"Wake up...”

He shook her, slowly but with a sense of alert, not wanting to be late.

“Hey, Aliza...!”

Her blue hair fluttered as she was shook, and her eyes crept open.

“Huh...?”

“Finally... you’re too much of a heavy sleeper.”

Her eyes opened themselves fully to see Ace’s head directly above.

“Wha--!”

*BONK*

“Aghh... can’t you wake up a little better?”

Seeing his face, she jumped up in surprise, bumping into Ace’s head.

“Aghh... sorry... I forgot where I was sleeping.”

Remembering that she fell asleep in Ace’s lap made her worry.

“Hey, Ace.”

“What?”

“Did I... ...”

“Did you...?”

“Did I... make any dumb faces while I was asleep?”

--Woah. That’s cute.

She looked worried and a little defenseless as she spoke. It gave off a girly vibe, one that isn’t seen from Aliza very often. Ace’s blushing and stuttering were inevitable.

“Uhh... nope... you were fine...”

“Why’re you being weird?! Was I that bad?!”

“No, I promise! You were fine!”

He swung his hands in front of her, denying everything she was saying. It was the opposite, she was very cute as she slept, but it was hard for Ace to say that.

“Ahh, I knew it. I made weird faces, didn’t I?”

But it seems she wouldn’t believe him, so he quickly spat it out.

“No! You looked... ...cute!”

“Ah--”

Seeing his blush and rapid speaking, it brought on a bright red blush of her own.

“I see... I was... cute.”

Ace couldn’t say anymore after that.

“Can you say that... one more time?”

“No! I can’t!”

“Why not?! Just one more time?”

From being embarrassed to a pout... how cute can she get?! Her blue eyes looked at him like a puppy, it was hard to resist.

“You were... cute.”

“Eeeehh!!”

She jumped around the alleyway, putting her happiness on display.

“Why are you so happy? You’re not as... *cough* cute... when you’re awake anyway.”

Ace thought people only got that happy when they were complimented by someone they like.

--Wait... does she like me? No, that can’t be it, she probably thinks of me as a little brother.

His thinking was interrupted.

“Really?! I always thought I was pretty decent looking.”

“I mean, physically wise, maybe... but personality... maybe not so much.”

He didn’t truly mean that. They were always competitive, so her joy made it feel as if she won. Ace tried to take back some of what he said before she got carried away.

“It’s fine. Over the next year, you’ll love my personality, along with my looks.”

“We’ll see about that.”

The old mouse demihuman smiled as he watched their conversation unfold. Every time he watched them, it left him feeling warm inside. He would never get over their lively arguments and conversations.

“Hahaha.”

---

------

“Okay, now, about Mila. We should leave in thirty minutes or so. The sun is about to go down, which is perfect.”

Ace nodded, thinking that was logical, but he needed to confirm something.

“Aliza, I know you healed yourself and rested, but are you okay to get to Mila’s house?”

He stared at her, showinga genuine look coupled with a hint of determination. Ace was not trying to start up a competitive bicker right now, and Aliza realized that.

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for worrying.”

“No... I’m just making sure. I’m regretting letting you go for the guild, so I want to do things right this time.”

Aliza smiled, grateful that he was caring.

---

------

The half an hour passed in a flash, the three now ready to depart for Mila’s house.

“She said her house had a wreath on the door and is on the southside of town.”

“Okay, let’s start moving.”

Ace said, not wanting to waste any time. Aliza nodded back, then they started to move.

• • •

They started moving south, checking roads before moving into another alley.

“Clear.”

They ran across, Aliza leading, Ace behind with Mr. Legot on his back.

They moved forward in this pattern, quickly, but at a pace that Ace could keep up with.

The three slowly advanced toward their goal, then started searching for the house with the red wreath on the door.

“No, not there.”

They continued to search for the red wreath, crossing alleys and peeking at houses.

“Nope.”

“Not this one.”

“No, keep going.”

“---!”

Aliza stopped. She took a harder look before turning around and sendingher next orders to Ace.

“There it is.”

Ace put Mr. Legot down now that they have located their objective. Aliza did not want to waste time, so they started discussing their next moves.

“Okay, I’ll go alone first. Once I get the clear, we’ll all move.”

“Stop right there.”

Ace usually agreed with Aliza’s plans, but this was one he had to stop her on.

“Me and you are switching roles. I’ll be the one to go, and you stay with Mr. Legot.”

After remembering what happened to her earlier by herself, Ace had to change the plans.

Aliza understood why Ace decided to change the plans, but it made her feel weird inside. She had a strong sense of wanting to go first.

“No, it’s fine, I’ll go first. I was the one to discuss with Mila, so it would make more sense if I go.”

“Nope, I’ll go. You can go first the next time, but right now, it has to be me. I just can’t let you go after what happened earlier.”

“Let me go first, there won’t be a problem. There’s no enemies anyways.”

“Why are you so hung up on this? If I go, my worry is satisfied and there are no enemies anyways, so it’s all good.”

