Nao ended up accepting the invitation; he was now sitting beside Rin in a three-person pod. He had squished himself into the corner and sat there with his whole body rigid, like he was trying to disappear. Even his breathing was restrained.

Rin couldn’t help but wonder if Nao had really wanted to come or had just done so to be polite. Either way, he hoped that Nao wasn’t so uncomfortable because of him. Though he couldn’t blame Nao if that was the case—after all, he didn’t have the best track record of treating Nao kindly.

Rin suddenly felt distressed. He’d been a total jerk to Nao in the past, and although he had apologized, he still hadn’t done much to show Nao that he wanted to be friends. He had to do better than this, or Nao might feel like an outsider.

He thought of how he interacted with Wen Xulong.

For one thing, he always referred to Wen Xulong by a nickname, never his full name. He spent a lot of time with Wen Xulong after school and on the weekends—though it was always Wen Xulong who invited him out. He also shared his coffee with Wen Xulong.

Rin looked at the coffee in his hand. It was half-gone and on the verge of losing its ice, but it was still good, and there were some boba pearls left in the bottom. He wasn’t sure if it was a friendly gesture to give someone your leftover coffee, but he didn’t know what else to do. Feeling slightly embarrassed and awkward, Rin said, “Nao-kun.”

Nao blinked, opened his eyes a little wider and turned his head to look at Rin. His cheeks looked pinker.

Rin held out the coffee cup. “Uh. . .Do you want the rest of this? I ordered too big of a cup, so I can’t finish it all. . .”

“Oh. . .” Nao accepted the cup with a shy grin. “Thanks, Rin-san.”

Nao looked at the cup for a moment, then took a tentative sip. He pursed his lips afterward, then said with a light cough, “Xulong-ge was right. . .You really like strong flavors, Rin-san.”

Rin smiled sheepishly and turned away a little, scratching his head. “If it tastes bad, I’ll just throw it out.”

“No, no. . .It’s just a bit to get used to, that’s all,” Nao said. He took another drink. “It’s really sweet, but the pearls are bitter enough to balance it out. It’s not bad.”

The pod came to a stop then. Nao looked out the window; seeing his stunned expression, Rin took the liberty to explain.

“This is the Mille Annis Mall,” he said. “It was built about fifty years ago. It probably gets the most traffic of any mall in Ultimum Spes, so it’s grown over the years to accommodate the business.”

“It’s so huge. . .”

“Mm.” Rin climbed out, then held out a hand for Nao. “Well, let’s go.”

Nao seemed to hesitate for a second, then grasped Rin’s hand gently and exited the pod. After his feet were securely on the ground, Rin moved to help his aunt out of the pod as well.

The Mille Annis Mall was as grand as its name, built in a towering ring around a central atrium. There were five floors, each packed with shops and people. There was something about the structure and its atmosphere that seemed to provoke a deep appreciation for life and the passage of time in one’s heart.

“Well then, what kind of costumes are you boys looking for?” Sandie asked. “You can visit Spirit Halloween or the Cosplay Emporium. Or you could stop by Masquerada.”

“The Cosplay Emporium is fine,” Rin said. “We’re going as characters from a book series, so they’ll probably have what we’re looking for, and we can get them custom-made if not.”

“Alrighty, then,” Sandie said. “I need to pick up some things while we’re here. Nao-kun, you think you’ll be okay going alone with Rin to buy your costumes?”

Nao blinked, then nodded. “Oh, yeah.”

“Okay, then we’ll meet up in the food court after we’re all done, sound good?” Sandie kissed Rin’s temple and gave Nao a pat on the head, then said, “And don’t be shy about prices, Nao-kun. If you see anything you like, go ahead and grab it.”

And without another word, she waved and flounced off, leaving the two boys standing alone. Nao turned to look at Rin; his face was a little flushed. He cleared his throat, then said, “Come on, then.”

The mall was extremely busy. It was overwhelming for Nao, so he stuck close to Rin, only a couple of steps behind, all but holding onto him in an attempt not to get lost. Rin was much more relaxed in comparison, walking in his usual swift but languid manner.

Rin had been to this mall numerous times in the past. He had come here a lot with Wen Xulong back when they were preteens, practicing basketball in the public court or hanging out in the arcade. A handful of other times, when they were free from work, he had also come here with his parents to see movies.

Recalling these times, Rin had a sudden urge to see if there were any good movies playing now. It would be nice to see one with Nao.

The two arrived at the shop and requested the cosplays; when the salesman asked what size each one should be in, Rin answered without a problem for his, but Nao hesitated.

He actually hadn’t paid attention to his clothing size. The clothes that he’d found in his apartment had been enough that he hadn’t had to buy any yet, and he was usually busy, so he dressed in a hurry and never checked the tags on the clothes.

When he still hadn’t answered a moment later, Rin spoke up and gave the salesman his size. Nao unconsciously glanced at him. Though his expression was as neutral as ever, his aquamarine eyes swirled with fragmented emotions—bitterness, grief, a faint bit of resigned hatred, but mostly confusion and exhaustion. Nao felt a pang of sympathetic sadness and reached out almost reflexively, grasping Rin’s pinky.

Rin didn’t react in any way other than to shift his hand, enveloping Nao’s within it. Nao thought that it felt nice—Rin’s palm and the pads of his fingers were lightly calloused and warm, giving one the sense that these hands could shelter them from the world.

The salesman brought them a bag containing the costumes. Rin thanked him and paid for both; Nao felt a little displeased but didn’t say anything. After he paid, Rin picked up the bag and led Nao out of the store.

They walked side-by-side now, still holding hands. Rin’s grip was light—enough to let Nao know that he didn’t mind, but that Nao was free to pull away when he wanted.

After a small stretch of silence, Nao spoke. “Rin-san. . .Hanaka Nao was someone you knew, wasn’t he?”

Rin didn’t answer for a moment, and his voice was low and solemn when he did.

“Yes.”

There was another moment of silence; after that, Rin said, “We weren’t very close.” He slowed slightly and moved to the railing, set his free hand on it and looked at the ground floor below.

“We really only knew each other on the surface" he said. "We met in our last Lowerlevels and played some casual rounds of basketball. Over time, we started hanging out and talking more. Eventually, I even. . .considered him a friend.”

Rin let out a heavy sigh, withdrawing his hand to cross his arms on the rail. “Hanaka was a quiet kid. Not many people bothered to talk to him, and he made no effort to socialize either until he talked to me. I thought he was pretty transparent—that I could tell what he was thinking and feeling—but. . .clearly, I was completely wrong.”

He gave a single low laugh. “The Hanaka I knew was just my own misconception.”

Nao’s heart ached for Rin’s pain. He couldn’t imagine how much he must hurt inside—losing both of his parents suddenly and at once, then learning that his own friend was the cause. Nao had lost plenty of people, but none of them had been murdered—and certainly not by a friend.

Rin looked terribly lonely standing silhouetted against the railing with no one at his side. Nao suddenly realized that he hardly knew Rin at all. He had made almost no effort to learn more about this person he called his friend.

But even if he didn’t know Rin well, and even if he couldn’t hope to understand Rin’s sorrows, he could still care; he could still be there to support him.

Nao stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Rin. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what to say; only after considering the words carefully did he speak. “It wasn’t your fault. And you aren’t alone.”

Even if the world abandoned Rin, Nao would still stand at his side.

Rin was his first friend, after all.

Rin stood still for a moment before turning around and softly returning the hug.

“Thank you, Nao-kun.”