Chapter 3: A New Perspective

The world slowed in Naoko's eyes. Kenichi and Subaru still weren't back yet.

It was probably a needless concern, but as a mother, she couldn't help but worry.

Pandora was still responsive, which was a good thing. She ate her entire meal. Naoko would have been amused if the situation wasn't so grim.

Who would just abandon someone like that?

Pandora looked to be around Subaru's age. Naoko wondered what her life had been like up until now.

She shook her head, disregarding the thought. She shouldn't be worried about that right now. Pandora's condition was what mattered most.

When Naoko went to collect the dishes, she was caught off-guard by Pandora's meek thanks. Smiling, Naoko had said, "Let me know if you want seconds."

Pandora had looked at her strangely. Did she think that it was a joke?

When it became clear that Naoko was serious, Pandora adorned a look of surprise before she nodded in acknowledgment. Naoko's smile persisted until she left the room.

Honestly, Pandora seemed like a sweet girl. Living alone on the streets must've been hard for her.

As she washed the dishes, Naoko couldn't help but pause as her thoughts drifted. She couldn't imagine how hurt and lonely Pandora must feel.

She felt a sense of resolve swell within her. She needed to step up. As a mother, it was Naoko's duty to make Pandora feel loved and cared for.

Seconds passed, only for that resolve to fade. She took a deep breath, a subtle sadness gracing her features. An important thought had crossed her mind.

What about Subaru? Would he feel neglected? Would he be upset?

She and Kenichi have always tried their best to be supportive of him. Until Subaru decided to open up to them, they would keep supporting him from the sidelines.

But she couldn't help but doubt herself. Would a new person in the house only make him more miserable? Were they really doing the right thing?

Right on cue, the front door opened. When Subaru and Kenichi walked in, Naoko could tell that something had changed. Subaru's expression was heavy and thoughtful while Kenichi kept his signature smile.

Naoko knew her husband, though. Behind that smile, he was hiding all sorts of emotions. Not all of them were good.

Subaru disappeared into his room as Kenichi joined her in the kitchen. He picked up a plate and began helping her with the dishes.

After a moment, Kenichi noticed Naoko's eyes lingering on Subaru's door. He chuckled a bit. "Don't worry. He'll be fine."

Naoko finally looked at him. Concern filled her expression as she spoke, "What did you talk about?"

Kenichi took a breath. His smile didn't falter, but he seemed to be deep in thought. Naoko could only wonder what was on his mind.

"A lot," he said. When his eyes met hers, Naoko could see his dejection, but also his pride. "He finally talked to me, Naoko. I think we finally worked some things out."

She only gaped for a moment. When the shock wore off, Naoko asked, "How is he?"

"I think he'll be okay," Kenichi said. His rising happiness was radiant. "From here, everything's up to him."

Finally, Naoko smiled, too. They both felt a strong semblance of hope. "And we'll support him the whole way through."

"Always," Kenichi seconded.

They washed the dishes together as their conversation drifted to other things. In spite of the abrupt changes in their lives, they were confident that things would turn out okay.

"Alright, what did you do?"

Pandora looked at him with a bemused expression. "What do you mean?"

Subaru crossed his arms. "The moment after you say something, I'm suddenly having a talk with my father." Raising an eyebrow, he continued, "You really didn't do anything, did you?"

Somewhat amused, Pandora replied, "It is simply a coincidence."

"Uh-huh. Right." Subaru sighed. "But, seriously, what's with you? What's your whole deal?"

"May I ask for clarification?" Pandora asked, her confusion evident.

He dramatically pointed at her. "That! Right there! The way you speak! That's one thing!"

Pandora merely raised an eyebrow, curious as to where Subaru would steer the conversation. He took a breath, looking at her firmly.

"You talk all sophisticated and fancy-like," Subaru said. He paused, thinking for a second. "Honestly, I don't even think that's a good way to describe it. It's just super weird. You don't even use contractions."

"I cannot help the way that I speak," she said, seemingly unbothered by his deduction. "I have been this way for a very long time."

"People would think that you're from some kind of rich family." He examined her again for a moment. "But I don't think that's true. For a lot of reasons, actually."

Subaru didn't need to say any more than that. Pandora seemed to understand his point, regardless.

