He stood there in disbelief. The clock had stopped moving for some time ... Why did it start right now? He turned briefly and looked at the shadow that stood in front of the door. That shadow ... could it be ...
Suddenly he could see how the shadow that stood in front of the door turned around, apparently wanted to go on. No! Immediately he rushed off, always heading for the door. He hastily opened it and ...

"Nyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu !!!"
A brief moment of silence ...
Of fear ...
Of hope ...
Then the strange person, the strange shadow from just now, turned to ...
A trace of disappointment ...
It wasn't her!

In front of the house there was only a simple woman with short hair who had turned around questioningly. A shopping bag in her hand. Kouta looked briefly at the ground.
It wasn't her ...
"Is something not right?!"
The strange woman had asked this question in irritation, still looking at Kouta, slightly taken by surprise. But he shook his head quietly.
"No! It's nothing!"

"Kouta, where have you been for so long? We wanted to eat!"
He looked briefly into the questioning eyes of his cousin before he just shook his head and slowly sat down.
"Sorry, it must have taken a little longer."
For a brief moment there was silence while Kouta looked quietly at the bowl that Yuka had set up especially for her. Nyuu ... He really hoped she would come. He sighed briefly. Maybe he was just imagining something. Maybe...

"We still have to clean everything up! Will you help, Nana-san?"
A nod confirmed Mayu's question before they both got up at the same time and began to clear everything up again and bring it into the kitchen. Only Kouta and Yuka sat here.
"Will Nyuu still come ...?!"
Yuka looked questioningly outside. It was taking her a long time ... What had happened?
"Ah, Kouta! Where are you going?"
Yuka quickly got back on her feet after Kouta stood up without a word.But he only waved it off briefly.
"I just want to take a short walk ... Maybe I'll find you!"
Before he could wait for his cousin's answer, he had already started. Only Yuka was standing alone in the room, her gaze lowered to the floor. Again he only had Nyuu in his head ... Again ...
"Baka ..."

...

"NYUU-SAN!"
Mayu kept looking around the street, where quite a few people were shopping or on the way home. She herself just came back from school.
Ever since she couldn't be found yesterday, everyone has decided to look for her. However, no trace has been found so far.
"NYUU-SAN !!!"
Again she called a little louder, but there was no answer. Instead, only a few adults who looked at Mayu blankly.

"Well, are you looking for your dog? Or your cat?"
Mayu was almost startled when a young woman stopped right in front of her eyes and leaned down slightly to her. She briefly looked at the woman in front of her, who at first almost thought she was her mother thanks to her hair. But luckily it wasn't ...
"No, I'm looking for ... a roommate of ours ..."
She had answered this woman's question quietly and somewhat cautiously.
"Us? Tell me ... you live in the Kaede house, don't you?"
The young girl looked up, irritated.
"Yes why?"

For a moment she was thinking about it. How did this woman know?
"Well, yesterday I saw someone there who also called for this 'Nyuu' ... That's why!"
"Oh..."
There was silence for a while, only the people around them chatted among themselves as they walked down the path.
"Could you..."
"Hm?!"

The young woman looked at Mayu, waiting, while she hesitated for a moment.
"Could you let us know if you come across someone with pink to red hair and horns?"
"Horns...?"
The young woman was briefly irritated while Mayu looked at the floor.How else could she have described Nyuu? And she didn't know that she had lost her horns a short time ago. About half a minute passed ...
"Okay, I'll do that!"
Mayu looked up, pleased.
"V ... Thank you very much!"

...

For a brief moment, Nana knelt down while she ran her fingers over the floor. Around her it still looked like a field of rubble, since then ...
"Here it was ..."
This is where Nana once lay ... After Lucy cut off her limbs ...
"Exactly here..."
She would have died on the spot, that much was certain. Lucy was no fun anyway! She only owed her papa that she was still alive ... only her ...
Some tears fell to the floor, exactly where she once lay. Slowly the eyes of the young Diclonius filled with tears. The memory came back to her again. The picture of the explosion.
"I must ... not think about it ..."
With that she wiped away the tears for a moment while she slowly got up again. Now she continued to look around here.

"She doesn't seem to be here ..."
She hadn't found any trace of Lucy either. She was simply nowhere to be found! Was she dead by now?
"Lucy doesn't die that easily! What am I thinking ?!"
And what if it were? What if Lucy was dead? Nana shook her head briefly. No! Impossible! Lucy had to live!
"But where is she then? Why doesn't she just come back ?!"

Even if she never thought so, Nana was worried about Lucy too. About Lucy, who almost took her life. Since she last saw Lucy ... Since Lucy had told her to do what Lucy can no longer do ... To live in the Kaede ... With the others ... in peace ...
"Is that why she won't come back ?!"
Was that why Lucy didn't come back? Didn't she want to go back? Was that the reason maybe?
"But why...?"Nana glanced up at the sky for a moment, still a little worried.
"... Why?!"

...

"Kouta ... you've been sitting here by the window for hours!"
Yuka stood behind him worried and looked at him. Mayu and Nana had long since gone to sleep, only Kouta was still sitting here and looking for Nyuu after he hadn't found her yesterday and today. He hadn't seen her in two days ...
"Are you still worried about Nyuu?"
She looked questioningly at Kouta and knew the answer for a long time. Yes, he did care about Nyuu! And although Yuka could understand him in that regard, it hurt somewhere to see how much Kouta worried about Nyuu. He really liked Nyuu ... But did he like Nyuu more than ... his own cousin?

Yuka sighed briefly and looked at the floor before she turned around and made her way to her room.
"I'll go to my room then ... If you're tired, you can lie down too!"
"Okay, I'll do it!"
But while he said this absently, Kouta still looked out of the window as if spellbound and did not notice the sad look his cousin was giving him. He just stared, spellbound, into the night.
Was Nyuu okay?

...

Loudly she closed the door behind her while Yuka sat down at her table again and took out the box with the figurines. The one she made after she was at the party with him. Back then...
"Actually it is understandable that he cares about her ..."
After all, Yuka was worried too. Still it hurt! It hurt to see him like this ... Just fixated on Nyuu ...
Without a word she put the figures down again and closed the box, while she too looked briefly out of the window, where the sky was now pitch black.
"I wonder if he's still waiting at the window ...?"
Certainly! After all, she knew him! But one thing Yuka wondered, despite all the anger and sadness for him, anyway ...

Where was Nyuu ?!