The school day had already come to an end by the time Juson reached the administrative office. He stood quietly at the counter, signing a few papers with the same absent-minded expression he had carried since leaving home that morning. His pen moved across the pages almost automatically while his thoughts remained elsewhere, returning again and again to Herik's fading mark and the strange blue sand he had discovered inside the bedroom. Once the formalities were complete, he handed the documents back, thanked the staff member with a brief nod, and stepped outside into the evening air. The school grounds had already begun to empty, leaving only a handful of students crossing the courtyard.
As he walked toward the parking area, another thought surfaced unexpectedly. Yokina had never called him. He had specifically asked her to contact him after visiting the doctor, yet his phone had remained silent throughout the day. The realization slowed his steps for only a moment before he continued toward his car, unlocking the door and settling into the driver's seat. The engine started with a low hum, but instead of pointing the vehicle directly toward home, he turned the steering wheel toward the City Clinic.
Several minutes later, Juson pulled the car to a stop outside the clinic and remained seated behind the wheel. The building stood unusually quiet compared to the busy scene he had imagined throughout the afternoon.
After waiting briefly, he reached into his pocket, took out his phone, and dialed Yokina's number. The ringtone echoed softly inside the car for several seconds before the call ended abruptly. He frowned, lowering the phone slowly while looking through the clinic entrance. The waiting seats visible from where he sat were empty. There was no sign of Yokina or Herik anywhere inside.
For another brief moment he remained there, considering whether he should go inside and ask someone, but eventually he put the phone away and drove off. The journey home passed without incident. By the time he reached the house, the evening had already begun settling over the neighbourhood. As he slowed the car before the gate, he noticed Hiori opening it and walking back toward the house. The simple sight immediately reassured him. If the maid had returned, then Yokina and Herik had almost certainly come back safely as well.
Juson parked the car before stepping out and walking inside. By the time he reached the entrance, Hiori had already disappeared through the doorway. A moment later the front door opened, revealing Yokina standing there with slightly tired eyes. Before he could ask anything, she quietly explained, "I was sleeping." Juson studied her expression for a moment before speaking. "Didn't you go to the clinic?" Yokina nodded and calmly told him everything that had happened.
She explained the doctor's examination, the reassurance that the mark had only been caused by sleeping awkwardly, and how she had returned home afterwards before falling asleep beside Herik. Juson listened without interrupting. He neither argued with the doctor's conclusion nor questioned Yokina further. Instead, he simply nodded once before walking silently toward his room. Time passed unnoticed throughout the house. Eventually Yokina joined Hiori in the kitchen, where the two of them quietly began preparing dinner while the fading daylight slowly disappeared beyond the windows.
After changing his clothes, Juson wandered into Herik's bedroom. The little boy still slept peacefully beneath the blanket, his body turned awkwardly against the pillow. Juson stood beside the bed for several moments, studying the position carefully before quietly convincing himself that perhaps the doctor had been right after all. The sleeping posture alone seemed capable of leaving the faint mark he had noticed that morning. His shoulders relaxed slightly. Leaning down, he gently woke Herik before lifting him into his arms and carrying him toward the kitchen. Another hour passed while dinner was prepared.
By then, darkness had completely settled outside, and the warm lights inside the dining room became the only source of brightness within the house. The family gathered together for the evening meal, the atmosphere calm once again after the uncertainty of the day. During dinner, Yokina casually mentioned meeting her old college friend, Wanna, outside the clinic and repeated the invitation she had received for lunch the following day.
Juson listened quietly before agreeing without hesitation. He saw no reason to refuse. The conversation drifted naturally from one small topic to another before gradually fading into comfortable silence. After spending another half hour together, everyone slowly returned to their respective rooms. One by one the lights throughout the house went out until only darkness remained, bringing another ordinary day to its quiet conclusion.