Content advisory: This chapter contains themes of suicide. Discretion is advised.

Chapter 53

It was lunchtime the following Monday, and Ryuichi had snuck up onto the school roof to call his sister. The heat was almost unbearable up there, where he was sure he had soaked through both shirts and his vest with sweat. The sun broiled his exposed skin, and Ryuichi clung to the chain link fence to keep from collapsing in the heat.

"—I said I was sorry!" he told his sister for the thousandth time.

"Yeah, and your battery totally died at the most convenient time!" she spat back.

Shizue was particularly livid after their last communication was interrupted by the Dark Hour last Saturday night. Throughout work on Sunday, she purposefully avoided her brother, and after she went home for the day, she refused to answer his calls. She didn't exchange any words with her family that day, making it the quietest work day Ryuichi had ever had at the restaurant. It was also one of the most terrifying days at work he had ever had.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Ryuichi continued to tell her, practically pleading with her. "But, couldn't we have talked about it yesterday?"

"In front of Dad?" she shot, piercing her brother with his own stupidity.

Ryuichi took out his handkerchief to mop sweat off his face. He almost regretted calling her, wishing she had just ignored his call like she had done the previous day.

"Well, Mom and Dad aren't around, right?" he grunted. He staggered over to one of the curved, stone benches, blinking away lightheadedness.

Shizue growled in irritation. "Yeah, but I don't want to be here right now," she said, dropping her voice low. "Can I come over today? Megumi and I need a break from this place."

Ryuichi hesitated as he pressed his damp handkerchief to his face. "Yeah, sure," he finally agreed, sniffling. "But, I'm not gonna be home until after five. We've got a lot of preparations to make for the culture festival."

"Okay, sure. We'll talk then."

"Yeah. Bye."

He shut his phone and pressed it to his forehead. "Not now," he growled under his breath. "Not freakin' now. Just deal with them and keep your mouth shut."

He felt his body sag beneath the heat's weight. "Dammit, why didn't I just—"

It was too late to take back his offer to let his sister visit later. For now, he had to get back inside and away from the sun. He stood and felt himself start to topple to his left. Flinging his weight backwards to balance, he braced his calves against the bench to steady himself. The shock from his near fall made him drop back onto the bench, his heart pounding from the panic.

Ryuichi took it slower this time. He made it to the stairs, leading with a hand on the wall to keep from falling. Inside the school, the moist heat stagnated with no breeze to offer relief. When he stopped to drink at a water fountain, he found the water warm, as if someone had gargled with it just before he took his first sip.

He knew the past few days had been rough on him, but at most, he anticipated that he would only be exhausted. Something felt off, where even just standing sapped away his strength and left him wanting to lie down. And, despite how much perspiration soaked through his shirt, his skin felt painfully dry, as if he might catch fire in the torrid sunlight.

"You're looking a bit pale," Mitsuru remarked when he returned to his desk.

Ryuichi tipped his hat back as he put his head down and closed his eyes. "Shizue's coming over later," he murmured, ignoring her question.

"That's fine, but if you're not feeling well, you should tell her to come over another time."

"I'm okay. I'm just tired."

Thankfully, the bell rang to start the next class, cutting Mitsuru off before she could say anything more. Ryuichi's mind was in a haze during the last few hours of school, where his hand couldn't even try to grip his pencil to take notes. After school, he barely mustered up enough strength to join his classmates in preparing for the culture festival.

Ryuichi's class had several discussions going on all at the same time regarding decorations, costumes, advertising, the menu, possible other activities, assigned tasks, and schedules. Everyone's excitement for the culture festival came out in eager shouts, all throwing in their ideas on what they thought could improve their class theme. Mitsuru somehow got everyone to focus on decorations for a time, until someone tied costumes in with decorations and caused other tangents to come up.

"—could have people walk around in costumes holding signs—"

"—still think we should have burgers—"

"—instead of coffee, we can serve—"

"—I looked up fashions from—"

"—are we even a cafe anymore—"

"—add some breadsticks to the menu—"

Amid the chatter, one girl suggested that they do a fun game where customers try to solve a murder mystery using clues they had around the room. Another person added to it, saying that they should decorate sections of the classroom as different rooms in a mansion where the murder could take place. Others still argued for a different menu, and other voices were lost beneath the passionate discussions.

