Chapter 15: I Heard Him Cry Through the Door
Yumi didn't hear from Akiro that morning.
Not unusual.
But something felt wrong.
His last message — sent past midnight — sat in her inbox like a bad omen:
Akiro: "If anything happens, don't come looking for me."
She replied instantly.
Yumi: "What the hell does that mean?"
No answer.
After school, she went to his apartment.
Fourth floor. Right side. The one with the cracked window.
She'd only been there once before — from a distance.
Today, she walked up to the door and knocked.
No answer.
She knocked again. Harder.
"Akiro?"
Still nothing.
Then she heard it.
Thud.
A low crash.
Muffled voices. Slurred. Angry.
Then a sound she couldn't mistake:
Whimpering.
Her heart stopped.
She pressed her ear to the door.
"…You think you're too good for this now?""—just a stupid freak—""—always looking at me like that—"
Smash.
Glass?
Her breath hitched.
Then—
A choked sob.
Akiro's voice.
Low. Broken. Helpless.
Like a child remembering what pain sounds like.
She grabbed her phone. Dialed Reiko.
"Call the police," she said, shaking. "I'm at Akiro's. Hurry."
Then she did what she always swore she wouldn't do:
She tried the door.
It was unlocked.
The apartment was chaos.
Cigarette smoke. Empty bottles. Broken dishes.
A man stood in the living room — tall, slouched, eyes bloodshot, belt loose around one hand.
Akiro was in the corner.
On the floor.
Bleeding.
Face bruised. Arms covering his head.
He looked up just as she stepped in.
"Yumi—!"
The man turned.
Saw her.
"You brought a girl here?"
She didn't wait.
She ran.
Straight to Akiro.
Threw herself between them.
The man lunged.
But she shouted, voice cracking:
"Touch him and I swear to God I'll scream so loud the whole damn block hears it!"
That made him pause.
Not because he feared her.
Because she wasn't afraid.
Not of him.
Not of anything.
And outside—sirens.
Police.
Flashing blue.
The world collapsed.
And Akiro?
He just stared at her.
Like she was a miracle he didn't deserve.
Hours later.
The man was gone.
The apartment empty.
Yumi sat on the floor beside him.
Wrapped his hand in her scarf.
Held his head on her shoulder like he might fall apart if she let go.
He whispered, voice barely there:
"…You shouldn't have come."
She whispered back:
"I'll always come."
End of Season 1