Shu's hands were shaking... or rather, his entire body was shaking. Kiana could distinctly feel it. She could even feel his erratic, racing heartbeat.
"Shu?" A trace of panic crept into Kiana's voice.
Shu didn't answer.
He just stared at her. He stared at her with a face full of helplessness, undisguised pleading, and a vulnerability that was written all over his body.
Shu had never been this fragile before... Even back in ARC City, when he had just clawed his way back from hell and needed her to perform CPR and artificial respiration just to hang onto a single breath, he hadn't looked as fragile as he did right now.
Then, Kiana recalled how they had been holding hands the entire day, ever since they left the house that morning.
In the mall, in the crowd, at the food street, at the arcade, in the movie theater... No matter where they went or what they did, their hands had remained tightly clasped.
Kiana also remembered how, when they first stepped out the door that morning, Shu had gone pale and suffered palpitations just from crossing the threshold of their own home.
She remembered his tense posture and leaking hostility when they were surrounded by the crowd at the mall.
And she remembered the slightly trembling, stiff sensation of his hand gripping hers in the darkness of the movie theater just a while ago.
Shu needed her to be there.
And just now, she...
She had let go. Even though it was just for a moment.
But to Shu, that moment must have felt like... like she was leaving, too.
...
That was enough. Kiana's heart ached for him.
She didn't speak. She simply gripped his hand back, squeezing it firmly—firmly enough that Shu could physically feel her presence.
Applying gentle pressure, she pulled Shu's hand a little closer to herself, pressing the back of his hand against her chest.
"Shu," she said softly. "I'm right here."
Shu looked toward the sound of her voice in a daze. His reddened eyes stared at Kiana, his unfocused pupils slowly refocusing on her figure.
"Can you feel it?" Kiana asked him softly, speaking with an unprecedented gentleness.
"This is my heartbeat... I'm alive. I'm right here. I never left."
Kiana gently pressed Shu's hand against her chest. Even through her clothes, Shu could clearly feel her heartbeat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Steady, strong, distinct, and warm.
She was alive, and she was undeniably real.
Amidst the rhythm of that beating heart, Shu's trembling breaths began to slowly steady.
The suffocating tightness that had been blocking his chest finally eased.
His dizziness receded, the ringing in his ears gradually faded, and he began to breathe normally again.
But his heart was still racing, beating so fast it felt like it might burst from his chest.
This erratic heart rate clearly wasn't going to settle down anytime soon.
Finally coming back to his senses, Shu looked down at their clasped hands. His fingers were still clamped tightly around her wrist, gripping so hard his knuckles were white.
Then, realization hit him.
What was he doing?
Just now... his behavior just now—
Shu's mind exploded.
His face flushed a scalding red in an instant, the color spreading from the tips of his ears all the way down to his neck.
"I... I..." he stammered awkwardly, trying to find some excuse for his actions. "I wasn't... I just..."
I was just worried she'd get lost. Worried she might trip and fall.
He wanted to say that what just happened was an accident. That he wasn't normally like this. That he was usually able to suppress it... He wanted to tell Kiana the truth.
But the words faltered on his lips. They tangled up in his chest, twisted around in his gut, and by the time they finally came out, his sincere thoughts had morphed into a string of flimsy excuses.
"I was just worried about you... that path is dark... I was just afraid you wouldn't be able to see... what if there was a car... I wasn't..."
Shu spoke faster and faster, his words becoming increasingly jumbled. He tried desperately to make his sentences logical, but his usual eloquence completely failed him. He simply couldn't hide his utter panic.
Coupled with his beet-red face, his true feelings had already been laid bare for all to see.
Kiana suddenly felt even sorrier for him.
He was trying so hard...
Normally, this would be the perfect time to tease him. After all, a flustered, panicked Shu was a rare sight—especially since he had gradually mastered his powers, he always seemed so calm and collected.
But right now...
"Shu," Kiana called out softly.
Shu barely managed to halt his incoherent rambling.
He forced his face to remain stoic and looked at her, his eyes actually glinting with a hint of... resignation to death?
Seeing his expression, Kiana smiled gently. It was a very mild, tender smile, completely different from her usual sunny radiance.
