District 25 was noisy and chaotic at night. Only a handful of places were quiet, and even there, ill-timed sounds would occasionally intrude.
Fortunately, those sounds only persisted for a little while before someone forcibly silenced them, restoring the peace that belonged there.
The restaurant where Jonas had last spoken with Carol was completely empty. Only Jonas sat at a table, waiting for Yucas to arrive.
The specially arranged dishes were already being prepared. As soon as Yucas arrived, the appetizers would be served.
But before Yucas arrived, her Communicator rang again.
"What is it, Yucas?"
Jonas settled into a comfortable position and checked the time. There were still ten minutes until their agreed meeting time.
Normally, unless something particularly urgent had come up, there was no reason to make a special call on the Communicator right before meeting.
Once the Communicator connected, Yucas rubbed her temples, looking weary and somewhat resentful.
"Ever since I became the person in charge of the Peacekeeping Forces, things keep cropping up at the worst possible times."
Yucas let out a long sigh and turned to look at the night scenery outside the car window. "I was planning to get some proper rest while waiting for our dinner, but something suddenly went wrong with the Peacekeeping Forces. I hurried to sort it out, and now I'm on my way to see you. Don't just leave because I'm a few minutes late."
"I wouldn't. I, Jonas, have always been gentle and refined. How could I do something like that?" Jonas rested his hands in front of his abdomen, watching Yucas shift in her seat.
"Oh, can't you say something nicer? Like, 'Because you're special, I'd gladly wait no matter how long you took.'"
Yucas sighed and glanced at Jonas. "Or do you actually say those