Harushi is driving fast. He needs to be fast. Umigo is waiting for him.
Now, Harushi can't afford to lose him too.
Rain blurs the windshield, each droplet mirroring his clouded thoughts. The city outside feels distant—unreal. Traffic slows him to a crawl, ratcheting up the tension.
He is in dread. Only minutes ago, he finally saw Eva again—after all these years—and now, he's on the verge of losing Umigo: his friend, his assistant, his family's butler for decades, the last thread to his childhood.
All of it—everything—because of his mistake.Harushi's mistake.
Tonight, every horn sounds like a scream. The chaos is relentless. Delhi's piercing noise, its indifferent roadway—it's the opposite of his memory: a land of quiet and discipline, order and belonging.
A message pings through the storm:
"Umigo is out of danger."
Relief pricks him, but can't ease the pressure in his chest. Stuck in traffic, his mind swirls back to Eva—her unexpected hug, those haunted eyes, her cryptic words, and the way he'd lost all control.
He's angry. Furious at himself.
Was he manipulated by her—again? Even after all these years?
He slams his palm against the horn, like a frightened, desperate boy—nobody pays him any mind. Everyone is doing the same.
"Why couldn't I ask her even a single thing? Why didn't I say anything?"
"Why did I just sit there and cry in front of her? Why couldn't I confront her—after all this time?"
His foot hits the brake, jolting his crawling car to a stop. A biker collides with the rear, but Harushi barely notices.
"Why couldn't I ask the questions I've nursed for years? Why did she vanish? Why couldn't I just demand the truth?"
He knows Eva knows something. She needs to be forced—to confess everything she's kept hidden. But of course, he couldn't ask a single question. Let alone confront or accuse her.
He loses it—swerves onto the footpath, scattering pedestrians. Shouts and curses explode around him, but he doesn't look back.He needs to rush, and need to hear what Umigio found out.
"Umigo can't wait anymore. If I'm too late, even this last piece will slip away."
He grits his teeth, pushes forward.
"Why is everything like this here? Why does everything tie back to this place? Even Eva—why was she involved? What clue did Umigo find? Why did mother came here that time? Why is Eva here now? And why is the traffic always worse when I need it gone?"
He finally arrives at the hospital—barely dodging disaster, a pedestrian almost in his path. The car clips a pillar, lurches to a halt, but he's already out, sprinting toward the entrance.
No one can stop him now.
No one can question his authority.
He will go to the ends of the world—whatever it costs—to drag the truth from the ashes.