I was just a twelve-year-old boy, sitting alone in my room, staring at the cracked ceiling above me.
One question kept circling in my mind, over and over again—Why am I so different?
It wasn't like I hadn't tried to fit in. I had. I really had. But no matter what I did, people looked through me, past me… like I didn't exist. Acceptance was something I had only heard about, never felt.
Even at home, it wasn't much different.
My father barely spoke to me unless it was to criticize something. And the silence between us felt heavier than any words he could've said. As for my mother… she wasn't perfect, but she was the only person who ever gave me something—anything.
Food.
It sounds small, but to me, it meant everything.I never got toys. Never got praise. Never got warmth.But she made sure I didn't starve.
And somehow… that was enough for me to hold on to.
But last week… everything changed.
She was admitted to the ICU.
The moment I heard those words, it felt like the ground beneath me disappeared. I didn't have time to think, to cry, to even understand. I had to act. I had to survive.
I dropped out of seventh grade the very next day.
A kid like me shouldn't have to think about hospital bills. But life doesn't care about what should happen. It just happens.
And then… as if things weren't already falling apart…
My father died.
Just like that.
No warning. No goodbye. Nothing.
One moment he was there, and the next, he wasn't.
It didn't even feel real. It still doesn't.
Sitting there, in that small, suffocating room, with the silence pressing in on me, I didn't know what I was supposed to feel. Sadness? Anger? Relief?
All I felt was… empty.
Then the phone rang.
The sharp sound cut through the silence like a blade.
I stared at it for a moment before picking it up.
"Hello?" My voice came out quieter than I expected.
A woman spoke from the other end, her tone calm—but too calm.
"Is this Kyoren Hisakage?"
"Yes," I replied, my grip tightening around the receiver.
There was a brief pause.
"Good. Your mother wants to see you."
My heart skipped.
Then she continued.
"And… please try to stay strong. She is on her deathbed."
For a second, everything went silent.
"What…?" I whispered.
But I didn't wait for an answer.
I dropped the phone, grabbed my bag without thinking, and ran.
I ran out of the house, into the harsh afternoon sun of Chizunai City. The heat hit me instantly, but I didn't slow down. My legs moved on their own, carrying me forward as fast as they could.
Deathbed.
The word echoed in my mind with every step.
"No… no… no…" I muttered under my breath.
She couldn't leave. Not now. Not like this.
I ran past crowded streets, past strangers who didn't notice me, past everything that didn't matter. My breath grew heavy, my chest burned, and sweat blurred my vision—but I kept going.
Because if I stopped… even for a second…
I was afraid I'd be too late.
Finally, through the blur, I saw it.
The hospital.
Jupiter Hospital.
The tall building stood ahead of me, cold and distant, like it didn't care about the lives inside it. Like it had seen too many endings to feel anything anymore.
I slowed down as I reached the gate.
My legs trembled.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I tried to catch my breath.
For a moment… I couldn't move.
Fear wrapped around me, tightening with every heartbeat.
If I walked inside… everything might change.
If I walked inside… I might lose the only person who ever gave me anything.
I stood there, frozen between hope and dread.
Then, clenching my fists, I took a step forward.