Chapter 38: Who is the crying child?
A week ago, Furuya Rei contacted Morofushi Hiromitsu, but since their work schedules overlapped, Furuya Rei said that it might be difficult to explain over the phone and that it would be better to meet in person. So the two arranged to meet on a day off that coincided with both of their work schedules.
So, Morofushi Hiromitsu had just received the information from Furuya Rei the day before. Looking at the parts marked by Furuya Rei in red pen, he immediately understood the effort his friend had put into it.
He talked with Furuya Rei for a while, then came back and spent the whole night trying to understand the information and connect it with his brother's situation.
He didn't remember much about his younger years, but within the scope of his memory, some of the information in the documents did overlap with Sora'aki's.
However, before making a decision, Morofushi Hiromitsu planned to contact Morofushi Taka'aki first, and then tell his parents after confirming with his brother.
However, this morning's unexpected event disrupted his plans.
As soon as Morofushi Hiromitsu came downstairs, he noticed the food, which had turned into charcoal and could barely be identified as sausage and eggs. After turning off the stove and cleaning up the kitchen, his mother still did not respond to him.
Morofushi Hiromitsu was a little surprised and glanced towards the entrance hall; his mother's shoes were still there. His father wasn't there; apparently, the school had some arrangements for the weekend, so he had left early that morning—something his father had mentioned last night.
If his mother were home, she would definitely respond unless she was feeling unwell. Morofushi Hiromitsu was a little worried, so he walked to his parents' bedroom door and knocked: "Mom, may I come in?"
A gentle response came from inside: "Come in."
Hearing the same voice as usual, Morofushi Hiromitsu was slightly relieved. But when he opened the door, he saw his mother sitting on the sofa and his younger brother curled up on the sofa with his head on his mother's lap, seemingly asleep with his eyes closed.
Morofushi Hiromitsu was a little surprised, while Mother Morofushi gently stroked Morofushi Sora'aki's hair and explained in a low voice, "Sora'aki said he wasn't feeling well this morning, so I wanted to check if he had a fever, but the child said he had a nightmare and then wouldn't let me leave."
The sofa in the room was only meant for the couple to sit on before bed to drink tea and read, so it wasn't very big or long. As a result, Morofushi Sora'aki could only curl up on it, and with his slightly furrowed brows, he looked rather pitiful.
Morofushi Hiromitsu was taken aback, then suddenly asked, "Does Sora'aki... show any signs of a headache?"
"…Hmm." Mother Morofushi looked up, her cat-like eyes, which resembled her child's but were even more gentle, filled with worry: "Do you know something, Hiromitsu?"
"...Hmm, it's better to wait until Dad comes home tonight to confirm together." Morofushi Hiromitsu squatted down, looked into his younger brother's tightly closed eyes, and said gently, "Mom, can you tell me exactly what happened just now?"
Mother Morofushi looked at her second son for a while before nodding gently. The two of them kept their voices down during their conversation so as not to disturb Morofushi Sora'aki.
Mother Morofushi recalled, "I was preparing breakfast in the morning..."
After Morofushi Sora'aki said he wasn't feeling well, Mother Morofushi became very anxious. Just as she was about to take his temperature, Morofushi Sora'aki shook his head.
Despite being much taller than his mother, Morofushi Sora'aki's childlike personality always makes people worry about him, subconsciously treating him like a little kid.
With an expression that would break any mother's heart, Morofushi Sora'aki rubbed against his mother's shoulder and said sadly, "I dreamt that my mother didn't want me anymore."
The panic and confusion reflected in the clear, clean blue cat eyes made Mother Morofushi dare not take the words from her child's mouth as just an ordinary dream.
She replied earnestly, "Mom is right here, Sora'aki, don't worry, Mom will always be here."
"..." Morofushi Sora'aki did not reply, but the emotions he exuded made Mother Morofushi feel even more distressed.
Although she didn't know what her child had encountered, or what he had dreamed about, at that moment, her child was truly experiencing sadness.
As a mother, how could she not feel the same sadness?
At this moment, seeing her child's vulnerability, Mother Morofushi couldn't help but recall the advice the doctor had given her when the child was much younger.
During his early childhood examinations, no lesions or defects were found in Morofushi Sora'aki's brain, and the diagnosis of autism was based on a series of his behaviors.
Autism is also divided into various types, each with its own classification. Based on Morofushi Sora'aki's condition, the doctor gave the corresponding treatment plan.
Whether it was the result of the combined efforts of his parents and doctors, a simple accident or coincidence, or some other reason, after the age of three, Morofushi Sora'aki's behavior was definitely not that of an autistic child, but it was also definitely not that of a normal child.
Perhaps due to missing the crucial three years, Morofushi Sora'aki's showed extremely poor empathy, was emotionally cold and lacked change, had no sense of responsibility or obligation, and reacted very little to the outside world.
