《The Promise of Yuuko Asahino - Volume 2》 Prologue ¡°Yuya. Get over here. Now.¡± The little girl was trembling as though it were in the middle of winter. She covered her head, but Yuuko recognized the look she had in her eyes. He remembered seeing them that day. That¡¯s exactly why he wouldn¡¯t leave her. Even with everything she¡¯s done, he couldn¡¯t leave her. Even though¡­¡­he wanted to? ¡°S¡ªShe¡¯s not going with you. I¡¯m not going to let her go with you anymore.¡± ¡°Yuya. Now.¡± ¡°Talk to me, not her!¡± He hurriedly brandished himself in front of the girl, arms spread wide open to cover as much of her shivering body as possible. She looked exactly like Toshi did the day he found him, right down to laying on the ground, and just like that day, he caught her eye as she looked up. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡ª it¡¯s okay now¡­I¡¯m going to protect you.¡± Those words confused her.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Even though he¡¯s shaking¡­.why did he smile? The woman heaved a heavy sigh. ¡°If you don¡¯t move from there then I¡¯m going to take you inside the house by force. And as for you, boy,¡± she said removing the belt around her waist. ¡°This isn¡¯t a fairytale. My son knows his place, and it isn¡¯t by you.¡± She folded the leather in two and held it on her shoulder. ¡°Last warning Yuya. Get inside the house.¡± ¡°I said you are talking to me!¡± A severe twitch pulled on the woman¡¯s eyebrow. Even Yuuko could tell she was much more than angry. ¡°I see no one¡¯s ever taught you manners. Fine. I¡¯ll be the first to do it.¡± She said approaching the two. ¡°You children are nothing but mistakes!¡± ¡°TOSHI!¡± Faster than the woman could react, a dog with light brown fur and a curved tail jumped the tall fence behind them, placing itself between Yuuko and the woman holding the belt. The dog brandished his fangs, causing her to hesitate. ¡°A h¡ª a man doesn''t run away! He has to fight!¡± ¡°Delusional little brat,¡± the woman snarled. ¡°Do you have ANY idea what I¡¯m trying to do? He¡¯s going to be the catalyst for change!¡± ¡°You make her cry!¡± The girl was dumbfounded by his words. They were, without a doubt, the most idiotic things she¡¯d ever heard¡­¡­ but even so¡­¡­.. The boy turned around once more. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to be scared anymore.¡± If a person like this exists. Then maybe¡­¡­.. for someone like her¡­.. Maybe it would be okay for her to cry. Chapter 1 - A Hidden Heart Part 1 ¡°Mom?¡± he asked as she continued to read the small piece of paper she was holding. He heard her mumbling a few words, but they were too soft for him to hear. Well, he didn¡¯t think she was talking to him anyway. ¡°Hey, mom?¡± he asked, pulling at the bottom of her shirt. Her eyes moved from the paper she was holding in her right hand, to the phone she was holding in her left. He didn¡¯t want to interrupt her when she was doing something important, but what he had to give her was important too. Realizing this, the young seven year old boy climbed inside their empty shopping cart and firmly held the item she requested in front of her eyes. ¡°Mother!¡± ¡°Ahh?!¡± she said snapping out of her daze to look at her son. ¡°Yuuko, get down from there¡ª it is bad manners, you know that.¡± ¡°You were not paying attention to me,¡± he pouted. ¡°But I know¡­.. sorry¡­¡­..¡± As the boy climbed down their cart, his mother couldn¡¯t help but give a deep sigh. ¡°No Yuuko, I am sorry. I was distracted trying to find out where everything is, I was not paying attention.¡± She crouched down to face her son. Both of their golden colored eyes met while Hikari spoke her next words. ¡°Can you forgive your air head of a mother?¡± ¡°Hmn,¡± her son said with a smile. ¡°It is okay mom. I forget too.¡± ¡°Mother,¡± she said bopping the top of her son¡¯s head. ¡°Do you have the coffee I asked for?¡± ¡°Yes, here you go, mother.¡± ¡°Thank you so much Yuu¡­.ko¡­¡­¡­ what is this?¡± ¡°Igyh!? Did I get the wrong one?¡± he asked in a panic. ¡°No, it is fine, but Yuuko¡­¡­. this is damaged. Too damaged.¡± To say the product is of shameful quality would be an understatement. The corners were dented so far inward that it almost resembled a circle, while the lid itself was ready to burst any second, held back only by a measly strip of tape. Hikari shook the inside of the box, but it was so deformed she couldn¡¯t properly hear the product inside. ¡°It is the right kind, but replace it with a proper one okay?¡± ¡°No mother¡ª we have to get this one!¡± ¡°Yuuko, we need one that is not damaged. Who knows what could be inside this?¡± ¡°But if we do not get it, I will feel bad!¡± ¡°Feel bad?¡ª what in the world are you talking about?¡± ¡°I picked this one because it¡¯s hurt!¡± Hikari was physically taken aback, but her son continued. ¡°It¡¯s like the first time I found Toshi with father. He was hurt and nobody wanted him, but father helped him and that¡¯s why he has a home now!¡± ¡°..........................¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I want to help this box too! If we don¡¯t help it, no one will buy it and it will be all alone! It¡¯s going to be sad¡ª¡ªhnn?¡± Yuuko paused his words upon looking at his mother¡¯s face. ¡°Mother are you okay? You look¡­¡­ are you sad?¡± ¡°Yuuko, ah, p-please get some cream? It¡¯s the kind we have inside the fridge.¡± ¡°Mom?¡± ¡°I¡¯m o¡­¡­.. off you go. Hurry so we can leave.¡± ¡°O-Okay.¡± With a hesitant nod, Yuuko dashed out of the aisle, and out of sight. The instant he did, Hikari put a hand to her chest, breathing in and out to control herself. Just how did you do it?¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.Yuuto¡­¡­. As her breathing gradually returned to normal, she kept asking herself those questions. How did her husband manage to fake his emotions¡ª his smile¡ª for so long, especially in front of their son? She was well aware of his state of being. She knew his beliefs, his attitude, his lack of belief in himself and his convictions. She had been with him for years, working on it¡ª trying to get him past the horrible feeling of emptiness he suffered from since¡­¡­. Even so, she never understood how he could fool himself long enough to fool their child. How he could brazenly stand with their son, proclaiming false convictions, and never break down even once. The more she thought about it, the clearer the answer became. He only lasted so long because it was his child. He had to give hope to the only person he believed in. He didn¡¯t have enough fire to spread with everyone¡­¡­ himself included. She pinched the skin on her hand to avoid breaking down. Her husband¡­¡­ was definitely stronger than she is. He lasted over thirty years with those feelings. And if it were him here, right now, he would be able to keep his composure¡ª especially in front of the person who mattered most. Her? It¡¯s been ten months¡­¡­. and her struggle to maintain herself had hardly gotten any better. You were right¡­¡­.. about our son¡­¡­ The skin on her hand turned a bright red from the grasp she had on it between her fingers. He inherited those ideals¡­¡­¡­ but still¡­¡­¡­.. did it have to come at the cost it did!? She mentally told herself these things in order to prevent thinking about the bigger issue she was faced with. The issue that came from her son inheriting an impossible ideal. Seeing him return, she looked at the box and steeled her resolve. She had to correct this. ¡°Yuuko, I need you to put this back and get a new one, okay? T¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªbut mom! If we don¡¯t help it¡¯ll be all al¡ª¡± He was silenced by his mother placing a finger on his lips. ¡°Do not interrupt people when they are speaking Yuuko.¡± ¡°I¡­¡­.but¡­.¡± ¡°The box doesn''t have feelings Yuuko. It is not a person or an animal. One day someone will come and buy it, but right now we can not do that because we need one that is not broken.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Okay Yuuko?¡± ¡°Will someone really come and help it? Promise?¡± She exhaled. ¡°Trust in your mother, okay?¡± Hikari did her best to give a warm smile as her son looked at the box with sadness. As he put it away at the end of the aisle, the pain in her chest grew. That question that burned, that ate away at her day and night. If a lack of belief in ideals is what took her husband away, then even if it is his wish, is it her responsibility to make sure her son doesn''t walk that same path? Does that mean taking them away? The real world¡­.. the real world just doesn''t have them. But even telling herself this, she isn¡¯t sure. That¡¯s the part that hurt more than anything. She didn¡¯t know the answer to her own question. ¡°Mother?¡± he said tugging at her shirt. ¡°Yuuko,¡± she said, crouching down to put her hands on his shoulders. ¡°I am sorry you feel sad for it, but it is going to find a home soon, okay?¡± ¡°¡­. I hope it will find a home too.¡± Smiling, Hikari was about to stand up until a small hand grasped her shirt once more. ¡°Mother wait¡ª I was going to say that I¡­¡­.am sorry¡­. for interrupting.¡± ¡°It is okay,¡± she said brushing the stray hair out of his eyes. ¡°But Yuuko, when you apologize to someone, it¡¯s important that you mean it you know. You can not say sorry and keep doing the thing you are sorry for. Changing something bad you do is a part of growing up.¡± ¡°And promises?¡± Where¡­.was this coming from? ¡°What¡­ about them?¡± ¡°When are you supposed to promise? What does a promise mean?¡± ¡°A promise means that you are definitely going to do what you say, so that is when you say it.¡± ¡°Like changing something bad thing.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­ I suppose you could look at it that way.¡± That a promise and an apology are the same thing¡­...Yuuko¡­. ¡°You figure that all out by yourself. My my, you really take to heart what I tell you.¡± She said, trying for a smile. ¡°That makes me happy.¡± Those words seemed to make her son feel a little better. ¡°Mother, why did we spend so much time here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I am sorry your mother is awful with directions and navigation.¡± ¡°Navi¡­.gation?¡± he asked as they finally found the line to pay. Part 2 Transitioning from a small inaka town to a newer, larger city wasn¡¯t easy at all, and Hikari was thankful that she somehow managed. She enjoyed the small town life, she enjoyed where they were previously but¡­. it was best to move after all. She told herself many times that it would be a positive for Yuuko as well, since the situation at his previous school began deteriorating. Deep down, however, she knew there was no way she would be able to keep living with Yuuko in that house. She didn¡¯t think of it as a fresh start, more like the fact that without¡­¡­..without Yuuto, she had to go somewhere her son would suffer less. She also extremely thankful to the man she saw with Yuuto the night she went looking for him. Without his help, she definitely would not have been able to move here. Their new house was modest, not as large as their old home for obvious reasons, but it was on a relatively quiet street that was spacious enough for the both of them. Her commute to work was shorter, with her being closer to the bigger cities now, but they would need to take the bus in order to get groceries and get anywhere. The walk wasn¡¯t terribly far though, and she was sure Yuuko would be able to explore the inner city by bike when he became older. She still didn¡¯t feel comfortable letting Yuuko walk to and from his nearby school. The new skills she taught him as well as his new companion, however, eased the stress in her heart by just a little bit. She opened their door, greeted by an unfamiliar sight that she was trying to get used to. As Yuuko put the groceries in their proper place, Hikari began preparing a small dinner for the two of them. Silence had never bothered her, but she couldn¡¯t deny the fact her heart stung every time she heard it from her son. Compared to last year¡­¡­. ¡°Yuuko, if you are finished, can you come here for a moment?¡± Putting away their bread, Yuuko hurried to his mother¡¯s side. ¡°I am finishing dinner now, but I am also making your breakfast for the morning. Make sure to heat it up before you leave, okay?¡± ¡°Y¡ªYes¡­.¡± Satisfied with his answer, she gave him two plates to place on the table. The two ate in relative silence. The only joy came from a split second smile Yuuko made when Toshi approached the table, curious about the smell. In no time at all, the two had finished their meals. ¡°Thank you for the food mother.¡± ¡°You are very welcome. Leave the plate there and I will wash it¡ª you go get ready for bed okay?¡± ¡°I¡­..I will.¡± As he left, it looked as though he had something he wanted to say. Well, her son was still a child, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to hide a desire very well. ¡°Mother?¡± he called out from the living room. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Can we¡­..eat breakfast together?¡± ¡°.........................¡± ¡°Mother?¡± In her silence, Hikari simply repeated one line to herself. ¡°Not now. I can do it later, but right now he needs me.¡± She took another deep breath as she found her son sitting on the living room couch. Taking a seat next to him, she began stroking his hair. ¡°I am sorry Yuuko, but I need to go to work extra early from now on.¡± Yuuto¡¯s plan¡­..his note¡­¡­.even though he meant the best¡­¡­.. ¡°So we can not eat together?¡± ¡°N¡­¡­¡­.Of course we can! Just¡­¡­¡­. not as much as we used to.¡± Her son put his head onto her lap in response to those words. ¡°Mother.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I miss father.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­I know Yuuko¡­. I miss him too.¡± ¡°Mother?¡± ¡°¡­.Yes?¡± ¡°How come things get hurt?¡± ¡°Because¡­¡­ that is the kind of world we live in Yuuko. It may hurt, but that is why¡ª¡± ¡°That is why we help people¡± She gulped. ¡°¡ªthat is why I taught you those skills, remember? So you do not have to get hurt.¡± ¡°I see. Does everything hurt?¡± Hikari felt a minor jolt run through her body. For an instant, for one moment, she thought her son saw straight through her. It was only after her panic subsided that she realized the scope of his question¡ª it was vague, too vague. She didn¡¯t know how to answer, and instead continued stroking his hair. Yet she couldn¡¯t help but think¡­.. if he really could¡­¡­. It was roughly another half hour before Yuuko went to bed. And she couldn¡¯t be more relieved. Hikari quickly retreated into the confines of her room. The instant the door was shut, she collapsed onto the bed. For the first few months, Yuuko had requested to sleep in the same bed as her, and she had allowed it. After this period of time, however, she had to sleep on her own. The reason for this wasn¡¯t because her son deprived her of sleep, on the contrary, she slept somewhat better. It was because night was the only time she could release her own emotions. She could never do it in front of Yuuko, her child needed her to be strong. But when night came, it was different. She buried her face into her pillow, lest her son be able to hear her. Like this, the only thing she felt was damp cloth before exhaustion overcame her and she fell asleep. Part 3 ¡°That¡¯s so cool! I want to have a pet too, but my mom and sister are allergic to them.¡± ¡°They are allergic to animals?¡± ¡°No¡ª well I don¡¯t think so. Maybe I¡¯ll ask if we can have a bird or something. OH! An owl or an eagle would be super cool don¡¯t you think!¡± asked Katsuo. ¡°Ahhh, I think so.¡± Yuuko said, scratching the back of his head. Even though it was only his second day in a new classroom, in a new school, Yuuko had already made a friend. It was amazing to him, not only because he was nervous at trying to make friends, but because he apparently said something strange as soon as he arrived. ¡°I want to be a man!¡± He didn¡¯t know at the time, but his classmates had heard those words before, and it was because of this that everyone avoided him, thinking he was another weird child. But it was Katsuo that helped him get along with everyone else. Yuuko was able to remember everything clearly because it happened just yesterday. As soon as he took his seat, his classmates began whispering about him. ¡°He said the same thing!¡± ¡°Do you think he¡¯s like her?¡± ¡°He doesn''t look like a bully though¡­.¡± ¡°But still.¡± He had no idea what they were talking about and he was too nervous to ask. When break-time began, he started reading down the list of phrases he had written¡ª the words his mother and father had given him in order to make friends. He thought he had been friends with Hajimu, but in the end it turned out that was never true. Ever since then, Yuuko had been nervous about talking to people, or rather he was nervous about getting people mad and being friends with bullies. If he got people mad, they might end up turning hurting him, and he doesn''t want to be friends with someone who would bully him again. But he always thought back to his father, ¡°A man is brave!¡± and so he would continue to be brave too. In the end, however, he never got a chance to use them. ¡°Hi there!¡± smiled a kid with an outstretched arm and grayish-brown hair. ¡°My name is Katsuo Fujiyama. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Y-Yuuko,¡± he said quickly standing up and shaking his hand. ¡°Yuuko Asahino.¡± ¡°Ohhhhh, so you really are kind of like her.¡± he said in a surprised tone. ¡°Why did you say you want to be a man? Aren¡¯t you already a man?¡± Given the sudden situation, Yuuko wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to respond. Before he knew it, those words had come out of his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s kind of like being a hero!¡± He didn¡¯t know why he said it, but the boy¡¯s eyes lit up from hearing those words, and before long, the two of them were already talking to each other. Throughout the day, Katsuo called more and more people to their location, encouraging them to speak to their new classmate and listen to his ¡°cool wish¡±. At the end of the day, Yuuko¡¯s desk was surrounded with classmates that had previously kept their distance; it seemed that Katsuo was good friends with everyone in class. His own reputation, however, was cemented when one of the girls noticed his hands¡ª they were covered in small white scars. When she asked how he got them, Yuuko told the story of their origin. It was hard to tell the story with so many people around him, he kept fumbling and twisting his words. They didn¡¯t seem to mind, though, and eventually he reached the end of the story. ¡°You saved the dog!?¡± one of them asked. He took his time to think about what he needed to say. He found his hand making its way to his pocket, tracing the outline of the folded sheet of paper he always kept there. And he imagined his own eyes shining with light. ¡°Hah hah!¡± He said taking on a dramatic thumbs up pose. ¡°A he¡ª a man has to fight for people, and show them that bullies can never win!¡± ¡°¡°Ohhhhh!¡±¡± He could hear his classmates in awe as he finished his story with that dramatic pose. He didn¡¯t tell them about how much it hurt, but before he knew it, Yuuko had made a friend¡ª and was on good terms with his entire class. Well, almost his entire class. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Katsuo,¡± began Yuuko. ¡°Why does nobody talk to that girl?¡± ¡°Hmm? Which one?¡± ¡°That girl over there, the one by the window,¡± Yuuko said, pointing to her. ¡°The one with short hair.¡± For a moment, Yuuko almost thought it was a boy sitting alone there. Following his finger, Katsuo yanked his arm down and turned back slowly. When he saw that the girl in question hadn¡¯t noticed them, he breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Sorry I had to pull your hand down like that, but I didn¡¯t want her to hear you say that.¡± ¡°Say what?¡± ¡°That she¡¯s a girl.¡± Yuuko¡¯s confused face prompted him to continue. ¡°She¡¯s the other person who said ¡®I want to be a man,¡¯ like you. That¡¯s why people didn¡¯t talk to you yesterday, since you said the same thing. People think she¡¯s weird, Yuuko.¡± ¡°Weird¡­¡­.they think she is weird¡­.?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why some people thought you were weird too.¡± His friend nodded firmly. ¡°She beats up anyone that calls her a girl. It happened to me and two friends yesterday.¡± ¡°But¡­¡­ why?¡± ¡°I asked her that, that¡¯s why she beat us up. She¡¯s¡­¡­ kind of a bully.¡± He looked at the girl in question as Katsuo spoke, he understood everything he said, but only two things filled his mind. ¡°So she¡¯s a bully..? But then¡­. if she is weird¡­¡­ and I said the same thing¡­¡­ why did you start talking to me, Katsuo?¡± This question seemed to bring a smile back to his friend¡¯s face. ¡°Cause my dad says I should try talking to new people! I¡¯ve talked to everyone in our class, and it feels good to be nice to people!¡± ¡°I¡­¡­ I see, that is!¡­ good!¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± said the boy, nodding his head. ¡°Be careful, she might want to talk to you since you guys said the same thing.¡± ¡°¡­.I will.¡± ¡°Hmm? Yuuko?¡± ¡°Ah- yes?¡± ¡°Why are you holding your bread like that?¡± ¡°Ahh, well this is¡­.. if I do not¡­¡­. then I will squish¡­. and hurt it¡­..¡± He expected his new friend to walk away, or insult him for saying something silly. His mother tells him that food doesn''t have feelings, and neither do boxes. But to his surprise, Katsuo laughed. ¡°I¡ªI think you might be a little weird too, Yuuko. You talk and act kind of weird, but I think it¡¯s the good kind of weird! Hmph!¡± he said vigorously nodding his head once more. Yuuko awkwardly scratched the back of his head upon hearing his friend¡¯s words, but in the corner of his eye he noticed something. The girl by the window, the one with short hair, wasn¡¯t eating anything. It was more than that, though¡ª no one was sitting anywhere near her. But that¡­.makes sense¡­... What didn¡¯t make sense to him though, was how she just kept staring out of the window, since the beginning of their lunch. It looked like she¡¯s looking for something. Or¡­¡­maybe someone? * * * * * At the end of the school day, Katsuo had invited Yuuko to take a look around the school until a girl with brown hair came to get him. To his embarrassment, Katsuo had forgotten that he promised to help a friend with her art project. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry Yuuko!¡± he said, clapping his hands together and lowering his head. ¡°I-I¡¯ll make it up to you tomorrow, I¡¯ll bring a muffin from home!¡± Yuuko insisted that it was okay and began making his way to the lower floors. He already explored a portion of the school before starting his morning class, so it wasn¡¯t a big deal to him. Besides, Katsuo had helped him make friends with some of the other students already. He¡¯s super popular, but I guess that is what his father taught him. In the middle of the stairway, he paused at the thought. His father. Would his dad be proud of him if he saw that he was making friends? Would he say that Yuuko is becoming a good man, a man just like him? He clenched the inside of his left pocket, where he kept one of the notes given to him by his dad. He did his best to follow his instructions, but it was hard¡ª after all, he didn¡¯t have him anymore to answer his many questions. He asked his mom sometimes, but it felt heavy whenever he did. I¡­...wonder why¡­¡­.. But more than that, Yuuko couldn¡¯t get over the questions he had since that night. His father said he was sure he would see him again¡­¡­ But where? He had read through the stories he had in his room, some of them mention a place people go to when they die¡­. but he always closed the books after that. It made him feel like he was choking, but he never cried. Still¡­.. he wanted to know. Why do people hurt? What happens to people when they die? And¡­¡­. is it okay for him not to cry? ¡°You¡¯re just like me y¡¯know.¡± Yuuko didn¡¯t notice at what point he had stepped outside, but he turned to locate the voice that called out to him. Behind him, coming from the right corner of the school building, a girl with short hair came to meet him. In that moment, in the early evening sun, there was a lot about the girl that stood out to Yuuko. He could have pointed out why she suddenly came out from hiding with her arms crossed. He could have pointed out her short black hair, so short that it resembled a boy¡¯s. Her face was rough¡ª from far away, it''d be difficult to tell she¡¯s a girl, but the fang in her mouth helps when up close. He could¡¯ve pointed out her dirty and slightly tattered clothing, as well as the backpack she had that was tearing up from the top; they were all something he might wear. In fact, he could have pointed out the obvious in that she talked like a boy. Any of these would have been more appropriate to say, but as if on instinct, Yuuko spoke out the one thing that stood out more than anything else. ¡°Your eyes¡­.are a really pretty green.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.hah?¡± He didn¡¯t know how else to describe it, but it was true. Her eyes were the deepest and brightest shade of green he had ever seen in his life. They were also tinted in the faintest blue. He¡¯d never seen anything like them. ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡± Her tone took a drastic change as she approached Yuuko, who recovered from his distracted state of mind. ¡°No, no! I am sorry, sorry¡ª that was!¡ª I was not making fun of you!¡± She stopped in front of him with a strange look on her face, as if she was deciding whether or not she believed him. ¡°Hpph. One day and the popularity gets to your head, maybe we aren¡¯t alike after all.¡± ¡°Why¡­ do you say we are alike?¡± ¡°You¡¯re that boy aren¡¯t you?¡± she said crossing her arms with a smile. Yuuko could that small fang poking out from the side of her mouth. ¡°Yuuko Asahino, the one who says he wants to be a man!¡± ¡°I am¡­ but who are you?¡± ¡°Hpmph, you¡¯ve probably heard about me by now, right?¡± ¡°I have,¡± he admitted. ¡°But mother says I should not listen to rumors. Also¡­ I do not know your name.¡± The girl wore a smile he¡¯d never seen before. ¡°My name is Yuya Itomei. I¡¯m the one who says I¡¯m a boy who¡¯ll be a man!¡± Yuya? But that¡¯s¡­¡­.. ¡°You¡­ have a boy¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Yeah, and you have a girl¡¯s name.¡± ¡°You want to be a man too?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be one, I am one¡­ well, when I¡¯m older.¡± ¡°¡­¡­but you¡­.¡± ¡°And yeah, I beat them up. So what?¡± Yuuko¡¯s cautious approach was cut off when Yuya said those words. ¡°I do it to anyone who says I¡¯m a girl. And besides, a man is the strongest person around, and they made me mad, so why shouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You should not hurt people.¡± The girl''s fang appeared dangerously sharp all of a sudden, and her face changed too. It changed into something Yuuko recognized. ¡°If someone called you a girl, you would get mad too right?¡± ¡°I had a frie¡­¡­nd¡­. say that I have a girl name before, but I did not hurt him. You should not hurt people, that is not what a man does!¡± ¡°That is what a man does stupid. The only people who say those things are liars. If someone makes me mad, I hurt them so they don¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s being a bully! And it¡¯s not a lie! Father says a man is supposed to help people!¡± ¡°Yeah, well mother says that a man is supposed to fight people that make them mad! Men are the only ones that can get anything done!¡± ¡°Heroes aren''t bullies!¡± ¡°People only call me a bully ¡®cause they¡¯re weak and can¡¯t fight back!¡± ¡°YUUKO!¡± The two looked to the school entrance, seeing a boy with grayish-brown hair running right towards them. Katsuo stopped at his friend¡¯s shoulder, putting one hand on it to catch his breath. Following closely behind him was a small girl with shoulder length brown hair. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Ych. What are you doing here? Stop bothering us, or else.¡± Katsuo stood upright in response to the girl''s threat. ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt Yuuko.¡± ¡°Leave. Now.¡± The girl with brown hair quickly hid behind Katsuo. Yuuko could tell she was scared¡­. but Yuya¡¯s words weren¡¯t even directed to her. ¡°Fine, we will,¡± he said, patting his friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go Yuuko.¡± They said nothing as the group of three turned and made their way towards the school exit, until¡ª ¡°¡ªwait.¡± He stopped in his tracks, but hesitated. Staring at the ground, he violently shook his head and forced himself to look upwards. He gathered himself and took a few steps towards Yuya, who already looked annoyed. ¡°You said that I am just like you, right?¡± ¡°Hah. I don¡¯t really care anymore.¡± ¡°Can I at least ask you one thing?¡± When she didn¡¯t respond, Yuuko continued. ¡°Why do you say that you are a boy? You are a girl, so why do you decide to be a boy?¡± The girl in front of them, at this moment, Yuuko could practically see the anger around her. ¡°I told you.......not to call me that!¡± ¡°Yuuko look out!¡± Before he could respond, Yuya had charged at Yuuko, and before she could hit him, another boy jumped in front of him. Katsuo was on the ground before he knew it, and from the corner of his eye, Yuuko could see a girl running inside the school. ¡°I. Told. You! NOT! TO CALL! ME! A GIRL!¡± The boy he had only known for two days was lying on the ground, and the girl he¡¯d only spoken to today was pummeling him, having all but forgotten Yuuko. He was frozen, but not because his body wouldn¡¯t move. In Yuuko¡¯s mind, he was wondering why this was happening. Why did a question¡­. his question¡­. make this girl so mad? And why did Katsuo, who doesn''t know him, choose to help? Katsuo. Yuuko brought his eyes down, and his spine became ice. Every hair on his body stood up as he saw the boy in front of him on the floor. Curled into a ball, protecting his face and body. It¡¯s just like¡­¡­ The ice in his body became unbearably hot, like fire, when he saw the girl deliver a kick to Katsuo. He didn¡¯t know whether or not she was screaming. Or was he screaming? He couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°Because there are people that don¡¯t believe in heroes.¡± Not another second passed before he stepped between her and Katsuo. Her anger redirected at him, but it disappeared like wind when he caught the fist about to hit him. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to fight, Yuuko.¡± He stared at her as his left hand wrapped around her wrist, and the anger in her eyes turned into something completely different. He made a fist with his right hand. ¡°I said to STOP HURTING MY FRIEND!¡± With every ounce of strength he could muster, Yuuko aimed his fist at the girl trapped in his grip. He felt the wind race past the top of his hand, and heard the blood pounding in his ears. This was how he had to fight. This is what his father meant. But he missed. No. It would be more appropriate to say that his fist hit nothing but air. Because she was gone. Still holding a wrist in his left hand, he followed the wrist to the arm of the girl he had aimed for. But the arm led downward. To a girl that was crouched down in the dirt. Beneath him, Yuuko saw a girl covering her head with her free hand. She arm was shivering¡­¡­.no. Her entire body was trembling. ¡°P-Please¡­...please no more¡­¡­.no more¡­¡­¡­..¡± In confusion, Yuuko released her wrist only for it to snap back to her body with violent force. In less than a second, both of her arms covered her head, and if possible, her trembling became worse. The only thing he could hear was a sorrow whimper. ¡°Please-I¡¯m sorry¡­. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­..please stop mother¡­¡­please stop¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°What in the world is happening here!?¡± ¡°Mr. Eikyo¡­.?¡± Yuuko registered his homeroom teacher approach them before he got close enough to see the situation for himself. Striding next to his students, the teacher looked at the children on the floor before his face changed from rigid and hard, to what Yuuko thought looked like a soft¡ª and sad¡ª face. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright.¡± he said patting the girl on the shoulder. ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be okay, she¡¯s not here.¡± As Yuuko approached, his focus briefly changed to him. ¡°Yuuko,¡± he said in a stern voice. ¡°Do you know what happened here?¡± ¡°Y¡­.I don¡¯t¡­..I think so¡­ sir¡­.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll hear what you have to say tomorrow. Right now, I need you to take Katsuo to the nurse, and quickly.¡± ¡°But¡­. what about Yuya?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle it. Take Katsuo, alright?¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± His friend groaned as Yuuko tried to pick him up, but after some time he stood on his own two feet. As they walked away, Yuuko looked back to see his teacher take the girl by the hand so she could stand up¡­.but even at a distance, Yuuko could see the girl¡¯s legs shaking so badly she couldn¡¯t stand without grabbing his arms. By the time they entered, Katsuo was able to speak once more. ¡°You¡­. did awesome Yuuko¡­¡± ¡°Katsuo! A-Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­. hahah, I¡¯m okay.¡± They entered the nurse¡¯s office where a girl with short brown hair waited for them. ¡°The nurse is going to come back soon, and, um¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know what else to do, so I got Mr. Eikyo.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, thanks Red.¡± ¡°Red?¡± ¡°Yeah, the girl I promised to help, she¡¯s in our class. Red¡¯s her favorite color, so I call her that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing¡­¡­ but thank you for helping Katsuo, Yuuko.¡± ¡°Yeah, that was awesome, where did you learn that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Katsuo, did you hear what she said at the very end?¡± His friend looked surprised at the sudden change of topic, but answered. ¡°No, I was on the ground, all I could think of was that it hurt. Why? Did she say something?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­.don¡¯t know.¡± he admitted. ¡°Well anyway, that was still awesome! Bullies suck, so hopefully this¡¯ll teach her to stop being so mean to people!¡± ¡°She stole my scissors one time to cut her hair in the bathroom¡­...she never gave them back.¡± ¡°A bully¡­¡­¡± That word sounded throughout Yuuko¡¯s mind. It¡¯s true that she acted the same way Hajimu did last year¡­¡­ but Yuuko couldn¡¯t help the feeling that it was different. Even though he didn¡¯t get hit, his heart hurt. ¡°You can¡¯t be friends with a bully, for example.¡± His heart¡­..he knows she¡¯s a bully, but he can¡¯t help but feel there¡¯s something different. There¡¯s something more. In that moment when she was on the ground, he knew exactly what she reminded him of. In the dirt, in pain, she reminded him of a hurt animal¡­¡­.she was in lots and lots of pain. In that moment, Yuya looked exactly like Toshi. And yet, it struck him¡­¡­. that he didn¡¯t see her cry. Part 4 Yuuko wished he knew more about Toshi¡¯s life before finding him, because even without knowing anything, his mother was absolutely convinced that he was professionally trained. ¡°Toshiii, don¡¯t pull on the leash so much, I have to tie my shoes.¡± ¡°Rgph.¡± the dog bubbled. Deciding to just tuck in the laces, Yuuko stepped outside and found himself thinking about how much better Toshi¡¯s gotten since he found him. During the first month with his new pet, he would have trouble simply convincing his mother to let him keep it. It wasn¡¯t until one day, when he returned from school, that she all of a sudden changed her mind. His ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± greeting echoed through the hallway. It was just a habit, he knew it was normal for his mother to be home late at night, but he liked saying it because it reminded him of¡­..well, to his surprise, his mother came downstairs looking sick. He told her to come home earlier because she needed sleep, but she just looked at him and said, ¡°do you always say that when you come home, Yuuko?