8.2 Sweet night

"Even so," Jin replied, looking serious. "Neti is not us. She doesn't have the same view of everything that's going on because she didn't go through it with us last year. I'm not against keeping her informed about what's going on with Nils and the mafia, but I'm not in favour of involving her in what happens next. If she does know what's going on, she should have the common sense to stay as far away from us as possible and not get too involved. What she's doing by trying to force herself into it is either a complete and stupid disregard for danger or a misplaced taste for adrenaline. She's going to have to learn to sit back and wait patiently for things to be resolved, and I think it's very important that we don't give her the impression that she can see herself as a member of the operation. Firstly because the police are planning to do without us this time, and secondly because it's far too risky for her and there's no reason why we should put one more person's life at risk just because she feels hurt about being left out. "

A silence fell between the three friends as they lingered, chewing their sweet snacks and thinking. Yomo didn't dispute Jin's point of view. Quite the contrary. He was well aware that personal feelings, based on emotions rather than rationality, were not what should determine a person's participation in an operation as delicate and dangerous as that of dismantling the Gyriad. However, this did not mean that the young woman's feelings could not be taken into account. She still had the right to be considered their friend, in his opinion.

"In any case, it's too late, she knows everything," he concluded, unable to find a way out of his problem and too tired to dig any further and refute his friend's argument.

"What do you mean she knows everything?" interjected Nils who had already finished his churros and was busy licking his fingers.

Yomo turned to the glutton as he swallowed his last bite of waffle.

"Exactly what it means. She knows everything that happened last year. That's what she told me this morning," Yomo repeated.

"How did she get access to all this information? Most of what happened was kept confidential and only the police know about it," Nils said, suspicious.

"The police or the Gyriad," corrected Jin. "The Gyriad also knows what happened because they were involved.

"That would mean she has a contact in the Gyriad? Sounds a little hard to believe to me," Nils thought aloud.

"From what she told me this morning, she got information from the police directly, and by watching the activities of the Gyriad," Yomo searched his memory.

He tried to recall the exact words of his conversation with Neti this morning, but it had been so emotionally dense that he found it difficult to focus on their exchange. All he had left was a bag of emotions all jumbled together.

"We'll have to tell Detective Jok-Ma about her next time we see him," Jin sighed, his eyebrows furrowing. "If she's involved with the Gyriad, they need to keep an eye on her too.

"Jin, you don't trust Neti?" asked Nils, putting his foot down on the issue that Yomo had been circling since the beginning of their discussion.

"No," the latter answered without even thinking. "She acted completely rashly, and frankly almost suicidally! Until she's clear about her intentions and why she's doing this, I don't trust her in the least."

"You're harsh Jin! Look at us..."

"We are three buddies who spend our lives together, know everything about each other and share much more than just our daily lives! The bond we have is incomparable to what she shares with us! I mean, do you know her family? Have you ever talked about your childhood with her? About your family problems?" Jin hardened his voice.

Yomo nodded. He was beginning to understand what his friend meant.

"It's natural for us to support each other no matter what the situation is since we see each other more as family members than friends, whereas to Neti she's really a friend and nothing more than a friend." he analyzed aloud.

"That's right!" nodded Jin, glad that someone finally understood him.

"And that her behavior is not justified by her attachment to us since it's not so unconditional," he finished his reasoning.

"Yes, exactly!" exclaimed the tall blond guy. "I mean, what sane person would go around watching mafia members in order to find out what their friends are hiding from them?"

Nils seemed to think.

"Something wrong with her made her do it... it could very well be a misplaced taste of danger as you said Jin?"

The two friends did not answer, themselves in intense thought.

"Or maybe she has feelings for one of us? Love can make us do completely irrational things after all. It could totally explain her behaviour." continued Nils, still in his stride.

"Neti? In love with one of us? Frankly, I don't think so, we would have known by now," Yomo refuted and threw the paper from his waffle into a bin.

They passed a stage where a group of musicians was playing. Their lively, danceable tunes on accordion and cello were just what the walkers needed on this autumn evening to forget their nostalgia for a moment. The three friends stopped and enjoyed the show for a while, forgetting their serious discussion. But Jin quickly brought them back to reality, resuming their reflection.

"You're always more blind when you're the object of someone's feelings than when it's someone else,"

"Mmmmh," Yomo said thoughtfully.

He was a little lost in these considerations. Now that he had discussed it with his friends, he recognised that the young woman's behaviour was strange. He wanted to know now. What had made her act like this, and how far she was prepared to go.

It was then that an element of the conversation came back to him.

"She said something strange to me," he drew the attention of his friends who had turned to the street show. "She told me that she knew very well why I had got close to Rau. Like she was implying that I had gotten close to him for a purpose."

"Huh? But that doesn't make any sense?" reacted Nils immediately. "I mean, if she's referring to the fact that you're interested in him as more than a friend, so be it, but why would she bring that up in the context of this discussion?"

"Exactly, it's like she's insinuating that Rau has a connection to the Gyriad..." he mused thoughtfully.

The very idea seemed so sordid he couldn't even imagine it. But at the same time, the fact that the student told him so couldn't help but make him wonder.

"Maybe she just said that to get your attention," Jin shrugged.

Nils nodded slowly.