Kirigaya family home

The razor-edged tip of the blade hovered a mere millimeter away from the eyes of Ai's father. All of the policemen had their guns drawn out, pointing their crosshairs at me. The only thing that prevented them from shooting was the presence of Yuzuki Shitori, who in between me and the policemen. A visible nervousness was expressed on his face while Yuzuki Alluka had her mouth covered with both hands. To ease up some tension, I shifted the blade away from his eyes, and placed it below his chin. I forced him to look upwards slightly, but his eyes kept their focus on me.

"I let Ai go, I haven't made any contact with her for weeks, and I even attempted suicide. Even after all of that, you still decide to fuck up my life even more by not keeping your promise," I snarled at him. "If you insist on taking me to jail, you should've brought tranquilizer darts instead of real bullets. I can tell just by looking at the barrel, gun model and the magazine clips that those are indeed real guns. With those bullets, the only thing you'll bring back to jail is my bloodied corpse. Now, we are going to settle this peacefully, okay? You go away and leave me alone for the rest of my life, or suffer having your neck sliced open, and maybe your wife as well. I would love to see someone bleed out just like me that day. I'm sure your butler knows exactly what I mean by that."

"If you're talking about your attempted suicide, then I already know about it," Shitori responded.

"Oh? Did he tell you about it? Were you sad that I lived? What's that English phrase… Ah yes, you were hoping to find me six feet under, weren't you?"

"I do believe that is the correct phrase, if you're referring to burial caskets," he said in fluent English, catching my slightly off-guard. Well, I shouldn't be too surprised if a Japanese technology company's CEO can speak English. "As for Nagato-san, he didn't tell me about your suicide because he didn't know about it until I told him. I was the one controlling that avatar on that day."

My brows wrinkled even more, as my scowl of contempt turned to that of perplexity. I raised my sword even more, forcing Shitori to nearly look straight up. The police officers responded by inching closer, and repositioning their arms which had fallen from the stress of holding it straight. Alluka no longer covered her mouth, but she had her hands clasped together right below her chin, still nervous of what may happen.

"It was already odd enough for you to make your CHRO leave his duties and watch over your daughter. Now the CEO admitted to taking time off just to make plans to ruin my life via virtual reality. You sure your plans aren't taking a toll on your corporation?"

"The matter happened on a weekend, and Nagato-san had already chosen to retire his position when a replacement came by. It just so happens that we found one before he proceeded with becoming my daughter's bodyguard. There were no visible side effects from my plans. Well, all except for one thing…"

"And this one thing?"

"May we converse inside? While this courtyard of yours appears rather cozy on a sunny day, the rain tarnishes its beauty."

I lowered my blade, surprised from his calm demeanor. Shitori viewed this as me granting him permission to enter my home, as he pushed the katana away from his neck and walked past me. Alluka followed him, but stopped next to me to bow in my direction.

"Sorry to disturb… Officers, you may return to your vehicles or sit under the roof of the patio, but please don't enter inside. That applies to you two as well, Hitori-kun, Nagato-san..." she spoke rather calmly despite the nervousness she displayed earlier.

"You sure, Okaa-san?" Hitori questioned her motives.

"Let's listen to your mother, Hitori-sama," Nagato calmed his spirits. "Wouldn't want to cause any more trouble that we have done so already.

The officers reluctantly obliged, with the majority of them taking shelter under the roof and only two returning to their parked vehicles outside. By the time my mind processed everything, Shitori and Alluka had both taken a seat on one of the couches, leaving the one parallel to it vacant for my taking. Still confused, I kept my katana in hand, and closed the sliding doors behind me. I pulled the curtains to block the view of the outside, but I left a small opening so that the officers wouldn't bother me with it. I turned around and walked to the vacant couch, eyeing the Yuzukis and trying to figure out what they were up to. I slowly sat down on the couch, and placed my sheath on the table between us. I kept the katana in hand, placing it horizontally across my lap.

"So, what exactly are you doing here?" I interrogated them.

