This Story Does Not Guarantee That There Are No Thieves, But the Security Guards Are Top-Notch

Hortensja had rather decided that they would spend the day inside, or maybe go out for dinner, although she was interested in the difference between home-cooked and restaurant food. But who wouldn't agree to a small, spontaneous shopping trip? Hikaru, pleased that the girl had accepted his apartment, eagerly led her, holding her hand, to a large shopping center. The prospect of living together, which had terrified him when the topic had first appeared, now seemed exciting to him.

He restrained his imagination from going too far, but he couldn't stop himself from creating scenes in his head when he looked around the rooms. One of them assumed that the girl would be waiting for him there and fall asleep on the couch, and he would come back and cover her with a blanket or carry her to bed so that she wouldn't wake up sore from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. They could learn their languages together, she Japanese to make their lives easier, and he at least the basics of Polish to make her happy. He would force his lazy brain to do this.

Watching movies, playing games, and talking for hours, when there would be no restrictions, except to go to bed at a time to get enough sleep for work. They wouldn't have to make an appointment, because they would see each other sooner or later anyway. And this prospect began to appeal to him more and more. For now, he didn't think about the fact that living together meant only good times, but also a clash of characters and habits, on the basis of which it was sometimes difficult to work out a compromise. He believed that if they cared about each other, they would deal with it, and he cared a lot already.

“What are you planning to buy?" he asked. "Does my apartment need that many changes?"

"No." She shook her head and laughed. "I won't do anything without your permission, but what do you think about a few flowers, pillows and other little things?"

"Yes, as long as I have some input in choosing them." He tried to sound serious.

"Of course." Hortensja pondered, as if she were still making a list of things she needed in her head. "I'd like to find some nice slippers. I had my favorites, but I didn't think to bring them." She looked sad for a moment, but she didn't show it, or so she thought, but Hikaru noticed this small change in her facial expression.

The Japanese had a problem. On the one hand, he wanted to find out what was behind the moments when even trivial things could make Hortensja very sad, and on the other, he didn't want to continue the subject so as not to deepen the negative feelings. The girl fiercely defended her past from him, although she knew that sooner or later, she would have to tell him about it.

In the meantime, they reached the shopping center and for a moment wondered what route to take. Hikaru had an idea and suggested that they look around the stores separately for a while and then meet in the food section. The Polish girl wasn't convinced by this idea, but her boyfriend decided to use her ambition and convince her that this was a great opportunity for her to practice everything she had learned from Matsuo's father so far.

With her newfound motivation, Hortensja set off briskly in the opposite direction to Hikaru and agreed with him. Of course, shopping together would be a nice experience, but then she would probably leave all the communication on his shoulders. Since she initially decided to stay in Japan, she had to practice and take advantage of every opportunity to do so.

A while later, she was returning, laden, when her attention was caught by a sound she had not expected to hear, but it did not penetrate the din of the weekend clientele enough for anyone to take notice. She focused all her attention on finding the source and soon located a young boy hiding behind a vending machine. She approached him, trying to remember the songs her mother used to sing to her when she had a bad day. It dawned on her the moment she made eye contact with the child. She suspected that he had simply distanced himself from his parents and was stressed out and unsure of what to do. She knew there was no point in explaining, so she sang with a smile in Polish, making gestures imitating various animals, hoping that this would serve as a universal language.

At first, the boy did not understand what the strange-looking woman was talking about when she suddenly began singing in an incomprehensible language in front of him. She was not very good at it, but her efforts distracted him from the problem.

"Crocodile!" he exclaimed excitedly when he recognized one of the animals she was showing and then joined her.

Hortensja was overjoyed that she managed to get involved in the fun together, and with the next verses of the song, he tried to imitate her. In the meantime, she thought about what to do next. She didn't think a child his age knew English well enough to communicate with him.

"Why?" she asked, at the same time pretending to rub her eyes with her fists, which to her surprise the boy understood.

"I got lost and I don't know where my mother is," he replied, and his eyes glazed over again.

Hortensja patted him on the head and tried to speak to him in the calmest tone possible. When she thought he had calmed down, she showed him the café, and then held out her hand, letting the child decide whether he trusted her enough to take it. She knew that now, for the good of her child, she had to take decisive and sensible steps, at least according to the plan that had come to her mind.

“Excuse me.” She bet everything on speaking English here and turned to the café employee. “I think the boy got lost. I just want to help him. Can you tell me where I can find someone from security? Maybe they could call his parents over the loudspeaker?”

“I understand, but it's hard to get there, so I'll call someone from security.” He lied because he thought the Pole couldn't be trusted. The employee even suspected that she was actually trying to kidnap the boy, and if he just answered her question, she would leave with the child and disappear. He preferred to keep an eye on them, especially since the boy had clung to her leg. “Please wait here.”

“Thank you.” Hortensja replied and noticed that the boy was staring at the ice cream display case, so she knelt down and pointed at the delicacy. “Do you like it?” He nodded enthusiastically. “Which one?”

The child beamed and pointed to the ice cream, which the girl guessed was mint flavor with chocolate chips, and even tried to pay for the purchase with coins she dug out of her pocket. Hortensja closed his hand back over the pieces of metal and led him to a table so that the boy could see as many people as possible. She asked him to look out for someone he knew by pointing her finger first at him, then two at his eyes, and then the window.

They both watched the crowd, and Hortensja wondered when someone from security would finally come. She was nervous because the boy was slowly finishing his dessert, and she didn't know how to help him stay calm when he didn't understand what she was saying to him. She had placed her hopes in the employee she had talked to earlier, but he was watching her with something negative in his eyes, and she gave up on that intention. The boy got ahead of her and patted her hand.

“Kyo,” he introduced himself, and then pointed at her.

“Horteni,” she answered using the version of the name Hikaru had come up with for her.

It dawned on her that she could have called him and asked for help, which she had to do anyway. Kyo first nodded proudly that he was accepting her into his circle of friends, then he noticed his mother and began to wave. Hortensja turned around happily, but seeing the woman's look that could kill her, she knew she was in trouble. Furthermore, she was already certain of it when the bodyguard she had come with grabbed her arm tightly, suggesting that she should go with him.