Ryuichi was burning up. His body felt like someone had lit a bonfire within him and kept throwing gasoline onto the flames. He kept getting up to drink from the fountain and splash water on his face, but it would only help for a few minutes at a time. It took everything he had to play like he was fine whenever someone asked if he was all right, where his automatic smile felt like he needed to shove wires in his mouth to maintain the shape.

Somehow, he managed to help organize the menu items with his classmates. Two students still pushed for burgers, pleading with him to figure a way to serve sliders for cheap. In his foggy mind, Ryuichi thought about using beef with a higher fat content and cheap dinner rolls for buns, but he hated that he was bastardizing his father's recipe.

"Ryuichi-kun?"

Two girls approached him. He blinked, swaying on his feet.

"Since you're going to be performing, we thought we might make a costume for you," the one with light brown hair said.

"It's just going to be a jacket, but it's gonna be a little longer than your school uniform," the other girl with barrettes in her hair added. "We figured you can just wear your uniform pants and some suspenders with it."

"And your hat!" The other girl piped up, and Ryuichi absentmindedly put a hand on his fedora.

The girl with barrettes ushered him to the Student Council Room to get measured for the jacket. Surprisingly, none of the student council members were there, likely helping out with their own classes or clubs. The girl started measuring Ryuichi's shoulders when the door slid open, and in walked Mitsuru with the other girl from earlier.

"You, too?" Ryuichi asked her in a hollow voice.

She let out a sigh. "Let's just get this over with," she said, and let the other girl take her measurements.

"Ryuichi-kun, can you stand up straight, please?"

He murmured a weary apology as he stood upright. He felt his classmates hands on the backs of his shoulders, heard her scribble on a notepad, muttering to herself. When she asked him to hold up his arms, he obeyed. She wound the measuring tape around his chest, said a number, and wrote it down. She measured his waist next.

"Please hold still," the girl told him.

"Sorry, he said again. His body wanted to melt to the floor.

"Ryuichi-kun, are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

It was too damn hot in the school. So hot, he started seeing spots.

When she started measuring his legs, he stopped her.

"I thought you were just making a jacket," he said in a snippy voice.

"Oh! Well, now that I see the boys' uniform—" She stood up to get a folder from the table. "—if you look here, the mens' pants from that time—"

He barely heard a word of what she said. His brain wandered to questions of how much the costumes were going to cost, if their skills were enough to make something good, and how much time it would take for them to make the costumes. At one point, he noticed her kneeling again, measuring his legs. Finally, she stood up.

"Okay, you're all done!" she announced with a pat on his shoulder.

Hers was a heavy-handed but friendly pat, but it was enough to make his knees buckle. Ryuichi caught himself, brief panic giving him the strength to stay on his feet. The girl's rapid apologies were met with him repeating "I'm okay, I'm okay" with a quick thanks as he left in search of his next drink of water.

Bracing himself against the water fountain, Ryuichi gulped down as much water as he could stomach. It didn't matter anymore that the water was warm, just that he flooded his parched tongue with rejuvenating liquid. When he straightened up, Mitsuru was standing at his elbow with a stern look on her face.

"Let's go," she said, and started towards the stairs.

He blinked. "Go where?"

"To the infirmary."

He didn't argue. Ryuichi dragged his feet, trudging just steps behind Mitsuru with his hands deep in his pockets. He hung his head as he followed, listening to the shouts and laughter of their classmates as they decorated their classrooms. A girl came running up the stairs as the two were going down, and Ryuichi stepped aside too late to make room, the girl brushing against him. He lost his balance and fell, banging his hip on the stairs.

"Ryuichi?" Mitsuru hurried back up to him.

"I'm fine," he snarled, using the railing to pull himself to his feet. He took a few moments to steady himself as spots swarmed his vision again.

