Arou sat on the edge of the bed for quite a while.
There was no other sound of breathing.
No footsteps in the hallway.
Only the ticking of the wall clock, sounding far too clear.
He stood up and opened the bedroom door.
The hallway of the house was silent.
Usually, at this time, there would be the sound of Hikari running around, or Lumina quietly complaining. Sometimes Nora would be sleeping on the sofa, sometimes Akari would be sitting while reading, and sometimes Airi would be standing in the kitchen without saying anything.
Now—
there was nothing.
Arou walked into the living room.
The sofa was empty.
There was no white cat fur.
No trace of a body that had just woken up.
He stared at the television that was turned off. His reflection appeared faintly on the black screen.
His face looked more tired than he had realized.
Arou walked into the kitchen.
The dining table was neat.
There were no tea cups.
No breakfast plates.
He opened the refrigerator.
Empty… far too empty.
The refrigerator door closed slowly, as if closing it too hard would break the silence—even though there was actually nothing left to break.
Arou leaned his back against the kitchen cabinet.
"Nora usually complains when she's hungry…" he murmured softly.
"Hikari always wakes up the earliest…"
There was no answer.
His voice simply disappeared into the air.
Arou walked upstairs, opening the doors to each room one by one.
Lumina's room was empty.
Akari's room was empty.
Airi's room—neat, cold, as if no one had ever lived there.
His steps stopped in front of his own room.
He went back inside and sat on the floor, leaning against the bed.
"So… this house really is this big," he said quietly.
His hand clenched unconsciously.
"Funny, isn't it?" he said again, this time more quietly.
"When this house was crowded, I wanted to be alone. Now that I'm alone… it feels like I've lost everything."
His chest felt tight.
Yet no tears fell.
Maybe because he was too tired.
Or perhaps the pain was too deep to come out as tears.
Arou looked at the window.
The afternoon light slowly entered, illuminating the silent room.
"Zata," he said softly.
"If this is the price of victory… then I've already paid it."
Silence answered him once again.
And in a house that was too large for one person,
Arou sat alone—
listening to the silence that had now become his only companion.
That morning felt quieter than usual.
Arou woke up without hearing a single sound.
There were no footsteps, no greetings, only the wall clock continuing to tick. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, staring at the floor, then let out a short sigh.
After getting ready, Arou left the house and walked toward school.
In class, everything seemed normal. The students talked quietly, some laughed, while others were still sleepy. Arou sat at his desk, then unconsciously looked to the side.
The desk was empty.
Akari's bag was gone. Her chair was neat, as if no one had ever sat there.
Arou fell silent for a few seconds.
"Akari hasn't arrived yet?" someone asked.
"Yeah, she usually comes with you, right?" another replied.
Arou looked toward the front.
"I don't know," he answered briefly.
His classmates looked at one another.
"Did she get permission to be absent?"
"Is she sick?"
"Or is she late?"
The questions passed just like casual morning conversation. But to Arou, everything felt heavy.
The lesson began. The teacher entered the classroom and started teaching without mentioning Akari's name. As if the empty desk had always been supposed to be empty.
Arou stared at the blackboard, but his mind was elsewhere.
Why was that desk empty?
When the break bell rang, Arou remained in his seat. He stared at the desk beside him longer than he should have.
"Arou," a classmate called.
"Do you know why Akari isn't here?"
Arou slowly shook his head.
"I don't know."
That answer was true.
Yet somehow, his chest felt tight.
The lesson was almost over when the homeroom teacher called Arou's name.
"Arou, after class ends, come to the teachers' room for a moment."
Arou nodded slowly.
"Alright, Sir."
No questions, no complaints.
After the dismissal bell rang, the students left the classroom one by one. Arou walked down the hallway calmly, even though his chest felt heavy.
In the teachers' room, the homeroom teacher sat behind his desk and gestured for Arou to sit.
"Arou," he said softly, "you're close to Akari, aren't you?"
Arou lowered his head slightly.
"Quite close."
The teacher opened the attendance book.
"Akari is absent today. There was no notice, and we also can't contact anyone."
Arou remained silent.
"She usually comes to school with you. Do you know anything?"
Arou clenched his hands beneath the table.
He knew.
He knew very well.
But all that came out of his mouth was,
"No, Sir."
The teacher looked at Arou for several seconds, then sighed.
"Then, if you hear anything, please let me know."
Arou nodded.
"Alright."
As he stood to leave, the teacher spoke again.
"Arou… you've seemed different lately. If there's a problem, don't keep it to yourself."
Arou stopped for a moment in front of the door.
"Thank you, Sir," he said softly.
In the school hallway, Arou walked alone. The sound of his footsteps echoed quietly.
He was not sad because Akari had missed school.
He was sad because he knew…
Akari would never come again.
Not because she transferred schools.
Not because she was sick.
But because this world had never been her place to begin with.
Arou looked at the window at the end of the hallway.
His reflection appeared faintly.
"I'm sorry," he murmured softly.
"I won… but I still lost."
After school, Arou did not go home immediately.
He walked without a definite destination, letting his footsteps follow the road. That afternoon, the sky was a pale orange, and the sun slowly descended behind the buildings.
Arou stopped at a small park. It was not crowded. There were only a few benches and trees swaying gently in the wind.
On one of the benches, a girl around his age was sitting alone. Her hair fell loosely around her, and her gaze was fixed on the evening sky.
Arou hesitated for a moment, then approached her.
"Excuse me," he said softly. "May I sit here?"
The girl turned toward him, then nodded.
"Sure."
They sat without speaking for a few seconds.
"Why are you alone?" Arou finally asked.
The girl smiled faintly.
"It's nothing. I just want to stay here for a while."
Arou nodded. The answer sounded… sufficient.
"Then," he said, "me too."
Silence surrounded them again. The sounds of birds, wind, and passing footsteps felt distant.
A few moments later, the girl spoke again.
"My name is Mei."
Arou turned toward her.
"Arou."
"Nice to meet you, Arou."
"Nice to meet you too, Mei."
They fell silent again, watching the evening that was almost over.
Arou did not know why he was sitting there.
But for the first time that day,
he did not feel completely alone.
The afternoon sun leaned farther west. The park lights had not turned on yet, but the shadows of the trees were beginning to stretch.
"Is your school near here?" Mei asked while continuing to look ahead.
"Yeah, not too far," Arou answered. "What about you?"
Mei nodded.
"More or less the same."
"I usually go straight home," Arou continued. "Today I just… wanted to walk around for a while."
Mei smiled faintly.
"Me too. Going home too early somehow makes me feel even more tired."
Arou understood what she meant.
"How were your classes today?" Mei asked.
"Normal," Arou answered. "There were assignments, teachers who talked for a long time, and an empty desk."
Mei turned toward him.
"An empty desk?"
"Yeah," Arou paused for a moment. "A friend who usually sits there wasn't there today."
"Oh…" Mei did not ask any further. "Was your friend sick?"
Arou fell silent.
"Probably."
The evening wind blew gently. The leaves brushed against one another softly.
"Do you come to this park often?" Arou asked.
"Not often," Mei answered. "But sometimes, when my head feels too full, I come here."
Arou nodded.
"This place seems suitable for that."
Mei smiled.
"At least here, no one expects us to be okay."
The sun was almost setting.
"I should go home," Arou said softly.
"Yeah," Mei replied. "Me too."
They stood up at the same time.
"See you again, Arou," Mei said.
"If we get the chance," Arou replied.
They walked in different directions, leaving the park as it was slowly covered by twilight.
Arou walked home with a slightly lighter feeling, even though his heart was still empty.