22

Nino looked around to realize he was in the hospital. Things suddenly flashed on his memory then he realized what happened. Suddenly he heard a beep of cell phone. He found it on the table. He knew it was her sister’s phone. He slowly moved, removed his dextrose then took the phone.

“Hello Mao…” It was Chen Yin in the other line. “It is true that today is the execution, please tell me how do you do?”

Chen Yin didn’t receive any respond.

“Mao…”

“This isn’t Mao” Finally Nino spoke up.

“Is this Nino?” asked Chen Yin.

“Not either…” Nino answered.

Chen Yin got confused. “Then who are you?”

“It’s me… Nagi”

*

In Matsumoto residence, Yano succeeded to escape. He immediately looked after me.

Back to the hospital, Nino the TV and saw the news about the coming execution.

“Hello? Are you still there, what do you mean you’re Nagi?” Chen Yin was still in confusion but Nino hang up. He changed clothes and decided to leave the room. As he opened the door five bodyguards noticed him. Of course they won’t allow him to go anywhere, but Nino beat them all shortly.

*

Yukie hired a guy from Village 2 to do the killing, a samurai would be use. Unknown to others the guy was part of Petal.

Toma who was standing behind her sister received a call.

“What?” He was shocked from what he heard.

 “Boss, he’s strong, we failed to stop him” said the head bodyguard on the phone.

“Where is he now?” asked Toma.

“We don’t have any idea but he stole a car form here” the head bodyguard replied.

Toma worried, seek his sister. He whispered to her what happened.

“Oh, really…” Yukie responded. “For sure he’ll go here”

Yukie moved closer to the center (where the executors located) and had her speech. “Listen everybody, the mastermind of this crime named Nino Matsuzawa is finally awakens, and is now coming here”

Small talks occurred.

“Is that true, Nino is behind of this?” Yamapi wondered.

*

Yano busy in searching saw the announcement from an electronic TV. He froze having the desire to know what would happen next.

*

When Nino reached the gate of Matsumoto, he was surprise to welcome by Toma.

“We’re waiting for you” said Toma.

Nino didn’t reply. He found it weird, but he got the idea what they were planning.

As he went down the car, Toma commanded him “Follow me” he said leading the way.

Nino followed.  Shortly, they reached the place of the executors

“Nino!” mother cried. Although Nino was only adopted they learned to love him as their own child so they hated to see him in this place, they didn’t want him to experience the same punishment.

“Finally, you’re here” greeted Yukie as Nino arrived in their place.

“I find it weird, is that really Nino?” asked Jin, one of Yano’s group mate.

Yamapi narrowed his eyes “No, he’s the other Nino, the one who beat me” he said.

*

“”You’re here to confess your crime, right?” asked Yukie expecting Nino to tell everything about the delusion.

“Let them free, this is my fault.” Nino confessed.

People started to make noise. They weren’t sure about Nino’s word, if they should believe it or not.

‘”Just what I told, I planned all of this” Nino continued. “I did this to find the master mind behind the assassination of my family”

“What do you mean?” asked Yukie crinkling her eyes.

“The assassination of my family was happened 8 years ago. It included me, my parents and my sister Erika…”

People was shocked, especially Yukie.

“Are you trying to say that you are-” Yamato boss intruded.

“Yes, I’m Nagi Yamato!” Nino confessed as he looked to Yukie.

“No, impossible” said Yukie. It was hard for her to accept what she heard. How could this guy be her brother? Is he saying the truth, is he really Nagi?

Even Yano who was watching via electronic TV was in doubt. “Nino is Nagi?” He had been friends with Nagi when they were young so how could he miss recognizing him?

Everybody wanted to hear more explanation so they listened as Nino continued.

*

Ten year old Nino (or Nagi as his real name) all alone at the back seat of the car asked his father “Otosan, are you sure Yukie-nee will follow?”

His father who was driving replied “She promised that after her exam she’ll follow.”

“She always absent in our family outings, I wonder if she’s telling the truth this time” Nino complained.

“Daijoubu, Nagi she’ll surely come” said his mother who was sitting next to his father.

“Yeah, since this outing is not just for the family, this is also for the birthday of my adviser Hiroki” his father added.

Nino smiled as he remembered the plan.  They will prepare a surprise party for Hiroki-sensei in a private Villa, her sister Erika volunteered to bring Hiroki to that Villa.

On their way to the said Villa, Nino spotted lots of stall at the street and they were selling boxes of apple candies.

“Otosan, can you stop for a minute, I want to buy apple candy” Nino requested.

