Hozuki Nozomi carried Asada Shino through the evening streets, her weight negligible in his arms. For a long moment, the only sounds were their breathing and the distant hum of the city winding down. Then, slowly, the dazed girl began to stir.
Her eyes, red-rimmed and fragile, fluttered open. Her small hand reached up to gently clutch his lapel, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hozuki Nozomi… I, I'm fine."
She wanted him to put her down. Being carried princess-style by such a handsome, striking boy made her instinctively shy, her cheeks warming despite herself.
Hozuki Nozomi didn't break stride. If anything, his arms tightened slightly, secure and unyielding. "Shino, we're almost home. I'll take you." His gaze flicked down to her. "You're too light. You haven't been eating properly."
Asada Shino's face flushed a deeper shade of crimson. She opened her mouth, closed it, and finally managed two words. "Thank you."
It was rare—so rare—for someone to care for her like this. This warm, secure embrace, even if she could only enjoy it for a short while, was precious beyond measure. She let herself linger in the warmth, taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart.
Her gaze crept upward, stealing glances at his handsome profile. Without quite meaning to, she pressed her delicate face against his chest. Her heartbeat accelerated, a flutter she couldn't control.
This was the feeling of being smitten.
This was the second time he had seen her at her most vulnerable. The second time he had saved her. When Endo and his companions had cornered her, she had been conscious throughout—trapped in the paralysis of her own mind, aware of everything but unable to move. The sight of the gun had been enough. The shadow of that day, when she had shot the robber, had risen up to consume her, leaving her helpless as the three men closed in.
If he hadn't appeared…
She didn't want to think about it.
How could she ever repay this kindness? Her expression flickered with conflict as she pondered the question.
Hozuki Nozomi noticed her troubled look but said nothing, simply continuing forward. His steps, however, had slowed almost imperceptibly. A rare opportunity, and he intended to savor it. He had always been proactive, and since he had set his sights on Shino, he saw no reason to be anything less.
"Shino, about those scumbags," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. "You can rest assured. They won't have another chance to bother you. I contacted Uncle Daisuke. He'll make sure they face the consequences they deserve."
It was a lie, of course. Endo and his companions had been reduced to ashes, their very existence erased from the world. But Shino didn't need to know that. She needed comfort, not the weight of what he had done.
"Mm. Thank you." Her voice was soft, her gratitude genuine.
She didn't know what else to say. But as he continued to carry her, she found herself tentatively extending her slender arms, wrapping them around his neck. Her delicate face burned, the flush reaching the tips of her ears.
For the introverted Shino, such a secret intimacy required tremendous courage.
Hozuki Nozomi's lips curved into a small smile. "You don't have to keep thanking me. We're friends, aren't we?"
He paused, his expression growing more serious. "But Shino, you need to overcome that reaction to seeing guns. Letting yourself freeze up like that… it's dangerous."
Her grip on his neck tightened slightly.
"Recently, a game company developed a virtual world focused on firearms," he continued. "Would you be interested in trying it out?"
Asada Shino's eyes widened. She was deeply moved by the suggestion. "Then… Hozuki Nozomi, will you play too?"
"Of course."
"Then I want to play too." Her voice gained a fragile strength. "Hozuki Nozomi, please help me. I want to overcome my fear."
She didn't want to be that helpless girl ever again. She didn't want to freeze when it mattered most.
"No problem," he said gently. "I'll help you."
A moment of comfortable silence passed before he spoke again, his tone lighter. "Shino, is it alright if I call you by your first name?"
The girl's cheeks warmed again, but she nodded shyly. "It's fine. We're friends, aren't we?"
She used his own words to answer him. But in her heart, she found herself hoping for something more than friendship. She wanted this person to always be by her side, protecting her. But that was too greedy, wasn't it? Hozuki Nozomi was so excellent—he surely had a girlfriend already. And she was…
The familiar shadow of inferiority crept in.
Before it could take root, they arrived at her doorstep.
"Shino, we're here." He shifted her slightly in his arms. "Where's the key?"
"In my pocket," she murmured.
Without ceremony, Hozuki Nozomi reached into her pocket and retrieved the key. He opened the door and carried her inside, gently lowering her onto the bed in her room. Asada Shino's face was beet red, her thoughts a tangled mess. She wanted to say something—to ask him to stay, to keep her company a little longer—but the words wouldn't come.
Hozuki Nozomi smiled, filling the silence. "Shino, you still have the game helmet I gave you last time, right? I brought the conversion device for the gun game. Once it's installed, you can log in as a player." He held up a small device. "Want to try it now?"
"Yes!" Her surprise was evident, her head nodding eagerly.
The game itself was secondary. What mattered was that he could stay here with her. She was a new player, after all. She would need someone to guide her. That was only natural.
Seeing her agreement, Hozuki Nozomi retrieved the game helmet from her drawer and installed the conversion U. As he worked, Asada Shino realized something.
"Um… am I the only one playing right now?"
Hozuki Nozomi smiled and shook his head. "Of course not. I'll join too." As if by magic, he produced a second helmet from behind his back.
Asada Shino's eyes went wide. She leaned over, trying to peer behind him to see where he had hidden it. "Where did you get that?"
He chuckled. "Don't look so hard. It's magic—not that easy for you to see through." His expression softened. "Actually, I was planning to come over today to play with you. I just didn't expect…"
The implication hung in the air. Asada Shino's face flooded with shame. "I'm sorry, Hozuki Nozomi. I'm just too weak…"
He reached out, gently stroking her hair. "No, Shino. You're already very brave."
She looked up at him, uncertain.
"You're still here, aren't you? You're still fighting." His voice was quiet, earnest. "I knew a girl once. She was bullied at school, and she… she gave up. She jumped from a tall building." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "But you're still here. You're still trying. That takes courage, Shino. You'll overcome this. You'll conquer your fears."
He met her eyes. "And during this time, I'll always be by your side."
Asada Shino was overwhelmed. Her eyes grew wet, tears threatening to spill. Something inside her—something that had been closed off for so long—began to open. She gathered her courage and looked directly into his eyes.
"Hozuki Nozomi… why are you so good to me?"
Her voice cracked on the question. She was so weak. Her mother had long since given up on her, treating her like a bad child, a murderer. Her classmates ostracized her. Even though Shinkawa Kyouji had been the one pulling the strings, she couldn't help feeling that someone like her didn't deserve kindness.
And yet she craved it. Desperately. Like grasping at a straw in a storm-tossed sea.
She looked at the handsome, gentle boy before her with shy anticipation, waiting for an answer that might save her.
Hozuki Nozomi looked at the girl before him—wounded, fragile, like a small beast too long hunted. He took a deep breath, and then, without a word, opened his arms and gently embraced her.
"Because Shino is very cute," he said simply. "And I can't stand seeing cute girls get bullied."
She stiffened in his arms, her cheeks igniting.
"If you're willing," he continued, his voice low and warm, "from now on, you can rely on me."
Asada Shino's face was crimson, her heart hammering so hard she was sure he could feel it. She should push him away. She knew she should. But when she tried, her arms refused to obey. Instead, she found herself sinking into his embrace, her fingers curling into his shirt as she held on.