With his hip throbbing painfully from the fall, Mitsuru made sure he took his time getting down the stairs. Whenever he paused to rest, she waited for him, asking if he needed some water or reassuring him to take all the time he needed. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Ryuichi leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

The moment they opened the infirmary door, cool air washed over Ryuichi like a fresh, arctic breeze. Mitsuru had him lie down on the first bed as she drew the curtain around him, blocking the harsh sunlight as he kicked off his shoes. When he settled on the bed, he covered his face with his fedora to sleep, only for Mitsuru to set it aside.

He gasped when she touched her cool hand to his forehead. Her stern expression didn't change as Ryuichi's entire body went rigid. He hated showing any weakness to Mitsuru, and seeing the hard look on her face almost made him apologize right then.

"Not good," she murmured, removing her hand. "Stay there and don't move. I'll be right back."

She left the room. Ryuichi was too scared to move, afraid he might upset her more. She returned a few minutes later with two chilled bottles of water, handing him one while she went to soak a cloth in cool water from the sink. He sat up and filled his mouth with water to relish in the cold before gulping it down. When he did it again, Mitsuru pressed the damp cloth to his face. The sudden cold nearly made him spit his water out.

"I couldn't find the nurse, but I suspect that you might have heat exhaustion," Mitsuru told him as she dabbed the cloth over his forehead. "If we're lucky, we caught it before it progressed to heatstroke."

Ryuichi sat forward, leaning his face into the cloth. "Sorry to trouble you like this," he murmured.

"It's only troublesome if you don't tell me you're not feeling well."

Her sharp tone was dulled with worry. "If you knew you were ill, why didn't you say anything?"

He didn't have an answer, at least not a good one. He busied himself with sipping his water slowly as he took the damp cloth from Mitsuru, covering his face with it to hide the shame he felt. When he finished the bottle, Mitsuru gave him the other one.

"Hot weather, working in a sweltering kitchen, and wearing multiple layers," she said slowly to herself, her eyes staring at his vest and necktie. "Looking at it, it's a wonder you didn't collapse before.

"However, I can't help but wonder if your family also played a part in all this."

Ryuichi loosened his tie and unbuttoned his vest. "Well, aren't you perceptive," he muttered.

Mitsuru studied him further. "I'm talking about the stress," she said. "You've spent months trying to help your family and only found more problems. My concern is that you are being inundated with so much stress that it's having a negative impact on your health."

There was no denying it. Everything she said was absolutely true. Even right then, sitting up just to drink water was too much for his weak body. Thinking of his family sapped his remaining strength, and for a moment, he blacked out, eventually waking up to Kikuno and Mitsuru helping him to his feet to get into the awaiting car.

Ryuichi had no memory of the car ride to the dorm. He opened his eyes again to see his bedroom ceiling, vaguely recalling hushed voices talking over him while a bright light blinded him in each eye.

"You're very lucky," Kikuno said, startling him. She sat in his chair at the bedside, pouring him a tall glass of ice water and putting a bendy straw in it. "The doctor said you have heat exhaustion, but also determined that you're suffering from acute stress."

She pushed the straw to his chapped lips to drink. "You've been prescribed three days of strict bed rest, and you are advised to stay in a cool environment over the next week."

Ryuichi nearly choked on the water. "But what about—"

"That includes no working in a hot kitchen until you have made a full recovery," Kikuno answered. "Ojou-sama has already informed your family that you have taken ill. You can resume work in the restaurant next Thursday."

"Next Thursday, or next week—"

"Next week Thursday."

He was still stuck on how his family took the news. Having Mitsuru be the one to contact his parents gave him no reprieve from his worries. His family wouldn't blame Mitsuru in the slightest, but they would certainly be furious with him for inconveniencing her and for taking more days off from the restaurant.

He fell asleep while sipping water. When he awoke later, he was struck with the powerful urge to pee. Exhaling, he saw that he was alone in his room and sat up. Cool air made him shiver as it swept over his bare chest and shoulders, making him hesitant to leave the warmth of his bed. He hurried to the toilet, in disbelief at how heavy his body felt during the few steps it took to get there.

Exhaustion helped him sleep, but worry for his family and the need to pee woke him up from his many naps. Nearly every time he woke up, Kikuno would push more water on him to rehydrate. She meant well, he knew, but he was just tired of refilling his bladder shortly after emptying it.

