After the rides—
Mochi walked slower.
Cheeks still pink.
Breath light.
Hands clasped together.
She stayed a step behind Laddu.
Not hiding.
Not shrinking.
Just… there.
Her shyness remained.
But now it slipped into a smile.
Small.
Uncontrolled.
Maya and Candy followed.
A short distance back.
Bad detectives.
Watching.
Always watching.
"I don't trust that boy," Maya muttered.
Candy nodded.
"He is suspicious."
They followed anyway.
They always did.
They entered a shop.
Bright.
Colorful.
Costumes everywhere.
Wigs.
Masks.
Plastic swords.
Cheap chaos.
Laddu's eyes lit up.
Immediately.
He grabbed a pirate hat.
Stood on his toes.
Placed it gently on Mochi's head.
Too small.
On her tall frame—
It looked ridiculous.
Maya burst out laughing.
Candy collapsed to the floor.
Mochi tried to hold it in.
Failed.
A giggle escaped.
Laddu handed her a plastic sword.
"Say 'Arrr.'"
Mochi tried.
"Arrr…?"
It came out wrong.
Soft.
Confused.
Like a kitten.
Laddu grabbed his stomach.
Maya leaned on the wall.
Candy rolled.
Mochi's face burned.
But she smiled.
Wide.
Wider than before.
Then—
A lightsaber.
"Press the button," Laddu said.
She did.
VWOOM.
She jumped.
Hard.
Candy shrieked laughing.
Maya wiped her eyes.
"She looks like a giant Jedi baby!"
Mochi covered her face.
Laughing.
Real laughter.
The kind she hadn't heard from herself in years.
Then—
Laddu picked up the wrong thing.
A Nazi costume.
Before it lifted—
SMACK.
Maya hit the back of his head.
Hard.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
Candy slapped her hands over Mochi's eyes.
"You saw NOTHING, unnie!"
Mochi panicked.
"N-no no no—!"
Sweating.
Fear real.
Laddu laughed.
Hands up.
"It's a joke! A joke!"
"I'm not starting World War Three!"
He shoved it back.
Fast.
Almost flew off the rack.
"Promise," he said."No cursed costumes."
Silence.
Then—
Laughter.
Big.
Relieved.
Stupid.
The tension broke.
Mochi stood there.
Not hiding.
Not curling her shoulders.
Just laughing.
Playing.
Like a tall, oversized child.
Laddu watched her.
Expression softer.
Quieter.
Maya leaned down.
Whispered to Candy.
"They're both idiots."
Pause.
"Perfect match."
Candy nodded seriously.
"Yes."
"Soulmates."
Then Laddu changed.
Energy shifted.
He walked away.
Toward the normal section.
No noise.
No jokes.
Just racks.
Mochi tilted her head.
Confused.
"What… is he doing?"
He scanned carefully.
Thoughtfully.
He chose three things.
One by one.
A white sweater.
Soft.
Warm.
Simple.
A pastel pink hoodie.
Oversized.
Safe.
Something to hide inside.
A long beige winter coat.
Elegant.
Tall.
Quiet confidence.
Mochi froze.
Pretended to look elsewhere.
Watched from the corner of her eyes.
Her chest tightened.
These weren't loud.
Not silly.
They were… her.
He paid.
Didn't hesitate.
Didn't blink.
Mochi whispered to herself—
"F-for who…?"
Maya muttered from behind a rack.
"What is that idiot planning…?"
Candy gasped.
"He is buying clothes for unnie."
"This is romance."
Laddu walked back.
Straight to the spies.
Handed the bag to Maya.
"Hold this."
"Don't let Mochi carry anything."
Candy saluted.
"Yes, sir!"
Maya took the bag.
Eyebrow raised.
"How much did you buy?"
"Just extra clothes," Laddu said.
"She'll need them later."
Maya paused.
Expression softened.
Candy's mouth opened wide.
Mochi saw everything.
The clothes.
The bag.
Him stopping her from lifting anything.
Him choosing things that fit—
Her height.Her softness.Her fear.Her quiet.
Her fingers tightened around her gloves.
Heart racing.
Sweet.
Painful.
"Why…" she whispered."Why is he doing this… for me?"
Feelings bloomed.
Confusion.
Warmth.
Fear.
Embarrassment.
Happiness.
All mixed.
Cheeks red again.
And for the first time—
She understood.
He notices.He pays attention.He thinks ahead.
He cares.
In his own stupid.
Chaotic.
Unexpected way.
And that—
That is how someone begins to fall.
Quietly.Shyly.Deeply.