BEB |Chapter Two| Mother and Son

The phone was ringing incessantly, his head was aching and his stomach growling, and after it stopped ringing it started right away again so in a state of being annoyed his answers the phone, "Hello?", "Ah, finally, we need you to come into the university today, we didn't expect her this early, but there will be another teaching aide starting today, so I wondering if you could come and discuss your experience with her.", Ayumu, even further annoyed by losing his day off reluctantly agrees to come in. Ayumu grits his teeth and prepares for his day starting with a shower, "Ahh, dammit, I really have to coach someone new..?" he finishes getting his clothes together, and then heads on into the shower, as per usual he is silent, keeping his thoughts to a minimum to maximize time efficiency. After his shower, he dresses, grabs his keys, his phone, and his necklace, after grabbing all necessary materials, he checks his fridge only to find nothing left to eat, "Urk.. dammit, I forgot to go shopping yesterday.." his stomach screaming in protest as he sets out anyways, grabbing his satchel before locking up and heading to the train station. 'I really hope today goes well.' he is deep in thought as he walks down the old street he is all too familiar with. Waiting for the train to appear has Ayumu bored, his phone is very basic and analog so he can't very well surf the web like he does on Akikos' phone, and he didn't bring a book to read, so he is now very bored. "Summer break is gonna kill me this year, no homework to do, no friends.. ahhh, I have to find something to keep myself preoccupied.." while he was talking to himself, he didn't notice the two girls approaching the train station as well.

Natsuki and Hinata woke up that morning to their mother telling them she cooked up some breakfast, they know she is excited since it's the first day she will officially be going to work at the university. They wake up, eat, get showered, brush their teeth, and then decide to do separate activities. Hinata prefers the company of a good book, so she browses through those that she owns, while Natsuki wants to get outside and walk around the neighborhood. Natsuki prepares for the trip outside by dressing in casual clothes, a little bit of makeup, and she fixes her hair up, after which she calls Chitose to ask if she could show her around. "Man, it sure is hot today!" Natsuki remarks as she makes her way over to Chitose's house, recalling the dinner they had last night.

