Thank you everyone for the comments!


Chapter 3– Did you trade it for something somewhere?


Makoto glanced at himself in the mirror, grimacing.

It was all so… orange.

His new bright orange construction vest fit a little tightly over his chest. He wore an old, thick sweatshirt underneath and old jeans with work gloves tucked into his back pocket.

This is completely different than a suit, Makoto thought. He tried to smile at himself despite the ache in his chest. At least I don't have to tie a tie.

He took a deep breath and tugged on the vest one last time before leaving the bathroom.

"Ran, Ren!" Makoto called as he headed down the hall towards the front door. "We'll be leaving soon, so hurry up, okay? I want to get there—"

Makoto stopped in his tracks when he got to the living room.

Ren was waiting by the front door, already clad in his school uniform and his backpack on his back. His socked foot gently toed at his shoes that were sitting crookedly on the genkan.

"Ren?" Makoto called, cocking his head.

Ren startled at the doorway, head whipping around to see his older brother standing at the edge of the living room. Makoto could now see his puffy eyes and the dark circles that cradled them. Had he been crying again?

"Onii-chan," Ren greeted, his voice a little raspy. "G-Good morning."

Makoto blinked. "Ah… good morning. You're, uh… you're ready to go?"

Ren nodded mutely, his brown eyes dulled and his lips pulled into a tight line. His hands gripped the straps of his full backpack as he stared at his older brother.

"Is, uh…" Makoto scratched his cheek. "Is everything okay, Ren?"

Ren hesitated, blinking slowly before putting on a crooked smile. He nodded and then lowered his gaze back down to his shoes, waiting patiently.

Makoto's brows creased and he opened his mouth to speak, wanting to ask more, but he felt a nudge on his arm that pulled his eyes from the front door.

"I'm ready, too, Onii-chan!" Ran announced proudly as she gestured towards her school uniform.

Makoto smiled and nodded. "I can see that, Ran," he added, thankful his siblings were ready on time. "Do you guys have your bentos?"

Ren nodded from the genkan, holding up his green-wrapped bento, while Ran held up her red one.

Makoto nodded fondly, feeling the ache in his chest dull into a soft hum, and he headed back into the kitchen. He opened up the pantry and frowned. The barren shelves stared back at him in mild mockery, and the ache in his chest returned, along with a twist of hunger from his stomach.

With a heavy sigh, Makoto raked his hand through his hair. He knew there was some leftover chicken left in the fridge, along with a few veggies. He would just have to eat a few granola bars until he could go shopping. But he could not go shopping until he got his first pay, which he was still unsure of when exactly that would be and Ran and Ren needed their dinner and lunch and breakfast—

"Onii-chan?" Ran called from the front door.

Makoto jumped and slammed the pantry doors shut. He whirled around, quickly heading back to the front door and he put on a smile and rubbed the back of his head.

"Right, right," Makoto said. "Let's go."


"Okay, Tachibana. We're not gonna make you do any climbing or anything today since you have no experience. But we do have plenty of other jobs for you to do."

Makoto stood in front of his new boss in the cold work trailer. He remembered thinking about putting on an extra t-shirt to layer up, but he decided against it because the weatherman said it would be warmer today.

The weatherman lied.

So Makoto stood shivering in the trailer while his new boss handed him a yellow hard-hat and pointed out the window.

"There are about 200 bags of concrete mix that need to go to the mixer. Unfortunately, the delivery truck dumped them all on the opposite side of the site. Your first job today is to haul those bags over to the mixer on the other side of the site and pour them into the mixer if needed," his boss said.

Makoto puffed out a breath and nodded, placing the hard-hat onto his head.

"You remember the safety rules, right?" his boss asked, folding his arms across his chest. He continued before Makoto could answer. "You need to stay safe and keep your hard-hat on at all times. Don't go past the yellow tape; you're not needed there. If you see any falling objects, warn people immediately."

Makoto gulped and nodded, tugging on his orange vest.

"You'll get your first pay until Friday, even though it won't be much," his boss added, rubbing the back of his neck. "But it'll be something. Okay, I think that's it. Any questions?"

Makoto opened and shut his mouth like a gaping fish until he just decided to shake his head. His boss seemed pleased and gave him a curt nod towards the door.

"Okay. Get to work."

Makoto gave a quick bow and then turned to leave the work trailer, stepping out into the cold air.

Boy, it was cold for fall.

He pulled on his thin work gloves—he could already feel his fingers turning raw from the cold—and headed out to where the bags of cement were resting. He eyed where the mixer was, roughly a good distance on the other side of the construction site.

