The streets outside the hotel blurred into a haze of neon and passing strangers. Mumu tugged at Shion sleeve, desperate for her to say something.
Mumu (whispering, breathless):
"Who was that, Shion?"
Shion didn't answer. She just kept walking, her steps slow, heavy, dragging her like a ghost through the city. Her eyes looked hollow, her face unreadable— as if her soul had been ripped out and left behind on that street.
Mumu's mouth opened to press again but shut just as quickly. She'd never seen Shion like this— frozen, silent, untouchable.
Later that day, the hotel curtains were drawn tight, shutting out the world. The room was still except for the buzz of a vibrating phone.
Buzz. Buzz.
Mumu:
"Wake up, Shion! Hiroshi's calling."
On the other side of the bed, Shion groaned and rolled away, her face turned into the pillow, her voice muffled but sharp with exhaustion.
Shion (grumbling):
"I don't want to talk on the phone right now."
Her back to Mumu, her body looked like a wall she didn't want climbed.
Mumu (sitting up, frustrated):
"Ugh... who was that woman? Why are you acting like this?"
Silence. Then, in a voice so quiet it almost disappeared into the pillow:
Shion (flat, broken):
"My mother."
The words stabbed the air. Mumu blinked, stunned. Shion sat up finally, dragging herself out of bed. and smacked Mumu's leg with just enough force to say get up too.
Mumu (hesitant, pressing her lips together):
"So... are we leaving?"
Shion nodded slowly, moving like her body weighed a thousand pounds.
The fluorescent light hummed faintly as Shion leaned over the sink. The toothbrush in her mouth trembled as her shoulders did. The foam tasted bitter when it mixed with her tears. She tried to hide her face in the mirror, but the reflection wouldn't let her escape.
Her grip on the sink tightened, her knuckles white. The sound of the toothbrush scraping against her teeth drowned out Mumu's voice.
Mumu (softly from the doorway):
"Hey... calm down. Let's go eat after this, okay?"
But Shion didn't hear her.
Flashback #1 .. A year ago
The hum of the bathroom light blurred into a different light— sunlight pouring through the old living room windows.
Hana (laughing, breathless):
"Mom! Stop!"
Reina's hands wrapped around her waist tickling, spinning, catching her like she was still five years old. Hana shrieked in half-laughter, half-plea.
Hana (laughing, breathless):
"Mom, I'm a teenager! You can't do this anymore!"
Reina (laughing, glowing):
"And I'm so happy my teenager is talking about college!"
She lifted Hana into the air as if she weighed nothing, spinning her, her laughter echoing through the house. Hana's smile beamed, wide and unguarded.
The memory snapped like glass shattering—
The toothbrush clattered into the sink as another memory slammed into her.
Flashback #2 A year ago..
Toru (snickering):
"Tokami, look! She's asleep."
Tokami (grinning):
"Should we dump water on her?"
Maki (gasping, warning):
"Hana! They're going to—"
Cold water splashed over her. Hana's eyes flew open, her gasp filling the room as Toru and Tokami ran off, their laughter bouncing off the walls.
She sat, drenched, frozen, too shy to understand the game.
Maki (kneeling beside her, grinning gently):
"This is where you chase them, dummy. Come on, I'll run with you."
Maki's hand reached. Hana hesitated, then grabbed it. They bolted after boys, their voices overlapping in laughter.
Maki (shouting with her):
"Say you'll get them!"
Hana (laughing, shouting at the top of her lungs):
"I'LL GET YOU GUYS FOR THAT!"
The sound of her own laugh echoed in her head— a laugh that didn't exist anymore.
Back to present..
Shion's grip on the sink loosened. Her reflection blurred through tears as she whispered hoarsely:
Shion (to herself, barely audible):
"I hate you Toru..."
Mumu clapped her hands loudly, snapping her out of it.
Mumu (sharp, exasperated):
"Earth to fucking Shion!"
The toothbrush dropped. The silence swallowed them both. Shion wiped her face roughly with the back of her hand, but her eyes gave her away..
Meanwhile at home with Toru..
The bathroom mirror fogs from the shower steam, and Toru stands shirtless, water droplets still sliding down his neck, hair damp and messy. His chain dangles low on his chest, catching the dim light. His joggers hang loosely on his hips, sharp likes of his waist tapering into that dangerous V. The black ink of the rose tattoo near his waist almost looks alive in the steam.