“I don’t know, I just want to go first.”

Ace sighed hearing her reasoning. He thought it was something she couldn’t say, but that was not good enough right now. He needed real reasons for going first, not a ‘feeling’.

“Aliza, be reasonable right now. Stay back with Mr. Legot, please.”

They caught each other’s eyes. Ace’s eyes clearly displayed worry and wanting Aliza to be cooperative. He wanted her to stay back, for her sake, and his own.

“Fine, I’ll stay...”

“Thank you.”

Ace set out for the house they set their eyes on.

---

------

He stood in front of the door decorated with the wreath. He raised his hand and hesitated before knocking on the wood. He breathed in deeply and brought his hand to the door, not wanting to waste time.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

“... ...”

Ace waited a few seconds, then heard footsteps coming towards the door.

“*gulp*”

“Who is it?”

“Is it Mila?”

He stayed quiet, but loud enough to hear on the other side.

“Yes, this is her. Is it Aliza?”

“No, it’s Ace.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll come out. One second.”

Ace waited, then heard a clack at the door handle. The door opened to reveal the clerk in her at-home wear.

“Hey, thanks for helping us. It’s a really big help.”

“We’re friends, of course I would help.”

“Thanks, once again, haha. Aliza’s nearby, should I bring her here or do you want to go there?”

“Let’s go there, I think we need to discuss first.”

“Got it.”

Ace brought Mila over to the alley where Mr. Legot and Aliza hid.

---

“Aliza!”

“Mila!”

They rushed in for a hug, seeing each other after what’s been half a day.

“Did you make it out of that okay? I’m sorry for not realizing earlier...”

“I got out, but not in the best condition... luckily, I’m a healer.”

“Oh, that’s good. I’m glad you made it out.”

Finishing checking up on her friend, Mila quickly moved on to the situation at hand.

“Okay, let’s talk about what we’re going to do. I haven’t told my parents about you guys staying yet, so nothing’s confirmed.”

“Okay, we need to think about what happens if they don’t let us stay.”

Mila got excited after hearing about a Plan B.

“I already have an idea for that! I didn’t want to let you guys down, so I thought I could rent a room at an inn, then let you guys in through a back door so you wouldn’t be noticed.”

“Oh, okay, that’s good. Those are our two plans for now. It’s up to you now Mila.”

“You got it! I’ll try my best to convince them.”

She ran back towards her home and left the three on their own.

• • •

She was entering her own house, but after being entrusted with an important task, Mila couldn’t help but feel nervous.

She took in a deep breath, entered the door and called out.

“Mama! Papa! Come downstairs, we need to talk!”

Hearing their daughter’s mid-night shouts, thetwo middle-aged demihumans rushed down the stairs.

“What’s the problem?!”

Her father was the first to respond to her calls, the worry showing on his face.

“--!”

His daughter glared back at him with a determination he hasn’t seen before.

“Sit down, we need to talk.”

“O-okay... honey, this seems important...”

He glanced back at his wife, who also rushed down hearing her daughter’s calls. She nodded and they sat down at the dinner table.

“Okay, I’ll get right to it.”

She received a nod from both her parents, who also displayed a determination to hear out their daughter.

“Have you heard about the humans in town?”

Her dad now looked confused as to why she would ask about them, but he responded, letting the conversation flow.

“Yes, I have, they’re the talk of the town.”

“Good, that will make this quick. Those humans... are my... friends.

“--!”

“Can they stay here for tonight?”

Her father was stunned. After seeing his daughter’s determination, he could tell she was not lying, but this request was too preposterous to accept. Humans?! Sleeping in his house?! He needed to stand his ground immediately and deny.

“No. Mila, how could you even ask us this? Don’t speak of this again.”

“Hear me out! They are good people, but they are being treated wrong for no reason!”

She could say whatever she wanted, humans in this householdwere unacceptable.

“No, we are done speaking. You’re lucky I am not reporting them right now. I’m going to sleep.”

He rose from his seat, and was about to leave to rest, when--

*GRAB*

“Honey, wait.”

Mila’s mother was the one to stop him.

“She is obviously worried about her friends; we need to hear her out right now.”

“But you know what happened between my family and those humans! How could I let them sleep in my house?!”

“Those were different people. I know what happened to your brother, but these people had nothing to do with that.”

“Even so! It’s unacceptable!”

“Honey, just listen to her, look...”

Hearing her mom on her side, Mila pulled out all the stops--

“*sniffle*”

“Mila--!”

Seeing his daughter break down right in front of him made him feel like a failure as a father. But at the same time, the situation was still unacceptable. Which to choose...?

“Honey... just hear her out... you can make your decision after.”

Being pushed towards one answer, the husband decided to give in.

“Fine... I will listen...”

“Thank you, papa!”

Seeing herself be accepted, she dropped the act and jumped out of her seat to hug her father.

“I’ll be right back. Stay there!”

She ran out the house to call over the three who had been waiting.

