Time: 8:00 AM Haruto's House
The sunlight slipped through the curtains, pulling me out of a restless sleep. My body felt heavy, as if the exams had drained every drop of strength left in me.
Dragging myself downstairs, I splashed water on my face and looked around.
The house was silent.
Too silent.
"Mom?"
No answer.
I checked the clock. 8:00 AM. She was always home this early. Always.
A chill spread through my chest. My thoughts twisted immediately to Souta. To the cruel smile, the words that poisoned everything.
No… no way…
Heart racing, I ran upstairs, grabbed my phone, and dialed her number. The ringtone echoed inside the house.
On the couch.
She had left her phone behind.
My breath quickened. My hands shook. My mind spun into shadows.
Where is she? Why isn't she here? Did something happen? With Souta? Did she
The room swayed. I stumbled to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and forced it down, but the unease only grew sharper.
The door creaked open.
"Haruto? You're awake?"
Mom walked in, holding a plastic bag filled with groceries.
I froze. "…Where were you?"
She blinked, surprised by the sharpness in my voice. Then she smiled gently.
"I went to buy some meat. You've been working so hard lately… I thought I'd cook something tasty for you today."
Relief flooded my chest, but guilt came right after. My lips twitched into a weak smile.
"I… I see. Thanks, Mom."
As I sat down, a thought clawed its way into my head.
Foolish. I was foolish to think like that about Mom.
But then another thought, darker, heavier:
Foolish? Think like what? About Mom?
I froze halfway to the table, the words looping inside me like poison.
"Haruto?" Her voice broke the silence. "Why don't you turn the TV on while I make breakfast? I thought you'd sleep longer, so I didn't prepare anything yet."
"…Okay."
I turned on the television.
The news anchor's voice filled the room:
"Today's top story: a scandal involving a mother who was discovered having an affair while her son was away…"
My eyes drifted toward the kitchen. Mom was smiling as she cut vegetables.
That smile.
A sudden flash burned through my memory Mom's smile, the same one, when she rushed towards Souta after Souta had punched me
I blinked hard. The image vanished, but the unease didn't.
"Breakfast is ready!"
We sat together, the food warm, the air filled with the smell of simmering meat. She asked me about my exams.
"They went fine," I replied automatically.
She smiled again. I forced myself to smile back.
But inside, I felt the crack spreading wider.
Time: 10:00 AM
After finishing breakfast, I slipped outside for air, my phone clutched tightly in my hand.
My thumb hovered over Miyuki's name before I pressed call.
She answered almost immediately.
"Haruto?"
"…Want to go to the library? With me."
A pause. Then her soft voice:
"I'll be there in a few minutes."
I waited outside the library gates, tapping my foot, every second stretching longer than it should. But then I saw her, walking toward me, her smile cutting through the grayness like sunlight.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine."
We studied quietly, side by side, pages flipping, pens scratching. For the first time in days, my thoughts were… quieter.
Afterward, we stopped at a small café. She ordered tea, I ordered coffee. We didn't talk much. But her presence alone was enough.
When we parted ways, she squeezed my hand lightly before walking off.
I held onto that warmth all the way home.
Time: 4:00 PM
As soon as I stepped inside my house, my eyes caught a pair of unfamiliar shoes at the entrance.
My chest tightened. Cold sweat ran down my back.
Souta.
I rushed into the living room, heart pounding, ready to scream.
But the one sitting on the couch wasn't Souta.
It was my father.
He looked up with a grin. "Haruto! You're back early."
I froze. "…Dad? Why are you here? It's only 4 PM."
He chuckled. "Today's meeting ended sooner than I thought, so I left right after. And I brought some cake figured we could eat together."
My eyes flicked back to the shoes. "Those…?"
"Oh." He laughed again. "My old ones were too worn out. I picked these up on the way home. What do you think?"
The knot in my chest loosened, shame replacing fear. "…They look good."
We sat together and ate the cake. Sweet, soft, strangely comforting.
"So," Dad asked between bites, "how were your exams?"
"They were fine."
He exhaled, relief flickering across his face. "That's good. I know it hasn't been easy. But I'm proud of you, Haruto."
The words hit harder than I expected. My throat tightened, but I nodded.
For a brief moment, the house felt whole again.
Scene Shift: Monday :Results Day
The courtyard buzzed with energy. Students laughed, chattered, compared predictions about their scores. Joy spilled through the air.
Everyone was happy.
Except me.
I stood at the edge of the crowd, my heart pounding like a war drum. My palms were clammy. My reflection in the glass door smirked back at me.
"Ready to see the truth, Haruto?" it whispered.