Out in the rain, with the sky dark and the air thick with moisture, it hadn't been obvious.
But once Shimizu Koji carried Miyano Shiho back into the villa, his nose twitched—and he immediately caught an unpleasant smell.
"…Did this kid fall into a dumpster or something?"
Back in the bedroom, Koji turned on the light. At first glance, her clothes looked fairly clean, but on closer inspection, there were smudges everywhere—here a stain, there a blotch—almost impossible to find a clean spot.
This clearly wasn't the time to dwell on that.
He reached out and touched her forehead.
Hot. Alarmingly hot.
She'd already felt warm out in the rain, but now it was downright burning.
Her clothes were soaked and smelled faintly foul. Pinching his nose, Koji didn't hesitate. In quick, efficient motions, he stripped off her clothes and wrapped her small body in a thin blanket from the bed.
After rummaging around for a bit, Koji returned with hot water and fever medicine.
Shiho's face was smooth and pale, like polished jade. When Koji gently pinched her cheek, her small cherry-colored lips parted on their own.
He carefully fed her the medicine with warm water—but lacking experience caring for children, especially in a situation like this, he ended up making her choke slightly.
Startled, Koji quickly patted her back, instinctively resorting to the most traditional method he knew.
Thankfully, it worked.
After coughing twice, Shiho settled back into a quiet, unconscious sleep.
The whole process had been a bit clumsy, but he'd managed to get the medicine down. Koji paused, only then realizing that he'd been more nervous than expected.
Taking care of someone—especially a child—was exhausting.
Once he relaxed a little, he found himself properly examining the girl's appearance.
Judging by her face alone, she could be described as exquisitely sculpted: a small, refined nose, soft pink lips, pale cheeks, and delicate, well-balanced features.
Her tea-colored, short, softly curled hair—styled in a way usually seen on adult women—looked strangely natural on her.
He touched her hands and feet. As expected, they were icy cold.
But when his hand brushed past her bare foot, he realized he'd smeared mud all over his palm.
Even though he'd already left the dirty clothes outside the room, the faint smell still lingered.
After a moment's thought, Koji picked Shiho up and carried her into the bathroom.
He filled the tub halfway with warm water and tested the temperature carefully before lifting her out of the blanket and gently placing her inside.
A warm sponge bath was a quick way to help reduce a fever—and it would clean her up at the same time.
Koji was mildly particular about cleanliness. Besides, he didn't really differentiate much between genders—and this was just a child.
He did what needed to be done, without overthinking it.
To him, she was simply a little girl who needed care.
Kids were just kids. Some five-year-olds were still wearing split pants; a first-grader wasn't much different.
After carefully washing her with warm water and a towel, Koji wrapped her up again. The bathroom was already warm—he'd turned on the lights and heater the moment he entered.
He dried her hair as well.
Looking at the freshly cleaned, neatly wrapped little girl—now looking almost brand new, her temperature clearly down—Koji felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.
He carried her back to the bed, tucked her in under another blanket, and checked her temperature with a thermometer.
Only after confirming the fever had broken did he leave the room.
An hour later—
Click.
The door opened.
Koji walked in carrying a steaming bowl of ramen.
He glanced at the bed. She hadn't moved at all since he'd left.
Recently, he'd started learning how to cook—but slowly. For some reason, he always struggled with controlling heat and seasoning.
Still, making ramen was easy enough. At worst, the noodles were a bit too soft and the flavor a bit strong.
He sat down at the table, ready to eat.
Yes—this was his dinner.
He'd been worried about the mental state of the girl who'd fainted from fright, so he'd decided to come check on her early.
Just as he lifted his chopsticks—
Out of the corner of his eye, something made him freeze.
The girl was awake.
Her ice-blue eyes were wide open, staring straight at him.
But those eyes were empty. Hollow. As if the soul behind them had vanished.
When Koji noticed her, Shiho still didn't move.
Her gaze shifted to the ceiling. Her lips parted, and she spoke—her voice hoarse, cold, and flat.
"Kill me. I won't go back."
Despair.
Overwhelming despair.
Koji had never seen such hopelessness radiating from someone so young—except in people who genuinely didn't want to live anymore.
…?
Why was this girl so extreme?
Koji blinked.
Had she been abandoned by her family?
Kidnapped? Abused?
His brow furrowed. He hadn't planned to think too deeply—but now he couldn't help it.
No matter what the reason was, one thing was certain.
She had to be hungry.
Whoever had been with her before clearly hadn't treated her well. Add hunger on top of that—at such a young age—it wasn't impossible for emotions like this to surface.
Otherwise, he couldn't explain it.
"I think you might be misunderstanding something," Koji said gently.
"Why don't you eat first, and we'll talk after?"
Shiho froze.
Hearing him speak at all seemed to shock her. Her pupils contracted sharply, as if she'd just heard something completely unbelievable.
The moment Koji opened his mouth, the image of him as an organization member shattered by more than half in her mind.
Combined with the doubts she'd already had—
She turned her head sharply.
Koji was pointing at the ramen, gesturing for her to eat.
She studied him carefully for a moment, then quietly turned her head back.
No…
Probably not.
She still couldn't be sure what was going on—but judging by his actions and expression, it seemed likely she'd misunderstood everything.
After all, if that weren't the case, she would've already been taken back by now.
The thought of the organization made her small hands clench beneath the blanket.
Then suddenly, it hit her.
She was small now.
Her body—
Feeling herself beneath the covers, she fell silent again.
A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, so light it was barely noticeable. Her toes curled slightly under the blanket—but she said nothing.
Koji sat there for a while.
Then he more or less understood.
He smiled faintly, not thinking much of it.
Kids got shy sometimes.
That was perfectly normal.