After another quick glance back and forth, Makoto clapped his hands together and huffed out a quick breath of air, kneeling down to grab one of the bags. He hoisted the bag—Wow, this is heavy. Why didn't he mention how heavy these were?!—over his shoulder and started his trek across the site, dodging other workers with wheelbarrows and shovels.

After a few more heavy steps, Makoto finally reached the large, red mixer and plopped the bag of cement down on the ground with a dull thud. He heaved and stood up straight, feeling the slight strain on his back.

Lift with your legs, Makoto remembered his high school basketball coach telling him at weight training day. Not with your back.

"Yeah, yeah…" Makoto mumbled in response to his coach's words bouncing off in his head.

With another deep breath through his nose, Makoto turned back to walk to the other side of the construction site to grab another bag.

As he headed back towards the bags, there was a particular construction worker beyond the yellow tape lifting up a jackhammer from the ground and fixing it into place.

Makoto had not given it any thought until the man turned the jackhammer on.

A loud, banging noise immediately erupted from the ground, piercing Makoto's ears and instantly rattling his brain. He stopped in his tracks, wincing, and lifted a hand to his head, his hand fumbling when he felt the helmet covering his hair.

It's so loud, Makoto thought. It's so…

"We're so proud of you."

"We love you very—"

The loud crash.

The spinning of the world around him.

The bang, bang, bang of a car rolling and rolling until it skidded off the road and…

And his world was a blurry, upside-down picture.

"Ah, ouch," Makoto grumbled, massaging his head where it hurt the most. "It hurts…"

"Oi, newbie."

Makoto snapped his head up, realizing that the jackhammer had suddenly been turned off. He glanced around to see that the man on the jackhammer was now looking at him with a bored expression, save for the cocked brow.

"You okay?" he asked, taking a moment to wipe off his brow.

Makoto blinked at him, his eyes still slightly swirling from the sharp pain that pulsed in his head. He nodded and gave a quick bow.

"Yeah, sorry!" Makoto apologized and hurried off to the bags on the other end of the site before the man could respond.

You can do this, you can do this, Makoto told himself as he knelt down to grab another bag. Do it for Ran and Ren.

He pulled the bag over his shoulder and trudged across the construction site.


"Oi, we need those orders out right away!"

"Get those boxes out of the way!"

"We've got three new orders!"

…He's late.

"Man, the stock room is a mess. I can't find a thing in there!"

"You think we can find someone to organize all that crap?"

"Don't get any of the waiters to do it. They're lazy."

"Hey! We're not that lazy! C'mon, Haru-chan, tell them!"

He's usually passed by here by now.

So why hasn't he walked by, yet?

"Haru-chan?"

He seemed stressed the last time we spoke.

I think… he was crying.

"Helloooo, earth to Haru-chan!"

Did… something happen?

"Haru-chaaaaan!"

Haru snapped out of his reverie, his eyes drawn to the side to see magenta eyes staring back at him.

Nagisa stood on the other side of the pick-up table in the kitchen, across from Haru. His black waiter's apron was askew over his hips and his sleeves were wrinkled. His lips were pursed and his head was cocked to one side as he stared at him.

"Hey, Haru-chan, you were spacing out again!" Nagisa said with a pout.

"Nagisa-kun, please be more respectful towards our boss."

Haru watched as Rei, one of the main hosts, walked next to Nagisa with a few menus in his hands. He glanced at Haru through his red glasses, his hand coming up to adjust them.

"Is everything all right, Nanase-san?" Rei asked.

Haru frowned and stared at Rei in slight disapproval.

"You can just call me 'Haru.' And everything is fine," Haru said, turning back to his dish. He put the finishing garnishes on the plate and then placed the order on the pick-up line, calling out to the waiter for the order.

"You were staring out the front windows again," Nagisa pointed out, and Haru felt his lip tug slighty in annoyance.

"Again? Did someone break your sign again, Nanas… H-Haruka…san?" Rei asked, fidgeting as he finally managed to spit out Haru's name.

Haru sighed at the name and shook his head.

"No, it's not broken again," Haru answered.

"Did you ever find the guy who broke it?" Nagisa asked, his eyes wide. He leaned forward, almost jumping up onto the counter and knocking a few plates. A few of the cooks in the kitchen glanced up to give him a flat stare. "I can help you find him!"

"Nagisa-kun, please calm down," Rei admonished quietly as he pulled back on Nagisa's collar.

