Wednesday was… strangely quiet.
Mei slept, hugging Kuma-chan, breathing softly.Harumi, exhausted from work, had passed out on the tatami the moment she got home.
And Takeru…
…wasn't sleeping.
He sat in the dark living room, hands clasped together, staring at the floor.
He had tried to give up the idea of leaving.He had promised himself he would stay—for Mei.
But that night…
He dreamed.
He dreamed of his mother.Her leaving.Then her voice saying, "Take care of your sister."And him, small, holding Mei's hand as the door closed.
He woke up with his chest tight.Sweating.
And with a clear, painful, suffocating feeling:
"I abandoned her. My mom."
Even though she chose to leave first.Even though she never came back.
Still…
…it hurt.
He got up slowly, trying not to make noise.Went to the kitchen to get some water.
And then he saw it.
An envelope on the table.Harumi had left it there earlier.
Electric bill.Water bill.
The amount was high.
Very high.
The realization hit like a punch.
"This is because of us. She's tired because of us. She works extra because of us."
He clenched the envelope in his hands.
In the room, Mei slept peacefully while Harumi clung to her like a pillow.Harumi snored softly, defeated by the day—but her face was calm, like she trusted everything was okay.
And Takeru thought:
"If I leave… Mei stays with her. She can take care of one child. Mei will be happy."
The thought hurt so much he almost gave up right there.
But he looked at Mei again.At Harumi.At the bills.
And decided.
He decided he would leave that night.
The Goodbye That Never Happened
Takeru put on his coat.Tied his sneakers.Picked up Mei's teddy bear—then carefully placed it back beside her.
— Sorry, Mei… — he whispered. — You'll be okay.
He looked at Harumi, sleeping all crooked on the futon.
— It's not your fault… Thank you.
And he left.
Quietly.Without slamming the door.
As if he had never been there at all.
Hours later, Harumi woke up with a dry mouth.
— Takeru? — she called, walking to the kitchen. — I have work tomorrow, where's my alarm—hey… did you turn off all the lights?
Silence.
She sat on the tatami and called louder:
— Takeru? Come eat something…?
Nothing.
She went to their room.
Mei was there.
Takeru wasn't.
Harumi froze.
— …Takeru?
— Takeru??
— TAKERU?!
She ran through the house.Turned on every light.Opened the bathroom.Checked behind boxes.
Nothing.
Her heart jumped into her throat.
And then it hit.
The fear.The guilt.And the thought she had been avoiding all week:
"He… thought I was going to give up on them… those comments really got to him."
The weight crashed down all at once.
— I didn't go after him.— I never asked.— I don't even know anything about them.— I… I knew he wasn't okay.— And I thought playing video games would be enough…
— I'm so stupid… oh my God, I'm so stupid…
Her voice trembled.
She went to Mei.Woke her gently.
— Mei… my love… we need to start a mission, okay?
Mei blinked, still sleepy.
— …Takeru?
Harumi took a deep breath.
Grabbed a large cloth.Tied it into a sling.Placed Mei inside, like a little kangaroo clinging to her.
— We're going to find him.
The Night Search Across the City:
Harumi ran.
Ran like she never had in her life—hair a mess, slippers on, freezing cold biting at her.
Through dark streets.Through alleys.Past the park.Past small markets.
— TAKERU!!!— TAKERUUUU!!— PLEASE ANSWER ME, KID!!
Mei trembled against her chest.
At every corner, her breathing got shorter.At every empty street, the panic grew.
She went to the station.Asked an old man closing his shop.Ran near the lake, near the school, near the library.
Nothing.
Nothing.
No sign.
After hours…
She stopped.
In the middle of the street.
Gasping.Hands shaking.
Mei had fallen asleep against her again, exhausted.
Harumi smiled—a broken smile.
— Maybe I'm… crazy, right? He… he'll come back… haha… he'll… come back…
But the street was empty.
And the silence hurt.
She walked back home, unsteady, her chest so tight it physically hurt.
Placed Mei in bed.Kissed her forehead gently.
And murmured to herself:
— If he's not in the city… there's only one place left.
She took a deep breath.
Gathered her courage.
And decided:
"I'm going to his grandfather's house."
Maybe Takeru went there.Maybe there was a clue.An object.A memory.
Anything.
Because she wasn't going to lose him.
No way.