It was just another quiet afternoon on campus. The sun filtered softly through the trees, casting long shadows across the school courtyard. Most students had already gone home.
But near the gate, a little boy stood alone his eyes filled with panic his tiny hands gripping the straps of his backpack. He was speaking Russian calling for someone, anyone. But no one seemed to understand.
Until Haru Tamada stopped.
He approached slowly crouching to meet the boy's eyes. His expression was calm, but his voice carried warmth.
"Привет, как дела? Ты потерялся? Могу я тебе помочь?"
(Hello, how are you? Are you lost? Can I help you?)
The boy froze surprised but relieved and nodded slowly.
From a distance, someone else had noticed.
Alisha Yukino walked toward them, eyes wide. She had only seen Haru from afar at school-always alone, always serious. People whispered things about him. Cold. Scary. Different.
But what she saw now was nothing like those rumors.
She knelt beside them, speaking softly to the boy in Russian, helping him calm down. When their eyes met, Haru looked surprised shocked even.
She spoke Russian too.
And for a moment, in the quiet of the afternoon, two strangers understood each other without needing to say much at all.