"Welcome to my residence, please take your shoes off at the door and make yourselves at home." a woman who appears to be in her late sixties or early seventies wearing a classic Yukata meets Satomi, Natsuki, and Hinata at the doorway while Chitose already has her shoes off and is waiting to show them all to the living area. "Thank you for having us over." Satomi says as she finishes taking her shoes off, "I know it's probably a burden to have so many people over, but we are very thankful.", Hinata chimes in, "Indeed we are, thank you Mrs. Matsuo for having us over." she bows slightly while thanking her, Natsuki boldly say "Thank you, without this we would've been doomed to leftovers again! We seriously owe you one!" a wide smile on her face. "Think nothing of it, all of you are more than welcome. I used to cook for a large family, but I am left with so few nowadays. My Granddaughter really enjoys making friends at school, but this being her second year I decided to help out a little and try to deepen my relationship and hers with my precious students and their families.", she turns from the doorway starting down a long hallway to continue leading them to the living area. "Your house is amazing, it really feels nostalgic." Hinata exclaims while they walk through an outdoor section of the home, "Very polite, thank you. I suppose it's a bit late to introduce myself properly, but as I am sure you have surmised I am Shizune Matsuo, the headmistress of the school you have enrolled into." she slides open a paper door, revealing a cushy looking room, a tatami floor, a large wide table sitting in the middle of the room. "Please have a seat all of you, I am sure you are all famished after all the moving that was done today. I shall go and prepare some plates." she smiles sincerely, "I can help you with that, I feel bad enough as is being a burden on you at this time of night, the least I can do is help dish out the food." Satomi says, following Shizune. Chitose sits down at the table, breathing a sigh of relief, "Haaa, I am glad she didn't tell me to get into my Yukata, I think these clothes are so much easier to move in." she fans her face with her hand, both eyes closed. "I totally understand how you feel! I love casual clothes, but when you have to dress in something so restricting it can feel so tight and hard to move around in." Natsuki shouts throwing herself next to Chitose, who is now looking properly at Natsuki, and Hinata who is now taking a seat on the other side of Chitose. "Hmm, so are you both originally from the countryside?" Chitose asks, leaning back slightly, "I don't think so, but we practically grew up there so I don't see a difference." Natsuki blurts out, "Our Mom said we were born closer to here." Hinata says meekly, a cold look on her face. Chitose pauses, taking in Hinata's face and then asks, "An 'Ice Queen', eh?" smiling mischievously, Hinata, blushing slightly says, "Wh-What are you talking about? Who's an 'Ice Queen'?!" she pouts and puff up her chest, crossing her arm. "Relax, I meant nothing bad by it, you just seem cold on the outside. Girls at the academy are very receptive of looks and usually will avoid anyone with an abrasive personality, so just warm up to the idea of smiling a little more for them and they will just eat you up." she smiles and places her hand on Hinata's head, who is now completely red, "I can smile when I have to! I will keep in mind what you have told me.." she turns and avoids Chitose's gaze. "Erm, do you by chance have an interest in.. girls Chitose?" asks Natsuki who is viewing the spectacle before her, "Hmmm, no, I don't, but how do I say this, I really just like small cute things a lot, and your sister is sort of making my senses go crazy!" she says smiling at Natsuki, who is holding back her laughter, "Right, I was just curious, not that I judge, there are many people in this world after all, so it wouldn't surprise me to find someone with those interests." Natsuki says nodding her head, "Well you're in luck, at our school there are many girls who have never met a boy outside of family, and are only capable of having a romance with another girl. Be prepared, I can already tell you are pretty athletics Natsuki, just don't come off as being cool and the girls shouldn't label you a prince." Natsuki, looking flustered, asks "Prince? Would they really call me that? I think I am pretty feminine..." she sulks a bit, but then notices Chitose holding back laughter, "They will think you're cool, but only a handful of girls really call other women "Princes", so don't worry about it too much, after all you're not into other girls right?" Chitose says chuckling, Natsuki shakes her head "Of course not, though I am not really used to guys either, I just don't know how to deal with them, and I have been to school with them!" Chitose laughs, Natsuki smiles, and Hinata is still flustered but overall enjoying herself. Satomi and Shizune are preparing the plates to go out to the table, Shizune watching Satomi fumble around the kitchen, "Not used to putting together plates?" Shizune asks, "Ah, not really, my dishes just tend to be an altogether type of meal, so I don't normally have to put so much on one plate at a time." she gives a shy smile, "Mm, I can see why your girls would get tired of leftovers if all you prepare is casseroles." Shizune exclaims with disregard for Satomi's feelings, and Satomi, shocked by the statement, retorts "Well, we have it so often to save on food expenses, so it can't be helped." sure she ended it there, she smiles confidently, but only to have her argument brought back "There are plenty of cost effective recipes out there, most of which just require the time to put together. I just think you aren't wanting to cook." Shizune says, putting the finishing touches on the plates. "Wh-Whaaat?! I enjoy cooking thank you very much! I do my very best-" Shizune cuts her off and says "I am sure you do, and I meant no disrespect to you, but I was just wondering if you wanted to learn how to cook a few things, it won't take long, and they are cost effective." Satomi, dumbfounded, asks "You want to teach me to cook?" Shizune shakes her head "Not teach, I want to help you improve upon what you already know. So what do you say?" The dinner went well, everyone had their appetite sated, and made a friend along the way. "Ahhh, that was amazing, I don't think I have ever had a meal like before!" Natsuki states holding her stomach. Satomi and Hinata both look happy as well, but prefer to digest in silence rather than talk. Chitose smiles, fanning her face as she did before, and Shizune asks "Will anyone be having dessert? I have cake prepared just in case." she gives a sly smile to everyone at the table, knowing someone will cave and she too will grab a slice. Hinata shyly raises her hand, Shizune says "Ah, would you like one, dear?" Hinata nods her head and replies with a soft "Yes Ma'am..", Shizune smiles and stands up to retrieve the sweet treasures. Natsuki, putting a hand on Chitose's shoulder asks "So what are you doing tomorrow?"