"Rei-chan, you could help, too!" Nagisa said, not phased by his friend's warning.

"Don't you two have jobs to do?" Haru said as he placed another finished order on the pick-up table.

"We're on break!" Nagisa chirped loudly.

Haru hesitated, taking in both of Nagisa and Rei's expressions. He glanced out the front window again and sighed. He needed some air.

He turned to his assistant chef in the kitchen and handed him his orders.

"I'll be right back," Haru told him.

The chef hummed and nodded in response, taking the orders from Haru's hands and beginning to work on the new dishes.

"Eh? Where are you going, Haru-chan?" Nagisa asked as Haru passed him and headed out of the kitchen.

"Outside," Haru responded. Nagisa opened his mouth and took a step forward. "Don't follow me."

Nagisa stopped in his tracks and pouted, folding his arms across his chest.

Haru could faintly hear Rei saying something to placate the short blonde, but he ignored it and kept going, heading straight for the front door. He needed some space and breathing room to think.

I wonder if he moved, Haru thought as he put his hand on the door. I guess he could have moved. Or maybe those two kids he's always with changed schools or something.

Haru's brows furrowed at the thought and he scowled at the ground. He pushed the door open and started to step outside.

I don't remember those two kids. Were they always around back then? Or—

Suddenly, someone bumped into him.

Haru jolted back a step, feeling embarrassed about almost hitting someone with the door.

He really needed to install automatic doors.

Before Haru could apologize, the man was stumbling over his own apology.

"Oh, sorry!"

The voice made Haru's heart leap, and he snapped his head up. His eyes widened as he was met with the person he had been watching for all afternoon.

"I wasn't watching where I was—"

The man froze when he locked his eyes with Haru. His jaw dropped and his ears turned red as he eyed Haru and the restaurant.

Haru looked at him, his eyes soft. The man in front of him was wearing a bright orange vest over an old, worn sweatshirt and dirty jeans. There was grime on his face and his hair was a little out of place.

Haru's eyes narrowed slightly.

Where was his suit?

"You… changed jobs?" Haru asked instead of greeting him.

The man's eyes widened a little in surprise.

"Um… yes, I, uh… I did," he stuttered. "How, uh… how did you know?"

Haru blinked at him and pointed to his chest. "You usually wear a suit."

The man glanced down at himself to see the orange vest and worn jeans, and he glanced back up at Haru with a sheepish smile.

"A-Ah, yes, well…" he stuttered. "You noticed?"

Haru pursed his lips, tearing his eyes away for a brief moment. His fingers fiddled with the strap on his chef's uniform.

"You walk by the here every morning and afternoon. It's easy to notice these things," Haru said simply. He felt a little embarrassed for saying so but tried not to show it.

"Oh," the man said. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, still looking sheepish. "Right. Of course."

What happened to your old job? Haru wanted to ask, but he bit his lip and instead glanced at his vest again. He noticed the name of the construction company stitched into the breast of the vest.

"So, you're in construction now?" Haru asked, keeping his eyes on the vest.

The man hesitated, his fingers tugging on his vest. He nodded glumly and hummed.

"Yeah," he answered. "Today was my first day, actually."

Haru's brows pushed together and he stared at the man curiously. His body looked fatigued and his usually bright green eyes had dulled, their color faded.

And his smile appeared… off.

Your smile used to be so bright, Haru thought. What happened?

"Is…" Haru bit his lip, wanting to tread carefully. "Is everything oka—"

"Uwah! Sorry, I hate to run out on you again!" the man said as he glanced down at his watch. "I really must go to pick up my siblings. I'll be sure to get you the money for a new chalkboard sign."

Haru's brows dropped low over his eyes, feeling them twitch in annoyance.

That stupid sign again.

"I said it was fine—"

"See you later!" the man said, waving as he rushed off down the sidewalk.

Haru stared at his retreating form, his lip pulled back in a crooked frown. He glanced down at the ground where the man had once stood, his hands curling into loose fists.

Maybe he's not the right guy, Haru thought. But… he looks just like him.

Does he… not remember me?


"Ran, Ren, did you both make sure your room was clean?"

"Yes, Onii-chan."

"We checked over it a thousand times!"

Makoto bit his lip as he finished chopping up the last of the carrots for Ran and Ren's lunches. His hands were worn and covered in calluses from the work he had done all week at his new job. He was thankful it was almost the weekend, but his heart was stuttering with anxiety for the day.

"You're sure you cleaned? What about the bathroom?" Makoto asked as he placed the carrots into the twins' bentos.

