Chapter 21: The Fake Smile

 The silence that followed was almost unreal, as if the entire forest had held its breath.

Ren stood motionless, his gaze fixed on Mizuki, waiting for a response that never came. She, on the other hand, stood still, her lips slightly parted, but the words seemed to have gotten lost somewhere between her mind and her heart.

Slowly placing his sword on the ground, he took a step towards her. The metal, still stained with blood, made a dull sound as it touched the ground.

He reached out his hand to her, a simple yet meaningful gesture.

“This enemy has also been defeated.”

In Mizuki's eyes, at that moment, Ren was no longer the gruff and mysterious boy that everyone feared. No... before her stood the prince from the stories she had read as a child. Only this was not a fairy tale. It was harsh reality. And the prince did not wear shining armor, but bore the fatigue of battle and a heart that, despite everything, never stopped protecting.

That man, hated by many, carried within him a strength that was not just muscle or technique. It was a stubborn willingness to help, even when he received only insults in return. And perhaps, in that suspended moment, Mizuki realized that her heart had already made its choice.

Her fingers moved hesitantly, almost afraid of breaking a fragile balance. Slowly, she reached out her hand toward his. When their fingers touched, a shock ran through her body. The warmth of his touch made her blush, and almost without realizing it, she immediately withdrew her hand.

“T-thank you...” She lowered her gaze.

He smiled slightly, but his eyes sought hers. “You're welcome. And then... I'd like to know why you disappeared like that.”

She turned her face away, unable to meet his gaze. “Y-you don't care!”

“Eh? Don't yell...” he replied, in a calm but amused tone.

“I-I'll do what I want!”

“Sure, sure...”

His smile, so genuine, lit up the field still scarred by battle. Mizuki, without meaning to, was seeing the real Ren for the first time. Not the silent warrior. Not the outcast of the village. But the man capable of smiling sincerely.

But that precious moment was shattered by a voice as sharp as a blade.

“Soldiers! It's time to return to the village!”

Lucius. His arrogant, cold voice seemed to erase any remnants of peace. He was the only one who hadn't even touched the fighting, limiting himself to giving orders from afar.

“Ren, you're here. Help the others gather the meat. We'll have a good meal tonight.”

The answer he received was not what he expected.

“No.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “What did you say? That's an order!”

“And I'll say it again: no. I'm not taking orders from you. You have to help us.”

“Help? I'm the boss, you're nobodies. Now do as I say or I'll be forced to punish you.”

That was when the boy's anger exploded. His steps, slow but powerful, sank into the damp ground, leaving deep footprints. Mizuki sensed a change in the air: every movement Ren made exuded a dark energy, a tension that made the air around him vibrate.

When he was in front of him, he grabbed him by the collar with a grip that conveyed all his pent-up fury. In an instant, Lucius found himself lifted off the ground.

“Lucius,” Ren's voice was low, almost a growl, “either you help us, or none of us will bring that meat back to the village.”

The man writhed, trying to free himself. “Let me go! Let me go! If you don't want to be punished, let me go!”

But the grip tightened even more, the fabric stretched to the point of creaking. Lucius's breathing became short, increasingly labored.

“Ren! Let him go!” Mizuki's voice broke the tension like a bolt of lightning. He stopped, and in that instant, his anger dissolved like smoke in the wind. Without a word, he let go of Lucius, who fell to the ground with a gasp.

He returned to Mizuki. This time, he didn't hesitate: he took her hand with a decisive but reassuring gesture. And, without looking back, he led her away from the field, toward the village.

Mizuki stared at him, unable to find the right words. She could only feel the weight of Ren's anger, an intense and oppressive energy that left her frozen.

“R-Ren... what's wrong with you?” she asked uncertainly, her gaze desperately searching for an answer in his eyes.

He smiled back at her, calmly... or at least he wanted to appear so. It was not a smile of joy, but of someone trying to allay the fears of the person in front of him.

“Don't worry,” he said, in a tone that sounded forcedly calm. “It was just... a moment of anger.”