¡± He answered with a nod, and he swears he saw her become even more sick. That¡¯s when he became allowed to keep Toshi. His troubles had only just started though. For the first two and a half months, his new dog would have problems eating, only doing so when Yuuko was on the other side of the room. For four months, he would flinch whenever Yuuko pet him, if he even allowed himself to be touched at all, and it wasn¡¯t until a month and a half ago that he stopped growling at strangers who simply got near him. Regardless, the surprises became commonplace, starting with him not needing a leash. By the time he finally let himself be put on one, they found Toshi didn¡¯t need it since he would stay by his side at all times anyway. Whenever Yuuko went to school, he walked right beside him, deterring anyone who got too close. It got to the point where he had to stop bringing him to school because he would growl at the students and waited outside until the day finished to walk Yuuko home; all the kids around him got scared. Now Yuuko only put the collar on him because that¡¯s what your supposed to have when walking a dog. ¡°Oh, Toshi I forgot your pill!¡± he said pulling one out of his pocket. He didn¡¯t know why his dog needed pills, but the vet said something was wrong with him from his time as a stray. He always kept some in his pocket, just in case he ever forgot to give one to him at home. ¡°Greph.¡± his dog complained, sloppily removing the medicine from his owner¡¯s hand. Yuuko gave a small laugh and pet the top of his head. ¡°Say Toshi¡­¡­¡­¡­ you were scared too¡­¡­right?¡± The face of that girl wouldn¡¯t leave his mind. The way she covered her head with her hands¡­¡­¡­. even the way she spoke. ¡°She looked scared¡­¡­ just like you did that time¡­¡­.¡± His could feel his eyes become distant. ¡°What¡­¡­¡­ is she scared of?¡± Before he could think any further, Yuuko let out an audible *hpht* from a strange view next to him. To his right was a dense stretch of woods, and he thought he saw a¡­¡­. purple circle? With Toshi accompanying him, Yuuko walked closer to the view he saw only to find¡ª ¡°¡­.. a leaf?¡± He sighed as he dropped the once interesting object, but perked his head up at seeing something else. ¡°Toshi¡­..does that look like a trail to you?¡± he said pointing to a hole in the greenery. ¡°Grph.¡± The pair approached the odd entrance, but it was strange. It looked like it was an opening, while at the same time it didn¡¯t. ¡°A closed opening? An open closing?¡± he questioned as he lifted up the branches he could. ¡°I don¡¯t know but¡ª Toshi look!¡± The path in front of them was disheveled and blurry, but it was definitely a path. With some imaginative input, Yuuko could see the remains of what was once a trail. Taking an astounded breath, he was about to run inside until a voice he hadn¡¯t heard in a long time spoke from his head. ¡°Only real men get to go on adventures¡­...stay here and be a hero you weirdo.¡± ¡°Only real men¡­. a weirdo¡­¡­ an adventure¡± He looked up at the trail, remembering those words. A hero. A man. His heart hurt. For a moment, his heart hurt so badly that he had to clutch it to stop from hurting. He stumbled, and it felt like all the air suddenly left his stomach. Slowly he released it, breathing out and gripping his fist so hard the knuckles turned yellow. ¡°Toshi¡­¡­.. I¡¯m going to go on an adventure.¡± The moment he stepped into the hole, he felt as though he had been transported to another world. The light from the evening sun broke through in small patches, but the odd thing was how it looked so much more dense from the outside. Inside there were trees, but not as many as he thought there would be. He jumped over a small hole as Toshi jogged the area around them. Maybe looking for something dangerous? What took his breath away the most, however, was finding the small, half circle bridge that ran across a creek. It wasn¡¯t very deep, but it was wide enough that Yuuko couldn¡¯t jump over it. He stood at the high point of the bridge and looked over the rail; a boy with bright golden eyes was staring back at him. This really is an adventure¡­¡­.! ¡°Rgph.¡± ¡°Hm? Did you find something, boy?¡± ¡°Grph.¡± With a small bark, Toshi ran through into a patch of light up ahead. ¡°Ahahhh! Toshi¡ª wait!¡± he said sprinting closely behind. The moment he broke through, he was amazed at what he saw. He was at the top of some kind of cliff, and hundreds of dotted buildings sprinkled the land beneath him, like a painting. The clear view of the sky above him somehow made everything look further away than it really is. ¡°Toshi,¡± he panted. ¡°We really did go on an adventure¡­.¡± By instinct, Yuuko decided to sit down near the edge of the cliff, and his pet soon followed. From this height, he could see mountains, incredibly far in the distance, like giant waves, ready to crash down into the earth. It reminded of a scene from an anime he used to watch with father, his favorite one. The hero who saved everyone with the power of his soul. He hasn¡¯t seen it in almost a year. He felt an odd sensation and looked next to him to find Toshi curling himself into a ball against his leg. And he became light-headed from a sudden thought. The way that girl lashes out at people was just like how Toshi did too. ¡°People¡­..called her weird.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk to him, he¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°I know how that feels too¡­¡± ¡°But¡­¡­. the people that called her weird, she hurt them. She¡¯s a bully.¡± ¡°Mom, why do things get hurt?¡± ¡°Why is she scared? And why did she say we are the same?¡± That was the first thing she said to him when she talked to him. They have the same wish but¡­..somehow he feels that isn¡¯t the answer. A man is supposed to fight¡­ that¡¯s what his father said; that means he did the right thing didn¡¯t he? His heart felt confused, what did she mean by saying that they were the same? Yuya Itomei. Maybe the answer¡­¡­.. is that they¡¯re both weird people? Yuuko looked up and saw a plane flying overhead against the orange and purple sky. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and his mom didn¡¯t want him to be out late. He left a piece of paper with the time he left the house written on it, like he always did whenever he went outside and his mother might come home. A piece of paper¡­ He quickly reached into his pocket and brought out his folded sheet of paper with the sayings of his mother and father on it. He scanned through it, hoping to find an answer to what he should do on there, but as it turns out¡ª ¡°This¡­.. is the time paper for mother¡­¡­..¡± He gave a sigh as he put it back in his pocket, instead trying to remember something his father said before. He said a lot of things Yuuko never really understood, but the one thing he would always say to him stood out. ¡°Is this¡­¡­.an opportunity?¡± He said that with eyes half closed before laying down on the grass. ¡°Dad¡­¡­¡­. what do I do?¡± Yuuko and Toshi layed there on the grass, feeling the evening spring wind blow past, smelling faintly of pollen and flowers. It reminded Yuuko of something his father said once¡ª he called his mother a ¡°flower of steel¡±. Though he didn¡¯t know it at first, with time he came to understand it¡¯s meaning of a girl who¡¯s pretty, but also strong. Come to think of it¡­...Yuya. That¡¯s a boy¡¯s name, while he had a girl¡¯s name. She made fun of him for that earlier, but Hajimu always made fun of him for it at his old school. Maybe that¡¯s another way they were the same. Two weirdos. Slowly standing on his two feet, Yuuko stretched before addressing his partner. ¡°Come on Toshi, we need to go home. The note isn¡¯t there and mother might get mad if we are gone.¡± ¡°Grph.¡± Before leaving, he made on last look back at his recently found spot; he had a feeling he would be using this place a lot. It didn¡¯t feel like he was walking uphill when he entered, but Yuuko also found it strange that it didn¡¯t feel like a walk downhill either. What was strangest of all was the half-circle bridge; covered in leaves, but still clearly showing its red painted wooden boards. By the time he finally made it all the way down, the sun was setting deep in the sky, making everything around him look a dark shade of purple. As the two walked the rest of the path they left on, a small, empty park faded into view. Out in the distance, near the back of the park, Yuuko spotted a familiar figure. Standing underneath a tree was a boy with short hair and a torn¡­¡­¡­ ¡°It¡¯s her¡­?¡± In surprise, Yuuko let go of the leash to sneak in closer with Toshi following closely behind. ¡°What is she doing out here so late? No¡­. more than that¡­..¡± A piece of the puzzle Yuuko had been trying to solve connected, but in its place, another piece disappeared. He now understood one of the ways they are alike, but another question came to mind. His most important one. Going back a few steps, he made a wide turn to get to the back end of the park without being spotted. He ended up hidden behind a small brick wall, just a few meters behind the girl. ¡°What is she doing?¡± he whispered to himself. But the answer was clear and in front of him. Nothing. The girl was doing nothing. She made simple movements with her hands and occasionally her feet, but that was the extent of her movements. Nothing, not even her head, moved an inch. From his hiding spot, Yuuko could only see a part of her face, but he didn¡¯t need to see the whole thing to understand. For the longest time, neither of the two children made a move. Not even Toshi made any noises, which both surprised, and confused Yuuko. Eventually, the deep purple sky turned a dull blue, and finally a dark black. Street Lamps around them flickered to life, illuminating the night around them with faint orange light. The wind blew again, but this time, he couldn¡¯t smell flowers. It was at this moment that the girl pulled her back away from the tree, and slowly begin heading towards the streetlight. Yuuko knew what he was going to do, and for the first time in his life, he even knew why. But in this clarity, there was only one thing he understood, and one thing he still didn¡¯t understand. ¡°She¡¯s like me¡­¡­.. I did the same thing.¡± He already recognized her scared attitude, but seeing the way she walked, it struck him. Until this moment, he never noticed that he used to walk the exact same way she does. ¡°Why does she act that way? And why¡­¡­¡­¡± He stood up, grasping his heart once more. ¡°Why¡­¡­.. is she always looking down?¡± Part 5 Hiroka Eikyo opened the door to his second story apartment. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± No response came from the inside. ¡°Yeah, the habit¡¯s broken. I just wanted to say it.¡± Undoing his tie and throwing it to the side of his living room, he dropped his backpack on the floor as he collapsed onto his bed. ¡°I¡¯m not cut out for this.¡± his muffled voice echoed from the pillow. He stayed in that position until his lungs couldn¡¯t take the lack of oxygen, at which point he turned his head to look at the nightstand next to him. There were various objects on there, none of which he could actually see due to him not turning on the lights when he entered his home. Well, most of them he couldn¡¯t see. Sitting upright, he grabbed a photo from his nightstand and made his way to the balcony where the moonlight would illuminate the frame. ¡°You were always better at this than I was¡­¡­¡± As he spoke, his finger gently traced the figure of a woman in the frame. ¡°To tell you the truth, I don¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯m not going to lie to you, it looks bad, and there¡¯s nothing I can do to help¡­¡­¡­¡­. what should I do, Mizuha?¡± Opening the door to the balcony, he pulled up a chair and gazed up at the night sky¡ª still clutching the frame. ¡°As if dealing with normal children wasn¡¯t enough, her situation is especially grave.¡± Even without knowing him, if someone were to hear his words, they would automatically know he is telling the truth. His voice was full of pain¡­¡­ and guilt. ¡°If someone doesn''t help her¡­. that girl¡¯s life will amount to nothing¡ª and yet I¡­.. still can¡¯t do anything¡­..just like¡­¡­!¡± His tone of frustration didn¡¯t match the tender way he held the frame close to his body. And yet little did he know that, under the same sky, a boy began following a girl. The boy, Yuuko Asahino, began following the girl Yuya Itomei. Chapter 2 - The World That Exists One Step At A Time Part 1 As the girl began walking towards the street ahead of them, Yuuko found himself conflicted. It was wrong to follow people, but he felt it especially wrong since he was following a girl. ¡°Still¡­¡± he whispered to Toshi. ¡°I still want to know why¡­..why¡­¡­¡± Why. There were many reasons why. There were so many reasons that he couldn¡¯t even think of one¡­.well, that wasn¡¯t entirely true. I want to know¡­¡­¡­why you always look down! It was a miracle she could even tell where she was going. Through the narrowly lit orange streets, she passed by houses and stores without even acknowledging their presence. It was as if the world existed one step at a time for her. As she was walking, Yuuko and Toshi took great care in hiding behind garbage bins and the corners of the walls. The girl stopped in front of a small convenience store that couldn¡¯t have been more than three or four blocks from the park; and the pair silently hid behind the corner of another store twenty meters down the block. Taking a risk, Yuuko peeked around the corner to find something very strange. ¡°She is¡­..fixing her hair?¡± It was less fixing and more¡­.swiping? Clawing? In front of the convenience store¡¯s window, Yuya was violently tugging down on a piece of hair that stood up at the top of her head. Licking the palm of her hand, she pulled the hair all the way down the side of her head, and then pushed it behind some other loose hair. She had a triumphant look on her face, until the strand exploded out of the side and stood straight back up again, which made her look angrily at it. Now that it was obvious, Yuuko could remember seeing that at the school yard earlier today; it was less¡­...firm, but definitely still there. Her hair is messy though¡­.. why does she care about that piece? In a way, Yuuko thought it suited her, since her hair looked messy in an organized way; like she just woke up, but still looked nice. The girl repeated this process another two times before kicking the wall in frustration and stomping inside the store. ¡°No no boy,¡± he said, holding back a curious Toshi. ¡°We can not follow her in there, she would see us..¡± And it was true, if they were to go any closer Yuya would undoubtedly see them when she leaves. From behind his hiding place across the street, he wouldn¡¯t be able to see the inside of the store, but he would be able to see her when she leaves. Even with all the thoughts and questions bursting in his head, Yuuko still thought about how she was able to do this. His own mom would be angry with him if she knew he was out this late, especially if he was alone like she is. There was the occasional person that passed by, but that would worry his mother even more. Does she always do this after school? Finally, the girl left the shop with a small bag in her hand, and continued making her way down the street. After she turned the corner, Yuuko immediately ran as quietly as he could, with Toshi following close at his heels. Peeking around the corner, he saw her walking at the far end of another street, except this one¡­. ¡°There are no lights here!¡± he whispered in a furious tone to his dog. ¡°Toshi this isn¡¯t safe, what is she doing!¡± While it wasn¡¯t entirely true, the street had much less light than where they were just a few moments ago. Why are you here, and stop looking down¡ª it¡¯s dangerous! Using the same routine, Yuuko followed her at a distance, moving as fast as he could while doing his best to not make any unnecessary noises. The pair of them walked another two streets like this, and perhaps it was his imagination, but the roads seemed to go on for much longer the more he tailed her. This was until they reached their destination. ¡°Why¡­..are we back here?¡± Distracted by the fact they had returned, Yuuko nearly walked into the streetlight, but ducked behind a vending machine as he caught himself. From there, he could see her. She was sitting on a bench that was on the left side of the tree she leaned against ten minutes ago. He hadn¡¯t noticed it before since the brick wall he hid behind was to her right; the tree had blocked that view. Setting down her backpack, Yuuko took the opportunity to get a closer view. Now hiding behind a nearby brick wall as she opened it, Yuuko could see her bring out a small, clear container; there were small pieces of food inside. But something didn¡¯t look right. He strained his eyes and noticed that it wasn¡¯t food she had, it was a desert. Small, round balls of bread that looked like¡­. ¡°Dai...fuku?¡± The moment she opened the container, he could hear a faint rumbling sound that he recognized immediately. It was a sound that every person knew, because it happens to everyone. ¡°Bu¡­.I already fed Toshi¡­..and I¡¯m not hungry right now¡­¡­¡± The girl held her stomach as she took a piece of bread with her fingers and brought it to her mouth. During lunch at school, he remembered that he saw the girl¡­..he definitely saw her staring out of the window. But now that he thinks about it, he never saw her eat anything. The girl finished her first piece of cake, picking up another and placing it in her mouth. Cake always made Yuuko smile, but the girl looked the same as ever. More than that though, he noticed that she did the same thing as Toshi when he first met him. The way she ate¡ª it was so slow¡­. he would even call it delicate. He didn¡¯t know how to put it into words, but it looked almost exactly like that time¡ª¡ª when Toshi was still scared of people. In a sudden jump that surprised both Yuuko and Toshi, the girl jolted away from the bench, bits and pieces of the cake fell from her lap and scattered in the dirt. At that moment, a sound from the bushes to the side of Yuya rustled out, revealing a small squirrel that came from its shadow. Yuya looked at it as it made its way to dirt-stained food, taking the largest piece of cake it could find, and returning to the bushes it came from. The whole thing lasted maybe nine seconds. She stood there for a long time, staring at the dirt. Yuuko wanted to stand up, to go to her and tell her that it would be okay¡­.but he didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t move because neither did she. Yuya was still standing, still looking down, but there was no reaction. Yuuko couldn¡¯t see anything on her face. At school she became angry when she talked to him, and in the window of the corner store, just a few minutes ago, she was furious at the strand of her hair that wouldn¡¯t brush down. Now, as her stomach made a violent rumble, she said nothing. No whimper. No anger. No action. She didn¡¯t even cry. ¡­¡­.that¡¯s¡­..right¡­. When he almost hit her¡­.when Mr. Eikyo was helping her stand up again, he looked back. He saw her face. When she stood back up again¡­..she had no tears then either. She had been shaking¡ª trembling¡ª her face scrunched up in the saddest way But tears never came. Yuuko stayed in his spot as he watched the girl slowly leave the park, going in the opposite way she walked the first time. He stayed under the faint orange light for another few minutes, until the girl disappeared, before ripping open his backpack and yanking out a white journal. Since it was still the start of the school year, there was nothing written in it¡ª just what he needed. ¡°¡ª?¡ª?¡ª?¡ª?¡ª? them Yuuko.¡± ¡°Come on Toshi,¡± he said with the journal under his arm. ¡°We have an opportunity.¡± Part 2 ¡°Alright, that¡¯s the bell. Does anyone have any questions before we break for lunch?¡± ¡°I do!¡± said a boy with a cut over his eyebrow. ¡°Sensei, can you buy me lunch!?¡± Mr. Eikyo sighed as the children gave a collective laugh and separated into their groups for lunch. Well, I guess it¡¯s natural for them. This was Hiroka¡¯s second year teaching this particular group of students, and in the past year they had all built an excellent relationship with each other. The students would comment or question silly things, play pranks, and act out, but they¡¯re children. At heart, they¡¯re good kids. That¡¯s what she believed, so he wanted to believe it too¡­¡­.but it always contradicted what he saw. Her beliefs always did so. The students had pushed their desks together as he left for the teacher¡¯s lounge, greeted by his colleagues as he found his designated space. No sooner had he sat down than a student opened the door to the lounge to greet him. ¡°Hello sir¡­.did you want to see me?¡± ¡°I did, sorry about cutting your lunch short, but this shouldn¡¯t take long, and I need to know what happened.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It is okay sir, I understand.¡± Pulling up a chair for the young boy, Hiroka looked around for anyone that would overhear the conversation. In the world of education, discussion of these sorts of topics with students is of the utmost taboo; it couldn¡¯t be avoided when it happened, but no one ever wants to hear that. Of course, he had no intention of discussing the topic of Yuya¡¯s life with Yuuko, but it was his responsibility as a teacher to understand what happened. Even if I¡¯m not cut out for this¡­.even if this is all I can do¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s start from the very top. Yuuko, I imagine you know why you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­..sir¡­¡­¡± ¡°Did you hit Yuya yesterday afternoon?¡± ¡°N-No, I did not! I didn¡¯t sir, honest!¡± ¡°SHhhhh,¡± he said, looking around them once more. ¡°Yuuko, keep your voice down.¡± ¡°I¡­...am sorry¡­.¡± He gave a sigh as he pulled open a drawer from his desk. The contents inside were filled with various papers and documents, but there was only one Hiroka needed. Pulling it out, folder and all, he quickly scanned it and spoke. ¡°I understand that, at your previous school, you got in trouble for a similar problem. You pushed a student down the stairs and got suspended fro¡ª¡± ¡°It is different this time sir, really!¡± At his outburst, Mr. Eiyko stared at him from behind the paper, and Yuuko quickly brought his legs up to his chest, burying his mouth in it. ¡°It¡¯s different this time, is it?¡± ¡°Ye¡­¡­.well, n-no¡­..I do not think¡­ it is¡­¡­¡± He gave a sigh as he set down the folder. ¡°Yuuko, if you struck another student, then I can help, but I need to know what happened. Katsuo didn¡¯t know anything, so I need the story from you.¡± ¡°I did not hit her¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.but I almost did.¡± Hiroka wasn¡¯t surprised by his answer in the least. He¡¯d suspected something like that from yesterday, but this was the only way he knew how to get the whole truth. ¡°What do you mean ¡®almost¡¯?¡± ¡°Last year, my¡­.friend¡­.Hajimu was in trouble with people. One of the kids was about to hurt him, so I pushed him away. I did not mean to hurt him¡­..¡± ¡°Then yesterday, did you mean to hit Yuya?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.yes¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You understand that can get you sent out of school, right?¡± ¡°........yes sir¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°So why were you about to hit her?¡± That was logically the next question to get the full story, but a flash of a girl with warm brown eyes and a bright smile flashed through his mind. It wasn¡¯t the question she would ask. That girl has a problem in her life¡­¡­.and yet Yuuko¡­.. The right question. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you hit her?¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°You said about to. Why didn''t you hit Yuya?¡± Yuuko brought his legs down to the floor again, scratching the back of his head as he did so. ¡°She reminds me of my dog.¡± The semi-combed hair Hiroka famously wore fell in front of his eyes as they popped out of his head. This was quite a feat considering most people complimented his large, friendly eyes. But at the moment¡­.. ¡°¡­¡­.come again?¡± ¡°She reminds me of my dog, Toshi.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ah ahhhhhhhhhh¡­¡­¡­.yes yes, I see I see¡ª this is how it feels for a brain to stop functioning. ¡°Um, Yuuko¡­.ah, you¡¯re not supposed to say that about gi¡ª¡± ¡°Toshi was scared too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Yuuko¡­..what did you say?¡± ¡°Toshi, he was scared too.¡± He was defenseless. No speech, no words, no actions could articulate the feeling of having a closely guarded secret blown wide open. Right in front of him. A secret known to only the principal, and himself. ¡°What do you mean¡­..she was scared?¡± ¡°Toshi was scared of people too. He got hurt living by himself in an alley. When Hajimu was about to hit him¡­.and when he did hit him¡­..Toshi was scared. Yuya looked the same way Toshi did that time.¡± There was no possible way. Hiroka, hearing those words, thought there was no fathomable way for something like this to happen. That smile, her warm smile, spoke those words into his heart. ¡°There are definitely people like that, and there are definitely children who will become like that.¡± ¡°Before ours comes, I¡¯ll prove it to you¡ª because it¡¯s likely they¡¯ll meet cruel enemies, they have to hear about those two things. And once they do¡­..¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Mizuha¡­.. if you¡¯re right¡­..why this child? ¡°Sensei?¡± ¡°U-Umm, yes, Yuuko?¡± ¡°Why did you not ask Yuya? Did you talk to her yesterday?¡± ¡­¡­ and just what does he see through those eyes? ¡°I¡­.I did. But Yuuko, that¡¯s not really of any concern to you, so you don¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡± ¡°But I am.¡± He gave a confused smile at the student. ¡°You¡¯re worried?¡± ¡°I feel¡­..bad¡­ about almost hitting her. I want to say sorry, but maybe she does not want to talk to me¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­. maybe she¡¯ll come around. As for why I didn¡¯t ask for her to come in and speak to me today, I already did so yesterday.¡± ¡°Is she in trouble..?¡± ¡°No no, nothing like that. Yuya has¡­.special circumstances, so I think it would be wise you don¡¯t speak to her in school for a lit¡ª¡± ¡°Ohh! Then, sensei, can you tell me where she lives so I can see her!?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.what?¡± Yuuko covered his mouth and stomped his foot in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mr. Eikyo, I interrupted.¡± ¡°No, I mean that¡¯s okay, but why do you want to find out where she lives?¡± ¡°So I can see her and say sorry! A he¡ª¡ª a man should say sorry and fix the bad things about himself! If I can¡¯t talk to her here, I¡¯ll visit her!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± he said in a voice much louder than he intended, it even sent Yuuko stepping backwards from the surprise. He looked around, thankfully none of his colleagues had noticed. ¡°Yuuko, I¡¯m really sorry, but when I said she has circumstances, I mean that¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s likely they¡¯ll meet cruel enemies, they have to hear about those two things¡­¡­¡± Then I¡¯ll put my faith¡­.in you. ¡°Yuuko, Yuya has a hard time with people. Children grow up differently, and sometimes they don¡¯t always get what¡¯s best. If you visit her, that may make things worse, for both you and her.¡± ¡°I see.......then, can you see her and say sorry for me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I can¡¯t do that either.¡± He could tell by his student¡¯s confused face. If he didn¡¯t explain at least a little bit right now, it might backfire later. ¡°I¡¯ve tried looking into her situation, but it¡¯s delicate. The principal¡­¡­.¡± he gave a sigh. ¡°I want the best for her too, but I¡¯m limited in what I can do because every action, good or bad, has consequences. If I intervene, especially as a member of the school, I¡¯ll make things worse.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Wanting to do good things doesn''t mean that¡¯s what¡¯s best. That¡¯s why you just need to give her time and patience. After that, try again some other time, okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.father said¡­..¡± ¡°Sorry Yuuko, I couldn¡¯t hear you,¡± he said, leaning in closer. ¡°Did you say something?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­..what father said. I can always try again.¡± ¡°And he¡¯s right!¡± He said, a relieved smile on his face from the change in topic. ¡°Father said I would have to fight for good¡­..that¡¯s why I was about to hit her yesterday¡­..I had to help my friend..¡± ¡°Hmh, your father sounds like a wise man! But he wouldn¡¯t want you doing that to a girl that was on the floor and helpless, right? Especially now that you know she¡¯s having a hard time.¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear.¡± Hiroka didn¡¯t register himself saying those words. As soon as Yuuko spoke, he felt his conscious take a backseat to instinct; his condolences came naturally. On the outside, he didn¡¯t react, he couldn¡¯t, given the shock of what he¡¯d just heard. His brain was going a thousand miles a second. He understood what he¡¯d just heard, but he didn¡¯t understand it. It made no sense. This child never showed the signs. Or maybe he did¡­.but he never saw them? ¡°Father died last year, but he told me I had to fight. I saw an opportunity when Yuya was hitting Katsuo.¡± ¡°I¡­.I see.¡± But he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Do you miss him?¡± The entire conversation, Yuuko had been looking face to face with him. Occasionally he would become distracted with a flying bird through the window, or a person leaving the lounge, but as soon as he spoke the question, Yuuko looked down at the floor. There was almost no delay. Another mistake. YOU IDIOT!! ¡°Yuuko, come on now, let¡¯s get back to¡ª¡± The child sprang out of his seat, flinging open the door and bolting into the hallway¡ª all while looking at the floor. ¡°Wait, Yuuko!¡± His arm outstretched, he stood up from his chair and caught the sliding door before it shut completely; just in time to peer out of the door and see Yuuko rounding the corner. He followed as quickly as he could, and by the time he made it to the end of the hallway, the only sign of life was a bathroom door that slowly swung shut. Taking his time to walk there, he cursed himself to no end. There was no word in the dictionary with a negative meaning he didn¡¯t call himself, but most of all, he resented the fact he had been so careless. He was horrible at his job. In his heart of hearts, he felt nothing but failure in his work as a teacher. ¡°That¡¯s not true, you promised me you wouldn¡¯t say those things anymore.¡± What do you expect from me? I can¡¯t hide the truth¡­..this just proves it. Carefully opening the door, he could immediately see a pair of small feet inside one of the stalls. He took a deep breath, but that didn¡¯t prepare him for the consequences he knew would come. Maybe it¡¯s fitting, in a way. He would finally be fired and prove to himself that he wasn¡¯t capable of achieving her dreams. ¡°Yuuko?¡± he said, gently knocking on the stall. ¡°Yuuko, I¡¯m sorry if I said anything¡­...that hurt you. I never meant to¡­..are you okay?¡± No response came from inside, but that was to be expected. He mentioned his father had died last year; psychologically speaking, to a child, that¡¯s comparable to both yesterday, and a lifetime ago. But he never saw that information written down anywhere on his file¡­. ¡°Yuuko?¡± he asked once more. ¡°If you need to take your time in there, I understand, just say the word and I can¡ª¡± ¡°Sensei, class is starting now, right?¡± A child with gold, shimmering eyes opened the stall door¡­.and surprised him. Truth be told, he expected the worst, but he looked no different than he did minutes ago. No¡­..that¡¯s wrong.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. His eyes weren¡¯t bloodshot in the least, he didn¡¯t shake nor did his voice quiver. He opened the door as though he were normally greeting¡­.well, his teacher. He greeted him with a large smile. As he slipped by the side of his legs, he turned back and spoke. ¡°I am going to wait in the classroom! Do not be late sensei, lunch is almost over!¡± Without so much as a hint of sarcasm or malice in his voice, he exited, leaving his teacher in a daze. He stood there for a long time, funneling his thoughts. He took a deep breath. The longer he thought about it, the clearer it became. Yuuko Asahino is the transfer student who immediately became friends with his classroom, minus the one person who had problems herself. Mizuha¡­..I know why it¡¯s this child. As he walked down the hall, one step at a time, the answers became clearer to him. And as he returned to his students, one step at a time, the questions became murkier. Part 3 ¡°That¡¯s my plan! What do you guys think!?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­ I think it¡¯s not a super good idea. What if she sees us?¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡­¡­.kind of scary.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we need to try again! I really think it¡¯ll work this time!¡± The trio stood outside the front doors of the school under the afternoon sky. It was pure coincidence that Yuuko had wanted to talk to Katsuo and Red after school, just as the latter two wanted to do the same with him. After changing shoes, they went outside where Katsuo enthusiastically wanted to talk first, but was interrupted by his friend who wished to present an idea for an ¡°opportunity¡±. Eagerly speaking, it was hard to keep up with him he was talking so fast. By the end of his explanation, his friends seemed hesitant to accept his offer. ¡°She¡¯s a bully Yuuko, she¡¯s just going to get mad and try to hit us like last time.¡± ¡°I¡ªI know, but maybe if we help, she¡¯ll be different this time!¡± ¡°You¡­¡­..really think so?¡± ¡°Ye¡ª!¡± He paused before finishing. ¡°¡­¡­..I¡­¡­..I think so.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..still, I¡ª¡± the girl stopped her words as a hand found itself on her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know either Red, but Yuuko¡¯s my friend, and sometimes you have to trust your friends.¡± He said, turning to meet the person in question. ¡°If you think this will help her be nice to people, and stop being a bully, then I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Katsuo¡­.thanks¡± He nodded as he turned his attention back to the girl. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to come, Red. We¡¯ll be alright,¡± he said, giving her a grin filled with confidence. The girl looked down with a blush, only to lift it once more, giving her answer. ¡°I want to go too. Maybe¡­maybe we really can help!¡± He felt a sense of relief in having his friends agree. He was about to head towards the gate when a certain hand tugged on his backpack. ¡°Hold it there mister! You were awfully selfish, not letting your new friend give his gift to you.¡± Yuuko¡¯s face flushed at remembering Katsuo also had something to say; he was rude again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Katsuo, I¡¯m trying to fix it, really.¡± ¡°Well, hopefully this¡¯ll help!¡± Reaching into his backpack, he quickly pulled something out and tossed it to Yuuko before he could properly react. He clumsily caught it in his hands after fumbling. ¡°A muffin?¡± ¡°The muffin I told you I¡¯d get you yesterday! Remember?¡± ¡°You remembered?¡± ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡­...thanks, but¡ª why?¡± His friend gave another confident smile as Red interrupted by pointing in the distance. ¡°She¡¯s leaving, we have to go or we¡¯ll lose her.