The following day was a scorching one, as one would expect from the harsh desert. Located on the northernmost outskirts of Ushiro was a small, humble melon farm. Despite its size, business was always booming. After all, who could resist the temptation of a cool, refreshing melon on a typical boiling hot day? Today’s produce, however, was wholly reserved for Bandito.

Hiro, drenched in sweat, carried several melons with both arms. As he neared their white delivery truck, Johnny collided his shoulder against him.

“Watch it.” Without sparing him a look, Johnny walked on and dumped his melons in the truck. He often kept an aggressive tone with Hiro, but today, he spoke in a low voice.

Kin cupped his hands over his mouth. “What’s the hold up over there?”

He sat by the porch of Johnny’s house. Chiho enjoyed a cup of ice cold melon juice beside him. The two kept watch over Hiro and Johnny all morning.

The farm comprised two houses, several melon patches, and a barn for storage. Johnny lived with his mother in the blue wooden house. It was two stories high, with columns painted white. Hiro stayed at Miles’ modest, unpainted home.

“You’re distracting them,” Chiho said. “I know the boss put you in charge, but you don’t have to be a prick about it.”

“Oh, please.” Kin kicked his feet up on the balustrade. “Fujio can only keep his spot for so long. Eventually, I’ll have my time in the big leagues.”

“Not if you keep throwing the boss’s name around like that.”

“Nah! Fujio and I are besties! He’s been grooming me to take his place, I’m sure of it! That’s why he gave me a job of such high importance as being the big man in charge here.”

“You mean babysitting, right?”

“Oh, shut up.”

The front door opened. Out came an old lady in a pink patched-up dress with a wooden cane in hand. She had long silver hair and a necklace similar to Hiro’s, though hers had a ruby pendant surrounded by a golden frame.

Jay—or Granny Jay, as she insisted Hiro call her—was the proud owner of the farm. Being Miles’ sister as well as Johnny’s mother, it was no surprise that she was known as a caring yet stern woman.

“Are you two finished? Would you like a refill?” Granny Jay asked.

“Nah, I’m good.” Kin gulped down the rest of his drink. “Oh, well, lookie here. Looks like your boys are done.”

Hiro and Johnny, both panting in exhaustion, dragged their feet over to them.

“We’re done,” Johnny said. “Filled up the truck. What’s next?”

Chiho stood up. “The next order of business is delivering all this to our base.”

“Which one of you stinkers can drive?” Kin asked.

“We’d all be dead if we let him do it.” Johnny pointed at Hiro with his thumb.

Granny Jay clasped her hands together. “Actually! It’s almost noon, and I prepared a lovely meal for our guests. Maybe you’d like to take a break first?”

“Oooh! Lunch!” Kin rubbed his belly.

“Excellent!” Granny Jay opened the door for them. “The meal is already at the table. Please help yourselves. And if it’s alright with you, I have a request.”

“Spit it out,” Chiho said.

“As you know, last night was really hectic. So many things happened, and it was all so fast, and…” She looked down at the floor. “I’d like to visit my brother’s grave while you eat. I wish to take the boys with me too.”

Kin pointed his rifle at her. “Ohhh no, you don’t. You’re trying to pull a fast one on us, aren’t you? Fujio told us to watch your every damn move, and I plan on doing exactly that.”

“You sure like being the asshole, huh?” Chiho started entering the house. “They’re not gonna run away; we have the detonators. We can just explode them at any time. I’m sure they’ll behave. Right, boys?” She winked at Hiro and Johnny.

“Of course.” Johnny politely bowed. “We’ll make sure of it.”

“Fine, fine.” Kin followed Chiho inside. “But just remember; your lives are in our hands.”

“Thank you very much,” Granny Jay said as they closed the door. She then turned to the boys and smiled. “Let’s go, shall we?”

Miles’ grave was just a short walk from the farm. Hiro and Johnny spent the entire night prior building him a coffin out of spare planks. In accordance with Bandito's demand, they buried him as soon as they finished. They haven’t slept since then, which in a way, Hiro was grateful for. The labor and fatigue distracted him from an otherwise painful episode of grief and shock.

No amount of work, however, was as difficult as telling Granny Jay the news. Apart from Johnny, Miles was her only family left. Still, due to the presence of Kin and Chiho, she had to remain calm and hospitable to their new supervisors. How she managed to not lose her composure, Hiro didn’t know. Her resilience had always been one of her best traits.

Which was why it hurt him deeply to hear her ear-piercing wail.

 “Mom…” Johnny placed his arms around her shoulder and joined her in tears.