"We're here because of our daughter," Shitori answered with a grave tone. "Ai-chan hasn't been herself lately, even more so than before when this whole thing started. She refused to retake the exams she ripped up in school, and because of it she's getting close to restarting her school year, even when she's so far behind already compared to others of her age. She's eaten very little these past two weeks, and barely interacts with her own family."

"I'm pretty sure that ruining your daughter's life will equate to a response similar to that, no matter how strong the bond is between parent and child. How exactly is this my problem?"

"This is your problem because you didn't need to hurt her. All you needed to do was to leave her forever. Everything else you committed that night against her was extraneous."

"Even if I didn't kill her in-game, I would only just be delaying the inevitable. Had I ended it later, the damage done would be irreversible, and I would've lost much more than your daughter. After all, you threatened taking my life or putting me in jail if I refused. You're lucky I only did that much to her."

"Shitori…" Alluka finally spoke up, her voice weak and saddened. "Just go and tell him already… I can't stand it anymore, seeing our daughter like… that…"

Alluka grabbed her husband's arm, clutching it tightly. A tear formed on the corner of her eye which she quickly wiped away. Shitori wrapped her in a warm embrace before kissing his wife on the forehead. He stroked her hair repeatedly, calming her. During that time, I simply stared in confusion as I could not tell what they were up to. That is until both of them got up from the couch only to fall down to their knees. In the tiny space between the couch and table, they planted both their hands and heads on the ground, bowing towards me—a dogeza.

"We are so sorry…" Alluka apologized, confusing me even more so than before. "We are truly, truly sorry for what we've done to you these past few months. We took everything too far."

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, completely confused as to why people like them were bowing to me, a shut-in NEET.

"When we bought the rights of ALfheim Online and possession of SAO's files, we discovered your corrupted files and connected them to the deaths of many SAO players," Shitori started to explain. "At that time, we were not aware that our daughter was dating you until Vitushi-kun and Hitori-kun told us about it. Upon further research, we deduced that you were indeed the player behind Mortifer."

"What does this have to do with anything right now?"

"We… We just couldn't grasp it," Alluka stammered, a noticeable astonishment in her voice. "We had always thought our daughter to be someone who could make responsible choices. We couldn't understand how she was with someone like you, especially if she knew of what you did."

"After planting a bug in her school backpack and having an in-game spy to monitor her actions, we eventually found out during your fight with the foreign NPC back during the launch of the Aincrad update," Shitori started. "We researched the foreign NPC and traced the files to your AmuSphere to find your location. After spying you both in-game and in the real world, we declared you and Mortifer as one in the same."

"Breaking privacy laws just to keep your daughter safe… Well, I can't argue since I'm willing to protect those I love to great extents as well. Again, what does this have to do with all of the things you put me and Ai through?

"It was a test that our family devised. Cruel, harsh and unlike anything we've ever done before, but it was necessary for us," Alluka sobbed, starting to cry. "All I wanted was to make sure the two of you really did love each other. I couldn't bear to see my daughter's heart to be broken because of some fake love. To be honest, we didn't have faith in your relationship whatsoever, so we expected the test to end quickly and for our daughter to recover from it quickly as soon as she realized you weren't what she thought you to be… But… But…"

Alluka broke down completely, causing police officers to look through the window. Shitori motioned for them to calm down and that the situation was just fine. When the officers obliged, Shitori focused on comforting his wife who cried into her hands. Still rubbing her small back with his right hand, Shitori continued where his wife could not.

"The test prolonged much longer than we expected, and we started seeing drastic changes to Ai's mood and personality. We attempted to spy on you again, but you never left your home at that point on, so we instead tasked Ai-chan's bodyguards to spy on her friends as well to see if they were affected. Surely enough, they were, and we started realizing just how badly it was affecting everything regarding our daughter's life. I realized that if I didn't want to cause anymore prolonged damage, I needed an ultimatum. I wasn't aware of the plot to assassinate the Salamander Lord until Hitori told me about it. Silver, the Lord of the Leprechauns, was actually my son Hitori."

