The taste was surprisingly good—simple, comforting, and nostalgic in a way that made her chest ache.
It reminded her of a time long before the chaos, back when she still believed in simple things, like family and kindness.
She closed her eyes as the sweetness spread across her tongue, allowing herself to savor the moment.
For so long, her life had been about survival, about preparing for the next blow. But maybe now, she could start letting herself feel again, bit by bit.
After finishing the pastry, Hina looked around her apartment.
It was sparse, cold, a reflection of how she'd lived.
A minimalist, functional, but utterly devoid of life.
Her heart stirred as her gaze settled on the comic book again. It lay open on the table, the pages a portal into Maria's world.
A thought crossed her mind.
She wasn't Maria.
She didn't have to be consumed by obsession or darkness. There was still time to find something else, something worth living for.
But what was that something?
Hina's thoughts wandered back to what she'd read about love.
It was an abstract concept to her, something she had seen others experience from a distance.
She had witnessed it on the faces of couples walking through the streets, in the way parents looked at their children. It seemed so far removed from her reality, yet now... she found herself wanting it.
Could love really change her? Could it offer her the redemption she longed for?
She shook her head, feeling foolish for even entertaining such thoughts.
Her life had been anything but normal.
Love seemed like a luxury for people who didn't carry the weight of the past like she did.
And yet, the more she thought about it, the more she realized how much she craved it... not just romantic love, but the love of friendship, of belonging, of being part of something that wasn't destructive.
The feeling of being important for someone, to experience positive feelings in simple things like enjoying a meal together, writing a letter to someone...
She wanted to experience the only feeling that she never felt towards someone: Pure and genuine love, like the one that Maria had towards Alex.
The feeling gnawed at her, persistent.
Suddenly, she felt restless.
Sitting in that apartment, with only her thoughts for company, felt suffocating.
She needed to take a step toward that change, no matter how small.
Hina glanced at her shoes, and without overthinking, she grabbed her jacket and slipped them on.
She stepped outside into the hallway, the air cool against her skin.
The building was quiet, and for a moment, Hina wondered if she was making a mistake.
She hadn't stepped out in days except for essentials, still paranoid that someone from her past would recognize her.
But this time was different.
She wasn't running from the past now.
She was walking toward something new.
Her footsteps echoed as she made her way down the stairs and out onto the street.
The city at night was bustling, yet distant.
Lights flickered from every window, people passed by without noticing her, and for the first time in a long while, Hina felt invisible.
It wasn't the kind of invisibility that came with fear, though. It was a freeing sensation, like she could blend into the normalcy around her.
As she walked, she passed by a small park.
A group of young people were laughing together, huddled under a streetlamp.
Hina slowed down, watching them from a distance.
The sound of their laughter felt foreign, but somehow soothing.
She hadn't laughed in so long.
She remembered Maria's struggle: the weight of being alone despite all the power she held, with the risk of hurting the people she loved.
It was a reflection of Hina's own loneliness.
But unlike Maria, Hina had a choice.
She could make small steps, like this one, to change her fate.
Without thinking, Hina turned toward the park
. Her heart raced as she approached the group.
They seemed carefree, chatting, teasing each other.
For a moment, she considered turning back, her fear of rejection flaring up.
She wasn't like them.
What if they sensed that she didn't belong?
But then, something inside her pushed her forward.
She didn't have to do this perfectly. She just had to try.
"Hey," Hina said quietly as she approached.
The group paused, looking at her with curious eyes.
One of them, a girl with bright pink hair, smiled warmly. "Hey! You new around here?"
Hina nodded, feeling her heart pound in her chest. "Yeah... I just moved in nearby."
The girl grinned, nudging her friend. "Well, you're in luck. We're the coolest people in this area."
The others laughed, and Hina found herself smiling, even if it was a small one.
They introduced themselves one by one: casual names and easy smiles.
They didn't ask too many questions, didn't pry into her past.
They simply made space for her, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Hina felt a glimmer of acceptance.
As the night wore on, she found herself talking, even laughing a little.
She still had a long way to go, still had battles to fight within herself.
But that night, sitting among these strangers who didn't know her past, Hina felt a spark of hope.
Perhaps love wasn't as far away as she thought.
Perhaps, in this small moment of normalcy, she was finally beginning to find her place in the world.
The girl approached Hina without thinking twice, not being scared by her, like it was the most normal thing in this world full of darkness.
"So, are you new around here? I've never see you around!" The pink-haired girl said.
Hina silently nodded her head, not knowing hot to properly behave around people.
"Oh!! That's nice!! We are from another city too!" The girl said.
Then, the girl and the other people properly introduced themselves to Hina.
"I am Aiko Nakamura!!" The pink haired girl said with a lovely smile on her face.
"I am Shota!! Shota Watanabe!!" Said the blue haired guy behind her.
"My name is Rina Kobayashi!!" The other girl said with a smile and a cheerful tone of voice.
Then , other two guys introduced themselves.
"My name is Riku Matsuda!! It's a pleasure to meet you." Said, the "fat" but nice guy.
"I am Sora Fujimoto!!" The last one said.
They looked like aliens to Hina.
All of them seemed to be very kind and lovingly , ready to make Hina feel like a human.
Her eyes widened , processing all the informations that she received.
But her mind was probably refusing to elaborate.
"Do i... really deserve this?" She thought in her mind, not being used to be treated so kindly by someone stranger.
She always used to see people like targets , and she didn't know too many things about human relationships.
She had a lot of things to learn.
She perfectly knew that one day she would've suffered , loved , and experienced a lot of different things, but she also knew that she had to accept all of those new sensations and feelings to her heart.
So, after hearing all their names, Hina's lips slowly curved into a soft smile and she introduced herself.
"I am... Hina Ishikawa. But please, just call me Hina. I hate formalities." She said, with a lovingly tone of voice...