No matter how many naps he took, it seemed like the day refused to end. A few minutes of sleep felt like nearly an hour, yet almost no time had passed at all. He would wake up covered in sweat, coming from a recurring nightmare of feverishly cooking up burgers in his father's restaurant, only to burn all the patties.

Sometime in the evening, Ryuichi awoke from yet another nap to see Mitsuru at his bedside. Like Kikuno, she had a glass of water ready for him with a bendy straw.

"Kikuno tells me you've been struggling with sleep," she said as she pulled a white T-shirt from his dresser. "But at least you're looking better now."

With her back turned, Ryuichi sat up to pull on the shirt. When he was ready, Mitsuru handed over the glass. She planted herself on his desk chair with a sigh.

"So, what'd I miss?" he uttered in a dry rasp.

Mitsuru told him that, after dropping him off, she went to see Chidori in the hospital to try to get information out of her. She bitterly informed him that Chidori would only doodle in her sketchbook while she fired off fruitless questions. She tried taking away her sketchpad, but Chidori screamed and cried until she got it back.

"Junpei sure knows how to pick 'em," Ryuichi grumbled. He held out the empty glass for Mitsuru to refill.

"Without a doubt, she's mentally unstable," Mitsuru continued, taking the glass. "The doctors and nurses have to be careful to not leave any sharp objects near her, or else she cuts herself. Even after they do a thorough search, she still manages to harm herself."

Ryuichi shivered, pulling the blanket up around his shoulders. "So, what are you gonna do? How are you gonna get her to talk?"

"I don't know." She poured him more water and handed back the glass. "She seemed responsive when Iori was there."

"You had him go with you?"

"He burst into the room of his own accord."

Ryuichi shook his head. "What does he see in her?" he wondered aloud. "How can he still like her after she tied him up?"

He realized his mistake. "Let me rephrase that."

"No need." Mitsuru sat back with her arms folded in front of her. "If it's strong enough, an infatuation can make a person do things that others would deem foolish."

She stood up. "I'm going to try again tomorrow. Hopefully, she'll be more cooperative."

"I wish I could go with you," he said miserably. "But I know, I'm forbidden from leaving this bed except to use the toilet."

"Akihiko will be accompanying me, and I've asked Yamagishi to help determine Chidori's Persona's abilities."

She kept their conversation brief so he could rest, only to start asking if he needed anything. She offered to have Kikuno prepare him a meal, but he informed her that she already brought him dinner. It was as if she had a little checklist in her head, asking if he had enough water, if the air conditioner was cold enough, if his fan was set too high or too low, and so on.

"If there's anything you need, give me a call," she urged him on her way out. "And don't hesitate. If you're not feeling well, tell me right away. Understood?"

He lowered his face. "Yeah," he murmured out of the corner of his mouth with the straw still in his lips. "And, sorry about today."

She eyed him briefly as she opened his door. "Just focus on getting better for now," she said, and left.

The next day, Ryuichi guiltily listened as everyone left for school. He stayed in bed, waiting until school started for the day to dress up in a pair of jeans and a clean shirt. He came out of his room in search of a snack when he saw Shinjiro sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV.

"Heard you fainted at school yesterday," Shinjiro grunted. "Wuss."

Ryuichi snickered as he crossed the lounge to the kitchen. "Not all of us were born in a volcano like you," he said, indicating towards Shinjiro's black turtleneck sweatshirt.

"Ha." Shinjiro looked over to see Ryuichi take out some instant noodles. "You're seriously going to eat that shit?"

He checked the label on his cup of shrimp flavored instant noodles. "I would've picked chicken, but we're all out," he answered, getting mildly defensive about his food.

"That's not what I meant. If you don't eat right, you're gonna be out for more than a couple of days."

"I already had a balanced breakfast. This is just a snack."

"What, the maid didn't feed you enough?"

Ryuichi filled his cup with hot water. "She fed me plenty. I'm just a growing boy."

