"Jinny!"
Ran rushed forward the moment he saw Jinny enter the inn, trailing just behind Shuu. "I'm glad you're safe!" he said, checking her from head to toe. "You're wounded. We need to see a doctor."
Jinny forced a weak smile. "Thanks for the concern, Ran."
Ran let out a sigh of relief. "I thought I'd lost you completely," he murmured.
"Ahem," Rin cleared his throat. The group around them had fallen silent, eyes now fixed on Jinny and Ran.
Ran straightened and turned to face Shuu. "Where did you find her?"
"I happened to spot her while Tohru and I were walking through the market. Some thugs tried to hurt her," Shuu explained, reaching for the beer on the table.
"Glad you're alive. If not, Mom will surely punish us once we return to our world," Rin said.
"I'm amazed you survived in that forest without us," Kasey added.
"What happened to you out there?" Kiko asked, curiosity laced in her voice.
Jinny fidgeted as all eyes fell on her. "S-Someone helped me…" she said softly.
The brothers exchanged glances, brows furrowed.
"So you met someone, huh?" Harusheen raised an eyebrow.
"He was a good person. He protected me from wild animals," she explained.
"He?" Ran's expression darkened.
"You stayed in the forest for days with a stranger—and he's a man?" Hajee said, his tone incredulous.
"T-There's nothing wrong with that. He was kind. He tended to my wounds, brought me food… I don't see anything wrong with it," she defended herself.
"But you're a woman!" Ran argued.
"So what?" Jinny's fists clenched. Her voice trembled with rising emotion. "What—did you expect me to die in that forest instead? If not for him, I wouldn't be standing here. He found me after I fell off a cliff—bleeding and barely alive. He saved me!"
The brothers fell silent, their expressions blank with guilt and shock.
"I waited," Jinny continued, voice cracking. "I waited for someone to come and save me… but no one came."
Ran reached out to her, but she took a step back.
"Enough with the drama," TJ cut in, voice firm. "She's here now. She's safe. That's what matters." He turned to Jinny. "Go upstairs and clean yourself up. You're a mess." Then he looked at Harusheen. "Buy her some clothes. She'll need something fresh to wear."
"What? Why me?" Harusheen protested.
TJ stared at him—cold and sharp.
Harusheen gulped. "F-Fine…" he muttered and headed out of the inn.
"I'll take you to your room," Ran offered gently.
Jinny gave a small nod and followed him upstairs. Behind them, Imman glanced at Tohru, noticing the clenched fists at his sides. It was obvious—Tohru wasn't happy that Jinny was back.
Once they reached the room, Ran quickly locked the door behind them. He turned to her and placed both hands on her shoulders.
"How's the baby?" he asked.
Jinny lowered her gaze. "I-It's gone…" Her hands tightened into fists, clenching the fabric of her skirt.
Ran froze. "What? What do you mean 'gone'?"
"I had a miscarriage after falling off the cliff. My savior said I should see a doctor as soon as I got here to check on my condition."
Ran sighed and gently patted her shoulder. "I'm sorry. If only my brothers hadn't pulled me away… I should've been there. Maybe none of this would've happened."
"I'm fine, Ran," Jinny said, avoiding his eyes.
But Ran pulled her into a tight hug. "I promise, this won't happen again."
Jinny nodded, her body trembling as quiet sobs escaped her lips. Ran gently stroked her hair, whispering soft comforts into her ear.
A smirk briefly curved his lips.
Now that the baby was gone, there was no more hindrance.
Jinny would be completely his.
.
.
Harusheen walked back to the inn, carrying a bag of clothes he had just bought from a nearby shop.
"Damn it, why do I have to be the one buying clothes for her?" he muttered irritably. "It's always Ran who's concerned about her. He should've done this, not me."
He grumbled as he walked, the weight of the bag swinging by his side. He and Jinny had never really interacted much back in their original world. She always avoided him like the plague—maybe because of his erratic behavior. Every time he tried to catch her attention, she would run off.
Was she afraid of him?
Well, she did once catch him taking his pills. Maybe that was the reason. Ever since then, every time she saw him, she ran—as if he were some kind of monster. That reaction always pissed him off.
He stopped when he heard the sound of a young girl crying. Turning his head, he spotted a little girl sitting on the curb, sobbing. A few moments later, her older brother came running toward her, holding a piece of candy.
"Here, don't cry anymore. I got you your favorite," the boy said gently.
The little girl sniffled and took the candy. A smile broke through her tears as she hugged her brother. The two of them walked away, hand in hand, smiling.
Harusheen clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth.
He looked down at the bag he was holding and took a deep breath. With a sigh, he resumed walking.
By the time he returned to the inn, he headed straight upstairs to the room where Jinny was staying. At the top of the stairs, he saw Ran closing the door.
"Is she inside?" Harusheen asked.
