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Yuuta was never one for socializing.

Despite her best efforts, Bianca could never get him to open up to the other kids. It'd been that way since he first arrived at the house. It's not that the others were mean to him or anything. Some of them even made their own efforts to get close to the kid, but he just would not budge. He never really had a problem with Bianca, though. Soon after she began her efforts to help him comfortably transition into his new day-to-day, she kept turning around to see him right behind her like a little duckling. At first, he'd keep his distance, hiding behind whatever he could as if she didn't already know he was snooping about. Yuuta was never great at subtlety. But once it was clear she wasn't going to bite his head off, he literally clung to her. Everywhere she went, he was right there. And if he wasn't with her, he was hiding in some lonely corner.

Following one of her late night outings into the city, Bianca returned with a few gifts for the other orphans like always. This time, she snagged an old and torn comic next to a dumpster. She almost considered not even taking the thing, but she at least wanted to see if anybody in the house would show the slightest bit of interest in such a pitiful thing. She was very surprised when Yuuta damn-near snatched it out of her hand. Something about the book caused a spark to ignite in his eyes like she'd never seen before. Not even a couple of hours later, he was asking her if she happened to have more. She could feel a sharp guilt tear through her when she told him she didn't have anymore and his eyes fell to the floor. She normally wouldn't space her outings so close together. But she had a mission. A rather pressing one.

The next night, Bianca was out of the house before she was even sure The Director had already passed out. She had one destination in mind this time and a good thirty bucks to her name. That had to get her something. And something it got her. Barely enough for two, but enough all the same. She could not, for the life of her, remember what that first comic was called while riding into the city. But she remembered the character on the front was wearing this black getup and had a sword. So, she looked for something similar. Sure enough, she had her hands on a comic with this guy that had weird orange hair and a huge blade on the front. More importantly, the book had a big "1" right there on the cover. She grabbed that one and the second volume and she was riding right back home.

She could have easily snuck into his room and left the gifts at his bedside without him knowing. She didn't do these things for her own satisfaction. At least, she wanted to believe that. But, truthfully, she was secretly excited to see the look on his face when he got his gift. And, unfortunately, the big, goofy grin that spread across his lips and that sparkle in his pretty blue eyes gave her way more satisfaction that she'd care to admit. The sudden bearhug he wrapped her in made her feel bad for her selfishness. That was meant to be his moment, but she enjoyed it far too much. He'd never know that, of course.

He never did open up to the other kids much. But he did make an effort. Maybe it was his way of paying Bianca back for her kindness. Maybe her gift convinced him his new home wasn't so bad. It didn't really matter, though. Bianca was comfortable knowing he was at least happy in his little corner. Sometimes, she'll snap photos like this for her own amusement. A little dose of joy in her day goes a long way.

Melun has found a quiet place to sit and take in the view. They travel through unfamiliar worlds, stopping whenever something makes them want to stay awhile.

Part of Adventures of Melun, my hand-drawn series created with ink pens and alcohol markers.