At the door of the bakery that faced the street, two voices could be heard calling out.
One of them did so with incredible enthusiasm, as if it were a high-ranking mission, while the other merely repeated what the first said with clear disinterest.
—Come on, don't miss this incredible—! —shouted the first voice at the top of their lungs.
—Incredible! —echoed the second voice.
—Unique!
—Unique...
—And absolutely fantastic!
—Ah... fantastic...
—The perfect opportunity to come in and treat yourself at the best bakery in the city!
—Yeah... that— said the second voice faintly.
The voices belonged to two men in costumes—one dressed as a pink rabbit and the other as a squirrel. Both wore black aprons and held promotional flyers for the bakery "Strawberry Dream." Hours passed, and although the street was busy, few people took the flyers. Most just glanced at them and walked by.
—Hey... how about we take a little break? —suggested the squirrel, slouching.
—No way! We're just getting started! —said the rabbit, clenching his fists, bright stars shining in the costume's eyes.
—I seriously don't know where you get all that energy. We've been at this for hours.
—Wow, I didn't know the Dark Lord could be such a little crybaby.
—Ha! If I had even a bit of mana right now, I'd do you the grand favor of making your—
—Hahaha, you're so funny... —said the rabbit, grabbing the squirrel's mask with two fingers and squeezing hard until it deformed in his hand.
—Mhhmmhm!
The rabbit leaned closer, his shadowed face glowing faintly red through the costume's eyes.
—You really don't want to mess with me. Let's get along, alright? J-o-a-q—
—MHHHHMMHM! —screamed the squirrel through the mask, sweating profusely as he tried to say stop.
The rabbit let go, sighed, and said calmly:
—Relax, take a break. I'll keep going a little longer.
The squirrel fixed his mask and looked at the rabbit for a moment, watching how his tireless effort to hand out flyers was constantly ignored.
—Hey...
—Yeah, what is it? —asked the rabbit, trying to hand a flyer to a man in a suit who just walked past.
—I've been wondering... why are you working so hard for someone you just met? Shouldn't we be thinking about how to get back to our world? We know nothing about this place. No matter how calm or bright it seems, I still have unfinished business in Nocturne! I can't waste my time here!
After hearing that, the rabbit went quiet. He lowered his hands and turned toward the squirrel.
—I have a goal to fulfill in Nocturne too.
—To defeat me? —asked the squirrel.
The rabbit chuckled softly.
—It goes much deeper than that. I don't want to stay here either... but I can't just leave things like this. I can't go back yet.
—Why not?! Don't be stubborn!
—Because I made a promise.
The squirrel said nothing.
—You've probably felt it too, right? That feeling...
The rabbit looked ahead. The street around them felt strangely lifeless. People walked by staring at screens, never once lifting their heads. Some moved so quickly it was as if they were running late. Others had earbuds in, completely unaware of the world around them. Though the street was crowded, the air felt distant and cold—a kind of loneliness unlike anything he'd seen in Nocturne.
—This bakery stays open thanks to that girl's effort—Hikari. If she planned all this and asked for our help, it must mean this place is special to her, don't you think?
The rabbit looked up at the sky, his hands tightening around the crumpled flyers. Memories flooded his mind—a town ravaged by poverty, wooden houses collapsing, fields dry and lifeless, children in rags begging for food in the alleys, people starving on the streets.
—When she smiled after we agreed to help with the bakery... seeing that happiness on her face made me realize I couldn't abandon someone like that. I refuse to give up, because—
In a vision from his past, a small blond boy in torn rags bit hungrily into a moldy loaf of bread.
—Protecting people's dreams... that's the duty of a knight.
The squirrel looked down, scratched his head, and sighed heavily.
—Ugh... fine! I'll help you out a bit. But once we're done here, we're figuring out how to get home, got it?
—Deal! —said the rabbit, giving a thumbs-up.
Leaning by the door, Hikari had been listening quietly. Tears welled up and slid softly down her cheeks. She patted her face lightly, wiped her eyes, and walked toward them.
—Wow. In all the time I've worked here, I've never seen anyone so bad at handing out flyers.
—We're doing our best! —said the rabbit, proudly raising a thumb.
—Thanks for today, guys, but that's enough —said Hikari, gently taking one of the flyers from his hand.
—Huh? But we're not done yet! —the rabbit exclaimed.
Hikari patted his back and smiled faintly.
—Don't worry. If getting customers were that easy, this place would be full every day, right?
She took the flyers, turned, and began walking back toward the door with her head low.
—So... what happens next? —asked the squirrel.
—What do you mean?
—The bakery. What are you planning to do with it?
—Oh, that... —Hikari glanced inside. The tables were empty. A few wrinkled flyers were tucked under a glass, and only a couple of homemade sweets sat behind the counter.
—We'll probably close it down.
The rabbit gasped and lunged forward, but the squirrel stopped him with a hand.
—So... is that really what you want?
Hikari bowed her head slightly, turned, and said:
—Yeah... I think it's for the best.
Memories filled her mind, making it hard to speak. She saw a little black-haired girl with a bow sitting by the counter, drooling as she smelled a freshly baked chocolate cake. A kind old woman in a black apron came out with the cake—decorated with chocolate meringue on the sides and a strawberry on top. The girl couldn't wait and took a big bite the moment it hit the table. That was always her favorite part of the day.
—This place belonged to my grandparents, —Hikari said, nostalgia softening her voice.— I still remember the smell of freshly baked sweets... it was heavenly. It was never a famous bakery, but it had something... special.
Her fists clenched.
—But that's all over now. No matter how hard my sister and I try to revive that feeling, it just doesn't work. So I think, after all...
Tears streamed down her face, but she forced a smile, as if trying to hide the pain.
—This place was doomed the moment they left.
The squirrel didn't say a word. He simply watched as Hikari walked inside, set the flyers on the counter, and started cleaning one of the tables.
—I guess that's it for today, —said the squirrel as he followed her in.
—But—! —protested the rabbit.
—That's it for today...
The rabbit clicked his tongue and began removing his costume. The two placed the flyers down and stepped outside. Removing the top halves of their disguises revealed the faces of Kairus and Jake.
Kairus took a deep breath and shouted with all his might:
—You can hear me, right?! Hikari!
Hikari froze mid-wipe, her shoulders stiffening as she lifted her head.
—No matter how many days it takes! I swear on my honor that I'll make sure this story ends happily!
Kairus turned and pointed at her with fiery determination.
—And when it's all over, I want to see you smiling under a starry night sky, with your hair flowing dramatically in the wind as you thank me!
—Uh... isn't that a little too specific? —Jake asked, puzzled.
—Anyway! —the knight continued, cutting him off.
—Don't you dare close this place before that happens!
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To be continued in Chapter 5...