For a moment...
I thought I had imagined it.
"...W-What...?"
He looked over his shoulder, clearly irritated.
"I'm not repeating myself."
My eyes widened.
"...R-Really...?"
He didn't answer.
He simply started walking again.
This time...
Slower.
As if expecting someone to follow.
The tears started falling again.
But...
They didn't feel the same.
"...Thank you..."
My voice was barely louder than a whisper.
"...Thank you...!"
The man didn't look back.
"...Don't thank me yet."
His tone remained cold.
"You might regret coming with me."
Even so...
For the first time in what felt like forever...
I took a step forward.
Not because someone forced me.
But because...
Someone had finally chosen not to leave me behind.
And we walked without saying another word.
The bodies.
The mansion.
The blood.
Everything slowly disappeared behind us as the forest swallowed the path.
The trees stood so close together that barely any sunlight reached the ground. Leaves rustled softly whenever the wind passed through them, and every unfamiliar sound made me instinctively glance over my shoulder.
Even though the two men were dead...
I still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching us.
The stranger walked several steps ahead of me with one hand tucked into his jacket pocket while the other casually carried the bloodstained axe over his shoulder.
His pace never changed.
He never once looked back to check whether I was still following.
Almost as if...
He simply expected me to.
I quietly followed behind him.
My legs were sore.
My body still ached from being thrown into the wall.
But I forced myself to keep walking.
I didn't have anywhere else to go.
Minutes passed.
Maybe longer.
The silence between us became almost unbearable.
I wanted to ask something.
Anything.
But every time I looked at his back...
The words disappeared.
"...Name."
I blinked.
"...H-Huh?"
He didn't stop walking.
His voice became slightly more irritated.
"...Your name."
"O-Oh..."
I quickly nodded.
"Takano..."
I swallowed.
"...Takano Naoko."
The forest became quiet again.
He didn't respond.
Not even an "I see."
Just silence.
"..."
I lowered my head.
Maybe he wasn't interested.
Maybe asking was just a habit.
We continued walking.
After another few minutes, curiosity finally got the better of me.
"...U-Um..."
He didn't answer.
"...Can I ask something?"
"...You're already asking."
I immediately looked down.
"...S-Sorry..."
Another long silence.
"..."
I gathered a little courage.
"...What's...your name?"
For a moment...
I thought he was going to ignore me.
His footsteps never slowed.
His expression never changed.
"...You don't need to know."
"...O-Okay..."
I quietly accepted the answer.
Maybe...
I had asked something I shouldn't have.
We continued walking.
Only the sound of our footsteps echoed through the forest.
After what felt like another minute, his voice suddenly broke the silence.
"...Hayato."
I looked up.
"...H-Huh?"
"My name."
He kept looking forward.
"...Hayato."
Just that.
"...Oh..."
A tiny smile appeared on my face without me realizing.
"...It's... nice to meet you... Hayato-san."
He didn't respond.
I wasn't even sure he'd heard me.
Still...
Knowing his name somehow made him feel a little less frightening.
At least...
A little.
The forest slowly grew darker as evening approached.
Then-
Hayato suddenly stopped walking.
"...Ah!"
I wasn't paying attention.
I walked straight into his back.
"S-Sorry!"
I quickly stumbled backward, rubbing my forehead.
"I didn't mean to-"
He ignored me completely.
I looked past him.
A house stood quietly among the trees.
Old.
Wooden.
Most of its paint had long since peeled away.
Several windows were cracked.
The roof sagged slightly.
Vines had begun climbing the outer walls, and moss covered almost every stone near the entrance.
If someone had told me ghosts lived there...
I would've believed them.
I instinctively took one step backward.
"...This place..."
Hayato simply walked toward the front door.
The old wood creaked loudly as he pushed it open.
Without hesitation...
He disappeared inside.
I remained where I was.
The house somehow looked even scarier than the forest.
The wind pushed the front door slightly.
It let out another long...
Creeeak
I hugged my own arms.
"..."
Maybe...
I should just wait outside.
Then his voice came from inside.
"...Get in."
Cold.
Calm.
Not loud.
But somehow impossible to ignore.
