Yuzuru wasn't sure what to make of the scene before him.

He was standing before a large, worn building. The reddish bricks had long since faded to white, but the lettering denoting the structure as a community center remained unmarred by the passage of time. Pairs of windows lined its sides, like eyes into another world.

It was a place he frequented quite often; he visited almost every week on his day off to offer his help.

Today had seemed like it would be no different than his other visits . . .

Until he saw someone unexpected standing in front of the building.

Facing him was a young, white-haired girl wearing a wide-brim sun hat. However, the hat was so comically large that it ended up covering most of the girl's face.

A pale hand pushed it up, and golden eyes stared out at him from beneath its brim.

"Oh, it's you," Kanade said.

He gazed back with an unimpressed look. "I thought you didn't like crowded areas."

"I don't like attention. But I'm in disguise, so I won't draw any attention."

He glanced around. Contrary to her claim, several of the people passing by were giving her odd looks as they walked past.

However, none of them recognized her.

That's clever. They pay so much attention to the hat that they don't spare any for the girl underneath.

And even if someone did look closely, the hat obscured her face enough that she wouldn't be recognized at a glance.

"Isn't it hard to see where you're going with that on?"

A glaring flaw in an otherwise effective yet simple disguise.

"I let Shiina guide me," she replied.

He turned to the black-haired escort who stood by her charge, as diligent as always. She was fidgeting relentlessly, uncomfortable standing out in the open.

"Was this your idea?" he asked.

Her eyes darted to him. "She posed the problem; I provided a solution," she said with a hint of finality in her voice.

Wisely taking the cue, he turned his attention back to Kanade.

"So, what are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm here to volunteer."

He couldn't help but be startled. "Huh? Someone like you? Volunteering?"

She tilted her head at him. "Is there something wrong with that?"

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, no. But aren't you too busy to be spending your time doing this kind of work?"

He had heard stories: tales about musicians practicing for hours on end every day to maintain their skill. If that kind of dedication was necessary to be successful as a performer, then he didn't think that she should waste her time here.

"This is just something I want to do in my free time," she said in an unconcerned tone.

He hesitated. She had sounded confident in herself, and surely, she would know better than himself how much practice she needed to keep her edge, right?

In that case, he would let it drop.

"Oh, Yuzuru! I'm so glad you're here; the kids will be so pleased you came!"

A young woman with chestnut hair walked out of the building. Her hair was already greying and stress lines crisscrossed her countenance, but even though her body was aged, she stood tall and smiled brightly.

She looked curiously at Kanade, completely failing to recognize her. "Oh, are you here to volunteer too?"

The girl nodded.

"I see." The woman sighed. "Unfortunately, the event today involves looking after a group of children. And we can't just let anyone walk in and do that, you understand? So, I'm afraid that you'll have to come back later after you've gone through the proper channels and gotten a background check."

Kanade quietly took it all in. "I see."

She turned and walked without a word.

He could tell she was trying to hide it, but years of experience interacting with others had honed his skill at picking up on subtle cues. He could see the disappointment in the sluggishness of her footsteps, the droopiness of her head, and the limpness of her arms.

"Wait."

He wasn't sure why he spoke up, but the retreating figure paused as the woman turned to him.

"Hmm? What is it, Yuzuru?"

"That girl . . . she's with me."

Kanade seemed startled, and the woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh? This is the first time you've brought someone else along with you."

She looked at the girl with a contemplative gaze. "Now, normally I wouldn't allow this. But you've been volunteering here for a long time now, Yuzuru, and I trust your judgment." She turned to gaze at him intensely. "I hope you know that you'll be responsible for your friend's behavior."

"Of course."

He expected nothing less.

She nodded. "Well then, you two can go on in then. If you keep the kids waiting too long, they might develop fangs and come after you!" she said with an easy grin.

The two of them walked in, although it would be more accurate to say he walked in while dragging along a statue by the arm.

Kanade was still a bit shocked by his sudden aid, it seemed.

"You've never done this before, have you?" he asked.

She blinked at him, vitality finally creeping back into her frozen features. "No, I haven't."

