December 24, 2020

6:30 PM

The rising steam from the hot and fresh stir-fried rice brought forth Werner's hunger. He's longed to have something in his stomach all day, but he didn't want to relish in his meal too soon. At least, not until he was certain the quiet girl sitting across from him would eat first. That wasn't a hassle he would face tonight though.

The moment Itsuo set down her dinner in front of her, her dull eyes enlarged like she's never seen a plate of food before. For the first time today, she looked like a normal and healthy child. Before Werner even picked up his own utensil, the child was already digging into her own dish with such haste.

He didn't expect this out of the stubborn little girl. Neatly positioned beside her bowl was a spoon and fork on a thick, white napkin. However, instead of eating with her utensils, the girl picked up her food with her fingers. It was as if she had no sense of etiquette at all.

She licked her dry, chapped lips and took a handful of the stir-fried rice. She clenched the oil around with her fingers, causing it to roll down her greasy hand like melted butter. Then, the girl stuffed her handful of food into her widely opened mouth. The child munched on the first several bites, then licked her fingers one by one to savor its taste.

Without even waiting to swallow down her food first, the girl went for another handful of the rice. Quickly, she stuffed it into her awaiting mouth which caused her cheeks to bloat up. The girl didn't even attempt to close her mouth as she munched away at her delicious meal.

Werner only chuckled at the scene unfolding in front of him. She was definitely as messy at the dinner table as she was with cleaning up after herself. When he checked on her after her bath, he found her clothed in the outfit Mayuki left out for her. It was one of her simple, light grey blouses. Even with her tall height, it still fit like a formal dress on her because of its size.

At the least, she should feel warmer, but it was a shame the sleeves were too short to cover her arms. He didn't say this because of the marks all over her skin, but because he imagined she was cold in only this. Her freshened appearance was the neatest part of the bathroom though.

Somehow the girl made many puddles of water all over the floor; some being large while others were small. She either walked around without drying herself first or splashed around in the tub. She didn't even try to dry her hair thus leaving a soaked stain on the back of her shirt. This resulted in him having to dry the girl's hair off for her with a large, but soft towel.

The troublesome child only turned away from his housemaids when he asked them to take care of this task for her. This led Werner to believe she trusted him a little more than she trusted the people who worked for him. He also had to instruct her to pick her discarded clothes up from the floor and show her the laundry bin to put them in. It's only been an hour, but she's already this much of a handful.

With a light shake of the head, Werner treated his empty stomach with the quality dish too. It was nice and edible as ever, but the other was enjoying it a lot more than he was. It was reasonable to think this since she hasn't had a decent meal in forever. Yet another possibility rang through his brain. Was it possible this was her first time having stir-fried rice?

Because he knew the meal down to its taste and aroma, Werner didn't have as much excitement over it anymore. It was nothing but food that needed to enter his body for it to function. Putting the dinner aside, Werner chalked up the first question he's wanted to ask her all day.

He had several, to be frank, but he knew better than to throw them all at the girl at once. He might confuse her and also risk his chance at understanding her better. For now, he'll start off small.

"What's your name, child?"

It was a little tiresome only identifying her by her gender and the age range he estimated her to be. Unfortunately, Werner would not yet find relief from that situation. The silence was thick in the air as the one in question paused mid-bite. It was already silent disregarding her noisy chewing, but this time, the silence had a different feel to it.

For a moment, all she did was stare at him. The girl looked like she was debating on whether to reveal this information to him. As the silence continued, Werner suspected she wouldn't come to answer him. That was exactly what she did too. Quickly, she returned to stuffing her face instead of answering his question.

Werner knew he was being ignored by her.

"Hmm? I brought you under my roof. Don't you think the least you can owe me is your name?" He said half-jokingly with a warm chuckle.

Werner felt it was his job to help the younger one open up to him like a dependable adult with wisdom. Luckily, he had enough patience in the world.

"Earlier you climbed up that tree pretty easily. Do you like to do those sorts of things?" he asked, not giving up on what someone else would deem a lost cause.

His question lingered in the air awkwardly since she didn't respond to this either. Although, she surprised him with a small gesture. The girl didn't use her words, but she shrugged her shoulders. This was a small sign she was finally trying to come out of her shell; she only needed help.