"Yeah. I'm heading out to buy some food for her," Ran replied, brushing past him.
Harusheen approached the door and knocked. "Hey, your clothes are here."
No answer.
He knocked again. "Jinny?"
Still no response.
"Tsk," he clicked his tongue in annoyance. He turned the doorknob and slowly opened the door. "Are you deaf or something—?"
But the room was empty.
He looked around, frowning. "What the hell…? Ran said she was in here."
Then he heard the sound of water splashing from the bathroom. His eyes narrowed.
He stepped quietly toward the door—it was slightly ajar.
From the gap, he could see the wooden bathtub inside. Jinny was there, her back turned as she filled the tub with water.
He froze, eyes wide.
Once the tub was full, Jinny dropped her towel and stepped in. She lowered herself into the bath and leaned back, eyes closed, as if letting the warmth wash away her exhaustion.
Harusheen's face turned beet red. He quickly pulled back from the door, heart pounding like a drum.
He hadn't meant to see that. He only wanted to check if she was really inside.
But now…
The image of her naked body burned into his mind, refusing to leave.
"Fuck," he whispered under his breath, clenching his jaw.
He threw the bag of clothes onto the bed and bolted out of the room. Slamming the door behind him, he leaned against it, chest heaving. His face was still flushed, sweat forming on his brow.
"Shit… Shit…" he muttered.
He couldn't believe it—just the sight of his adopted sister's naked body had turned him on.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath.
At that moment, Kiko walked by, heading toward his own room. He stopped when he saw Harusheen's flustered state.
"You okay?" Kiko asked, frowning.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine! It's just... really hot in here. I need some fresh air," Harusheen replied hastily, brushing past him.
Kiko raised an eyebrow, watching him walk off. He shrugged and continued on his way.
.
.
Hajee and TJ had just finished speaking with the landowner from whom they planned to purchase a plot to build their house.
"Tomorrow we'll visit the site. How much money do we have left?" Hajee asked.
TJ checked the contents of the bag slung over his shoulder. "This should be enough to buy materials for the house."
"Hiring laborers is going to be expensive," Hajee muttered. "Think our brothers will agree to help with the construction?"
"They don't have a choice," TJ replied flatly. "Either they help build it or they sleep on the streets."
Hajee smirked. "Right. Like they really have an option."
As they walked through the village streets, they noticed people beginning to murmur. A small crowd had gathered, pointing toward the sky.
"What's going on?" TJ asked, frowning.
"Looks like they're watching something up there," Hajee said.
Both of them glanced up—and their expressions shifted the moment they saw it.
Hovering above the town was a large, drifting hot air balloon.
"Where the hell did that come from?" TJ muttered.
Hajee immediately scanned the area. He spotted a man using a pair of binoculars and rushed over.
"Let me borrow that for a second," he said quickly, not waiting for an answer before snatching the binoculars and turning his gaze skyward.
As soon as he focused on the balloon's basket, his jaw clenched.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath.
"What is it?" TJ asked, tense.
Hajee shoved the binoculars back into the man's hands. "We need to hide. Now."
He turned and bolted toward the inn.
"Wait—what's going on?" TJ asked as he ran beside him.
"It's Sir Arthur," Hajee hissed. "He's working with the emperor. I bet he's out here under direct orders to track us down. If he spots us from that balloon—we're finished!"
TJ's eyes widened in alarm. Now he understood.
They kept to the shadows, dodging glances from the sky as they raced through the streets and back to the inn. Once inside, Hajee wasted no time.
He gathered everyone in the common room. "Listen up! We've got trouble."
"What's going on?" Ran asked.
"Sir Arthur is here," Hajee said grimly.
"What?!" Tohru's voice rang with alarm.
Gasps spread through the group.
"We have to hide," Hajee said quickly.
"But what if he starts checking every inn? It's not safe here," Kasey argued. "We should leave immediately."
"He's still in the air," Hajee explained. "As long as he's up there, we're exposed. We have to stay hidden inside the inn until he lands."
"Still in the air?" Kiko repeated, confused.
"He's in a hot air balloon," TJ clarified. "He's scanning the ground from above."
"He's clever," Shuu said, arms crossed. "No wonder he leads the black market guild."
"When he lands—that's when we make our move," Hajee said. "We leave in the carriages and head out fast."
"But where are we even going?" Rin asked, brows furrowed.
Imman unrolled a map across the table. "There's another village not far from here. If we can reach it before Arthur gets airborne again, we might be safe for a while."
Hajee nodded. "Right. Once that balloon's on the ground, we grab our chance and go."
Everyone agreed.
Just then, Jinny descended the stairs, having just finished changing her clothes. She slowed down as she heard their voices and caught bits of the urgent conversation.
She had no idea who this Arthur was, but by the tension in everyone's faces, she knew one thing for sure—
He was dangerous.
And once again… they were running. Fleeing from the Empire's reach.