"Either way," Subaru began, "you also have a pretty big vocabulary. I also feel as though you're pretty smart. Not to mention that you're good at reading people."

Pandora let her lips curve into a small smile. "You are quite perceptive."

Subaru nodded, affirming his stance. "So I can't help but wonder where you came from." He froze, his expression becoming grim and regretful as he asked, "Were you kidnapped?"

Pandora gave him an odd look. Subaru's question had taken her off-guard, but it wasn't just that. There was an intensity to his emotions that she couldn't help but notice.

She gazed at him with wonder. His expression bore his feelings so clearly. Why was he suddenly so concerned for her? Why did any of them care about her, for that matter?

Pandora couldn't understand it, no matter how hard she tried. It made her feel strange, like a foreign entity was invading her chest.

Was something wrong with her?

Her mind began to wander. She was in a brand new world — a world that she knew almost nothing about.

Pandora's perception of normalcy had been crushed in an instant. Everything had been reset to zero. Her understanding of life was completely flipped on its head, and her own feelings had not been exempt.

This boy and his family have taken her in. They cleaned her, fed her, and nursed her. Because of them, she was still alive, and they did it purely out of the goodness of their hearts.

What could compel these people to be so kind and thoughtful without asking for anything in return? Was she not just a random girl to them?

Pandora couldn't comprehend the strange feeling that remained persistent in her chest. In the past, nothing like this had ever happened, nor had she ever felt this way.

In the end, her gaze softened as Subaru's concern reached its peak. He was about to say something — to backtrack and apologize — but her words cut him short.

"In a way, I suppose that I was," she said passively. "But do not worry. I do not have a single soul waiting for me."

"I-I'm sorry," Subaru apologized in a quick, awkward manner. He cringed, realizing how inconsiderate his earlier words had been.

"There is no need to apologize," Pandora said, waving it off. "You do not know me. I do not know you. There is no need to fret about such insignificant details."

Subaru's expression hardened as he digested her words. After a moment, he looked at her. "Then, how about I get to know you?"

Confused, she raised an eyebrow. "Why would you do that? What purpose would it serve?"

"Does it really need to serve a purpose?" he rebutted.

"Of course." Pandora remained resolute in her point of view. "Everything does."

Subaru didn't reply right away. He just continued to look at her, baffled by her overly negative way of thinking.

He couldn't help but see a bit of himself in her. In a way, it was cathartic.

With a sigh, he sat on the edge of his bed. He gave it a little pat as he pivoted to face her. "You know, you're in my room right now. You're even in my bed, but I don't really care. Why do you think that is?"

Truthfully, Pandora couldn't muster a response. She tried to think of a logical reason, but most, if not all, possibilities made little to no sense. After some time, Subaru took her silence itself as an answer.

"Because you need it, and still do," he said. Somewhat smugly, he smiled and crossed his arms. "Is that enough of a purpose for you?"

She closed her eyes, deep in thought. Once again, her understanding of others was tested. The answers to her questions still eluded her.

"Of course, you don't have to tell me everything about yourself now," he clarified. "But, since you're going to be staying here, I think it's important to start somewhere."

Surprised, she gave him a weird look. "You would want me to stay?"

Somewhat incredulous, he replied, "Do you have anywhere else to go?"

Her eyes wandered down. Her words cut through a heavy silence. "I suppose not."

"Then, yes. I want you to stay," Subaru said, giving her a small, comforting grin. "We'll help you get back on your feet. Plus, my parents are great. I'm sure you'll love them."

His words came from the heart and possessed a staggering conviction. Pandora could feel it very clearly.

After speaking with his father, Subaru had been left with a lot to think about. There was so much to consider, and so much to make up for.

But Subaru didn't want to disappoint his parents anymore. He was done with being unappreciative and unproductive. He needed to do something with himself for the better.

He just needed a little push in order to realize that. Maybe Pandora needed a little push, too.

"Let's start with this." He extended his hand out to her, still grinning from ear to ear. "My name is Natsuki Subaru, but I guess you already knew that. I hope that we can get along starting today."

For several moments, Pandora just blankly stared at his hand. Subaru didn't back down, however, and calmly waited for her to make a decision.

Eventually, she outstretched her hand too, meekly shaking his own. "Pandora."

