White froze at the sound of the voice.
"Hey! Look where you're going, boy!" the woman snapped, irritation lacing her tone as she brushed past him.
His chest tightened. That voice…
"Tsk… kids these days are so stupid," she muttered under her breath as she walked away.
White's heartbeat pounded violently, each thump echoing in his ears. His breaths grew shallow, his vision blurring as if the world had tilted.
'Why was she here… in this town? In this hospital?'
'Did she not recognize him?'
He clenched his fists, fighting the unease crawling under his skin.
'No… I had to know.'
---
When he turned to follow her, she was gone. Panic gripped him, but then, from the corner of his eye, he saw her slip into a room.
Miku's room.
White crept closer, pressing himself against the wall, and peeked through the narrow gap in the door.
"Mom! You can't do this to Sis!" Miku's voice cracked, sharp with desperation.
'…Mom?'
White's blood ran cold.
'Did Miku just call her mom?'
'The "stepmother" Shu's grandmother had mentioned… it was her?'
A hollow ache spread through his chest, sharp and suffocating.
'So… after abandoning me, she had found herself a new family. She erased me from her life. She started over.'
'It hurt. But I couldn't blame her, could I? Finding happiness wasn't a sin.'
'But if she is Shu's stepmother… then she was also the one who had been abusing her.'
The thought stabbed deeper than any knife.
---
Inside, the tension was thick enough to choke on.
Miku argued fiercely with her mother, her voice trembling, but the woman remained cold and unmoved. Shu stood silently, her hands gripping the edge of the hospital bed, trembling as though the ground beneath her was crumbling.
And then—
"Enough!" the woman roared, turning toward Shu. Her hand shot up, and before anyone could react—
SLAP!
The sharp sound cracked through the room. Shu staggered, her body collapsing onto the floor.
"M-Mom, stop!" Miku cried, rushing to her sister's side.
White couldn't take it anymore. His body moved before his mind caught up. He threw the door open.
---
The woman—his mother—froze when she saw him. Her eyes widened for a split second before narrowing into a calculating glare. She knew. She realized he had seen everything.
Shu lifted her head weakly, her lips trembling. "Wh-White…?"
"Brother White!" Miku's voice cracked, half-relief, half-despair.
His mother tried to walk past him, but White stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"What? Move," she ordered, her tone dripping with authority.
"No." His voice was steady despite the storm raging inside him. "You need to apologize. To Shu. And to Miku."
Her eyebrows twitched. A cold smirk touched her lips.
"Apologize?" she repeated, as though the word was foreign. "Why would I apologize? Did I do something wrong?"
White's jaw clenched. "Hitting her like that is wrong. What you're doing is nothing but violence."
She turned slowly to face Shu, her sharp eyes burning like blades.
"Shu…" she said softly, almost sweetly. "Tell me… is your mother doing something wrong?"
Miku gasped. "Big sis… don't…"
Shu lowered her gaze, her fists trembling. Then, in a small, cold voice, she said,
"…No. You're doing the right thing, Mother."
White's stomach dropped.
"Shu…!" he started, but his mother's voice cut him like glass.
"If she denies it," she said smoothly, "then your accusations are nothing but lies. And for that… you owe me an apology."
His teeth ground together so hard it hurt.
'Why couldn't Shu speak up?'
But he saw it—the lifeless look in her eyes. The fear. The resignation.
He couldn't force her to fight if she didn't believe she could.
Helpless, White stepped aside as his mother walked past him without another glance.
---
Inside the room, Shu knelt, brushing the dust from her clothes with trembling hands. White moved to help her, but she stopped him, bowing her head.
"Maybe… you should go," she said softly. Then, forcing herself to smile, she whispered, "Everything Mother said… I apologize for it."
"Shu…" White's throat tightened. "You don't need to apologize! You need to raise your voice! If you don't—"
But then he saw her face.
