"Eh? Wait".
"Uwaaah, Mommy, mommy".
Soma was shaken, as the onlooker behind him began to look in their direction. His mind was in disarray as the girl before him started to scream rather than cry.
The girl had a short stature of about a hundred and ten centimeters, from the appearance alone she was probably a grade-schooler. She wears a white plain shirt and a brown coat, for the lower part she wears long blue pants with a pair of white shoes.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, I was just..".
He crouched down trying to match the girl's sight, but the girl just didn't stop crying even after he made several attempts to calm her.
"What the hell are you doing?".
A threatening cold voice came above him, as his body stiffened and was engulfed by a shadow. Then, a pair of blue icy eyes that are devoid of any light gazing at him, as if he is trash. Soma turned his attention back to find Hina was looking at him with a gaze filled with contempt. He tried to open his mouth trying to explain what was happening but the cry of the girl behind him stopped him from doing so.
"Move away".
Hina who didn't have any patience left grabbed his collar before yanking him from the place. Soma was thrown to the side and the girl was too stunned to cry Hina crouched down while flashing her white teeth trying to ensure that the threatening figure was gone she opened her mouth.
"Are you alone?".
The girl turned to look at Hina and hesitated before She replied with a small nod.
"I see, what is your name sweetheart?".
"Kaede, Yukimura Kaede".
"That's a cute name, Kaede".
"Ehehe, Thank you, Big sister".
Soma, who was thrown to the side, raised his body and watched the interaction of the two as a small smile formed on his lips.
He knew that despite the venomous mouth she showed to him. Deep down Hina was a good kind heart girl. She is deeply connected to the girl who has a reserved nature because it reminds her of her past self. Before it gets twisted by the dark side of the people who want to satisfy their greed by gaining a favor from her parents.
Hina succeeded in calming the girl down. She began to pat the girl's head and the girl closed her eyes as if purring like a cat.
"Has she calmed down".
Soma cautiously approached the two and Hina shot a glare at him making his body flinched. She noticed something in her sight behind Soma before turning to the girl and said.
"Would you like to drink?".
The girl looked at Hina's eyes and looked at Soma before giving a small nod.
"Okay, You buy this girl some drink".
"Okay, Kaede, what kind of drink did you want?"
Soma crouched down as he began to ask the girl calmly with a smile.
"Orange Juice". Replied Kaede to which Soma gave his thumb up.
"Leave it to me, …do you want some?".
Soma turned to Hina and Hina stiffened in the process because she didn't think that Soma would offer her something to drink. She hesitated at first while the two pairs of eyes began to watch her movement, biting her lips before said.
"..Strawberry milk please?".
"Okay, coming right up".
Hina opened her eyes wide seeing Soma leave their side and stand before the vending machine buying the drink they had ordered. She kept looking at his figure which began to stir her heart and realized that she still had suspicions about him. Usually, she always puts a tough front in front of everyone, and the result of that is. She had zero points in a friendship. She thought that friendship was nothing but a facade to find a connection to her who was blessed.
However, deep down she realized. There is no one other than her and her parents who understand her the most. Behind the thought front, she always showed to others, deep down lay a secret that she was afraid and hated to expose to the world. It was her weakness.
Hina hates her weakness for being the shy and crybaby girl she used to be. She hates to show that to the world. She hates being a weak person. "Because if you are weak you will get exploited, because if you are weak you will be devoured by the darkness in the world".
So she is always careful around strangers that invade her space. She would build a thick wall, and unleash her venomous tongue to chase them away to protect what is inside her core.
However, now was not the right time for her to show her discomfort at Soma in front of Kaede. So for a while, she will try to endure this feeling until Kaede finds her parents.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here this is for you, this one's for you, and this one's for me".
Soma crouched down while giving the drink he purchased earlier, to Kaede Hina and himself. He already drunk a coffee earlier, but after seeing the state he was in he bought another one for him to drink. It was the same black can he ordered earlier.
"Thank you, big brother".
"..Thanks".
"No problem. Ah, right. Can you open the can yourself".
Kaede shook her head and Soma, seeing that shrugged his shoulder and extended his right hand before twisting the lever until the can make a pop sound. A hole began to appear showing the orange liquid inside. Soma also did the same thing for himself before taking a sip.
"Itadakimasu".
Once he heard the word he stopped his drinking and watched the girl drinking the juice slowly. He felt a bit ashamed after hearing the words that came out of the girl's mouth.
Hina noticed the state Soma was in. Her mouth relaxed for a moment and it stretched up a little seeing his stupidity. Not wanting to become a bad example like him Hina plunged the straw in and said the word.
"Itadakimasu".
"Eh?".
Soma turned his sight toward Hina and she threw her sight away and didn't want to look at Him. He looked at the black can in his hands, hesitated at first then opened his mouth.
"..Itadakimasu".
With a snap after those words come out. Hina spurted the milk from her mouth and began to laugh.
"Pfthaha,,".
Kaede, as if affected by the atmosphere of the laugh, began to show her smile and laugh.
"Ehehe,,".
Soma stopped his activity and turned his gaze to both of them. Seeing the laugh on their face put a smile of satisfaction on his face.