Hiro stood some distance away from them. There was a hounding guilt that pricked into his conscience. In one fell swoop, the loving family that took him under their wing was now under a state of mourning and suffering. He tried his best to hold back his tears. He didn’t deserve to cry, he decided; he knew this was all his fault. Miles’ real killer was none other than him.

“Hiro,” Granny Jay managed to say through her quivering lips. “Come closer and pay your respects.”

For the first time since the sun had risen, Hiro spoke. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

“Why? It’s Miles. You think sulking there would make him happy?”

With great hesitation, he trudged toward the grave. It was a makeshift one, made of two planks hammered together. On it, an epitaph was carved, though its handwriting was only somewhat legible. Its message was simple:

Miles Gowell.

A Good Friend.

Hiro broke down into tears. Sand flew into the air as he fell to his knees. With trembling hands, he caressed the top of the grave. “It’s not fair. It should’ve been me, not you.”

Johnny clicked his tongue. “Yeah, it should’ve.”

“Johnny!” Granny Jay snapped her head at him. “Don’t start a fight. Not in front of Miles.”

He shrugged. “I’m not starting anything. I’m just telling the truth. Am I wrong, Hiro?”

Hiro kept his head low.

Granny Jay placed her hand on Hiro’s shoulder. “Listen. I know it hasn’t been that long, but Miles and I still love you very much. There is nothing to blame you for.”

“Really, Mom?” Johnny scoffed. “Nothing? Absolutely nothing?”

“Johnny!”

“Uncle is dead, Mom! He’s dead! And you know what?” He kicked sand onto Hiro’s cloak. “If he didn’t do anything… Like literally, if he just did nothing, Uncle would still be alive! Are you sure there’s nothing to blame him for?”

She pounded her cane against the ground. “That is enough!”

“It’s okay, Granny,” Hiro said. “He’s not wrong. This is all my fault.”

Johnny clenched his fists. “Why? Why did you have to go and screw everything over? I told Uncle that taking you in was a bad idea. He still did it anyway. He was so nice to you, to all of us, so… Why the hell did he have to die?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Sorry won’t cut it!”

Hiro quickly stood up. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, okay?! I don’t know what else to say! I don’t know what I can do! What do you want from me?”

Johnny spat at the ground. “You were a mistake.”

Granny Jay struck Johnny’s leg with her cane. “Boys! Do you think this is what Miles wants to see? Now both of you, listen up.”

Begrudgingly, Hiro and Johnny set aside their vexation and paid attention.

“When Miles, my husband, and I were young,” she continued, “we dreamed of living here in the Orin Kingdom. We always talked about the amazing technology here—how people traveled without horses and spoke to others in far off places without the use of messengers. We were rebellious little teens back then. Criminal even, since we snuck in here by ship.”

“I still don’t believe that,” Johnny said. “You don’t have a criminal bone in you at all.”

She chuckled to herself. If anyone looked at her face now, they would've never thought she was crying just moments before. “You’d be surprised what Miles and Harold were capable of making me do. Looking back now, we were just naive kids. Farming was all we were ever taught. We knew nothing about starting businesses and stocks and all that. In just a few months, Harold and Miles lost all our money, and we had to leave Zenpo City. We had no way of going back home, since Orin security was much tighter than our homeland’s.”

“And that’s how you ended up here,” Hiro said.

“Correct. If there was anyone who complained about Bandito the most, it would be Miles. He kept saying their taxes were way too heavy, but his constant protests always led him to trouble. He learned that submission to authority was the way to a peaceful and happy life, and I know that’s all he wants for you. I’m sure he, of all people, understands how unfair it is. And it’s why I know he doesn’t blame anyone for what happened. But if you want to live here peacefully and quietly, you must stand down and submit.”

Hiro covered his watery eyes. They were no longer tears of mourning, or even that of anger. They were tears of hopelessness. Hiding or leaving the village were no longer options. If he stood up for himself, it would only lead to more pain for him, Granny Jay, and—though he couldn’t care less—Johnny. He stood directly in front of a dead end.

There was no escape.

“Oh dear, look at the time.” Granny Jay checked her watch. “They’ll be suspicious if we don’t return now.”

“Good. I needed a distraction.” Johnny began walking back home. “And for the record, I don’t forgive him. Never will.”

Granny Jay rubbed Hiro’s back. “Please understand him. Harold died when he was just a young boy. Miles was the closest thing he had to a father. Johnny’s probably taking it the worst out of all of us.”

The way her hand trembled made him think otherwise.

“Thanks, Granny. I mean it. It’s… gonna take me a while to adjust, but I’ll do my best. We should go back. Wouldn’t wanna cause any more trouble, right?”