Satomi ensures everything is on schedule, she ate early, showered, brushed her teeth, got ready, and then got onto an early train. Nothing could bring her down, she thought as the train pulled up to her destination, nothing except the fact there is nobody who can teach her the job responsibilities she will have, so she patiently waits for someone to help her out. After an slow hour of waiting she breaks down and decides to ask the nearest staff member to help her out, to which they replied "Of course, but I need to call someone in to help you, since we are very short handed on staff at the moment.", she thanks him and he walks off to make a call, and without missing a beat Satomi is right back in her happy place, knowing that this is only a temporary bit of peace before the real work begins.

Natsuki and Chitose agreed to take a tour of the city today, so Chitose proposed the plan of taking the train to the far side of town then walking back to their her house, to which Natsuki happily agreed to. The day is warm, but with a decent breeze to it, and the two girls talk the entire way to the station, Natsuki asking questions about her classmates and of Chitose herself, and Chitose happily answering everything she can. Ayumu only registers there is someone with him because of the laughter he heard approach from behind. Chitose pauses, then smiles and points to a boy waiting for the trains, he is dressed formally and carries a satchel, she smiles and begins to approach him, Natsuki following her lead. "Hello!" a sudden noise nearly starting Ayumu, who is not used to conversing with anyone other than the Ishidas outside the workplace, "U-Uh, h-hello." he replies back "How can I help you today?", "You don't have to be so formal, we look about the same age, aren't we?" Chitose asks pointing at herself, "Um, forgibe me." Ayumu bites his tounge, his face going red from saying 'forgibe', the girl in front of him smiles and asks "How old are you anyways?", Natsuki chiming in "He looks around fifteen, I think.", Ayumu smiling through his embarrassment, and says "Well, u-um, I am fourteen years old." he then almost panics saying "Ah, excuse me, I didn't introduce myself yet, I am Ayumu Murata!" he stands up while saying this and takes a bow at the end. "Ayumu... Murata? Did I say it right?" Chitose asks, "Yes, you did." Ayumu gives a slight smile, Natsuki says his name as well "Ai...You..Moo? Ayumu? Moo..Ra..Ta? Murata? Ayumu Murata, how was that?", Ayumu, looking flustered from a simple conversation turns away and says "Uh,ye-yeah, you said it right..", Chitose smiles and says "Well, allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Chitose Matsuo, and this girl is-" Natsuki takes over "Natsuki Ogawa!" a playful smile spread across her face. "Chitose Matsuo and Natsuki Ogawa, alright. Nice to meet you both." Chitose, impressed with how fast be picked them up, says "Well well, it looks like you have a decent ability to speak after all!" as she pats his shoulder. "Not too many boys live around the area since the public high school is a good distance away, most people try to live as close as possible to commute to school for efficiently, but it doesn't look like a school uniform you have on.." Chitose looks Ayumu from head to toe, Natsuki does the same and says "You look like you're going to school though." to which Ayumu feigns a happy smile and says "You're pretty sharp. I am on my way to Kyoto University." Chitose and Natsuki look confused, but Chitose, with her curiosity growing asks "Kyoto University huh? Do you have some club activity near there?", and with the same fake smile Ayumu says "Not at all, actually, I am on my way to work. I was called in today to help someone learn their job." Natsuki and Chitose are amazed, is this the local genius that lives in the big old house? Chitose intends to find out! "So, you must live around here right?", Ayumu nods "Do you live in a really old looking house?", Ayumu begins to sweat, but he nods regardless "And does it have recent additions added to the house?!", Ayumu loosens his tie and asks "Well yes, but why do you want to know?" Chitose smiles and says "Well, I haven't actually met you before, but my Grandmother has.", Ayumu drops the smile and breaths a sigh of relife, "Ah, that's right, I have met her. She seems very serious about her students. The one time I met her, she wanted to know why I never wore my uniform. She can be pretty strict about rules all schools enforce, huh?", Chitose, looking rather pleased with herself, says "Indeed she is very serious, and she told me you were a very diligent young man. She seemed really interested in you, but hey, you never know why. I am sure if you ask her kindly she would make her school co-ed just to let you in!" she says in a teasing manner, Ayumu, putting back up the fake smile, laughs as the train approaches.