¡± * * * * * It became much warmer as the day went on, so much so that the children had to remove their backpacks lest their backs become moist and uncomfortable. Katsuo removed the red hoodie he was wearing too; it was all strange given the fact that it was only mid-April. ¡°She hasn¡¯t moved from under that tree in forever,¡± Red sighed. ¡°Can we go up and talk to her now?¡± ¡°Maybe we should wait a little bit more¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound sure.¡± ¡°I saw her buying food yesterday¡­..but it was later than right now.¡± ¡°It would feel weird to watch her until nighttime¡­it kind of feels weird now.¡± ¡°I know, but it will definitely help.¡± The trio were stationed behind a store on the other side of the park where they managed to keep a rather clear view of the girl sitting in the shade. It wasn¡¯t such a bad place to hide since they also kept somewhat out of the sun. Glancing to his side, Yuuko noticed that Red pulled her hair into a ponytail, sticking pins into the parts the hair escaped down the sides of her neck or onto her face. ¡°Hey, how did you guys become friends anyway?¡± ¡°Me¡¯n Red?¡± Katsuo placed a hand on his chin and closed his eyes, making a deep *hmmm* sound as he faked being lost in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Red, do you remember?¡± ¡°Wh¡ª I¡ª¡ªI don¡¯t¡ª¡± Red looked to one side, stammering as her face matched her nickname. ¡°Hey hey,¡± his friend said, approaching her. ¡°You¡¯re turning all red, Red. Are you okay?¡± He placed a hand on her forehead while she made strange sounds. Out of nowhere, she closed her eyes and spoke so fast Yuuko wasn¡¯t entirely sure if he heard her right. ¡°Katsuo!helpedmege-a-librarybookandtalkedtomeinthelibraryallth-time!¡± ¡°Oh yeah!¡± he said, practically bursting from the concrete. ¡°She was reading this book where a group of kids go to another world¡ª I was telling her how awesome that would be!¡± ¡°katsuoooo!¡± the girl in the against the wall squealed, hiding her head underneath her arms. ¡°But it¡¯s a cool story! Doesn''t it sound like one, Yuuko?¡± ¡°A group of kids in another world?¡± ¡°Yeah yeah! They go and meet all sorts of evil things, like a witch! Oh! But they also meet people that help them, like a lion! They learn to be heroes!¡± ¡°This book is one of my favorites! It has a few kids your age in it!¡± ¡°Ohhhh! Father, are they heroes!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he laughed. ¡°Let¡¯s find out!¡± ¡°I like that story too.¡± he told the heavily blushing girl. She peaked through the gap in her arms, interested in his words. ¡°You¡­..read it too?¡± ¡°My fa¡ª¡± he choked. Before either one of them could react, Yuuko hunched forward and rose again, holding a thumbs up and a bright smile. ¡°My father showed it to me! It was one of his favorite ones!¡± ¡°Ohhh, Yuuko, I didn¡¯t know you and your dad liked those kinds of stories too.¡± ¡°I love reading them,¡± spoke Red, her defensive posture now gone. ¡°Why do you like them?¡± ¡°I¡­.I love hero stories¡­!¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why you helped out Toshi that one time too! OHH! AND YOU MENTIONED IT IN CLASS!¡± ¡°Men¡­.tioned?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah! That being a man is kind of like being a hero!¡± ¡°You know Yuuko, that¡¯s part of the reason Katsuo started talking to you!¡± Two pairs of eyes turned towards her¡ª one holding curiosity, the other holding terror. ¡°He said he always wanted to try being one, but he never could find someoOH¡ª¡± A hand quickly found its way over her mouth, and the familiar color of red returned to Red¡¯s face as she began to violently fidget. ¡°AhAhAHA, ah¡ª ahhh just ignore that Yuuko! She feels kind of sick today, remember?!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.say,¡± he said, the smile disappearing from his face. ¡°If I have it with me, do you guys want to rea¡ª¡± ¡°Hmphmmm!¡ª¡ª!!¡± Red pointed with enthusiasm he didn¡¯t know a person could have while being unable to talk; and it was clear what she was pointing to. The three of them turned their attention to a person moving across the street, specifically a girl with short, black hair that had a strand sticking from the top. The three of them hurriedly crowded around the corner of the building, watching as the girl made her way to a nearby convenience store. ¡°Now¡¯s our chance! Yuuko, Red, let¡¯s hurry!¡± Without wasting any time, Red began following the girl as Yuuko and Katsuo made their way to the tree she always stood beneath. Quickly dropping his backpack, Katsuo unzipped the top while Yuuko pulled a letter out of his own. They looked towards the convenience store and saw Red, looking inside the store from its corner, holding a thumbs up behind her. ¡°I¡¯m glad I brought extra muffins.¡± ¡°I did not know you could bake Katsuo, that is actually really cool.¡± ¡°Ahah, well, to be honest I didn¡¯t make all of these¡­..most of these. Red helped me out with them when I said I wanted to give you one to make up for yesterday. They¡¯re really hers, but she¡¯s nice and wouldn¡¯t let me tell people that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­but you just told me.¡± A distant look filled his eyes. ¡°Yeah¡­umm¡­.don¡¯t tell her I said that.¡± Looking back, they saw Red making aggressive hand gestures neither of them could make out. Quickly taking cover in the bushes, Red ran behind the store as the boys prepared a small stone. As the girl exited the store, she began walking further down the street¡ª they needed to get her attention. Yuuko threw the stone as hard as he could, aiming for the metal bench on the other side of the park. It didn¡¯t go far at all, in fact, it only ended up about halfway. As she began walking further away, Yuuko began looking for another stone before Katsuo ran out of the bushes holding a rock almost as big as his hand. ¡°Wait, Katsu¡ª¡± From about halfway across the park, Katsuo threw the rock as hard as he could, and the sound reverberated with a huge *CLANG* that he could clearly hear from inside the bushes. He just barely made it back inside the bushes before Yuya walked back enough to notice the noise¡ª and then she spotted what was under a very familiar tree. As she came closer, Yuuko could see she had a drink in her hand. Maybe she¡¯d decided to save the daifuku for later? Moments later, she was directly in front of them. Setting down her drink, she picked up the objects with both hands, tossing the letter to the side while examining the food. ¡­¡­¡­.I¡­¡­...I guess that¡¯s oka¡ª¡ª ¡°You stole that money.¡± ¡°Hah?¡± Katsuo and Yuuko gave each other worried looks from inside the shrubbery¡ª they knew that voice. It wasn¡¯t part of the plan for Red to talk to Yuya. ¡°You stole that money from Shinra-chan today!¡± Yuya didn¡¯t seem fazed by her words, but it was obvious to all of them that it was hard for her to speak; her entire body shook as she spoke. ¡°And? I needed it.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t steal from people, she didn¡¯t eat lunch today because you stole it!¡± ¡°So she didn¡¯t eat lunch. Big deal,¡± she said, setting down the muffin she was about to eat. ¡°Why are you here anyway?¡± ¡°Because we were here to give you that muffin as a way to say sorry! As a way to be nice!¡± Even though Yuuko couldn¡¯t see her eyes directly, even he could feel the coldness that hit the area around them all of a sudden. As soon as she spoke those words. ¡°¡­¡­.to be nice? Are you making fun of me!?¡± Her tone instantly turned bad, and the two of them could see Red flinch away as Yuya tossed the food to one side, making her way closer to her. The next thing Yuuko knew, Katsuo was standing in front of her, arms spread wide out. ¡°You¡¯re not going to hurt Red.¡± ¡°Why are you here!? ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME!?!¡± ¡°We wanted to do something for you, Red and I handmade those muffins, and someone thought it would be nice for you to have one too.¡± ¡°Who thought that? I¡¯ll beat them up too!¡± ¡°We wanted to do something nice, why can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°WHOSE IDEA WAS IT!?¡± ¡°.......................¡± ¡°..............................¡± ¡°.................................mine.¡± Yuuko opened his eyes wide as he stood waist high above the bushes and watched Katsuo take the blame. ¡°It was my idea, so don¡¯t hit Red.¡± But as he spoke, he looked at Yuuko. It was a look Yuuko didn¡¯t recognize¡­..he felt that it was important. Was he telling him¡­¡­..to leave? He maneuvered his way through the bushes as Katsuo followed with his eyes. ¡°I told you to GO AWAY ALREADY!¡± ¡°It was my idea.¡± he said, from behind her. She visibly jumped and nearly fell onto the floor. ¡°It was my idea to give you a muffin to say sorry for yesterday. I¡¯m sorry about almost hitting you and for scar¡ª¡± ¡°SCARED? I¡¯M NOT SCARED OF YOU! AND I DON¡¯T WANT YOUR SORRY!¡± ¡°We were trying to say sorry,¡± said the girl with shoulder-length hair. ¡°We¡¯ll¡­. go away.¡± ¡°Then STAY away!¡± Looking down at her feet, she grabbed with food that had fallen and threw it with all her might at the girl. Looking behind him and turning just as quickly, Katsuo jumped towards the object, letting it hit him square in the face. Yuuko thought she must be as strong as people say, because Katsuo ended up laying in the dirt afterwards. ¡°And you!¡± She said, turning her attention to Yuuko. ¡°I thought maybe we were the same, but we¡¯re nowhere close! I don¡¯t want your niceness and I don¡¯t want pity! You and your friends STAY AWAY FROM ME!¡± She shouted at the top of her lungs while picking up her backpack and leaving. As she walked, she stood above the boy on the ground. She walked next to Red, growling something to her before Katsuo grabbed her leg, looking straight at her. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­..hur¡ª!¡± The girl swept her foot from his grip, causing his head to fall face first into the dirt. She walked off without another word while Yuuko and Red checked on their friend. ¡°Katsuo, are you okay!?¡± ¡°Katsuo, friend!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m okay,¡± he said, sitting up and furiously rubbing his nose. ¡°She throws really hard¡ª that girl is strong.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry guys¡­¡­.this happened because I said something to her¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Katsuo said, meeting her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s true she takes peoples¡¯ money, but for her to buy things for herself is¡­¡­.it¡¯s just as bad!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my fault,¡± spoke the boy with golden eyes. ¡°This was my plan¡­¡­.I just want to know why during all that she was still looking¡ª!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault either Yuuko,¡± Katsuo said as his friends pulled his hands up. ¡°But I think we should leave her alone. We tried our best. Even all the times people have tried making friends with her in class, it doesn''t work. She hates people.¡± ¡°But¡­...she was looking down the whole time¡­..¡± ¡°She¡­.she said she doesn''t want our niceness.¡± Red offered. ¡°Maybe we really should just leave her alone.¡± ¡°Yuuko, Yuya has a hard time with people.¡± Why¡­¡­¡­.? Why do things get hurt? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. And why does she always look down? ¡°I am sorry¡­.to both of you¡­...it was my idea but you got hurt¡­..¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s alright! We tried, and Eikyo sensei always says that¡¯s all that matters!¡± He didn¡¯t register himself looking down until Katsuo spoke those words. He looked up to see Red handing him his fallen backpack. ¡°Thank you..for saving me¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem!¡± He said with almost a laugh. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± ¡°I should be asking you that!¡± She said on her toes. ¡°Let¡¯s get you home, you might have cuts or bruises!¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯ll be okay,¡± he said waving off her concern and turning his attention. ¡°Yuuko, do you want to come to my place with us!?¡± ¡°Your...house?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll be fun! I haven¡¯t had anyone to play games with since Red came over, but she always loses every game we play.¡± ¡°You never go easy on me!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t go easy when you play video games, ask anyone¡ª right Yuuko?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yuuko?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh¡­right. I am sorry guys, but I need to do¡­¡­.something¡­.¡± ¡°Aw man, you¡¯re busy?¡± ¡°Kind of...yes?¡± ¡°W-Well then, I guess I have to take care of Katsuo by myself,¡± Red spoke without looking at either of them. ¡°Geez...well, next time for sure!¡± ¡°Ahh, y-yes! Next time..!¡± Unexpectedly, Katsuo walked up to Yuuko and put a hand to his shoulder. ¡°And don¡¯t feel bad about Yuya. We tried our best, but bullies can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°I¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Still, I think it¡¯s super cool of you to try Yuuko! Just like how you helped Toshi, just like a real life hero!¡± ¡°Katsuo¡­.¡± ¡°Well then, we should go before it gets any later,¡± he said, returning to Red. ¡°See you at school tomorrow!¡± ¡°Bye Yuuko,¡± said the girl waving her hand. ¡°S¡ªSee you guys¡­¡­...friends¡­.¡± he whispered his last word so quietly, he wasn¡¯t even sure he said it. He stood there for some time, letting the sun get lower, bathing him in the light of a setting sun. He didn¡¯t have much time to make his decision, but he couldn¡¯t help it¡ª his body felt too heavy. It¡¯s true that Yuya is a bully. It¡¯s true she hurts people, it¡¯s true she hurt his friend. Even so¡­¡­.why! He forced the weight to the side of his chest, making him turn and burst into a run. If she wants people to leave her alone¡ªthen why does she have that look on her face!? The wind brushed his hair back as he hurdled towards the direction the girl went earlier. His heart throbbed with pain as he tried to gain more speed, fighting against the weight that tried to make him stop and lay down. His muscles became sore as he thought of he and his friends¡¯ attempt to help her, and the weight doubled, nearly causing him to trip. The sun dipped a little lower, and shadows became longer¡ª the temperature, just a bit cooler. But none of that mattered. He forced the weight inside of him to go into his legs, grinding his shoes against the asphalt with a noise level that nearly caused him to be heard by her. Yes, none of that mattered when he asked himself that question. Why¡­¡­¡­¡­..do things get hurt? The girl was standing against a lamppost, idling in front of a house at the end of the street. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure where they were. The area around them looked¡­.astoundingly normal. There were houses lined all along the street, and absolutely nothing looked out of the ordinary about them. Except for one thing. The house the girl was standing in front of was the only house with extra fencing around it. Yuuko took cover by a fence that was close to where the girl was standing, though it wasn¡¯t easy quieting his steps. The girl kicked at the ground with her shoe, but the movement caused a tear on the bottom of her backpack to open; dumping its contents out the street. She sighed as she picked up her things, one by one, stacking them into a pile. A light turned on in the house the girl stood in front of, but she didn¡¯t seem to notice; instead, when she was done, she tightened a string on the bottom of her backpack before putting everything back inside. Though her back was faced towards him, he could see her shoulders moving as they worked, and pause when she saw a certain object. It was too far away for Yuuko to see clearly, but he knew what it was, and he almost smiled. Until an open door illuminated the girl in faint yellow light. ¡°Ohh, I thought someone was out here, but who¡¯d¡¯ve thought it was a little girl! Have you seen her before?¡± ¡°Never in my life,¡± said a woman with neck-length black hair. She walked closer with each word until she was face to face with Yuya. ¡°What are you doin¡¯ out here so late little girl? It¡¯s dangerous you know.¡± ¡°Ahhh, Meyoshi, is she lost?¡± ¡°N-No! I¡¯m no¡ªt, I-I-I just dropped my bo¡ªoks!¡± ¡°Hmmmm, so where do you live?¡± ¡°T-That way!¡± She pointed to the direction she and Yuuko came from. ¡°Ahhh, Meyoshi, does this mean we have to walk her there?¡± A woman with long yellow-orange hair spoke until she was next to the woman with black hair. ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it Neia, I can take her.¡± ¡°Oh thank goodness,¡± she said putting her hands up to her face. ¡°Sorry I can''t go with you, but you know me and kids.¡± ¡°I know,¡± laughed the woman with short hair. ¡°That¡¯s why I said I¡¯d take her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be late.¡± She winked. ¡°Of course,¡± the woman with long hair laughed as she walked away. ¡°Oh, and kid, don¡¯t get lost, seriously. Lots of news lately about people disappearing you know!¡± The woman she talked to, Meyoshi, let out a laugh so loud Yuuko could feel it in his bones. ¡°Now you¡¯re just being mean.¡± ¡°Whatever! It¡¯s true, and you like it.¡± ¡°Get out of here so I can take this kid home.¡± The woman let out no response as Yuuko hid behind the fence completely to avoid being seen. As he heard footsteps growing further away, he turned back to a shrill voice that caused him to shirk back. ¡°Why the hell are you back here when you know I still have my visitor?!¡± He didn¡¯t notice when he curled half his body into a ball. ¡°I...I didn¡¯t have...my tree had people by it an¡ª¡± ¡°Tree? People? You think I care about that when you nearly got me caught?!¡± Yuuko turned the corner to see the woman with black hair clutching onto Yuya¡¯s arm. The light was dim, but he thought he saw wrinkles on the spot her arm was being grabbed. The house light down the road turned on, and this didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the woman. ¡°Get inside. Now.¡± She got up, pulling the girl along with her until Yuya stopped. It looked like she hit an invisible wall, her stop was so sudden. ¡°Get. Inside.¡± He could hear the teeth that grounded against each other with those two words. But Yuya didn¡¯t move. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m sorry...please¡ª¡ªI¡± ¡°N.O.W¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do it again, please no! Please Mom I¡¯m sor¡ª¡± He didn¡¯t see it. Yuuko turned around almost immediately after Yuya stopped walking. He didn¡¯t see it. But he didn¡¯t need to. He recognized the sound. That horrible sound that he heard that time. The sound of skin being split open. The sharp pain that hurts even if you only hear it. ...she knows it. With a shaking hand, Yuuko covered his mouth, and looked inside the palm of the other¡ª it was covered in lines. ¡°Inside. I¡¯ll deal with you after I find out whether or not she thinks anything.¡± ¡°.......okay..¡± ¡°..........tch¡± The door closed normally. The door closed inside a normal house, on a normal street. Yuuko stood up with difficulty. Even though it was warm earlier in the day, he felt cold. His skin was covered in bumps. ¡°....mother¡± Why was it so cold? ¡­...father I want to throw up... He forced himself not to look at the ground. He forced himself to look up, to begin his way home. But putting one foot in front of the other was harder than it seemed. * * * * * The mattress made an awful grating when she sat on it¡ª but she got used to it. It used to bother her, because it bothered her mother, but with time she started to find comfort in the sound of sitting on top of it. She never knew why. The clock on the microwave read "10:49"¡ª her mom should be going to bed soon. The creaking sound became louder for just a second as she jumped off and reached for her bag in the corner. She liked the smallness of the room, the bed took up most of the space so the only places she could put things was in the corner next to the door and her closet¡ª but that was taken up by clothes her mother wouldn¡¯t let her touch. Sitting on the floor, she slid it close to her and tightened the string at the bottom once more before opening the zipper. Inside was a muffin, covered in small specks of rock from the concrete outside, and one other thing. She set the food down to one side and opened the letter that came with it. It was a strange letter, the cover was clearly a girl¡¯s handwriting, but the inside looked like it was written by different people¡ª even so, almost all of it was one handwriting style. ¡°HOPE U LIKE THIS! (£þ¨Œ£þ)¥Î SORRY ABOUT THE OTHER DAY AT THE SCHOOL! WE CAN B FRIENDS YEAH!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about telling Mr. Eikyo! I tried to make these as best I could, I made them for our classmates, I hope you like it too!¡± She clutched at the paper when she read those words, but let go when she realized she was wrinkling the last message. ¡°I think maybe we are alike afterall. Father says a man has to fight for his friends¡­.but I think maybe you do not want to be a bully. You do not look like a bully I knew one time. I am sorry about almost hitting you, Yuya. Please take this muffin as a sorry for yesterday. I hope you talk to us soon. ¡ªYuuko Asahino¡± The light kept flickering in her room, but it didn¡¯t bother her. It was too dim to do that, and she¡¯d grown up with it most of her life. She gently tossed the letter in front of her and stared at it until a foul growling filled the room. She picked up the muffin and dusted off the specks of dirt on it. It tasted worse than the daifuku from the store. ¡°You idiots made things worse,¡± she said, taking another bite from the pastry. The mouth full of food didn¡¯t stop the quivering in her voice like she hoped it would. Part 4 ¡°In case you are still hungry, but do not eat too much. I love you. -Mother¡± The store bought food tasted better than what he usually made if he¡¯s still hungry, so much so that he forgot to save any for her for when she returned home. As a result, his stomach became just as heavy as his chest¡ª and it felt just as bad. He sat there in silence, completing what little homework he could focus on until his eyelids became too heavy for him. It wasn¡¯t until the clock read ¡°10:59¡± that he heard the sound of a door handle rattle and the door creak open. By the time the footsteps reached the kitchen, he was rubbing his eyes awake. ¡°Yuuko, what in the world are you still doing up? You know you should be in bed by now.¡± ¡°I¡­.wanged to asked you something momther¡­.¡± ¡°You can not even speak you are so tired,¡± she sighed. ¡°No, I¡ª¡± he spoke, rubbing his eyes harder. ¡°I need to ask you something mother. It is important.¡± ¡°Whatever it is, it can wait. It is late, so we need to get you¡ª¡± ¡°How do you help a girl who does not want help?¡± Silence filled the kitchen. Yuuko looked up at his mother standing over him. Her dark blue clothes were covered in wrinkles and her night-colored hair was flying away at the sides. When she set down a professional looking bag to one side, he got a look at her cheeks. They looked kind of¡­.gloomy. He didn¡¯t know how cheeks could look that way, but they definitely did. He also didn¡¯t like the way her golden eyes seemed to make the darkness under them¡­..stronger. Taking a seat, she took in a deep breath before answering. ¡°Yuuko, who is this about? Is something going on at school?¡± ¡°No no, it is fine, really! No one is bullying me¡­.but¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡­¡­.¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.there is a girl¡­.she hurts¡­¡­..she is being hurt¡­.¡± ¡°Hurt how?¡± ¡°Her¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Her¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡­¡­.how do I help a girl like that?¡± His mother was quiet for some time before speaking. His eyes went wide at hearing her words. ¡°Yuuko¡­¡­.this is not something for you to do. Tell a teacher if something bad is happening to her, but do not get involved.¡± If he wasn¡¯t awake before, he definitely was now. ¡°But¡ª mother! I-I need to do something or¡ª!¡± ¡°No, Yuuko, you do not!¡± He shrunk back into the chair, and his mother gave a deep, but calm, sigh. ¡°Yuuko, do you remember the box that we saw at the grocery store? The one that was hurt?¡± ¡°Y-Yes...I remember.¡± ¡°It is like that. Someone is going to help that girl, that is the job of the school and teachers, it is not your job. I am happy to hear you want to help, but¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡­¡­.but..?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.it¡­is not your job. Yes¡­.someone will help her, but it can not be you.¡± ¡°Because it is not my job to help?¡± ¡°¡­because¡­¡­. it will take you away¡­¡± ¡°Mother¡­...I did not hear you.¡± ¡°It was nothing,¡± she said, rising from her chair. ¡°Brush your teeth and head straight to bed, okay?¡± And so he did as he was told, but he didn¡¯t get so much as a few hours of sleep. Rising the next day, everything seemed like a blur until it came time to break for lunch. Following his teacher out of the classroom, Mr. Eikyo had barely opened his meal before Yuuko began speaking with him. He explained the situation in detail, everything from how they spied on her, to him following her home. His expressions throughout varied only slightly¡­¡­.until he heard what Yuuko had to say about that sound. He looked at his hands as he explained it, and he noticed white lines running all over them. His palms and the back of his hands¡­...he never noticed. Of course he never noticed. ¡°I¡­¡­..we know, Yuuko.¡± ¡°You know...she gets hit?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.yes.¡± ¡°I¡­.do not understand¡ª why can you not help her? Why can you not stop it!?¡± ¡°Because her mother will sue our school for discrimination, and win.¡± ¡°Sue for discrim-crimination?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he said, heaving a sigh. ¡°Yuuko, since you¡¯ve spoken to Yuya, haven¡¯t you noticed that her eyes aren¡¯t like most peoples¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes¡­they are green¡­..or green-blue?¡± ¡°Her mother isn¡¯t from Japan, she¡¯s from Scandinavia. Unless we can get concrete proof of her abuse, she¡¯ll sue us for discrimnation against the way she raises her child and win.¡± ¡°But, I do not¡ª¡± ¡°With her connections and lawyer, she can even pin the issue of Yuya¡¯s attitude problems towards her being neglected in school but the worst of all is that Yuya will cooperate with her because she¡¯s afraid of her mother.¡± Mr. Eikyo didn¡¯t pause to breath once in his words. ¡°Yuya is afraid¡­..and we can¡¯t do anything without making things worse for ourselves¡­.!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡­¡­.¡± ¡°In something called a lawsuit, things get complicated, Yuuko. The principal and I are the only ones who know for that reason.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­.that is why she is always looking down.¡± ¡°She¡¯s always...what?¡± ¡°Eikyo sensei¡­¡­.may I please ask for something selfish?¡± As Yuuko gave his request and explained his reasons, his teacher¡¯s eyes slowly grew in size. He expressed his displeasure in the idea, but Yuuko would not budge. At one point, he explained that it, ¡°was his place¡± to be involved. He was far too defiant with this idea, and even though he didn¡¯t know the words to express himself, his message was clear. Hiroka Eikyo shook his head as lunch came to an end and his student returned to the room before him. Soon, the day itself had come to an end, and Yuuko left the room with a hurried pace. ¡°Yuuko!¡± He heard a familiar voice call out to him. ¡°Want to come with us to work on Red¡¯s art project!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a clay sculpture¡­..i-it doesn''t look great right now, but I would appreciate the help¡­..¡± ¡°Sorry guys, not today!¡± Without so much as a glance, Yuuko left the classroom and returned home. He was ecstatic the next morning as his teacher announced a new ¡°classmate bonding¡± exercise. As he called out each one of the twenty-three students¡¯ names, one by one they were assigned a seat in the neatly ordered classroom. It was no coincidence that Yuuko¡¯s name was the twenty-second that was called, followed swiftly by number twenty-three¡ª Yuya Itomei. In the back of the classroom, Yuya sat in the first column to the far right, the seat nearest the back door of the class. A certain boy with bright, golden eyes sat next to her. ¡°My name is Yuuko Asahino,¡± he said, outstretching his hand. ¡°It is nice to meet you Yuya!¡± Intermission Part 1 ¡°Again.¡± ¡°Mother I¡¯ve already tried, it¡¯s hard and I can¡¯t¡ª!¡± ¡°Yes you can,¡± she said as she walked towards his fallen body. She talked in that same tone, he didn¡¯t know what to call it. He had listened to her when she was angry, sad, even happy and proud. But never like this. Her tone sounded¡­...like there was nothing there. To Yuuko, they sounded like words that didn¡¯t mean anything¡­.but he understood them anyway? He sat upright, wiping the dirt off his pants, but nothing more. She crouched next to him. ¡°You need to learn Yuuko. I am going to have to work much more than normal, and there will be days I can not be with you. More importantly, in case something like that ever happens to you again, you must at least learn this much.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yuuko..?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t if dad...if father....were here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­your father¡­¡­¡­would want you to stay safe... Now come on, on your feet, we¡¯re trying again.¡± He stood up as his mother walked across their yard. ¡°Remember to plant your feet firmly and keep low to the ground so you do not get knocked back. Be firm, but not to the point you can not move. Try coming at me one more¡ª¡± Her child wasn¡¯t paying attention. Of course he wasn¡¯t. He stood up as she requested, but his eyes were glued to the dirt beneath his shoes. Not only that, but his shoulders were slumped, and his face¡­. Oh¡­.Oh Yuuko¡­ She paced back to where she¡¯d been moments ago, gingerly holding both of his hands. ¡°Yuuko, sweetheart, is something wrong?¡± ¡°Mother,¡± he said, meeting her eyes. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How did father die?¡± For most of her childhood and adolescence, Hikari had to learn to control herself. Not just emotionally, but physically¡ª she had to control every muscle of her body. And the face was always the most difficult. For a few moments, she had to look down, to stiffen herself. She couldn¡¯t afford to lose control. Not here. Not in front of her son that needs her. When she returned his gaze, she had the bare minimum amount of control in both her face and voice¡ª it was one of gentleness, maturity, one that she knew would convey to her son that he was far too young to understand. At least, that¡¯s what she prayed for. ¡°Your father¡­..Yuuko¡­um¡­¡­..your father¡­¡­.¡± It was breaking. She had to be quick. ¡°Your father¡­.ahh¡­...his heart stopped.¡± ¡°His¡­..heart?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡­.your father was¡­..sick. It is not¡­.the sickness you feel in your body, but one you feel in your mind¡­.in your heart.¡± ¡°I see¡­.¡± She opened her mouth, but her voice caught nothing but cold wind. She couldn¡¯t speak. She didn¡¯t notice she gripped her son¡¯s hands tighter until she felt more of his warmth, but by then¡ª ¡°¡ªmother?¡± ¡°Y-Yes?¡± The warmth she felt earlier spread throughout her body. She was confused as to where it came from, the soft and familiar comfort it brought. It felt¡­.like something she had not felt in a very long time. Something she didn¡¯t know she needed. ¡°It is okay mom.¡± Her son¡¯s voice in her ear, and a small pair of hands embracing her back. She understood now. The stiffness of her muscles disappeared, and before she knew it, her own arms were wrapped around her son¡¯s back. It was warm¡­.so warm¡­¡­¡­chipping away at the coldness. No, not here. She couldn¡¯t break here. ¡°You¡­.are right, Yuuko. We are alright. We are okay.¡± It took everything she had to control her body, leaving nothing left to stop the shaking in her voice. But that¡¯s when she noticed that her son¡¯s words earlier held that same tone. Yuuko¡­¡­¡­¡­.why? Why¡­¡­.aren¡¯t you crying? Part 2 The midday sun shined through the windows of the teacher''s lounge, illuminating every teacher¡¯s individual desk, rife with paperwork, decorations, and notes intermingling with the scent of coffee. It was an ironic setting for their conversation. ¡°It was then that I taught him how to protect himself. He had trouble at his previous school, I am sure you have read about it already, and I wanted to be sure a similar event would not happen here. I¡­apologize, for any trouble it may have caused you.¡± ¡°No no, not at all! The issue was, thankfully, resolved quickly thanks in no small part to both your son and the other student who was present. Both seemed uninterested in pursuing the issue any further¡­¡­ at least¡­.normally.¡± ¡°Normally?¡± Hikari asked with a tint of worry. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡­.actually the reason I asked you to come here today¡­.¡± She sat upright, folding the creases in her business skirt away. Though it was Saturday and she was required by her office, she let them know she would be out from morning to midday. This request by Hiroka Eikyu seemed far more important. ¡°Is he¡­¡­.doing something wrong?¡± The teacher made a difficult expression and looked to his desk on the left. There was a sheet of paper covered in bullet points; normally that would worry her, but something about the teacher made her lower her guard in that it¡¯s not Yuuko he struggles to talk about, but rather his actions. ¡°Contrary to whatever happened to him at his previous school, Yuuko is quite popular in class now. The other children almost seem drawn to his attitude, especially after he told them of his dream to become a man¡ª a hero.¡± She gave a sigh at which Hiroka could only respond with a wry smile. ¡°My son said that to everyone?¡± ¡°For the former, yes, but his mentioning of being a hero seemed almost by accident.¡± ¡°¡­.I see. He never used to hide it¡­..but I am glad he is not causing trouble.¡± ¡°...well, that¡¯s what I was coming to. There¡¯s one student in particular who has difficulties with the class, the one he had an altercation with. Ever since the incident, I believe he¡¯s attempting to befriend her.¡± ¡°..........how do I help a girl like that?¡± ¡°Though I don¡¯t oppose his efforts, I do have to admit I¡¯m worried for his safety. She has¡­problems, and I¡¯m not sure how she¡¯ll react. I keep a close eye on her, but I just believed you should know as his parent.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°You do not¡­¡­.oppose his efforts?¡± ¡°Miss Asahino?¡± ¡°You just admitted you worry for his safety, yet you do not oppose his efforts?¡± her tone had a dangerous edge to it. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what I meant but¡­.¡± ¡°My son could get hurt again chasing this¡­¡­.this ¡®goal,¡¯ but you are not opposed? As a teacher, should you not treat all your students equally?¡± ¡°That¡¯s certainly my goal, but I meant¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªmeant that my son can get hurt but this girl will not!?¡± Seeing her suddenly stand up, the other members in the teacher¡¯s lounge looked towards their direction; he could feel their eyes burning into them. Unable to meet her eyes, he looked to his notes and spoke. ¡°She is hurt. That¡¯s why I want to help.¡± Her eyes went wide with shock. ¡°.......there is a girl....she hurts........she is being hurt....¡± ¡°I wonder if even a useless teacher like me could do something¡­¡­.so I want to help.¡± She sat back down, bowing slightly. ¡°I deeply, deeply apologize for my outburst just now. Please forgive me, things have been¡­difficult.