The Goddess of Moonlight was finally casting her gentle glow upon the one lost in the dark night.
"I know," she said.
"I know it all."
Shu's eyes widened slightly, his pupils reflecting Kiana's snow-white silhouette.
"You were worried about me, right?
Afraid something would happen to me. Afraid I'd get lost. Afraid I'd disappear, and you wouldn't be able to find me..."
Her voice was soft, but utterly sincere.
"I know all of it."
Shu's lips parted, but no words came out.
Seeing his dumbfounded look, Kiana finally couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth twitch upward.
She didn't laugh out loud. She just squeezed his hand and gave it a gentle shake.
"Shu."
"...Yeah."
"I'm here. I'll always be here," Kiana said softly.
"...Yeah." Shu lowered his eyes.
"Oh, right! The cat!" The moment she sensed Shu's mood had stabilized, the gentle, moon-like Kiana vanished, replaced once more by the radiant little sun.
...
In the shadow of the streetlight, the little white cat with mismatched eyes was still crouching there.
It hadn't run away, but its body was arched slightly, ready to bolt at a moment's notice.
Its fur wasn't puffed up, it wasn't baring its teeth, and it wasn't making any threatening growls.
It was just staring at Shu warily with its orange and blue eyes.
Kiana pulled Shu along as she cautiously took a few steps closer.
The little cat's gaze shifted from Shu to Kiana, and its guarded posture relaxed somewhat.
"Meow," it cried, its voice high-pitched and soft.
Kiana crouched down and reached out a hand to the kitten.
The kitten hesitated for a moment before leaning in, its little pink nose twitching as it sniffed her fingers.
Then, it nuzzled its head against her palm.
"So well-behaved..." Kiana's voice melted into a puddle of mush. "Look, Shu, it's so good~"
It did look very well-behaved. For a cat to be this proactive about rubbing against someone...
Shu stood beside Kiana, looking down at the cat.
Sensing his gaze, the kitten looked up at him.
And then—
"Hiss~"
Shu: "..."
He didn't really sense any hostility from the kitten. The hiss lacked aggression; it was just a very brief sound, like it had been startled by him.
Was he that scary?
Shu subconsciously touched his own face.
"I don't think it likes you," Kiana remarked dryly from the side.
Shu remained silent for a second. "...I noticed."
Kiana laughed and patted the kitten's head again.
The kitten rubbed against her hand, letting out a contented purr, acting as sweet as could be.
"Here, here, you pet it too." Kiana grabbed Shu's hand. "It's probably just shy around strangers. Just pet it, and it'll warm up to you."
Shu allowed his hand to be pulled toward the cat.
The kitten stared up at his hand, its body tensing as the hand rested on its head.
The kitten's fur wasn't very thick. The hair on its head was especially sparse—just a thin layer—and it was very easy to feel the hard bone underneath.
Yeah, it was way too skinny.
Shu gave it two pats, a flash of disappointment crossing his eyes.
The texture really doesn't match up to my expectations...
The kitten tolerated it.
It hadn't even rejected this guy, and yet this guy had the nerve to reject it!
The moment Shu lifted his hand, the kitten quickly turned around and eagerly squeezed itself against Kiana's ankle, rubbing against her calf.
Shu's half-retracted hand hovered awkwardly in mid-air.
Kiana laughed so hard she was practically doubling over.
"It really doesn't like you!"
Shu lowered his hand, his face completely deadpan.
"...I noticed."
Once Kiana finally caught her breath, she looked down at the little white cat frantically rubbing against her leg.
Under the moonlight, its white fur gleamed, its mismatched eyes sparkled, and its tiny, soft body rubbed against her with all its might.
She suddenly thought of something.
"Shu."
"Hmm?"
"Who do you think it looks like?"
Shu looked at the cat.
White.
Mismatched eyes.
Super clingy with Kiana.
He thought about it.
"Like you."
Kiana blinked.
"Like me?"
"Yeah," Shu said. "The ARC City era you."
Kiana blinked again.
ARC City era.
Uh... well, she hadn't actually played up to that part of the story yet, but...
Shu was right!