The Weight of Going Home
“Well then, see you tomorrow. And don’t forget about the trip, okay?”
“Yes. I understand. Thank you for giving me a ride home.”
“No, no. Alright then.”
After finishing his shift, and because Kyousuke wasn’t particularly busy today, he drove Yuuki home in his car.
“Yuuki-kun, let me know if anything happens, okay?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Of course, Yume had come along with them.
“Yume, I’m going to start the car, so get in.”
“Yeah. Alright, I’ll be waiting over there tomorrow morning.”
“Yes.”
After Yume returned to the car, it slowly moved away from Yuuki. For a moment, Yuuki reached his hand toward them, but it cut through empty air without doing anything and simply dropped.
Even though the car was already out of sight, Yuuki kept his gaze fixed in that direction. No, he kept looking that way because he had to face the reality he didn’t want to face.
If he let his gaze turn away, he would have to go inside the house.
Yuuki stayed there for a few minutes, staring at nothing, but then he heard the unsettling sound of the door opening.
“Yuu, Yuukun. It’s getting dark outside, so come inside, okay? It’s dangerous.”
The one who called out to him was his mother, who had come out because she was worried about him.
If someone only listened to that part, Aika’s words would make her sound like a good mother.
But because he had just been with Kyousuke and Yume, who cared about him so deeply that he could call Kyousuke a second father, Aika’s words sounded unbearably cold.
Even during the Ayaka incident, his family didn’t do anything for him and only offered empty words. Compared to people close to him who actually acted for his sake, it was obvious which was better for Yuuki.
It wasn’t just the Ayaka incident. The Hinata Arisa incident, the Shinjou Saya incident too.
And if he added everything that had built up until now, calling it merely cold wouldn’t be enough.
He kept his gaze fixed in the direction Kyousuke’s car had driven off in. If he started walking that way, he might still make it in time.
Thoughts like that even came to mind, but he shook his head to drive them away.
He had been relying on Kyousuke and the others too much. That was why he had to handle today’s situation with Saya himself, and he might also have to face this problem on his own.
But no matter what, he didn’t want to face a mother who started everything from suspicion and never believed him.
He dropped his gaze to the ground, let out a long breath, and then turned toward the entrance. He walked past his mother, Aika, and, like always, ran away to his room.
“Niisan.”
Just like with Aika, he didn’t want to hear his sister Rei’s voice either.
He threw his bag into its usual spot and, without doing anything, let himself fall onto the bed.
He didn’t want to think about anything anymore.