¡± He was quiet for a few moments before deciding on his response. ¡°Since it¡¯s so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them have at least heard of brave knights and heroic courage.¡± She looked up at him, confusion strewn across her face. ¡°A quote from the woman who got me into teaching,¡± he explained. ¡°It¡¯s one of the reasons I¡¯ve been helping Yuuko, but I also believe it¡¯s not his responsibility. As a teacher, I¡¯m doing everything I can to help Yuya¡¯s, the girl¡¯s, situation.¡± ¡°Is she¡­.alright?¡± He held the gentle smile he¡¯d been giving her all this time, but it wasn¡¯t reflected in his eyes. ¡°I wish it were different, but not all parents have the amount of care that you have for your son.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± The silence stretched on for what seemed like hours. Eventually, it was Hiroka that cut the delicate air that had formed between them. ¡°Well, I mainly called you in to tell you that, about his fight I mean. Thankfully it should be water under the bridge soon, but it was necessary to inform you.¡± ¡°Yes¡­.. thank you Mr. Hiroka.¡± Both gently rose from their chairs and bowed before Hikari turned to leave. ¡°A final question if you do not mind,¡± she said holding the door ajar. ¡°You said it is not his responsibility, correct?¡± He made a difficult face as the question hung in the air. The silence wasn¡¯t a dead one, but it was clear he was thinking carefully about his answer. ¡°I¡¯m proud as his teacher to see him trying to help his classmate¡­.but there are things a boy should, and should, not pursue.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.I see,¡± she said without facing him. ¡°Thank you, once again.¡± Though the answer he gave was unclear, its weight was enough for both of them¡ª the answer of what it is a child can do. Part 3 ¡°OUCH!¡± he said, violently stomping the kitchen floor. ¡°STUPID¡­..OIL!¡± He hurriedly covered his mouth, changing his words. ¡°Dumb¡­..I meant dumb oil¡­..¡± *grrrruuuuuuumbleeee* He sighed. ¡°I am making more food now, please stop growling, stomach.¡± ¡°gruph¡± ¡°Yes Toshi, for you too¡­but I am still not very good¡­.¡± The dish he was preparing is extraordinarily simple¡ª eggs with a side of rice, but he was struggling much more than when he learned it from his mother, mainly due to one factor. ¡°Toshi¡­¡­.she isn¡¯t like you¡­.she keeps pushing¡­¡± In his mind, he replayed the countless times he¡¯s tried to get close to Yuya during the week. Each and every time, she¡¯s rejected him¡ª even hit him a few times, though it wasn¡¯t very hard. There was the time he tried to go on the walk she does around the block, but she pushed him onto the sidewalk. Another day, he appeared behind her and offered to help her with homework she hadn¡¯t finished yet, but she just yelled at him to ¡°mind his own business¡±. Every time she said something like that, people in class would stare at her, and later come tell Yuuko that it¡¯s okay¡ª he never paid them any mind. ¡°Oh no!¡± The smoke from the burning omelet clouded his vision, bringing him back to the present. Having no time to think, he threw the dish¡ª pan and all¡ª into the sink, pouring water on it; that resulted in even more smoke. In a blind rush, he climbed the countertop and opened the window above the sink, jumping off and landing hard. His feet ached from the pain, but he had no time to think about it. He quickly opened the rest of the windows in his home, and by the time he got to the last one, the smoke was already clearing out. Returning to the kitchen, he looked into the sink to see steam rising from a soggy omelet floating on the water in the pan. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± He sighed and sulked against the kitchen wall. If he had been paying attention, this wouldn¡¯t have happened, and he and Toshi would be eating. ¡°No no no!¡± he thought, violently shaking his head. ¡°Don¡¯t look down!¡± Though he forced himself to look up from the floor, he just didn¡¯t have the energy to keep it up. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why she always does it¡­.¡± ¡°You and your friends STAY AWAY FROM ME!¡± ¡°I wonder¡­¡­.why things get hurt¡­..¡± ¡°grph.¡± Toshi pawed up to him with dark, marble brown eyes. ¡°It hurts though boy¡­¡­ every time she¡­.. it just hurts every time¡­¡­.¡± Toshi didn¡¯t say anything, and Yuuko almost smiled because he remembered the first time he met him, he kept thinking to himself that a dog couldn¡¯t talk. ¡°He wrote in his letter¡ª that I should try again. Even though he said it would hurt¡­.¡± The white colored ceiling helped him focus his thoughts. He kept the letters in a book upstairs; they have a lot in them, and they reminded him of something. ¡°Dad always called mom a flower¡­.and mom said that girls are like flowers a lot of the time. What kind of flower do you think she is, boy?¡± Of course, Toshi gave no response, but that was fine with him¡­..because he could remember. ¡°Yuuko, you¡¯ll need to know something about flowers for when you¡¯re older.¡± ¡°Mother, flowers are for girls, I do not even like them!¡± ¡°Ara, but this is a different type of flower.¡± ¡°A different kind?¡± ¡°You see Yuuko¡­¡­.the prettiest flowers¡­¡­..¡± He grabbed a pencil and flipped open the white journal that lay on the kitchen table. His face was centimeters away from the page, furiously scribbling away, until he finally looked up from it with determination scrawled on his face. ¡°These plans¡­¡­.I think that this time, they will work.¡± ¡°grph.¡± ¡°Yeah, even if it hurts¡­..because that is what father said.¡± ¡°grph.¡± Yuuko picked up another pan and resumed his attempts at creating an omelet for him and his dog. Part 4 ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true Red!¡± ¡°You need to learn how to talk to girls Katsuo,¡± she pouted. ¡°That was a mean way to say it!¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­..it¡¯s just that, do you really think that¡¯s true?¡± ¡°I just read about it, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­...but it¡¯d be TOTALLY COOL if it were true, right?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but smile wide at his overreaction. ¡°I think it¡¯d be pretty cool¡­.but it¡¯s just plant stuff. I didn''t know you¡¯d be so interested in plants changing colors if you change the color of the water.¡± Sunlight filtered gently through patches of white clouds as the two talked under the backyard porch in Katsuo¡¯s home. The melting ice made soft clinking noises in their cups as the two enjoyed the air of the Sunday afternoon. To most, it seemed like their relationship was oddly close, but it didn¡¯t seem like that to Katsuo and Red, who¡¯d known each other since before they could remember. Red lived two doors down from Katsuo, and visited whenever she wanted; Katsuo actually found it strange that she said she should always be the one to visit, never him. He had been to her house a handful of times, and he thought it may have something to do with her older sister always asking him strange questions. ¡°Say Katsuo~! Do you want to get married someday?¡± ¡°Big sister!!¡± Well, he never gives it much thought, but she has a nice family. ¡°Hey, Red.¡± he began with a frown. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Do you think¡­¡­Yuuko has been weird, lately?¡± ¡°Weird?¡± ¡°Yeah I mean¡­¡­.he doesn''t really talk to us anymore. Since school started, we became friends but¡­.he hasn¡¯t talked to us since last week.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she said, the smile disappearing from her face. ¡°Now that you mention it, I guess he hasn¡¯t.¡± Katsuo leaned back on his arms while Red pulled her legs to her chest. ¡°Yeah. He also talks a lot to Yuya¡­I guess since the teacher moved us around that makes sense, but she never talks back.¡± ¡°She did¡­.tell us to stay away from her¡­.¡± ¡°But Yuuko doesn¡¯t.¡± She turned to look at him, and she could see it right away. ¡°Katsuo¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡­¡­.I want us to be friends but¡­¡­.it hurts when he ignores us¡­¡­.¡± Besides his own family, there was no one who knew Katsuo better than Red. His shoulders always scrunch up whenever he gets upset, and she couldn¡¯t stand the look on his face. She couldn¡¯t help but think that if it hadn¡¯t been for Katsuo, she would still be too scared to talk to people. Well, she was still scared, but not as much as she used to be, the proof being that she could talk to Yuuko after only knowing him for a few days. He was never around to see it, but when Katsuo talked about Yuuko, especially that first day he introduced himself, his eyes would always light up, it was something she never got tired of seeing. She knows why it happens, and knows how much it means to him. With newfound fervor, she moved to crouch down by Katsuo. ¡°We¡¯ll ask him!¡± Her sudden outburst caused his arms to give out under him. ¡°K-Katsuo! Are you okayI¡¯m reallysorryI didn¡¯tmeantohurt¡ª¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s a great idea!¡± As quickly as he fell, he recovered, regaining his balance and quickly getting himself on two feet. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea Red! Yuya is going to hurt him bad if we don¡¯t stop this¡ª she already gave us a warning, and we can¡¯t let a new friend get hurt!¡± As he finished his speech, she noticed how strongly his fists were balled up. Katsuo had never left Red alone since helping her, and she wanted to repay him. ¡°I¡¯m going to help too!¡± she said violently erupting from the wooden porch. Though she had the energy, she began to sway as soon as the words left her mouth. ¡°Red!¡± screamed her friend as he caught her. ¡°Hey hey, are you alright!?¡± ¡°I¡­.stood up¡­..too fast¡­¡­.ahh, Katsuo, there¡¯s four of you.¡± Her sight was making copies, but she could see his energetic smile as clear as day. It made her feel better every time. ¡°You¡¯re the best Red¡­¡­.ah! Hey! Your face is getting red! Are you sure you¡¯re okay!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay but...can you let me go now please?¡± He looked down, noticing he still hadn¡¯t let her go. ¡°Ah!¡± He retreated backwards. ¡°S-Sorry, I hope I didn¡¯t hurt you.¡± ¡°No,¡± she said trying to cover her face with her bangs. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Thanks.¡± He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. They had a plan now. ¡°Yuuko,¡± he said, looking at the rays of sun. ¡°Friends don¡¯t let friends get hurt!¡± Chapter 3 - Storybook Part 1 The end of another school day meant one thing for Yuuko. Though he was already used to seeing the girl tie a string around the bottom of her backpack, slinging it over her left shoulder before leaving without a word, it still hurt. More so since she did nothing but ignore him now. He sighed, opening his white journal. ¡°Does not laugh at word jokes. Maybe I can talk to her about animals?¡± His eyes scanned over all his previous plans that also failed; he was running out of ideas. He flipped the page to read over the personal notes he¡¯d written for the day, and his eyes went wide at what he wrote during morning classes. ¡°That is why¡­¡± he whispered to himself. ¡°That must be why she has not been doing okay, I need to ask her!¡± ¡°HEYO, YUUKO!¡± said a particularly energetic voice. ¡°Boy do I have news for you!¡± ¡°Ahhey,¡± he replied without looking up. ¡°Sorry Katsuo, Ihavetogetgoing!¡± ¡°H-Hey wait! Yuuko!¡± Katsuo reached out but his friend was already out the door, heading somewhere he didn¡¯t know. He sulked as the girl behind him spoke reassuring words. Outside, he barely managed to spot the girl before she left his sight. He¡¯d written in his notes where she went after school on any given day, but following her was the only surefire of making sure he never missed her. It wasn¡¯t like she went to many places; she was almost always at the park, under that tree where she could keep to the shade. Yuuko kept out of sight by hiding behind a brick wall that served as the border between the park and woods, close to where he was the first night he saw her. Pulling out his journal, he tried to make himself as comfortable as possible, but there was no way he could sit down and be able to watch her at the same time. He had to be on his knees to see over the wall, any more would give him away. It was when his eyes peeked over the ledge that he noticed her rolling up the sleeve of her shirt. She moved the worn cloth gently from side to side, wincing every time. That was her problem. ¡°She had a bruise today¡ª at least I think it was a bruise. Before class started, I saw her sitting by herself on the stairs touching her arm, but she kept wincing. She started lifting up her sleeve and that¡¯s when I could see it. It was blue and purple, it wasn¡¯t very big but the color was bright. I had a bruise-like that when I fell one time, hers looked the same way.....¡± With her sleeve rolled up all the way, she just stared at it with a look Yuuko thought he recognized. ¡°¡­..I wonder if it¡¯s the same as the time I visited her house. That slapping sound¡­¡­.I think she really hurts her.¡± ¡°Is that why she is always out here¡­.all alone?¡± He quietly read the notes he¡¯d made to pass the time. Everything about her; everything of interest, everything he thought could help him get closer to her. But it wasn¡¯t much. Today, like every day, she just stood under the shade without a word, looking down at her feet and kicking dust. Yuuko was looking at the clock attached to a light post when she finally began moving; an hour and a half had passed and she went into the convenience store, exiting with a small bag in hand. ¡°Is that..?¡± She chose to sit against her tree instead of the bench like last time, and opening the container, she took a bite out of something that looked like a small cake. ¡°¡­..the other students were talking about how she stole money from them today¡­¡± he whispered. ¡°But I didn¡¯t know she had such a sweet¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± His involuntary gasp was loud, far too loud. He shut his mouth, nearly biting his tongue in the process, and hoped she didn¡¯t hear anything as he peeked over the wall to check. She was still sitting, unaware of any changes to her surroundings. With that, he began to scribble in his journal with surprising violence. ¡°She brought it again today! IF I COULD BUY DAIFUKU FOR HER, MAYBE SHE WOULD SEE I¡¯M NOT MEAN AND START BEING NICE!!¡± He looked back, she still had a few left. ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s her favorite kind.¡± Daring to stand all the way up, Yuuko squinted his eyes and leaned over the brickwork, hoping to get a glance at the color. ¡°It¡¯s so far away,¡± he whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll just climb up a little to see¡­.¡± *crack* NO NO! OH - NO - OH - NO!! A patch of damaged brickwork broke beneath his hand, dropping him face-first onto the grass. He shot back up, only to be greeted by green eyes that looked twice as scared as the night she heard something, but as fast as it came, it left, replaced by something he was intimately familiar with. ¡°you,¡± she whispered. ¡°you, it¡¯s you, it¡¯s ALWAYS YOU!¡± He couldn¡¯t even speak before she was fully sprinting towards him. In a panic he scooped up his journal, climbing back over the brick and running along the treeline. He was surprised, but relieved, to see her climbing over the wall with one hand¡ª it didn¡¯t slow her down much, but it was enough. Using the spare moment, he locked the journal between his teeth and began scaling the first suitable tree he could find. The bark still didn¡¯t feel normal in his palms, it was too rough and he figured there was a good chance of getting a splinter, but he pressed on, managing to get a little over two and a half meters above the ground. No sooner had he finished than Yuya caught up to him, gritting her teeth. ¡°How are you up there!?¡± ¡°I¡­pract¡ª¡± ¡°Why are you following me!?¡± She interrupted, giving Yuuko the impression she didn¡¯t really care. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough I have to sit next to you in class, listening to you over and over and over, but now you¡¯re here¡ªAGAIN! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!¡± ¡°I¡­¡­¡­.I think I wanted to- WOAH¡ªHEY!¡± A stone whistled past his ear, and looking down, he could see Yuya picking up a rock with her left hand. ¡°What are you doing!?¡± ¡°SHUT UP!¡± She chucked the stone as hard as she could, but it went wide, going under his feet. ¡°Wait, wait¡ª! Stop, I could fall!¡± ¡°I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!¡± The next came too fast, he couldn''t see it, but felt it scathe his ribs¡ª she was getting closer. ¡°I came cause I want¡­¡­.I-I don¡¯t really know why! I think it¡¯s because I want to help! You look like I did before, but different, and I want to know why so I wanna hel¡ªAGH!¡± A stinging pain exploding in his collar was the last thing he felt before a familiar feeling of weightlessness swallowed him. He felt the journal slip out of his hands as he instinctively covered the back of his head, preparing his body for an injury he knew would come. He heard the twig snapping before anything else. Rough wood cut away small pieces of white skin like paper before a heavyweight dropped through his chest. A few seconds passed, and he looked down to find that he¡¯d landed in a thick bush. It¡¯s twigs dug into his skin, but it ended up saving him. It hurt him¡­.and it saved him. Rolling himself upwards, he looked up in time to see Yuya¡¯s face change. It happened so fast he thought he¡¯d imagined it, but just for a second, he saw her terrified. Now, the only thing left was the sound of her grinding her teeth as red tint mingled around the whites of impossibly green eyes. ¡°You¡¯d better watch out at school¡­!¡± Without another word, she left, harshly rubbing her eyes with a tattered sleeve as she walked. He sat there until he was sure she was gone. He went slowly as he rolled out of the bush, the pain in his collar made everything feel heavy. Both his feet hit solid ground, and he winced at the jolt scattering through his body. ¡°¡­.. it¡¯s different from the weight I felt with Toshi¡­¡± The pain was still there, but it didn¡¯t bother him so much now. His mind was focused on something entirely different. ¡°WHY ARE YOU HERE?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡­¡­¡­.No.¡± He surprised himself with the way he spoke. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m sorry yet¡­..because when I say it I¡¯ll have to stop¡­.¡± He walked over towards his fallen journal, brushing away bits of dirt and leaves. ¡°Dad¡­.how many times do I need to try again¡­.¡± He clutched the object against his side as his mother¡¯s words rang in his ears. ¡°Why do flowers need those things anyway!?¡± Part 2 The two were whispering rather violently when the bell rang after school. ¡°Yeah, but he¡¯s ignoring everyone now!¡± ¡°Why is he with her? She took some kid¡¯s allowance yesterday again.¡± ¡°Do you think he¡¯s helping her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but he¡¯s always talking to her during our breaks.¡± ¡°Maybe he has a crush on her.¡± ¡°Makes sense. The boy with a girl¡¯s name in love with the girl with a boy¡¯s name.¡± Katsuo jumped at the hand he felt tapping his shoulder. ¡°Oh, hey Red.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®hey¡¯ me, I thought you said you weren¡¯t going to listen to people.¡± ¡°I¡­..I¡­¡­..¡± he sighed. ¡°Yeah, but what if he starts ignoring us again? How do I get him to stop?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, really!¡± she said, pulling him up from his chair. ¡°Come on, go talk to him like we said!¡± ¡°But look!¡± he said pointing to a group of students. ¡°The others just tried talking to him and he didn¡¯t listen!.....I mean, is he really going to leave us¡­for her?¡± ¡°GO!¡± she said with a hard shove. Stumbling, Katsuo ended up next to Yuuko who had his nose buried in a dirty white journal; now that he thinks about it, he¡¯s seen him write in that a lot lately. ¡°Heeeeyo Yuuko¡­¡­.um, can I ask you something?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yuuko?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yuuko!¡± ¡°Huh!¡ªOh, hi Katsuo.¡± ¡°Yeah, hey, so¡­..¡± He forgot his name the instant he saw something written in ink. ¡°Is¡­. is that Yuya¡¯s name?¡± ¡°W-What?!¡± he violently scrambled to cover the pages. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡ª!¡± ¡°¡ªand there¡¯s my name! And Red too!¡± ¡°AhhA!¡± he threw the book into his open backpack. ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing, really!¡± he said, turning his attention to a brown-haired girl walking up. ¡°Hi Red!¡± ¡°Heya, what are you guys talking about?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± he spoke before his friend could. ¡°Did ah, you want to talk about something?¡± Red made a difficult face before Katsuo perked up. ¡°Uh, no no! Everything is totally cool!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.oh¡­.okay.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yuuko, Katsuo is going to help me with my art!¡± she injected into the silence. ¡°Do you want to help us out?¡± ¡°Yeah yeah! We could totally use your help!¡± ¡°Ah sor¡ªer, I do not think I can today guys,¡± he said, zipping his bag and standing. ¡°I have to be somewhere.¡± As he started to leave, Red noticed the solemn look on her Katsuo¡¯s face. Of course, he can¡¯t show it. ¡°Yuuko!¡± She grabbed his shoulder, but immediately let go when he winced. ¡°AhH! Ohmygosh I¡¯m really sorry! Are you okay!?¡± ¡°Ahaha, no no, I am okay. I just have a bruise is all.¡± ¡°A bruise? From where¡ªhow¡¯d you get it?¡± asked Katsuo. Yuuko scratched the back of his head. ¡°Well, I guess I need to be more careful. What¡¯s wrong Red?¡± ¡°OaH! Right! Want to hear something cool?¡± ¡°Something cool?¡± ¡°Yeah, did um¡­.ummm¡­..Oh! Did you know flowers can change the color of their petals if you put them in different color water?!¡± She said the first thing that came to mind. She didn¡¯t expect him to be interested in it, let alone for it to stop him. But now he looks so¡­..far away? ¡°Flowers¡­changing color?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty awesome!¡± piped his friend. ¡°It¡¯s like if you put red color in the water, then the flower ends up turning red!¡± ¡°¡­¡­so if you plant it somewhere else¡­.if you show it different water, it changes?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that cool? The art room has some if you want to see; you could even ask if you can have your own.¡± ¡°Yeah¡ª YEAH! Red is AWESOME with art! The teacher says she¡¯s got a real talent for it, so I¡¯m sure we can convince her to let you ha¡ªheY! YUUKO?!¡± ¡°Thank you both!¡± he said as he sprinted down the hall. ¡°You gave me an idea, I have to hurry!¡± ¡°Red, come on!¡± His friend nodded in agreement as they followed their friend down the hall before bumping into someone. ¡°Oh, excu¡ªOh Miss Sui! I¡¯ve been looking for you! Hurry, I need you to complete a task for me right away!¡± ¡°Ms. Gansai¡ª! I¡¯m sorry but I need to hurry to¡ª¡± ¡°Yes you most certainly do!¡± she said, taking Red by the hand. ¡°Come along, there¡¯s important work to be finished before your deadline next week!¡± ¡°Red!¡± ¡°Go on Katsuo, I¡¯ll catch up!¡± she said, turning her head back. She remembered that bright afternoon they were together, that smile she showed him, and she brought it back. ¡°Bring our friend back!¡± * * * * * The afternoon sun blinded Yuuko as he exploded through the front doors of the school. He scanned every direction around him, looking for a familiar haircut with dirty clothes and a torn backpack. He was about to call out a name until a violent force yanked him back and dragged him into the shade to the side of the building; where both he and the person dragging him would be out of sight. He felt flung against the wall, though it didn¡¯t hurt since his bag took most of the impact. ¡°I told you to watch out, so don¡¯t say I never warned you!¡± ¡°Yuya, wait¡ª!¡± He moved out of the way before she could land a blow to his face, making her strike the wall instead. She recoiled in pain. ¡°H-Hey, stop! Your arm is still bruised right, you could get hurt!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that like you care!¡± she took a swing with her left arm, but she was slower than the time she fought Katsuo. ¡°Yuya, wait¡ª!¡± ¡°Quit saying my name!¡± she said as she tried kicking him. ¡°I bet that¡¯s all you do, with the others, huh!? Make fun of me?!¡± She struck again with her left. He noticed that her right arm just...sat there. Flailing like a noodle. ¡°None of you make fun of me to my face, but call me a girl all you want, I CAN STILL BEAT YOU!¡± ¡°Yuya, I said wait! I want to help!!¡± ¡°QUIT ACTING LIKE YOU CARE ABOUT ME!¡± She went in for a straight punch, and Yuuko saw the hands of his mother during all her time teaching him. ¡°That¡¯s why I taught you those skills, remember? So you would not have to get hurt.¡± But¡­.is that really why¡­¡­. He caught her fist and arm with both hands, just like his mother showed him. Immediately, he looked to her face and saw in her eyes something¡­.he didn¡¯t quite know how to describe. Why couldn¡¯t he ever tell? ¡­...is that really why things get hurt? Yuuko heard a vile grunt claw its way through the young girl¡¯s throat as she pulled back her right arm that came millimeters from Yuuko¡¯s cheek. The only reason it didn''t hit was that someone pulled her back. ¡°Don¡¯t. Hurt. My. Friend!¡± His hands were locked around her stomach, and using all his strength, he tossed her to one side. ¡°Katsuo, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Helping a friend!¡± he said as he walked towards the stumbling girl. ¡°And you know, my dad always told me I should never hit a girl, but I¡¯ve had it with you hurting and bullying people!¡± In an instant, her expression changed. Where she looked like Toshi, not a few seconds prior, she was the exact same way she was the day he helped Katsuo. ¡°We¡¯ve tried helping you a lot you know! But all you¡¯ve done is bully us, call us names, and hurt people!¡± She clamored against the wall, both hands looking for something that wasn¡¯t there. Yes. She looked the same. He could hear her ragged breathing, her face¡ª covered in sweat and her eyes? Just like the day she was home. Looking down. Shaking. ¡­.why do things get hurt? ¡°If you want to hurt people, then you¡¯re going to get hurt too!¡± ¡°Katsuo, wait!¡± Yuuko launched himself towards his friend, holding him back by the elbow. ¡°Yuuko¡­.! Let go! She gets what she deserves!¡± ¡°Look at her eyes!¡± ¡°Why are you helping her!? She steals our classmates¡¯ money¡ª she hurts people! She¡¯s going to get what she¡¯s always deserved!¡± ¡°JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!¡± Yuya erupted out of the shadow of the building, flying through the gates. ¡°Yuya! Stop!¡± He followed as fast as his legs would take him. He could hear a familiar voice calling for him, but he didn¡¯t turn back. Part 3 He ripped out his journal, tearing through every page, sprinting to every place she could be. Under her tree was nothing but a shadow, in the convenience store was no one but an old man in a suit; even the route she took when walking alone was empty. The only other place he saw her go was behind the school, but that was one time when she took the leftover bento from kids in another class.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. After finishing, he found himself panting on the side of a thick copse that seemed familiar. ¡°This is¡­¡­.the place with Toshi¡­¡­I¡¯m almost¡­¡­¡­home¡­¡­¡± He grabbed the fabric at his chest, twisting it as he spoke. ¡°Why¡­¡­can¡¯t I do it!?¡­¡­¡­dad¡­why can¡¯t I help!¡± Every word made his chest heave, but every breath brought him just a little closer to calming him down until finally, he made his way home at a steady pace. He didn¡¯t register walking, it was like his feet had minds of their own. ¡°¡­.right¡­¡­I still need to walk Toshi,¡± he said as he fished for the door key. It opened with a piercing creak. ¡°Toshi! I am ho¡ª¡± The words caught in his mouth. He stood frozen in the doorway as his dog bounded down the hall, tail wagging. But he paid no attention to it. Crashing through the bathroom door, he flipped on the light as he looked into the mirror. It didn¡¯t hurt¡ª but there was a small cut just on the side of his cheek. The horrible sound of skin splitting open played in his ears. It doesn''t hurt him. The weight of his backpack threw him off as he bolted out of the house door, only to return at the last minute, hastily attaching a leash to his dog. ¡°Toshi, I need you to come with me¡ª just in case!¡± ¡°Gruph!¡± His legs burned and his lungs screamed. He wasn¡¯t completely sure he was going the right way, but he absolutely needed to get there. ¡°Get inside. Now.¡± ¡°Why would you go there at all? Why do you go back to someone who hurts you!?¡± He seethed through clenched teeth. ¡°And why does she hurt her?!¡± Passing houses gave him a sense of deja-vu, and following the street forward, he soon faced a house that looked completely normal except for the fact it had extra fencing around the back. ¡°It was this one I think,¡± he said through frantic breaths. ¡°But no one is here.¡± ¡°Grrrrhhmm¡± ¡°Toshi we need to be quiet,¡± he remarked. ¡°Wait¡ª do you hear something?¡± He listened closely, and it wasn¡¯t long before two voices reached him. He couldn¡¯t make out the words, but he didn¡¯t need to hear them understand. He tried going through the front door, but the hollow rattling sound let him know it was locked tight. ¡°She¡¯s in trouble¡­¡­. I need to get in somehow!¡± He froze as the clarity of the sounds rang in his ears. ¡°¡­lease, I promise¡­¡­.won¡¯t do it again!¡± ¡°Hah?¡­said the same thing last time¡ªprobably ¡®cause I didn¡¯t discipline you enough. Gotta fix my mistakes.¡± The sounds¡­.outside? He looked to the space between the fencing and the house next door. Though it was a tight fit, he tugged Toshi along and found himself on the outside of a fence taller than he was. The sounds on the other side were loud and clear now. ¡°Choose.¡± said a hard, older voice. He heard clinking and something heavy hitting the dirt. ¡°Please¡­.I didn¡¯t mean it mo¡ª¡± ¡°DON¡¯T!¡­call me that.¡± she heaved a sigh. ¡°Now I gotta kick that habit out of you too. Choose. Now.¡± Toshi began going in circles, smelling the bottom of the fence as Yuuko became more and more panicked, fervently scratching the back of his head with both hands at the sound of soft whimpering coming from inside. Think! THINK! How do I get in there!? Looking to his side, he noticed a few small plastic crates tossed around like they were thrown out without any care. There were only three, so it wouldn¡¯t be enough to let him jump over¡ª ¡°¡ªbut I can definitely get on that branch!¡± He quickly arranged them close to the lowest branch and jumped with all his strength, barely catching it with both hands as he hauled himself up. From here, it¡¯d be no problem jumping into the yard. Toshi began climbing the first crate before his owner stopped him with a frantic whisper. ¡°No no no no boy! I¡¯ll call you when I need you okay?¡± His dog proceeded, climbing up the two stacked crates and preparing to jump. ¡°Toshi, stay!¡± The dog¡¯s legs twitched at the order. Looking up at him, he snarled¡ª something that hasn¡¯t happened in a long time. But he didn¡¯t lose heart. ¡°Stay,¡± he commanded. ¡°I will call you, so Toshi¡ªstay!¡± The twitch in his dog¡¯s leg disappeared, but not before Yuuko looked in front of him. Up until now, his mind was a complete frenzy, focused on one thing and one thing only; yet it all suddenly disappeared. His mind moved like thick honey when he saw her fall down. Yuya, the bully, the one who hurt him and his friends, the one who stole peoples¡¯ money¡ª everything moved so slowly as he saw the mother¡¯s hand pierce the skin on Yuya¡¯s cheek. That sharp sound. That painful sound entered his mind at the exact same time he saw blood drawn. That sound existed in a scene like this. And he felt the skin on his hands burn like fire. ¡°Tch, chipped the nail,¡± she said, picking up Yuya by the hair. ¡°Haaah? What¡¯re you going limp for? That was the first lesson, we¡¯re not done yet.¡± ¡°¡­om¡­.it hurts¡­.¡± ¡°STOP IT!¡± ¡°What the¡ª?¡± she looked up. ¡° WHAT THE HELL!?¡± Immediately letting go of Yuya¡¯s hair, she practically lunged back as Yuuko landed onto the ground below, where she stood only moments ago. ¡°YOU WON¡¯T HURT HER ANYMORE!¡± Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he spread both his arms wide to cover as much of the person behind him as he could. ¡°¡­¡­you,¡± said a frightened voice behind him. ¡°W-What¡¯re you doing here!?¡± ¡°What the hell?¡± she repeated. It took a moment for her to regain her composure, but to his surprise she spoke calmly. Like she did before. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but the police don¡¯t take kindly to breaking into homes, even if it¡¯s a kid.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t let people hurt other people either!¡± ¡°Well well, you¡¯re a clever little one ain¡¯t ya?¡± she beguiled. ¡°The thing is, you got it all wrong. I haven¡¯t laid a finger on him.¡± ¡°Yes you did! I saw you!¡± ¡°Leave, you¡¯re only making things worse!¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± she said, examining her broken nail. ¡°So you know my son. Good for him. I gotta discipline him twice as much now to make sure he doesn''t go blabbing, not that anything would happen anyway, but, you know.¡± He looked at the woman in confusion, he had to get Yuya out of here as fast as possible, but what she said raised too many questions. ¡°Yuya¡¯s a girl, why are you calling her a boy¡ª your son?¡± ¡°My son isn¡¯t a girl. Give¡¯em ten years, no one¡¯ll be able to notice.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a girl! AND WHY ARE YOU HITTING HER?¡± ¡°I just told you¡ª I don¡¯t hit him. I don¡¯t hit anyone. I¡¯m a simple foreigner trying her best to live in a confusing country,¡± she said, removing the leather belt around her waist. ¡°If anyone can¡¯t tolerate my practices, well then that just makes them the bad guy doesn''t it?¡± ¡°Hurry up and get out of here!¡± the girl said standing from the dirt. ¡°You¡¯re going¡ª¡± Her pause came abruptly. It was so abrupt that she choked, but she was confused by what she saw. ¡°I-It¡¯s okay,¡± the boy shook as he turned to face her. ¡°I won¡¯t let you look down anymore.¡± He was shaking, there¡¯s no doubt in her mind that he¡¯s shaking. His legs were trembling, and his voice quivered. Even with the way he is right now, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder¡ª ¡ªwhy¡­¡­.is he smiling? ¡°You know, since your parents probably check up on you every night, it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to bruise you, but that doesn''t mean I can¡¯t leave a mark that¡¯ll disappear by then.¡± She snapped the folded belt as she approached them¡ª the sound was as if the air itself decided to explode. ¡°And the good news about disciplining in the middle of the day is that this neighborhood has nothing but low-level office workers who don¡¯t come back ¡®til late. I made sure of it myself before I moved in here, so we can be as loud as we want.¡± Yuya didn¡¯t feel herself come closer to his back. It didn¡¯t register with her mind before her body moved to hold the back of his shirt, and the soft fabric wrinkled horribly under the grip of her palms. And he felt it on his skin. Yuya, this whole time.¡­..you¡¯ve been¡­.... ¡°I¡¯ll definitely rescue you,¡± Yuuko said, his own voice still shaking. ¡°I definitely won¡¯t let you be alone anymore!¡± ¡°Please¡­.help!¡± The woman raised her belt. ¡°Know your damn place kid!¡± ¡°TOSHI!!¡±An ear-piercing shout, using all the air in his small lungs, filled the world around them. She sighed. ¡°Oh just shUT UP ALREADY YOU LITTLE SHI¡ª!¡± ¡°GGRRRAAAAAAPHHH!¡± After only a second of shuffling plastic, a small brown dog with a curved tail leapt over the fence, landing by Yuuko¡¯s side. Baring his teeth, drool began pouring out of the sides of his mouth as monstrous growls escaped his throat. ¡°A dog!?