By the time they left the Hokage Building, it was completely dark, with barely a few stars in the sky.
Shuo walked slowly, not because he was tired, but because the four creatures behind him really could not move fast-Hand Princess Big and Hand Princess Small crawled slowly along the ground, Hand Princess Three hopped and paused, and Hand Princess Four drifted lazily behind them. They looked just like a little ragtag procession, both strange and funny.
A few scattered pedestrians were still on the street. The moment they saw them, they hurried out of the way, hugging the walls and barely daring to breathe.
They were not afraid of Shuo, but of those eyes-in palms, in soles, floating in the air. Every pair blinked and stared straight at people. Anyone would have been unnerved.
"Shuo."
Hand Princess Big suddenly stopped and spoke softly, sounding a little hurt.
"Hmm?" Shuo slowed down and looked back.
"Those people... why are they avoiding us?"
Shuo thought for a moment and said bluntly, "They're afraid of you. They think you look scary."
Hand Princess Big froze, then slowly lowered its head and looked at its own hand-shaped body, with only five fingers and an eye embedded in its palm. After a long silence, it gave a quiet "Oh" and slowly crawled on, its movements much lighter than before.
Shuo fished a piece of candy out of his pocket, unwrapped it, and tossed it into his mouth. Sweetness spread as he chewed and said, "Don't dwell on it. You'll get used to it. Anyway, as long as I'm here, no one will dare pick on you."
Back at the shack, the four creatures crowded around the entrance as usual instead of wandering off. The eyes in their palms and soles narrowed, as though adjusting