Subaru shivered at the coldness of her touch. It was as though he had put his hand straight into the freezer.

He couldn't help but feel bad for her. How tough had her life been before now?

When their handshake ended, Subaru curiously asked, "So, do you want to tell me a bit about yourself? You don't have to, though. Baby steps."

After some deliberation, she simply replied, "There is not much to tell."

Subaru didn't say anything right away. He averted his gaze, becoming downcast.

"Honestly, I can understand that," he solemnly said. "I don't really think that I'm very remarkable either, you know?"

Pandora gave him an interested glance. "Sometimes, the simplest beings are the hardest to understand."

Her words were honest, spoken from personal experience. In her eyes, concepts such as love and affection were difficult to grasp. They were simple to others, yet foreign to her.

Pandora had always believed that she understood herself. Now, she was being forced to question that notion.

Subaru nodded at her words. He, too, didn't understand how to be himself.

They simply look at one another for a while. Neither of them knew what to say.

Eventually, Pandora spoke, "There is something that I have been curious about."

With his interest piqued, Subaru replied, "Alright, shoot."

She raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar phrase, but didn't question it. "You said that this was your room, correct?"

"Yeah, it is." He nodded.

"In that case, why do you possess so many small, female statues?"

"Anyway!" Subaru immediately stood up, his face flushed red. He awkwardly walked towards one of the shelves, taking a book from it. "I'm not sure if you've heard of this series before, but it's one of my favorites!"

He practically shoved the novel into her lap. She spared it no glance as her eyes continued to gaze straight into him. "I do not see how this answers my—"

"Don't worry about that!" His face was flushed in a deep shade of red as he waved away her concerns. Nevertheless, he seemed genuinely excited to show her his novel. "Just tell me what you think of the cover! It's pretty cool, right?"

Upon his insistence, Pandora looked down at the cover. She recalled seeing similarly styled artwork during her time outside. Compared to the paintings that she was used to, this art was incredibly unique.

The cover itself featured two people: a boy and a girl. They wore armor befitting a knight, holding swords that pointed towards the sky.

Pandora felt reminded of her homeworld. It was strange, really. She never thought that she would miss it.

"Do all novels have covers that are this detailed?" Pandora asked with interest.

"Oh, sure!" Subaru said with a grin. "I mean, I guess it depends on what kind of novels you're talking about. Normal books usually won't have this kind of artwork on the cover."

She looked confused. "Are these not considered to be normal books?"

Subaru faltered for a moment. He looked at her, noticeably dejected by her question. Just how isolated had this girl been?

Before Pandora could inquire about his sudden change in mood, Subaru spoke, "I mean fiction versus nonfiction. Novels like these tell a fictional story revolving around fictional characters. Most of the time, they're more creative and more artistic. Do you … Do you really not know about this type of stuff?"

She looked back down at the book. Was he referring to storybooks? To her knowledge, those were primarily for children. A young adult being interested in such things seemed odd.

Then again, Pandora never indulged in the activity herself. She knew little to nothing about it. So, perhaps she was mistaken.

"What is this about?" she asked, examining the cover more curiously. She held the novel in her hand, examining the front and back for any answer to her question.

Subaru seemed dumbfounded by her question. "Did you read the title?"

"Oh."

Pandora flipped back to the front, her eyes trailing over the unfamiliar characters that were printed on the front. She stared at it, and stared at it, and stared at it some more.

After a while, Subaru began to wonder what was wrong. "Uh … You okay?"

Pandora blinked. "I cannot read what this says."

Silence dominated the room. Subaru froze in place, gaping as his expression mirrored his shock.

"What?!"

Naoko and Kenichi had long since finished the dishes. They spoke casually with one another, enjoying their time together as they waited for Subaru to come talk to them.

It had been some time since Subaru entered his room. Neither of them were worried, though. He was a good person, and they fully trusted him.

Naoko and Kenichi were caught by surprise when Subaru's door flew open. They turned around in a heartbeat, watching as their son entered the room with a face full of conviction. He was practically bursting with energy.

With a deep breath, he affirmed his gaze. He looked straight into their eyes as he exclaimed, "I want to go back to school! But first, I'm going to teach Pandora how to read and write!"