C.C. said: "Alright, I understand what you're thinking. But what about Nana — are you pnning to just leave her here alone?"

  Rulu said: "That's exactly why I brought Kallen. While you and I are in the Sanctuary, Kallen will look after Nana in my pce. With her abilities, she should be more than capable of handling that."

  C.C. said: "You've thought this through quite thoroughly, Rulu. Though I have a feeling things won't go as smoothly as you're hoping."

  Rulu said: "Is there a problem with my pn? Or are you unwilling to help me?"

  "I don't have any issues on my end. It's just that Nana very likely won't agree to this."

  "Hmm, that is indeed a problem. But no matter what, I have to make this trip to the Sanctuary. I'll just have to do my best to work things out with Nana."

  After finishing his conversation with C.C., Rulu went to help Kallen get settled in.

  The following morning, while Rulu, C.C., Kallen, and Nana were all gathered together for breakfast, Rulu brought up his pn to go to the Sanctuary with C.C., and his intention to have Kallen stay behind to look after Nana.

  The moment the words left his mouth, Nana reacted strongly. She stood up and said loudly: "What? Rulu, you're going to the Sanctuary? How could you even think of doing something like that?!"

  Rulu said: "Calm down, Nana. Here's the thing — I'm going to the Sanctuary because there's an important matter I need to take care of. I can't say exactly what it is, but it concerns our future, and it's something that absolutely must be done."

  Nana slowly sat back down, her expression troubled. "But… but is the Sanctuary somewhere you can just walk into? You're still being hunted by the Sanctuary, Rulu. What if they catch you?!"

  Rulu said: "You don't need to worry about that, Nana. I'll find a way to handle it. Just stay here and wait for me to come back."

  Nana said: "How long will you be gone, Rulu? I want the truth — no lies."

  "About a month or so. The exact time is uncertain — it depends on how smoothly things go."

  Nana said: "In other words, you're not confident you can pull this off. What if… what if you go and never come back?"

  Rulu said: "I never said that. Don't go jumping to conclusions, Nana."

  Nana's face flushed, and she said with some agitation: "In any case… I won't let you go. All I want is to live in peace and safety. I don't want you going off and doing dangerous things."

  "Nana, please listen to me…" Rulu went on expining at length that this matter was extremely important, that he absolutely had to go, and that he would return safely without fail. But Nana refused to listen, steadfastly opposing this journey to the Sanctuary. While Rulu and Nana argued, C.C. and Kallen sat silently to one side, watching the exchange without saying a word, careful not to get drawn into the fire.

  "Nana, stop being so stubborn. Even if you don't agree, I am going to the Sanctuary!" After all his expining, Nana still wouldn't budge, and Rulu began to grow irritated, his voice rising.

  Nana's expression became eerily calm. She stared at Rulu for a long moment without speaking. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision, and said with quiet resolve: "Fine, Rulu — if you're absolutely set on going, I'll let you. But you must agree to one condition."

  "What condition?"

  "I'm coming with you."

  "…"

  One and a half months ter, on a certain morning, a van loaded with bags and luggage of all sizes was making its way along a road in Blue Sea City. Rulu and C.C. were seated in the front, while Kallen and Nana sat in the back. As he drove, Rulu gnced at Nana in the rearview mirror and let out a sigh. "How did things end up like this?"

  C.C., sitting beside him, said: "Stop sighing, Rulu. Honestly, having Nana come with you to the Sanctuary isn't such a bad idea. Otherwise, if you went and didn't come back, Nana would spend the rest of her life waiting for you."

  Rulu said with a pained expression: "But this trip to the Sanctuary is fraught with danger, and Nana is just an ordinary person with no means of protecting herself. I'm genuinely worried something will happen to her."

  From the back seat, Nana heard this and said: "Don't worry, Rulu. Once we're in the Sanctuary, I'll do exactly as you say and won't cause you any trouble. Besides, Miss C.C. doesn't have Psionic power either — if she can go, why can't I?"

  "C.C. is different from you. She can't…"

  "She can't what?"

  Rulu shook his head, his expression brooding. "Never mind. The decision is made. There's no point going over it again now."

  C.C. turned and gnced back at Kallen in the rear seat. "I can understand why Nana would want to come with us to the Sanctuary, but why is Kallen tagging along too?"

  Kallen said: "It's not like I insisted on coming. Rulu was the one who said I had to. That's the only reason I'm here."

  Rulu said: "This trip to the Sanctuary is extremely dangerous. If it's just me, there's no way I can look after Nana on my own. Kallen has Psionic power just like I do — having her here will take a lot of pressure off me. Without her, I honestly don't know if I'd be able to pull this off."