¡± she barked, reaching for her back pocket. ¡°How¡¯d that midget of a dog manage to jump over?¡± ¡°Come on!¡± he said, tugging at the girl latched to his shirt. Hurriedly scanning his surroundings, he noticed the door leading into the house and pulled the girl along, but as soon as he crashed into it¡ª ¡°¡ªlocked!?¡± he baffled. ¡°How?¡ªWhy!¡± ¡°So I can make sure Yuya gets proper punishment without running away,¡± she said as she pulled out a dark rectangle. Toshi was backing her into a corner, but as soon as the box was in her hand, a haunting smile stretched across her face. ¡°no,¡± whispered the girl behind him. ¡°mom please!¡± His attention was so engrossed with the woman, he didn¡¯t notice a doorknob appear right behind the spot they stood moments ago. The sliding lock at the top was high, but he could make it. ¡°Toshi, get away from her!¡± He took the girl by her left hand, bolting to the door and unlocking in a swift motion. ¡°We need to run!¡± he frantically told the girl, but as he turned to call his dog once more, a high-pitched ring echoed from the box the woman held. He could see flashing, electric blue light emanating from the two points at the very top. ¡°¡­no!¡± ¡°Toshi!¡± It seemed Toshi comprehended the ringing as well, and if he hadn''t leapt back with a speed that surprised them all, the light would¡¯ve struck his stomach. Even then, he wasn¡¯t fast enough. The woman brought down the blue light to his dog, striking him near his leg and tail. For less than a second, wave after wave of high-pitched crackling noises spread through the air¡ª and an echo of pain escaped his dog¡¯s mouth. ¡°TOSHI!¡± Grabbing two crates laying to the side of the fence, Yuuko flung each at the woman with all his might. She raised her arms in reflex, giving Yuuko just enough time to see Toshi scuttle through the door, and for him to follow suit. He grabbed the girl¡¯s left arm as the mother yelled in a rage behind them, but neither looked back for a second. Hand in hand, they both kept running. Part 4 He ran hard and fast, even after the voice had long disappeared, he didn¡¯t look back; he didn¡¯t even think. His mind went blank as his feet carried him, and it wasn¡¯t until they approached a thick lining of trees that he was able to comment. ¡°Through here!¡± As he entered the lining, he looked to his side to make sure his pet was still with them, and sure enough, he was there; although the limping made his heart hurt. ¡°H-Hey! Wait, what are we doing in here!?¡± ¡°Nobody will find us here.¡± ¡°Where¡­..!¡± His grip slipped from her arm as he and his dog trudged up the middle of a bridge. ¡°Toshi, Toshi are you okay?¡± His pet was limping from one of his hind legs. As soon as he reached the middle, he plopped down and Yuuko knelt down to look at him. He felt his heartbeat, checked his breathing, it wasn¡¯t until the dog gave him a small *grph* that he sighed with relief. ¡°You¡¯re okay¡­¡± he said through quivers. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you to a vet as soon as I can, okay boy?¡± ¡°Grph.¡± Yuuko checked his breathing once more when he saw him close his eyes, but it was apparent from the deep breaths that he was just sleeping. He breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, dusting his knees. ¡°Your mom might¡¯ve been following us, I wasn¡¯t thinking about it, but I just kind of came here.¡± He turned around to the sight of a girl with clenched fists and messy hair looking straight at the wooden bridge beneath them. ¡°You idiot!¡± She raised her fist to punch him, and before Yuuko could react, it hit him square in the chest¡­.only there was no force behind it. It was like being hit by a kitten. He could feel her fist trembling against his chest, but it was so fragile. He felt his own heartbeat harder than he could feel her punch. He didn¡¯t think it was possible¡­for a hand to be so delicate. She didn¡¯t pull back her fist so much as it just fell to her side. Yuuko thought it strange how, even though he couldn¡¯t see her face, there was so much he was starting to understand about her. ¡°Why¡­.were you at my house?¡± she began. He looked up through the canopy of trees above him. Maybe the answer he was looking for would be up there? ¡­.no¡­¡­he knew why¡­ And so did she. ¡°You wanted to help,¡± her voice echoed. There was a strange harmony between it and her shivering body. ¡°You wanted to help me after everything I said to you? After everything I did to you?¡± Weak whimpers seeped through the gaps of her teeth. Yuuko broke his view of the sky to look at the girl whose fists were balling at her sides again. Only this time it didn¡¯t look out of anger. She slipped her arms around her chest, clutching both shoulders with surprising aggression. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He knew that questions could cause pain. Sometimes, when he asked his own mother that question, he could see her smile go away. But he didn¡¯t know what else to say. She slumped against the railing, clutching her chest. Hiccup sounds began forcing their way out of her throat, but even then¡ª ¡°¡ªyou¡¯re not crying.¡± She grit her teeth, bubbles of air still leaking through her mouth. ¡°Boys¡­.are¡ªn¡¯t supposed to cry¡­¡­that¡¯s wha¡ªt she always says.¡± He didn¡¯t know what to say. Now he doesn''t know what to do. It wasn¡¯t¡­.I was supposed to help¡­ I only made her sad. The unwanted thoughts forced their way into his mind. Is this really what a hero does? He shook his head to get rid of the invasive words. He¡¯d gotten her away¡­.but he hasn¡¯t helped her. How do you help someone who¡¯s hurt? The girl¡¯s quivering hiccups made him remember the scene they escaped not ten minutes ago. She was scared there too¡­so was he, but the only reason he could move was that¡ª! It was like a wire had finally made a connection in his brain. How do I help this girl who¡¯s hurt? He walked over to the girl and gently began rubbing the top of her head. She instantly shot her head up to remark, but no sounds escaped. Even her hiccups, for that instant, were gone. Yuuko finally got a good look at her face too. Her eyes were puffy and red, but there was a distinct lack of tears on her cheeks. It made him uncomfortable, like seeing a picture where he knew something was missing. Even so, he continued. He crouched down, continuing to stroke the top of her head. Her hair was rough and crunchy, but the innermost parts had a touch of softness in them. With that, the two of them were finally seeing eye to eye. ¡°You¡¯re not a boy Yuya. You¡¯re a girl,¡± he remembered what his father had always done for him. He realized that he needed to do the same for her. He needed to do so with a smile. ¡°But you need to stop looking down, otherwise you can¡¯t be brave.¡± ¡°B..rave?¡± He nodded. ¡°Yuya, do you like hero stories?¡± ¡°U¡ªUh, I¡­.¡± As he stopped petting her, she, ¡°Wait!¡± interjected¡ªfiercely grabbing him by the arm but letting go almost immediately due to the pain making her shirk. I grabbed with the wrong arm¡­.. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he said worryingly. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine!¡± she huffed. ¡°I just¡­.I!¡­¡­nevermind.¡± He gave her a confused smile as he slipped off the gray backpack he¡¯d been lugging around all day. As it slid off, a stinging amount of pressure shocked his collarbone, and he winced at the momentary pain that seared his shoulder. And she noticed. ¡°Is that¡­ where I hit you?¡± He scratched the back of his head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°I¡­¡­¡­.um¡­¡­.about that¡­.¡± The words caught in her mouth, and she stayed frozen with her mouth agape. After a long pause with no words, he let out a mixture of a sigh and a confused laugh as he took out a thick book from his bag and sat next to Yuya. ¡°What is that?¡± she asked, wide-eyed. ¡°It¡¯s a book full of stories about heroes,¡± he replied, showing her the cover. ¡°This is one I carry with me, I have a lot at home.¡± ¡°¡­.you mentioned that twice before. Being a hero.¡± ¡°Twice?¡± She nodded. ¡°The first day in class¡­.and when we met.¡± ¡°I did?¡± he said, the collage of memories coming back to him. ¡°Oh¡­.I guess I did¡­¡­um¡ª but this book has all kinds of stories! Have you ever read any?¡± ¡°Not...by myself. No.¡± ¡°Let me show you then!¡± Before waiting for her response, he flipped through the book, tearing through the pages one at a time. The black and white illustrations flashed before her eyes; countless stories held in a giant book. It brought her back to the nights she spent snuggled under the covers of a warm home during the winter, a soothing voice that painted the words, giving them life. It wasn¡¯t until Yuuko found the story he was looking for that her daydream broke. ¡°This one is one of my favorites!¡± He flipped to a cover page showing children crossing a snowy landscape¡ª a witch leering menacingly behind them. The biggest eye-catcher, though, was the lion in the sky, it was looking majestically over the children. ¡°One of the characters is only a year older than us! Her and her siblings get sent to another world and help save it, it really is one of my favorites!¡± ¡°You already said that¡­¡± ¡°Ahhh, sorry¡­. I just really like it¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­so do I¡­¡± ¡°.....wait¡­,¡± he said, ripping his eyes away from the book. ¡°You¡¯ve read this before!?¡± ¡°With my grandma,¡± she said, studying the picture. ¡°She used to read me this story whenever I¡¯d visit¡­.but we never got to finish. My mom would always come in and tell her to stop telling me fairytales¡­¡± The puffiness in her eyes went away, but there was still a red tint in her eyes. To see something like that without any tears made Yuuko uncomfortable in a way he didn¡¯t understand. He didn¡¯t want to leave, but rather¡ª ¡ªit looks lonely. An audible gasp escaped her lips when she felt a hand return to the top of her head, patting it with unfamiliar firmness. ¡°In that case let¡¯s read it together.¡± ¡°¡­¡­is¡­that really okay?¡± ¡°Flowers can change the color of their petals if you put them in different color water.¡± If that was the case, he much preferred it when her pure green eyes were surrounded by clean white instead of the damp red the saw earlier. What do you call a green that pure? ¡°Sure,¡± he said with a bright smile. ¡°I think you¡¯ll really like it!¡± Part 5 ¡°And the two of them went¡­.they¡­¡­¡± ¡°They did what? Where¡¯d they go¡ª come on!¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to see!¡± he said, backing away from the ecstatic hands pounding at his leg. He squinted at the book, holding it up from different angles but surrendered with a sigh. ¡°I can¡¯t see anymore, it¡¯s too dark.¡± ¡°Hahhgh!? What are you saying, there¡¯s still¡ª!¡± she looked up at the slate-gray sky. Thin bands of gold-blue light still pierced parts of it like needles, but she couldn¡¯t even make out the color of the trees above their heads. ¡°Ohh¡­I guess it is.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± he said, standing up. ¡°We can finish the rest another time!¡± ¡°I¡­¡­.I guess¡­I just really¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Agh!¡± ¡°H-Hey, what¡¯s wrong?!¡± ¡°My foot fell asleep!¡± he moaned, hopping on one foot. ¡°I kicked the ground and now it feels weird!¡± ¡°Aha...ahaha¡ª¡± she quickly silenced the barely audible laugh, replacing it with a tone that was just barely lighthearted. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡ª!¡± ¡°¡ªgrph.¡± ¡°Ah, Toshi! I¡¯m glad you¡¯re awake boy, come on, we are going back down.¡± ¡°Greph.¡± ¡°Come here boy,¡± he said, scooping up his dog carefully. ¡°I¡­.am so sorry you got hurt. It will not happen again.¡± The two walked downhill in silence for a few minutes. The woods around them might have scared her in another time, but it was dark and quiet. She liked it that way. As they walked past a large tree, Yuya hesitantly spoke. ¡°Is¡­your dog okay?¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± he admitted. ¡°He is a tough boy, but I still worry.¡± ¡°¡­.that¡¯s¡­¡­.¡± Though it sounded like she was going to say something, the words hung in the air until disappearing altogether. Yuuko thought about asking her to finish, but his voice felt worn after reading through so much of the story. It wasn¡¯t long until they found themselves at the edge of the copse again. A bench lay to their immediate right while a good ways up the road was a small, empty park. Yuuko, feeling Toshi squirm, put him on the bench along with his dark gray bag. He thought he might just want a break from being carried. No¡­.I might be carrying him wrong¡­. It was only until turning his head to check his legs that he noticed the girl by his side already making her way back the way they came. ¡°Hey! W-Wait!¡± he said, running to catch up to the girl. ¡°Whaat?¡± ¡°Are you¡­going home?¡± She stared hard at the concrete beneath her shoes, kicking it lightly. She sometimes did that when she was thinking. It took her a while to master, but she found that if she angled her foot properly, the underside of the shoe would open and she could feel the texture of the stone on her sock. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business¡­¡± ¡°¡­.but¡­¡­I just¡ª¡± ¡°Ohh, if it isn¡¯t Mr. Asahino and Itomei. What in the world are the two of you doing out here so late? It¡¯s dangerous for kids to be alone, you know.¡± ¡°¡°Eikyo Sensei!¡±¡± ¡°Yes yes, not so loud.¡± said their teacher, waving his hand to quiet them. ¡°Sensei, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want to know,¡± he said lightly bopping the top Yuuko¡¯s head with his hand. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to be out at night, what are you two doing?¡± ¡°We were¡­ummm¡­.¡± ¡°Yuya, what happened to your arm?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± she said quickly hiding the skin exposed on her forearm. ¡°¡­it¡¯s nothing¡­¡­¡± He scratched the bottom of his jaw, seemingly analyzing the situation. ¡°Well, it seems you two can be around each other now without pushing to talk or ignoring each other.¡± he nodded emphatically. ¡°This is progress!¡± ¡°I!¡­being pushy was¡­.!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡­!¡± He couldn¡¯t help smiling as they spoke over one another. ¡°Yuya, are you headed home now?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, y-yeah¡­I was.¡± ¡°Excellent, I¡¯ll walk you. As your teacher, I have a responsibility to ensure you arrive safely.¡± ¡°No! I can walk home by myself, I¡¯m not a kid!¡± ¡°I know, I know,¡± he admitted with a difficult expression. ¡°It¡¯s just that I have news to discuss with your parents; specifically, with your father.¡± ¡°Dad¡¯s¡­.he¡¯s here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m told he arrived earlier today.¡± ¡°Oh..¡± ¡°On the bright side,¡± he said, crouching in front of her. ¡°I have some good news to tell you on the way there.¡± Her curiosity piqued enough to where her face changed to a stoic neutral instead of the anxious worry he saw minutes ago. ¡°I want to come too!¡± ¡°Hmmh, while I appreciate the offer Yuuko, this is something of a delicate situation.¡± ¡°I know, but sensei I can help!¡± ¡°Yuuko, I know you want to but¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªit¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°¡­.¡­.¡± ¡°Yuya?¡± the teacher said in quiet astonishment. ¡°Sensei¡­.is it okay?¡± He sighed through his nose, contemplating the consequences in silence before making his decision. ¡°Is that your dog?¡± he asked, pointing to the bench. ¡°Err, yes sir! That¡¯s Toshi.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ll tell both of you what,¡± he said, looking to each of them. ¡°Since right now isn¡¯t a great time, you can talk all about what I¡¯m going to tell Mr. Itomei tomorrow after school. But only do so when you¡¯re sure no one else is around. Deal?¡± ¡°I!.....alright, it is a deal!¡± ¡°¡­.am I trouble sensei?¡± ¡°Not in the least,¡± he said, trying for a comforting face. ¡°So, Yuya, deal?¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡­I guess I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± She made drawings in the concrete with her shoe as she spoke before she addressed the boy next to her. ¡°But no one is allowed to see us! I don¡¯t want people to think I talk to you!¡± ¡°Sensei already said that! And how will we finish the story!?¡± ¡°After school idiot, weren¡¯t you paying attention?!¡± ¡°Why do you keep calling me names!¡ª?¡± ¡°Cause you¡¯re not paying attention!¡± Ahhh, they just might be able to work something out after all. ¡°Yuuko, be safe walking home okay? Do you know the way from here?¡± ¡°Oh, um, yes. It is down the road.¡± ¡°Alright then, be careful. Yuya, care to lead the way to your house?¡± ¡°¡­.okay.¡± Part 6 Ahhhh! I was doing so good when the both of them were there! What happened, I was doing so well! Hiroka suffered in the awkward silence he¡¯d created in walking his student home. He tried breaking the ice by asking her what she and Yuuko had been doing, but that went nowhere since she only said he, ¡°took me and ran like an idiot¡±. He then tried getting her to expand on that¡­.possible misunderstanding, but her next answer was just as short. ¡°This is what grandma always said¡­.¡± ¡°Your grandmother?¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡­.haven¡¯t seen her lately.¡± ¡°Is she the one you told me read you stories every night?¡± She nodded. ¡°Hmmm. Well, in that case, I think you¡¯ll be glad to hear what I have to tell you,¡± he said as they approached an indistinct looking house. ¡°But first¡­.¡± He took a step forward, feeling a tug of resistance against his clothes. ¡°Yuya¡­.¡± He looked down to see what he always did¡­.but¡­¡­it¡¯s different somehow? It wasn¡¯t a big difference, no, it was barely noticeable but¡­. It reminded him of a flower seed. The girl trembled as she looked at her legs. ¡°¡­you need to stop looking down, otherwise you can¡¯t be brave.¡± That¡¯s what he said¡­¡­..and even back then, he was trembling. He was scared of mom too. ¡°Do you like hero stories?¡± How did he smile like that? A reassuring hand put itself on her shoulder, startling her as she nearly jumped away. ¡°We¡¯re here for you Yuya. I have a plan. We¡¯re going to help you, there¡¯s no need to be afraid.¡± ¡°¡­..otherwise you can¡¯t be brave.¡± With a small nudge from her teacher, she took the first step. She trembled so much, it looked like she would seriously collapse. But she took the first step. And her teacher never looked so proud. He took the lead, knocking on the door with the girl hiding at his legs. A woman with shoulder-length black hair opened, and deep green eyes stared back into his own. ¡°A teacher walking around with an underage student at this time of night; I¡¯m sure the police would be interested in a story like this since your kind often poses as teachers.¡± ¡°Mrs. Nygard, I¡¯m sure those serious allegations could be proven true or false with enough evidence. Similarly, it could also be proven where Yuya¡¯s many injuries come from. She¡¯s never had any this severe, and with her falling so often, surely something must be amiss.¡± She glared at him, speaking in a rough tone. ¡°Get inside. Now.¡± ¡°Not before,¡± he said, blocking the girl she spoke to with his hand, ¡°I speak with Mr. Itomei. School policy reviews and the like, unless you¡¯d prefer to discuss them with me.¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°Hoi!¡± she shrieked. ¡°Come take care of this¡ªnow!¡± She disappeared from sight, and soft footsteps could be heard approaching the door before a man with sharp hair wearing glasses and a business suit answered the door. ¡°Mr. Eikyo,¡± he said looking down at the girl partly hidden behind the teacher¡¯s legs. ¡°I do believe you requested to speak with me.¡± Part 7 ¡°I hope they are okay,¡± he mumbled, putting a second band-aid on his collar. At the very least, his two moles were still visible. He always liked pretending he got bit by a vampire, but looking at his bruises, he wasn¡¯t so sure anymore. They¡¯d turned purple now, reaching across his shoulder. A third band-aid was about all he could do. He¡¯d wrap his handkerchief around injuries before, but it was gone and he didn¡¯t have another. ¡°I was lucky last night, but if mother sees this I am definitely¡ª¡± A key softly twisted the lockout of place down the hall. He hurriedly put on his pajamas and waited at the top of the stairs before the door opened with a soft creak. ¡°Oh, whelcome hhome moth-er.¡± he said, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Yuuko,¡± she sternly whispered. ¡°You should be asleep.¡± ¡°I am sorry, I heard the door open so¡­¡± As his mother took her off shoes, he walked down the stairs and wrapped himself around her leg. She sighed through her nose. ¡°Oh Yuuko,¡± she said holding him tight, ¡°I missed you t¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªhmmph¡± ¡°¡­.¡­.¡± ¡°¡­.¡­.¡­.¡± ¡°¡­Yuuko¡­.are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes! I am fine, I am going to¡ª¡± ¡°Yuuko wait,¡± she grabbed his shoulder causing him to involuntarily gasp with pain. She stared at the spot her hand was on and carefully took off her son¡¯s shirt despite his protests. She closed her eyes in pain, putting one hand over her mouth as it dropped to the floor. A purple and yellow bruise covering his collarbone and shoulder exposed itself, and she couldn¡¯t do anything but stay silent. ¡°Mother I am okay! I helped!¡± ¡°Was it that girl I spoke to the teacher about?¡± ¡°Mother that is not¡ª¡± ¡°Yuuko,¡± she roughly whispered. ¡°Did that girl do this to you?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­.I am sure she is sorry and does not want to do it again.¡± Yuuko was constantly learning new things. About Yuya, about the way people act, and that night he learned that the pain in his shoulder didn¡¯t compare to the painful weight inside his chest at seeing his mother sitting on the floor, whispering to herself. ¡°¡­such an awful mother?¡± ¡°Mo..ther?¡± ¡°I am forbidding you to see that girl again. You are not to talk to her at school and I am going to speak with your teacher and make sure she is properly punished.¡± Chapter 4 - By Their Lonesome Part 1 Hiroka anxiously eyed his watch only to then look at the clock above his chalkboard. Last time they had a meeting she was very punctual, and though she had let him know in advance there was a possibility of her being late, it still made him nervous. He had an idea of what she wanted to talk to him about, but at this rate that man will walk into the middle of their conversation. He tried getting his mind off things by shifting through the most recent assignments of his students. ¡°I feel sorry for stealing my older sister¡¯s blankets, but they help me sleep at night, I¡¯m not a bad person!¡± ¡°I broke my dad¡¯s vase. I said I was sorry and he said it was okay, but I wish I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I ate my lunch before lunchtime. I know I needed to wait, but I was hungry.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the last one, children have the oddest confessions to make. He kept flipping through them, smiling, until he reached the one at the bottom of the stack. Before he could think about anymore, however, a loud crashing exploded from his left. ¡°Ex¡ªcuse me,¡± gasped a woman, staggering through the door. ¡°I am¡­.so sorry¡­¡­.I am late¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s no problem at all Miss Asahino.¡± ¡°Yes it is, it just¡­¡­.took longer than I thought to check up on our dog at the vet. He injured himself¡­falling down a hill¡­.¡± ¡°One of a kind, that Toshi.¡± Straightening her composure, she looked at him. ¡°You know his name?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve run into your son a few times outside of school. He was walking his dog one of those days.¡± ¡°One of the times he was out with that girl you mean?¡± ¡­..ahh, she doesn''t waste any time. ¡°Well, this particular time yes. He was.¡± ¡°That is what I came to talk to you about Eikyo Sensei. His relationship with that girl.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he said, gesturing to an empty chair. ¡°I thought it¡¯d be something like that.¡± The two were sitting in his classroom, the evening sun shining brightly through the window illuminating pictures, decorations, books, and of course, the two of them. The days were starting to become warmer, and the environment around them reflected it. The air conditioning was on full blast and the always presentable Hiroka Eikyo folded up the sleeves of his dress shirt. As for the woman taking a seat, she was wearing a light blue dress jacket over a white blouse and long beige skirt. For a woman so serious, she had a surprisingly feminine wardrobe. It complimented her. ¡°Eikyo sensei, forgive me for being blunt, but while I understand that this girl is in a precarious position from when we spoke last, it is no excuse for her behavior. I want her expelled for assaulting Yuuko.¡± He looked forward with interest. ¡°Assault you say?¡± ¡°Yes, assault.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t¡­¡­¡­.she hasn¡¯t hurt anyone in almost two weeks, the longest we¡¯ve ever gone without a report against her.¡± ¡°If that is so, it is all the more reason to take disciplinary action towards this girl.¡± She pulled out her phone, and after tapping it a few times, presented the pictures on there. ¡°.........when was this?¡± ¡°I found it on him the day before yesterday. When I asked, he said it was an accident, but that it had come from the girl.¡± ¡°The day before yesterday¡­¡­was the twenty-ninth.¡± he said, biting his thumb. ¡°But just last night I found them talking and getting along with each other just fine- better than fine actually; better than I¡¯d ever seen her get along with anyone.¡± He looked from the image to her eyes. They were still and unmoving, an eerie golden reflection. ¡°Eikyo sensei, I understand this girl¡¯s background is saddening, and I understand that you can not be responsible for what she does outside of school grounds. But I will not tolerate this.¡± ¡°You want her expelled from school¡­.knowing what that could do to her? Knowing Yuuko is trying to help?¡± ¡°I do not care for a stranger, I care for my son.¡± ¡°Evidently, so does she.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? She assaulted him, left him battered!¡± Her tone was taking on a familiar hostility. ¡°What do you mean she cares for him!?¡± ¡°I mean this.¡± He flipped through papers in front of him and handed her the one at the bottom of the pile. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Their assignment from yesterday¡¯s last class. The instructions were to write about an incident they feel guilty about, draw a picture of it, and write what they wish they could do to improve from that situation.¡± ¡°And why are you giving me her drawing?¡± ¡°Read the last part.¡± She scanned the paper. At the top there was an explanation over her anger at a boy in a tree, below it was a picture of her throwing something at him. And in the final section of the assignment¡­.there was only a sentence. ¡°¡­¡­I wish I could say I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve realized sooner. He¡¯s the only person she speaks to, albeit rarely and never during class.¡± He leaned forward on his desk, studying what little expression he could see on her face before surrendering. ¡°Look, Miss Asahino,¡± he said standing from his chair. ¡°I understand you want to see justice carried through for your son, and as a teacher I¡¯m determined and obligated to see¡ª¡± ¡°¡®¡ªwhat a boy should or should not do?¡¯ Those were your words.¡± She said, setting the drawing in front of him. With that she stood up, the bangs of her hair making it impossible to meet her eyes. ¡°See to it that this girl receives the punishment she deserves¡ª expulsion. That is your obligation as a teacher. Good day.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.nothing? Even after she saw the girl¡¯s feelings first hand¡­nothing? ¡°Miss Asahino¡­. I¡¯m asking you to reconsider¡­¡­. just until her familial situation becomes resolved.¡± ¡°Her family is no excuse. The girl reaps what she sows, both with my son and the others she has almost assuredly hurt.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a child!¡± ¡°Then resolve it. I believe this concludes our meeting.¡± ¡°Miss Asahino¡­¡­¡­.Miss Asahino¡­!¡± His words fell on deaf ears as she turned to leave his classroom. No...this can¡¯t be right. A child like Yuuko wouldn¡¯t behave the way he does if his mother didn¡¯t support him. Even if he learned from his father, his mother no doubt contributed¡­.and she¡¯s no doubt hesitating because of that reason. To help anyone in need, even a violent little girl, he won¡¯t let both their dreams die! Don¡¯t let her walk away! Don¡¯t let her walk away like this!! His hands slammed the wood of the desk¡ª ¡°I WON¡¯T LET THAT HAPPEN! I WON¡¯T ALLOW THE DREAMS OF TWO PEOPLE BE DESTROYED!¡± ¡ªand she froze against the doorway. There was a stillness in the air; heavy but permeable. He couldn¡¯t remember when the last time he raised his voice was, it felt alien to him. But he was desperate. Even from a distance, he could see her white knuckles wrapping around the handle of her bag. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Her tone was as still as the air. But he could still make it. ¡°I!¡­¡­.I know what happened to Yuuko¡¯s father, your late husband. He said it by accident one day, though it was my fault for mentioning his father. I didn¡¯t know¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°And¡­.and I know that you understand it too. How your son is invoking his late father¡¯s ideals because it¡¯s the only way left he feels attached to him.¡± He couldn''t read the silence, he couldn¡¯t read her. But she was still here, and that had to mean something. ¡°But you¡¯re not alone. I¡­also understand where you¡¯re coming from. My wife Mizuha was just like Yuuko and, to an extent, just like your husband. She believed in doing the right thing no matter the cost, in giving children inspiration to do good, to be kind. It¡¯s the reason I¡¯m so involved with the children, and she¡¯s the reason I¡¯m a teacher in the first place.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why¡­¡­.I won¡¯t let the dreams of two people be trampled on! I won¡¯t allow Mizuha and Yuuko¡¯s ideals to disappear as if they¡¯d never existed!¡± ¡°Yuuko''s childhood should not suffer more than it already has because of her!¡± she erupted. ¡°It is unfair to him!¡± ¡°He¡¯s not the only one who¡¯s suffering, but children who cope with their grief by helping other children don¡¯t exist!¡± ¡°So you want to destroy his childhood to help mend hers!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want either one of them to suffer, that¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to fix it!¡± ¡°Wh¡ª!¡­¡­¡± For the briefest moment, she was stunned¡ª the words catching in her throat as Hiroka stared down at the table. ¡°I don¡¯t want either one of them to suffer¡­of course I don¡¯t¡­¡­why would I? I want both of them to keep their innocence as long as possible¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°The world is unfair enough as it is¡­¡­children shouldn¡¯t be involved in something like this¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­no¡­¡­..they should not....¡± The room, which felt so tight that the air itself was suffocating, rapidly started losing its tension. Suddenly both of them found they could breathe a little lighter, and in Hiroka¡¯s case, he found it easier to consider telling her the last thing on his mind. He¡¯d already come this far¡­.maybe she, too, needed someone to share with. ¡°It feels impossible to move on, right? That¡¯s why you still keep it on.¡± In shock, Hikari found him analyzing the ring on her finger; she had unconsciously been twisting it in the silence. ¡°My wife was ill with our child¡­..neither of them made it. It feels impossible to move forward after something like that¡ª when people irreplaceable to you leave. I understand. It took me months just to do something simple like take my ring off to clean it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­how did you do it?¡± He stood up once more, and she had retreated from the doorway to stand in front of him. ¡°To be honest, I still don¡¯t know if I have. All I know is that I made a promise to Mizuha¡ª a promise that children will hear of knights and of courage. So they can be inspired.¡± ¡°Inspired¡­?¡± ¡°One day, Yuya will need to answer to her actions, to the children she¡¯s hurt. She¡¯ll need to change who she is¡­because in her heart she¡¯s not a bad girl. And while she learns to do that, I am going to do everything I can to fix the life she¡¯s been unfairly given.¡± ¡°Unfairly? You know you¡¯re also including me in that phrase, Eikyo sensei.¡± The two of them abruptly turned to the doorway in surprise, as a man in a formal business suit stood there to greet them. ¡°Hello Eikyo, I see you¡¯re talking about my daughter again.¡± Hiroka madly wheeled around to check the time. He¡¯d taken too long with Hikari, their meeting time bled over into the appointment he had with Yuya¡¯s father. ¡°Mr. Itomei, apologies, I hadn¡¯t realized the time.¡± ¡°None needed, I won¡¯t be here for long since I figure I know what this is about.¡± ¡°Then you have heard our conversation, yes?¡± The man sighed as he turned to face a rather young looking woman. ¡°That¡¯s correct. May I ask who you are?¡± ¡°Hikari Asahino, mother of Yuuko Asahino who I believe is well-acquainted with your daughter.¡± ¡°Believe me, I know.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°¡­¡­could you not glare at me like that please?¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Hey hey, let¡¯s just all have a seat and talk this through. Mr. Itomei, you¡¯ve already met Miss Asahino; Miss Asahino this is Mr. Itomei¡ª Yuya¡¯s father who¡¯s returned to the country and agreed to meet with me today.¡± He pulled up three separate chairs to the front of the classroom, and after a moment of hesitation on behalf of both parents, they sat down. ¡°As I understood, Yuya is part foreign but you appear native Japanese.¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct, she inherited her eyes and hair from her Scandinavian mother.¡± ¡°Then I take it you work abroad?¡± ¡°I just returned a few days ago.¡± ¡°And since you¡¯re here,¡± Hiroka interjected. ¡°Um, I really do apologize Miss Asahino, but since we¡¯ll be talking about his daughter I¡ª¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± he said looking at neither of them. ¡°This¡­concerns her child as well.¡± ¡°Given what Eikyo sensei and my son have told me, this girl seems to be in quite an abusive situation. It surprises me to hear you care so much about others¡¯ concerns.¡± She didn¡¯t say it outright, but he could pick up on the tone of her speech. ¡°Please don¡¯t confuse me for my wife or get the wrong impression of me, I care about my daughter and what she does.¡± ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Hiroka said before she could respond. ¡°I take it Yuya¡¯s grandmother will be staying in your home as per normal for your arrival?¡± ¡°While normally she helps¡­mitigate¡­¡­my wife¡¯s tendencies, this time¡ª¡± ¡°Then it is true. Your wife abuses your daughter with full knowledge of this on your part.¡± ¡°¡­.correct¡­¡± ¡°And you do nothing to stop her?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t confuse my inaction for a lack of love for my daughter!¡± ¡°And yet you claim to love her, your daughter, who looked to you to protect her!¡± Hiroka hadn¡¯t known her for very long, only since the school year started, but he could tell of the love and care she had for her son. Her teeth were grit from the strain of holding back her words, even the reddening in her eyes was barely noticeable. There was certainly a protective love in her golden eyes, but something else¡­¡­something from her own life. ¡°I¡¯d kindly ask you to refrain from speaking that way. You don¡¯t know anything about my family or myself.