"I see. So, you must climb trees all the time," Werner concluded while rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

The other's silence didn't discourage him, but she was giving him difficulty. It was like him running back on one of his calculations and trying to find where he messed up. But if anyone could crack a hard case, then it was him.

"How you've yet to hurt yourself is beyond me. I suppose young people really are active beings," He said aloud.

He supposed if he spoke more, she'll feel comfortable enough to say something in return? Small gestures were fine and readable, but audible words would benefit more. If she didn't learn how to communicate, then she'll have a tough time getting along with anybody.

"Did you know before I found you, I was on my way to see a friend?"

She didn't answer, but that was fine enough since she looked up from her plate at all. This showed Werner that it piqued her interest. Taking her body language as encouragement, he proceeded with his story.

"He's a reserved fellow who's terrible at controlling his temper. He gets frustrated over little things easily, but despite his anger, he always got his work done. If you look past all that, he's a man worth respecting," Werner explained with a nod, agreeing with his own words.

"Although, he lost something very important to him. His behavior has become more worrisome, and he's stopped showing up to work altogether."

Yet Werner never had the heart to dismiss him. He tried to keep the flame kindled, but as the year passed on, he realized he wouldn't ever come back. In fact, the reason he intended to visit him was to lay him off. He'd prefer to do it face-to-face rather than through a lousy e-mail or printed sheet.

He only thought to tell this story to the child because he imagined she could relate. Was her brain mature enough to even understand this though? It had to be since she's survived in this large world all by herself.

"Lately, he's been slipping further and further away from us. No, to be frank, it's been that way for years now. Ever since... that thing happened. It's hard to tell what he's thinking half of the time and that worries me. ...I'm sure that sounds familiar to you."

Werner passed on the opportunity for the other to state something if she felt comfortable enough to. Although this was a rather deep subject, so he understood if she wished to back out from it. He should think of something more fitting for a child, but Werner felt she carried a lot of wounds. He didn't mean the ones visible on her thin body either.

This child needed to heal from whatever hell she went through but only she could allow that to happen.

As expected, nothing more than silence followed. Albeit it wasn't because the other was reluctant to hold a conversation with him. The gears were actually turning in her head this time as she thought hard over his question. When another minute of silence passed, he realized he only led her into over-thinking. Afraid that he'll stress her out, Werner dismissed the subject altogether.

"Perhaps not. You're still young. Most children your age aren't as complicated as adults," he finished.

His wooden chair made a small noise as the man leaned back against it. It was a maroon color and the seats still had their plastic on, preserving them for as long as he wanted. Everything in the dining room followed a similar color pattern.

Werner noticed the sparkle in her eyes diminished. Maybe he shouldn't have forced her to remember something she didn't want to? This is exactly why he's awful with children. They were more fragile than adults but easy to distract if his perception of them was right.

"Would you like dessert?" Werner offered once he noticed the emptiness of her plate. Her appetite was astonishing.

He could see that one serving wouldn't be enough for a starving child now. Meanwhile, his own hardly touched dish already lost its steam. That was fine though since he was too interested in the other to feel hungry. Thankfully, her eyes lit up once more upon his impassable offer and followed a hasty nod.

Then, he passed down an order to the chef to prepare a large slice of cake for the child. Werner had a feeling a small piece wouldn't satisfy her stomach. He didn't prefer to indulge in sweets because the taste was overbearing to him. So, the girl was lucky to run into him when he recently received a cake for his latest design. He often received presents at his opening ceremonies, but he only accepted them for show. Once he returned home, there was no true need for them.

He's been keeping it refrigerated this whole time, but he forgot to go back and toss it out. The little girl would be the first one to try out the cake. Since it came straight from the bakery, the flavor should be even more enriching.

Soon enough, Itsuo presented the velvety, chocolate cake to her. Just like with the stir-fried rice, she held no mercy toward the dessert in front of her. What an eater she was.

"It must be good. You know, my same friend has a daughter who should be around your age now. I've only seen her once. That was, let's see... Around the time she was a newborn. I'm sure you two can meet and become good friends one day."