After finishing his noodles, Ryuichi went back to bed but couldn't sleep. The few minutes he spent in the stuffy lounge eating hot noodles nearly cooked him alive. He sat up in bed to sip one of the bottles of water Kikuno left for him, noticing how normal he felt once he was back in a cool place. He still felt a little tired, but overall, felt foolish for collapsing in the first place.

He started thinking that he should have gone to school anyway. All he needed was just an afternoon to rest, it seemed. For the time being, he turned on his TV to keep him company, settling on a crime show that went into explicit detail of how a man was murdered by his wife, who then tried to blame their son. Ryuichi ended up having a nightmare about the show, squirming in a cold sweat until he awoke to someone knocking at his door.

"Come in," he murmured, figuring that Kikuno had come to check on him again.

"Hey, Little Bro," a familiar voice whispered.

Ryuichi immediately covered up with his blanket when he saw Shizue push Megumi's stroller into his room. He stared mournfully at his discarded T-shirt and jeans on the floor beyond his reach.

"What're you doing here?" he asked his sister, his voice slightly muffled by his blanket.

"Mitsuru-san said you were sick, so I thought I'd come by and check on you," she replied, smiling.

Ryuichi sighed as he pulled the covers up over his head. "You just wanted an excuse to get out of the house."

"You got me," she laughed. "So, heat exhaustion, huh? It's cuz you always wear all those layers."

He almost wanted to blurt out that he was also stressed out because of her and their parents, but he was already irritated enough that she would come all that way instead of letting him rest. He kept quiet, knowing that the only way he could survive the day was if he let her do whatever she pleased.

Megumi began to fuss in her stroller. She didn't cry, but her babbles because strained.

"Aw, what's the matter?" Shizue asked as she bent over her stroller. She cooed at Megumi as she picked her daughter up, speaking as if her lips were permanently puckered. "Did you make an oopsie poopsie? Yesh you did! Yesh you did!"

Ryuichi sighed as his sister dug into her oversized bag she set on the floor. All the while, Shizue cooed and blubbered at Megumi as she changed her diaper on her brother's bed. Ryuichi prayed that they would just go away, even when there was no hope.

"So, I've been thinking for awhile now," Shizue said to him, "since Mom and Dad aren't willing to change, the only thing I can really do is move out."

He tried not to groan. "You've been saying that for a while now. Are you sure about that?"

"Very sure." She bunched up the soiled diaper and retrieved a fresh one. "I'm tired of going back and forth all the time on whether or not I should stay. Plus, poor Megumi shouldn't have to grow up in a place like that."

"But, how is that gonna work? It's not easy on your own."

"We'll make it work. The way things are now, it's just no good, not especially for Megumi."

Shizue straightened up, her back popping. "I don't want her to have to listen to me and Mom and Dad arguing all the time," she said softly, her smiling fading off. "She deserves to live in a place where she can have a chance to be happy without people thinking the worst of her."

Ryuichi pulled the covers down below his eyes. He watched as his sister finished putting a fresh diaper on her daughter, a tear falling from her eye.

"Did something happen?" he dared to ask.

Her sigh turned into a sob. "Remember when I begged you to pick me up last Saturday?" she asked, lowering her face. "It's because Dad went and called Megumi a bastard."

Ryuichi grimaced, feeling his anger build in his chest. "He said that?"

Shizue nodded, stifling another sob with her hand. She picked up her daughter and held her close, bouncing her in her arms. Ryuichi wanted to get up and hug his niece so she knew that there were others who loved her no matter what her grandfather said, but he remained in his bed, keeping the covers up over his bare chest. Cowardice melded with rage and came out as a single tear that soaked into his pillow.

"I know I made mistakes, but I was scared, you know?" Shizue continued, trembling as she held Megumi. "It was three guys, and no matter how much I screamed, no one heard me over the music. They just kept laughing while they—"

She shuddered, sobbing as her tears flowed. Ryuichi could only watch as she stood there, holding the child that was born from what had to be the worst night of her life, reliving her powerlessness to stop any of it. She stopped bouncing Megumi and stood petrified, staring into the past at that dreadful night.

Ryuichi resisted the urge to hug his sister. "Do Mom and Dad know about those guys?" he asked quietly.