Ran nodded haughtily, her hands on her hips, while Ren twiddled his thumbs.

"We made sure everything was clean," Ran announced.

Makoto breathed out deeply as he moved on to grab a few cookies for their lunches. His hands shook as he placed them inside and he felt his stomach twist in an angry pang of hunger.

He could not remember the last time he had a proper meal.

"Who is coming again, Onii-chan?" Ren asked, his eyebrows upturned in worry.

Makoto snapped out of his hungry daze and glanced at his younger brother.

"O-Oh," Makoto said stiffly. "Social Services is sending someone to inspect our home today."

"A social worker?" Ran asked.

Makoto nodded as he tied up Ran and Ren's bentos, his stomach releasing another persistent growl.

"Now, she should come around dinnertime, so you'll have to be ready to go home right after your clubs today," Makoto said as he handed them their bentos. "And you need to be on your best behavior tonight. Understand?"

Both of the twins nodded, offering kind smiles.

"We will, Onii-chan!"


"Good afternoon, Tachibana-san."

Makoto blinked at the two people at the doorway of his hospital room. The man was dressed in a suit while the woman was dressed in nice slacks and button-up shirt.

Makoto sat up in his bed, wincing when he moved his head too much.

"Ah, don't strain yourself," the man said, approaching Makoto's bedside. "My name is Ito Jun and this is Sato Aiko. We're both from Social Services."

Makoto's hands gripped his sheets, but he managed to slightly bow his head in greeting.

"We are terribly sorry for your loss, Tachibana-san," Ito said, giving a sympathetic smile.

Makoto's chest constricted and his chin wobbled dangerously at his words and he bit his lip to prevent any tears. He took a deep shuddering breath and mumbled a quiet 'thank you.'

"Sorry to be blunt about all this, Tachibana-san, but we really must discuss this today," Ito said. "When we called yesterday, you mentioned that you wanted to take care of your younger siblings?"

"Y-Yes," Makoto answered, looking into the man's eyes.

Ito nodded and gestured towards Sato, who stood next to him with a stern gaze.

"Sato will be your designated Social Worker unless we reassign you a new one," Ito explained. "She will go over all of the requirements that you will need to take care of Ran and Ren."

Makoto nodded, watching Ito give a short bow and then walk out of the hospital room. As soon as he was gone, Sato approached Makoto's bedside and took some forms from her bag, handing them to Makoto.

"Here are the requirements," Sato said frankly. "Please go over these forms and fill them out completely. We will need all of the information in order to process that your siblings will be under the care of an adult."

Makoto gulped as he flipped through page after page of regulations and requirements, names and addresses, and plenty of forms that he needed to fill out.

"You do have a place of residence, correct?" Sato asked.

Makoto jumped, looking up at Sato. "Yes. I have an apartment in Tokyo."

"Tokyo," Sato repeated. She hesitated and then nodded. "All right. Is it up to code?"

"Code?"

Sato sighed lightly and adjusted her glasses. "Meaning, does it have inspections regularly?"

"O-Oh, yes. The landlord has inspections done every month," Makoto stuttered.

Sato nodded, seeming to be satisfied with his answer.

"All right. Well, we will do a background check on you and make sure you have a salary that is sufficient for taking care of two children. Once you fill out these forms, we can get you processed immediately," Sato said, handing Makoto a pen.

Makoto took the pen gingerly and glanced down at the first form in his hand. It asked for his background as well as his occupation and place of address.

At the bottom of the form, there was a place for a signature, along with an agreement.

'I hereby agree that if I do not meet any of the requirements listed above, that my child(ren) will be in the custody of the Japanese Social Services.'

Makoto blanched, feeling his heart stutter. He glanced up at Sato with worried eyes.

"Um… Sato-san," Makoto called gently. "What does it mean by… being in the custody of the Japanese Social Services?"

Sato glanced at the bottom of the form to see the agreement and then looked back at Makoto with hollow eyes.

"It means that your siblings will go into foster care."


"Good work today, Tachibana!"

Makoto waved his limp hand in the air before heading inside the worker's trailer. He took off his helmet and set it down in his designated bin. Now that work was over, Makoto would have plenty of time to pick up the twins, shower, and even straighten up the apartment a bit. He could even possibly make tea for everyone.

Makoto reached down and grabbed his phone from his locker, his brow quirking when he turned it on.

