Reese picked up her ordered dish and shook her head. “After several days without any news and not going home, Mama finally asked me to check. We were worried he might have suddenly hung himself in his unit. But turns out, he was away instead.”

Elzi, who had been about to savor the first spoonful of her tom yum soup, winced slightly.

“But, anyway... I think that's Ben's nature from the start. He likes to run away without notice. It's been his talent since birth,” Reese said, pausing for a moment to take her first bite. Instead, she raised her head, giving Elzi a squinted look. “Do you know? Back...