"They don't even know about what happened," she whimpered, and gingerly set Megumi down next to Ryuichi. "They still think I got pregnant from sleeping around and that I just don't want to contact the father."

Megumi wiggled against her uncle's side. He scooted over to give her some more room, a violent shiver rattling him when he tried to imagine what his sister had gone through.

"They filmed the whole thing, too," Shizue added, shaking.

Ryuichi remembered that she had mentioned it before. Seeing her so destroyed over what happened made him wish he could travel back in time and pummel those guys into oblivion before they could touch his sister, but he knew that no amount of wishing could ever undo what she went through.

Shizue pulled some tissues from the box on his desk to press to her tears. "I don't even know how I got through the semester, but when Megumi started to show, I was too scared to go to class."

"When was that?"

"January, I think."

She blew her nose. "At first, I was in denial about the whole thing," she admitted. "I tried convincing myself that it was a really bad nightmare, but then when I realized I was pregnant with Megumi, I couldn't deny it anymore.

"I got scared that someone I knew might've seen the video. I thought that, if people saw I was pregnant, they'd start thinking the worst of me. It got to the point where I was too scared to come out of my apartment. My friend Ayaka brought me whatever I needed, and if I got desperate, I waited until late at night to buy stuff from vending machines."

"We have to report this," Ryuichi snarled, feeling like he could rip her rapists apart with just his bare hands. "If the video's online, we can use that as evidence to find them and have them arrested."

"No. Just leave it."

Her answer startled him. "Why? Those guys deserve to rot in prison where all the inmates can have a piece of them!"

"Stop it!" she yelled. Her frightened shout made Megumi cry. "All I want to do is just forget that ever happened and move on with my life, okay?"

"We can't just forget that this happened!" Ryuichi growled. He sat up, panicking when he jostled his niece from trying to pull his blanket with him. When he was sure she was safe, he turned back to his sister.

"Just forget it, Ryu-chan."

"You gotta tell Mom and Dad what really happened! They have to know!"

"Know what?" she snapped, her tears flowing again. "That I was stupid enough to get so drunk that I passed out during the party? That everything they warned me about came true so they can rub it in my face? You know how they get, Ryu-chan!"

"They need to know so they can understand what really happened," Ryuichi said softly beneath Megumi's cries.

His sister shook her head. "They'll never understand," she whimpered, sobbing. "They'll just have something else to blame me for. You know how they do that thing, right? The thing where they blame us for things that happen to us? They did it to you, too. When they came back from work last night, Mom and Dad talked about how Mitsuru-san called about you getting sick, and they started talking crap about how you were dumb enough to not drink enough water in the first place."

Ryuichi exhaled, letting his shoulders sag. "I expected as much," he grumbled.

"Whenever they do shit like that, they make me question why I was even born," Shizue murmured under her breath. "If all I do is give them issues, then why did they even bother with me?"

Ryuichi's heart shattered when he heard that. It was then that he knew that he couldn't make his sister go back to their parents, only for the same troubles to keep repeating every time.

Ryuichi steeled himself, feeling his mouth go dry. "The apartments here are too expensive, but I know a place that'll suit your needs," he told her in a small voice.

He didn't want to do it, but despite feeling faint, he dressed up to take his sister and niece to see his house. They rode the bus there, Shizue immediately noticing that his house was only a few bus stops away from their parents' place. His sister gasped in awe when she saw the house for the first time.

"You have a garage?" she uttered, staring at the large door on the right.

He unlatched the gate and unlocked the front door. "I barely had enough room to have it built, but I figured it'd be good for storage," he said, holding down a button on a tiny remote control to undo the alarm system. "And maybe someday, I'll actually put a car in it."

When they were inside, he told his sister all about how he came to own the house, leaving out the part about him nearly losing his arm being the inspiration. Instead, he explained that he didn't want to have to move back home no matter what, and Shizue was quick to agree.

They stopped by the living room first, where Ryuichi kept the air conditioner on to protect his furniture. He set the temperature lower for their comfort while Shizue marveled at all the features, tested the sink, and poked her head out the door leading into the garage. She held Megumi as she looked around, the trio wandering to the two bedrooms opposite the living room.