There was always a chance for that wishful thinking since she had a long future ahead of her. She's too young to give up on her life. She'll find a new home and create new memories to help her forget the harsh realities about the real world.

It was plain to see he wouldn't be the person to crack open her shell though. Werner trusted she would find someone that important to her one day though. The other's chewing eventually grew quieter. From the fidgety look in her eyes, it wasn't out of self-consciousness. She swallowed all her food down and parted her lips shakily.

"What... is his name?" she asked, feeling too hesitant to even look up at him.

Werner could tell she was afraid from her trembling hands and shoulders. For once, he didn't have an immediate explanation for why that was so.

"His name is-"

Her chest tightened up into a knot and a queasy feeling rushed through her feeble body like a harsh wave. Her breaths became shallow and her dainty fingers latched onto the edge of the table. Although, it did nothing to lighten the heaviness she felt in her ribs. It only took a second for the world around her to disparate. There was only one thing she could recollect before her mind became fuzzy.

That was her father's name.


January 11, 2028

5:01 PM

It was winter in Mistilteinn.

To be exact, it was between the end of winter and the beginning of spring. A warmer season where naked tree branches would soon be in full bloom.

She looked forward to that day because she loved the seasonal changes. It almost made the world around her seem beautiful on the surface, but she hated winter with a passion. Spring and summer made her feel warm, but the cold always reminded her of her unfilled emptiness.

She detested it.

The last bell for the day rung throughout the mass field. From her advantage, she could see the many bodies scurry out of the building and move onto the sidewalks. The eighteen-year-old knew half of those groups would stop somewhere before returning home. The school didn't permit it but sticking to the manual wasn't her style.

She didn't care for rules at all.

The world around her became dark as she closed her eyelids and for a moment, time stopped. The girl allowed the wind to move her. The cold breeze chilled her skin and played her outstretched arms and legs like a piano. The wind tousled her hair and forced it to dance in the air. She didn't mind the feeling for she loved it.

It roused her with the awareness she was alive. Even if it was painful to be so, the thought of freedom only being an arm's length away excited her. It tempted her.

She was only a hair's breadth away from breaking free from the flimsy chains holding her back. It would only take one move for her to escape her birdcage and slip into the Earth's cracks.

Her pale grey uniform jacket and plaid, light and dark grey skirt took flight as it flapped and swayed in the air. Her tie followed the same pattern, but with strips of a dull grey and red. The plain, crimson red scarf wrapped around her neck refused to miss out of the fleeting experience.

For as long as the girl could remember, she's always worn this scarf. It was less of a fashion accessory and more of a prized possession. It was one of the few things that comforted her even though she couldn't explain why.

Her lids reopened and her emerald eyes looked up into the vast blue sky filled with wonders. Two birds dashed across the cloudy sky and she imagined she was one of the pair. Then, without intending to, something unwanted burned at the core of her heart.

It was jealousy. It was the sight of birds soaring in the sky that made her heart turn bitter. The sky promised a lot of freedom and independence she longed for.

...Freedom.

What did it feel like? It was a question she didn't have an answer to yet.

As she stood at the top of her school's roof, her eyes took an interest in the ground several feet below. Her heart raced in her chest since she was over the fence meant to keep her safe. She preferred it like this. Her blood always felt like fire when she made rounds along the edges without losing her footing. Some days she wished she would by accident.

The young female felt content with admiring the way the wind made her hair and clothing whip around her. A few loose strands of pink stuck to her cheeks and forehead, adding to her illusion of freedom.

She put one foot out forward and reveled in the rush she felt from something so risky. What she wanted laid right in front of her, but... she couldn't make another move forward. Her foot retracted to its resting place and the metal fence behind her rattled as she leaned against it. Her fingers curled around two of the open spaces.

Maybe one day she could be freer than she was but today wasn't that day. Accepting things like they are felt terribly dull. A bored and tired sigh escaped her lips. Then, the sound of a door slamming open made the hairs on the back of her neck sit up. Her fingers instinctively tightened around the interlinked chains.

Someone was here with her.

The girl prepared a scowl on her face. She was certain she was about to get into it with another teacher or classmate. Yet when she looked over her shoulder, her dirty look slowly fell. The girl didn't recognize the bewildered face looking back at her.

