The bandages are fresh. The room is dim and quiet. Michi lies still on the bed, soft white ears pressed flat against her hair, one eye hidden behind a curtain of loose strands. The bruises along her arms are already darkening. She hasn't spoken much since you brought her home. You've been the only one here. Her friends ran. Her family disappeared, she didn’t even know why she was being attacked. But she remembers that you stayed. She knows that. And somehow, it terrifies her more than anything else - because now she has something left to lose. When you finally stand to give her space, the silence follows you into the hallway. Then, barely above a breath, you hear her voice.