The train rattled along, but Harumi barely noticed.She breathed like an angry bull, her light coat fluttering in the freezing wind blowing through the automatic doors.
When she stepped off at the station in the neighboring city — her old city — she was:
Out of breath;Her bangs stuck to her forehead;Sweating like she'd just run a marathon;
AND SOMEHOW STILL FREEZING IN AUGUST?! HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK?!
— OH MY GOD…
She bolted through the streets, ignoring the stares and nearly tripping over her own feet.
She reached the hospital.
Shaking.
And almost dramatically fainted at the automatic entrance.
— Ma'am, are you alright? — the security guard asked.
— NO!!! — she yelled, and rushed inside anyway.
Harumi slammed her hands on the reception desk.
— MISS!! Please!! I need to find… this woman!! — she showed the name on the medical document.
The receptionist looked.
Read it.
And instantly made that "oh… this is complicated" face.
Harumi braced herself for the worst.
— She's… still admitted here, right?
The receptionist nodded.
— Yes. But… she doesn't accept visitors.
Harumi blinked.
— What do you mean?— She doesn't accept any visitors. She refuses them all.— ALL OF THEM?!— Yes. For many years now.
Harumi felt her stomach twist…
WITH RAGE.
— But… do you know if she knows a boy… Takeru? He must have come here.
The receptionist turned the monitor slightly and sighed deeply.
— Unfortunately… I know exactly who you mean.
She pulled out a sheet of paper.
Harumi looked.
A visitor log from over the years.
Every single line had the same name.
Takeru.Takeru.Takeru.Takeru.
Harumi swallowed hard.
— He… always came?
— Every month. Sometimes every week. He would sit right here… — she pointed to the empty chair in the lobby — …waiting for hours, even knowing he wouldn't be allowed in.
Harumi gripped the paper, her chest tightening.
— And… did he ever get to see her?
The receptionist's expression turned bitter.
— No. She rejected all of his visits too.
Harumi froze.
Her eyes went wide.
A deadly silence fell.
For about five seconds.
— WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!
The receptionist jumped.
Harumi leaned over the counter like a possessed maternal demon.
— WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE REJECTED TAKERU?! THE KID SAT HERE EVERY WEEK?? AND SHE SAID NO?! DIDN'T LET HIM IN?!
The receptionist, panicking:
— M-Ma'am… please try to stay calm—
— STAY CALM MY FOOT!!!! WHERE'S THIS WOMAN'S ROOM?!?!?!
The receptionist glanced around nervously.
— I-It's on the seventh flo—
Harumi was already running.
The Ascent of Fury — Harumi vs. Seven Floors
She took the stairs.
Not the elevator.
THE. STAIRS.
Running like an Olympic athlete possessed by pure rage.
First floor.Second.Third.Fourth.
— I… AM… GONNA… GET… YOU… YOU… HEARTLESS—
Fifth.Sixth.
At this point she looked like a drenched dog having an existential crisis.
Seventh.
She reached the door.
Tried the handle.
Locked.
She took a deep breath.
— Okay… Harumi. Breathe. You're an adult. You're rational. You can talk calmly and politely ask her to ope—
KICK.
The door slammed against the wall.
The room smelled like medicine… and silence.
Sitting on the bed, back turned, was her:
Their mother.Name: Mizuki Kobayashi.Cold.Still.Her face hidden in the shadow by the window.
Without even looking back, she said:
— Leave.
Harumi stood there.
Sweaty, cap crooked, coat open, eyes blazing with pure outrage.
She stepped forward.
The woman repeated, even colder:
— Get out.
And then—
Harumi exploded.
Literally.
If this were anime, there'd be flames behind her.
— OH NO!!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! YOU ARE GOING TO LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY, YOU HUMAN ICE CUBE!!
The woman finally turned, annoyed.
Harumi pointed a shaking finger.
— HOW DO YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO LET YOUR SON COME HERE EVERY WEEK AND STILL REFUSE TO SEE HIM?!?!?!
The mother frowned.
— That boy is not my son.
For one second Harumi froze, wondering if she'd barged into the wrong room…
Then remembered she hadn't.
— NOT YOUR SON?! Takeru and Mei ARE your children! And Takeru works SO HARD to take care of Mei — and still comes here to see you!
Mizuki turned back to the window, indifferent.
— I don't care. And don't repeat those names.
Harumi clenched her teeth.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
A guard shouted, out of breath, while nurses and patients openly watched the confrontation with the so-called "coldest woman in Japan":
— Miss?! Miss, you're not allowed to be in here!!
Harumi didn't even hear him.
She was internally on fire.
— Just tell me… why? I don't even know HOW… but Takeru still loves you. AND YOU DO THIS TO HIM?!
The woman closed her eyes.
— Stop bothering me with this. Leave, annoying woman.
Harumi stepped forward.
And just like that—
The chapter ends.
Harumi standing.Burning with rage.The mother cold as stone.The tension so heavy even the hospital itself seemed to hold its breath.