Just after Lily said goodbye to her three companions, a swarm of ground rats crawled out from the dark corners all around. Their fur was still vibrant and variegated, but now some crude clothing had started to appear on their bodies.
"Everyone, I'm sorry, but I can't take you with me. I don't belong to this world, but you do, so you need to behave and stay here."
Hearing this, the rats swarmed her, squeaking anxiously. Their voices were filled with urgency.
"Don't be like this. It's not that you've done anything wrong—it's my fault. I was supposed to lead you, but I was too selfish and didn't think about you."
"From now on, if anything happens, go find Bandage. He'll help everyone. But you mustn't do bad things. We're good rats, aren't we?"
After bidding farewell to the rats, Lily finally pulled her suitcase onto the passenger ship's deck. The people on the pier seeing her off began waving goodbye to her.