I hesitated for another second before quietly stepping inside.
The smell of old wood immediately filled my nose.
Dust floated through the air wherever the fading sunlight reached.
The furniture looked ancient.
A bookshelf leaned slightly to one side.
Several chairs were missing legs.
Spider webs stretched across the ceiling corners.
It honestly looked abandoned.
"...Do... people really live here?"
No answer.
Hayato had already walked into another room.
Curiosity slowly replaced some of my fear.
I quietly looked around.
Despite all the dust...
The house somehow felt peaceful.
Not warm.
Not welcoming.
Just...
Quiet.
A few moments later I heard running water.
I carefully peeked toward the kitchen.
Hayato stood beside an old kettle, waiting for the water to boil.
Once it was ready, he grabbed a cup of instant noodles from a cabinet.
He poured the hot water inside before placing the lid on top.
He waited.
Didn't say anything.
After a few minutes, he picked it up and walked over to me.
"...Here."
I blinked.
"...For... me?"
He held it out without answering.
I carefully accepted it with both hands.
"...Th-Thank you..."
The warmth immediately spread through my cold fingers.
I slowly lifted the lid.
The smell made my stomach growl almost instantly.
Only then did I realize how hungry I actually was.
"..."
I quietly picked up the chopsticks.
I didn't even wait for it to fully soften.
The first bite almost made me cry.
It was only instant noodles.
Nothing special.
But...
It was warm.
Someone had given it to me.
Without asking for anything in return.
I kept eating.
Trying not to look too desperate.
Even though I probably failed.
Across the room, Hayato leaned silently against the wall with his arms crossed.
He watched me for a brief moment.
"...You eat like you haven't eaten in days."
I immediately froze.
"...S-Sorry..."
"I wasn't complaining."
He looked away.
"...Just saying."
I lowered my head again and quietly continued eating.
Before I knew it...
The cup was empty.
"...Thank you..."
I whispered again.
Hayato pushed himself away from the wall.
"I have something to do."
He walked toward the front door.
Just before opening it, he stopped.
Without turning around, he spoke.
"...Stay here."
"..."
"And don't even think about wandering outside."
I looked up.
"...Why?"
"...Because."
He rested one hand on the doorknob.
"...The bears around here haven't eaten yet."
My face instantly turned pale.
"...B-Bears...?"
"If they smell you."
He opened the door.
"...You'll become dinner before sunrise."
He stepped outside.
"Oh..."
"And lock the door."
Click
The door closed behind him.
Silence returned.
The entire house suddenly felt much bigger.
Much quieter.
I looked around.
There wasn't anyone else.
Just me.
And an old house covered in dust.
I slowly looked down at the empty noodle cup in my hands.
"..."
Then my eyes wandered across the room again.
Dust covered almost everything.
The tables.
The shelves.
The windows.
Even the floor had a thin gray layer over it.
"..."
I remembered something.
The instant noodles.
The warm water.
The fact that Hayato had saved me.
Twice.
"..."
He didn't have to.
He could've left me in that place.
But he didn't.
I quietly placed the empty cup into the sink before looking around the house once more.
"...Maybe..."
I whispered to myself.
"...I can at least do something."
My sleeves were already rolled up before I realized it.
"If I'm going to stay here..."
A tiny smile appeared on my face.
"...I should make it a little cleaner before he comes back."
And once I made up my mind, I didn't waste any time.
I searched through the old cabinets until I found a faded towel, a rusty bucket, and a bottle of cleaning solution that looked like it had been sitting there for years.
"...I hope this still works."
I carried the bucket to the sink, filled it with water, and dipped the towel inside before wringing it out with both hands.
The water immediately turned gray after only a few wipes across the kitchen counter.
"...Wow..."
I hadn't realized just how dusty everything was.
Every time I cleaned one spot, another layer of dust seemed to appear somewhere else.
I wiped the table.
Then the chairs.
Then every cabinet handle.
The window.
The shelves.
Even the old kettle Hayato had used earlier.
***
By the time I finished the kitchen, my sleeves were soaked, my hands smelled like detergent, and my hair had started sticking to my forehead.
"...Almost done..."