The sudden reveal of the Leprechaun's Lord identity brought me over the edge. I was already caught off-guard by all of this information I'm receiving, but learning that Ai's brother was the Leprechaun Lord made me realize just how in the world they managed to find out about Mortimer's assassination. I also felt an urge to apologize for being rude to Hitori, but I shrugged it off since I was still too confused as to what they were trying to tell me.

"After I eavesdropped on their mission briefing, I contacted Eugene and risked losing the entirety of ALfheim Online for the good of our daughter. In a sense, the plan was indeed successful. However, I didn't expect any of the given results. You stood there, defeated yet victorious, and escaped the impossible. You finally separated with my daughter, yet refused to stop loving and caring for her. But worst of all, I almost claimed your life with the actions I made… I truly am sorry…"

Alluka wiped her tears away with her arm, and slowly pushed her husband's arm away. She quickly got back into a bow, yet it looked much more sincere than last time. Shitori did the same, and I started to realize just how truthful their words really were. Not knowing what else to do, I picked up my sheath and placed the katana back inside. I set the weapon on the couch, and stood up from its soft cushions. I approached the two vulnerable Yuzukis and towered above the both of them. I was no longer below them, yet I didn't feel like I was above them either. We were all humans standing on the same level, finding an impossible middle ground in the vasts wastelands of despair. However, it always seemed to me and others that I could do what others could not.

"Please… Stand up…" I asked of them politely.

The two of them obliged to my request, and stood up to meet me on eye level. While Alluka stood slightly shorter than me, Shitori and I were of the same height. We looked at each other in the eyes, and tried to discern any false feelings hidden behind them. Neither of us seemed to have found any discrepancies within each other, causing us to relax.

"I don't know your full story," Shitori started. "I don't know your reason for killing all those people, or if you even have one. We cannot overlook your past, your sins, and the danger you may bring to our daughter. However, as parents to a child, we only want what is best for her. Our daughter is growing to be a magnificent woman, but it seems to us that she cannot be whole without the person she loves. So tell us Mortifer-kun… No… Kirigaya-kun… For the last time..."

Alluka reached into her pocket and revealed a large black picture frame. I didn't notice it before, but the way she had been holding her jacket indicated the fact that she was holding something. Even so, I didn't notice it nor did I think she would pull out a picture frame. Alluka handed over the picture frame to me face down, urging me to flip it over as soon as I got it in my hands. Upon touching it with my fingers, I slowly took the frame, careful not to break it, and flipped it right-side up, allowing me to see the beauty it was hiding.

The picture showed me a gorgeous picture of a divine black-haired girl dressed in a lavender kimono. Her hair trailed down to her chest, just a little bit below the shoulders. She was fiddling with a small rose flower stuck in her hair, causing a petal to fall off and stay frozen in time. She held a pink parasol in her opposite hand, resting the handle on her right breast. Sun rays beamed down on her, but her tiny parasol sheltered her in shadows that only seemed to highlight her face even more. The background was blurred from the focus of the camera, yet I was able to discern the graceful cherry blossoms in the winter time. Even with the snow that fell around her, she shone so brightly that even the photographer felt warm enough to accompany her. The soft look of those black, yet mirror-like eyes fit perfectly well with the radiant and angelic smile of hers. But together, she was more than just an angel to me, but a breathtaking goddess.

"Do you love our daughter?" Alluka questioned.

I already knew my answer to begin with, but I still hesitated. I couldn't believe the fact that this was happening, but I gladly accepted it with my arms open wide.

"I do… Even if those feelings were hidden back then, I'm sure… I'm sure that I have loved her since the moment we met. I always have and always will."

"Do you promise us to always keep that precious smile on her face?"

"The world would go cold without it."

"Do you promise us to fulfill her desires, no matter how big or small?"

"I will travel endlessly to fulfill her wishes without fail."

"Do you promise to not bring her into any danger, and if dangers do come, that you will protect her with your life?"

I hesitated to answer the last question, and the two of them knew exactly why. They knew the dangers I posed just being with anybody, even my family. I am a criminal who has yet to be punished. It will be found out eventually, but I just hope that the truth remains untold for now,

"I cannot promise you to protect her with my life because if I die, then she is in danger to herself and future dangers she may face. I can only promise you that I will defend her even if it costs both of our lives. Because at least then, I will be there to protect her in the afterlife."

