"Once we find a way out of here, we'll know where we want to go. And where we shouldn't. I don't think you'd want to take a route like this again either."
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A Story about...
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"José...?" Del perked up and smiled nervously, reaching out to shake the human boy's hand, "Ah... You may just call me Del..."
"José" tilted his head as he observed Del further, "I couldn't quite tell because of the dark shade, but I realized just now that you're a Country Master!" José immediately stood up from the bench and bowed to Del, "Please excuse my manners!"
Del waved his hands in the air nervously as José suddenly bowed before him, not knowing what to do, "Y-You don't need to do that! Really, I don't mind."
However, José insisted and continued to bow, "My father told me that to respect others is also to respect yourself." José finally stood upright and gave Del a small smile, "And to respect your Country Master is to respect your nation."
Del sat there, both confused and... Pleasantly surprised by the older boy's persistence. Not even the Filipino soldiers nor the Spanish authority treated him with such respect as José did, who was simply a boy Del had never met before.
Sighing, Del stood up from the bench as well, "Well, if that's what you wish to do, then I don't mind that either. Thank you, kuya José."
José tilted his head once again, "Kuya? You're younger than me?"
"In human years, yes."
The human boy's eyes widened at that, "Oh wow... Well, that doesn't matter. I still respect you as a Country Master. It's the right thing to do, after all!"
José smiles at Del, and suddenly, all the pressure he felt on his shoulders —Figuratively— has abruptly disappeared. Del returned the smile as he clasps his hands behind his back.
"Thank you, thank you... You're a nice boy, José."
The human boy smiles, "Ah, not trying to be rude, but I noticed something on your belt... Is that a journal?"
Del perks up at that comment. He didn't notice that he had forgotten to remove his journal from his belt's holster. He sighed internally to himself in disappointment and nodded, to his misfortune.
"Ah, yes this is my journal. I forgot to leave it at my house since I was busy moving furniture and decided just now to buy groceries at the marketplace..."
José raised a brow, "Moving furniture? Oh, no wonder! I've heard that the Las islas Pilipinas's Country Master resided somewhere in Cebu, I never expected to meet you here in Sampaloc..."
Del sighs, "Y-Yeah. We were told that our education will be transferred to Santo Tomas since we're no longer in our elementary stage. We were a little off-put since Santo Tomas is a university, but our ex-mentor told us it was by the Spanish Empire's orders."
