Reason

Manila, Philippines~

0800, Manila Time~

Two people walking in the streets of the city attracted the attention of the passerbys. They appear to be a couple or siblings as they walked around together with smiles.

"Where do you want to eat?" Aldrich asked while marveling at how different this version of Manila is from his previous world. This city was cleaner and more advanced in different aspects.

"I'm not picky, as long as it's delicious!" Came the reply with a cheeky smile from Kiana.

"Then let's ask the locals for a good place," He nodded and walked over to a woman at the side. She seems to be a high school student based on her uniform.

"Hello, pwede magtanong? (Hello, can I ask something?)"

The girl was flustered upon hearing him ask in Filipino.

"Uh Y-yes, of course," The girl instinctively replied in English after seeing he is a foreigner, forgetting that he asked in Filipino.

Aldrich chuckled softly but didn't take long to continue, "Saan pinakamalapit na restaurant dito? (Where's the nearest restaurant here?)"

"Ah um, diretso lang diyan at kumaliwa ka sa kanto," The flustered girl replied hurriedly.

"Thank you," He nodded and smiled in appreciation. He then turned to Kiana who was beside him, she was gobsmacked. "Pfff- what's the matter?"

"You can speak the local language?" Kiana exclaimed.

"Is it that surprising? You can too after some studying," He shrugged.

"Yeah no," Kiana immediately shook her head after hearing the word 'studying'.

"You do you," He shrugged before turning to the girl he asked. "Thank you."

After that, the girl watched as the two walked away. Her face was flushed when recalling the handsome face from before.

.....

After a hearty meal, two people walked out of a restaurant.

"Ahhh, that was delicious! I'm so full!"

"Of course you're full, you ate a serving for a family," Aldrich teased.

"I'm still growing so I need nutrition," Kiana countered.

"Sure sure," He quipped causing her to be  frustrated.

The two walked together silently after that. The atmosphere was a bit vague between them.

"Hey," Kiana was the first to break the silence.

"Hm? What's the matter?" He glanced at her.

"...Why are you going so far to help me?" She asked seriously, completely opposite of her usual cheery self.

"What other reason do I need as helping a beautiful girl in need?" He grinned but internally cringed at what he said.

"I'm serious!" She was momentarily caught off guard and her face flushed but regained composure. "Answer seriously."

Seeing that she was truly serious, Aldrich sighed and stopped.

"The reason is simple really," He paused before continuing, "...you saved my life, that's it. Compared to some money, my life far outweighs anything."

"But you could just leave me. It's not like we're bound by something, we just met a day ago." Kiana stared at him intently.

"...I don't like leaving any debts behind, it will get stuck in my mind and I won't be able to focus on anything." He shrugged before grinning, "So until I pay off the favor of saving me, I'll be your sponsor so enjoy anything you want."

"Pfff-" Kiana chuckled after hearing him. "Idiot..." She muttered softly.

She knew the feeling of being alone on her journey so having a companion was a nice addition.

"Hey now, come on, we still need to enjoy our stay here!"

She looked ahead and saw Aldrich waving at her with his usual bright smile. Slowly, her lips curled up into a smile of her own.

That day, the two enjoyed various attractions like restaurants, street foods, etc to their hearts content. They didn't even rest much as both have great stamina especially Kiana who has superhuman levels of stamina.

After enjoying themselves, they booked in a hotel, in separate rooms course. And with that, another day has passed without any nuisance.

....

That night, in Aldrich's room, he sat beside the window while gazing at the starry night skies.

"It's the same sight from when I first came into this world," He muttered, remembering that day that completely overturned his worldview.

"Haa...Soon, this world will head for those tragic events. I'm sure my existence has already altered some things."

He was well aware of how dangerous and tragic this world is. Moreso for the main characters that will be the center of those events.

"I can only accompany Kiana till Nagazora but after that..." He stopped. He wasn't sure what to do after arriving at Nagazora. He knew if nothing changed, Kiana would get to St. Freya which could be considered his repayment for saving his life.

So he would leave before eruption happens, however, part of him also wants to stay and take advantage of the eruption to quickly get stronger. After all, encountering a honkai eruption, even a small one is rare. The case in Haiti was an exception which he blamed his luck and muprhy.

"..." He stayed silent and continued admiring the stars but deep within,he already made his decision.

=====≠=================

A/N: Sorry not sorry for the almost two weeks of not uploading. Been busy with University lately and also a bit of motivation loss on my part. But thanks for reading.