His father stopped the car right away. “I thought it is only Erika who loves that candy”

Nino smiled “Yeah, she loves it because it is Yano’s favorite. I’m going to buy a dozen for her” said Nagi as he went down from the car.

“Make it faster!” said her mother.

*

Nino was about to order when his phone beep. He found it was Erika “Oi, nee-chan.”

“Nagi, leave the car!” yelled Erika from the other line.

“Calm down, what do you mean?” Nino asked back.

“Someone from the council wants to kill us so-“her words had cut off.

“Nee-chan… Nee-chan!!!” cried Nino panicked, he immediately turned to the car to inform his father, but before he could do that a loud bombing quake the place. The car where was his parents exploded.

“Otosan, Okasan!!!” shouted Nino.

*

“That’s how my parents had been killed” Nino narrated. “That time, I didn’t know what to do, I planned to call anyone from the clan but I felt scared I should be careful not to trust anyone since Erika-nee warned me that the culprit belongs to the council. But staying there won’t help so I decided to go back in the village; I headed to Hiroki sensei’s place but all I found was his burning house.”

*

“Nee-chan… Sensei!!!” called Nino as he fell on his knees. He didn’t know what to do; he didn’t know were to go. He was in his agony when he heard the arrival of other Yamato members. He immediately hid his self.

*

“Are you saying that one of the councils planned that crime?” the boss asked. “But according to the investigation it was an outside group who planned the assassination. They also admitted that they were the one who burnt Hiroki’s house.”

“My sister said it, one of the council members planned the assassination” Nino insisted. “That was the reason why I didn’t show up, to plan a move how to seize them, but it wasn’t easy. For the whole year I wander alone, until this people found me” Nino looked at my parents. ”Even though they are poor they are willing to adopt me.”

“This is our house” said father introducing our small place to Nino. “Actually this is better than our old one” He was talking while picking some mess.

As Nino looked his surrounding, he wondered how this father could call it a house.

“Cough! Cough!” It was me. Nino heard me coughing.

“How’s your daughter?” asked Nino since that time, I was sick.

“Don’t worry; her mother is a good nurse.” Father replied.

“You should bring her in the hospital” Nino suggested.

“That’s a good idea but we don’t have enough money, actually we’re hiding from our debts”

Father explained Nino how poor we were, actually they changed our names for more than five times just to escape from creditors. When Nino heard that, a plan played on his mind.

“Can I suggest names for us?”

Father became curious “Well, I guess there’s no wrong in that”

“Thank You!” Nino responded.

“I knew that being Matsuzawa could help me to return in Yamato” Nino continued “In that way, I could make my investigation without being recognized, but one event messed up my plan, when I got amnesia”

We were in convenient store, a robber hostage me. I tried to escape but the robber took the gun. Nino pushed me, for him to be shot

*

“As of now, what I wanted to do is to punish the real reason behind our assassination!” said Nino with firm voice.

As Yukie saw Nino flood of memories returned.

The burning of Hiroki’s house,

The explosion of her father’s car,

Both shook her.

Yukie felt that her world had torn apart. She didn’t want to believe the news until she saw the body of her parents; the body of Hiroki sensei. She felt like dying, but since Erika and Nagi were still missing, she still hoped to find them.

One year had passed, two years…but no any trace found. That was the time Yukie decided to give up. He accepted the fact that she left alone.

*

Now, things were starting to change.

“N-Nagi…” Yukie whispered. She wanted to hold and hug this guy, to know if he was saying the truth, but looking to his eyes made her believe. “Nagi…”

Toma walked away to get Asou. If Nino was really Nagi, for sure Asou won’t hurt him, so he let the dog go.

The dog ran to Nino. All thought he had been bitten, to surprise them Asou became tame to Nino.

This proved Nino’s identity as a real Yamato.

*

I was still in the cemetery when Yano found me.

“Mao!” he called, running to me. He hugged me tight. “It’s done!” he said.

I wondered what he meant, but his hug gave me comfort.

“What happened?” I asked.

Yano glared at me, and told everything.

*

After all of those things, all returned to normal, but not in what I expected.

In the end, we instructed to leave Tama.

Before leaving the Town, my friends met me. Everybody was there except Nino. I didn’t see him even after the revelation, so I felt that he would be gone from me forever, same to my friends and to Yano. I had the fear that someday they would be all gone.

***

Another chapter -about Nino's revelation, and also Nino's farewell because finally he returned to his true self as Nagi Yamato. For the next chapter, it would be... can you guess it?

yes, the return of Erika Yamato.