¡± ¡°I do not need to know anything in order to understand the responsibility a parent has towards their child.¡± And indeed he was right, her expression became replaced by something he didn¡¯t quite know how to describe. Something personal. ¡°A child is meant to grow with their parent, they are to learn about right and wrong and feel they can depend on them for anything!¡± Narrowing her eyes, her grit and tears had gone, but they left a genuine expression. An expression that poured everything into one single phrase. ¡°What kind of a man are you?¡± Yet, even with this, nothing in the room seemed to change. There was no tension, no gravity, nothing around them that could be exploited to see the true reaction on the father¡¯s face. Though they couldn¡¯t put it into words, both understood the reason why. The man¡¯s face was one of acceptance, the tension was nonexistent because he couldn¡¯t argue against those words; there was nothing to exploit because it seemed that he had long since accepted the fact he was a father in name only. A smile in name only. ¡°This was a waste of time after all.¡± he sighed ¡°Please wait a moment!¡± Hiroka quickly stopped the man before he could open the door all the way. The man stopped, but said nothing; he took his silence as a queue to continue. ¡°Mr. Itomei, on what you heard before, I was serious. I plan to help Yuya break away from her mother¡¯s custody, and should you keep refusing to do anything¡ª yours as well.¡± ¡°Good. My daughter staying with her grandmother should be a fine opportunity for you.¡± ¡°Staying with¡­what? Her grandmother always stays at your home while she¡¯s in the city doesn''t she?¡± The man turned back. ¡°Someone had to take the first step, so I rented an apartment. A stable household is a requirement for custody changes, and it¡¯ll be necessary for when you help me take the second step.¡± ¡°The second step..?¡± And in the shining light of the reddening sun, the man introduced to them a very old woman standing behind the sliding door. ¡°A very good evening to you both,¡± she spoke, bowing. ¡°And thank you for looking after my granddaughter all this time.¡± Part 2 He really was an idiot. Normally he¡¯d have tried talking to her a dozen times by now, but the school day was almost over and he hasn¡¯t said a word. Granted, she doesn''t normally respond to him¡­¡­but she might¡¯ve today. Hearing the whispers surrounding them, she knew what people were saying. Not about her, but about him. Yuuko had been so popular the first few weeks of school, everyone in the class talked to him at least twice, but now they keep their distance. She couldn¡¯t tell when it started, she just picked up on today since he hasn¡¯t said a word. It¡¯s probably my fault¡­¡­everything always is. That¡¯s why, today, maybe she might¡¯ve considered talking to him, but he was mute. Looking to the desk on her left, she could only see a single word highlighted on his word search handout even though he kept scratching the back of his head in frustration looking for them. She was nearly finished with her own and would¡¯ve shared if he acted like normal. So, on top of being an idiot, he was also a dumb idiot. ¡°¡­¡­.keeps looking at him¡­¡± ¡°¡­.kinda gross¡­¡­..right?¡± She could hear the girls from the front rows talking while looking back at her. They quickly turned around when she glared, but that didn¡¯t stop them from talking. And, of course, Yuuko didn¡¯t notice. He was still scratching his head trying to find words, but this time he used both hands. She wondered if he even knew what people were saying about him. And just like that, the answer hit her sudden and hard. ¡°Alright everyone!¡± declared their energetic homeroom teacher. ¡°Pass your papers and word searches to the front! Please be careful not to fold them!¡± Yeah, that¡¯s why he stopped talking to me...there¡¯s no way he hasn¡¯t noticed¡­ it was just a matter of time. Sulking, she felt someone tap on her left shoulder. She hesitantly turned to find Yuuko pointing to a folded piece of paper by her feet.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°It¡¯s not mine! And sensei told us not to fold them, idiot!¡± In silence, he responded by pointing at it once more with much more vigor. Sighing, she picked it up and unfolded it. ¡°Oh no, someone found my note! I hope this someone has green eyes so I could tell them to meet me by the tree after school today! I have something super important to tell her, so she definitely needs to be there. Please?¡± ¡°Wha¡ªwhat the heck is this!?¡± ¡°Yuya,¡± Eikyo pointed out. ¡°Let¡¯s try to use our inside voices, okay?¡± She mumbled her words as the boy next to her returned to paying her no mind. * * * * * The sky was a mix of slate gray tinted black as she waited by her tree. As soon as class ended, Yuuko disappeared and she¡¯d been unable to find him. She could¡¯ve if she¡¯d waited at the entrance, like she¡¯s done before, but the note told her to meet by the tree. The time between class and the end of school gave her time to think about whether or not she should meet Yuuko. Part of her wanted to ignore him and leave for home, since at least her dad was there, but he¡¯d probably show up and bug her all over again. ¡°Wait a second¡ª! How¡¯d he find out where I live anyway?!¡± He never ended up telling her how he found her house even though she¡¯d asked. Granted, they had more important things to do at that time, but still. ¡­whatever¡­¡­ The thing she couldn¡¯t take her mind off of was him ignoring her all day today; after helping her so much yesterday, today it seemed like she didn¡¯t exist at all. She was sure it was because of the bad things people were saying about him, because he hangs around her, but then he suddenly throws a note at her saying he wants to meet her. ¡°Geez¡­what¡¯s wrong with him¡­¡­¡± She started kicking at the ground, but it didn¡¯t take long for her to stop because of the ridiculous sight happening in front of her. ¡°No seriously¡­what¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Just beyond the convenience store was a kid with a gray backpack and messy hair walking backwards towards her. He had to look behind every once in a while to make sure he was going the right way, but he never met her eyes. He kept at it until he was a few feet away from Yuya, and then just stood there without looking at her or saying anything. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hey¡ª you complete dummy! I¡¯m asking you what you¡¯re doing!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Pay attention to me when I¡¯m talking to youuuu!!!¡± she declared as she threw her backpack with all the might she could muster. Books and papers scattered everywhere, but the actual bag seemed to have hit her target perfectly. ¡°Oww!¡± he said, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°You did not need to throw that!¡± ¡°You were ignoring me! Even after telling me to come here!¡± ¡°Aah! That is right, I can talk now since you were the one to see me first and we are not at school!¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®now¡¯? And what does being at school have to do with anything?¡± Yuuko paid her no mind as he began picking up the papers scattered about the ground, which caused another outburst on behalf of the girl. ¡°But Yuya, if we do not pick up your papers they will get dirty.¡± ¡°W-Who cares!¡± ¡°I do.¡± he said as he handed her a stack and grabbed another. ¡°Hnm? Wait, is this the drawing assignment Mr. Eikyo gave us two da¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªaaAaAAAHHHH!!¡± she yelled, nearly ripping the paper in half. ¡°Fine! Whatever! I¡¯ll help you!¡± The two wordlessly collected Yuya¡¯s belongings, dropping them in her bag. She tightened the string along the seams at the bottom, securing everything inside. ¡°Why do you not buy a new backpack?¡± ¡°Because mom says it¡¯s a waste of money.¡± ¡°Ooh. Then, did you make the string at the bottom?¡± ¡°No, my grandma sewed it on cause stuff kept falling.¡± ¡°I see. Then why do you not also learn sewing?¡± ¡°Because sewing is something girls do, idiot!¡± Yuuko scratched his head. ¡°But you are¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªplus,¡± she interrupted. ¡°She tried to teach me one time, but mom told her never to do it again¡­¡­boys don¡¯t need to learn that kind of stuff.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°What did you want to tell me?¡± she said as she stood up. He opened his mouth to respond but felt something wet against his tongue. He looked up and another drop fell against his forehead. Then his cheek. Then everywhere at once. The two quickly ran underneath the tree, and in no time at all, rain began falling at a steady pace from the slate gray sky. ¡°Great, just great.¡± ¡°The rain might get worse¡­¡­OH! Yuya, come over to my home! We can wait for the rain to go away and I can show you!¡± ¡°What?! No way! And show me what?!¡± ¡°I do not live far from here. Plus, I did not bring an umbrella.¡± She was about to reject his offer again before the sudden thought of the alternative crept into her mind. And at least he¡¯s talking again¡­ ¡°Fine. I¡¯ve got no choice so whatever, let¡¯s just go.¡± ¡°Alright, follow me!¡± The two bolted out of the tree with bags above their heads, racing along the concrete. The bottom of their pants began soaking up the water, but it didn¡¯t weigh them down. Running as fast as their tiny legs could carry them, they arrived just as the rain began picking up force. Yuuko briefly struggled with the lock before the door flew open, spilling both children inside. He had a much harder time closing it due to the wind, but once locked, the sound of muffled rain was the only thing heard from the inside of the home. Yuuko looked down at himself, then at Yuya, and began to laugh. ¡°Hey wha¡ª what¡¯s so funny!?¡± ¡°I-I meaahahah, w-we¡ªwe¡¯re so wet ahahaha!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not funny!¡± ¡°Itahah-it¡ª it kind of is hahahaha!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not!¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Ahahum...um, Yuya? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yuya?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­that¡¯s¡­¡­¡­¡­the first time I¡¯ve heard you laugh¡­¡± He looked shocked at her words before looking at his hands with the faintest smile. ¡°I guess it is.¡± ¡°Guess?¡± ¡°Wait here, I¡¯ll bring some towels!¡± He hurriedly took off his shoes and rushed into a door further down the hall. The quiet gave her time to take in the surroundings of the home. There was a small kotatsu and sofa in the living room, and a table in the kitchen, but other than that it wasn¡¯t well furnished; in fact it had a lot less furniture then her own house. But there were so many more pictures. There were pictures on the hallway, by the stairs, in the living room, even one hanging beside the front door¡ª though it looked more like a drawing than a photo. Squinting, she could make out one particular frame with three people hanging by the kotatsu. She wanted to investigate but¡ª ¡°¡ªhere you go!¡± With a beige towel on his head, Yuuko handed her a fluffy green one. ¡°Thanks¡­.¡± In silence, the two dried themselves off as best they could. While their hair and clothes were still damp, it wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as when they entered. Yuuko threw an extra towel on top of the puddle of water that had collected at the doorway before turning around and inviting Yuya inside. But to his surprise, she didn¡¯t move. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± He scratched the back of his head. ¡°But...why not?¡± ¡°I..don¡¯t want to make a mess.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re all dry¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªmy socks.¡± ¡°....huh?¡± ¡°My socks!¡± she repeated vexingly. ¡°...my socks are wet. I tried drying them but¡­.¡± He looked down at his own¡ª dry and snug as can be. He hadn¡¯t noticed his shoes didn¡¯t let any of the rain in, he took them off without thinking as soon as he got inside. On the contrary, even after drying, hers looked moist and uncomfortable. ¡°Wait here!¡± Without stalling, he rushed down the hall and came back with another, smaller, towel. ¡°Dry your feet with this! I¡¯ll be back!¡± He didn¡¯t wait for her response before running up the stairs, leaving her, much to her annoyance. She did as she was told, making a fuss as she wiped her feet, but it wasn¡¯t long before he came back down holding the fuzziest pair of socks she¡¯d ever seen. The design was strange. They had what looked like silver twine at the ankle and a cat with the widest grin she¡¯d ever seen stitched to the side. It wasn¡¯t until he brought them closer that she saw a giant hat at the front of the foot attached to the twine by a silver lining. ¡°pf¡­ pfff¡­¡­. pppffffFTTTAHAHA! WHAT IS THAT AHAHAHA!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t laugh! These are the only ones I haven¡¯t worn!¡± ¡°But l-l-look at them ahahaha! They¡¯rehaha, so weird hahahaha!!¡± Yuuko began to blush. ¡°These came with the book my mom bought! Just¡ª put them on..¡± She did as requested, to which Yuuko asked, ¡°How do they feel?¡± She moved her toes around, making the design move in odd ways. ¡°They feel¡­¡­warm.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± he said, giving her a smile. ¡°They look great on you Yuya!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yuya?¡± ¡°HMPHH!¡± ¡°OWW! What¡¯d you kick me for?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say weird things like that all of a sudden!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t weird!¡± ¡°Yes it was!¡± she huffed. ¡°Anyway, are we going to finish reading the story?¡± ¡°Can you¡­ask nicely? Please?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to¡ª¡ª!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­?¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­?¡­¡­¡± ¡°Can we¡­¡­¡­finish the story¡­¡­please?¡± He gave a soft grin. ¡°It¡¯s in my room, come on.¡± Part 3 She didn¡¯t mean to awe at the room, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. There were shelves of books lining the entire right side of the room, and at least half of the left side. A table with worksheets piled neatly on top was in the middle of the wooden floor while a bed sat idly behind it. Everything was much brighter than her own room. ¡°It should be somewhere on the shelf, I¡¯ll look for it!¡± She completely ignored him as she reached for the table and found completed homework. For multiple classes. Some of which weren¡¯t due for another few days. ¡°You have books everywhere and all your homework done! How are you still so stupid?!¡± ¡°What does that even mean!?¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t even find two words in the wordsearch Eikyo sensei gave us!¡± ¡°I!¡­¡­don¡¯t¡­know why I couldn¡¯t¡­.¡± he admitted. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to be so mean about it Yuya¡­.¡± ¡°Nhhng!¡± Hurriedly putting the notes away, she walked over to the other side of the room, pretending to browse through the books. ¡°H-Hey..¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°H-How¡¯s¡­um..how¡¯s Toshi doing?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­Uhh, he¡¯s good, I guess. My mom took him to the vet people yesterday, they said he would be okay but might need to stay there a long time.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He was sick when I found him. Back then, the vet people said that maybe it was something the last owners did. Or maybe it was because he was all by himself for so long. I don¡¯t remember what, exactly, but they gave me medicine that I have to give him.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± She swallowed her saliva. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­I hope he gets better.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°About earlier I¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I¡¯m sooaaAAGHHH!¡± A cascade of books cut her off as they overwhelmed her. She¡¯d pulled too hard on one particular book lodged in place, and when it fell, so did the others around it. Yuuko immediately rushed to her side. ¡°Yuya, hey! Are you okay!?¡± ¡°Stupid books!¡± she said, rubbing her back. ¡°Sorry about that, but you need to be careful. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± she said getting up. As she smoothed out her clothes, Yuuko began picking them up. She¡¯d started to help, but one book in particular stood out from the rest. Yuuko noticed her curiosity, saying *wait!* but it was too late. ¡°The Promises of a Hero?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­an old story.¡± ¡°But what¡¯s it about?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about nothing, what¡¯s it about?¡± She violently shook the book, demanding a response, when three separate sheets of paper fell out of the cover. Each one of them had handwriting she didn¡¯t recognize, filling each line to the point there wasn¡¯t any blank space left. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch that!¡± She barely had time to reach down before Yuuko threw himself on top of them. Grabbing each one, he stuffed them back into the cover after snatching the book away from her hands. She¡¯d never seen him react that way before. ¡°What¡¯s your problem!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing okay! Notes¡ª that¡¯s it!¡± She silently fumed, her face and neck reddening; she could feel heat radiate from her hands. She wanted to say something. Something to get back at him. ¡°I knew it.¡± she seethed. ¡°I knew you were a liar!¡± ¡°A liar?¡± ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a liar! I never asked to be here, and I never asked for your help!¡± ¡°What are you..?¡± ¡°YOU¡¯RE A TERRIBLE PERSON! FOR SOMEONE THAT WANTS TO HELP, YOU¡¯RE A TERRIBLE PERSON AND THAT MAKES YOU A LIAR!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± She sat there, gasping for breath and noting his reaction. It felt so good for her to say those things, and for an instant she felt lighter, even happy. But only for an instant. She noticed the redness around his eyes as he frantically wiped them with the towel still resting on his hair. The happiness began disappearing, replaced by something...dirty. It felt like something was rotting inside her. It was nasty, filthy, and it reminded her of¡ª ¡°Haggh!? Why the hell would I read to you? Boys don¡¯t do that, so suck it up and act like one!¡± Still wiping his eyes, he opened the cover and tilted it in her direction, showing her the contents of the notes. But she closed it almost immediately, causing him to look at her in confusion. ¡°I¡­¡­¡­¡­don¡¯t talk to people. So¡­¡­¡­Yuuko¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­thank you¡­for being my friend.¡± He wiped the redness away from his eyes before speaking. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to say ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªmother says that you should only say sorry when you won¡¯t ever do the bad thing again. If you¡¯ll do it again, could you just be nicer?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­¡­¡­don¡¯t want to do it again¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­that¡¯s like a promise then.¡± She found it odd he brought up promises all of a sudden, but didn¡¯t ask what he meant. As the two of them held the book between them, Yuuko asked. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m a liar?¡± ¡°No¡­¡­and I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a bad person either.¡± ¡°So if you didn¡¯t mean it, shouldn¡¯t you say sorry?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°S¡­.soo¡­¡­.so¡­¡± She looked down, trying to hide her face as best she could. Her mouth twisted into odd shapes as she formed the word. ¡°Soooooooooooo¡­¡­¡­cks!¡± ¡°H..uh?¡± ¡°Socks! Look, the picture on the cover! Here!¡± she said, kicking one of the books on the floor. ¡°The cover has the same weird cat as the socks! Is this the book you talked about?! This is it, right!?¡± Her tone was frantic, but lighthearted. Yuuko wiped away the remaining redness stinging his eyes and after putting away the book he held, picked it up with a soft, and amused, smile. ¡°Yeah, this is the book my mom bought that the socks came with. I didn¡¯t like it since there¡¯s not any heroes, but it¡¯s a weird story.¡± He handed her the book which she read aloud. ¡°Alice¡¯s Adventures In Wonderland?¡± ¡°We can read it if you want. The main character is actually our age, so it¡¯s pretty cool to read!¡± ¡°She is..?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll show you!¡± The two of them sat down on his bed, but not before Yuya picked up her fallen towel, positioning it precisely on her head once more. ¡°Why are you putting it back on? Isn¡¯t your hair already dry?¡± ¡°I hate this part of my hair!¡± she said, tugging at an ahoge firmly standing in the middle of her hair. ¡°It never goes down, and I can feel it pointing up! It¡¯s annoying!¡± ¡°You feel it...pointing up?¡± ¡°Yes! So I¡¯m keeping this on to push it down.¡± He had a feeling she¡¯d tried that before, but remained silent. The two of them sat on the edge of his bed, opening the first pages of the Wonderland book. Yuuko read the story, further adding detail to certain parts by repeating what his parents had told him when they first read it. After going through the first few chapters, Yuya made a remark over the dress in the pictures, calling it old fashion and ugly. ¡°Look at it! You can¡¯t hit people in that thing!¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t think you¡¯re supposed to hit people in the first place.¡± ¡°Whatever. The point is that it looks ugly and makes her look weak.¡± ¡°Really?¡± He said, bringing his face closer to the book. ¡°I don¡¯t think she looks weak. Actually, she looks a little like you.¡± ¡°Wh¡ª! Haaghhhh?!¡± She yanked the book from him, holding it against her face. ¡°I look nothing like her! I have black hair¡ª this girl is blonde! Even our eyes are different! She¡¯s blue, I¡¯m green!¡± ¡°Well, yeah¡± he said, taking hold of the book. ¡°But look at the face. You guys kind of look alike¡­¡­OH!¡± he hit his fist against the palm of his hand, though not noticing the girl next to him flinch. ¡°Look, she has a ribbon...err, I think it¡¯s a ribbon? But if I find one, I bet you¡¯ll look more alike!¡± ¡°I DON¡¯T¡ª BOYS DON¡¯T¡ª HEY¡ª¡ª WhERE ARE YOU GOING?! HEY!!¡± He¡¯d already fled the room by the time she finished talking, leaving her to herself. ¡°What an idiot¡­¡± she said, pulling her knees to her chin and crossing her arms. ¡°A ribbon¡­¡± ¡°Yuya, sweetheart, look what I found! Oh you¡¯ll look absolutely lovely in this, I know you will! All the boys will be flocking, aah! You¡¯ll have to beat them away like I used to!¡± ¡°Grandma!¡± ¡°Ohoho, forgive me deary. But say, don¡¯t you want to try this on? It was my own hair pin you know, I wore when I was your age!¡± ¡°You wore that?¡± ¡°Of course! Back then, clothes were expensive, and accessories more so! That¡¯s why your grandmother hand-knit this passion flower to wear in her hair!¡± ¡°Will¡­.mom say it¡¯s okay?¡± ¡°Maybe not, but let¡¯s just keep it a secret between us, okay?¡± she winked. A few days after that, mom ended up finding it. She kicked grandma out and made me cut it apart with scissors...even though grandma made it so long ago¡­¡­ ¡°Is this¡­okay?¡± ¡°FOUND IT!¡± he said, stumbling into the room. ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t find a ribbon, but I found a hair pin! Look!¡± He held out a small hair pin in the shape of a flower. A deep purple made up the bulk of the outer petal, while white and yellow colors made the inner layers. ¡°The girl doesn''t wear any hair pins.¡± ¡°I know, I couldn¡¯t find any ribbons but then I thought, ¡®hey¡ª I know what she could use this for!¡¯¡± Before she could ask, both of them turned towards the direction of the front door downstairs; the sound of a key being turned in a lock was the only thing they could hear. Part 4 ¡°HELLO¡ª ahh, h-hello mother. How..are you?¡± ¡°Hello Yuuko, I am glad to be home.¡± she said sternly. ¡°Now, please explain to me why the first thing I see when I come inside are two towels dropped on the floor.¡± ¡°I¡­um¡­¡­was wet.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. So naturally you grabbed three towels to dry yourself?¡± ¡°Three?¡± He spoke in a confused tone before looking up and removing the third still in his hair. She sighed. ¡°Clean this up, I¡¯ll go get the washing machine ready.¡± ¡°Y-Yes! I will!¡± As soon as she was out of sight, he bolted up the stairs, lugging a fairly large carrying bag with a green towel over the top. He made sure to be extra careful pulling it along the edges of the stairs, and thankfully managed to make it to the bottom without his mother noticing. At least, he thought she didn¡¯t notice. ¡°My oh my, what have we here?¡± ¡°IIIT¡¯S, aH, nothing mom¡ª honest!¡± ¡°Mom?¡± ¡°Mother!¡± He tried his best to hide it behind his legs, but it was no use. His mother loomed over the bag before tugging back the cover. Had she seen this scenario under different circumstances, Hikari couldn¡¯t help but think she¡¯d be laughing. Before her was a girl, clearly the same age as Yuuko, but far, far older. Her cheeks had a slight hollowness to them while the tender skin around her eyes already had signs of baggage. Her clothes were too big for her, on top of being severely aged and worn. But what hurt most was seeing the skin wrapping so tightly around the bones of her wrist; she was so frail¡­this child. Like a flower that¡¯s been left all by its lonesome. ¡°Mom please, I brought her here, it¡¯s all my¡ª!¡± He quieted his words as soon as his mother held a finger out to him¡ª a gesture of silence, yet she didn¡¯t even look at him. She folded her lengthy skirt as she crouched to meet the girl¡¯s eyes. ¡°You must be the girl who hurt my son.¡± she said, oddly stoic. The girl wouldn¡¯t meet her eyes. She just stayed in the bag, covering her arms. But Hikari saw something she definitely recognized¡ª the trembling; the look when someone tries to control their shuddering body. It took her years to control her own. ¡°If I recall, your name is Yuya¡ª yes?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yuya, my name is Hikari. Hikari Asahino. I think your last name is ¡®Itomei,¡¯ right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡­Yuuko?¡± ¡°Y-Yes?¡± ¡°Can you bring me a mirror please? In my bathroom, one of the small ones? ¡°Yes¡­I am on it¡­.¡± he hesitated for a moment, looking to his mother, then Yuya, before taking off. Once he was gone, Hikari made a difficult face before commenting to a confused Yuya. ¡°I forgot that he takes after me when it comes to looking for things¡­¡­¡± She took off her bag and rummaged through before handing something to the girl. ¡°Here, hold this please,¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­why¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a beautiful hair clip.¡± Yuya¡¯s eyes went wide as she retreated further into the bag. Without looking, she timidly opened her hand to give the clip back to its rightful owner, and braced herself for what she knew was coming. Her eyes squeezed impossibly shut as she waited. And waited. Her body reacted with confusion when what came wasn''t a sharp pain, but warmth, pressing softly against the side of her head. Though instinctively flinching away, she hesitantly opened her eyes, and in doing so, her fears disappeared. Because she saw a beautiful woman with bright golden eyes smiling as she played with her hair. ¡°There, all done.¡± She stared in confusion until Hikari put her hands underneath her own, helping Yuya lift the mirror in her hands. Her hands moved away on their own, but the woman continued helping, ever so gently. In her reflection, she saw on the right side of her head a small, purple flower made of glass; holding a piece of hair in place. Using the mirror to follow it up, she noticed something at the top of her hair was missing. ¡°Us ladies need to do our best to look sharp after all.¡± The woman said that with a smile on her face. She couldn¡¯t find any words to respond with, but fortunately she didn¡¯t need to. ¡°Mother, I am sorry it took me so long but I found¡­it¡­..¡± ¡°Thank you Yuuko. Oh, I need to go somewhere with Yuya, okay? I will not be long.¡± ¡°YUYA YOUR HAIR THING IS GONE!¡± The girl stared at him in confusion, but Hikari could tell she wasn¡¯t completely in the moment. ¡°Yuuko, Listen when people are speaking to you! How many times do I need to say?¡± ¡°S-Sor¡ªerr¡­.excuse me mother. But, um, isn¡¯t it still raining?¡± ¡°The rain let up quite a while ago, it seemed it was only a strong shower.¡± ¡°Aaah! In that case¡ªin that case can I come with you guys!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Pleeeassssseee?¡± ¡°No. You still have cleaning up to do.¡± she said, pointing to the towels. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hpphmmmmmm!¡­¡­¡­¡­fine.¡± ¡°There¡¯s my son.¡± she said, placing her hands together in a small laugh. The girl followed the mother and son with her eyes before touching the side of her hair again. It was then that the woman offered her hand. ¡°Now then, Yuya, would you come with me? There is someone I think you will want to see.¡± * * * * * The woman made a phone call before they left the house, though Yuya couldn¡¯t make out the faint words. ¡°Now,¡± she said, holding out her hand, ¡°it is dangerous to walk alone at night. Thankfully the place we are going is not very far, but still.¡± The girl looked very much like she wanted to object, but something about the woman made her think it was okay. It wasn¡¯t like when her own mother tells her to do something, those times she felt too scared to disobey. This felt more like¡­¡­even if she said no, it would be okay. But she didn¡¯t want to say no? But she also wanted to? Her head began to spin, and she reluctantly took her hand for support. As they walked, even when the dizziness had stopped, she didn¡¯t let go. ¡°Your teacher speaks very highly of you Yuya.¡± she said, making conversation. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°He says that you try hard in his class, even though you do not like other teachers or the subjects he teaches.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°It makes him, Eikyo, very happy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± The familiar streets around her changed into something a bit more urban. There were still houses, but a lot taller, with a lot of doors in them. It was a bit unfamiliar, but was close enough to where she¡¯d always lived that she could probably find her way back without much of a struggle. ¡°We have arrived.¡± Before them was a brightly lit street with occasional stores and a few people walking about in the hours of the early night. One particularly familiar woman stood by the swing set next to a tall building with lots of doors. That woman was¡ª ¡°¡ªgrandma!¡± An old woman with gentle wrinkles spread her arms wide as the girl ran into her arms. ¡°Ohhh deary, it¡¯s so wonderful to see you again!¡± ¡°Pardon me it took so long to arrive. I have only been to this area a handful of times.¡± ¡°No need to worry yourself my dear, I¡¯m just so happy you¡¯re kind enough to help my granddaughter.¡± ¡°Grandma grandma!¡± the girl bounced. ¡°What are you doing here!?¡± ¡°Your dad and mom have to work some things out, so you¡¯re going to sleepover at my apartment for a little while!¡± ¡°Aaaah! Grandma, this huge place is called an apartment? We have it all to ourselves!?¡± ¡°Oohohoho, no no my dear, many people live in this building¡ª we just get a room all to ourselves.¡± ¡°Oooh, that¡¯s okay too!¡± The elderly woman gasped all of a sudden, frightening Hikari, but it wasn¡¯t long before she understood its purpose. ¡°Yuya! Oh my goodness dear, is that a pin in your hair? You look absolutely beautiful with it!¡± The little girl blushed at those words, but her grandmother continued. ¡°It¡¯s lovely! Where did you get it? Your mother hasn¡¯t seen has she?¡± The girl slowly turned to face the woman silently standing to one side. She found it difficult to meet her eyes, and opted for staring at her knees. Thankfully, her grandmother knew exactly what this meant. ¡°Oh, Miss Asahino dear, thank you ever so much for the kind gift! Yuya, did you say ¡®thank you¡¯ to her for giving you the nice hair pin?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­¡­n-no¡­¡± ¡°Yuya, that¡¯s no way for a good girl like you to act. Go on then, what do you say to someone when they do something nice for you?¡± She nudged her granddaughter forward, taking tiny paces forward. Yuya fidgeted at the fingers, thinking of what to say. Even if she could think of something, she just couldn¡¯t meet the woman¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡­but you need to stop looking down¡­¡­¡± He¡¯s so annoying¡­¡­and that¡¯s why¡­¡­¡­ She took a deep breath, and looked up. ¡°Umm¡­t-thank you Miss Asahino¡­¡­for the pin. I¡­really like it.¡± ¡°My my,¡± Hikari said, putting a hand to her cheek. ¡°You are most certainly welcome Yuya. I do hope this means you will not bully my son anymore.¡± ¡°Hngh!...I¡­..um¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to do better,¡± said her grandmother patting her on the back. ¡°Can you promise that to Miss Asahino, Yuya?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Before you decide,¡± Hikari interrupted, ¡°I want you to ask Yuuko what a promise means. Can you do that for me?¡± ¡°Okay¡­I can ask.¡± The smile was her response before addressing the grandmother once more. ¡°I should take my leave before it gets late.¡± ¡°Thank you so much for everything you¡¯ve done. Please, pray that my son is able to get me custody of Yuya. Against that woman, it may take a miracle, but I believe in miracles.¡± ¡°Miracles huh¡­¡­¡­o-oh, yes, of course,¡± she said, bowing. ¡°Yuya, where are your manners?¡± ¡°Aah, right. Thank...thank you very much Miss Asahino.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± With that, Hikari departed their home, leaving the two alone. As they were about to enter their apartment room, Yuya¡¯s grandmother pointed to a strange looking flower. At her request, Yuya plucked it, only for her to return and see her grandmother smile. ¡°A miracle.¡± ¡°Grandma?¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the meanings this flower has,¡± she said, putting it on the other side of her granddaughter¡¯s hair. ¡°It¡¯s the same one as your pin.¡± Part 5 It was the middle of the night when Yuya woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. For a moment she panicked, but the scent of her grandmother¡¯s perfume alerted her to the fact she wasn¡¯t home. Yes. She panicked because she heard her voice. That¡¯s what woke her up. ¡°Wretched old hag, I KNOW HE¡¯S HERE! WHERE¡¯S MY SON!?¡± ¡°Meyoshi, calm down. Yuya is safe, but I will not¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªdon¡¯t you lie to me Azuka.¡± Yuya¡¯s grandmother could practically see the venom dripping from her words. ¡°I see the way you look at me, your hateful rejection of anyone who¡¯s different. My son will be the change this country needs and you will not stop me from taking that first step.¡± Yuya could hear clothes, trinkets, even furniture being tossed and thrown around. It didn¡¯t stop, not until she opened the last door, the one to her bedroom. Chapter 5 - Guardian Part 1 She remembered. All the times she¡¯d done as her mother asked, she remembered why she did it. The way she instantly pacified and calmly approached Yuya didn¡¯t match the way she gripped her wrist, dragging her out of the futon and into the light of the living room. ¡°Meyoshi, leave the child be! This is between you and myself, that girl has no¡ª¡± ¡°He is a boy,¡± she said, staring at her child. ¡°And boys do not wear hairpins, do they Yuya?¡± She stood in silence, her eyes wide. Her mother tried yanking the pin from her hair, but it caught on the course tangles of the interwoven hair. With no other choice, she wrenched it straight from the source, tearing the hair strands from her scalp. ¡°IIAAAAAHHHHHHH!!