There stood a boy who seemed to be around her age, doubled over in exhaustion with his hands on his knees. He was breathing heavily, making the girl assume he ran a long distance to get here. Then, the breathless words that escaped his mouth caused her eyes to widen largely.

"Don't jump!"

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.

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Loud laughter filled the air without pause. Oxygen reaching her lungs was the least of her worries at this moment. No, she could not sit here and not let out all her amusement over the hilarious situation. The girl held onto her stomach, unable to help the tears that trickled up between her lashes.

Meanwhile, the boy stood by her side with a red flush splayed across his face. Despite his embarrassment, he maintained his perseverance. With his hands in tight fists, the boy looked like he wanted to say something, but she's yet to give him the chance to.

"Y-You thought I was g-going to–"

She couldn't even finish her sentence as another chuckle came forth. The corners of her lips reached her ears from how hard she was grinning. He didn't find amusement in the situation like her though.

"You shouldn't hang on the edge of the roof like that! It's far too dangerous!"

She finally opened her lids and squinted her eyes at him. The sun glared down on them, but its brightness didn't hide his main features from her. That was to say she could make out the serious yet concerned expression he looked at her with. Her laughter subsided suddenly.

Her shoulders slumped as she leaned back, using her hands to support her weight. They already evaded the dangers of the rooftop since she sat on the top of the school's shaft now. It still had them perched on a high place, but she was least likely to give the other a heart attack. The distance between her feet and the ground was only a few inches and there was a ladder close to their side.

Instead of continuing to look him in the eyes though, she turned her head and looked straight ahead onto the sunset before her. A warm scarlet poured into the sky, dyeing the remaining traces of the horizon that was still blue. Thread of lights from the slowly descending sun protruded between two buildings, making the sunset even more beautiful.

The boy finally gave up on whatever he was trying to get through to her and took a seat beside her, but not without putting a respectful amount of space between them. She didn't mind the distance since she's accustomed to being avoided. In contrast, there were often individuals who became too friendly with her because her identity attracted unwanted attention.

"I come up here by myself all the time. I know how to balance myself so I don't fall," the female stated, figuring that would be enough to make the other stop unnecessarily fretting over her.

Shouldn't he be more worried about the things that went on with himself? Perhaps he was a nosy person by nature.

That wasn't odd coming from someone in her school, but under these circumstances, it was entirely different. She realized that watching the sunset behind the towers with another person also felt different.

Usually, the female enjoyed these things alone. She wasn't sure what his company evoked, but she didn't wish to entertain it. One look at him confirmed to her he was a student of this school.

He wore their uniform, but it was naturally the male version of hers. The boys wore plaid, light and dark grey pants instead of a skirt, and a light grey and red tie to distinguish the fact he was in the same grade level as her. The second-years wore blue in their ties while the first-years wore yellow. Despite the contrary, they didn't look like they were one year apart in their ages. She rarely spoke to others in her grade and that included ones in her homeroom too.

His black hair was shaggy but nicely taken care of. He had a rather slim physique and his eyes… His eyes were a perfect shade of turquoise that transcended into the hues of a vast, blue ocean. By only looking into these pools she wished to swim in, the girl felt something familiar, but very distant.

That was then when the oddness of his actions reminded her of how weird this boy must be. For the first time in a while, she cracked a small smile. It wasn't a genuinely happy one nor kind, but it showed some sort of gratitude.

"Nobody has ever run all the way up here to stop me before. I appreciate it," she replied, her eyes closing for a moment as they smiled with her.

They missed the awestruck look she caused the boy to take on. They reopened and looked back at the sunset before her, threads of light now peaking between the gaps of buildings. It'll be dark soon and the girl knew because she's replayed this scene so many times she knew it like the back of her hand now.

"You're welcome," she heard him tell her with a trace of lost present in his tone.

Several quiet but comfortable seconds passed until the girl heard him speak again, an innocent question springing up this time but somehow still caused a dull ache in her chest.

"Why do you come up here often? What not be with your friends instead?" he asked.

She wondered why he was still here? People rarely stuck around her this long once they realized they wouldn't be able to get anything out of her. Did he genuinely think she would jump the moment he left her out of his supervision?