“That’s the spirit, Hiro.”

With that, the three headed back to the farm. They found Kin taking a nap by the couch, so they took the time to have a quick lunch of their own. Afterward, it was back to work. Johnny went out to deliver the melons to various Bandito stations.

Meanwhile, Hiro was given the task of cleaning every single room, while Granny Jay served Kin and Chiho with snacks, refreshments, and whatever else they might need. Somehow, after just one day, Kin managed to get the house dirtier than it had been all year, especially the bathroom. Still, Hiro didn’t mind all the work; he was glad to have something to keep him busy. By sunset, he finally finished.

“Well, hot damn, this place looks spotless!” Kin ruffled Hiro’s hair as he looked around the living room. “You know, I didn’t really like you, but I can always appreciate a hard worker.”

“You could learn a thing or two from him,” Chiho said from the couch.

“Oh, shut it, will ya? Oh yeah, did you see Fujio’s message?”

“The one about the meeting? We’re not even going to that one.”

“YEAH! I KNOW!” He threw his hands up. “Can you believe he didn’t invite me to such an important meeting?”

“Yes, I can. What do you want me to do about it?”

“Man, I don’t know. That put me in such a bad mood. Say, Chiho, I might head out to the bar right now. Heard they got some crazy arm wrestling event. We could win it big with our bets. Wanna come with?”

She raised an eyebrow. “A date with you? No thanks. We were told to stay ‘cause we have a job to do, dingus.”

“Aw, come on. You’re such a party pooper. Look at how well behaved they are! A quick trip outside can’t possibly be a bad decision. Buuut, since you’re being a real killjoy right now…” He draped his arm over Hiro’s shoulder. “I’m bringing him instead! Then I’ll be doing my job. Does that sound good to you?”

“Whatever, man. I don’t get paid enough to give a damn.”

“Sweet!” He faced the kitchen where Granny Jay was. “Hey, grandma! Can you come over here real quick?”

“Oh, alright.” She limped toward him. “What can I do for you, young man?”

“Your boy and I are gonna head to the bar tonight. No funny business while I’m gone, you hear?”

She bowed her head. “Loud and clear.”

Kin bent down and looked at her more closely. “Hm… That’s a mighty fine necklace you have there. I could use an ace in my sleeve when I get to betting later. Do you mind if I… you know, borrow it for tonight?”

“Hold on!” Hiro stood between them. “You can’t just take that. That should be too low, even for you.”

“You’d be surprised,” Chiho said.

“I see you got some spunk, kid. I’ll respect that.” Kin flashed his detonator at Hiro. “But I think I’ve made it clear who’s the real boss in this farm.”

“Hiro, calm down,” Granny Jay said with a stern voice.

Hiro responded with a nervous nod. He watched as Kin returned the detonator to his pocket.

“Here.” Granny Jay took off her necklace and placed it in Kin’s hand.

“Now that’s what I wanna see! Don’t you worry, I’m a gambling genius! I’ll have this back in your hands tonight while I swim in tons of fresh winnings. Now, then…” He smacked Hiro’s back several times. “Let’s get outta here. I’ll show you how to have a good time. You gotta treat yourself after a hard day’s work, after all.”

Hiro forced a smile. “R-Right.”

The two made their way to the village square. The journey was a quiet one—for Hiro, that is. He spent half an hour just nodding at everything Kin babbled about. The whole time, he wondered how a man could tirelessly run his mouth. Sunset faded away to moonlight as Ken pointed at the street to their left.

“You see that place, kid? My favorite bar in the whole village.”

The street that led to the bar was filthy and dark. At the end, however, the bar was lit up with bright neon lights. A hologram atop its roof showed clashing beer mugs. Loud cheering and music could be heard for miles.

Kin wiped away the drool from his mouth. “Never too early to start a good night of drinking! Let’s get a move on.”

As they trekked further inside the street, they heard a crash from a nearby alleyway. They thought it was just a rat and would’ve kept moving forward. However, a peculiarly pale object on the ground caught Kin’s eye. He came closer to check, but immediately yelped and took a step back. Tripping on his own foot, he fell flat on his behind.

It was a severed hand, extremely thin and pale.

Mere seconds later, they could hear footsteps approaching. Suddenly a red whip-like tentacle shot out from deeper inside the alleyway. It quickly coiled itself around Kin’s mouth before he could even say a word. When he tried to reach for his gun, another tentacle tied his hands together. It lifted him up into the air.

Kin screamed at Hiro with a muffled voice. Hiro completely froze. Looking further ahead, he noticed the silhouette of a girl with long-flowing hair. Her voice was low and cold.

“Enemy spotted.”