Abby noticed sothing funny over the next month. That acquaintance of Hugo's who hadn't spoken a single word at the book shop the first ti kept popping up everywhere.
Nearly every day she saw him at or around one of her jobs but he never spoke a word to her. One day she couldn't take it anymore. He appeared to be taking his lunch break the sa ti he was and she called him over.
"Hey! You! Hugo's friend!"
The man was startled for a mont and after looking around to be certain she wasn't addressing anyone else, pointed to himself cautiously. She nodded and waved so he ended up walking over to the stone bench she was sitting on.
"Yes?" he asked calmly.
"You're everywhere lately, you know that? We may as well be properly introduced. I'm Abby," she said as she stuck out her hand to shake.
She hadn't been using her last na since coming here since it seed like people in Shibatsu didn't have them. At least not in this part of the country. People were referred to by their first nas and the na of their village.
The man stared at her hand for a mont before cautiously taking it. "I am Blaise. Is this the standard greeting in your country?"
"Yeahsorry, do they not do that here? I'm still getting used to the customs in Shibatsu."
Abby was more than a little embarrassed and was beginning to regret calling him over. This guy was weirdly formal. And she hadn't seen him smile once. Along with his closely cropped silver hair and extrely tall fra he looked like the overly serious type.
People like that weren't fun at all. If you didn't know how to lighten up, there really wasn't a point to life! Katie had always gotten through her hardships by laughing and Abby admired her deeply for that.
"I am not offended," Blaise assured her. "I find other cultures fascinating."
Abby blinked at him in surprise. That was the most emotion he had shown on his face in the entire ti she had seen him around town. He was telling the truth; he must really want to travel.
" too," she admitted.
Moving to Georgia from Arizona had been a major culture shock but once she got used to it Abby enjoyed the differences. It was nice branching out and trying new things. Although coming here was putting her desire for newness to the test.
Shibatsu was nothing like any place she had ever seen. The food was bland and underseasoned, the landscapes were insanely green, and the buildings were shaped like circles instead of the squares she was largely used to.
Katie would know what this architectural style was. She had always been interested in random things like that. Abby had taken pictures of famous historical buildings around town to send to her sister when she first moved and Katie had been thrilled.
It was the lack of technology that truly affected her here. She had to remind herself frequently that she was the one who had said she would give anything up to get her sister back whenever she missed things like hot showers and the internet.
Based on her exploits in the kitchen in the novel, Katie had struggled the most adjusting to the food. Pizza might be out of the question but at least there were doughnuts.
Abby had always been more of a cook than her sister anyway because she actually enjoyed it and didn't see feeding herself as a chore. She enjoyed al prepping on the weekends so she could eat healthily and deliciously throughout the week when she was in college before losing Katie.
At that point she lost the drive for just about everything. Discovering she was here had reawakened the spark within her. She would not be defeated by a lack of modern anities!
"Forgive for asking, but Hugo said you intend to go to the Kanta region to find your sister. Is that correct?" Blaise asked.
She was a bit surprised Hugo had told him but it wasn't like she was keeping it a secret from anybody. Even her bosses knew her help was only temporary. "Yes. We were separated a few years agoshe ended up in Annalaias and I was only recently able to track her down."
"I noticed you have multiple jobswhy are you putting so much effort into finding her?"
First he apologized for asking a personal question that wasn't even that bad and now he was asking a worse one? This man was an odd duck.
Abby saw no reason not to answer him though so she told him. "Our parents died when I was fifteen. She put her dreams on hold to take care of and I will always owe her for that. But without factoring that in, she is still my best friend. I've missed her very much."
Thinking about it made her tear up slightly. She dabbed at her eyes quickly, hoping he hadn't seen her mont of weakness. There was no reason to cry because seeing Katie was within her reach now. It wasn't when she was dead.
"I see," Blaise said thoughtfully. "What kind of person is your sister? I am curious what could spark that level of devotion."
How to describe Katie "Well, she's kind of a nerd." Realizing he didn't understand what that ant, Abby elaborated. "I an she knows a lot of things. She dabbles in a little bit of everything and is super smart. She's kind and brave and has a great sense of humor. We used to have so much fun together!"
Without prompting, Abby ended up launching into childhood stories about her sister. She had to modify them a bit to fit this world's standards but that was alright. She hadn't talked this much since coming to this novel world because she hadn't had a willing listener.
Blaise soaked up her words and occasionally asked thoughtful questions about her stories, proving he was listening. Otherwise she wouldn't have been sure because he was so stoic.
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