The evening wind quietly brushed against the apartment building.
The teachers and child protection workers stood awkwardly near the entrance while Itsuki tightly held the small puppy in his arms.
His homeroom teacher lowered his head apologetically toward the woman standing beside the boy.
"We're sorry," the teacher said carefully. "We didn't know you were his relative."
The principal nodded.
"We believed he had been living alone this whole time."
Itsuki's aunt let out a tired breath.
"I was overseas," she explained softly. "The moment I heard about my brother and his wife… I came back immediately."
The teachers exchanged relieved looks.
"In that case," the principal said, "we'll leave Itsuki under your care."
The child protection workers quietly apologized once more before finally leaving.
Soon—
the apartment entrance became silent again.
Only Itsuki…
his aunt…
and the tiny dog remained.
---
Itsuki stood there silently for a moment.
Then suddenly—
he buried his face into his aunt's chest.
"I thought…" his voice trembled weakly, "I thought you abandoned me too…"
His fingers tightly grabbed her clothes.
"Just like everybody else…"
The puppy whimpered softly between his arms.
Itsuki's aunt froze.
Then her expression completely softened.
"Oh, my poor child…"
She gently wrapped her arms around him.
"You're my precious boy," she whispered warmly. "So don't cry anymore."
Her hand slowly stroked his messy hair.
"I will never leave you alone."
Itsuki tried stopping his tears—
but they kept falling anyway.
---
Then suddenly—
his aunt noticed the bandage covering his left eye.
Her expression immediately changed.
"…Itsuki."
She gently held his chin and turned his face toward her.
"What happened to your eye?"
Itsuki instinctively looked away.
"…Nothing."
"Don't lie to me."
Her voice became quieter.
"…Did you give your eye to someone?"
Itsuki froze.
Silence itself answered the question.
His aunt stared at him in disbelief.
"You're still a child…" "What kind of doctor would allow something like that?"
Itsuki lowered his head slowly.
"…I hurt someone."
His voice barely came out.
"So I wanted to fix it."
For a moment—
his aunt didn't know whether to cry or scold him.
---
She unlocked the apartment door quietly and stepped inside.
And then—
she completely froze.
The apartment looked terrible.
Dirty dishes filled the sink.
Clothes were scattered everywhere.
The floor looked dusty.
Inside the refrigerator—
there was almost nothing.
Only a single dry piece of bread.
Itsuki quietly walked past her like it was normal.
The puppy jumped onto the sofa.
Itsuki slowly collapsed beside it from exhaustion.
His aunt stood there silently.
A ten-year-old child had been living like this alone.
Cooking alone.
Eating alone.
Crying alone.
Sleeping alone.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"…Brother," she thought quietly, "How much suffering did this child hide from everyone?"
---
A few minutes later—
the sound of cleaning slowly filled the apartment.
Itsuki's aunt rolled up her sleeves and quietly started cleaning everything.
Dishes.
Laundry.
Trash.
Dust.
The small apartment slowly began looking alive again.
Meanwhile, Itsuki had already fallen asleep on the sofa while hugging the puppy against his chest.
His aunt glanced toward him while cleaning the kitchen.
Then suddenly—
a painful thought crossed her mind.
…I abandoned my old life to come here.
The image of the man she was supposed to marry briefly appeared in her thoughts.
The future she had planned overseas.
Her career.
Her dreams.
Everything.
But then—
she looked back at the sleeping child on the sofa.
Itsuki unconsciously hugged the puppy tighter in his sleep.
A lonely child desperately afraid of being abandoned again.
Her expression softened.
"…If the person I marry ever tells me to abandon this child…"
She quietly continued cleaning.
"…then I simply won't marry."
---
Elsewhere—
inside a hospital room—
Hotaru quietly sat beside her mother.
A bandage still covered part of her eye.
The room smelled faintly of medicine.
Her mother gently held her hand while a doctor sat across from them.
"There's still emotional trauma remaining," the doctor explained quietly. "She keeps remembering painful moments repeatedly."
Hotaru lowered her head slightly.
The doctor adjusted his glasses.
"I'll begin treatment that may help reduce some of those traumatic memories."
Her mother nodded silently.
---
Days later—
some memories inside Hotaru slowly became blurry.
The bullying.
The fear.
The pain.
Most of it slowly faded away like disappearing fog.
But one memory remained.
Only one.
A boy named Itsuki bullied her.
And because of him—
she lost one of her eyes.
But somewhere in the darkness—
a kind person donated an eye to her and saved her future.
That was all she remembered now.
Itsuki himself had become nothing more than the image of a cruel child inside her memories.
---
Meanwhile—
night quietly filled the apartment.
Itsuki remained asleep on the sofa.
The puppy slept against his chest peacefully.
His aunt finished cooking dinner before slowly walking toward him.
She gently shook his shoulder.
"Itsuki…"
Her voice was soft.
"Wake up."
Itsuki slowly opened his remaining eye.
"…Food is ready."
---
A few minutes later—
the two quietly sat together at the small dinner table.
Warm rice.
Soup.
Freshly cooked food.
Itsuki stared silently at the meal.
Then suddenly—
tears started falling from his eye again.
His aunt quietly watched him.
"I…" Itsuki's voice shook, "I wish I never bullied that girl…"
His hands trembled while holding the spoon.
"If I didn't do that… none of this would've happened…"
His aunt quietly listened.
Then she sighed softly.
"…Let me guess."
Itsuki slowly looked up.
"You bullied a girl at school," she said calmly. "A girl who couldn't properly see or hear."
Itsuki froze.
"And because of you… she lost one of her eyes."
Silence filled the room.
"But then," his aunt continued softly, "you gave her your own eye because you regretted it."
Itsuki's lips trembled.
"And after that… by pure bad luck…"
Her expression became painful.
"…you lost your parents too."
Itsuki lowered his head completely.
"…Yeah."
For a moment—
only silence remained between them.
Then his aunt gently placed her hand on his head.
"Listen carefully, Itsuki."
Her voice became warm.
"What happened was terrible."
"But you cannot spend your whole life blaming yourself."
Itsuki quietly listened.
"But promise me something."
He slowly looked up.
"When you grow up…"
"…go meet that girl again."
Itsuki's eye widened slightly.
"Tell her the truth."
"Apologize properly."
"And if possible…"
A small smile appeared on her face.
"…marry her someday."
Itsuki almost choked from surprise.
"W-WHAT?!"
His aunt laughed softly for the first time that night.
"You bullied her, didn't you?"
"Then spend your life taking care of her properly."
Itsuki's face turned slightly red.
"T-That's impossible…"
"Why?"
"Because…"
Itsuki looked down awkwardly.
"…she transferred to another school."
"And her mother would probably kill me if she saw me again."
For the first time in months—
his aunt genuinely laughed.
And slowly…
the empty apartment finally started feeling like a home again.