The Shu he knew—the one who laughed and joked with Miku just minutes ago—was gone. Her expression was pale, empty… like a doll with its strings cut.
White swallowed hard, his chest burning, and forced himself to take a step back.
Before leaving, he said firmly, "What you're doing right now is wrong and it will break you completely, Shu. But… before you shatter completely…"
He took a deep breath and smiled faintly, forcing confidence into his voice.
"…I promise I'll save you. Somehow."
Turning to Miku, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Miku, take care of your sister. No matter what."
Miku wiped her tears, nodding quickly. "Of course! And don't forget, Big sis… no matter what happens, I'll be there for you too."
Shu's shoulders trembled. And for the first time that day, White saw the tiniest, fragile smile on her face even it was fake.
---
The walk back to his apartment felt endless. His thoughts spun like a storm he couldn't control.
Mom. Shu. Miku. That slap. That lifeless look in Shu's eyes.
He clenched his fists, replaying every moment, every word, every helpless second.
What was his next move?
He had planned to confront Shu's stepmother eventually, but this changed everything.
By the time he reached his apartment, his head was pounding. He stopped at the door, taking a deep breath to compose himself. But before he could enter, he froze.
Two familiar figures were standing outside his room.
"Zen…?" White blinked. "Aris…?"
Aris spotted him first and tugged at her brother's sleeve. "Zen, there he is!" she said brightly.
Zen turned, hands in his pockets, his usual calm smile in place. "Yo," he greeted casually, as if this were his place, not White's.
White raised an eyebrow. "Uh… do you both want something from me?" He pointed at himself, confused.
Zen tilted his head slightly. "What do you think we're here for?"
Aris puffed her cheeks, bouncing on her heels. "Obviously, we came here to help!"
"Help?" White repeated blankly. "What help? I didn't ask for any help."
"Yeah," Aris said with a grin, "but someone else did."
White frowned. "Someone else…?"
A soft, composed voice came from behind him.
"Because I asked them to join."
He turned sharply and found Luna standing there, her expression unreadable as always.
"…You?" he asked. "Why—"
Before he could finish, Luna cut him off with her usual calmness.
"Just like before," she said, walking past him gracefully, "I want my tea. Make sure the temperature's exactly right."
"Wha—" White blinked. "Tea? That's why you're here?"
"Ooh! I want orange juice!" Aris jumped in cheerfully.
"Then I'll have tea too," Zen added with a small smirk.
White stared at all three of them, deadpan. "What is this, a café now? Do I have a sign on my door saying free drinks for everyone?!"
Aris giggled, Zen chuckled under his breath, and Luna… didn't even flinch.
Sighing in defeat, White unlocked the door and stepped aside.
Aris and Zen immediately made themselves at home, heading straight for the living room like they owned the place. But as Luna passed him at the entrance, she leaned in close, her breath brushing against his ear.
"Is Bell… alright?" she whispered.
White stiffened.
'So that was why she was really here.'
"Yeah," he said quickly, forcing a smile he didn't feel. "A good doctor checked her. She's fine. She… went to play in the park," he added jokingly.
He avoided Luna's gaze deliberately, knowing full well he couldn't tell her about Aisha. Not yet.
"Hm." Luna narrowed her eyes, studying him for a long, quiet moment. Her expression didn't change, but White could tell she didn't believe him. Still, she didn't push further. For now.
---
Inside, Aris was already sprawled on the couch, humming to herself, while Zen stood by the window, scanning the view outside as if searching for something.
"You know," White said, walking toward them, "you could have called before barging in."
Zen glanced over his shoulder, his tone light but his eyes sharp.
"And miss your priceless reaction? No thanks."
White rolled his eyes. "You're impossible."
Aris waved her hand lazily. "Come on, White, don't be so grumpy. We're here to help, remember?"
"Help with what, exactly?" White crossed his arms.
Before she could answer, Luna's calm voice floated from the kitchen.
"With… the Shu situation."