"What's upstairs?" Shizue asked excitedly.

"My room, which is strictly off-limits," he said, his words slapping a frown onto her face. "But, I can show you just this once."

She squealed with delight when she saw the master suite. She first admired the vastness of his room, staring up at the high ceiling and spinning around while Megumi laughed in her arms. He showed them the bathroom, where Shizue gushed over all the fancy gadgets and upgrades. The last thing she gravitated to was the balcony, where she stood letting the wind ruffle her hair and sundress as she soaked in the view.

"This is seriously yours?" she asked, still giddy over the house. "You legit own this?"

"Yeah," he said with a shy smile. "But, I'm willing to let you live in it for awhile. I'm not using it yet, and you and Megumi seem to need a place where you don't have to listen to Mom and Dad, um, 'talk'."

She was all too happy to negotiate the price of rent. Ryuichi took the time to explain some of the other features of the house, such as the security system with some cameras outside and motion detectors inside. When he laid out the rules, he promised to give her a printout, just in case she "accidentally forgot" what they might be. To his amazement, Shizue said she would have it framed and hang it on the wall.

"Wait, seriously?" Ryuichi asked, checking for sarcasm in his sister's voice.

"I'm serious," she confirmed, her smile gone. "Print out the rules and I'll frame it. I'm serious about moving out, so the least I can do is follow your rules."

He needed a second to remember how to breathe. After they finished discussing everything about the house, his sister threw her arms around him in a big hug.

"Thank you, Ryu-chan!" she exclaimed. "You're the best! I swear, Megumi and I are going to take good care of your house!"

On the way to dropping his sister and niece off at their parents' house, Ryuichi could only think of how their parents were going to yell at him for complicating things even more. He was enabling Shizue to have the freedom to do what she wanted, potentially letting her revert back to her old ways. Their parents were going to rip him apart, and then shackle Shizue and Megumi to their house so they couldn't leave.

His chest froze when he remembered Mitsuru. All he could do on the bus ride back to the dorm was mentally prepare an apology to her for just handing his sister the keys to his house.

By the time he returned to the dorm, he was feeling faint again. He barely found his key to the front door when it flew open, revealing a furious Mitsuru inside.

"Where were you?" she demanded. "You know you're supposed to stay home and rest!"

He bent low at the waist. "I'm sorry," he uttered, feeling light-headed. "There was something I had to—"

He felt himself start to fall forward. Mitsuru caught him and helped him to his room. She sat him on his bed, then rushed around to aim his electric fan on him. As he opened his mouth to explain himself, she stuck a thermometer under his tongue and wouldn't let him speak until after it registered a temperature.

"It looks like you're safe," she said, reading the tiny screen on the thermometer. "But what possessed you to go out? You know you were already at risk of getting heatstroke."

Incredibly, Mitsuru listened to his explanation for why he went out. He spoke quietly, keeping his head bowed and hands on either side of him, gripping the edge of his mattress. He felt her stare pierced through his chest, her cold fury an icy flame that engulfed him. When he began to struggle talking with a dry mouth, Mitsuru gave him some water.

"And, you believe that showing your sister your house was more important than your health?" she stabbed at him.

He gulped more water. "In this case, I believe it was," he answered, turning his somber eyes to hers. Meeting Mitsuru's frigid stare directly made him gasp.

"Then, you believe that she will adhere to your rules, that she's completely changed?"

"I hope so," he murmured. "All I know is that I want to give her and Megumi a chance to get away from our parents."

He lowered his gaze to his glass, seeing only ice inside. "You gave me an escape from our parents back then, so I wanted to give her that same chance."

Sighing, Mitsuru's silent glare released him as she opened another water bottle to refill his glass. "I know your parents can be difficult to deal with, but surely you are aware that you aren't solving your family's problems," she told him. "You've given them more than you ever needed to. Should this solution fail, then what? Your family will only demand more."

"I know."

"If you knew that, then why did you still do it?"

Ryuichi sat there shaking, knowing that he could entrust Mitsuru with the truth.

"Because I'm afraid that if Mom and Dad push her too hard, she might do something drastic."

"'Drastic'? Because of how she was before?"