¡± ¡°Meyoshi, enough! Leave or I will call the police!¡± ¡°Call them.¡± she said in her ever stoic tone. ¡°Let them investigate, I have nothing to hide. Everything I do is legal in this country, and if not, it¡¯s a simple matter of cultural difference.¡± Yuya could see her tossing the pin to one side. Blood streamed down the side of her ear; she could feel coarse patches of prickles beneath warm liquid. ¡°Yuya, dear, come with me! We¡¯ll be able¡ª¡± ¡°Yuya, you know the punishments for disobeying your guardian, don¡¯t you?¡± The little girl was still hyperventilating from the pain. When she didn¡¯t respond, her mother crouched down, grabbing her cheeks with one hand. ¡°Boys don¡¯t cry. Are you crying Yuya?¡± ¡°N-No. I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°You remember your punishments then?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­yes.¡± ¡°Good, now calm down and toughen up.¡± The elderly woman watched in horror as Yuya¡¯s pain became replaced with fear. Her breathing was much too quick, much too silent. ¡°¡­I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The old woman couldn¡¯t see the backside of Meyoshi¡¯s hand, she swung too quickly. But she saw her granddaughter¡¯s head twist horribly to the side as spit ejected the side of her mouth, plastering the wall. She heard the sound, clear as day¡ª a visceral secondhand pain filled her while Yuya didn¡¯t make a sound. Azuka nearly vomited. ¡°Now tell your dear old grandmother where you¡¯re going to go.¡± ¡°Home¡­¡­¡­bye grandma.¡± Without another word, and without so much as looking at her grandmother, Yuya left the apartment, not bothering with her backpack. The door closed with a loud clasp, and the two of them were alone once more. ¡°One day you¡¯ll thank me. It may look ugly now, but good things can come from mistakes. In my case, the good would be making progress on Yuya.¡± ¡°By the Lord Almighty¡ª Meyoshi, that girl will be out of your hands by next week. I will make sure of it.¡± ¡°Whatever you say,¡± she said, blithely. ¡°Now, I need to get that boy home. I have important business later.¡± With a coy smile, she waved goodbye and slipped through the door. All that was left in the tattered apartment was Azuka Itomei picking up her phone. Yet, the person on the other end couldn¡¯t understand her through her tears. Part 2 Yuuko hesitated asking the question of his teacher; he had a look on his face he¡¯d never seen before, and he kept mumbling to himself. ¡°¡­¡­bad¡­.this rate it¡¯ll¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Umm, sensei?¡± ¡°Can I?¡­¡­courts wouldn¡¯t¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Sensei, umm..?¡± Maybe he had trouble hearing him, but the school day had already come to an end and there were no other kids in the classroom. He had trouble thinking that it was because he wasn¡¯t loud enough, but it happened to his mother once, so he had to try. ¡°EIKYO SENSEI!¡± ¡°OH!...oh Yuuko. Can I help you with anything?¡± ¡°Sensei¡­¡­¡­Yuya was not at school today. Is she okay?¡± Hiroka knew he¡¯d have to deal with this sooner or later. It¡¯d be better to get it out of the way now rather than Yuuko doing something impulsive. He let out a heavy sigh as he pushed himself away from his desk, leaning down to confront his student. ¡°Yuya¡­¡­is in a difficult spot. We¡¯re close to permanently helping her, but she¡¯s having some trouble. She might not be at school for a little while.¡± ¡°Is she in trouble with her mom?¡± ¡°She¡­.talked to you about it?¡± ¡°No sir, I saw. I went to her house and her mom was going to hit her.¡± ¡­¡­¡­so much for him doing something impulsive. He was at a loss. The only thing he¡¯d told Yuuko was that she had special circumstances, yet he managed to get right into the thick of her problems. To say that he threw a wrench into his expectations would be an understatement. But at the same time, from a legal standpoint, this doesn''t affect anything. Azuka Itomei can still take custody of Yuya if an ironclad case is presented. It would be so much easier if¡ª ¡°Sensei..? Does this mean she is in trouble?¡± It came back again. Her words always did. ¡°One day they¡¯ll face cruelty. Hiroka, please, tell them they can change. Tell them about the brave knights from the stories, be a role model for them.¡± ¡°Mizuha¡­.I can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry you have such a selfish wife¡­but if it¡¯s you, I know my dream can come true.¡± She held tight to his hand. He could barely feel her strength. ¡°Yuuko, what do you know about Yuya¡¯s family?¡± ¡°Um, nothing really. I know her mom hits her, and she calls Yuya a boy, but I do not know why.¡± ¡°And when did you visit her home?¡± ¡°I¡­.a few days ago I think? I do not remember very well¡­¡± He let out another sigh at what he was about to say, but went forward anyway. ¡°Yuuko, I told you Yuya had special circumstances, right? Her mother isn¡¯t like yours. Instead, she sees Yuya as a mistake that can be used.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think I get it.¡± ¡°It means her mother hurts her, and for reasons I don''t know, also wants Yuya to become a boy. What I¡¯m doing right now is working with her grandmother so Yuya can live with her from now on, not her mom or dad. We¡¯re so close to succeeding, but there are still problems left.¡± ¡°But¡­you can fix it, right? You can definitely help her?¡± ¡°Things would be so much easier if she had two Japanese parents, but having a foreign one complicates things.¡± he said, as if he didn¡¯t hear him. ¡°No lawyer has the gall to take on a case like this without indisputable evidence since the process of custody becomes infinitely more complicated with a foreign parent!¡± Yuuko eyes his teacher as he began pacing back and forth. ¡°And of course discrimination is an easy defense to hide behind, much easier to dispute than anything else! Not to mention being in the position of teacher means media attention, then the school gets in trouble because they believe we¡¯re discriminatory! It¡¯s so frustrating not being able to help a child that just needs someone to care for her!¡± He slammed his fist against the wall, making a hollow *thud* noise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Yuuko,¡± he said, fully aware of what he¡¯d just done. ¡°Just...forget all that.¡± ¡°Can I help?¡± He turned around, holding a composed smile. ¡°Yuuko, you¡¯ve done so much more than anyone could ask of you. But this time, it¡¯ll be up to us. We already have a plan.¡± ¡°But..I want to help her.¡± He leaned down. His student¡¯s face was one of sincerity and something else. He recognized the early signs of bearing another¡¯s burden. ¡°There are things a boy should, and should not, do. It¡¯ll be alright, Yuuko, and I¡¯m glad to see your heart is in the right place.¡± And¡­¡­I¡¯m sure your father would be very proud of you. Part 3 It was Saturday morning when Yuuko¡¯s mother rejected his proposal. ¡°But I want to help!¡± ¡°The answer is no.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because I do not want you near this woman.¡± ¡°But I already met her!¡± And it was Saturday morning when he said something he shouldn¡¯t have. He regretted the words as soon as they left his lips, as his mother set down the ingredients she was using to prepare breakfast. ¡°....Yuuko, when did you meet this woman?¡± ¡°No I¡ª! That isn¡¯t what I meant!¡± ¡°Yuuko,¡± she said slowly approaching him. ¡°When and where?¡± ¡°No I¡­!¡± His eyes darted around the kitchen; anywhere was better than meeting his mother¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yuuko.¡± He clenched his fists. ¡°I!¡­¡­will tell you if you tell me how to help you and Eikyo sensei!¡± He didn¡¯t look up, not daring after that outburst. He knew what he said, but since his teacher wasn¡¯t willing to let him do anything either, this was his only option. ¡°You know that I am¡­? Yuuko, does this mean your teacher told you about Yuya living with her grandmother?¡± ¡°He said¡­ that you are helping them, but he wouldn''t let me do anything.¡± He sulked. ¡°He said there are things I should and shouldn¡¯t do. Helping Yuya is something I shouldn¡¯t do anymore. He said I did everything I could.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she said, trying to hide her parting lips. ¡°He said that¡­.what a relief he said that¡­¡­¡± To his surprise, his mother didn¡¯t look angry. That¡¯s right¡­. his mother never really gets angry with him. For a second, he didn¡¯t trust her. Even though she only wanted to help him.¡­¡­ ¡°Then,¡± she continued, ¡°you should listen if both your teacher and mother want you to stop, right?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­I should¡­¡­¡­but I still want to do something¡­¡± ¡°My my, what a selfish child I have.¡± Hikari sighed, wiping her hands on a dry rag. She turned the stove heat off and took a seat across from her son. He sat up a little straighter, knowing his mother became serious. ¡°You wanted to help, so you were at that woman¡¯s house the day Toshi got hurt?¡± ¡°I was¡­yes.¡± ¡°And I take it she is the one who injured Toshi?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­yes.¡± ¡°So you lied to me? He didn¡¯t get hurt falling down a hill.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­yes. I am¡­I am so sorry I lied, mother.¡± Her son sounded so distraught. And still¡­¡­¡­still, he does not cry¡­ She knew she¡¯d have to punish him later, but now wasn¡¯t the time.¡°I will make a deal with you.¡± He perked up, caught off guard by the shift in her voice. ¡°If you promise not to interact with Yuya¡¯s mother anymore, then I will tell you what we need in order to get Yuya to her grandmother.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± he said, still a little confused at her calming tone. ¡°After I tell you, you need to promise me. Okay?¡± ¡°Okay¡ªer¡ª yes! Yes mother!¡± ¡°Good,¡± she said, folding the wrinkles out of her clothes. ¡°Well, as your teacher told you, I am helping Yuya¡¯s grandmother take custody of her.¡± ¡°Mother?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What is ¡®custody¡¯?¡± ¡°It means that Yuya will live with her grandmother from now on, instead of with her mom or dad.¡± Her son giggled. ¡°What is funny?¡± ¡°You said ¡®mom or dad,¡¯¡± he said impishly. ¡°You always say ¡®mother¡¯ and ¡®father.¡¯¡± She smiled noting that she hadn¡¯t caught herself. ¡°Yuya¡¯s mother is not from Japan, which makes it harder for Yuya to go with her grandmother.¡± ¡°Is she allowed to live with her? Not with her parents?¡± ¡°Grandparents can take custody in what is called ¡®shinken,¡¯ so it is allowed.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but you also said that you can almost do it. Eikyo sensei said so too.¡± ¡°Everything is prepared, yes, but before we are able to present the case to change custody, we must give proof that definitely shows Yuya¡¯s mother mistreats her.¡± Her son seemed lost in thought for a moment, taking the time to absorb all the new information. ¡°Yuya¡¯s arms are hurt; sometimes they have bruises. Can you show those and Yuya can say they are from her mother?¡± ¡°We could, but that is not enough. The people in charge need something that definitely proves it, otherwise they will not investigate,¡± she explained. ¡°That¡¯s actually what Eikyo was trying to do before you started helping, but Yuya¡¯s mother threatened the school and he was forced to stop.¡± ¡°¡­¡­E-Eik¡­yo..?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, I mean¡ª Eiyko sensei.¡± She faltered, embarrassed at forgetting his title and dropping her guard again. Still, it seemed her son hadn¡¯t really noticed.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. He dropped his gaze, looking straight ahead. It was as though he was staring straight through her, or like he was staring at nothing at all. ¡°¡­¡­¡­can Yuya not just say she wants to stay with her grandmother?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but give a soft smile to her son. ¡°I truly wish, but it is not that simple.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what is left?¡± ¡°Left?¡± ¡°You still need to do something for Yuya to change..um¡­.customy.¡± ¡°Custody.¡± she corrected. ¡°And Yuya¡¯s grandmother contacted your teacher and I yesterday night. She says she has proof that will serve as the last push we need.¡± ¡°Ohhh, so she can finally go with her grandmother!¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± she smiled. ¡°Now, remember our deal?¡± ¡°Yes¡­.but mother¡­¡­am I really¡­¡­¡­ am I really not allowed to do anything?¡± ¡°There are things a child should and should not be involved in, Yuuko. You know that. And you have already done so much.¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± ¡°Now, look me in the eyes.¡± She put her palm under his chin, pushing it gently upward so his eyes would meet her own. She couldn¡¯t help but think for a moment how he truly inherited her eye color, but his face resembled that of his father. ¡­.his late father¡­¡­ Gentle melancholy washed over her as her son began to speak. ¡°Er¡­.mother. I pro¡ª¡± *knock knock knock* A noise at the door interrupted his words, startling Yuuko for a moment before his mother checked the time and cursed herself. She climbed out of her seat with Yuuko following closely behind. Opening the door, she greeted an elderly woman who looked oddly familiar. His mother beckoned the lady inside, where she spotted Yuuko peeping from behind the wall. ¡°Hello there young man,¡± she said, bowing slightly. ¡°I hear you¡¯re the fellow who¡¯s been helping my beloved granddaughter.¡± Part 4 ¡°Is Yuya going to be okay?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of.¡± explained the elderly woman in front of them. ¡°She doesn''t think of Yuya as a child, but as leverage.¡± ¡°Even so, to do such a thing to your own child¡­¡± Hikari took a seat on the far end of the sofa, across from the woman who explained the events that happened the night before yesterday. All of them were distraught, though Yuuko noticeably less so. ¡°Perhaps because he doesn''t understand everything she said.¡± Hikari thought. ¡°If she is in trouble, should we go?¡± ¡°We will go,¡± the boy¡¯s mother emphasized. ¡°That woman, Meyoshi I believe is her name, she is clearly distraught at losing a grip on her daughter. She is taking measures that make it impossible to cover up her actions, it is reckless, and that is an opportunity to get her daughter to you.¡± she said, turning to her elder. But it seems she was focused on someone else. ¡°Yuuko dear?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am?¡± he said, looking up from the kotatsu on the floor. ¡°I am so very happy that you befriended my granddaughter, but why? Why do you go so far to help her? Even after what she¡¯s done to you?¡± The words sounded familiar as soon as he heard them. ¡°You wanted to help¡­¡­You wanted to help me after everything I said to you? After everything I did to you?¡± It was crystal clear to him, like it happened just a few hours ago. He only made her sad then, even though he tried to help. That isn¡¯t what a hero does. Father would say that¡¯s not okay¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­but in his notes¡­¡­ ¡°Make sure to have an answer for Ms. Itomei when we return okay?¡± He must have been quiet for longer than he thought. ¡°Oh, Miss Asahino, I¡¯m so sorry; you mentioned measures that she could not cover up, yes?¡± the old woman stated. She put her bag on the floor and began rummaging through, pulling out a small ziplock bag with a pin inside. ¡°I picked this up with a glove. I do not know much about investigation, but I hear the police can do marvelous work with very little evidence now.¡± Hikari took the bag she offered, examining the pin and hairs still attached. ¡°There are bound to be fingerprints on it at the very least, you did well to pick this up with a gl¡ª¡± She froze. Cold needles spread throughout her whole body, like icicles tearing away at her nerves. Even in her disgust with herself, even though she knew the answer, she asked. ¡°This is blood on the roots¡­is it not?¡± The woman on the opposite end of the sofa said nothing, wiping away the dampness in her eyes. ¡°This is¡­¡­then¡­¡­¡­it is my fault.¡± ¡°Wh¡ª? No no no my dear, why would you¡ª¡± ¡°I gave her the ornament,¡± Hikari said, unable to meet her eyes. ¡°I put it in her hair and had I not done so she would not have had to have gone through so much pain.¡± She blinked. Horrible, cold weight guilt welled in her body. Her throat closed up at the thought she was the one responsible for the awful event Azuka told them not ten minutes prior. No. Please no. No no no no no no no. Again. It¡¯s her fault again. If only she hadn¡¯t. No. If only she¡¯d done more. Everything became blurry. Her vision tunneled. If only she noticed back then. No no nO NO NO NO NO. She couldn¡¯t stomach it. Everything spun. She was going to faint. But someone steadied her shaking hand. She looked up. Eyes older than her own were staring back at her. Eyes that have experienced life. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault dear.¡± She didn¡¯t understand when or why she started crying, but she could feel the tears rolling down her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand¡ª¡± ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t. But Asahino dear, it isn¡¯t your fault.¡± Those words. She lacked the ability to accept them. No. It was better to say she wouldn¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s my fault he¡ª¡± ¡°Have you ever had someone important, someone precious, hurt you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­yes.¡± ¡°Did that person mean to hurt you?¡± ¡°He¡­I-I don¡¯t know.¡± But there was no fooling the eyes of the woman in front of her. No. That was a lie. There was no fooling what she knew, what she felt was the truth, in her soul. ¡°He didn¡¯t mean to¡­.but he did¡­¡­and it still hurts so much¡­¡± Azuka moved to put the head of the woman against her bosom. She let out small, bitter tears with every breath. ¡°Even after almost a year!¡­it still hurts¡­¡­I should¡¯ve done something!¡± The elderly woman picked Hikari up by the shoulders, addressing her worn eyes. ¡°Dear, I just need you to answer one question. If you haven¡¯t yet, do you think you can forgive him one day?¡± ¡°I¡­.¡± ¡°Because this man made your life better in ways you never thought. He helped you, and he cherished you. Just as you have done with my granddaughter.¡± Her tears gradually became smaller with every word the woman said. ¡°For however brief a time, my granddaughter found shelter and comfort in your home. And for however brief a time, you let her see the kindness and gentleness a mother can have for their child.¡± And the cold within her, too, began to fade. ¡°Right now, she needs your help. She is in a place all by herself, a child with no person to call her mother or father. And I am sure that, as you will be able to forgive your husband one day, so too, will Yuya be able forgive you.¡± She didn¡¯t have any words, yet some still managed to fumble some into the air. ¡°H-How did¡­?¡± ¡°Your son has his father¡¯s hair, and his very strong cheeks.¡± she said, standing and pointing to a frame by the kotatsu. ¡°He is still a blessing, and I know you will cherish him.¡± Hikari closed her still agape mouth and stood up. She wiped away the dampness on her cheeks and eyes with her sleeve. ¡°You are very wise Madam Itomei.¡± ¡°It comes with age, dear.¡± she said, flashing a cross design on her necklace. Hikari picked up the frame, staring lovingly at the picture. ¡°...do you think you can forgive him one day?¡± She set it down, twisting the ring on her finger. She was confident she knew the answer to that, which made her think of the second thing the woman mentioned. That child, by her lonesome, with no one to call her mother or father. Hikari understood that feeling very well, only ever having shared her family history with the person in that very picture. ¡°She reminds me much of how I was at her age.¡± she said, turning around to the woman behind her. ¡°So I will help her, just as I was helped.¡± She smiled. ¡°Then we must hurry. I will tell Mr. Eikyo to meet us at her home; no doubt she will put up a fight after having so much piled against her.¡± Hikari nodded. ¡°Yuuko,¡± she called out. ¡°I¡¯m going to be out for the rest of the day. The breakfast is almost done, I¡¯ll leave money in case you want to buy something!¡± Both of them waited for the response of the child who long since disappeared from the kotatsu. ¡°Yuuko!¡± she called out once more. And again the silence answered them. She quickly rushed up the stairs only to quickly return. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°No,¡± she replied upon seeing the backdoor open. ¡°Of course he left¡­¡­he did not promise yet.¡± ¡°All the more reason for us to hurry!¡± emphasized Azaka. ¡°I need something first.¡± she said as she began tearing through the drawers in the kitchen. ¡°Miss Asahino? What are you looking for?¡± ¡°I will not give her time to lie about her crimes.¡± She held three objects, placing the first in her back pocket while tying the second and third in the seams of her shirt. Yuuto, please lend me the strength to do this. Part 5 Yuya used to hate sleeping on her mattress, so much so that she tried sleeping on the floor. The wooden boards at least bent to fit her body, but her neck would hurt in the morning. Likewise, the mattress was fine at first, but it wore thin to the point she could feel the bars of metal underneath it. It didn¡¯t get any better until she had the idea of folding it one day, even so, she could feel it wearing down. Not to mention that it creaked and smelled bad. One night she had a particularly bad nightmare and told her mom the next morning. She gave her a bucket of water and some soap, telling her to clean it. She did the best she could, but the stain was still there. Now, she just folds the mattress to cover it and sleeps on the opposite side. The knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts. ¡°I want you outside in ten minutes.¡± her mother didn¡¯t wait for a response before walking away, the fading sound of wooden creaks letting her know she was alone again. Her eyes began to water; she bit her thumb to stop herself from going further. She hated it. She absolutely hated it. ¡°¡­¡­not fair grandma! I hate it there! I hate going home, my mom¡­!¡± she huddled in her warm embrace. "¡­I!..don¡¯t want to..please don¡¯t make me¡­¡± ¡°Sweetheart, I promise, I¡¯ll do everything I can to make sure you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­¡­grandma?¡± ¡°Yes dear?¡± ¡°Why does she do that! Why...why does mom say I¡¯m a boy?¡± *CLINK* ¡°¡­¡­¡­?¡± *CLINK CLINK* It was coming from her window. She quickly rubbed the tears away and pulled back the curtains blocking the morning sun. And there, hanging from the ledge of her window, was an idiot with a determined and worried look on his face. ¡°Hi Yuya.¡± ¡°What are you doing?!¡± she frantically whispered. ¡°C-Can you help me up? I think I am slipping.¡± She tugged at his arm with all the might she could muster, and the two children flopped into the room. ¡°Get off me,¡± she said, still whispering. ¡°What are you doing?! How¡¯d you get up here? How did you know this is my room!?¡± ¡°The curtains were closed and I know that you like to be in the dark,¡± he said dusting off his pants. ¡°I wrote so in my notes.¡± ¡°¡­wha¡­¡­what?¡± ¡°Maybe I can show you sometime. So this is your room?¡± The young boy looked around the dusty room. There was a western style bed with a folded mattress, a desk with chipped wood, a backpack, and one lightbulb over their heads. It was turned off. ¡°Yuya,¡± he said, turning to the girl. ¡°I¡¯m going to get you out here!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡­¡­¡­I can¡¯t leave.¡± ¡°Sure we can! We left last time and¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± she said, her voice becoming flat. ¡°No. I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°But my mom and your grandma are on their way to help! Plus, I think they said Eikyo sen¡ª¡± he stopped his sentence dead in its tracks. ¡°Yuya...what happened to your head?¡± ¡°Just¡­go.¡± ¡°Yuya¡­you¡¯re kind of scaring me. You sound like¡­¡± She took his arm, dragging him to the window. She looked at him in an odd way, a way Yuuko had never seen before. It made him¡­¡­. so sad. ¡°You¡¯re here¡­.of course you¡¯re here¡­¡­¡­ but you shouldn¡¯t anymore¡­¡­you shouldn¡¯t because of me.¡± ¡°Shouldn''t what? Yuya, I want to help!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be okay.¡± she said with that same odd look. Like a faint smile. ¡°Please hurry, or my mom will¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªnot take kindly to trespassers, even if they¡¯re kids.¡± said a voice at the door. The two children quickly turned to find a woman with black hair holding a belt at the door. ¡°I believe I mentioned that to you last time, dear child.¡± Neither said anything as Meyoshi addressed her child. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before that you¡¯re to call me your guardian. I am not ¡®mom¡¯.¡± ¡°What did you do to Yuya!?¡± She cocked her head to one side. ¡°I don¡¯t like your tone, boy.¡± ¡°She¡¯s hurt from the side of her head! There¡¯s blood!¡± ¡°I disciplined her. Same I¡¯ll do to you.¡± As the woman approached the pair, both stepped back. Much to Yuya¡¯s shock, however, she didn¡¯t touch her. She instead reached for¡ª ¡°¡ªAAGH! OOOWWWWW!!¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll start with you,¡± her mother said, pulling Yuuko¡¯s ear. She then turned her attention towards her. ¡°Come.¡± She couldn¡¯t find it in her to disobey her mother¡¯s, her guardian¡¯s, wishes. Even as Yuuko shrieked in pain, she followed closely behind, shivering. She could never control her shivering. Her mother flung open the door to their backyard, yanking her friend¡¯s ear to throw him in place in front of her. ¡°What are you doing trespassing in my home?¡± She received an angry glare in response. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I have all the time in the world.¡± Yuuko hurriedly stepped back from the approaching woman, not noticing as his feet tangled against each other. He fell, back-first, into the dirt. The woman sternly clutched Yuuko¡¯s shoulders, picking him up and fixing him into place in front of her. She couldn¡¯t help but notice how much his teeth grit at having his shoulder touched and pulled down his collar. ¡°Oho, that¡¯s a pretty nasty bruise you got there. Or it was. How¡¯d you get it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°I asked you a question.¡± she said ever stoic. She clasped the boy¡¯s purple shoulder, squeezing it until the entirety of her hand turned red. ¡°AAh¡ª¡ªAhAHHHHH!¡± Yuuko fell to his knees, trying to escape the pain. ¡°Now be a good boy and tell me. It¡¯s a simple questio¡ªno. No no.¡± she immediately let go, and with swift steps rushed through their fence¡¯s backdoor. For however brief a time, the woman was gone. And Yuya stood at the back entrance of her home, still staring. And still shivering. She could see her friend writhing on the ground, clutching his shoulder with silent whimpers. She felt cold, everything was so cold. Her arms found their way around her chest; she wanted to get closer to Yuuko, but felt if she did, she¡¯d throw up. Her eyes kept wandering to the open door. Her mother would return any second. And when she did, she would hurt her. But if I don¡¯t¡­¡­¡­Yuuko will be the one to get hurt. Why was she so cold? The fence door rattled open, and her mother returned with a wide smile on her face. Her words¡­¡­.they didn¡¯t sound flat anymore. ¡°Kid,¡± she said almost laughing. ¡°The first time around you came with a plan, but now¡ª now you came here a second time without the thing that protected you last time?¡± She¡¯d never heard her mother talk like that before. ¡°Say, are you retarded? You don¡¯t look it, but seriously, you should¡¯ve brought that dog of yours¡­¡­¡­¡­actually, he¡¯s probably still limping around huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡­hy¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? Sorry, can¡¯t hear you.¡± she closed the door and crouched next to Yuuko, who looked up at her from the dirt. ¡°Why¡­¡­do you hurt Yuya?¡± ¡°Aaaagh, is that what this is all about?¡± she stood up with a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s why you broke into my home? Kid your priorities are pretty screwed up, you know that?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t¡­do anything¡­¡­¡± She walked past him, looking up to the clouds with steps that ended in a heavy sigh. ¡°I guess it wouldn¡¯t be a bad time to tell you since, pretty soon, Yuya will be starting his journey all on his own.¡± she turned around, first to Yuya, then Yuuko. ¡°I do it for a few reasons, the first being that when Yuya disobeys me, I discipline him. A child who goes unpunished will become disobedient in the future, and that becomes a burden on me. I don¡¯t want any more of a burden than I already have.¡± She looked directly at her child when finishing her sentence, but Yuya didn¡¯t meet her gaze. Her eyes were focused on the ground with intensity. ¡°Secondly, physical pain is a mark of strength. Men need to be strong and capable, it¡¯s pathetic what the men of this generation have raised. Think of the men who¡¯ve changed the world, they¡¯ve suffered the worst in pursuit of their ideals, in pursuit of their goals!¡± she shouted. ¡°Pain is a measure of greatness! Ah, but only when correctly and properly administered. That¡¯s why whenever Yuya strays from the ideal he¡¯ll follow, I have to remind him why he mustn¡¯t.¡± As she spoke, she went about slowly removing the belt from her waist; walking in circles around Yuuko, who¡¯d recovered enough strength to lift himself onto his hands and knees. ¡°She doesn''t¡­¡­¡­want to be hurt.¡± ¡°Well, no one wants to be hurt, save for a select few people who¡¯re my type, but that¡¯s what builds character and discipline. For example, now you¡¯ll understand never to cross into my home again.¡± The belt in her hand moved in a blur, but she didn¡¯t need to see it. She heard it. The air split apart, crackling like harsh wind; it was just loud enough to cover the sound of Yuuko¡¯s first wail. Goosebumps covered her entire body, and the cold washed into her stomach. She threw up, but managed to catch it in her mouth. ¡°Seeeee? You don¡¯t forget that kind of discipline. Now you know what happens when you invade my own, or Yuya¡¯s, life. I didn¡¯t want to do this, but clearly your mother has never taught you better.¡± She didn¡¯t get any response from Yuuko, who¡¯s fetal position covered up his head but only slightly muffled the sound of his whimpers. ¡°Now that one was a lesson on interference. Since you also broke into my home, you also need a lesson in what that punishment entails. You broke in twice, so I think two times is appropriate.¡± Yuya put her hands over her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t cover them up. She stared through open fingers at the sight of her mother striking Yuuko¡¯s body; the clothes folded horribly wherever the belt struck, but the sound was just as piercing. She could feel needles prodding her back in response to the slitting air. She didn¡¯t know whether it was good or bad, but she felt those needles sink into her skin, forcing the air out of her lungs. ¡°MOTHER!¡± ¡°QUIET!¡± she said, pointing the belt at her. ¡°I will deal with you shortly, and decide a proper punishment for bringing such a loathsome child into this home.¡± Yuya was about to respond, but the needles were gone. The air caught in her throat, and she couldn¡¯t speak anymore. ¡°You wanted to help.¡± That¡¯s what I said. That¡¯s why he was at my house at that time. And that¡¯s why he¡¯s here this time too. The first time I heard him say anything, he said ¡°I want to be a man.¡± I always said the same thing. It always reminded me of what grandma would tell me. ¡°One day, Yuya, you¡¯re going to meet a boy who makes you feel like a girl.¡± I didn¡¯t believe her then. ¡°And one day, you¡¯ll make friends who will stay by your side forever! But friends have to be there for each other, to help each other. That¡¯s what makes them precious.¡± ¡°Grandma¡­¡± ¡°Yes dear?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡­.scared.¡± That¡¯s where you would say that stupid thing. ¡°You need to stop looking down.¡± ¡­¡­you idiot¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Yuya¡± What? ¡°Do you like hero stories?¡± The wind cut her face, her head hurt, but her body was light¡ª she¡¯d never felt so light. She ran with everything she had, and the slowness of her body from earlier, the cold feeling, everything disappeared the moment she jumped onto Yuuko¡¯s body. ¡°Pf¡­.pffffttttt! Ahahaha! Yuya, w-what are you doing!? Get up from there.¡± Yes. The cold was gone, but her head was spinning so fast, she felt like she wanted to throw up again. Time was moving fast, too fast, everything was in fast forward. But she felt herself cling onto Yuuko¡¯s body with every ounce of strength in her own. With her eyes squeezed impossibly shut, she could feel the warmth of his body gently seeping into her own, his quick breaths, even the smell of his hair. A sudden burst of sharp pain dug itself into her lower back. She knew what it was, she didn¡¯t dare turn around to look. ¡°That was a warning. I¡¯m going to give you until the count of three. One.¡± She felt her mother¡¯s heel dig into her spine, it made her head spin. She could feel the prickling sensation of her hair, the part that was ripped out, in pain again. She was so dizzy. ¡°Two.¡± The pain went deeper. She knew it was going to hurt, but the warmth underneath her gave her the strangest comfort. She moved her legs in such a way they covered more of the boy underneath her. ¡°¡­¡­¡­I expected better of you. Three.¡± Her hands tightened around the boy¡¯s body, and her eyes shut even more, preparing herself. Whereas time had moved in fast forward not too long ago, now it seemed everything returned to normal. Everything felt slower, and the only things she knew for certain was the warmth from the body underneath hers and the feeling of having her eyes closed tight. So she waited. And time kept moving forward. Yet the feeling she prepared for never arrived. The only thing she could gather from the moment was her mother¡¯s voice. ¡°Excuse me, but who are you and what the hell are you doing in my home?¡± Yuya opened her eyes, tilting her head in the direction of the voice. There were three people. Her grandmother, her teacher, and a really, really pretty woman. ¡°You know the other two, so allow me to blithely introduce myself.¡± The lady was holding out some kind of¡­spoon? No, it was a ladle, her mother¡¯s belt was wrapped around it. ¡°I am Hikari Asahino. And I fully intend to see you spend the rest of your life in prison.¡± Chapter 6 - Words That Bond Part 1 Meyoshi looked from the woman to the dirt pitted boy; she didn¡¯t need any time to understand. ¡°Your son probably takes his habit of breaking into homes from you.¡± ¡°Yet you take it upon yourself to abuse not just your daughter, but my son.¡± her voice sounded frighteningly restrained. ¡°Tch. Teach your son some damned manners if you don¡¯t want others doing it for you!¡± She tried yanking back her belt with no success; the belt was wrapped around the ladle tighter than she initially thought. ¡°I will see you in prison for everything you have done.¡± ¡°Coming from the people who broke into my home? I don¡¯t think so,¡± she said, tugging at the belt again. ¡°And who the hell brings a damn ladle with them wherever they go?!¡± ¡°Years ago, a certain person convinced me to start. You should be thankful, for your sake.¡± ¡°Whatever! Get out of my house, all of you!¡± ¡°Step away from those children¡ª¡± ¡°I said out!¡± ¡°¡ªor I make you step away.¡± The woman in front of her spoke with that same restricted tone, it was clear she was having difficulty. Meyoshi stammered back, about to respond before a wizened voice croaked out. ¡°My son gave me a spare key after you changed the lock last time. We are not ¡®breaking¡¯ into your home.