1 Missed Call

1 New Voicemail

Makoto quickly searched through his missed calls list. His heart fluttered when he saw the Social Services contact at the top of the screen. They had called roughly two hours ago, but Makoto did not have his phone on him at the time.

Frantically, Makoto put the phone up to his ear to listen to the voicemail. His heart was pounding in his chest in an anxious dance as the phone went to his messages.

"Good afternoon, Tachibana-san. We are calling from Japanese Social Services to let you know of the time change for the visit today. Due to scheduling conflicts, the visit will take place at 4pm today instead of 6pm. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

Makoto quickly glanced down at his watch.

It was 4:10.

"No, no, no…" Makoto stuttered.

He shoved his phone into his pocket and ran out of the worker's trailer as fast as his legs could carry him.

Of all days to be early, it had to be today! Makoto thought as he turned a corner and headed for their apartment complex. He ran straight past the station, not bothering to ride the train, and decided to take a shortcut through some alleyways. After another few blocks of running with burning lungs, he finally reached the apartment building.

Maybe she'll be late, Makoto thought as he entered the front door of their apartment complex. He ran up the stairs, feeling his aching body protesting with each step.

Please just be late, Makoto thought. Just for today. Please!

His feet pounded on the steps as he started to the next floor, his eyes squeezing shut as he finally reached the proper floor. He swung the door open to his floor.

Please don't be here, please don't be here—

"Nice of you to finally grace me with your presence, Tachibana-san."

Makoto blanched at the voice and he opened his eyes wide.

There was a woman with black hair and glasses that stood in front of his door. She held a clipboard in her hands and she had a stern look on her face.

It reminded Makoto of a hawk.

And she was seeking her prey.

"A-Ah, Sato-san," Makoto greeted, rubbing his hands on his thighs. He quickly bowed once he realized how rude had been. "Um… nice to see you, again."

"Where are your siblings?" she asked, not acknowledging Makoto's greeting.

Makoto took a quick breath through his nose. "They're still at school. They had club meetings today."

Sato's brows creased at his greeting and her finger tapped against the clipboard impatiently.

"I see. Shall we go inside, Tachibana-san?" she asked.

Makoto straightened his back and nodded, rushing to the door. He pulled his keys from his pocket and stuck the key into the lock with shaking fingers. He noticed how dirty his hands were and he cringed, sincerely hoping that Sato would look over that.

"C-Come in," Makoto said with a shaky smile.

Makoto opened the door wide for Sato and quickly shuffled the messy stack of shoes out of the genkan.

"Sorry for the mess," Makoto apologized as he shucked off his work boots from his feet. "W-Would you like some tea or coffee?"

"That won't be necessary," Sato said. "I just need to do a search of the apartment and then I'll ask some questions."

Makoto's smile twitched on his face but he hummed and nodded politely.

"I, uh… I'm just going to go clean myself up," Makoto said. "Sorry, I just got here from work."

Sato nodded at him, her face expressionless, and she turned to head into the kitchen.

Once she was gone from sight, Makoto hurried to grab his clothes from the hall closet and went into the bathroom to change and rub off the dirt from his arms and hair. He splashed his face with water and then stared at himself in the mirror, taking deep, slow breaths. His head still throbbed as he left the bathroom and headed out to the hallway.

Suddenly, Makoto felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, his eyes widening when he saw the caller ID.

Incoming Call:

Sousuke

Makoto's stomach twisted into knots.

He must have found out about my job at the marketing firm, Makoto thought. Shoot, he's going to be so angry and worried and he's going to want to drop everything just to be here and he's worked too hard to get where he is and—

The sound of the door down the hallway clicking shut rapidly pulled Makoto out of his thoughts.

He whipped his head to the side to see Sato leaving the twins' bedroom. Makoto immediately stiffened. He quickly ignored Sousuke's call and shoved it into his pocket, butting himself against the wall as Sato stopped in front of him.

"Okay, Tachibana-san," Sato started. "Let's go have a seat and chat, okay?"

Makoto gulped and nodded with a tight squeak leaving his throat. He followed Sato into the living room, quickly straightening out his pillow and blanket from when he sleeps at night and sat down across from her.

"Well, I have a couple of questions, Tachibana-san," Sato said.

"O-Of course," Makoto said, wincing when his voice cracked.

Sato nodded and flipped some of the pages on her clipboard.

"I see you came home in an orange vest," Sato started.

Makoto tensed, his fingers gripping each other in his lap. He braced for her next question.

"Are you doing some work on the side along with your job at the marketing firm?" she asked.

Makoto felt his chest tighten and he released a breathy puff of air.

