The days passed one after another until thirteen years had gone by since all that had happened during that period of life's horrors and twists.
The grandmother had managed to gain custody of her grandson so he could grow up under her roof and receive the life he had never gotten from his parents.
On one day in June of the year two thousand and twenty-four, summer had arrived in full force over the area, with its scorching sunlight streaming through the bedroom window and striking the sleeping face of a boy whose brown hair was spread across the white pillow beneath his head.
The phone placed on the nightstand beside the bed vibrated loudly, indicating that the time had reached eight o'clock in the morning , in other words, time for school.
Haruki's face crumpled in a frown at the end of his sleeping time. He stretched his hand out from the warmth of the comfortable bed, grabbed the phone from the wooden nightstand, and silenced the annoying alarm.
As soon as the ringing stopped, the boy let out a long breath from his lungs and opened one eye to glance at the date: it was the nineteenth of June.
Haruki's face lit up at this delightful news—it was the last day of school, and by the end of it, he would be free.
He jumped out of bed happily, the blanket flying off his body and dropping to the floor, but he paid it no mind.
All that mattered to him now was getting ready for this long-awaited day, when all the pressure would end and be replaced by the enjoyment of summer vacation.
He put on his daily school uniform, picked up his bag from near his bedroom door, and hurriedly opened the door, walking quickly through the hallway until he reached the stairs.
There, he slowed his pace, making his footsteps quiet and soundless.
When his feet touched the last step, he snuck into the kitchen, where his grandmother was humming loudly as she prepared breakfast. His steps were slow, his socks muffling the sound of his feet against the wooden floor.
Once he was directly behind her, he took a deep breath into his chest and said loudly.
"Good morning, Grandma!"
The grandmother jumped in place from Haruki's shout near her ear, catching her off guard in a moment of distraction. Her heart pounded strongly, and the spoon slipped from her hand, striking the floor.
She placed her hand on her chest, trying to catch the breath that had been stolen from her by the shock, while Haruki stood behind her, cackling mischievously.
As soon as she calmed down, she frowned, turning her face over her shoulder toward her grandson and shouting at him.
"You little… you'll pay for that!"
Haruki immediately pulled back from behind her and ran quickly to hide behind the table from his angry grandmother, laughter never leaving his face.
"You should've seen your face!"
Haruki said playfully as he dodged his grandmother's attacks with the wooden spoon she wielded like a weapon in her hand, circling around the table whenever she tried to approach him, his laughter filling the place.
The grandmother stopped to catch her breath, her body worn by the passage of time, and in that moment Haruki seized the chance and bolted toward the front door, putting on his shoes and rushing out of the house.
"Get back here now!"
The grandmother shouted after him, but it was too late , Haruki's feet had already slipped into his shoes, and he flung the front door open.
"Goodbye, Grandma!"
He called hurriedly as he waved his hand to her. The grandmother stopped chasing him the moment the door closed, signaling his full departure from the house.
Her angry expression softened, replaced by a gentle, tender smile.
She leaned her back against the wall behind her, running her fingers over the photos hanging before her as if they were the reel of her entire life, until she stopped at a single photo showing Haruki with his parents when they were still alive, all smiling happily.
Her smile faltered slightly, and she let out a sigh through her lips before returning to the kitchen where she had been. Her eyes fell on the prepared lunchbox sitting on the table, so she approached and took it with both hands.
"That fool forgot his lunchbox again."
She murmured to herself, then set the box back on the table, certain inside that he would devour it when he came back from school.
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