Pft.

What an unnecessary and stupid concern. She wasn't a hopeless kid anymore.

"I don't have those," she said in a disinterested tone, the small smile that she once donned on her face long gone now. "I come up here to think."

"...Think?" he asked and she could still feel the boy's gaze on her as if he expected her to reveal more than just this.

However, she wouldn't.

"Mm," the girl nodded her head, thinking it was simple enough to understand as it stood. If he wanted more information, he surely didn't press her for it which also struck her as odd. When didn't someone try to stick their nose into her business just because of the last name she shared?

Well, it was her turn to ask a question now.

"Why are you still at school at this hour? Everyone else has gone home by now."

Indeed the colors of the day would rest before they knew it and the sky would turn a dark shade of black, which normally made it dangerous for young people like themselves to walk around the city freely, but she wasn't scared of the many possible consequences that could occur.

His or her own well-being wasn't her concern here, she was just simply interested in what business this boy had to be here at a time she normally sought privacy. The female also preferred for her curiosities to be sated, never welcoming the feeling of being left out of the loop.

Therefore, the least he could do was owe her an explanation. First, he took the entire staircase up to the roof just to prevent something that was never going to occur in the first place, now he was willingly sticking by her side and trying to learn something about her?

Those who did that with her always had an ulterior motive. Perhaps his group of friends saw her from outside of the building and he'd been dared to approach her alone? That assumption struck her as the most plausible. However, the excuse she received was more thought out than what the female thought she'd hear.

"Oh. My sister and brother are both a part of the student council. I promised to help them around with organizing some club forums and other papers," he said with a smile warming its way upon his face.

It was as if just speaking of his family members brought him comfort and memories worth cherishing.

Oh?

That was something she couldn't relate to.

"Hmm. That's interesting."

She supposed.

The girl said this with her same disinterested tone, making it easier for the other to pick up on her mood.

Ah, well if he expected to gain something from her with this small encounter, then she'll go ahead and diminish any hopes of his right now. With a small grunt, the girl pulled her weight up until she was back on her feet, hands taking their natural position at her hips. She was about to take the ladder down to part ways with him, but the girl wanted to get one thing straight first.

"Look, I don't know if someone told you to come see me as a test of courage or something, but I'll tell you now that you won't be able to gain something from me by-"

He didn't allow her to finish.

"What? N-No, that's not what this is about at all! I genuinely thought..."

The boy's words took an abrupt halt in their train of thought which confused the girl enough to make her turn her head around and look at him questionably from over her shoulder. With slightly wide eyes, his gaze seemed interested in something clearly several inches beneath her head and curious enough to know what that was, she followed his line of sight.

"You did get hurt," he pointed out to her now. The meek boy's voice never seemed to leave that place of concern.

...Hurt?

The girl didn't recall doing anything that would inflict any sort of injury, but as she took sight of the same thing that was holding the other's attention, she came to notice that there was indeed a dark purple, swelling bruise on her shin that stuck out like a sore thumb against her whiter skin.

The girl was certain that it wasn't there when she left the house early this morning, but it was evident to see that it was obtained today and right under her nose.

Is that all though?

"Oh. Yeah, so what?" she shrugged her shoulders carelessly, unsure of what he was trying to get at by bringing this to her attention.

Thinking that the conversation would just end there since there was no reason to lengthen it any further, the female student turned on the low heel of her platform shoe to separate from him first. Then, a hand caught her wrist.

"Wait!"

For whatever reason that must've come over her at that moment, she genuinely did stop in her tracks and looked back at him, but with her patience wearing thin.

Her first intention was to tell him one more time to buzz off, but then she noticed the driven look in his sea-colored eyes which was completely different from the other person he first showed to her. All of a sudden, he appeared to her as a much more serious person and not at all the shy boy she took joy in laughing at.

...What did he want from her with that earnest expression, however?

"We have to get that looked at. It can become worse if you just leave it like that."

She didn't get why he cared? If he only approached her on the whim of a dare, he didn't have to go this far. But looking into his eyes, the girl felt there was some sense of sincerity present.

"Please let me walk you to the nurse's office at least. Then, I'll leave."

