Haruta came out of the bath. Rei and Sera had finished setting up the bed. Alya was watching TV, trying not to look at Haruta. Haruta walked in, looked at her, and asked,
"What're you watching, Alya?"
Alya, still avoiding his eyes, replied,
"I-I'm watching Tomo-chan Is a Girl."
Haruta walked away smiling.
Everyone was about to sleep. Sera and Alya were on one side, and a bit further away were Haruta and Rei.
The lights were off when Sera asked,
"Hey Haruta, mind if I ask something?"
"No, go ahead," Haruta said, staring at the ceiling.
"I wanted to ask... I've never seen your parents. Even during parent-teacher meetings, only your grandma shows up."
Haruta sighed.
"It's a long story."
"We've got plenty of time," Alya added, looking at him.
"...And y'know, I heard that recorder."
This time, Haruta stayed calm.
"Oh, I see. I kinda knew you were gonna listen to that."
Rei and Sera shouted,
"You hid a recorder?!"
"Yeah, I did," Alya admitted.
"It was around the time those incidents started happening... even my parents began to avoid me. At first, they were just distant—both always working. They'd come home, eat whatever the maid made, and go straight to sleep. No 'how was your day?', no 'did you eat?'—not even that anymore."
"Then came my birthday. My mom texted, 'Haruta, I know it's been hard on you... we'll celebrate your birthday together.' And for a second, I actually believed her. I smiled. I thought—finally, maybe things are turning around."
"I waited. And waited. She never came home."
"Then... another text: 'Sorry son, something came up.'"
"I sat there, in that quiet room... a burnt cake I'd baked myself, with some cheap cream slapped on top, pretending it was enough."
"I pulled out my phone—just to distract myself. And what do I see?"
The room fell silent. Like even the air didn't dare interrupt.
"She went to a girls-only party with her friends... and even posted pictures on social media."
"I was heartbroken. I thought I didn't deserve happiness."
"Later, they told me to move on, using some clearly fake excuse. I did—because I felt like a burden. I moved out."
"My new place was empty. Just a bed, a small fridge, and a wardrobe. That's it."
"They sent me money every month—just enough for rent and essentials. No calls. No texts. Just that monthly transfer."
"I never tried reaching out either. Then one month, the money got cut. Just enough to pay rent. No food money."
"And I knew it wasn't because of money. My family was rich. I had to work part-time jobs at stores just to eat."
"After three years, someone rang my doorbell. It was my grandmother. My parents were behind her."
"She wanted them to take me back. They refused."
"A huge argument broke out. My grandmother fought for me and eventually took me home."
"My parents didn't even look at me. Not a single word."
"I moved in with my grandma, who was financially stable—more than stable, honestly. My grandfather was rich."
"For the first time in almost three years, I ate cooked food. No instant noodles."
"She smiled and said, 'Eat up, young man.'"
"I was so happy."
"Since then, I've been living with her in a big house, just her and some maids."
---
"That's so rough, bro," Rei said, looking at him.
"That must've been so hard—living alone in an empty apartment for three years," Sera added.
"Your grandma sounds really nice," Alya said softly.
Haruta smiled.
"Yeah, she really is."
--to be continued
-~Rei