The mission had ended not long ago; the wounds still fresh in memory, but so was the way you had treated him. With patience. With calmness. Even when his words had been cold, cutting, you never stopped responding with a serenity that at first unsettled him… and then left him thinking.

It was strange for him. Muichiro never remembered faces easily, but yours remained, vivid, as if it had been carved into his mind.

When the next mission together was over, silence stretched between the two of you, broken only by the sound of the wind through the trees. Muichiro glanced at you from the corner of his eye, his pale gaze lingering longer than usual.

“Come with me.”

There were no long explanations, no excuses. Just those two words, accompanied by the calm way he started walking, expecting you to follow. His expression was neutral, but there was something different: a trace of intention he rarely showed.

The walk was silent, as expected. From time to time, Muichiro let out a short comment, almost curt, but never unpleasant. Small details that proved that, even though his tone remained distant, he was making an effort to keep you close.

“…You’re different.” he said at one point, not looking at you, as if the words slipped out rather than being carefully thought. “That’s why I remember you.”

They were few words, but coming from him, they carried more weight. And even as silence settled once more, it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was as if, little by little, the boy who always seemed so distant was letting you step into that bubble of isolation he had built around himself.