Yokina dressed Herik without speaking. She carefully pulled a clean T-shirt over his head before helping him into a small pair of trousers, her hands moving with the quiet familiarity that only a mother possessed. Although her movements remained steady, her thoughts refused to settle. Ever since Juson had pointed out the faint blue mark on Herik's neck, it had lingered in the back of her mind. The doctor had not yet seen it, and Juson himself had said it had already begun fading, yet the image continued troubling her.
It no longer looked frightening, but neither did it seem ordinary. Throughout the process, Herik remained unusually quiet. He neither resisted nor attempted to help. Once she had finished dressing him, Yokina lifted him into her arms, and almost immediately the little boy rested his head against her shoulder. His body felt heavier than usual, weighed down by a strange exhaustion that seemed entirely unlike a child his age. Before leaving the bedroom, Yokina glanced once at the wall clock. More time had passed than she had realised. Quietly carrying Herik, she stepped into the hallway where Hiori, the maid, was already waiting.
"Don't prepare lunch today," Yokina said calmly while adjusting Herik against her shoulder. "We'll be back in the evening." Hiori nodded in understanding before hesitating for a brief moment. "Yokina... may I go to my home?" she asked politely. Yokina quietly closed the bedroom door behind her, then handed over the house keys. "Come with me." The three of them walked together through the house before stepping outside into the morning sunlight. Yokina waited patiently while Hiori locked the front gate, the metallic click echoing softly through the otherwise peaceful street. Once the keys were returned, the maid thanked her and turned toward the road leading home.
After only a few steps, she disappeared around the nearby corner. Yokina remained standing with Herik still resting silently against her shoulder. He hadn't spoken a single word since waking that morning. Slowly she walked toward the end of the street before stopping beside the corner, waiting quietly for a taxi. Several uneventful minutes passed. Only an occasional bicycle disturbed the stillness before the distant sound of an approaching engine finally reached her ears. A yellow taxi slowed to a stop beside them, and the driver lowered the window. Without wasting time, Yokina opened the rear door, settled Herik inside beside her, and quietly took her seat.
The driver glanced at them through the rear-view mirror before asking, "Where should I take you, Madam?" Yokina didn't answer immediately. Her eyes shifted toward Herik, perhaps expecting him to react, but he simply stared blankly ahead without the slightest sign of recognition. The driver cleared his throat politely before repeating the question. "...City Clinic," Yokina finally replied. The taxi pulled away from the roadside and settled into a steady pace. Inside, silence filled the vehicle. Yokina opened her purse to prepare the fare, searching through a few folded notes before her fingers closed around two small coins. She took them out and instinctively tried separating them, only to discover that they refused to move.
Frowning slightly, she pressed harder with both thumbs. Nothing happened. The coins seemed almost fused together. She tried once more, applying greater force, but the result remained the same. Eventually she gave up and closed her fingers around them. She would examine them later. Beside her, Herik quietly watched her clenched hand without blinking. Yokina noticed his unusual focus but ignored it. During the previous few days he had begun staring at odd things for reasons she couldn't understand. Deciding not to think about it further, she leaned back against the seat and slowly closed her eyes.
The journey continued peacefully until the taxi suddenly bounced over a speed breaker with enough force to shake the entire vehicle. Herik jolted forward instantly. Yokina reacted without thinking, pulling him tightly against herself before he could lose his balance. "It's alright," she whispered gently, waiting until the movement settled before loosening her grip. Only then did she notice something inside her closed fist. The coins. Slowly opening her hand, she stared at them in silence.
They had separated completely. There was no trace of glue, dirt, or anything else that might explain why they had seemed stuck together only moments earlier. She picked up one coin, rubbing its surface carefully beneath her thumb, searching for any sign of what had changed. There was nothing. Completely confused, she continued staring until the driver gradually slowed the vehicle. "We're here, Madam." The City Clinic stood only a few steps ahead. Yokina handed over the coins before helping Herik out of the taxi. The vehicle disappeared down the road as she turned toward the clinic entrance.
Just as she prepared to step inside, someone standing near the doorway caught her attention. A young woman carrying a little girl in her arms looked strangely familiar. "Wanna?" Yokina called instinctively. The woman turned, staring for a brief moment before recognition spread across her face. "Yokina...?" The two women smiled warmly as they approached each other. "It's been almost a year," Yokina said. Wanna nodded before her daughter suddenly mumbled something neither of them understood, drawing quiet laughter from both women. Yet the smile faded almost immediately from Yokina's face. Herik remained completely silent. Not even a single sound escaped him.
Trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling growing inside her, Yokina asked what had brought Wanna to the clinic. "Routine check-ups," Wanna replied while adjusting her daughter comfortably in her arms. "She's been coming here regularly." Together they entered the crowded waiting room where nearly every chair was occupied. Nurses moved constantly through the corridor carrying files while patients waited patiently for their names to be called. Fortunately, the queue progressed faster than expected. Wanna entered first and returned only a few minutes later. Soon afterwards Yokina carried Herik inside. She carefully explained everything to the doctor: the strange mark, Herik's unusual silence, and the exhaustion that seemed to consume him.
The doctor listened attentively before asking several questions, nearly identical to those Juson had asked earlier. After examining the fading mark himself, he smiled reassuringly. "It appears to be nothing more than a sleeping mark. Children often develop similar marks after sleeping in awkward positions. It should disappear naturally." Relief spread quietly through Yokina as she thanked him and stepped outside once more. Wanna was already waiting. They spent several minutes talking about college, old memories, and how quickly the previous year had disappeared.
Before leaving, Wanna smiled warmly. "Hakiten dropped us here before going to work. Come to our house for lunch tomorrow." Since the doctor's reassurance had eased most of her fears, Yokina accepted without hesitation. The two friends walked together for a short distance before separating. Wanna continued home on foot while Yokina waited once more for another taxi. This time the coins inside her purse separated normally when she reached for them, though she never noticed. After returning home, she carried Herik straight to the bedroom. His eyelids were already heavy
. She prepared the bed, closed every curtain until the room fell into gentle darkness, and laid him down carefully. Within moments he had fallen asleep. Yokina lay beside him soon afterwards. The doctor's explanation had calmed her mind, yet somewhere deep inside, the feeling that something had quietly changed refused to disappear. Eventually exhaustion overtook her, and she slowly drifted into sleep beside her son.