For the first time since he walked in on her, the lone student's defenses came down all at once. If she needed one last hint that he was not trying to cozy up to her for his own personal gain then this was it. After all, this boy didn't look at her with the eyes of someone who wanted to use her, and she knew very well how to spot someone who was being dishonest with her.

The girl wanted to tell him that there was nothing the school nurse could do for her though. So, he'll only be wasting both of their times here. Yet another part of her was interested in seeing where this would lead to.

"...Fine," she said with an exaggerated sigh escaping her lips, as if the girl he was truly completely reluctant to do this.

The female turned away from him, not waiting for him to keep up with her pace as she took the ladder down. For a few seconds, he just stood there. It was as if her eventual acceptance struck him as a surprise before he quickly came to his senses.

Was he really going to be her escort there?

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January 11, 2028

5:49 PM

"Hello?"

His voice echoed into the empty nurse room, as the door opened without a sound. It was just as silent as the infirmary, indicating that no other soul was here but theirs. However, one scan of the room could very much verify that fact as well.

The design of it was familiar to her despite the fact that she's never stepped foot inside of a school infirmary since she was young. She couldn't recall what age she might've been at the time, but the structure of four beds aligned identically to one another with a plain, vanilla curtain was an old sight to her.

However, there usually was one medical profession present, but she wasn't surprised to see that they had already headed home by now which made the trip here even more pointless.

"Oh, well. I guess if she's not here, then I'll be on my way too," the girl nonchalantly stated.

She pulled the black strap of her school bag closer onto her shoulder and proceeded to stick her hands into the pockets of her jacket. The other pushed the curtain back from one of the beds for what she assumed was an attempt to see if anyone happened to still be here, but she's already made her mind to leave.

However, similar to what took place on the rooftop just earlier, he managed to make her pause in her actions with a single word.

"Wait. We should at least put some ice on that. I'm sorry, but can you sit down for a moment?"

Oh?

The left corner of her lip tugged upwards, a devious smirk spreading across the girl's face while her eyes held a mischievous glint to it.

"You're going to nurse me to health? Are you sure this isn't just an excuse to touch a hot girl?" she said teasingly, but all while doing as he asked, plopping down on the bed closest to her without grace.

She didn't need the medical attention, no less from an amateur, but the girl was interested in seeing how well or poorly he would do this. It was only a bruise, yet he was fussing so deeply over something that didn't affect him.

It was completely alien to her. This one really was odd.

She watched with interest as the other began to rummage through one of the cabinets as if he knew exactly what he was looking for. Seconds later, he approached her at the edge of the bed with a medium sized box in his hands.

"Let me take a look at it," The boy said as he gently took the back of her leg with one hand and elevated her foot onto his knee.

Although as if quickly realizing what he was doing, that admirable red flush crept back up on his face and his fingers immediately left her leg as if it would burn him.

"I-If that's okay, I mean?" He asked as if his hand hadn't already made contact with her body.

What did he think she'd do to him?

She waved it off, a small gesture for him to continue since she found no issue in this. He did offer to take care of her after all, so why stop him?

In the meantime, the girl kept still and quietly observed the boy's face as he took the bruise on her shin seriously. She's received all sorts of injuries in her life and had them personally aided to like this before, but while she never cared for people's attempts to nurse her, something about this felt different from those other times.

He felt... almost too familiar.

A warm sensation against her leg brought her out of her daze, her eyes questionably looking down at the source of the heat.

A heat patch?

"Why not ice?" she asked, already aware of the answer but was curious about his reason.

"The heat will boost your circulation and clear the trapped blood. It's just as convenient as putting ice against it, but with a heat patch, you can easily return home with something on it until you can get it looked at by someone more capable."

"Hmm? You sound like you know your stuff," the girl pointed out, but sounded only a tiny bit marveled by this information since this subject wasn't one of her favorites to discuss.

"I have a brother and sister who would attain all sorts of injuries when they played too roughly, or got into small accidents. This is only from experience, that's all."

"The ones in the student council?" the girl asked, her brain slowly becoming more intrigued by him than she realized.

She wasn't normally the one for small talk and this didn't depend on whether it was someone she knew, or if they were a mere stranger.

