(Ahmed's words remained hanging in the air...)
"I cannot leave them like this."
The silence that followed... was heavier than any discussion.
Misaki didn't reply immediately. She looked at him for a long time. As if she wasn't just seeing his words... but seeing what lay behind them. The exhaustion in his eyes. The determination. And the fear he wouldn't admit.
Then she slowly turned her gaze... toward Honoka. Who was still embracing her little sister tightly, as if she feared she would be snatched away from her again. Yoshika clung to her even tighter when their eyes met. Two small eyes... but filled with an unbearable plea.
(Here... Misaki understood.)
This was no longer just a passing situation. It was a life... that she was being asked to help protect.
She closed her eyes for a moment. She exhaled quietly, as if she were organizing the chaos of her emotions. Then she opened her eyes again. She looked at Ahmed. A slight smile... but a sincere one.
Misaki (in a quiet, but steady voice):
"You... will never change, will you?"
Ahmed didn't answer. But he understood.
Misaki lowered her gaze slightly... then said:
"And I don't want you to change."
She raised her eyes directly toward him.
Misaki: "I agree, Ahmed."
A moment of silence—then she added, with greater confidence:
"We will protect them... together."
Honoka's eyes widened. As if she couldn't believe it.
As for Yoshika... she squeezed her sister's hand tightly, and her tears this time weren't from fear... but relief.
Ahmed breathed deeply. As if he had been carrying something heavy... and it finally dropped.
"Thank you..." he said it quietly. But it was filled with everything he hadn't said.
He took a step closer... and gently placed his hand on Yoshika's head. Then he looked at Honoka. A different look this time. Not a look of rescue... but a promise.
(You won't be alone anymore.)
Ahmed turned toward the road. He said quietly:
"Let's go."
They walked away from that door... without looking back.
As for behind them... it remained as it was. Cold. Silent. As if it had never been a home.
(And as they were walking...)
Something else crept into Ahmed's mind. The video. The one that had started all this.
His steps stopped for a brief moment. Then he said in a serious tone:
"There is something else we must finish."
Misaki looked at him. "The video..."
He raised his eyes forward.
"I won't leave it like this."