¡± Her confused stammers turned into anger. Her brows furrowed as her eyes focused on the woman in front of her. ¡°Wretched hag! This is all your and his doing!¡± ¡°Not entirely,¡± spoke the man supporting the elderly woman. ¡°We initially came here to investigate a serious injury reported to be at the house of one of my students. Imagine our surprise when we entered said home to find a mother in the middle of brutalizing two kids.¡± She was about to offer a rebuttal, but was cut off. ¡°And here you¡¯re usually so composed when accused. The act finally breaks down when you get caught, is that it?¡± The woman let go of the belt still in her hand, stepping away slowly before stammering through ill-sounding laughs. ¡°H-How very right you are Mr. Teacher, I¡¯ve nothing to worry about. This is discipline for one child, and punishment for another. I have nothing to hide, especially seeing as how two of the three of you already have a bias against me.¡± ¡°Then you will speak to me.¡± said Hikari, unraveling the belt and tossing it to one side. At the same time, she knelt down to check on the children who still held their position on the floor. ¡°Oh they¡¯re fine, a little discipline won¡¯t kill them.¡± Hikari ignored her words as she looked a frightened Yuya in the eye. Her pupils were wide, and was shaking so badly one might¡¯ve thought it was the middle of winter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we couldn¡¯t make it sooner¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°But everything is going to be okay now. Can you stand?¡± She tried touching the young girl only for her to recoil in shock. She was surprised, she didn¡¯t think it was possible for a body so small to move so fast on its own. Even so, the young girl understood her words, soundlessly removing herself from atop Yuuko¡¯s body. Slowly, she picked the boy up and dragged him to one side. She froze, however, when a voice called out to her. ¡°And just where do you think you¡¯re going!?¡± ¡°I do believe I told you,¡± said Hikari, standing up, ¡°that you will speak to me.¡± ¡°I have nothing to say to a woman who demeans herself by carrying around a kitchen utensil!¡± Judging by her tone, the woman had regained her confidence, which was more than fine with Hikari. ¡°Before the police show up, I want answers from you.¡± ¡°I thought I told you¡ª¡± ¡°Look around you. There is no sort of video camera, your neighbors are gone, and as you said it yourself, two of the three people here have a bias against you for incidents in the past. To that extent, we might as well be having a one on one conversation.¡± The woman looked around at her situation. An old woman and elementary school teacher blocked the entrance to the inside of the house, two brats off to the side were in the way of the fence¡¯s door, and an oddly attractive woman as strong as herself stood in front of her. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but she¡¯s been in worse situations. ¡°Fine. What is it that¡¯s oh so important for you to ask?¡± ¡°I want to know why you abused your daughter for so long. Physically and mentally.¡± She let out an unamused laugh. ¡°That kid¡¯s yours alright. He asked me the same thing.¡± ¡°Because he cares. My son is one of the most important things in my life, I would not even dream of intentionally hurting him. To that end, I can not imagine a mother injuring her child. Yet you, a mother, openly boast about hurting your only daughter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the exact same thing I told him,¡± she said, grinding her teeth together. ¡°Pain is an inevitability of life. It¡¯s bound to happen, and as such, it¡¯s important to know how to deal with it. Especially considering his path in life. He will join history¡¯s greatest characters, the ones who¡¯ve changed the world.¡± Hikari¡¯s eye twitched as the woman continued. ¡°Pain is a measure of greatness¡ª only the ones who¡¯ve suffered in pursuit of their ideals end up changing anything!¡± ¡°You believe¡­. the endurance of pain measures a person¡¯s worth?¡± ¡°Of course it does! Can you name a single monumental figure that hasn¡¯t suffered? That¡¯s why I don¡¯t care if he hates me now, one day, he¡¯ll thank me for everything I¡¯ve done!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡± she whispered. ¡°Sorry, couldn¡¯t hear you. Did you mumble something?¡± ¡°To follow such actions, only the savage abide by it. Yet to think that someone like you exists, and that is your only reason? I refuse to believe it.¡± Her restrained tone cracked more and more with every word she said. ¡°Well, you asked for the truth. It¡¯s not my fault you don¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°You are absolutely right. I demanded the whole truth, not a portion of it.¡± She smiled. ¡°And what makes you think there¡¯s more?¡± ¡°You call your daughter ¡®he¡¯. With that logic alone, there¡¯s no reason to call her male. I want to know what you truly think of her.¡± she gripped the ladle in her hand so hard, she could feel the edges cutting into her hand. ¡°Tell me why you despise your daughter.¡± Whereas Meyoshi had been boisterous in her speech, upon hearing Hikari¡¯s words her demeanor began changing. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°No I would not¡ª because you are no mother! In calling Yuya a mistake, you have besmirched, tainted, and defiled what it means to be a parent, a mother to their child!¡± What little restraint she had completely disappeared. Hikari lunged forward, shoving the woman against the wall and pinning her with her forearm. It was there she felt someone gently tugging her back. ¡°Miss Asahino, she¡¯s not worth it.¡± said Hiroka, placing his hand on her shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s got nowhere left to run; let her go and listen very carefully to her words.¡± She understood the meaning of his words, but letting her go was easier said than done. ¡°I never¡­¡­.asked to be a mother¡­¡± Biting her tongue to regain some sense of control, Hikari reluctantly let the woman go as she fell to the ground, continuing her words. ¡°You want to know¡­¡­why I call her a boy?¡­because mistakes¡­¡­¡­can have a purpose too¡­¡± ¡°Children are a gift. In what way are they a mistake? In what world are they ever at fault?¡± ¡°The modern one,¡± she said, standing and rubbing her neck. ¡°This is exactly what I mean by Yuya leading by example. The modern world doesn''t always think children are great, the modern world has ideas people like you aren¡¯t ready for.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Yuya¡¯s fault you and your husband weren¡¯t ready for a child.¡± Hikari turned around, surprised by the man¡¯s words. ¡°Eikyo, you only ever mentioned that she called her a mistake.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I mentioned it to your son. Back when I first began looking into Yuya¡¯s circumstances, this woman lost her temper and told me something along those lines. She never explained, but regardless, it¡¯s the reason for her anger.¡± ¡°One of the reasons,¡± Meyoshi said. ¡°It was a spur of the moment decision that led to me being with Kowashi. By the time I realized I was pregnant, it was nearly time to have the child; not that it stopped me from trying to get rid of it of course. Yet, culture here dictates that marriage is practically required once a child is on the way.¡± The woman talked to the ground as she recalled her story. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen the way Kowashi begged over and over again. He was on his hands and knees asking to keep the child; I was going to say no, but swayed, and decided too late.¡± ¡°Why not return home? Why not seek help from your family instead?¡± ¡°Hah. What do you think led to me coming here and having that ¡®spur of the moment¡¯ decision? I considered it, but here I¡¯d have someone to work and put a roof over my head; I could live my life in relative peace with the exception of a mistake constantly hanging over my head.¡± ¡°Even so, it was not Yuya¡¯s fault.¡± ¡°And so I¡¯m the one that has to suffer!? I tried to fix that problem! It¡¯s cruel how I needed to take care of something I never wanted in the first place!¡± she shouted to Hikari. ¡°But then¡ª then I learned to make the best of what I have.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Meaning I would mold Yuya into the change this country, every country that¡¯s behind on the times! You should¡¯ve seen how pathetic Kowashi looked, begging like a damn dog every day for something I COULD HAVE FIXED!¡± She was looking both of them in the eyes now. ¡°As luck would have it, Yuya was born female, but that didn¡¯t matter. I¡¯d teach her all I knew about the outside world, and she¡¯d be at the forefront of showing people they don¡¯t need to be bound to tradition, to what their elders tell them, to what people say is right or wrong. To do things your own way, that¡¯s what I¡¯d teach her. And if people ended up realizing they¡¯re more comfortable doing things their way, inspired by Yuya¡¯s change from girl to boy, all the more power to them.¡± The two were in a stunned silence, Hikari opened her mouth but an entirely different voice sounded from behind her. ¡°I offered to take care of her Meyoshi. You know this.¡± ¡°And let you poison her mind the way you poisoned your son¡¯s?! Yuya needs me, not some lady who raised a dog and doesn''t understand when to mind her own damn business!¡± ¡°All those experiences,¡± said Hikari, ¡°and you never got past the mindset that abuse would be the answer to the change you so desperately sought.¡± ¡°So what if she gets hit once or twice?! It builds him up! And I do not want to hear that from a woman who demeans herself!!¡± She gave her the faintest smile. ¡°Never once have I thought of it as demeaning.¡± ¡°Enough! This conversation is over! Yuya!¡± she snapped at the girl. ¡°Get inside and call the police! Now!¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Yuya,¡± said Hikari, turning to face her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t need to obey her anymore. From now on, you¡¯ll be safe living with your grandmother.¡± ¡°Yuya! Obey your mother or so help me¡ª!¡± ¡°¡ªwe let Yuya decide.¡± Hikari directed at Meyoshi. ¡°From this point forward, we let her decide what she wants.¡± The sudden suggestion caught them all off guard. The noise was enough to rouse Yuuko from his dazed state, though no one paid much heed aside from Yuya, who helped him up. Rubbing the dizziness away from his eyes, even he could feel how heavy the air became. ¡°¡­¡­¡­fine.¡± Meyoshi smiled. ¡°Yuya, tell the woman what it is you want. Tell her about how much you want to stay with me and change people.¡± ¡°I-I¡ª¡± ¡°Yuya, you don¡¯t need too! You can stay with your grandmother since¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up! You are not in your classroom!¡± ¡°Meyoshi, that¡¯s enough! Cease this at once!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just about had it with you, filthy hypocrite! Stay OUT of Yuya¡¯s life!¡± ¡°I-Grandma I¡ª¡± ¡°Shhhh, Yuya, just look at me¡± said Hikari, crouching. It seemed almost supernatural that the air around them became quiet, almost peaceful in a way. For the briefest moment, the air was still, and five pairs of eyes were on the girl¡ª yet only one of them spoke. ¡°Tell me Yuya, do you want to obey your mother? Do you want to keep living here? Do you want to be a boy?¡± ¡°I-I want¡ª¡± She knew what she wanted, she just needed to say it. She looked around, all these people came because they wanted the same thing the boy next to her wanted. Does that make them idiots too? Does that make herself one? She looked at him, noting the serious look on his face. Did he have that before? Even so, covered in dirt and sweat, he held his finger by his side and pointed it up. She was nervous. The type of nervousness from knowing one can do something, and the only thing left to do is accomplish it. ¡°I¡­¡­.I don¡¯t want this¡­!¡± she said, gripping the seams of her clothes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be here anymore, I don¡¯t want to get hit anymore!¡± Look up. And with tears streaming down her cheeks, she did. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a boy! I want to be with grandma!¡± She directed her last words towards the woman in question, who held her hand over her mouth to quiet her tearful whimpers. ¡°Ara, is that so? I¡¯m glad I brought this then.¡± Hikari spoke with a delicate voice, but it wasn¡¯t fragile. It was full of comfort, warmth, peace, and protection. She huddled beside the crying girl, gently running her hands through her hair like before as she untied something from the seams of her shirt. ¡°As I understand, my son was looking for a ribbon the day you came over. Green was never my color, but on you it¡¯ll look absolutely gorgeous¡ª it even matches your eyes. Yuya, when you¡¯re older, you¡¯ll definitely be the prettiest girl around.¡± Yuya touched the side of her hair, where the pin had been ripped out¡ª she couldn¡¯t feel the prickles anymore. Now there was a smoother, flatter feeling¡ª hair taken from the top of her head and held together by a ribbon. Grabbing an empty bottle from the dirt, she wiped off the grime and looked at her reflection. The clean teal green fabric stood out from the dirt covering her face, and looking at it made her look at her own eyes. She stroked the excess fabric draping over her shoulder in disbelief. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see your beauty through your fear and did something irresponsible. For that, I hope one day you can forgive me.¡± ¡°Miss Asahino¡­¡± ¡°YOU BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!!¡± A sudden crackling noise came from behind her. She¡¯d lowered her guard too much, and her eyes went wide as the woman charging towards her held up a blue rectangle¡ª pale blue light emanating from its top. She only had time to hold Yuya close before bracing herself, but her mind and her body moved at different speeds. Her body was still registering the sudden threat, bracing itself, but her mind focused on the woman¡¯s sudden collapse. As she came charging forward, the skin and muscles on her face contorted horribly to the side; she could hear the sound of teeth grinding against each other, caused by a fist slamming square against her cheek. In less than a second she collapsed, her head harshly bouncing as it crashed into the dirt. For a moment Hikari feared the worst, but after a few seconds she stirred, unable to get up, but definitely breathing. ¡°I probably just lost my job cause of that,¡± Hiroka exclaimed, holding his fist. ¡°But I¡¯d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant stopping her.¡± The woman slurred a response that became overshadowed by Hiroka¡¯s exclamations. ¡°Gaaah that hurt! That is nothing like in the movies, how do people do that?!¡± ¡°Have¡­have you never been in a fight?¡± ¡°No, that was my first time ever hitting someone actu¡­are you laughing?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Hikari said with an unconvincing smile. His rebuttal was interrupted by Yuya, who¡¯s balled fists were covering her eyes. ¡°Yuya¡­ I¡¯m really sorry but I had to do something or¡ª¡± ¡°Th-tha-a-a-ank yo-ou-ou¡­.¡± She sobbed each syllable of those words. Each of the four people around her had seen her in a different situation, a different mood. But none of them had ever seen Yuya cry. Her tears collected at the balls of her fist before spilling onto her now reddening cheeks. Her voice was hoarse, but pitched, as if it didn¡¯t quite know how to react to her new expression. ¡°S-S-Sen-sei, th-thank you fo-r always he-helping me at scho-o-ol!¡± ¡°Yuya, that¡¯s..¡± ¡°I¡¯m s-so-rry that I a-always made tr-o-uble for yo-o-u! Thank you f-for ca-ring about me!¡± She opened her hands as she turned to address the next person. Hikari saw clearly the reddened veins forming around her pristine teal eyes. They seemed to jump out, afraid that if they did not show themselves now, they may never again have the chance. ¡°Mi-iss Asahi-hino, th-thank you for the r-ribbon, thank y-ou for helping me-e-e, thank you so mu-uch!¡± She was about to offer her own words, but the girl had not yet finished. ¡°I¡¯m-m sorry that I-I broke the nice p-i-in you gave me. I¡¯m s-o sorry for b-eing mea-n to¡­¡­ I¡­I am so sor-ry! I am sorry!¡± She changed her mind, unspeaking, and no one noticed the shift in her jaw as she bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from joining the little girl. Still next to the fence door, Yuya stopped herself from walking towards her grandmother, and it seemed her feelings reached her, as she stood perfectly still, ready to receive her feelings. ¡°Thank y-ou grand-ma-ma, tha-nk y-ou for everythi-ng, thank you th-at you ca-a-are about me! I¡¯m so so so-orry for not¡­for no-t, not helping you!¡± Her hands balled again at the sides of her legs, but she grit her teeth and spoke those last few words to her grandmother. ¡°T-Thank you!¡± Azuka began making her way to her grandchild, but a hand quietly placed itself on her shoulder, pulling her back. ¡°She¡¯s still got one to go,¡± whispered the man. And it was true. Stiff as a board, she turned to face the boy next to her, sniffling and crying, yet he didn¡¯t seem to care. His eyes didn¡¯t blink, nor did he move from his place at all. ¡°Yu-uko I¡­¡­¡­I¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± That was his response, but she shook her head rather violently, prompting her to speak a single line. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m sorry for calling you names and I¡¯m sorry for hitting you.¡± she was speaking with more clarity, though her voice was still clearly strained. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for throwing rocks at you, and I¡¯m sorry I was so mean to you. I¡­just¡­¡­¡± With those words, she pushed past him, opening the unlocked gate door and running out into the street. ¡°Yuya!¡± he shouted, trying to stop her. However, by the time he recovered from her words and followed out the door, she was already out of sight. ¡°W-What do¡ª¡± ¡°Go.¡± ¡°M-Mother?¡± At that moment, the woman on the floor stirred, but Hikari paid her no mind. ¡°You know her best, you know where she¡¯d go. Find her. Bring her back.¡± ¡°Is that¡­¡­will I make her sad again?¡± ¡°That depends on whether or not you go.¡± She smiled, prompting a wide smile from her son. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll definitely help her!¡± She felt the wind leave her lungs after hearing those words. Hearing that, from her child of all people¡­¡­¡­in that moment, mimicking his actions in a mirage behind Yuuko, she saw him. ¡°Yes¡­he¡¯s your son after all.¡± As Yuuko and the mirage disappeared from sight, she commented to an approaching Hiroka. ¡°He¡¯ll find her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no doubt. I¡¯ve seen them at school after all. He¡¯ll bring her back.¡± ¡°...mmh.¡± ¡°Did you manage to record it all?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right!¡± she said, untying a small, gray device from the inside seam of her shirt. ¡°It looks like everything got recorded, just in time too. It was about out of storage.¡± ¡°What..is that¡­?¡± said Meyoshi, rising to her knees. ¡°This is a voice recorder, which recorded our entire conversation. I had one at home, we used it to play lullabies to Yuuko in his crib. It helped us get sleep on some nights, but Yuuko still preferred one of us singing to him personally.¡± Even on the floor, Hikari could see her eyes widen. ¡°You liar, you said¡ª!¡± ¡°I said there was no one recording any video. This, clearly, is not video.¡± ¡°Though if you prefer video Meyoshi,¡± said the approaching grandmother. ¡°I was informed the outside of the apartment complex has security footage showing a little girl with a very severe injury being dragged away by a rather aggressive woman.¡± ¡°To top it off, your husband should be arriving soon with his lawyer, to get custody of Yuya transferred to Azuka as soon as possible. He insisted on being here himself but,¡± Hiroka sighed. ¡°He said you knew something would be wrong if he was here. Something about ¡®picking up his scent¡¯.¡± Even while knocked down and breathing heavily, she managed an insult before doubling over once more. ¡°Now then,¡± thought Hikari. ¡°The rest I leave to you, Yuuko.¡± Part 2 She wasn¡¯t underneath her tree and she wasn¡¯t behind the school. She wasn¡¯t at her house because he just came from there, and she wasn¡¯t in the store where she buys snacks sometimes. She wasn¡¯t around the block or walking around, and all this together marked the first time Yuuko was at a complete loss. He decided to take a break by her tree. ¡°Where else could she be?¡± he said, kicking up grass and fallen leaves. He remembered the first time he saw her do that, it made him so sad. That¡¯s why it¡¯s almost a little confusing that, when she cried for the first time, he didn¡¯t feel any sadness from it. Is it possible for people to not cry from sadness? Or is it a different kind of sadness? If it is¡­¡­why didn¡¯t he cry too? The day was coming to an end, he had to pick up his pace in searching, but there was nowhere else to look. ¡°Maybe she went to go hide somewhere..?¡± But if she did, where? He scratched the back of his head in frustration. ¡°Ahhhh! If I had my notebook I could maybe..tell¡­.where¡­¡­¡± An odd looking leaf caught his attention. For a second, on the ground, it looked almost¡­ ¡°¡­purple.¡± His mind overclocked, trying to remember where he¡¯d scene something similar when¡ª ¡°OOOHHHHHHH!!¡± The many people on the street turned to face him, and he sheepishly apologized before taking off towards the only other place she could be. All the locations he looked in were places she¡¯d found on her own, but it never occurred to him she might be someplace someone else showed her. He found the odd entrance in the treeline and walked inside. It looked really pretty with the sun setting, especially the bridge, but she wasn¡¯t there. He kept going, however, with the idea that maybe she¡¯d found his favorite spot on her own. And he was right. ¡°How do you always find me?¡± she asked angrily. Her voice was still shaky from earlier, so she didn¡¯t sound as mean as she normally would. Maybe she was more annoyed than angry? ¡°You weren¡¯t at your tree.¡± She didn¡¯t respond to him, but instead kept looking across the wide scenery with her legs dangling off the side. Yuuko walked closer, choosing to stand behind her instead of sitting down. ¡°Yuya.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°What were you going to say? After the part about being mean to me?¡± ¡°¡­nothing.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­well, thank you for helping me. When your mom was¡­doing that. Thank you.¡± ¡°Y¡­You¡¯re welcome¡­¡­and t-thanks for helping me too¡­¡­¡­I guess.¡± ¡°You..umm¡­¡­you¡¯re welcome.¡± Seeing she was about to get up, he extended his hand to the girl, but she simply shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­you don¡¯t have to keep doing those things. It¡¯s¡­¡­fine now. You can go.¡± ¡°But I¡­¡­¡­don¡¯t want to go.¡± It¡¯s like those words flipped some kind of switch in her. In an instant, she turned from her normal self, back to the girl he was getting to know more and more. And she erupted. ¡°JUST GO ALREADY!...........It already hurts enough after you leave! So the sooner you leave me the sooner it¡¯ll stop hurting me just!¡­just leave already¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Yuya, are you okay?!¡± ¡°NO!¡± she said crying. ¡°No I¡¯m not!¡­¡­because I know you¡¯ll end up leaving me alone so just¡­... leave me alone!¡± ¡°Yuya I thought¡­¡­you just said you wanted me to leave you alone. But you don¡¯t..want to?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why it hurts after I stop talking to you!¡± she said, inches away from his face. ¡°At school I was always by myself!...and it never hurt then¡­¡­.but then you started talking to me! You¡ª you started being nice to me!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t know why, but when you talked to me it would feel nice! And when you left, it felt bad! You¡­you showed me it was okay for me to cry,¡± she sobbed into her hands. ¡°I¡¯ve never¡­¡­I don¡¯t want to be alone again¡­but I know I will¡­¡­so the sooner you stop talking to me, the sooner the pain will leave.¡± She sniffled and hiccuped as Yuuko kept quiet. She was wiping her nose on her sleeve when Yuuko spoke. ¡°Yuya.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you sad. My mom always said I shouldn¡¯t make a girl cry. But I made you cry, and I made you sad. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She kept wiping her nose, trying to make her voice come out steady. ¡°What does a promise mean?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your mom told me to ask you what a promise means. What does it mean?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± he said, concentrating. ¡°A promise¡­¡­a promise means that you¡¯ll never do the bad thing again. It¡¯s like¡­saying sorry¡­¡­for something. It means you¡¯ll definitely do the thing you say you will do.¡± ¡°Then promise me you¡¯ll leave me alone¡­please¡­..¡± ¡°Yuya I¡¯m sorry but¡­I can¡¯t promise.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because¡­¡­¡­because¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Because you want to help?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­yes. I do.¡± ¡°¡­¡­why did you help me in the first place?¡± ¡°I thought you looked sad. So when I remembered what mom told me, it made sense.¡± ¡°What she¡­told you?¡± ¡°A long time ago, she told me the prettiest flowers always have thorns to protect themselves.¡± She clutched her chest, a small hiccup forcing its way through her lungs. ¡°Yuuko please promise me¡­¡± ¡°Did I¡­ make you sad again?¡± She nodded. He had to fix this somehow. His father would definitely say that it¡¯s not okay to hurt people! But he couldn¡¯t leave her alone. No¡­¡­a small part of him, he finally recognized, didn¡¯t want to. He didn¡¯t want to leave her alone. If she was scared about being alone, then¡ª! ¡°It¡¯s my fault you feel sad, so I¡¯ll marry you!¡± His outburst surprised even himself. It¡¯s like he didn¡¯t even think of what to say, the words just came by themselves. By the look of Yuya¡¯s face she was equally surprised. Her teary face became replaced with confusion. ¡°W-What are you talking about!?¡± ¡°M-My dad told me about it one day! Married people are always together, and since I¡¯m a boy and you¡¯re a girl, we can get married!¡± ¡°W-We can¡¯t get m-m-married!¡± ¡°N-No! We need to wait until we¡¯re older, but then I¡¯ll marry you! I promise I¡¯ll marry you, Yuya!¡± She was about to rebuttal, but it seemed his last few words made her hesitate. She looked at him carefully, the faintest glimmer of light beginning to shine in her eyes. ¡°Then you won¡¯t leave me alone? You promise you won¡¯t leave? You promise you¡¯ll stay with me?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± he emphatically nodded. ¡°Yuya, I promise I won¡¯t leave! And when we¡¯re older, I¡¯ll marry you so that you¡¯ll never be alone ever again!¡± It struck Yuuko just how bright her eyes became when they had the sun shining on them. He became so focused on them, he didn¡¯t notice when she doubled over, laughing. ¡°A-Are you an idiot ahahahaha!¡± It was only the second time he heard her laugh but¡­he just noticed how girly it actually sounded. It was¡­¡­really nice to listen to. Like he could finally see the girl underneath. He pouted while turning to the side to hide his blush. ¡°I mean if you don¡¯t want to that¡¯s fine but¡ª¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she said, standing upright and giving him the widest smile he¡¯d ever seen on her. ¡°Yuuko, when we¡¯re older, I¡¯ll marry you too! It¡¯s a promise!¡± Illuminated by the reddening sun, it was hard to see her blush as Yuuko took her hand and led her down the hill, returning to the people who waited for them. Epilogue Part 1 ¡°Do you see it? Maybe it¡¯s under the sofa there?¡± ¡°Mother I already checked, I can¡¯t find it!¡± She let out a controlled sigh. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s keep looking. I won¡¯t be late just yet, so if we find it soon I¡ª¡± Her words were cut off by the sound of their doorbell ringing, sending Toshi into a frenzy. ¡°No, down boy!¡± scolded Yuuko as he opened the door. ¡°Hello Yuya, I¡¯m sor¡ª err, excuse me that I¡¯m late.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting by your front gate for ten minutes!¡± she stomped. ¡°It was your idea to walk to school together, why are you so late!?¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m¡­¡­¡­if you want, you can go ahead and we walk together tomorrow instead.¡± ¡°I-I never said I wanted to do that!¡± she said, the bottom of her ears turning red. ¡°Just!¡­ahh! What¡¯s taking so long, let me in!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± he said, pushing the door against her. ¡°Why not?!¡± ¡°You just¡ª wait! Seriously¡ªno!¡± Yuuko was thrown backwards as Yuya burst through the front door, landing face first in front of a dog with a curved tail, staring curiously at her. ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s the dog from that time.¡± ¡°Wait, no no no he¡¯s still not good around people!¡± Yuuko sprang to his feet as fast as he could, trying to stop her. ¡°Yuya, he might bite!¡ª¡ªhuh?¡± He stopped his words dead in their tracks for one simple reason, for the first time since he¡¯d gotten Toshi, he was acting friendly with someone he met for the first time. Yuya was squatted in front of him, petting him on the head and letting him sniff her clothes. He didn¡¯t know how to react, much less what to say, when his dog hopped into her open arms. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­weird.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He never acts nice with people he doesn''t know. Well, I guess you met once before, but I don¡¯t really think that counts.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯m special,¡± she giggled as he pawed her knees. A small part of Yuuko felt jealous she got along with him so quickly, but another part was happy to see her with such a big smile on her face. ¡°That dog is certainly something else, I still don¡¯t know where Yuuko picked him up from.¡± ¡°OH! G-Good morning Miss Asahino.¡± ¡°Good morning Yuya,¡± smiled Hikari. ¡°Ara, you certainly look nice today. I can see your ribbon matches your new backpack.¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s not¡­umm¡­¡­thank you.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t mention it, Yuuko only used it for one year so it should still be in relatively good condition. Speaking of which,¡± she turned towards her son. ¡°It¡¯s getting late, we need to find it otherwise you¡¯ll have to stay up late.¡± ¡°Ahh! Right!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The pair continued their search as Yuya watched on in confusion. Yuuko was in the kitchen, searching underneath their dining table while Hikari lifted the sheets of the kotatsu, quietly muttering to herself. After that, they began searching in whatever place they saw, the corners of the room, the stairs, Yuuko even ran upstairs and searched his bookshelf. ¡°Uhm, excuse me, Miss Asahino? What is it you¡¯re looking for?¡± she asked as Yuuko returned down the stairs. ¡°We¡¯re searching for my spare house key. You see, Yuuko normally has one for his return to school, but I get home very late sometimes.¡± she said, patting down her coat pocket. ¡°Yuuko usually goes to bed before I arrive, but if there¡¯s no key for me to enter with¡ª¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay up and open the door for you! It¡¯s really no problem mother!¡± ¡°Yuuko, a young boy needs his sleep. That¡¯s how your body gets its strength back.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± ¡°But I can do it just this once, really!¡± ¡°Ara, it makes me happy to see you¡¯re so determined, but it would make me a bad mother to do something like that.¡± ¡°U-Uhmm¡­¡­¡± ¡°Mother, I can stay up! Father sometimes let me!¡± ¡°Yuuko that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°UhHMMM!!¡± Both turned to look at the girl who spoke louder than she had intended. Her cheeks flushed and she began fidgeting with her ribbon as she spoke. ¡°I-Is that the key you¡¯re looking for?¡± she said, pointing to a small silver object on top of the kotatsu. Though the pair approached the key slowly, Yuya couldn¡¯t see the look they had on their faces. ¡°Mother?¡± ¡°A-Ara araaa? I-I wonder how long this was here¡­¡± ¡°Mother?¡± ¡°Y-Yes Yuuko?¡± ¡°Are we cursed?¡± ¡°No Yuuko¡­¡­¡­it¡¯s your mother¡¯s fault you inherited this¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know why, but Yuya felt as though she just witnessed something very personal to the both of them. Hikari saw the two of them off by the front gate. She could see them running alongside each other, playful, joyous, like children should be. It was then that the feelings inside her bubbled to the surface. She believed her son had the best intentions but¡­¡­ ¡°What child has feelings of false guilt?¡± Is that truly¡­why her son wanted to help? Part 2 Never before had Yuuko felt so irresponsible, both for himself, and another person. He set two alarms, but in the event they failed to wake him up, he asked her to do so. She was reliable, so he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d have to worry. As it turned out, she was just reliable most of the time. ¡°Is there a reason you were cooking breakfast in my kitchen instead of waking me up?¡± ¡°Ara~? Most guys would pay to have a cute girl cook them breakfast you know!¡± ¡°We¡¯re not in one of your novels, being late is only funny on the face of it.¡± ¡°But now I have great writing material! And it was such a treat to see you sleep.¡± ¡°How did you even get inside?¡± She laughed. ¡°You don¡¯t have a great track record with keys.¡± He opted to sigh in response as he ran as fast as he could through the suburban streets. Even though he spent nearly his entire summer last year running, his lungs started to ache; yet the girl next to him didn¡¯t show any sign of fatigue. On the contrary, she ran gracefully with her school bag held in front of her; able to spare the oxygen to giggle every so often. Unsurprisingly to him, her stamina was frightening. A busy intersection forced them to come to a stop, where they took a small break. ¡°Thank you for breakfast by the way.¡± ¡°Aaah, even though I¡¯m nowhere near your level, I¡¯m glad I was able to make it for you.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± she said, bringing her face close to his. ¡°That¡¯s not very honest of you Yuuko.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to spare you here. Besides,¡± he said, looking to the passing cars in front of them. ¡°I have to learn to not be so¡­¡­so¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± He kept quiet, thankful she understood. He didn¡¯t know if he had the words to explain it otherwise. ¡°Why were you late by the way?¡± ¡°I had a dream.¡± ¡°About back then?¡± He nodded. ¡°Our childhood. It was around the time we first met.¡± ¡°My my, dreaming about childhood.¡± she said, bashfully cupping her lips with her hands. ¡°And you say this isn¡¯t like one of my books.¡± He looked at her with pangs of guilt. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to come back, Yuya. The way things were going I¡ª¡± She held a finger to his lips. ¡°We made a promise.¡± He could see it reflected in her vivid turquoise eyes, the weight of those words. He knew she was talking about the promise they made when they were children, but it was more than that. Their second, most recent promise. That green in her eyes, he could never get over just how bright it looked. ¡°Yeah,¡± he nodded. ¡°We did.¡± Their attention shifted towards the fading green light, signalling the start of their sprint once more. It was irresponsible of him not to wake up, it would be more so of him to be late for his first day of high school.