Now that she had regained her composure, he let go of her arm and focused on leading the way to the children's room. He had gotten lost in the twisting, narrow hallways the first time he came here.

Yuzuru sighed. "Than what's with the sudden interest?"

A pause. "I did something . . . similar . . . a long time ago," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Something similar?"

She nodded. "Doing it . . . made me happy. I wanted to try and . . . capture that feeling again."

He was curious about what this similar "something" was, but he felt that it would be rude to pry.

"Why did you help me?" she asked suddenly.

He scratched his head idly. "I just like to help people."

Not the whole truth, but it sounded far better than the alternatives.

"Oh," she said softly. "Thank you."

"It was no problem. Really." He turned to her with a slight grimace. "Anyway, you know we're here to look after the kids, right? Well, we're also supposed to help entertain them; so just play along with whatever they come up with, but don't let them get into trouble, alright?"

She nodded. "I understand."

He grunted. "Good."

They walked in silence after that, neither of them quite knowing what to say.

With nothing to distract him, Yuzuru found himself intimately aware of how close she was to him. Walking side-by-side in a narrow hallway, their hands had brushed each other several times, and he was startled at just how cold her hands were.

He was struck by a sudden desire to grab her hands in his to warm them up –

No! Bad thoughts!

He sighed internally. Even though his job required him to talk with many kinds of people, he had always felt detached from each of his patrons. With a counter separating him from his customers, he always felt like there was a barrier between them, a reminder that his guests had their own lives, their own worlds that he would never be a part of.

But here, without that professional detachment and artificial distance, he found that he was feeling oddly flustered by her presence.

"Are you okay?"

His gaze snapped to the one who had asked the question.

Kanade's clear, golden eyes gazed into his own.

"Your face is all red," she commented.

He rapidly waved his hands in front of him. "I'm fine. Really!"

She looked at him with an unconvinced expression. "If you say so."

She turned away, and an awkward silence fell upon them once more.

Gah, what's wrong with me!

He was relieved when they finally reached the door to the children's room.

He gave Kanade one final, quick look.

"Remember, just play along and don't let them get in trouble, alright?"

"Ok."

He twisted the doorknob, and the door swung open with a loud, noisy creak.

Dozens of faces immediately turned to regard them.

"Hey, Yuzuru! Glad to see you showed up!"

He could only blink in surprise as a purple-haired girl waved at him while a group of children crowded around her.

"Yuri? What are you doing here?"

She grinned. "Well, you know I've always liked kids. But my job isn't all that great in allowing me to have some fun with these cute little buggers, so when you told me about what you usually did on weekends, I thought that I might as well give it a shot!"

She turned to glance at Kanade. "Oh, who's that? Your girlfriend?"

He doubled over in a coughing fit.

"What?! What made you jump to that conclusion?!"

She grinned at him mischievously. "Well, I've never seen you in the company of another girl before. What else was I supposed to think when you suddenly showed up with a cute girl?" She peered at Kanade more closely. "Gotta say, you sure have strange tastes. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone who takes their girlfriend out to volunteer for a date!"

"We're not dating! I didn't even know that she would be here!"

"Oh? Well, that's a shame. I know your shop can be so dreary at times when I'm not around to spice it up. If you were seeing someone, you wouldn't be so lonely at times!"

He inwardly winced. He had never spoken of his problems to anyone, but Yuri had hit closer to home than she probably realized.

"Anyway . . ." she turned towards Kanade. "I'm Yuri! I would go over there to shake your hand but . . ." She gestured towards the kids surrounding her. "I'm a bit preoccupied right now."

"Do that scary voice again, Miss Yuri!"

"That was so cool! Could you teach me how to do that?"

"Play with us!"

Kanade inclined her head in greeting. "I'm Kanade," she said softly.

In such a loud room, her reply would have been inaudible to most people.

But Yuri was not most people; she had developed quite a sharp ear during her time in the courtroom.

"Kanade, huh?" She grinned. "I hope we get along!"

Yuzuru sighed as the two girls finished exchanging greetings.

He hoped that Yuri didn't do anything too crazy with the kids.

