Rescue

"You really shouldn't have asked. How were they supposed to answer?" Ligo repeatedly adjusted the recline angle of her seat. "Those 'rebels' are their relatives, neighbors, even family members. How could they not have seen them? But if they said that in Emangria, they'd be deported soon enough."

Hesta lowered her gaze slightly. Sitting in the passenger seat, she seemed lost in thought.

Ligo waved a hand in front of Hesta's eyes. "Go to sleep!"

"...That child this afternoon looked even younger than Eleven, Kiki, and the others." Hesta turned back. "She shouldn't be here, and she shouldn't be working at someone's estate. She should be in school too. Aren't there any child welfare organizations here? I saw them in District 3 and District 14—"

"Child welfare organizations can't do much here either."

"Why?" Hesta asked. "Has anyone tried?"

"Because the Whale Folk are different from ordinary citizens—"

"Has anyone tried?"

"...A few years ago, a Quicksilver Needles member was determined to launch a relief effort for the Whale Folk settlements around Saint Lom," Ligo said softly. "She contacted field stations and brought in several cross-district aid organizations, intending to begin by registering infants and toddlers under three, along with their caregivers. The preliminary work was difficult, but it went fairly smoothly. In the end, they found suitable places in several nearby cities to resettle mothers and children—not just housing and food. They had even considered the mothers' future employment and the social support they could receive while raising their children."

"Mm." Hesta nodded. "That sounds good."

"However, one week before they were due to formally take the people in, she returned to the settlement and discovered that the entire community had been forcibly relocated by the United Government to a new resettlement site a hundred kilometers away." Ligo spoke