Even after the doctor finished the psychological test, although he didn't say it directly, he hinted to the parents that if they didn't raise the child properly, things might go wrong...
At first, Parents Morofushi were indeed worried, but as time went by, they were able to relax a little.
While Morofushi Sora'aki may indeed be weak in emotional and social skills, he has always been obedient to his family and accepts their guidance.
They can gradually turn things around in this area.
So when she saw her child express such strong emotions towards her for the first time, Mother Morofushi felt relieved after her initial worry.
"I dreamt that my mother and father were murdered." Morofushi Sora'aki said dejectedly.
How could a child who feels sadness and empathy over something like this become the kind of person the doctor is worried about?
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Mother Morofushi stroked her youngest son's hair: "Your father and I will always be here, and we will always be with Sora'aki."
"Besides, Hiromitsu and Taka'aki are police officers, you know? They will protect Mom and Dad, so Sora'aki doesn't need to worry."
"...If I become a police officer, will I be able to protect my parents?" Morofushi Sora'aki asked.
"Hmm." Mother Morofushi replied.
Perhaps due to the immense mental pressure, Morofushi Sora'aki slowly fell asleep again under his mother's comforting care, but he kept tightly gripping her clothes, not giving his mother a chance to leave.
As Mother Morofushi recalled this, she suddenly looked up and said, "Hiromitsu chose to become a policeman not only because of Taka'aki's connections, but also because he wanted to set an example for Sora'aki, right?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu hadn't expected the topic to shift to him. He looked away slightly, appearing somewhat shy, but didn't deny it: "...Yes, that's part of the reason..."
Unexpectedly, after he made this choice, Zero, who originally had no interest in the police, also made the same choice without hesitation.
Mother Morofushi smiled gently: "Hiromitsu is really gentle."
"I'm so sorry. Because of Sora'aki, I always unintentionally neglected you when you were little." Mother Morofushi's eyes were filled with apology. "I'm really grateful to Rei-kun. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have known that my actions back then would have hurt you."
Morofushi Hiromitsu was taken aback, his face instantly turning bright red: "Eh? Wait—why are we suddenly talking about Zero? Did he say anything to you?!"
Mother Morofushi paused, then covered her mouth: "Oh dear, I accidentally said it."
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "..."
Morofushi Hiromitsu recalled his childhood and, upon reflection, realized that it seemed his mother had become more attentive to his daily life after he first invited Zero home…
At the time, he mistakenly thought that because Zero had injuries on his face and looked different from other children, his mother was worried that he had become friends with bad kids, which was why she reacted that way.
Afterwards, Morofushi Hiromitsu tried very hard to prove to his mother that Furuya Rei wasn't a bad kid, that he was a good person and a good friend... Thinking about it now, his mother's expression at that moment...
Morofushi Hiromitsu's face turned even redder. In other words, both he and Zero had said quite a few strange things to their mother without the other's knowledge!
With a gentle smile, Mother Morofushi cupped her face in her hands and said softly, "Hiro-kun and Rei-kun are both such kind children~"
Morofushi Kagemitsu: "...Mother!"
"Alright, Mom knows you're shy, I won't say anymore." Mother Morofushi made a shushing gesture, then pointed to Morofushi Sora'aki, who had his eyes closed: "Don't disturb Sora'aki."
Morofushi Hiromitsu was so ashamed that he almost slammed the door shut, but he still kept his voice down when closing it.
Seeing this, Mother Morofushi's smile became even more pronounced.
"Brother and Rei-nii are both idiots." Morofushi Sora'aki said slowly as he opened his eyes.
Mother Morofushi lowered her head: "Did I wake you up?"
"…Hmm." Morofushi Sora'aki closed his eyes again, grabbed his mother's clothes again, and said softly, "Brother is an idiot, so now Mom is mine."
"Is there any connection between the two sentences?" Mother Morofushi asked with a smile.
"It emphasizes that my brother is an idiot." Morofushi Sora'aki muttered.
"Okay—should Sora'aki get up?"
"No." Morofushi Sora'aki, with his eyes closed, grabbed Mother Morofushi's clothes: "I'm asleep."
"Sleeping children can't talk, you know?"
"It's sleep talking."
"Alright, alright, that was just sleep talking." Madam Morofushi chuckled softly, "What I heard just now was all sleep talking."
Just then, Morofushi Hiromitsu opened the door again and poked his head in. He frowned and asked, "Mom, did Zero say anything else unnecessary to you?"
"...Well, if you mean a little kid, squatting in a corner crying or something—" Mother Morofushi tilted her head.
Morofushi Hiromitsu grip on the doorknob tightened. This time, he really couldn't control himself from slamming the door. His smile froze, and he even forgot to say goodbye, disappearing right from the doorway.
Morofushi Sora'aki: "..."
Mother Morofushi: "..."
"puff!"
As for who laughed, it doesn't seem to matter that much anymore.