Kitamoto sat at his desk, staring blankly at his homework. He repeatedly tried to concentrate on the task, but remembering Natsume's pained expression again, he let out a heavy sigh as he pushed the textbook away. Kitamoto had happened to witness the whole episode with Nishimura's surprise attack. Thinking it would be funny, he had hid behind a shelf and watched them, only to see his friend's unexpected reaction to a light-hearted prank.

Why would Natsume react like that?

It seemed like more than being surprised, he seemed…afraid. But afraid of what? Kitamoto tried to imagine what on earth could cause a teenage boy like Natsume to be so alarmed. Kitamoto leaned back in his chair. The more he thought about it, the more Natsume's expression seemed to come up…and the more frustrated he became.

Dammit…Natsume's expression was stuck to his consciousness like rice cake. Because, even from the distance, Natsume's expression had made him shudder. All the insecurity that reflected in Natsume's eyes had overwhelmed him; threatening to pull him deep into a world of fear. It was not an expression that Kitamoto was familiar with, certainly not an expression usually found in his world. But Natsume was part of his world now, and he knew that he definitely did not want to see that awful expression again.

Why did Natsume make that sort of face? What was he afraid of?

Kitamoto soon realised that there was nothing he could hope to decipher on his own. His train of thought gradually moved towards the realisation that Natsume really hid so much of himself from them.

Kitamoto did not hate Natsume, but he could not deny that his fake smiles were like a small, icy prick in his heart.

Those impassive smiles which were plastered to his face as if they were a part of him…as if he had long gotten used to wearing such masks. Because Kitamoto knew that's what they were; masks. Masks that shielded the 'something' which had been buried deep down somewhere, afraid to show itself.

Afraid that thinking any deeper may create a rift between him and Natsume, Kitamoto shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind.

"What are you doing?"

Kitamoto jumped a little, and then turned to see Mana at his door with a raised eyebrow.

"I knocked but you didn't answer."

"…No, it's nothing." Then, on a whim (or perhaps not), Kitamoto decided to smile at Mana and repeated, "It's nothing."

Mana just mumbled something about him being creepy, borrowed a dictionary, and left, muttering that he was creepy again. The whole time, Kitamoto had tried to keep an uncharacteristically flat, fake smile.

Is this what Natsume did to himself? Day in, and day out…in front of Kitamoto, Nishimura, and even with the Fujiwara couple. How long has Natsume had to endure this horrible cycle of shutting himself in behind a mask?

The thought of Natsume doing this everyday, everywhere, for so long…seemed extremely, extremely lonely. And the thought of that made Kitamoto extremely, extremely afraid. Afraid that his friend was in a world he could not understand, and that even if Natsume was to suffer or break down; he could do nothing.