Both Alluka and Shitori gave me a weak smile, but a smile nonetheless. Alluka nodded her head, and asked one final question.

"Do you promise to spend the rest of your life with her?"

"From youth till old age. During your lifetime and beyond. In both life and death, for death will never do us part. I will remain by her side forevermore."

Without showing any reaction to my response, Shitori placed a hand on Alluka's back, and pat it in an encouraging fashion. This small push of motivation granted Alluka enough strength to move her arms in the midst of her heavy crying. She lifted up her left hand and pulled out the exquisite ring fitted into her ring finger. She held the ring out to me with both hands as if giving an offering. She looked up to my eyes and smiled affectionately.

"This was the ring my mother gave to my husband to propose to me. The two of us also had quite an argument with our parents regarding our relationship, but it was all because they did the same thing we did to you and Ai-chan. A cruel family tradition is it not?"

"Cruel is an understatement… But why are you giving this to me?" I asked her.

"Oh come on Kirigaya-kun. I just told you why my mother gave my father this ring. Don't make me repeat myself. Doing this myself for my daughter is quite embarrassing."

My eyes opened wide, shocked as I truly processed the words she spoke to me. I could not feel my body because of it, yet it moved without my will, taking the ring from her hands. I examined the beautiful purple diamond ring as it sat upon a shiny silver throne.

"We give you permission to marry our daughter."

The storm outside started dying down, creating an ever-growing silence that I gratefully utilized to process my thoughts. In fact, the storm passed so quickly that light began to leak in the room through the window blinds of the sliding doors. The once dark home was beginning to lighten up, perfectly reflecting my mood as I repeated her words in my head. A gentle warmth coursed through my body, and I felt the tears forming in my eyes. I fell to my knees, enclosing the ring in my hands and embracing it against my heart, feeling the hope it was giving me. I wanted this moment to last forever, but I knew it wouldn't last. Because of that, I made use of every single second and savored the warmth and hope the ring was giving me. Even if they were actually lying and made it so believable that I fell for it, I would still likely believe in the lie for my own psyche's sake.

"Ai-chan is currently at our family home all the way in Kyoto," Shitori informed me, crouching down to pat me on the back. When I looked up to him, he gave me a smile of reassurance, and all my doubts about any dishonesty disappeared. "At first, we asked these police officers to protect us from any chances of you retaliating, which almost occurred. Thankfully you didn't. But now, it seems we can use them in another way, though I will likely have to pay extra because of it…"

"W-What are you going to do?"

"If I knew this storm was going to stop so suddenly, I would've reserved us a helicopter to take. Since that's not the case, we're going to have to do it the traditional way. From what I've seen, you have a pretty nice car. How fast do you think you can go with a police escort?"


(Ai)

A few hours later, Yuzuki family home in Kyoto

"I'm so sorry… I hope I get to see you again as I move on with my life… I love you…"

I took a hard step forward in my life, feeling nothing but the cold, merciful air below me. I let my arms break free as I let go of all my responsibilities. Fearing what's to come, yet not wanting to go back, I let myself fly away into the darkness below me, hoping to see if death can offer me a life better than what life itself had offered. As I prepared for my fall to eternal sleep, a muffled voice reached my ears, and I pushed the annoyance aside. Why couldn't the world just let me fall asleep in peace?

A shockingly warm sensation surged through my left hand, and my fall was broken by a powerful tug. I opened my eyes to look at the sheer cliff below me while I dangled in the air. My momentum caused me to swing side to side, and I soon realized that the warm sensation on my left hand was actually another hand. I had only noticed due to the increasingly tighter grip the person was making. I looked up, disappointed by my failure to die, only to look upon the face of someone I thought I lost.

"Please… Grab on…" Katsumoto told me, his face filled to the brim with stress and despair. He barely managed to catch himself on the curved edge of the guardrail. I could see his hand slowly slipping from the wet surface of the railing. "Grab on and don't let go…"

"K-Katsumoto?! What are you doing?! How did you get here?!" I exclaimed, not knowing what else to say.