"A-Ah, w-w-well…" Makoto swallowed shakily. "They, uh… they let me go last week."

Sato's gaze snapped up from her clipboard and stared incredulously at Makoto. Her pen froze in her grasp and she peered at Makoto over her glasses.

"I see," she said. "And you're now doing… construction?"

"Y-Yes," Makoto answered. "As a… a day laborer."

Sato pursed her lips and wrote down some things on her clipboard, making Makoto squirm. After a moment, she glanced back up at Makoto with piercing eyes.

"So, is the bedroom in the back the only bedroom this apartment has?" Sato asked.

Makoto jumped at the sudden shift in questioning and he nodded jerkily.

"Y-Yes, it's a one-bedroom apartment," Makoto answered.

"And three people live here?"

Makoto bit his lip hard.

"Um…"

"I'm assuming both Ran and Ren sleep in that room in the back?" Sato asked, already moving on.

Makoto could not find his voice past the lump in his throat and he simply nodded, lowering his gaze to look at the coffee table. That coffee table had been handed down from his parents. He remembered how excited they were when they helped moved him into the apartment, both of them beaming and ready for him to start at the university.

Makoto's shoulders sagged. He wanted to seep through the floor.

Mom, Dad, Makoto prayed. I could really use your help right now.

"All right, Tachibana-san."

Makoto snapped his head up to look at Sato, who had finished flipping through her clipboard.

"Firstly, your current job is not something that is safe enough for you to take care of your siblings," Sato said.

Makoto's back stiffened and his hands gripped his knees.

"What do you mean?" he managed to ask.

Sato rested her clipboard down on her lap and adjusted her glasses over her nose.

"Tachibana-san, construction is not a stable job, especially as just one of the laborers. You could easily get injured or fired. And then what?" she asked. "Who would take care of Ran and Ren then?"

Makoto's lips pulled back into a grimace and he glanced down at the floor between his feet.

"I'm… I'm not sure," he answered.

Sato nodded. "That's what I mean. Now, I can understand if you needed this job to make ends meet for now… I saw the state of your kitchen and fridge."

Makoto hunched over, bowing his head lower to avoid her gaze. His cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

"But," Sato continued. "You'll need to find a more stable job. Something with a better pay and safer working conditions. I will give you two weeks to find a new job. Do you understand?"

After releasing a shaky breath that he did not even know he was holding, Makoto nodded, feeling his body slump even more in the chair.

"Good," Sato said, standing to her feet. She grabbed her clipboard, Makoto scrambling to his feet to see her out.

"One more thing, Tachibana-san," Sato said at the door.

Makoto looked at her with a timid posture, his hands finding each other in front of him. He did not bother with smiling to try and please her anymore.

"Yes, Sato-san?" Makoto asked politely.

"You need a bigger apartment," Sato said as she adjusted her glasses.

Makoto's shoulders immediately tensed up to his ears. His eyes quickly darted around his tiny apartment, the sinking realization that Sato was right. The apartment was too small for three people.

"I understand that you'll need to find a new job that will support a bigger apartment, so I will give you two months to find a new place," Sato said.

The pain in Makoto's head was beginning to be relentless, feeling as if it was splitting open. He quietly nodded and hummed, looking down at the genkan and watching her adjust the heels on her feet.

"I do hope you are aware of the consequences if these standards aren't met. Right, Tachibana-san?" Sato asked.

Makoto tried to swallow down the ache in his chest. He almost reached up a hand to rub it, but he flinched his hand back to his side.

"Yes, Sato-san," Makoto said.

"Good," Sato agreed. "Thank you for allowing me into your home. Have a good evening."

"Ah, y-yes. You, too," Makoto said lamely.

He closed the door shut behind her and leaned his forehead against it, his hands curling into frustrated fists. The ache in his chest turned sharp and piercing and his pulse roared in his ears.

It suddenly became a struggle to breathe.

I don't want to lose them, Makoto thought.

His limbs started to tremble, his legs shaking. His vision swirled as he leaned his whole weight against the door, struggling just to stay on his feet.

"It means that your siblings will go into foster care."

"No," Makoto whispered against the door. It felt cold against his forehead. "I can't lose them."

"We love you very mu—"

"I can't lose them, too…" Makoto mumbled, desperately trying to hold back the tears.

A shudder ripped through Makoto's body as the sobs rose in his throat.

"Mom… Dad… what do I do now?"

Makoto slowly slid to the floor, his forehead resting against the cold door.

"What do I do?"