his groggy mind slowly pieced together what had happened while he was unconscious, he remembered that the big brother he’d trusted had attacked him from behind. But he hadn’t even done anything to him...

Why had he knocked him out? Wait—the money...

Ryan frantically checked his pockets. Just as he’d feared, the last of the money his mother had left him was gone!

So he really had been robbed?

But Mom had always said that good deeds are rewarded, and evil deeds punished!

So why had they treated him this way when he’d given them food?

A deep despair settled over Ryan’s heart. He looked out at the bustling street, and helplessness welled up inside him. He had no money left! That meant he couldn’t stay in a comfortable inn or even get something to fill his empty stomach. In human society, without money, you had no right to survive. Even a commoner from a small mountain village like him understood that cruel truth...

Ryan gazed up at the vast, boundless sky. Layer upon layer of dark clouds had spread across it, and Thunder rumbled. It looked like rain would start any moment.

The cold winter air at night scraped across Ryan’s exposed skin like a blade. His ragged clothes offered him no protection.

Ryan sighed. He had no family or friends in this city. No one was going to help him.

He’d just have to make do here for the night.

.......