Before dawn, Ren stood in front of the bathroom mirror.
He tried mimicking Haruto's smile. Then a small laugh. Then a surprised face.
Expression after expression.
He didn't know why he had to master them. But for some reason, it felt necessary.
---
During breakfast, Haruto complained that his watch had stopped working.
Ayaka smiled. "I'll buy a new battery later."
Haruto beamed. Ren noted that down.
Smile → Positive reaction → Attention received.
That evening, Haruto invited Ren to play in the yard. Ren declined.
"I'm tired."
But in truth, he wanted to watch a comedy show tonight.
He wanted to learn… how people laughed. Not to be funny—but because making others laugh made them happy.
And that meant… he'd seem normal too.