"Alright, Kanade. Why don't you –"

His suggestion was left unfinished as the crowd of children finally noticed him.

"Look, it's Yuzuru!"

"Yay, he's back!"

They rushed forward, swept him up, and carried him off in the blink of an eye.

Kanade blinked. One moment, Yuzuru had been standing there. The next, he had vanished along with a sizable portion of the children.

Struck by uncertainty now that the one who had guided her here had disappeared, she simply stood there and watched as the children began to make increasingly bizarre requests of Yuri.

A gentle tug on her hand drew her attention.

Glancing down, she saw the bright, pudgy face of a twin-pigtailed girl stare up at her.

"Nee-chan, want to play?" she asked innocently.

Kanade was startled. She glanced at the other side of the room, where Yuri had begun doing backflips, much to the children's amazement.

"Don't you want to play with the other kids?" she asked softly.

The little girl shook her head. "They're all so noisy! I don't like it when everyone is yelling," she said with a pout. She looked at the older girl pleadingly. "We have a room with a lot of books! But the other kids don't want to read with me . . . so could you?" she asked hopefully.

Kanade looked at her impassively before smiling gently. "I think . . . I would like that."

"Yay! Come on, let's go!"

As the little girl pulled her along, Kanade thought back to the many books she had read during her stay in the hospital.

She wondered if the community center would have any books on gardening.

xxx

Yuzuru was panting so hard that he felt as if his legs would give out at any moment.

"These kids . . . play as hard as ever . . ."

Yuri laughed. "Tired already, Yuzuru? The game's not even over yet!"

He chuckled weakly. "I think I'll . . . have to sit the rest out. I'm heading back inside."

"Alright, alright. I'll keep an eye on these kids, so don't worry." She walked back to the group of kids. "Now, who's ready to commence Operation Beat-the-Snot-Out-of-the-Other-Team?"

A wave of cheers was cut off as he closed the door that led outside. He took a deep breath as he leaned against the door for support.

Kids can be scary at times.

They had relentlessly dragged him around playing different games all day. After pulling him outside, they had started off playing frisbee, then they had moved on to soccer, then to baseball, then to football.

Even as various kids came and left depending on which game they were playing, they had expected him to stay for all of them.

Yuri had led some of the girls into joining at some point, but by then, he had already felt fatigued.

There were still a few hours left, so he could find a less strenuous activity to engage in with some of the less athletic children –

A string of notes echoed down the hallway.

He perked up as the sounds reached him.

They had a piano in here?

He had a pretty good idea as to who was playing, and he figured that he should check up on her since he was responsible for her being here.

Slowly, he walked forward in an almost trance-like state. And before he knew it, he had found the room where the music had originated from.

She had taken off her sun hat at some point. The electric keyboard she was sitting at was not in good condition: scratches marred its surface, several of the knobs had fallen off, and stains covered several of the keys.

But even if the piano was ugly, the music it created was beautiful all the same.

The song was chirpy, filled with short beats and dancing notes. Her fingers bounced from one key to another with vigor, never remaining still for long. A crowd of children had gathered around her, all of them enraptured by the melody that had captured their attention.

He couldn't blame them. He knew full well how intimate her music could be, how it could stir emotions long lost in the depths of one's soul.

The song ended, and cheers rang out as all the kids enthusiastically complimented her.

She was looking his way, he saw. As he walked towards her, she brushed some of her sleek, silver hair aside as she greeted him in a cool and emotionless tone.

"Yuzuru."

He nodded and smiled. "That was great. What song was it?"

She looked away. "It doesn't have a name."

He was briefly taken aback. "What? How could it not have a name?"

She stared at him blankly. "I came up with it a few minutes ago."

He blinked "Oh." He rubbed the back of his head. "Improvisation, then? That was good for something you came up with on the spot! How many of your performances have been songs that you composed?"

"A few."

"They must have received quite the positive reception, then!"

"Actually, the turnout for them was much lower."

He was taken aback. With a talent as great as hers, he could not fathom why people didn't appreciate her original compositions as much.

