Then behind him.
Searching.
Kai noticed.
"...What?"
Nish opened his mouth.
Then paused.
He wanted to ask.
Kai could tell.
But instead of doing it—
He looked away.
"...Never mind."
Kai frowned.
"Ask anyway."
Nish simply shook his head.
"Later."
That answer alone was enough for Kai to know what he had been thinking.
Andre.
Kai looked away.
"...Right."
---
They entered the city together.
People turned to look.
Not just because Kai was returning.
Because Nish was walking beside a floating desert machine like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Whispers spread quickly.
"Is that the commander's escort?"
"No, the commander is the escort."
"Wait, who is that?"
"That’s Kai."
"The drifter?"
"The one from the robot battle?"
"Why is he riding a flying scrap heap?"
Kai ignored them.
Mostly.
---
When they reached Alice's office—
The hovercraft barely fit through the door.
It clipped the frame.
Then tilted sideways.
Then hit a flowerpot.
Then settled with a loud hum inside the room.
Kai winced.
"...Sorry."
Nish gave him a flat look.
"...You should be."
Before Kai could respond—
Alice stood up from behind her desk.
The moment she saw him—
Her eyes widened.
Not because Kai was back.