Yuujin was lying on the couch, scrolling through his phone in a relaxed manner. His sister, Misaki, was in her room, and from the noise, it sounded like she was using the hairdryer.
Their parents had gone out, so the two of them were home alone. That's when Yuujin heard a knock at the door. He stood up slowly, assuming it must be his parents—after all, it had been longer than the time they said they'd be out, so… who else could it be, right?
First, Yuujin peered through the peephole. It wasn't his parents—it was a man in uniform. A police officer.
"Uh… excuse me?" Yuujin said, his body suddenly cold, his hands trembling slightly. After all, what would a police officer be doing at their house this late at night?
"Is this where Suzuki Yuujin and Suzuki Misaki live?" the officer asked briefly, waiting for an answer.
Yuujin hesitated, clenching his fists as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead. He took a deep breath and finally opened the door, finding the officer holding a family photo in his hand.
"Mm… yeah, it's you," the officer confirmed. Yuujin was completely confused, not understanding what this was all about. "I don't have good news about your parents. Could you call your sister?" His tone was firm and serious.
Within minutes, the officer was sitting in the living room with Yuujin and Misaki. The siblings exchanged nervous glances, their hearts pounding, waiting for whatever was about to come out of his mouth.
"Your parents… were in a serious accident. From what it looks like… it was fatal," he finally said. Both of them froze in shock.
"Fa… fatal?!" Yuujin repeated, standing up suddenly and taking a step back. Misaki, on the other hand, buried her face in her hands, tears spilling down onto the couch.
"But… HOW CAN YOU BE SURE IT WAS FATAL?! HOW CAN YOU JUST SAY THAT?!" she screamed, grabbing the front of the officer's uniform.
"I'm sorry… but that's what it seems," he said quietly. Misaki let go, bolted to her room, and slammed the door.
Yuujin dropped to his knees, tears streaming down uncontrollably, sobs shaking his chest and giving him a pounding headache.
The officer stood, left the house, and let the siblings face the night alone.
---
The next day, Yuujin and Misaki were visited by Suzuki Emi, their aunt—the closest relative able to take them in.
She sat in the living room while Yuujin, who had just let her in, went to gather their luggage.
"Why can't we just stay here?" Misaki muttered, sulking a little as she arrived with her bags.
"Because my job is in Tokyo. Do you really think I have the patience to travel back and forth from Osaka to Tokyo every weekday?" Emi replied in a sharp, authoritative tone.
"You could just find a job here!" Misaki shot back, as if it were such a simple solution.
"You must be joking. Let's go already—and tell your brother to hurry up," Emi said coldly. But beneath the firmness, there was a flicker of understanding for the siblings' reluctance.
Yuujin finally appeared, dragging his suitcase, his face completely drained of energy.
"What's with that dead-fish look, Yuujin? You haven't changed a bit since the last time I saw you," Emi teased with a sarcastic smirk, walking toward the front door.
"Of course I've changed! I… I got better at drawing!" Yuujin tried to defend himself.
"And you still can't eat in public without asking me if anyone's watching," Misaki cut in, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.
"Shut up, rag doll! It's nine in the morning and you're already wearing three kilos of makeup!" Yuujin snapped back.
"What?! You miserable mop-headed cabbage! How dare you call me a rag doll, you moldy spinach?!" Misaki lunged at him, giving him three sharp knocks on the head. Yuujin shoved her back and threw a pillow straight at her face.
"You two are like cats and dogs," Emi sighed. "Let's go already. And I don't want to hear you fighting during the trip."
Grumbling and bickering, the siblings followed her.
---
A few hours later, they were on the train, watching the scenery pass by.
Yuujin leaned against the window, his chin resting on his fist, eyes tracing the familiar places he was leaving behind.
What a beautiful view… I don't want to leave all of this. My only friends are here, he thought, eyelids heavy as his head slowly sank against the glass. Before long, he had dozed off.
Meanwhile, Misaki was on her phone, deep in thought.
Will this take much longer? Maybe I should check the GPS. Look at Yuujin… he looks like a pancake covered in whipped cream, all squished up on the train seat. Actually, it's kind of cute, she thought, a small smile tugging at her lips.
The trip was long and exhausting. By the time they caught a taxi in Tokyo, Yuujin's eyes were wide with awe.
"This city… it's incredible. Osaka was cool… but this is insane! Look at those skyscrapers—how many houses like mine would it take to even reach the top floor of one of those?" Yuujin thought to himself, glued to the window, fascinated by the buzzing life around him. People rushing everywhere, buses, cars, shops—Tokyo's restless energy left him speechless.
He didn't stop staring until they reached Emi's building, which left them both impressed.
"Wow… it's way taller than I expected," Misaki whispered, squinting up at the sunlight reflecting off the glass.
"Come on," Emi urged, leading them inside. Soon they were stepping into her apartment. "Make yourselves at home, unpack your rooms, because I'm not lifting a finger. I'm going straight to bed." With that, she disappeared into her room.
"This is so cool, don't you think, Yuujin?!" Misaki said excitedly, tossing her bags onto the couch carelessly.
"Hey! Watch where you throw your junk!" Yuujin barked.
"Stop being such a pain. Just enjoy it! Haven't we gone through enough already? We need to move on!" she said, snatching her bag back and sprinting into her room, leaving Yuujin behind.
"She's such a mess…" Yuujin muttered, shaking his head as he walked to his new room.
Opening the door, he was met with a breathtaking view of Tokyo. He froze, eyes widening at the endless cityscape.
"It's beautiful…" he whispered, a faint smile tugging at his lips. But quickly, his expression grew heavy again. "How can Misaki be so fine with all of this? The city's amazing, Aunt Emi is nice, everything seems okay… but doesn't she even want to hug Dad one more time?" he thought, staring at the busy traffic and the sea of people below.
With a sigh, he turned from the window and began unpacking. But after a few minutes, he flopped onto the bed.
"Ugh, I'll deal with this tomorrow… I need some rest. There's still so much to see here," he thought, closing his eyes as sleep took him again.
A new life, a new beginning—born out of an unavoidable tragedy. But what does the future hold for the two siblings now?