"Well, that's a shame," he said. "Judging from the bit I just heard, you can write some beautiful songs. It's a pity that more people won't hear them."

She did not reply; she merely sat there with a melancholic expression on her voice, a desolate look that did not suit someone like her, someone who could bring happiness and joy with simple gestures of her hands.

He crouched down next to her. "Hey."

She turned to him with murky eyes, some deep melancholy clouding their golden hues.

"I'm sure you're disappointed that your work didn't receive the credit it deserved," he said with a smile. "But that doesn't mean it doesn't have value! You brought happiness to these kids, even if it's only for a little while. You did it with something that came out of your heart, something you poured your soul into making. If you can confidently say that you created something that brought joy to another person, then isn't that something that anyone can be proud of?"

Slowly, ever so slowly, her lips turned upward into a small smile. The clouds passed, and her eyes shone like a dawning morning.

"Thank you for your words," she whispered.

He was about to respond, only for a small figure to tackle him from the side. At the same time, the other children clamored for him to "stop distracting the nice lady so she can play some more!"

Kids could sure be demanding at times.

xxx

"Thank you both so much for your help today! The kids had a blast."

"Oh, it was nothing! I had fun too," Yuzuru replied.

They were standing in front of the community center once again. The woman in charge was thanking Yuzuru for helping them out (again) while congratulating Kanade for doing such a "splendid job" during her first visit. A few of the kids had gathered to say their farewells as well, and he noticed that one of them seemed intently fixated on a point pass him.

"Thank you for playing baseball with us!"

"Yeah! It was a lot of fun!"

"It was really funny when you tripped but still caught the ball!"

He grinned sheepishly as the children regaled him with some of his more embarrassing exploits during their games. He saw that the girl he had noticed earlier had remained silent; instead, she was just staring straight ahead.

His eyes slid along her line-of-sight, and he realized that she had been staring at Kanade all this time.

The woman noticed this as well and gently nudged the girl. "Go on, say something to the nice people that came today!"

The little girl was startled by the sudden gesture. She looked down as she collected herself, then glanced back up with large eyes full of passion. "Thank you for coming, Nee-chan! You're really nice and cool and I like listening to you read in your pretty voice! I hope you visit often because I would rather spend time with you than with the other kids! They're all really noisy and mean!"

"Now, now, don't say that about your peers," the woman lightly chided.

"But it's true . . ." the little girl grumbled.

Kanade looked taken aback by the sheer amount of praise that had just been thrust upon her. "Ah . . . I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself."

The little girl hopped up and down in excitement in response.

Yuzuru sighed. Although he was glad they were getting along, it wouldn't be healthy for the girl to be cut off from the rest of the children.

He smiled gently as he crouched down next to the girl. "You should try to spend time with people your own age, you know? It's not healthy if you spend all your time with adults."

She pouted at him. "But grown-ups are so much nicer and cooler than kids!"

"Trust me," he said. "Even grown-ups can act like kids at times."

As if to punctuate his statement, a pinked-haired blur ran past in the background, pulling a mop of blue hair behind her.

"I'm gonna do a German suplex on you, and you're gonna LIKE IT!"

The duo passed, and Yuzuru had a hunch that he had just missed something crucial, something that would have been very useful to use against a certain someone that came by his shop frequently.

Oh well. It couldn't have been that important.

"Well, we should get going! See you later!" He waved at them.

They waved back, several of the more energetic kids waving both hands wildly while some of the more timid gave small waves.

"Have a nice day!"

"Come back sometime, Nee-chan!"

He grinned at that parting comment. "Sounds like you've made a new friend."

Kanade nodded but remained silent.

The silence stretched out for a little longer before he noticed that something was off.

"Hey, where's Shiina?"

She looked over their surroundings but found no trace of the black-haired girl.

"She must have gotten distracted by something," she concluded.

Yuzuru sighed. "Some escort she is, leaving her charge all alone."

"It's fine. I can get home on my own."

"Are you sure? It's getting kind of late. I can walk you home if you want?"

She paused, thinking over his offer.

"Okay."

