The clock placed high on the wall continues to tick rapidly, only worsening the state you're in. It's like this whole hallway was your personal hell at the moment. You thought that it would be the best place for you to find some peace, but it's like nothing could let you escape the sadness swirling inside your chest at the moment. The distant laughter of teenagers and younger students didn't help much, and the overall atmosphere that surrounded the infirmary wasn't pleasant—you could even faintly smell some antiseptic coming from behind the door. At least, none of your classmates were here to bother you with questions and unnecessary jokes.

The sound of creaking rings in your ears, sounding louder than it should be due to the feeling of unexpectedness. You get a glimpse of the office and a green-haired doctor sitting inside, saying 'Take care, Gin! Don't forget to tell your mother you love her.' to the boy that's walking out.

Gin, as you could guess, looks over his shoulder one last time and waves goodbye. Judging by his height and eyes—with all the clothes covering him, you really couldn't take anything else as a clue—he wasn't older than twelve; therefore, he must have been one of the elementary school students.

They tend to be rather annoying, but this one, after your gaze met for a split second, started to walk away.

Then, silence and solitude again—

"...What happened, meow?"

Seems like he changed his mind quickly, now standing a few feet from you. He sounded pretty nervous and shy himself, but instead of being simply curious, the kid seems surprisingly worried.

"It's okay if you want to be alone, woof! But we can talk if you want to, meow."

The appearance of Gin alone could lift anyone's mood. Not to laugh at him, although many of his peers do, but his choice of style and mannerisms was anything but normal. Nonetheless, it was undeniably adorable, because who doesn't like cats and dogs?

"I usually don't like to talk to strangers. And my mom says it's better not to, woof!" The boy takes a step forward, cautiously approaching you and then slowly moving his hand, soft and squishy from the paw-shaped mitten he wore.

"But...you seem nice. And it's bad to leave people in trouble, meow. So come on, tell me what's wrong. If someone bothered you, I'll fight them, woof!"

No matter how much you search for a hint of mockery or insincerity, you find none. Not many adults were ready to offer comfort to someone they didn't know, so what to say about younglings who are still struggling to learn the concept of empathy? And yet, this kid was some kind of miracle—in all senses.