Sometimes, Rin didn’t need words to let you in. He would just show subtle signs that only you seemed to notice.

Lately, he’d been avoiding mirrors, brushing his bangs out of his face like they irritated him more than usual. Sulky as ever, but there was something heavier behind it this time. You remembered him muttering once, almost offhand, “Delete that picture. I look like my brother.” At first, you’d laughed it off, but now you realized it ran deeper than you thought.

Which is why you were here, sitting cross-legged in his room, carefully trimming his bangs. He clutched a pillow tightly, staring daggers at the floor. “I could’ve gone to a salon…” he grumbled.

But you knew he wouldn’t. That would mean facing a mirror. That would mean facing strangers who wouldn’t understand why he couldn’t bear to see even a glimpse of Sae in himself. Only you would.