Surprisingly, the granny was well-connected. She stepped out for only a short while, and when she returned, she already had someone with her. A middle-aged man whom she barely bothered to introduce to Izu and Pika.
Before Izu could even ask whether this man was enough to stand watch while the operation was ongoing, more people began arriving at the establishment. They didn’t come all at once. One by one, quietly, until there were nearly ten new men inside.
"I told you," the granny said, giving Izu and Pika a knowing look. "The residents of this territory specialize in living as quietly as the dead."
Despite the gathering, the night remained undisturbed.
"This man," the granny gestured toward the middle-aged man, "already knows your plan. He’ll take you to the right place."
She paused, her lips stretching into a confident smile. "Don’t worry. You can trust him."
"But you need to memorize the route we’ll take and listen carefully to the roads I point out," the man added quietly, looking first at Pika, then at Izu. "I can’t be seen with you."
He didn’t need to explain why.
They already understood. If anyone in Gigante were seen helping outsiders like them, death wouldn’t be the only punishment.
The entire town would pay.
Izu huffed softly and nodded first to the man, then to the granny.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
With that, Izu glanced toward the room where the operation was ongoing. Inside, Ransom and Florida paused and looked up at him. Both men nodded silently, signaling that everything was under control.
Izu nodded back.
Soon after, he and Pika left the establishment, following the man out. They traveled on foot at first until they reached a small, old truck. One that looked like it belonged to the earliest generations of vehicles.
As they moved farther from Gigante, Izu leaned closer to Pika.
"Why?" he asked quietly, studying him. "Why do you think we can trust her?"
The granny’s willingness to help at first could be explained—it was transactional. But that didn’t mean Izu fully trusted her. Not enough to leave Ransom and Florida behind, at least.
He had only agreed because of the silent urgency screaming in Pika’s eyes.
Pika exhaled slowly. "Haji," he said, meeting Izu’s gaze. "She’s Haji’s granny."
"What?"
"I wasn’t sure until I mentioned his name," Pika explained.
He hadn’t brought up Haji thoughtlessly. He had turned the idea over in his head countless times in a short span, then remembered what Lola had told them.
In this territory, speaking in codes was a language of its own.
By hinting that her grandson—if Pika was right—was connected to them, the granny would be far more willing to help.
And Pika had been right.
Before that moment, the granny had helped them quietly and alone. But the instant she heard Haji’s name, she moved quickly—calling in others, arranging routes, offering protection.
I still don’t know why she claims Haji is dead, Pika thought. But it’s safer that way than having people hunt for her grandson.



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