"Oh, no. Not them," the boy's smile become larger. "I have five sisters and four brothers."

He seemed like the typical happy individual she'll come across often. The way he smiled with the right touch of optimism to it and how he spoke about his loved ones reminded her of a wound she meant to close up a long time ago. She thought she stopped aching for those sorts of things already.

"That's quite a large family. Your parents must be very animated people."

Understanding what she was implying with that, a blush formed on his face which she shamelessly took absolute satisfaction in.

"We're all adopted by our stepfather," he explained to her, but also revealed something that she wouldn't have guessed they'd have in common.

"You too?" she acknowledged his reveal with a half-smile now.

She never liked to spend too much time around individuals, but she was beginning to realize that this one wasn't so bad.

"Ah. You're also... I see. I'm glad we have something in common then," he replied as he gleamed her way with that warm smile of his, taking the words right out her mouth.

The girl wasn't accustomed to not detecting any signs of deceit when someone did that to her. She couldn't immediately tell if it unsettled her, or made her more curious about the other.

"Anyway, keep that on your shin until you can get home and compress it with some ice," the boy easily returned to the matter at hand.

Even if she wasn't the least bit concerned about one bruise out of the many she's experienced. Yet it was still nice to have someone she did not even know actively want to take care of her like this. With a sense of naivety, it was... adorable?

He returned her leg back to her and stood up on his feet again, preparing to fulfill his promise now that he's finished what he came here for. Both initially with his siblings and unintentionally when he also ran into her afterward.

"We should both be heading home now before it gets too late."

She didn't say anything as she stood up with the strap to her school bag still slung over her shoulder, the silver bird-shaped charm that was attached to it jostling around with the sudden movement. He slid the infirmary door open but instead of immediately walking out, he stood there off to the side instead as if he was waiting for her to move first.

She didn't thank him for his chivalry but instead quietly walked out with her fingers laced together, hands nonchalantly resting behind her head. They eventually reached the front gate of the school which was also the point in which they would go their separate ways.

She spoke to him first.

"Well, this is goodbye then. Thanks for the nursing me! You're weren't too shabby at it," she said in an unusual pumped up nature with a rare smile spread out on her face.

With that cute look of slight embarrassment returning to his face, he nodded and was about to turn on his heel until he remembered something, causing him to spin back around to her.

She calmly did the same once his words reached her ears.

"Oh, yeah! I never got your name. Mine is Hiro. I'm in Class 3-B."

Only a few steps away from her own.

She expected the other to already know who she was considering her reputation at their school, but it was a reassuring surprise that he didn't. Or at least he didn't lead her to believe so.

It also wasn't until she stood in front of him did she realize the actual height difference between them. Although, it was nothing drastic. They would almost be at the same level if not for the fact that she had a two-inch advantage over him.

...He's cute.

"Class 3-C. My name isn't important. You can just call me Zero Two," she commented, awaiting his reaction.

"Zero... Two?" He repeated as a mix of both confusion and surprise understandably crossed his face.

As Zero Two expected, he... No, Hiro was completely thrown off by that, but to her, it was the best way she knew how to introduce herself to Hiro. However, she wouldn't explain it to him today. At least it was a lot better than what her father would call her.

"That's right! See you around, Hiro."

She beamed a cheesy grin his way despite the oddness of her introduction, but to Hiro, she made even an unlikely encounter with the most confusing parting seem magical. When the girl who had only introduced herself as a code number turned her body away from him, her plaid skirt danced in the air with her small spin. When she began to head the opposite direction, the breeze which patterns have gotten less consistent, still made her red scarf sway in the dark evening.

As she left him alone and turned the corner, she still carried his image in her mind.

...Hiro.

His name tasted friendly and soft, like a summer that was warm enough to melt away the remains of winter still around them.

Her mind would remember that name for the rest of the night.


I didn't include an official name for Zero Two's father in this chapter. Mostly, because I wanted to leave it to the readers' imagination. Moving on, I hope this story has captured your interest by now since things will kick off from here now that HiroTwo have met. Thank you for reading if you've decided to turn to the next chapter!

If not, then take you for making it this far at all.

- Michie