[Chapter 6-Downwards Spiral]
Taro stared at his phone for a moment before dialing his mother’s number.
The phone rang.
“Taro! Where have you been?” his mother’s voice burst through, filled with concern. “I’ve tried calling you so many times!”
Taro’s voice was cold and sharp. “Really? Do you even care about me?”
“Taro, I do,” his mother said, her tone soft. “I do, son.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me about Dad?!” Taro snapped, his voice rising. “You thought hiding something this big was normal? I always thought Dad was working hard, but no! You put him to sleep way earlier!”
“Taro, please,” she pleaded. “Calm down. I didn’t tell you because it wasn’t the right time.”
Taro’s laugh was bitter. “The right time? Well, now it’s time for me to hang up—not for your shenanigans, but for my own sanity.”
Click.
Taro threw his phone onto the bed and ran his hands through his hair, trembling with anger.
“She thinks this is normal,” he muttered to himself, his thoughts spiraling. “She thinks it’s okay to not tell her son that his beloved father is gone. To her, it’s all just a game. She always used Dad—always—for his money.”
Before he could dwell further, the nurse walked in.
“Izumi-san,” she said hesitantly. “Uh… Kaito is here to take you home.”
Taro looked up, startled. “I’m co—coming.”
The nurse hesitated, sensing his distress. “Is something wrong, sir?”
“NO!” Taro snapped, his voice sharp.
The nurse stepped back, bowing slightly. “I’m sorry, sir.” She turned and left the room.
Taro slumped back into his chair, his thoughts racing. “Home? Hahahaha… home? Do I even have a home? My mother practically sent me to another country, killed my dad while I was gone, and now I’m supposed to return to that? ‘Home,’ she says? What a joke.”
---
Kaito walked in, his expression calm but firm. “Taro, come on. It’s time to go.”
Taro frowned. “Go where?”
“Home,” Kaito replied.
Taro scoffed. “Home? What home? I don’t have a home.”
Kaito looked at him, confused. “What nonsense are you talking about? You still have your mother. Go back to her!”
Taro let out a bitter laugh. “Mother? Mother? That’s a good joke.”
Kaito frowned. “What joke?”
“The one you just made,” Taro said, still laughing. “It’s hilarious.”
Kaito’s tone turned serious. “Taro, are you going crazy? First, you give me that weird paper with some cryptic text, and now you’re talking nonsense.”
“Nonsense?” Taro barked, his voice rising. “I’m talking nonsense now?”
“Yes, you are!” Kaito shot back, his patience wearing thin.
Taro’s expression darkened, his anger bubbling to the surface. “You don’t even know the full story, but you’re already judging me? You used to be the listen first, act later guy. What happened to you?”
Kaito’s frustration matched Taro’s now. “And what happened to you, Taro? You’re not yourself anymore. You’re just a fragment of who you used to be.”
Taro’s eyes blazed. “You want the full story? Fine. You wanna know what happened to me?”
“I do,” Kaito said firmly.
Taro’s voice trembled with fury as he shouted, “MY MOTHER KILLED MY DAD!”
Kaito froze, his eyes widening in shock. “WHAT?!”
---
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