Ryosuke was still in daze when he returned home from the hospital where Mirai was admitted, and where... Akira... was waiting for his older sister to send him to his last bed. His heart clenched and tears welled up as he remembered the latter.

He still could not believe it. He could not bring himself to imagine that Akira was no longer in this world. It was so painful for him, and he wondered how was Mirai feeling. Losing her only family... losing her hope... after working so hard... no wonder if she almost lost her will to live. His teeth gritted hard as tears flowed down his cheeks while he leaned on the door of his house.

“Ryosuke?” his mother’s voice woke him up, and upon seeing her figure, he dragged his feet across the room.

“Mom,” he muttered while leaning into his mother’s embrace, feeling so helpless and frustated. “I don’t know what to do.”

His mother his back tenderly, making a soothing noise while hugging him like she used to do when he was a kid. “Did something happen in your work?”

He shook his head against her shoulder while inhaling and exhaling breaths. “I... it’s... I’m not sure.”

“Let’s get you to sit first, hm?” she suggested.

Pulling away, he let himself be guided by his mother to sit down on the sofa. He brushed the tears that seemingly unable to stop from flowing down his cheeks.

His mother did not directly probe into him, for he was sure she knew he still gathering his courage to tell her. So, she instead filled him in with her story while rubbing his hand she was holding onto.

“I went shopping with Mika this evening and we saw 7’s new commercial. You all looked too cute to be twentist,” she told him, while he could only offer a small smile as a response. “Anyway, did you turn off your phone? Anji-san called here many times, asking for you. You’re not in quarrel with your manager, are you?”

He shook his head. Anji-san might be angry at him, but he would not worry about it for now.

“So?” his mother seemed had lost a topic to divert him.

Inhaling a deep breath, he difficultly uttered, “I... visited Mirai today.”

“Eh? Mirai? How is she doing?”

It was like there was a lump blocking the words in his throat that he stuttered, “She is... not well. She... has just... lost his brother... in an accident.”

His mother went silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, “Brother...? You mean... Akira-chan? He...”

“Passed away three days ago,” he casted his eyes down and droplets of his tears immediately stained the carpet.

His mother clamped both her hand to , and her eyes widened, swarmed by tears. “How...”

No more word was spoken as he and his mother each was deep in thought. He could hear his mother’s silent sobs, muttering Akira’s name in disbelief.

“How could it happen, Ryosuke?” After composing themselves, his mother asked.

“They didn’t tell me the detail, just that... they were involved in an accident.”

His mother let out a trembled sigh, “You’ve seen Akira, then?”

He nodded once, and could not help but tightened his jaw as he remembered how Akira looked like. Traces of bruises and wounds on the angelic little face were obvious... pale skin... a broken arm... just every part of his small figure screamed out much pains... He shook his head to push away the memory. He could not even bring himself to recall the complete picture when he visited the mortuary with Tachibana-san after making sure that Mirai was asleep.

“When his wake will be held?”

“It depends on Mirai.”

At this, his mother perked up, “She is alone to prepare all things?”

“There are Tachibana-san and Hongo helping her.”

“We should help, too. And we have to tell Suzuki-san about it.”

Another wound opened as he answered, “I also thought that it’ll be better if you and the others help her out, Mom.”

“Me and the others?” his mother repeated his words, asking for confirmation. “You won’t help?”

Clenching his fists, he told her, “I really want to, but...”

“But?”

“But... I’ll be better not, because... Mirai doesn’t want to see me.”

Once more, the memory replayed vividly.

It took almost two hours Mirai crying her heart out in his embrace before eventually she got tired and fell asleep. There was no word exchanged between them during the time. He only provided her a place to lean on, while she kept sobbing that his front shirt was drenched with her tears.

After she fell asleep, he asked Tachibana-san—because Kanata was no where in sight—to accompany him to see Akira. As though it was not enough to torture him from seeing Akira’s state, when he returned to Mirai’s room with Tachibana-san an hour later, he was taken aback by Mirai’s reaction. Mirai had been awake, accompanied by Kanata. She seemed just fine, better instead, but when her gaze landed on him, she widened her eyes in fear.

He still remembered her words that pierced his heart.

“Kanata, why is he here? Please... I don’t want to see him. Please.” She beg and grabbed Kanata’s arm tightly, avoiding to see at his direction.

Kanata was as confused as him at this.

“Sensei,” Kanata sent an expectant look to Tachibana-san which she responded immediately.

“Yamada-kun, let’s go outside for awhile.”

He nodded and followed Tachibana-san though he felt there was something in him broke seeing the rejection from Mirai. How could she boost his confidence of his importance for her awhile ago but then crushed it to the lowest a time later? He couldn’t understand her.

“Don’t think about it too much. She is still unstable emotionally,” Tachibana-san tried consoling him.

He only nodded his response.

“Think I can have your number, Yamada-kun?”

At this, he perked up.

“That way it’ll be easier for me to contact you. I think there are a lot of questions swirling in your mind, no?” Tachibana-san offered a tender smile.

He gulped while staring at Tachibana-san’s phone which was held out to him. He took it then typed his number.

Returning the phone, he asked, “Is she going to be alright?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Tachibana-san replied. “But I believe as long as she has people that care about her, she will cope up with this... someday.”

“It seems she won’t allow me to help, though,” he said bitterly.

“Ne, Yamada-kun,” Tachibana-san said. “An action triggered by subsconscious mind is always the most honest feeling of a human while an action done consciously is often masked with lies.”

“What do you mean?”

Giving another motherly smile to him, Tachibana-san told him, “Seeing Mirai’s reactions, I believe that you, Yamada-kun, maybe the one she needs most.”

“But she even doesn’t want to see me...,” he repeated.

Letting out a mild sigh, Tachibana-san replied, “She is lying.”

And the conversation ended because Tachibana-san immediately suggested him to go home to rest after that while promising that she would update him about Mirai’s condition.

However, instead of going home, he called Yuma and asked whether he could go to his apartment. Fortunately, Yuma was having a day off. He could only think of Yuma as Yuma was the only one between his friends acquainted with Akira. So, today, he delivered the news which also made Yuma shed tears. It felt like only yesterday he brought Akira to play in Yuma’s apartment, but... things happened unpredictably.

He drew a deep breath. Feeling his mother squeezed his hand gently, he looked up to meet her gaze.

“I never saw you as distressed as you are, Ryosuke,” his mother remarked. “They really mean a lot to you, aren’t they?”

“Akira was like the younger brother I never had, Mom. And he was such a bright kid. I still can’t believe this really happen. Why should he experience this ordeal, Mom?”

Pulling him to her embrace once more, his mother said, “There must be something Kami-sama put behind all that happened, honey.” Then with lighter tone, asking, “How about Mirai? What is she to you?”

“She is...,” he trailed off as he could not find a proper word immediately to answer.

“Someone you love dearly, isn’t she?”

He held a breath as he heard the chosen words of his mother to complete his sentence. It seemed he would never be able to hide anything from his mother. She always knew. Pulling away from her, he could not say how right she was.

“Mom...,” he uttered, though he did not know what he was going to say.

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