"Yui?"
…Who is it?
"Child, it's me—your father!"
Father… have you come to take me away?
"Yui, you have to be a good girl, okay?"
I will. Just don't leave me behind!
"Yui, you must live well. Your mother and I will always be watching over you…"
That voice—Mother! It's Mother's voice!
"Your father and I must go now, Yui. You have to live on for us…"
Their voices were fading, slipping farther and farther away.
No! Don't go! Don't leave me here! Please, please don't leave me, Yui…
"Don't!"
I jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat. My chest heaved as I stared into the darkness. Just a dream… it was only a dream.
Outside the window, the sky was already deep black. Father, Mother… are you really up there watching me?
"Uu… uuh…"
The tears came anyway. I told myself I'd be strong, but words like that are only a kind of self-comfort. The truth is—I still miss them. I miss them so much.
"What's wrong?"
The door suddenly flew open. Akutsu Jin rushed in, his usual brashness replaced with panic when he saw me sobbing, tears streaming down my face. He froze, then spun in place helplessly, not knowing what to do.
"I'm fine… really. It's just… I was thinking about my parents." My voice was barely above a whisper. I didn't know how to ease Akutsu's worry, when I couldn't even comfort myself.
"…Don't think about it anymore. Are you hungry? I'll get you some sushi. The old lady just bought some."
"…Mm."
Not long after, Akutsu came back. In one hand he held a tray of sushi, in the other, a glass of juice—thoughtful in his own awkward way.
"Here."
He set them down by my bed and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
"…Hm?"
"Could you… eat with me?" I didn't want to be alone. Not right now.
He hesitated for a long time, the silence stretching between us.
"…No… no, I can't…"
My head drooped in disappointment.
"…Mm."
And then, without another word, he came back. He dragged over the little stool by my bed and sat down, grabbing a piece of sushi and popping it into his mouth like it was nothing.
With that, I felt safe enough to eat too.
Inside, I made a quiet vow: I'll protect Uncle Akutsu's family. I won't let them ever get hurt.
"Can I… call you Jin-nii?" I asked cautiously. For this half-brother figure in my life, I felt a strange kind of fondness.
"Uh… Y-yeah…" His face turned red instantly.