I quietly stacked the dishes neatly inside the cabinet before sweeping the floor.
Clouds of dust floated through the room, making me cough several times.
"...Cough... cough...!"
When the floor was finally clean, I stepped back and looked around.
"..."
It didn't look perfect.
The house was simply too old for that.
But...
It looked alive again.
For the first time since I had arrived, the kitchen no longer felt abandoned.
A tiny smile found its way onto my face.
"...I think...It looks nice."
I carried the dirty water outside, poured it onto the ground, then returned to refill the bucket.
Room after room...
I continued cleaning.
Old picture frames.
Bookshelves.
Broken tables.
Even the dusty windows.
Time slipped away without me noticing.
The sunlight outside disappeared completely, leaving only the dim lights inside the house to keep me company.
By the time I finished dusting the living room, my legs already felt heavy.
"...Just a little more..."
I stretched my aching back before glancing around.
That was when I noticed it.
A staircase.
It disappeared into the darkness of the second floor.
"..."
I hadn't noticed it before.
For some reason...
It looked even scarier now.
The upstairs hallway was completely dark.
"...Maybe..."
I shouldn't.
But...
What if it was just as dusty as the downstairs?
I stared at it for another few seconds.
Curiosity slowly won.
"...I'll just take a quick look."
I carefully stepped onto the first stair.
Creeeak
The old wood groaned beneath my weight.
"..."
Second step.
Third.
"...Where do you think you're going?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"...KYAH!"
The bucket almost slipped from my hands.
I spun around so quickly I nearly lost my balance.
"H-Hayato-san!"
He stood near the front door with one eyebrow slightly raised.
His expression didn't change.
"I-I thought you were still outside..."
"You thought wrong."
I awkwardly scratched my cheek.
"...S-Sorry."
He looked at the bucket.
Then at the towel.
"...What are you doing?"
"I..."
I quickly shook my head.
"I wasn't trying to snoop around! I-I just... I noticed the house was dirty... So... I thought I'd clean it a little."
The words tumbled out one after another.
"I wasn't trying to go through your things! I just wanted to make the house look nicer…I really wasn't-!"
He quietly looked past me.
Toward the kitchen.
His eyes remained there for several seconds.
The counters.
The floor.
The shelves.
Everything looked cleaner than before.
His expression stayed unreadable.
Then...
Very slightly...
His eyes widened.
Almost as though he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.
I kept nervously talking.
"I-I know I should've asked first... But you gave me food...and let me stay...s-so...I wanted to help somehow."
Only then did I notice something.
"..."
There was more blood on his clothes than before.
Fresh blood.
Dark stains covered one sleeve and part of his shirt.
My voice slowly disappeared.
"..."
He noticed where I was looking.
Our eyes met.
Neither of us spoke.
The room suddenly became very quiet.
"...You..."
I wanted to ask.
Whose blood was it?
Had he...
Killed someone again?
The question stayed trapped inside my throat.
He looked at me for another moment before letting out a quiet sigh.
"...Tch."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"If you're still planning to clean..."
His voice remained as calm as ever.
"...Then I don't really have a choice."
I blinked.
"...H-Huh?"
"I'll help."
My eyes widened.
"...Really?"
"As long as..."
He pointed at me.
"...You don't pass out halfway through."
A tiny smile immediately appeared on my face.
"I won't!"
"...You look like you're about to."
"I-I'll be fine!"
"...We'll see."
He started walking past me before stopping halfway.
"I'm changing first."
He looked down at his bloodstained shirt.
"...Cleaning is easier without this."
***
A few minutes later...
He came back wearing a plain black T-shirt.
His hair was still slightly wet, as though he'd washed it quickly.
"...Let's get this over with."
"Okay!"
***
For the next hour, the two of us cleaned together.
Well...
Mostly.
"...Hayato-san"
"...What."
"You missed a spot."
"I didn't."
"You did."
"...Where."
I pointed toward the bookshelf.
"...There."
He stared at it.
"..."
Then wiped the exact place I had pointed at.
"...Satisfied?"
I smiled.
"...Mhm."
A few minutes later...
He picked up an old cardboard box.
