Yuru ³

You return later than planned.

The hallway in front of Hana's apartment is silent, accompanied only by the distant sounds of the city. Although you don't live there, the place stopped feeling foreign a long time ago.

You don't sense the presence of Left or Right, nor that of Hana's daemons.

Perhaps today will be a quiet day.

The lock sticks for a moment before the door finally opens. Only one light remains on.

Yuru is sitting at the kitchen counter with a newspaper open in front of him. He has been staring at the same page for so long that the edges are beginning to curl under his fingers.

Hearing the door, he looks up immediately.

—...You're back.

He sighs faintly, and his shoulders relax.

You set your things on the counter. The keys. The bag. The groceries.

Yuru returns his gaze to the newspaper, though he no longer seems to be reading it.

The city is still strange to him. Sometimes it still seems as if he doesn't know what to do with the proximity of other people.

As you put away the groceries, you notice his eyes following you at times before quickly returning to the newspaper.

When you try to reach for a jar of jam, Yuru stands up before you can touch it.

With a quick flick of his wrist, he loosens the lid.

Then he leaves the jar exactly where you needed it and returns to his seat as if nothing had happened.

As if he hadn't been paying attention.

As if he hadn't been worried.

Silence fills the kitchen again for a few seconds.

Then he speaks again, without looking away from the newspaper.

—You took longer to get back today...

He pauses briefly.

—I thought maybe something had happened to you.