She lowered her gaze, only then realizing that Ren's hand was still wrapped around her wrist. He wasn't squeezing it hard... yet the memory of that grip a moment earlier had left her with a slight pain, mixed with an inexplicable warmth.

“Then... why did you grab my hand like that? You hurt me...” she murmured, almost regretting saying it.

He sighed softly, looking away for a moment. “I'm sorry... I just wanted to get you away from that monster.”

He stared at the ground beneath them. Somehow, those words had warmed her heart, prompting her to say something she never expected to say.

“T-then... t-thank you.”

So he took a step back, finally letting go of her wrist. “We're back in the village,” he said, as if nothing had happened. “How about we go for a drink?”

The suggestion took her by surprise. “A drink...? Sure!”

A hint of a smile crossed the boy's lips. “Okay. Let's go.”

They walked side by side until they found themselves in front of a small bar. It wasn't big, but it looked welcoming. Or so it seemed... until he stepped inside.

It was as if the air had suddenly become heavy. Low voices turned into sharp murmurs, and eyes turned toward them. Some children clung to their mothers' skirts, others began to cry.

“The monster... he's back alive!”

“He didn't die this time either!”

Despite everything, he continued to smile, but Mizuki immediately realized how fake that smile was, a veil stretched to hide something far more painful.

“I'll sit here,” he said, choosing an isolated table near the wall. “You stay far enough away... I don't want them to pick on you too.”

“But...” she tried to argue, but was interrupted.

“It's okay, don't worry.”

A moment later, he raised his hand toward the counter. “A soft drink for me, please.”

The bartender, with an uncertain expression, poured juice into a glass and served it to him. “Thank you,” Ren muttered, without looking up.

Mizuki, on the other hand, didn't order anything right away. She stared at him with eyes filled with sadness. He seemed to be looking beyond reality, as if he were somewhere else, somewhere where those words and glances couldn't reach him.

“I-I'll have some juice too...” she finally said, lowering her voice.

They didn't stay long. She realized that staying any longer would only make things worse.

“Shall we go, Ren?” she whispered.

“Wait, I'll go first.”

“No, this time I won't...” she tried to say, but he had already disappeared through the door.

She took a few steps and the sound of her presence spread like a wave.

“There he is!”

“So he's alive after all!”

“He doesn't even have a scratch on him!”

“Monster! Die!”

The boy lowered his head, as if that chorus were now part of his daily life. He walked slowly, heading to the right, perhaps in the vain hope of disappearing into the streets of the village.

When she left the bar, the scene hit her like a punch in the stomach. Stones rolling on the cobblestones, voices full of hatred, insults cutting through the air.

It was at that moment that she understood why he had told her to wait.

She turned abruptly, her eyes desperately searching among the faces and shadows, but Ren was nowhere to be seen. Her heart beat faster, as if she had just lost sight of something precious.

A distant buzz and the sound of hurried footsteps made her look toward the street on the right. There, a small group of people was moving excitedly, as if drawn to something.

She didn't need to think twice.

“Ren!” Her voice rose above the din, trembling and filled with anxiety. “Ren!”

The words were lost in the noise of the crowd, like drops of water swallowed by the sea. No answer. No sign of him. Only the wind, which carried fragments of hostile phrases, of anger and fear, mixed with a heavy energy that made her clench her fists.

She ran. Her legs moved before she could even decide to do so, and each step seemed to lengthen the distance between her and that boy. She didn't understand. She couldn't comprehend how he could endure all this, how he could breathe in a village that looked at him with nothing but contempt.

“Why... why don't you leave here?” she thought, with a pain that gripped her stomach. “Why do you stay in a place that hurts you so much?”

But she had no answers. Not now.

And meanwhile, his figure was gone. He wasn't just far away... he had vanished. As if he had been swallowed up by the air itself. Mizuki stopped for a moment, panting, and the world around her seemed to become emptier, colder.

Ren was gone. And she didn't know where to find him.