Noir had thought that was the end of the matter.

When their conversation ended abruptly that day, he had assumed that would be the last day he would see the kind director. He had been mentally prepared to be relocated to another orphanage, to be treated with fear and apprehension like how his previous adoptive families did, to be avoided entirely.

It couldn't be helped, he thought to himself.

Everyone would leave him anyway, no matter how kind and loving they were at first. He simply hastened the progress with the director and forced her to see reality instead of waiting until she noticed his peculiarity on her own.

—But oh boy was he wrong.

The director did not avoid him and… she did not fear him.

When she summoned him to her office that very same night, her eyes appeared flushed like she had been crying—but that's it. There was no fear, no dread, no dismay. Just the same heartache and distress.

"I understand," she began in a raspy voice. "I'm so sorry for forcing my views on you all this time. If you don't wish to go to another family, then you won't have to. Instead…" she reached out to him, like she always did, enveloping his tiny hands in her comforting warmth. "How about staying here, in this orphanage with me?"

Noir was too stunned to speak, his mouth slightly agape.

What was this? What was going on? Why… didn't she fear him? Why didn't she avoid him, like everyone else did? Why did she still treat him as kindly, even respecting his wish and offering him a permanent place to stay?

Little Noir couldn't understand. This was something that had not happened before.

Tilting his head, he decided to voice his confusion, "Why aren't you afraid of me…?"

His question elicited a faint laughter from the director, her eyes crinkling with a mixture of fondness, amusement and exasperation. "Why should I?" Then her smile turned subdued as a heavy sigh escaped her. "Truth to be told, I've never quite understood you. You're too withdrawn and taciturn, and I have no idea what's running through your mind… until now."

She patted his head with a hint of heartache, "It's been hard on you, hasn't it, Noir?"

Really? Noir blinked in confusion. Shouldn't it be the other way around? It's other people who have a hard time dealing with me…

But the director simply smiled at him—the same kind and gentle smile she'd always shown. With a more cheerful tone, she ushered him back, "Alright, you may go back to your room. Don't forget to brush your teeth, okay?"

Still with a head full of question marks, Noir left the office and slowly trudged his way back to his room.

From that moment onwards, the director became an anomaly in his otherwise quiet and unperturbed life, a person he could never figure out.

But the fact remained—he was staying. Here, in this orphanage.

After about two years of drifting about in this unfamiliar world, he finally had a place he could call home.

Due to his lack of basic knowledge, Noir spent the next couple of years under the director's guidance, receiving elementary school lessons under her tutelage. All his knowledge was passed down by her—his beliefs, values, even his understanding of the world—until eventually, he no longer gave off a sense of incongruity as if he could never truly merge with this world.

Nonetheless, his quiet temperament prevented him from making friends, much to the director's exasperation. In his free time, she started introducing him to art, inviting him to create small trinkets for his younger brothers and sisters in the orphanage. And to her delight, he seemed to have a natural talent in this!

"You're naturally good with your hands, and you have enough patience to build your foundation rather than seeking instant results. You grasp difficult concepts faster than most— you're a genius, Noir!" she praised warmly.

Noir merely nodded his head, looking neither happy nor proud at the compliments. Rather, it looked like he was just going along with her words, leaving the director feeling quite helpless.

"Don't you like this?" she asked.

Like…

Noir took a few seconds to digest that word in his tongue. Even after months of learning, he had no idea whether he liked art or not, but one thing for certain, he did enjoy it. It was quiet and relaxing, and he could pour all of his focus without worrying that someone would bother him.

It was simply a perfect activity for a recluse like Noir.

Therefore, he nodded.

And with that simple gesture, the director's face broke into a joyful smile.

***

Time flew by in this tranquil manner.

Noir started attending school when he entered junior high, and at that time, he had already learned how to earn pocket money from the little trinkets he created in his free time, such as earrings, bracelets and other small accessories. Thanks to the director's patient guidance, he managed to blend in with his peers smoothly, though often he was taken as the cool and mysterious student whom nobody dared to approach.

Alas, just as Noir thought that he had his life on track, fate always liked to throw a wrench in his mundane, ordinary life.

One day, upon returning from school, he saw it.

"Oh, Noir, you're back? Can you watch over your brothers and sisters for a while? I have to receive a guest."

Noir froze on his tracks, his expression blank. He stared at the director's familiar visage as if it was the first time he had ever seen her.

—or to be more exact, at the black mist coiling around her body.

The aura of death.

As soon as the realization hit him, what this sight truly meant, Noir felt as if a heavy blow had landed on the back of his head, leaving his mind reeling with disbelief. A foreign sensation settled heavily in the pit of his stomach.

The director… was dying?

She, too, would die… like all those people he had seen in the past?

No, that's not certain yet. For instance, the black mist around her body was new. At least, he didn't recall seeing it yesterday. It was still thin, almost unnoticeable if he didn't take a closer look, which meant that the situation wasn't too late yet!

There was still time. Perhaps he could turn it to his favor before the situation took a turn for the worse!

And so, after a long restless hesitation, Noir decided to inform her about what he had seen. She deserved to know this. Even though he had promised himself never to speak about this again… what if… what if he could save her and prevent her death? At the very least, he trusted that the director would listen to him properly rather than treating his words as nonsense.

Knock knock.

"Enter."

Pushing the door open, Noir was met with the sight of a small, cozy office with the director sitting behind the desk, perusing a stack of documents. She smiled upon spotting the boy she had raised since he was a child.

"Noir, what brings you here?" she asked warmly.

Noir's throat rolled. Speaking had never been his forte, but he had no idea that it would be this difficult. But still, he forced himself to do it. "Director…"

As he spoke, the smile slowly faded from the director's face.