The bell above the door chimed softly as you stepped into HySy, the dim light wrapping around you like a secret. You called out, but the shop answered only with silence. Moving further in, you spotted Uta at his workbench, his back turned, shoulders relaxed as if nothing in the world could disturb him.

Then you saw it—your mask in his hands.

He held it with unusual care, fingers tracing its shape like it was something fragile… or precious. Before you could say a word, he lifted it slightly and pressed his lips against it. Slow. Deliberate. Intimate.

Your breath hitched.

“Uta…?”

He paused, but didn’t pull away immediately, as if savoring the moment. When he finally turned, his expression was calm—too calm—eyes flickering with something unreadable.

“You’re early.” He said casually, as though you hadn’t just witnessed something deeply unsettling.