"Please! Grab on now! I can't hold on for much longer!"

As I moved my open hand to reach for his, a pair of hands came from above Katsumoto and enclosed itself around the arm he was hanging from. Hitori's face peeked from behind the railing, also expressing his strenuous efforts. Nagato also appeared and grabbed hold of Katsumoto's hand. Together, the two of them started to pull us back up to the ledge. When Katsumoto managed to get a good hold on the guardrail, he pulled me all the way up and above the railing, bringing me to safety. He quickly jumped the barricade and rushed over to hug me. I was caught off-guard by his actions and wanted to push him away so he wouldn't get punished, but he held on tightly. Even so, neither Nagato nor Hitori did anything to separate the two of us, but simply observed instead with shocked expressions. Hitori was already bawling his eyes out while Nagato was on the verge. Why were they here? I thought I was alone for a few more days till they finished up work back at home. I couldn't wrap my mind around any of this.

"Ai-chan… We're so sorry," a shaky voice spoke up. Knowing that I wanted to turn around, Katsumoto continued his embrace, but rotated his body so that I could look upon my mother and father's faces. "We didn't expect any of this to happen… First him… Now you… I can't believe we caused all of this!"

My mother began to cry on my father's shoulders while he too started to break down crying. The two hugged each other, and I found myself even more confused. Were they referring to Katsumoto? If that's what they meant, then did he attempt it as well?! I pushed myself away from him, but I only managed to put some distance between our faces. His arms were still locked around me, unwilling to let go. I took a good, hard look at Katsumoto's face, but his eyes did not meet mine. He was obviously affected by my mother's words, which only confirmed my suspicions.

"I wanted to keep it a secret," Katsumoto told me. "If you found out about it, I suspected that you would be in even greater pain to know that I was just lying to both myself and you. As soon as we separated from each other that day, I felt so shitty and hopeless that I wanted to end it all. I failed in my attempt, but I realized I had more things to do. Promises to keep. But now, I've learned the truth from your parents, and I regained hope. So please, let me be selfish again and don't leave me…"

Katsumoto reached into his right pocket, and scuffled the contents inside. I could hear the sound of car keys jingling as well as some sort of paper, but what he pulled out was neither of those. Instead, he pulled out a familiar-looking ring. The silver ring held a purple diamond in its crown, presenting its majesticness to the world. It was my mother's ring, passed down from my grandmother and so forth. A valuable family heirloom passed down to the first daughter to be married in the family. Katsumoto slowly slid the ring into my left ring finger, and fixed it so that the purple diamond shone against the sunlight. To make sure I wasn't losing my mind, I looked at my mother's hand and noticed the absence of her ring. My mouth dropped open when both my parents smiled through the pain I caused them. Tears formed out of the corner of my eyes as I processed the entire situation. So many feelings were overwhelming me, but my anger and frustration dominated at that moment, and I couldn't help but break free from Katsumoto's grasp. While he resisted at first, Katsumoto reluctantly obliged and I turned my body towards my parents, fists balled in rage.

"Everything you've done to us in these past few months… Separating us, creating rules we had to abide by, and threatening Katsumoto with prison or execution… Was this all some stupid joke?!"

"No dear… We would not dare do something like this as a joke. If all of this were done as a joke with these same results, I would not dare call myself a parent ever again," my mother declared.

"Then why?!" I screamed louder. "If this isn't some sick joke, then what made you think forcing us to go through this would do any benefit?!"

"Onee-chan…" Hitori jumped in. "Don't you remember the story Mom used to tell us? How when she met Dad, the conflict they had with her parents?"

A distant memory briefly appeared in my head. It was hazy and broken, preventing me from remembering much from it. All I could pull from my memory was her promise to me that she would not dare place such a burden on me, even if generations before us had done it before to determine the strength of the emotional bonds between the daughters and their partners of choice. However, the memory only added fuel to the flames, and it burned away almost instantaneously.

"You promised me…" I started. "You promised me that you wouldn't do such a thing, yet here we are now!"