Toru leans forward, starting at himself with dark, heavy eyes. His jaw clenches, his breath shallow.
Toru (muttering):
"Why the hell am I thinking about her again? ... I never thought of her this much."
He shakes his head hard, as if he could shake her out of his skull. His hand grips the sink.
He pulls out a cigarette, lighting it while covering the fire with both hands before inhaling and about to exhale, he quickly puts out the cigarette hearing his mother footsteps.
When he steps out, he bumps shoulders with Hitomi in the hall way.
Hitomi (narrow eyes, flat tone):
"Thinking of who?"
Toru (avoiding her gaze):
"...Akari. Kaedi. Is the food done yet?"
Hitomi (cold, brushing past):
"Yeah. Go get dressed."
She leaves him standing there, shoulders tense. He sighs, running a hand through his wet hair, before heading toward his room.
At his beside table sits the necklace he bought Hana. The small silver charm glimmers faintly. Toru stares down at it, lips pressing tight, before reaching to pick it up—then hesitating, pulling back, grabbing it anyway.
His thumbs run over the charm.
And thats when it hits him—
A flashback.
The world booms with color. The group of teenagers stand in a wide open field under the night sky, stars sharp above them. The air sways with tall grass and wildflowers. The wind catches Hana's hair, brushing it across her face.
Maki (teasing):
"You like flowers, Hana?"
Hana bites her lip nervously, then gives a small smile, eyes down at her sneakers.
Hana (softly):
"Mm...it's kind of cliche, but... roses. I like roses."
Maki grins and shoots a look at Toru.
Toru chuckles, then suddenly bolts into the flower field. Hana blinks, confused.
Hana:
"...Toru?"
For a few seconds, he disappears completely, then he reemerges, hair messy, a rose between his teeth, and that wild grin plastered across his face.
Hana freezes. The smile that tugs at her lips feel involuntary, her cheeks heating until she looks away.
In that exact second... she knew.. that was when her heart betrayed her.
She turns to tell Tokami and Maki something— but they've vanished.
Hana laughs nervously, spinning around.
Suddenly, the two of them pop up from behind a bush, each with roses in their mouths too.
Tokami, Maki, Toru (together, grinning):
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HANA!"
They all laughed that night but that was the beginning of her one sided crush..
Toru blinks, pulled back to reality. A single tear slips down, but he catches it with the back of his hand, frustrated.
He grabs his hoodie, but the fabric feels heavy in his palms. Even his hoodie carries her ghost.
Hana's soft laughter fills the room in Toru's mind.
We shift to a warm kitchen, faint yellow lighting, cake batter everywhere. Toru and Maki like idiots, smearing frosting all over each other.
On the couch, Hana watches shyly, hugging her knees, lips curving upward even though she tries to hide it.
Toru notices her. His grin sharpens.
Toru (teasing):
"Don't just sit there, Hana."
He rushes over, smearing cake across her cheek, pinning her gently back against the couch.
Hana (laughing nervously):
"H-hey! Stop! I... I have the go home, remember?"
Tokami randomly sits up off the couch, the cover covering his whole body and face the whole time, he looks over at Hana and teases her.
Tokami:
"It's okay to take a joke from us, we aren't any harm. Make yourself at home."
Tokami said before flopping his upper body back down and covering his face with the blanket, then immediately yawning and positioning himself to get comfortable.
Hana gaze goes from Tokami back to Toru, her laughter dies when she realizes how close he is—his abs flashing when he lifts his shirt to take off hoodie.
Toru catches himself, guilt flickering in his eyes. He steps back quickly, offering the hoodie to her.
Toru (soft, almost apologetic):
"Here... wear this. Cover up. I'm sorry."
Hana looks up at him—smiling anyway—and accepts it. She slips into the oversized hoodie, drowning in it.
Maki, arms crossed, smirks from the kitchen doorway.
Maki (mocking):
"Where were you looking Hana?"
Toru's ears go red. He shakes his head furiously where Hana can't see, then bolts over to shove Maki, both of them laughing it off.
Maki (serious, whisper):
"If you don't like her... then i'll get her."
Toru freezes, swallowing hard, before whispering back.
Toru (conflicted):
"I don't know how to feel.. I think I like her but.. she just seems so uncomfortable and shy around me."
