SEINA'S POV
"Can you stand up?" I asked Sei, concerned as I watched her.
Earlier, I had packed her belongings since she had offered to lend me some clothes for now. We were the same size, and I didn’t have time to buy new ones.
"Yeah, I’m feeling stronger now. I probably just need a bit more rest," Sei said, her voice sounding more energetic.
She attempted to stand up slowly. As she moved, it became apparent that she was no longer struggling with her movements, so I stepped back and let her handle it herself. It was clear that the presence of the two seals was taxing her body, but it seemed that the Nature Seal’s power was finally revealing itself.
As Sei regained her strength and stood, I noticed that she was a few inches taller than me, a detail that had been less apparent when she was lying down.
"Ready to go?" I asked, looking at the door.
Both Sei and I turned to see Xylus waiting for us. I grabbed a blue suitcase, while Sei took a red one. We weren’t sure how long we would be staying, so we packed a considerable amount of clothing just to be safe.
We found Ashly in the living room, struggling with three large suitcases. "Wow, Ash. Are you going abroad or something?" Sei asked with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
"Seriously, you’re bringing everything but the kitchen sink," I added, trying to lighten the mood.
"What are you talking about? These are just insect repellents. We’re going to a forest, after all," Ashly replied, her tone matter-of-factly. Sei and I exchanged a glance and shook our heads in disbelief.
Ashly was behaving so differently from what I was used to. This version of her was almost unrecognizable compared to the Ashly I knew.
After some time, we decided to leave and headed towards the garage where a white van was parked.
"Ashly, with all those suitcases, it’s going to be cramped," Xylus remarked with a smirk.
Ashly took off her sunglasses and gave Xylus a sideways glance. "Don’t mess with me; the vehicle is quite large."
Xylus reluctantly helped load the suitcases into the van. It fit just right, as the van was indeed quite spacious.
Once Kion confirmed that the van was in good condition, we all got inside. Xylus would be driving, with Kion in the front passenger seat. Sei, Ashly, and I took the seats in the back.
"Want some?" Ashly offered, holding out a cup of milk tea. I was bewildered by how she had managed to get that.
"What?" I asked, puzzled. Ashly looked at us with innocent eyes as we all stared at her.
"Look, it’s my mini-fridge," she said, pointing to one of her suitcases.
Wait, one of her suitcases was essentially a refrigerator? What the heck?
"Seriously, Ashly, how much did you spend on that?" Xylus asked as he started the van.
"Two thousand," she said nonchalantly. "Dollars."
We all stared at her in shock.
"Dollars?! You spent two thousand dollars on that frigging fridge?!" Xylus exclaimed, his disbelief evident. He glanced at Ashly, who was now sipping her milk tea nonchalantly.
"You know what, just drive, okay?" Ashly said, glaring at Xylus.
Sei and I exchanged glances, silently conveying that I should get used to their dynamic. Was this how they always were? I wondered if Xylus would be as troublesome as Ashly. I hoped not.
I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. I missed my universe... and I missed my mom. Why did she have to die in this universe? I felt a pang of sadness for Sei; her life here seemed so lonely.
---
"Seina, wake up."
"H-huh..." I woke up to a gentle tap. It took a moment to adjust to the bright light around me.
Once I managed to adjust, I peeked out of the window to see where we were. So, we’re really staying in a forest? Is this like a Tarzan scenario?
One by one, we disembarked and were immediately surrounded by towering trees and an assortment of plants. I wondered if there were wild animals around; I hoped there weren’t.
"Xylus, help me out here!"
"Tss, you wanted this. Deal with it," Xylus said dismissively, though he soon took one of Ashly’s suitcases.
Looking at them, it seemed like their relationship was almost non-existent. I don’t know if it’s because I never saw them holding hands or sharing affectionate moments.
Are these two really a couple?
"Let’s go. Gon said we’d find a small..." I almost cursed when the person in front of me abruptly stopped, causing me to bump into them.
I was puzzled by their sudden halt, and Sei, who was walking beside me, pointed ahead, indicating that I should look.
"Wow..." I couldn’t help but marvel at what lay before us.
Earlier, Xylus and Kion had said that the place we would be staying in was small. Why does it look like a mansion?
The house was white and brown, with two floors. "Small, huh?" Ashly questioned, clearly unimpressed.
"So, this is what 'small' means to Gon. Now I know," Kion remarked, running a hand through his hair before continuing.
I glanced back at Sei, who was just behind me, and then at Ashly, who was engrossed in her phone as she walked. When we reached the front door of the house—I mean, mansion—Kion pulled out a key from his pocket.
"How many days are we staying here?" Sei asked.
"About a week?" Xylus replied, sounding uncertain.
A week?
"W-wait, are you freaking serious?! We’re staying in the forest for a week?!" Ashly nearly screamed, taking off her shades with frustration.
"Yeah? Don’t you like it? You’ll save money since there are no malls or milk tea shops here." It was unclear whether Xylus was teasing or genuinely trying to irritate Ashly. It wouldn’t be surprising if all we heard in this mansion, nestled in the middle of the forest, were arguments and complaints.