# Chapter 70
Before sunrise, before the station attendant arrived for work, they left the cabin. Usually only Rite had to wear his hat pulled down low, but this time Arden also wore a hat. Arden checked the necklace around his neck one last time. It was natural for it to be there as he had never taken it off, but doing so made him feel more at ease. He couldn’t understand himself.
Unlike Arden, who locked the front door and headed straight to the village, Rite stood in front of the cabin for quite some time, looking around. His gaze lingered especially long on the tree house.
Arden didn’t want to interrupt Rite’s personal moment, but he had no choice.
“Let’s go, Rite.”
Rite’s eyes shifted to Arden. At that call, he headed toward Arden as if he had no lingering attachments.
The Winter Forest was still exclusionary. With every breath, its distinctive cold scent and air entered through the mouth and nose. Feet sank into the snow, and the noisy sound of wind disturbed the ears. No matter how long one had lived in this forest, the cold couldn’t be avoided. The forest had never been kind to anyone.
Arden buried his face in the scarf Rite had knitted for him to shield himself from the wind. He could faintly smell a familiar scent. The scent that could be smelled when burying one’s face in bedding, along with a cozy feeling. It was the smell of home.
After arriving in the village, walking became much easier, but their hearts were not at ease. The entrance to the forest and the train station were located at opposite ends of the village. They had to walk across the village.
Arden felt his heart beating faster than ever before as he took Rite’s hand. Despite the cold weather, their joined hands were very warm. Rite’s gaze turned toward Arden, but Arden had no room to mind such things.
The quiet village, still shrouded in darkness, looked eerie. The sound of wind blowing between buildings sometimes sounded like human voices, sometimes like animal sounds. They quickened their steps, hoping that the sound of their footsteps on the stone pavement would be drowned out by the wind.
Arden felt uneasy despite walking through streets where no one had yet awakened. The hood attached to his coat was pulled down so low that he couldn’t see properly in front of him.
Unlike Arden, who only looked ahead as he walked, Rite’s eyes moved busily. He was accustomed to walking with his vision partially obscured. The village without a single person was when Rite could be most free. He carefully observed the attic of the grocery store where Ea would be sleeping, the alley leading to Cal’s house, and the firewood shop where Jack would be, while also gazing at the back of his unrequited love who was holding his hand and leading the way.
While Rite was contemplating whether his love was unrequited or reciprocated, they arrived in front of the train station. As they stood in front of the dark station building without a single light on, Arden exhaled breathlessly. Unlike him, Rite’s breathing didn’t falter at all.
Only then did Arden turn to look at Rite.
“Haa… I think we’ll have to wait a bit longer.”
“It’s early, that’s why.”
“It’s better for anything to come sooner rather than later.”
Even though they had arrived at the station, they didn’t let go of each other’s hands. Arden relied on Rite’s warmth, and Rite relied on Arden.
Until the sleepy station attendant appeared, they held onto each other, looking at the village submerged in darkness.
* * *
The station attendant had been telling the truth. The platform was poorly cleaned. Withered grass had grown between the rails, a signboard was hanging precariously in the air with one line broken, and the bench showed clear signs of having been hastily wiped. It seemed only the center had been roughly cleaned with a rag, as the water marks left by the rag were still visible. Even the cleaned parts weren’t completely dust-free, just less dusty.
“It looks like a train station after the world ended.”
That was Rite’s assessment. Arden chuckled as he sat on the bench.
“Are you disappointed?”
This was Rite’s first time leaving the Winter Forest since being abandoned there. He had probably never seen a train before, yet he was about to ride one. Rite’s excitement was natural and impossible to hide even if he tried.
“No. I like this too.”
“The places we’ll go later will be more decent than this. Menden will be even cleaner, and Rosmunt won’t even compare.”
Arden spoke as he placed the bag he had been holding onto his knees. As Arden opened the bag, Rite sat down next to him and peeked inside.
“…What’s all this?”
Rite asked with a frown. Inside Arden’s bag were not only ordinary items like clothes and glasses but also machines and tools.
“Why did you bring all this heavy stuff?”
“Because there might be times when we need it.”
Arden answered as he carefully checked the contents of the bag. A portable Aether collector, basic tools, money, and basic necessities. After confirming that everything he had packed was there, he was about to close the zipper when Rite stopped him.
“How are you going to carry all this around? Give it to me. I’ll put it in my backpack.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“It’s much less tiring to carry it on your back. And you have less stamina than me.”
“What are you talking about? There’s no such thing as a physically weak engineer in this world.”
“I saw how you were out of breath earlier.”
Arden protested, but Rite didn’t listen. He opened his backpack and took out the items inside. The first thing that came out was a mobile.
