Hidden Worlds: The Sheltered Princess

Case 1.10 - Sonia

She gasped with delight.

"Sonia Weatherfall," I hesitantly muttered, "right?"

"Yes, yes!" she clapped and jumped around me, chanting "he remembers, he remembers!"

As she spun around me, so did a flash of memories — vague ones. The more I think about it, the reason why I quickly got so casual with Cassia was because of these memories.

The dream I had...

If I didn't take that picture of her in the first place, I wouldn't have managed to remember any of this at all. I wouldn't have had that dream. I wouldn't have escaped this false reality where I was just the same as everyone else — well, mostly.

I looked down at my camera, gazing at its lenses.

"Thanks for giving me a new point of view." I muttered under my breath, unnecessarily talking to my camera as I chuckled at the thought of how funny this was.

Soon enough, Sonia stopped in front of me with a hop and pointed at me. "I guess that answers two questions already — you were supposed to know me, Sonia Weatherfall, ninth specialist of E.S.P.E.R." she stated while striking an elegant and charismatic pose. Both of her hands formed peace signs beside her face.

That explains the hairpins.

"Esper?" I inquired, lowering my camera as the rumbling fully stopped. Everything went silent once again.

"We're the Elite Specialists on Peculiar Entities that still Remain to this day!" Sonia proudly stated, puffing her chest and raising her chin.

I stared blankly at her.

"I...tried my best to make a decent name," she hesitantly muttered with a huff as her shoulders drooped down along with her chin.

I laughed a bit, "Don't worry, I find it cute, not funny." I commented, giving her a quick head pat.

"Geez, here we go again with the head pats." she retorted. It seems that I've been doing this to people for a long time now. "It feels weird, Hans. I know we know so much about each other, but it feels like we're strangers once again."

I paused for a moment and so did she.

Fragments of memories flashed in my head as I gazed at her face — She's so clingy...

I guess Cassia and Nora weren't the only people who knew me so well. Sonia's just this one building; what more if I recall everything else!

"Well!" she immediately broke the awkward silence, "Answers can't be found if we're not looking for it, no?"

"Yeah..."

I gave a warm smile as I watched her tug my shirt in her direction. Her voice cracked a bit there and the way she's tugging is as if she's in a hurry or something.

"T-that bag seems a bit heavy," Sonia mentioned and suggested, "you should drop it down for now! It's your world and it's near the central building. I doubt it'd go anywhere."

I don't know what's going on, but I did what she told as she laughed awkwardly.

She still kept tugging my shirt though.

Is this what it's like to have friends? To have someone dear to you, knowing that you are also dear to them?

But from the way she was casually pressing her body against mine, I doubt we were just friends.

It's such a warm feeling.

Why did Nora prevent me from feeling this way for such a long time?