"...Where does this go?"
I walked over.
"...Let's see..."
I looked inside.
"..."
"...Why do you have three broken alarm clocks?"
"...They still tell the time twice a day."
I blinked.
"...That's...technically true."
"...Exactly."
"...You're keeping them?"
"...They're not bothering anyone."
"...They're literally broken."
"They're retired."
"..."
"...You give names to broken clocks, don't you?"
"...No."
"I'm starting to think one of them has a birthday."
"...Keep talking."
He picked up another dusty box.
"...And you'll celebrate yours outside."
"..."
I immediately shut my mouth.
"...Sorry."
"...Good."
***
Another few minutes passed.
I reached onto a high shelf.
"...Ah... I can't reach..."
Without saying anything, Hayato walked over.
He reached up effortlessly and grabbed the box.
"...Here."
"...Thank you."
I smiled as I accepted it.
"...You're actually really tall."
"..."
He looked down at me.
"...You're just short."
"...That's rude."
"...It's accurate."
"...I don't like accurate."
"I noticed."
***
Later...
I was dusting another shelf while standing on an old wooden chair.
Hayato looked over.
"That chair's missing a leg."
"...What?"
CRACK
"...KYAA!"
The chair tilted.
Before I could hit the floor…
A hand grabbed the back of my shirt.
Everything stopped.
"..."
I slowly looked down.
I was hanging a few inches above the floor.
"..."
Hayato held me there with one hand.
"You done?"
"...Y-Yes..."
He gently placed me back on the ground.
"...Thank you..."
He looked at the broken chair.
Then back at me.
"...You have terrible survival instincts."
"I-I didn't know it was broken!"
"...Now you do."
"..."
For the first time that day...
A tiny chuckle escaped me.
"...Hahah..."
Hayato glanced at me for a brief second.
"..."
Then quietly picked up the broken chair.
"...Don't laugh."
"...Why?"
"...You're making this place sound occupied."
"...Isn't that a good thing?"
He didn't answer.
But for just a second...
The empty house didn't feel nearly as lonely as it had before.
***
By the time we finished cleaning, every muscle in my body was aching.
The old house looked completely different now.
The dusty shelves had been wiped clean.
The floor no longer looked gray.
The windows finally allowed the moonlight to shine inside.
It still looked old.
Still looked abandoned.
But now...
It finally felt lived in.
I slowly lowered myself onto the wooden floor with a long sigh.
"...Ah..."
My legs were begging me not to stand again.
Across from me, Hayato simply let himself fall backward onto the floor.
He rested both hands behind his head and stared quietly at the ceiling.
Neither of us spoke.
The silence wasn't awkward anymore.
It was the kind of silence that only came after spending hours doing the same thing together.
Outside, the wind gently brushed against the trees.
The old house creaked every now and then.
Somewhere far away, an owl called into the night.
"..."
"..."
Without looking at me, Hayato suddenly spoke.
"Are you a crybaby?"
I blinked.
"...H-Huh?"
His eyes remained closed.
"...I asked...Are you a crybaby?"
I tilted my head.
"...Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
He was quiet for a moment before answering.
"...Earlier, You cried because of your family, remember?"
The words made my chest tighten.
"..."
He continued in the same calm tone.
"...You cried when those men took you, cried when you asked me to take you with me. And you've cried at least three more times since then. That's a lot of crying and it's getting annoying."
I looked down at my hands.
"...I guess... Maybe."
Another long silence settled between us.
Then Hayato spoke again.
"...You're just dumb."
I immediately looked up.
"...W-What?"
He didn't even open his eyes.
"...Nothing else."
"...That's mean!"
"...It's true."
I frowned.
"...How am I dumb?"
He sighed.
"Instead of believing people like your parents... you could've told another adult. Like a teacher, a neighbor, someone?"
He shrugged slightly.
"...Or maybe even the police… There were plenty of options."
I stared at the floor.
"..."
He finally opened one eye.
"Why didn't you?"
My lips parted.
But...
No words came out.
How could I explain something I didn't even understand myself?
"...I..."
I slowly hugged my knees.
"...I thought..."
My voice became smaller.
"...They wouldn't believe me."
