The two continued walking through the Dungeon, Kai keeping his eyes on the different paths while Hana followed beside him. The place was still as confusing as ever, with paths splitting into several directions and strange glowing plants growing from the walls.
Kai wasn’t sure if they were getting closer to Hori or simply getting themselves more lost, but at least he wasn’t alone anymore. After walking for a while Hana suddenly became quiet, looking like she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to start.
"My name is Hana by the way" she said shyly, her fingers playing with the edge of her clothes.
"Kai" Kai replied, glancing at her with a small smile. "Though I guess you already knew that since Hori told you about me."
Hana nodded and continued walking beside. Kai couldn’t help but glance at her again, especially at the strange outfit she had been wearing when he first found her. He had been wondering about it since they met, and eventually his curiosity got the better of him.
"By the way, what was with that Sailor Moon costume?" Kai asked, looking at her strangely. "I kept wondering why someone would be walking around a Dungeon dressed like that."
Hana’s face immediately became red and she looked away. "I was at a cosplay convention when I got transported here" she said nervously. "I didn’t even know what was happening at first. I thought the message was some kind of joke, then suddenly I was here still wearing the costume."
Kai looked at her outfit again before nodding. "That actually makes sense."
"After I spent some time with Hori I eventually went to the Dungeon market and bought some normal clothes" Hana continued, looking a little embarrassed. "The costume looked really weird here and people kept staring at me, so I changed."
"I mean, you were probably going to get attention either way" Kai said with a small laugh.
Hana looked at him for a moment before turning away again. "You’re not helping."
Kai chuckled and continued walking. After a few moments he noticed Hana looking ahead with a more serious expression, almost as if she was thinking about something important.
"Your skill... you said you could create desserts?" Kai asked.
"Yes, it’s called Dessert Creation" Hana answered. "I can create cakes, candy, pastries and other kinds of sweets. I can even make them much bigger than normal if I use more energy."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "So you can just make a giant cake?"
"Yes" Hana said, nodding. "That’s actually how I trapped that man you found. He and his friends were trying to take Hori, so I made a cake around him."
Kai couldn’t help but laugh when he remembered the sight of the man stuck inside the giant cake while happily eating his way through it. "That explains why he was eating his way out of it."
Hana covered her mouth as she laughed softly. "He was actually making it worse for himself. Every time he ate part of the cake, I could just create more." This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Kai shook his head. "Your skill is definitely more useful than it sounds."
Hana’s smile slowly faded as she looked ahead. "There’s something else my skill can do."
Kai looked at her. "What?"
"If someone eats something I create, I can track them" Hana said. "Not forever, but for a while. I can sense where they are as long as the connection hasn’t disappeared."
Kai stopped walking almost immediately and turned toward her. "Wait, you can track people who eat your food?"
Hana nodded. "Yes."
"Then you can track Hori?" Kai asked, his voice becoming more hopeful.
"I think so" Hana said. "Hori ate some of my cake before everything happened, so I should still be able to find him. I just need to concentrate and figure out which direction he’s in."
Kai’s eyes widened slightly. After everything he had gone through searching for the boy, finally having a way to locate him felt like the first bit of good luck he’d had in a long time.
"Then let’s find him" Kai said, turning back toward the path.
Hana followed after him but remained quiet for a while. Kai noticed she wasn’t looking as relieved as he expected. Instead, she seemed distracted, and he eventually realised there was probably another reason she had been in the Dungeon before she met Hori.
"You were looking for someone before you met Hori, weren’t you?" Kai asked.
Hana lowered her head slightly. "My sister."
Kai slowed down as he looked at her.
"We were together when the goblins attacked. They took her, and I managed to escape" Hana said quietly. "I was searching for her when Hori suddenly fell onto me while I was running." The source of this chapter is NovelPing.
Kai didn’t interrupt her, allowing her to continue.
"I wanted to go back for her, but then Hori was there and he was terrified. I couldn’t just leave him alone, so I stayed with him and tried to keep him safe" Hana continued, her voice becoming quieter. "Then those men came and tried to take him too."
Kai looked at her for a moment, feeling a little bad for her. She had been searching for her own sister while somehow still finding the strength to protect Hori.
"You’ve had it pretty rough" Kai said, his voice softer than before.
Hana gave a small nod.
"But don’t worry" Kai said, giving her a smile. "We’ll find Hori first, then we’ll find your sister too."
Hana looked at him in surprise. "You really think we can find her?"
Kai shrugged as he continued walking. "I don’t know. But we’re already going deeper into this crazy place, so we might as well look."
Hana stared at him for a few seconds before a small smile appeared on her face.
"You’re surprisingly kind for someone who complains about everything" Hana said.
Kai looked back at her with an offended expression. "I don’t complain about everything."
"You complained about the Dungeon, the monsters, the food, the lack of food and almost dying" Hana replied, counting each one on her fingers.
Kai went silent for a moment.
"Okay, maybe I complain a little" Kai admitted.
Hana laughed softly, and for the first time since they had started walking, the heavy atmosphere around them seemed to disappear. The two continued deeper into the Dungeon, unaware of what waited ahead, but now they had two things to search for instead of one.
Hori.
And Hana’s missing sister.