Poor girl, Yomo thinks. She jerks at his every move, and watches him as if waiting for his attack.
She’s a skinny kid, with limp hair and large but languid eyes. She’s polite, almost too much so.
“We’re stopping by HySy to get a mask before we go pick up bodies,” Yomo said gently. It’s a shame children are already exposed to death.
But she was eager for work, and for some reason, Yoshimura thinks their rescue would find Yomo a good mentor.
Yomo parks outside Uta’s creepy shop. “Stick close. It’s the fourth ward.”
“Yes, sir,” says the girl. She winces when she remembers he requested that she call him Yomo. “I mean, Yomo-san.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Yomo smiles at her as he shoves open the door.
“Hey, hey, hey, is this the apprentice I’ve been hearing so much about?” Uta springs up from his desk.
Yomo is relieved to see that his friend isn’t going to scare her.
“Hi, I’m Uta.” Uta waves.
“Hi.” She extends her hand nervously.
“I’m glad to meet you. Yomo seems to appreciate your company.” Uta chatters, but the girl’s eyes focus behind him. A guitar hands on the wall, adorned with spider lily carvings.
“Do you play guitar?” Yomo asks.
She nods eagerly.
“Well,” says Uta, “then you can have it.”
“What?” she gasps, but he’s already removing it from his wall.
“I can make another. You deserve a reward for your work. Besides, it’s not that often I see a one-eyed ghoul, much less a nice one!” Uta laughs.
The girl looks truly excited for the first time. “Thank you.”
“Do you know how to play it?” Yomo asks her.
She nods.
“Will you teach me, then?” He asks.
A grin plays at the corner of her mouth. She, teaching Yomo-san? He wants to learn from the likes of her?
She nods, and for the first time, Yomo sees happiness cross her face.