---

“Ace! Aliza!”

She looked over to see the blonde haireddemihuman make her way back from the job she was given.

“Mila! How did it go?”

“Okay, I was given approval to let you guys talk, but nothing has been confirmed. I think something happened between my papa and humans in the past, so he is resilient, but if you guys talk to him, I think it’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, Mila. Just the opportunity wouldn’t have been available if you weren’t here.”

“Let’s go! They’re waiting!”

She dragged the three back to her house and brought them inside.

---

“Mama, papa. These are my friends, Ace, Aliza, and a merchant they were planning to travel with before being assaulted.”

Aliza stepped forward to make a good first impression with her parents.

“Hello, my name is Aliza Runer. I thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak with you. Mila has been really nice to us these past few days; she is a great friend.”

“I’m Mila’s father, Ricard Betano. This is my wife, Vanessa Betano. I will be honest, I have not had a good experience with humans, so don’t expect me to accept you staying here. I will not report you though, as you are Mila’s friend.”

“I thank you once again, for not reporting us, and again, for giving us the opportunity to speak with you.”

Ace now stepped forward, needing to introduce himself.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Ace Bracker. Mila has also been really nice to me, and I’m grateful for that. I hope you will hear us out. Also, I am the only human in this party. Aliza is Shuna and our merchant friend, as you can see, is demihuman.”

He tried to speak as formally as possible, taking notes from Aliza’s display.

“Hello, I’m an old merchant by the name of Firut Legot. I was planning to travel with these two young ones, but some things happened, and I am currently unable to accomplish that. I ask that you hear these two out, they are good kids.”

Mila’s father listened to their introductions, but still did not lean towards satisfied.

“I heard that a demihuman was working with humans, but it was really a demihuman and a Shuna working with one human. That makes it a little more acceptable, but still not favorable. For now, sit down, and we can speak.”

They all sat down, and the father lead the talk.

“Okay, tell me what happened first, why do you need shelter? I want to hear it from the human.”

Ace was called on, and so he spoke up.

“I’ll start early. Me and Aliza were planning to leave Furio Village in a few days, so we found Mr. Legot, who agreed to take us.”

Ace’s story started off with a good mood, but continuing on, he dropped his head to recall the memories of when it went downhill.

“Some people must have overheard somehow, that Mr. Legot was helping humans, so they burned down his carriage and belongings. Also, people now know our faces, because we helped Mr. Legot away from the fire.”

He dove into the root of the problem, fidgeting as he spoke.

“We can’t get a stay at an inn, and we have no place to stay, so we asked Mila for help, because she was our only option. That brings us here, trying to convince you to let us stay for a few nights.”

Finishing off his story, he raised his head to lock eyes with the father who had been listening to his story--

“Wha--!”

Mila’s father was tearing up, tryingto cover it with an arm in front of his eyes.

“I’m sorry... I just lost myself a little.”

“Oh, honey, weren’t you trying to put on a tough act?”

“Leave me alone... how are you not tearing up after hearing that?”

Mila took her father’s reaction as a positive one, but she needed to confirm.

“Papa, does that mean they can stay?”

Her father wiped his tears and became serious once again.

“No, I did not say that. I know all humans are different, but I still cannot shake my past. My brother was in the war with the humans and was killed by them. I cannot accept them into my house so easily. At the same time, I have been helped by both Shuna and demihuman in the past, so I can accept the other two, but not the hu--”

“Please do! Take in the other two, please!”

Ace jumped at the chance that presented itself. Just finding shelter for Mr. Legot and Aliza was good enough. He could just sleep in the forest if he needed to. He has already done that a few times already, it shouldn’t be a problem, but he could not let an elder like Mr. Legot sleep in the forest.

“Ace, wait! Mr. Legot aside, if they won’t accept you, I’ll also sleep in the forest. I know that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Aliza, what’s the point in that? You’re getting free shelter, take it.”

“I refuse. We’re partners now, so we move together.”

“Aliza, I understand where you’re coming from, but it’s free shelter and it’s only a few nights. Just take it.”

“I refu--”

The older dog demihuman jumped out of his seat.

“Both of you, be quiet!”

Mila’s father could not stand their bickering any longer.

“I can see that the human truly cares for his companions... so... I will let you stay here for tonight. But... I am still wary of you, so that can change tomorrow night.”

Ace’s eyes lit up and he immediately jumped out his seat to bow his head and thank the gracious man in front of him.

“Thank you very much!”

Aliza copied, thanking him for herself, and on Ace’s behalf.

“Thank you very much.”

“Thank you, papa!”

Mila also jumped at her father, hugging him with great force.

“As long as he doesn’t cause trouble, it should be fine. This is our official greeting.”

He stuck his hand in front of Ace, who was still bowing.

“Nice to meet you, Ace Bracker, my name is Ricard Betano.”

“Nice to meet you too, Ricard Betano, my name is Ace Bracker, I’ll be in your care.”

The two shook firmly, securing a new agreement between them.