Throughout the drive to D City, where the nearest hot spring district was nestled in the mountains, Belle remained entirely silent. She couldn't find a single safe topic to discuss with Eli, and he seemed equally disinclined to bridge the distance between them. His focus was locked entirely on the winding road ahead and the small boy sitting in the back seat.
"Neon, I packed some fresh fruit and sandwiches in your lunchbox since the drive is taking a bit longer today," Eli said, his voice breaking the quiet cabin as he glanced in the rearview mirror. "You can have some whenever you feel hungry. We'll pick up some takeout on our way to the inn, too."
"Thank you, Eli! I'll keep that in mind, but I'm not really hungry yet," Neon piped up cheerfully, before leaning forward to peer at his sister. "What about you, Belle? You skipped breakfast earlier. Are you hungry? I can share my lunchbox with you."