Hayato remained silent.
"...My parents always smiled whenever other people came over... They acted nice...Everyone always said..."
I forced out a weak smile.
"...'You're lucky to have such wonderful parents… So...If I told someone…I thought...they'd say I was lying."
The room fell quiet again.
"...And..."
I looked down at my hands.
"...I didn't want my parents to get in trouble."
Hayato frowned slightly.
"...Even after everything?"
I nodded once.
"...Because..."
"...They're still my mom and dad."
The sentence barely left my mouth before my vision blurred.
"...I-I kept thinking… maybe tomorrow would be different… Maybe if I became a better daughter..."
A tear landed on the floor.
"…They'd finally love me."
Then another.
"...But tomorrow...Never changed."
More tears followed.
"...I just..."
I covered my face.
"...I wanted...someone...to choose me."
Silence.
Complete silence.
For the first time since meeting him...
Hayato's eyes slowly opened.
Completely.
He quietly stared at me.
As though he had forgotten how to blink.
"...I..."
I quickly wiped my face with both sleeves.
"S-Sorry!"
I forced myself to smile.
"...I-I didn't mean to cry again… I know you don't like it...S-sorry, I'll stop…"
I hurriedly rubbed away the remaining tears.
"...I'm sorry."
Hayato didn't answer.
He simply watched me.
One second.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
His expression didn't change.
But...
Something in his eyes had.
They no longer looked annoyed.
They looked...
Complicated.
Like he was remembering something he wished he had forgotten.
"..."
He quietly let out a long breath.
"...Tch."
Without another word, he pushed himself off the floor.
I looked up.
"...H-Hayato-san?"
He brushed the dust from his clothes.
"...Come."
"...Where?"
"...Just follow me."
He started walking toward the front door.
I hurriedly stood up.
"...W-Wait for me!"
The cold night air greeted us the moment we stepped outside.
The forest looked completely different now.
Moonlight slipped through the branches above us, painting silver patterns across the ground.
Not a single person was around.
Only the sounds of insects and distant flowing water echoed through the darkness.
Hayato walked ahead as usual.
Hands in his pockets.
Calm.
Silent.
I quietly followed behind him.
"...Where are we going?"
No answer.
"...Is it far?"
Still nothing.
"...You really don't like talking..."
The forest stretched endlessly before us.
The deeper we walked, the quieter everything became.
Even the wind seemed softer here.
Minutes passed.
I had completely lost track of where we were.
Then…
Thump
"...Ah!"
I accidentally bumped into Hayato's back for the second time that day.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't realize you sto…"
The words caught in my throat.
My eyes slowly widened.
"...What..."
The trees suddenly opened into a wide clearing.
And at its center...
Was a pond.
No...
It was something far more beautiful than that.
The surface of the water reflected the night sky so perfectly that it became impossible to tell where the stars ended and the pond began.
The moon floated gently across the water like a second moon resting beneath the earth.
Tiny blue lights drifted lazily above the surface.
Butterflies.
Their wings shimmered with a faint sapphire glow as they fluttered from flower to flower, leaving trails of soft light behind them.
The surrounding grass swayed gently beneath the evening breeze, carrying the sweet scent of wildflowers through the air.
The entire place glowed beneath the moonlight.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
Almost unreal.
It looked less like part of the forest...
And more like a dream someone had forgotten to wake up from.
"..."
I couldn't breathe.
"...It's..."
The word escaped as nothing more than a whisper.
"...Beautiful..."
Without even realizing it...
My feet began moving on their own.
I slowly stepped past Hayato.
Then another step.
And another.
The glowing butterflies drifted around me without fear, occasionally landing on nearby flowers before taking flight again.
I knelt beside the edge of the pond.
The water was so clear that every star above seemed to exist beneath my fingertips.
I carefully reached toward the surface.
The instant my fingers touched the water, gentle ripples spread outward, breaking apart the reflected stars before slowly putting them back together again.
A tiny laugh escaped my lips.
Not forced.
Not nervous.
Just... genuine.
"...I've..."
I smiled at my own reflection dancing between the moonlight.
"...I've never seen anything this beautiful before."