"Ai-chan… Please try to understand from our perspective…" my father tried to reason. "We weren't planning on doing anything until we deduced Kirigaya-kun and Mortifer-kun to be the same person. To see so many lives lost all because of one person… We didn't want you to be near any kind of danger like that unless you wholeheartedly believed that he was the one. We honestly thought it would be better for you if he wasn't by your side…"

"Just because you're my parents doesn't mean you guys know everything about me! How did it not come to your mind early on that our feelings for each other were strong and real?! We almost died because of you two!"

"Ai-sama," Nagato also jumped in, approaching me with his hands out as if trying to calm a beast. "Your mother and father already know this. Please do not make this harder for them."

"And why should I listen to you?! How come you're showing sympathy for them, yet you showed no sympathy to me or Katsumoto?!"

"I… I wanted to…" he said as he slowed to a stop. "The amount of remorse I feel right now… I don't have the ability to explain it in words. There was never a second during my time monitoring you in-game where I enjoyed doing what I had been commanded to do. I had to disable my own emotional connection to the AmuSphere to prevent myself from showing any tears. I truly am sorry Ai-sama… Please forgive me…"

Nagato broke down into tears, and a sense of guilt started to build up inside of me. Hitori's face was filled with hurt, and he couldn't help but look at the ground to hide his pain. My mother, drowning in her tears, had to sit herself down with my father by her side. My rage continued to burn on the inside, but, despite its warmth, the touch of Katsumoto's hand cooled my anger.

"I have no right to say anything like this. In fact, I don't even believe my own words fully… But… Violet…" Katsumoto spoke quietly, using my in-game name. "Even I have to agree with your parents. Being with me is dangerous. There's no doubt about that. Even so, I want to spend my life with you, and you feel the same. We've been given the opportunity, so please…"

Katsumoto trapped me in a heart-warming embrace, and all of my anger and frustration disappeared in an instant. My muscles relaxed in the soothing heat, and I found myself starting to tear up. My legs grew weak as all I wanted was to forever be engulfed in the warmth of Katsumoto's body. I fell to my knees, and Katsumoto did the same so that our embrace would not be broken. I found my arms wrapping around his body as well. The nightmare that I had been living for these past few months… It was finally coming to an end.

"You guys are so mean…"

I couldn't stop the tears from flowing out, nor my cries from echoing across the mountains. The entire experience reminded me of the time I thought Katsumoto had died in the collapse of the Cave. Back then, I held what little remains we could recover. I was filled with so much grief and sorrow at that time holding his belongings, yet I was crying even more when I had his entire being in my reach. I hated my family for making me go through that experience. I hated Nagato for obeying their orders, causing both me and Katsumoto grievous emotional pain. I hated Vitushi for telling them in the first place. And most of all, I hated Katsumoto for making me think everything was over, killing me in-game and breaking my heart. But…

I couldn't help but love the family that has cared for me ever since I was born. My parents gave birth to me, fed me, gave me a home, and supported me. My brother helped me with my English homework, made me laugh and introduced me to the realm of virtual reality. Nagato took care of me when my family wasn't there, and protected me from all the times I needed him to. Vitushi, while annoying, always kept finding ways to cheer me up, and made family reunions more exciting with his clumsy and goofy personality. And Katsumoto...

Whenever I felt lonely, he stood by my side. Whenever I felt scared, he protected me from my terrors. Whenever I was overwhelmed with my problems, he supported me. And, whenever I was on the brink of death, he saved me. Two years ago on that fateful night was when I fell in love at first sight. Was it coincidence or was it destiny? I didn't know the answer to it back then, but because it accumulated to this, I couldn't believe in anything else other than destiny.

"You know…" Katsumoto whispered softly into my ears. His voice sounded so fragile and weak, almost like he was scared. "I did actually have suicidal thoughts even before I met you."

The statement reached my ears and affected me enough to stop my sobbing, but not my tears from flowing.