“Didn’t you send this to Pini?”
“No.”
Rite answered nonchalantly while taking out tools from Arden’s bag with his other hand. He put the tools in his backpack and the mobile in Arden’s bag, then began moving other items one by one.
“Why?”
“What?”
“Why are you carrying around the mobile?”
Arden brought up a question he had been holding for a while. During his first escape, and when he left home the second time, Rite had only taken the mobile with him. He had always been strongly attached to individual items, but it seemed he had a stronger obsession with the mobile than anything else.
“I can’t sleep without it.”
Rite replied in a casual voice, still busily transferring items. Arden stared blankly at him. The thick frame, large build, and Adam’s apple that moved with every word all resembled a mature adult. Yet he couldn’t sleep without a mobile. Arden felt a strange sense of incongruity.
Arden could think of two possibilities. One was that mentally, he was still an immature child, and the other was insomnia due to psychological anxiety.
“Are you sure you’re not just assuming because you’ve never slept without the mobile?”
“To be precise, it’s not the mobile…”
“Not the mobile?”
Rite stopped organizing the luggage and stared at Arden. Arden also waited for Rite’s answer, but Rite just smiled slightly and shook his head.
“No, never mind.”
“Why did you stop talking? What do you mean by ‘never mind’?”
Despite Arden’s urging, Rite only smiled without answering. Arden felt the impulse again. He wanted to ask. How did he spend his time when he left home and stayed in the forest? How did he hide among the monsters? Was he ever hurt? Did he hang the mobile on a tree and sleep underneath it there too? What exactly was that mobile, that he took only it when he disappeared without saying a word to Arden?
Meanwhile, all the heavy items from Arden’s bag had been moved to Rite’s backpack. After switching all the luggage, Rite didn’t forget to move the mobile to the top of Arden’s bag to prevent it from being damaged.
“Done.”
“…It’ll be heavy.”
“I said I’d prove it to you, didn’t I?”
Rite said, kindly closing the bag. Despite Rite’s words, Arden couldn’t hide his worried eyes.
“What are you trying to prove?”
“That even though I’m not as smart as Arden, I’m stronger?”
“…No. You’re not a stupid kid.”
“Why are you saying that so seriously?”
Rite laughed in disbelief. There was still plenty of time until the train’s departure, but they weren’t bored. The two waited for the start of their journey, exchanging conversations that didn’t suit the situation.
* * *
Even after 50 minutes, the station attendant didn’t appear. They anxiously discussed whether they should continue waiting or just go and board the train before it departed. Just as Arden was convincing Rite to return home for now, the station attendant appeared.
No one had bought tickets. When told to go board the train, neither Arden nor Rite moved. Though they had come out fully prepared to leave, it didn’t feel real. Rite had never left this place, and Arden had been confined for too long.
Arden was the first to come to his senses. After paying the remaining 500 Bram, he led Rite and ran to the platform where the train was. Rite, who had been in a daze, finally came to his senses and ran as well.
Neither had time to look around the platform. They ran, taking the stairs two or three steps at a time, going up and down. As they came down the stairs and the train came into view, Arden glanced at the clock. The clock was pointing toward 59 minutes. Pure white steam was being emitted from the bottom and top of the train. It seemed like it would depart at any moment.
Just as Arden bit his lip hard and was about to put more strength into his running legs, two strong arms reached out from behind and wrapped around him. Arms that wrapped around his shoulders and the back of his knees lifted Arden up.
“Rite!”
“Hold onto the bag tightly.”
Rite ran while holding Arden up. It was significantly faster than before, as if he had been matching Arden’s pace until now. Arden tightly held onto the bag and thought, Is he running while carrying a backpack, me, and my bag? This kid who used to just read books at home and knit scarves?
Arden was by no means light. Though he appeared thinner than average on the outside, he wasn’t a skinny scholar without any muscle. He wasn’t short either, so he weighed quite a bit, but Rite made it look effortless.
Rite’s hat was blown off by the wind rushing past. His bangs fluttered in the wind, revealing a neat forehead. Firmly closed lips, furrowed brow, and dreamlike eyes looking straight ahead. Arden took in these details instead of the train that might leave. Rite kicked off the ground and ran.
With a thud, the sound of landing on the floor made Arden’s body, cradled in Rite’s arms, shudder from the impact. The steam sound was loud. Simultaneously, the train door closed behind Rite’s back.
“…We made it.”
Rite smiled, looking down at Arden. Belatedly, Arden’s heart swelled at the gently curved corners of Rite’s eyes. They were leaving the Winter Forest.
The train slowly began to move.