"That, and, well, other reasons."

She stood waiting patiently as Ryuichi sipped more water. He could feel her hard stare soften, but she still radiated cold frustration.

"What other reasons?" she asked stiffly.

Sighing, he dipped his head even lower, where he could only see Mitsuru's feet in front of his. He gulped more water, but his mouth quickly became dry as he uttered, "I'm afraid that she might try to commit suicide."

Speaking those words made his skin shudder. The room seemed to drop twenty degrees, and the tension from Mitsuru weakened.

"Why do you think she would do that?" she asked.

Hesitating, Ryuichi felt his hands run cold. "Do you remember back in middle school, that night when you found me during the Dark Hour?"

"I do." She brought over his desk chair and sat down in front of him. "What about it?"

Ryuichi's throat tightened. "That night, I tried to take my own life."

He wished he could take back his words, feeling his regret streak across his flesh like icy lightning. Mitsuru gasped, her delicate fingers gripping the arms of his chair as her mouth gaped. He knew he shouldn't have mentioned it, but it was too late; all he could do was keep going.

"Things were pretty bad at home, kind of like how they are now," he began. His voice was light and quivered slightly, barely making it through his tight throat. "Shizue was already away in college, but the restaurant was in shambles thanks to her and Mom and Dad fighting all the time. Even though she was gone, Mom and Dad kept venting their frustrations onto me, as if I was my sister.

"On top of that, Sakai bullied me almost daily. That same day was when Sakai pantsed me in front of you—In front of everyone."

As he said that, Ryuichi was instantly transported back to that terrible day. He relived Mitsuru's horrified expression, his helplessness to tug his pants and underwear back up, and the laughter and jeers from Sakai and their classmates.

Ryuichi swallowed hard. "As if that wasn't enough, Sakai and his friends caught me that same day after work at Chagall Cafe and beat me up in an alley near Port Island Station. I was out cold for hours, and when I woke up, I got on the train to go to Iwatodai. It was then that I figured I should just end it all for good."

He gripped the edge of his bed with his one free, frozen hand. His glass of water rattled as he began to quake from the memory. "I waited for the train to leave," he uttered, feeling so small and pathetic like he was all those years ago. "When it came back, I jumped onto the tracks right before it pulled into the station. The Dark Hour hit first and saved my life. And of course, you found me shortly after and rescued me from that Shadow."

He drew in a breath, feeling as if ice cracked around his chest as his lungs expanded. "So, I'm really worried that Shizue might do something similar if Mom and Dad keep going the way they're going," he said to Mitsuru. He sat up straighter, seeing the shock and awe on her face.

"I didn't know," she said breathlessly. "I'm sorry, Ryuichi. I never knew."

"Because I never told anyone about it," he replied with a bitter, pathetic smile. "It's not something I like to talk about, and besides, I've moved on since then, thanks to you."

His frown quickly returned. "But, Mom and Dad keep accusing Shizue of being irresponsible for sleeping around. In reality, she was raped by three guys at a party. I'm scared that if I don't give her a place away from our parents, she might do something that we'll regret. I got lucky with the Dark Hour saving me back then, and again when you happened to be nearby when the Shadow attacked me afterward. I doubt my sister will be that lucky."

Mitsuru squeezed her arm so tightly she was white-knuckled. "Why hasn't she told your parents yet about what happened?"

"Because she's scared. Mom and Dad will just say it was her fault and that she made it easy for those guys to attack her."

"But, they shouldn't have attacked her in the first place."

"I know, but our parents don't think that way, so Shizue wants us to keep quiet about it."

"But they have to know."

Ryuichi swallowed his frustration, knowing that even he had trouble believing that his parents could be so impossible. "I know she should tell our parents about what really happened, but we learned years ago that there's no point in telling them anything if all they're going to do is yell at us for our mistakes. It's just less painful this way."

"I still don't understand why your parents would find derision to be the first thing they do when their children are in danger." Mitsuru's fury was so cold that Ryuichi wondered if his parents could feel it just then.

He shivered, still shaking from his revelation. "I don't get it, either," he agreed. "But I figured that I'd much rather lose a house than lose my sister."