"I was just so sick of living in such a cruel world that I saw no point in continuing to live. However, the only reason why I never came close to attempting it is because I held on to two final hopes. My hope to experience a completely new and different world, as well as my hope for finding true love. I didn't think I'd ever find true love before I met you. It was just something so foreign and surreal for me in the past that I couldn't even fathom why someone would love someone like me. As for experiencing a new world, I thought it was even more impossible than finding true love, yet I found it first. Those seeds of desire I tried blooming in an impossible dream finally yielded fruits of hope. I couldn't have asked for a better life. But right now, this life of mine is still incomplete, as you have yet to become a permanent part of it. So, Yuzuki Ai… Will you marry me?"

"Of course… Dummy…"


(Kazuto)

Several hours later, Night, Kirigaya family home in Kawagoe

"Katsu-nii! Dinner's ready!" I shouted from the dining room as I set down our three plates on the table.

To celebrate his release from the hospital, Suguha and I made a joint effort to prepare a nice dinner for all of us. Along with Katsumoto's favorite spicy beef curry, we prepared teriyaki chicken and omurice for me and Suguha respectively. We cooked an extra half pot of rice since both Suguha and I were very hungry, and I assumed the same for my brother as he had been sleeping all day. I set down the plates of food while Suguha fetched the rice bowl. I hurried over to the sink to wash my hands, and sat down with Suguha to wait for Katsumoto. We waited for around half a minute before I called out to him again.

"Katsu-nii! Wake up! You've been sleeping for more than twelve hours!"

Another thirty seconds of silence passed before I stood up from my chair and impatiently stormed my way upstairs. I ran up the steps to the second floor and down the hallway, passing by Suguha's room in the process. I stopped in front of my brother's bedroom door and, without hesitation, burst open the door.

The room was clean of the mess my brother created weeks ago, but contrary to my expectations, I didn't see him. His bed was neatly made and his workspace cleared of dust. His computer and monitors were turned off, but my eye caught a piece of notebook paper sitting on his desk in front of the monitors. The notebook it came from rested next to the sheet of paper, still open and slightly disfigured as if he crushed it. The notebook paper contained a few lines of writing which I began to read.

This is Katsumoto. I'll be staying in Kyoto for the next several days for reasons you will soon understand. Turn on my computer and open up the files for the security feed. The folder is in my desktop's top left corner. Watch today's security feed at around 10 AM and you'll see. I've been given a second chance.

When I looked back at the desk, I found a picture frame of Yuzuki Ai where the note was originally located. It must've been underneath the note since I didn't see it before. As I put the note and the picture together, my heart started to beat faster as I quickly turned on his computer and sat in his chair. The computer was sleeping, so I didn't need to wait for a long boot-up sequence. I found the file directory to the security cameras he set up around the house and quickly played the file for today. I replayed the feed all the way to the indicated time and found myself looking at Katsumoto surrounded by several cops with the Yuzuki family standing in front of him. He had a sword pointed towards Ai's father, confusing me as to why he said he was given a second chance if he did such a thing.

Curious, I fast-forwarded and watched as Ai's parents entered our home before finally bowing down to Katsumoto. I slowed down the security feed and watched the entire situation play out. As I watched the silent feed, tears slowly formed in my eyes, and they streamed down my cheek when I saw Ai's mother give my brother a ring. I was so concentrated on the scene that I didn't notice Suguha had snuck up behind me, also watching the video. She touched my shoulder, scaring me momentarily. She too had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. We then watched as my brother quickly scribbled down the note he left before speeding away in his car with the police escorting him.

"Why do you think they changed their minds, even after through all of this?" Suguha sobbed.

"I don't know… But, all that matters is that they gave him a chance. Let's just hope for the best. In the meantime, we should tell everyone."

I pulled out my phone and entered the massive group chat that everyone except Katsumoto and Ai was in. With shaky hands and teary eyes, I sloppily inputted a simple, yet powerful message into the group chat along with a picture of the note, Ai's picture frame, and the security feed. My message read:

Miracles do happen…


Author's Note (EDIT)

The next part, Chapter 9: 7,000 Gems of Unity & Memory, will be broken down into multiple parts for now and will be combined into one once finished, all for the sake of not posting for an entire year or so.