Maki:
"I suggest just stay friends until you see her mad at you for the first time."
Maki said before patting Toru on the shoulder and resuming to decorate the cake.
Toru:
"But she's never been angry. Through these past 8 months we've known her and you first approached her, she never has gotten mad at either of us."
Maki just shrugs with a fake frown on his devious face before writing happy birthday with the icing.
The flashback shatters like glass, and Toru is left standing in his dim room, the hoodie heavy in his hand. His chest feels tight.
He throws on another shirt quickly and storms out before the memories can suffocate him further.
The camera follows him into the kitchen, where Tokami, Maki, Akari, and Kaedi sit laughing, voices overlapping like ordinary teenagers. Their world is light, noisy, careless.
But Toru's face—shadowed, hunted— carries the weight of memories no one else can see.
Meanwhile with Shion and Mumu..
Shion sits in the back of the taxi, lipstick smeared at fhe corner of her mouth, breathing uneven, eyes glossed over but burning with fire. Her chest rises and falls like she contain the hatred inside her. She stares out the window at the blurry streetlights flying past, her reflection in the glass looking less like herself and more like a stranger.
Her jaw clenches until it aches.
Her fists curl tight in her lap. Her nails dig crescent moons into her skin. Her eyebrows sharpen like a glare that looks carved out of stone.
Shion (low, cold, almost inhuman):
"Let me out."
The drivers eyes flicker up to the mirror, startled at the frost in her voice. Mumu whips her head toward her, confusion painting her face
Mumu:
"Shion?What's—"
But Shion doesn't wait. She throws the door open, one red heel hitting the wet pavement first. The click of it against the sidewalk echoes sharp in the night air like a gunshot. She steps out, her coat swaying around her legs like blood-stained wings, and starts walking fast, mechanical, unstoppable.
Mumu scrambles out after her, stumbling to catch up.
Mumu (panting):
"Hey! Where are you going? Whats wrong with you?"
Shion doesn't answer. Her face is locked forward, every step angrier than the last. Her hatred is so heavy it feels like smoke rolling off her body.
And then—her mind shatters into the past.
Yes another flashback, a year ago.
The night is pitch black except for the silver bleed of moonlight on the waves. Hana stumbles through the sand, barefoot, stripped down to her underwear. Her hair sticks wet to her face, tangled, her mascara streaking.
She collapses near the shoreline, the waves crawling to kiss her knees. She sobs so hard her body shakes, as if she could vomit out her heart. Her nails scratch at her arms, her stomach, red streaks appearing under her skin.
Toru voice slices through her skull.
"You aren't my type."
Her mother voice overlaps, jagged.
"I didn't ask to give birth to you."
Another sneer joins in, faceless.
"Boring."
Voices. Voices. Voices. All of them piling, circling, suffocating.
Hana clutches her head, screaming into the salt air.
She drags herself to her feet, staggering toward the black water. The first touch of ocean shocks her—ice, sharp— but she keeps walking. One step. Another. Another. The waves rise to her thighs, her waist.
Hana (whispering, trembling):
"It's all over. I won't disturb your lives anymore."
She shuts her eyes. Lets the water take her.
Back in the present.
Shion jerks forward on the sidewalk, her breath catching like she's drowning all over again. She grips something in her coat pocket—cold steel. The knife digs into her palm as if asking for blood.
Shion (whisper, shaking)
"I want revenge."
And then a voice. Not her own. Low, guttural, almost seductive.
Voice in her head:
"Kill him."
Shion gasps, eye wide, pupils blown. The sound of it repeats and repeats, bouncing around in her skull until it drowns out everything.
"Kill him."
"Kill him."
"Kill him."
Shion drops to her knees, the concrete tearing her stockings. Her scream rips through the street— raw, violent, animalistic. She claws at her head like she's drowning could tear the voice out.
Shion (screaming):
"Stop. STOP IT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
Mumu freezes, her face torn between horror and embarrassment as strangers start to stare. But she rushes forward anyway, landing down beside her.
Mumu:
"Shion! What the hell's happening?!"
Shion thrashes, fists hitting the ground, her voice breaking.
Shion (screeching):
"Kill him. KILL HIM! KILL HIM!
Mumu grabs her shoulders, shaking her desperate.
Mumu:
"Who?! Shion, WHO?!"
_____________________________________
End of chapter 4