The morning was unusually quiet.
Hiro had expected another day of training, more drills, more sparring, more of Daisy yelling at him about his footwork. Instead, Yurei had appeared at his door with a simple statement: "You're coming with me."
No explanation. No context. Just those four words.
Now he found himself walking through the streets of Central City, Yurei at his side, her pink hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. She wore civilian clothes—a cream-colored blouse and dark pants and without her uniform, she looked almost ordinary.
Almost.
"There's a market," she said, "on the east side. I need supplies."
"Supplies?"
"Tea. Incense. Bandages. The base runs out faster than you'd think."
Hiro blinked. "Isn't there someone whose job is to do this?"
"There is." Yurei glanced at him. "Today, it's you."
He wasn't sure if that was a punishment or a reward.
---
The market was a riot of color and noise.
Stalls lined the cobblestone streets, their awnings striped in red and gold. Merchants called out to passersby, hawking everything from fresh vegetables to Imperial memorabilia. The smell of roasting chestnuts mingled with incense and the faint metallic tang of Aether.
Hiro had grown up in this city, but he'd never seen this part of it. His market was the convenience store near his school, the food stalls that accepted student discounts. This was different.
This was where the elite shopped.
Yurei moved through the crowd with ease, her presence parting the masses like a blade through silk. No one bumped into her. No one cut her off. Guards nodded as she passed. Merchants straightened their wares.
She belongs here, Hiro thought. This is her world.
"What are you thinking?" she asked, not looking at him.
"That I'm underdressed."
"You're fine."
"I'm wearing a training uniform."
"You're with me." She finally glanced at him. "That's enough."
---
The tea shop was small, tucked between a bookbinder and a tailor. The owner, an elderly woman with kind eyes and a stooped back greeted Yurei like a granddaughter.
"Princess Skyfall! We don't see you enough."
"I've been busy." Yurei's voice was softer than usual, almost gentle. "The usual, please. And the jasmine blend."
The woman shuffled off, and Yurei turned to Hiro.
"I used to come to a place like this in the Capital," she said quietly. "When I was young. Before..." She trailed off.
"Before what?"
"Before I became a princess. Before everything changed."
Hiro didn't push. He just stood beside her, close enough that their shoulders almost touched.
The old woman returned with two wrapped packages. Yurei paid more than the tea was worth, Hiro noticed and they left.
---
The incense stall was next.
The merchant was a young man with quick hands and a quicker smile. He rattled off a dozen scents—sandalwood, cherry blossom, dragon's blood while Yurei examined each one with the intensity of a general reviewing troops.
"Which do you prefer?" she asked Hiro.
"Me?"
"You have to smell it too. You're carrying it back."
He leaned over a jar of sandalwood. "This one."
Yurei nodded. "Two of those."
The merchant wrapped them with exaggerated care. Hiro paid this time,Yurei let him, which surprised him.
"You didn't have to," she said.
"I wanted to."
Her lips curved. Just slightly.
---
They sat on a bench near the fountain, a paper bag of roasted chestnuts between them. The sun was warm, the crowd thinner now.
"Why did you bring me here?" Hiro asked.
Yurei cracked a chestnut, then handed him the meat. "Because you needed to see this."
"See what?"
"That I'm not just a soldier. That I have a life. A past." She looked at the fountain, where children were throwing coins. "You've seen me fight. You've seen me train. But you haven't seen me live."
"I'm seeing it now."
"Yes." She met his eyes. "You are."
They sat in silence, eating chestnuts, watching the water.
Hiro's hand rested on the bench beside hers. He didn't move it. Neither did she.
After a while, Yurei spoke again.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For not asking and just... being here."
He smiled. "Where else would I be?"
She didn't answer. But her hand shifted, just slightly until her pinky touched his.
The sun warmed their shoulders. The fountain burbled. And for a moment, the world felt small enough to hold.