Part 3 — The Questions That Wouldn't Stay Buried
Haruto was still sitting where Ayame had left him, back resting against the wall, legs folded on the futon. His shoulders were slumped, eyes half-lidded. When Akari entered, he looked up slowly, as if it took effort to focus.
"Aka," he said softly. His voice was steady—but thin.
Akari knelt in front of him at once. Her movements were calm, practiced, the way only family could be. She carefully checked beneath his uniform.
The bandage around his stomach was still there. Clean. Secure.
No fresh blood.
But the tightness in his posture told her everything.
"You should've told me," Akari said quietly.
"I'm fine," Haruto replied without thinking.
Akari didn't argue. She placed her hand over his for a moment—warm, grounding.
"Stay here," she said gently. "I'll call you when dinner's ready."
Haruto nodded.
From the doorway, Kaito watched in silence.
Dinner was quieter than usual.
Plates were laid out. The food was warm. The house carried its usual, familiar comfort—but none of them relaxed into it.
Haruto ate slowly, carefully, but finished. Ayame kept glancing his way, saying nothing. Kaito barely touched his food, eyes distant.
Renjiro spoke little. Akari even less.
No one mentioned the academy.
But it lingered in the space between them.
When dinner ended, Akari stood.
"You're all exhausted," she said. "Go rest."
Haruto rose without complaint.
As he passed Ayame, she offered a small smile.
"Don't scare us like that again," she said, trying to sound light.
He paused. "I'll try."
Haruto sat quietly on the sofa, elbows resting on his knees, gaze lowered. The events of the day pressed on him heavier than the silence.
He lifted his head slightly and looked toward Akari.
"Aka… can I sleep in your room tonight?"
Akari didn't answer immediately. She crossed the room, studied his face, then gave a small nod.
"Okay," she said softly.
Haruto stood and followed her down the hall. The door to her room slid open, light spilling briefly into the corridor before closing again.
Behind them, Ayame paused, watching the door for a second longer than necessary. Then she turned and headed toward the triplets' room.
Kaito remained on the sofa, unmoving.
A moment later, Renjiro came in and sat down beside him.
He didn't speak at first.
Then, quietly, he asked,
"What happened?"
The room stayed still, waiting for Kaito's answer.
Akari returned to the kitchen and began washing the plates and utensils, the quiet sound of water filling the space. She worked slowly, listening more than moving.
On the sofa, Kaito remained still.
Renjiro glanced at him from the side. "You barely ate," he said. "That's not like you."
Kaito didn't answer right away.
Then, quietly, he spoke.
"I feel strange."
Renjiro turned fully toward him.
"Since today," Kaito continued, eyes fixed on the floor, "when I saw Haruto sleeping in class… not knowing what had happened to him." His fingers curled slightly. "It felt wrong. Like something slipped out of place."
Renjiro stayed silent, letting him continue.
"It feels like something is happening around me," Kaito said. "And I don't know why. I don't know the cause."
He hesitated, then rested a hand over his stomach.
"And here too," he added softly. "It feels… strange."
Renjiro's expression tightened, just a little.
Before he could respond, the sound of running water slowed.
Akari turned from the sink, eyes sharp despite the calm on her face.
The room felt heavier than before.
Whatever had started at the academy
had followed them home.
Akari turned off the tap and dried her hands, then walked back into the living room.
Kaito was still on the sofa—but now he was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, fingers locked together so tightly his knuckles had gone pale.
His breathing was uneven.
Before anyone could speak, he looked up.
"How did Haruto get hurt?"
The question landed hard.
Renjiro stiffened.
Kaito stood up slowly, eyes unsettled. "He was bleeding from his stomach," he said. "And no one even knows when it happened."
Akari's expression tightened.
"And two days ago," Kaito continued, voice rising despite himself, "he had bandages on his head too."
He shook his head, once. Then again.
"Why?" he demanded. "Why does this keep happening to him?"
The words spilled faster now.
"He didn't even know," Kaito said. "He didn't know he was hurt. He didn't know why he was bleeding. That's not normal."
Renjiro stepped forward. "Kaito—"
"No," Kaito cut in sharply. "Don't tell me it's nothing."
His hands trembled as he clenched them.
"First, that fight against Haruki. Then him collapsing," he said. "It feels like things are stacking up, one after another."
He pressed a hand to his stomach without realizing it.
"And I keep feeling this," he said quietly. "Like something's wrong inside me too."
The room felt heavy.
Kaito swallowed.
"I'm getting the same feeling," he said slowly, voice dropping, "that I felt four years ago."
Akari froze.
"That sense," Kaito continued, barely above a whisper, "that something is about to happen."
Something bad.
Something they didn't stop last time.
Renjiro reached him first, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. Akari stepped in front of him, her voice steady but serious.
"Kaito," she said. "Breathe."
He tried. Failed. Then tried again.
"You're not wrong to be scared," Akari said softly. "But you're letting the past pull you forward."
Renjiro nodded. "Nothing is happening tonight."
Kaito's shoulders slowly dropped. The tension didn't vanish—but it loosened.
"…Okay," he muttered.
Akari guided him toward the hallway. "Get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning."
Kaito didn't argue this time.
The house gradually settled.
But the questions he'd asked stayed behind—
hanging in the air, unanswered.
Kaito walked down the hallway and slid open the door to the triplets' room.
The lights were off.
Ayame was already asleep, turned to one side, her breathing slow and steady.
Kaito stood there for a moment, watching her, then quietly lay down on his futon. The tension in his body lingered, but exhaustion eventually pulled him under.
The house grew quieter.
Renjiro returned to his room and closed the door behind him.