“Let’s go.” Eric took the lead, walking toward the bus stop.

In this small town, only a handful of bus routes operated.

“Come over here.” Eric examined the routes carefully and beckoned Hadley forward.

“This line.”

“Okay.” Hadley nodded and fell into step behind him.

After approximately half an hour, they arrived downtown.

Although the place was modest and compact, it maintained a clean and orderly appearance. The morning air carried the warm, bustling energy of daily life.

“What would you like to eat?” Eric asked.

After disembarking from the bus, they found themselves at an intersection that led to a street lined with food vendors.

Hadley tilted her chin slightly.

“Let’s have some noodle soup.” She inhaled deeply.

“It smells wonderful.”

“Alright.”

Once inside the shop, Eric placed their order, and they settled into seats facing each other.

“Achoo!” Hadley sneezed suddenly while cleaning the table with a tissue.

“What’s wrong?” Eric quickly snatched a tissue and handed it to her.

“Did you catch a cold? Were you cold last night?”

“Thank you.” Hadley accepted the tissue, dabbed her nose, and shook her head.

“No… just a slightly runny nose.”

“Isn’t that from being cold?” Eric’s brow furrowed.

“I noticed a pharmacy nearby. I’ll go get you some cold medicine.”

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“That’s not necessary.”

Hadley didn’t think it was necessary, but he had already risen and left the shop. As he went, he said, “Wait here. I’ll be back soon!” She made no attempt to stop him.

Hadley shook her head as the shopkeeper delivered their noodle soup.

“Here you go—enjoy.”

“Thank you.” After expressing her gratitude to the shopkeeper, Hadley began eating.

While eating, she periodically glanced outside to check if Eric had returned.

Suddenly, her gaze locked in place.

She didn’t see Eric returning, but she did catch sight of a familiar figure—Andrea.

Hadley hastily dropped her fork and bolted outside, pursuing the figure.

As she darted through an alley, an electric scooter nearly struck her.

“Hey…” The rider snapped immediately.

“Are you blind?”

“Sorry!” With no time to argue, Hadley quickly apologized and resumed the chase.

But Andrea had vanished completely.

“Where did she go?” Frozen in place, Hadley scanned the area in frustration and tapped her forehead. She had lost Andrea again.

She mentally recorded the location to report to Ernest later. Then she turned to retrace her path.

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