"Oh! Uh . . ." He scratched his back sheepishly. "Alright, then."

He hadn't been sure that she would accept his offer, but he was glad she did.

She turned away and walked at a brisk pace, leaving him scrambling to catch up.

As he finally matched pace with her, he gathered the courage to ask the burning question that had been nestled in the back of his head for the past few days.

"By the way . . . did I offend you somehow the other day?"

She tilted her head at him curiously. "What gave you that idea?"

He shrugged. "You kind of walked out abruptly. I thought I must have done something rude to make you leave like that."

"I see," she said. "No, I did not take offense to anything you did."

He furrowed his brows in confusion. "Then why did you leave so suddenly?"

"I realized that it was getting late and that I had to return home soon," she replied nonchalantly.

He felt a twitch in his eyebrow. "Normally, in a conversation, you would inform the other person if you suddenly had to leave."

She blinked. "Oh." Her eyes dropped. "I'm sorry."

He sighed. "No, it's fine. It was just a misunderstanding." He glanced at the oversized hat that she had put back on at some point. "So, now that you have your 'disguise,' I take it that you'll go visit that Mapo tofu shop yourself now?"

Kanade stopped in her tracks. He watched as her expression turned vaguely uncomfortable as she considered the idea.

"I . . . suppose," she said reluctantly.

It was obvious that she was averse to the idea.

He knew that he shouldn't be happy about someone else's weakness, but he found himself relieved all the same.

Because now he had an excuse.

"I wouldn't mind . . . if we kept the same arrangement we had before," he said.

She looked at him with a hint of wonder in those bright, golden eyes. "You would do that for me?"

"It's not a big deal. I have plenty of time on my hands."

"In that case, I will accept."

They walked in silence after that, but it was not an uncomfortable type of silence.

No.

It was the silence that came about between two people who did not need words to express how they were feeling at that moment.

They both knew the other was satisfied with the result of their conversation, even though they were not entirely sure why.

But it was enough for them to be content, to keep moving towards the future with a new hope in their hearts.

Kanade stopped in front of a large house, its extravagant design clearly meant to display the owner's wealth. She turned and bowed to him.

"Thank you for escorting me."

He smiled. "It was nothing. I'd be happy to do it anytime."

She nodded in response before turning and walking towards the house.

Yuzuru watched until the moment the sliding door closed behind her.

xxx

Omake: What REALLY happened to Shiina

Shiina watched impassively as Kanade disappeared into the building.

She was no stranger to waiting for long periods of time as her charge went about her business, but she did find it to be tedious at times.

She would practice her craft in the meantime, but for some reason, whenever she brought out her scissors, people's eyes would begin to unerringly home in on her.

It was quite irritating. How could she call herself a ninja if people could spot her effortlessly?

After the fifth time she tried to practice only to draw concerned comments along the lines of "it's dangerous to play with scissors," she gave up on the endeavor.

She was about to resign herself to another long, boring wait when something caught her eye.

"Puhi puhi!"

A small, brown, and furry creature trotted up to her. It had small, beady eyes, a large nose, and short, stubby legs. It rubbed itself against her legs and looked up at her with a pitiful expression.

"Puhi puhi!"

She crouched down and stared at the creature intensely.

Seemingly satisfied that it had gotten her attention, it turned around and began walking away.

"Puhi!"

Had her gaze been any more intense, there would have been a line seared into the ground, its path just happening to match the trail of the tiny creature.

It turned around and seeing that she had not followed, let out a small, plaintive whine.

"Puhi~"

She couldn't hold it in any longer.

"CUTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

She vanished from her spot.

The small animal vanished a moment later.

A few minutes later, a confused, purple-haired girl walked onto the scene. She looked around with a worried expression.

"I could have sworn she was around here somewhere . . ."

Another girl ran up, panting for breath. Her appearance was similar enough to that of the first girl that they could have been twins.

"Don't worry . . . I'm sure she's okay . . . wherever she is," she said in between her pants.

"I hope you're right," the other girl murmured.

The next day, her pet returned safely.

They didn't quite know why there was a pink bow on her head nor why her expression was so blissful.