Chapter 90

Ashley sensed that the tentacles that were full of hostility toward her had retreated a little. The inky green mass of tentacles that had been clinging to the doorknob had also slipped away. Elara, standing in front of her, cut a slim, fragile figure. However, Ashley felt that she seemed especially reliable at that moment. "You go out first," Elara told her without looking back. Ashley came back to her senses and looked at Elara with a complicated expression on her face. "I'll head to the parking lot first, then. Please come quickly." Then, she quickly turned the doorknob and slipped out the door, not daring to hesitate. After Ashley had left, No.17's tense posture relaxed greatly. As Elara murmured soft words of assurance to calm him down, he could not help raising his head and saying, "Elle, don't…" His low, hoarse voice sounded like the pitch of a cello. Again and again, he repeated her name, "Elle…" "Don't what?" asked Elara. No.17 was so mesmerized by her feather-light v