Muted

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

"I have something to show you," Yuzuru said one night, his words breaking the comfortable silence that had settled in his living room. The declaration felt unexpected, given that you had already spent hours talking late into the evening.

You watched him closely, noticing the flicker of anticipation and nervousness on his face. It had been a while since he stopped hiding his emotions from you, and though you still had much to learn, you knew he rarely showed nerves. The last time was at the lake when he admitted to his Sense Offense, but then he only seemed afraid. Now, he also appeared excited.

Whatever he was about to reveal, you were sure it was something deeply personal, something he had kept hidden away, waiting for the perfect time to let you in on it.

Tonight, it seemed, was finally that moment.

He moved to an empty corner of the room before slowly kneeling down and lifting a wooden panel from the floor, revealing a hidden compartment. Your eyes widened as he pulled out a wooden box, its surface scuffed.

"Come here," he whispered, his voice hushed as if afraid of being overheard, even though you were alone in the apartment.

You did as you were told as he opened the box.

Inside were multiple items, each wrapped meticulously in cloth and carefully protected. Although you couldn't tell what the items were yet, it was clear that they were precious simply by how well they were cared for.

Yuzuru glanced up at you, his eyes searching yours for understanding. It was then that it hit you. This box and whatever it contained, was a secret he had kept and was finally ready to share. It was a piece of him, one so important that he had gone to such lengths to hide it, and he trusted you enough to handle it with care.

You nodded at him wordlessly, before you watched as he unwrapped each item, one by one.

"This is a cartridge," he whispered. To you, it looked like just a dull gray square of plastic, but the reverent way he held it told you it was something more. He explained it was for something called a 'video game,' an experience where you could interact with images projected on a screen. The concept was so foreign, it left your mind completely blown.

"Like a moving picture? And you can control it?" you asked, dumbfounded, completely unable to grasp the concept.

After minutes of further explanation, eventually he gave up, a playful laugh on his lips.

He then unwrapped what looked like an empty cardboard box. You learned it was a box that once held a particular food item he loved. He kept it as a memento of something he said was made from rice and edamame. The idea seemed peculiar to you, and you struggled to understand this too. After all, the taste of 'sweet' was something you had never experienced before, as was eating for pleasure.

You wondered if you would be able to understand what 'sweet' was if you too stopped taking your Daily Supplements.

"All of these items I found over the years..." he explained, before he picked up another item within the wooden box. "All except this little friend."

In his hand, he held a small, plush figure shaped like an animal. It was a soft, brownish-yellow, with a furry texture and wearing a small red shirt. While he treated all the items with care, he handled this one as if it were alive.

"This little friend is named Whinnie," he said gently. "He's the only thing I managed to save from my home, besides that photo of my family."

You watched as he gazed at the bear with a look of deep affection before setting it down as if it were made of fragile glass, patting its tiny head with utmost care. Then, with a careful motion, he picked up the last item from the box.