Hiro did not ask her why she had been in the alley. He did not ask what had frightened her. He did not ask why she had hidden as though she were something being hunted. He simply stood and waited. When her breathing finally steadied, he rose and extended his hand.
He did not touch her.
He only offered it.
"Can you walk?" he asked quietly.
Reina nodded faintly.
"Yes."
She pushed herself up carefully, brushing the dust from her sleeves. Her movements were small and controlled, as though she feared that any sudden motion might break something fragile and unseen around her. Hiro turned toward the street.
Reina followed.
Not beside him.
Slightly behind.
When they stepped back into town, nothing had changed. Vendors still called out to passing customers. Children still laughed as they ran along the street. Shop doors opened and closed, and voices drifted through the air as though the world had never paused at all. The town had continued on, untouched by her fear.
But Reina had changed.
Hiro noticed it immediately. Her steps stayed closer to him now. She never touched him, never stepped too near, but she remained close enough that the distance between them felt deliberate. Whenever someone approached, she shifted subtly, positioning herself just behind his shoulder, as though using him as a shield. His gaze lowered slightly.
Her hands were clenched tightly within her sleeves. They stopped in front of a clothing shop.
"This one," Hiro said.
Reina bowed.
"Yes."
Inside, the shopkeeper greeted them with a bright smile.
"Welcome—"
The greeting faltered when his eyes landed on Reina.
Not rudely.
Not openly.
Just for a moment too long. Reina's shoulders tightened. Hiro noticed.
The shopkeeper quickly recovered and began bringing out fabrics: soft colors, fine stitching, elegant patterns. Hiro selected a few without hesitation.
"These."
The shopkeeper nodded eagerly.
"Of course, sir. Would the lady like to try them on?"
Reina shook her head immediately.
"I'm fine."
Her voice remained polite. But there was something quick in it. Almost urgent. The shopkeeper blinked, surprised.
"…As you wish."
Hiro's gaze shifted slightly. That was the first time. As they continued from shop to shop, he began to notice more.
At the next store, Reina stayed on his left side.
Carefully.
When they passed a glass display window, she turned her face away at once.
Quickly.
Deliberately.
At another window, she stepped closer to him, avoiding the reflection entirely. At the next, she lowered her head so sharply that her hair fell forward like a curtain, hiding her face completely. Avoiding that as well. Hiro's eyes narrowed slightly.
It was not modesty.
It was not shyness.
It was fear.
The pattern continued. In every shop, she refused mirrors. She avoided glass. She turned away from polished metal trays. Anything that might reflect her image, she avoided without hesitation. And she never stepped ahead of him. Never walked beside him.
Always behind.
Hiro said nothing.
But he noticed everything.
"This is the last one," he said quietly as they stopped before the final shop.
Reina bowed.
"Yes."
Inside, he selected the remaining items:
Silk.
Cotton.
Undergarments.
A simple hair ribbon.
When he handed them to her, she accepted them carefully, as though they were something fragile.
"…Thank you."
Her voice was soft.
Careful.
Sincere.
He gave a small nod.
By the time they returned, the driver was already waiting. The car door was opened for them. They took their seats in the back. There was space between them. Silence settled there as well. The car began to move.
Outside, the sounds of the town faded gradually, replaced by the soft rhythm of wheels against the road.
Inside, neither of them spoke. Reina sat with her hands folded neatly in her lap, her posture straight and still, as though even the slightest movement might draw unwanted attention. Hiro looked out the window. But he was not truly watching the passing scenery. His thoughts lingered elsewhere.
On her hands.
On the way she had avoided every reflection.
On how she refused to try on clothes.
On the way she hid behind him without thinking.
On the panic he had seen in the alley.
None of it matched what he had expected. None of it fit the image he had formed.
Beside him, Reina remained silent.
But her mind was not quiet. She was aware of him.
Of his presence.
Of the space between them.
Of the way he had come for her.
Of the way he had said she was safe.
She did not understand it. And she did not know what to do with it.
The silence stretched between them, filled not with emptiness, but with questions neither of them knew how to ask. And answers neither of them was ready to hear.