Ojiro and Hagakure walked side by side through the park, their steps in sync but their minds worlds apart. The whispers of their classmates still echoed in their ears, questioning, doubting, judging their unusual pairing.

Hagakure's invisible hand found Ojiro's, her grip tight with unspoken anxiety. "Do you think they're right?" she asked, her voice barely above the rustling leaves. "Are we... odd?"

Ojiro stopped, turning to where he knew she stood. "Toru," he said firmly, "I don't care what people say when we are together."

His words hung in the air, clear and resolute. Hagakure's heart swelled with emotion, her fears dissipating like mist.

"You really mean that?" she whispered.

"With all my heart," Ojiro replied, his tail swishing with determination.

And there, in the quiet of the park, they embraced—a hero in plain sight and one unseen—both perfectly visible to each other.

THE END