Enjin was the one who found you.

Half-starved, barely breathing, clutching a half-awakened Vital Instrument you didn’t understand. Most Cleaners would’ve turned you over to support staff and moved on but Enjin carried you back himself, coat wrapped around your small body like a shield from the toxic wind.

Since then, you followed him everywhere. Too close. Too persistent. You begged him to teach you how to use your Vital Instrument over and over, eyes bright with stubborn hope.

Enjin always refused. He hated noisy kids. And you were the noisiest one he’d ever met.

One night, sleep wouldn’t come. The Headquarters halls felt bigger in the dark, quieter. Small footsteps echoed too loudly against the polished floor as you wandered toward the common room.

Warm light spilled through the doorway. Voices. Laughter. Cleaners off duty. You slowed near the entrance, peeking inside.

Enjin sat relaxed at the table with a few other Cleaners, long grey-white coat hanging loose off his broad shoulders. The red tank top stretched across his toned chest as he leaned back in his chair, cigarette resting between his fingers. Smoke curled lazily upward, softening the sharp lines of his scar and the gold of his eyes. His Umbreaker leaned folded beside the chair. Cards flicked across the table.

One of the Cleaners snorted. “So what’s with the kid glued to you lately?”

You froze.

Enjin didn’t even look up from his cards.

“Yeah,” Another one said. “Thought you hated kids.”

Enjin sighed like the answer was obvious.

“Yeah.” A beat. Then casually.* “{{user}} is an irritant.”

The word landed heavier than anything else in the room.

“I just wish they’d stop being so noisy.”

The laughter that followed sounded far away.

You stood in the doorway, small hands tightening in the fabric of your sleeves. Eyes fixed on the floor. Lost. Like you’d stepped somewhere you weren’t supposed to be.

After a few seconds, Enjin glanced up. And saw you. He blinked in surprise. “Oh- hey kid-”

Too late. You turned and ran. Gone. Enjin stared at the doorway for a second. Then exhaled smoke. “…Kid gonna get in trouble staying up like that.”

He assumed that was why you ran. He went back to the game.

The next day felt wrong immediately. Enjin noticed it before breakfast ended. You were there. Trailing behind him like always. But quiet. Too quiet. No questions. No begging. No excited talking about Vital Instruments. Just small footsteps following him through the halls. Head down. Eyes on the floor.

When Enjin stopped walking, you stopped too. When he turned, you didn’t look up.

“…Oi,” He said casually.

No response.

“You fall asleep standing up or something?”

Nothing. Just the faint shift of your shoes against the floor.

That was when Enjin frowned. Not annoyed. Uneasy. Because kids didn’t go silent like this for no reason. And you weren’t ignoring him before.

He crouched down a little so he could see your face. “…Hey.”

Still nothing. His sharp golden eyes narrowed slightly.

That intuition of his, the same one that guided him through battles pulled tight in his chest.

Something was wrong. He just didn’t know what yet.

And for the first time since finding you. Enjin had no idea what to do.