Looking for the sound, Haruto walked into the park.
In the pouring rain, a small and cute figure was hopping around in the middle of the park. The puddles on the ground splashed every time her boots hit the water.
If this were out on the street, someone might have found it annoying. But here, in this small, deserted park, she wasn't bothering anyone.
All Haruto could feel was a sense of pure cuteness.
It was a little girl — a loli to be exact.
In the rain, she looked especially harmonious.
She had a petite body, wrapped in a large green hood with bunny ear–like decorations attached to the top.
The hem of her outfit flared like a skirt, and she wore green wellington boots.
The wide cloak and her small frame formed a peculiar, charming contrast.
Raindrops slid down her cloak instead of soaking her clothes. She looked as though she was genuinely enjoying herself in the rain.
This was the Hermit Spirit — the Fourth Spirit, Yoshino.
On her left hand, she held a rabbit puppet.
It was the kind of stage puppet that let you fit your hand inside to move it — with a mouth, arms, and everything.
It seemed she sensed Haruto's presence.
The moment her hood lifted, their eyes met.
Then, like an elementary school girl caught running around in the rain, she panicked.
Losing her balance mid-jump, her foot slipped on the slick tiles, and she fell flat on the ground.
There was nothing that could be done — the park's smooth stone tiles became dangerously slippery when wet.
The girl fell, the puppet flew from her hand, and she ended up in a mess.
If someone hadn't seen it happen, they'd never understand how a girl could end up in such a position.
Her skirt flipped up, and her hood slid down, exposing both her underwear and her pale neck.
Haruto sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead.
What was this…?
A lucky pervert plot?
He stepped forward, picked up the fallen puppet from the wet ground.
Oddly enough, despite all the puddles, the puppet wasn't even wet.
Then Haruto walked to the girl, gently helped her up, straightened her twisted skirt, and gave her a soft head pat.
The girl didn't even seem to care about the pain from the fall. Instead, she just stared up at Haruto, mouth slightly open in surprise.
It took her a long moment before she finally spoke.
"P-please…"
She wanted to say please don't come near me.
Because she was afraid of pain.
Everyone she had ever met had hurt her.
But before she could finish speaking, Haruto handed her the puppet.
Her expression immediately softened, as if she had forgotten what she was about to say.
She took the puppet with both hands and slipped it back onto her left arm.
"Thanks!"
She bowed deeply, thanking him sincerely.
It was strange — as soon as the puppet was back on her arm, it came to life. It moved its limbs and even spread its arms.
Then, in a voice completely different from the girl's, it spoke:
"Hey, strange brother! You're such a good guy! You just went through a classic lucky pervert scene, and yet you didn't even take a peek!"
The girl's face instantly turned bright red.
Her cheeks flushed all the way to her ears.
"H-Hey! Don't say weird things!" she said, covering the puppet's mouth with her hand.
The puppet — "Yoshinon" — flailed its arms desperately in protest.
Haruto couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.
The sight of the two bickering was simply too cute.
The girl seemed momentarily dazzled by Haruto's gentle smile.
"I like girls," Haruto said jokingly, "but the situation just now shouldn't be mixed with selfishness. By the way, my name's Haruto. I still don't know yours — or… yours two."
He introduced himself properly, making sure to clarify the joke — because the girl looked far too innocent to understand teasing.
Upon hearing his words, the girl's eyes widened slightly, then sparkled with joy.
"I… I'm Yoshino! And this is Yoshinon!" she said brightly.
Her speech was suddenly more fluent, more confident — because for the first time, someone had treated Yoshinon as a person of her own.
They were good friends.
And Yoshinon would fight for its friend's happiness.
"That's right! Nice to meet you, Haruto! I'm Yoshinon!" the puppet said cheerfully.
To an ordinary observer, it would look like a ventriloquism act.
But in truth, the puppet was alive — Yoshinon had her own independent personality.
The Fourth Spirit, Yoshino, was a textbook case of dissociative identity — the main personality was too weak, and so a protector, Yoshinon, was born.
The duration of their existence was unknown, but from a cognitive standpoint, they were distinct individuals — independent and complete.
Haruto's way of recognizing people came from that same cognitive perspective. He didn't judge a person by their body, but by their consciousness.
So, their conversation flowed naturally.
"Haruto," Yoshinon asked after joking for a while, "why are you here?"
Compared to Yoshino, Yoshinon was sharper and more mature, taking the role of protector seriously.
She needed to know this stranger's purpose — to make sure Yoshino wouldn't be hurt.
"I was entrusted by your mother to take you home," Haruto said truthfully — in a sense.
"Eh?"
Yoshino's eyes widened.
She had no memory from before she became a Spirit. Since then, she had lived only in the chaotic world of Spirits, rarely coming to this world.
"You really like to joke," Yoshinon said with a laugh, though its voice carried a sharp, defensive edge.
Haruto calmly raised a finger and tapped the puppet on the head.
Yoshinon's voice stopped.
The puppet turned toward him in confusion.
Though its expression couldn't change, Haruto could feel the emotion in its gaze.
"What I said is true," Haruto said gently. "I can't let you wander outside."
For a few seconds, silence hung between them.
Then Yoshinon shook its head and flicked Haruto's finger away.
"Even if you say that, it's suspicious. Don't tell me you're actually a lolicon? Trying to take advantage of sweet, innocent Yoshino for something indecent?"
Steam practically rose from Yoshino's head as she yanked her hood down over her face.
"Although I've been called that before," Haruto said calmly, smiling, "I'm not. I just want to protect you."
Yoshinon fell silent again, as if weighing his words.
But then, outside the park, came the sound of heavy footsteps.
The thud of tactical boots.
The faint clatter of metal.
The click of guns being readied.
Hearing that, Yoshino's expression filled with fear.
She turned toward the park entrance.
"…you can't blame us for not trusting you," Yoshinon said quietly.
It didn't need to say more.
Every time Yoshino came to this world — every single time — she never harmed anyone. She only played quietly in empty places like this little park.
And yet, every time, those people came.
Those mysterious attackers who wanted to kill her.
Yoshino feared pain more than anything.
So she always ran.
She never hated anyone — but she couldn't stop the pain from spreading to others.
"That's why," Haruto said softly, "I'm here to pick you up — and protect you."
Yoshinon looked at him for a moment.
"If you want to escape," it finally said, "then do it, Fourth Spirit."
Even then, it couldn't bring itself to fully trust a stranger. It had to protect Yoshino, and it couldn't risk her safety so easily.
Yoshino herself hid behind Haruto, not taking another step.
Every time she came here, she was hurt — without understanding why. And this time, she had finally met a kind brother she could talk to.
Yoshino didn't want to say goodbye again.
As painful as being hurt was, so too was loneliness.
Even with Yoshinon by her side, she still longed to talk to someone else.