They all board the train, Natsuki, having remained quiet while they spoke, decided to sit closest to the boy who tried to move seats, but still wound up being followed. "Not good with girls?" Natsuki asks, aware of how he switched seats, "W-Well, I am not used to girls my age, I am always around adults all day, so women are nothing new to me." he puffs his chest out slightly while saying that, but then deflates while saying "Of course, I only deal with the professional side of things, I don't actually know these women outside of school." Natsuki slaps him on his back and says "Aww, c'mon, there are plenty of chances for you to get used to girls." the two girls begin having their own conversation while Ayumu sits in a daze, he hasn't ever held a conversation this long with high school girls, and somehow just being in their presence is enough to make him nervous. When the two girls finish talking, Natsuki thinks of a conversation topic to try and learn a little more about Ayumu, "Sooo, do you have any siblings?" she asks, having to look down slightly as Ayumu is a bit shorter than both of them, "Ah, I uh, no I don't.", he starts to look somewhat uncomfortable, then the question he really never liked hearing came out, so he did what he has always done when adults asked him, he put on the fake smile he knew so well, "So, are your mother and father okay with you working a university all by yourself?" he smile happily, but Ayumu could feel his sadness welling up, "Well, they aren't around. My father passed away and my mother is on a trip somewhere. I take care of myself however, so it's fine." Natsuki, feeling something behind his words sits in silence, unsure of how to respond, Chitose however, taking it all in, grabs Natsuki's arm and says "Ah, our stop is here! C'mon or we'll be going to Kyoto as well!" the two girls get up and make their way off the train shouting their goodbyes to Ayumu, Natsuki taking another look behind her, seeing the boy silently shed tears as she exits through the doors.

Natsuki and Chitose exit the train, Chitose pulling Natsuki along with her, "So that was the boy genius, huh? What did you think of him Natsuki?" she asks letting her hand go and slowing to a stop in the station, "Well... he had a certain air about him that is familiar to me, almost like my sister." she clutches her shirt, and asks "D-Did you see him before we got off?" Chitose, confused by the sudden halt to her bright smile, replies "No.. should I have? Was he making rude gestures towards us?!" she asks teasingly, Natsuki, looking down then back up to meet Chitose's gaze "No, he was crying." both girls, unsure of what to do decide it was best not to pry into it, and instead focused on getting to know the area.

Ayumu was happy that there were so few people out on this day, and that his tears weren't seen. He cleans his face, slaps his cheeks and thinks to himself 'I have to get it together! They are handing me more responsibilities, I have to show gratitude.' he grips the handle to his satchel tighter, and puts on the same smile he always does as the train pull up into his stop. He walks to the University, taking in the beautiful day, and greeting any student that decided to stay on campus rather than leave, he does so until he reaches the main building. "Ms. Satomi, would you please give me a hand with this?" A rather frail looking man with curly blonde hair asks, balancing himself on a stool while trying to pin a banner up to the banister, "Ah, I will hold the stool steady!" Satomi says, placing her foot on the bottom and her hands around the seat, the man quickly pins the top left and right hand corners in before getting off the stool. Ayumu watched as they fumbled about putting the banner up, already sure he has the right person. The blonde haired man turns around with the stool in hand and notices Ayumu watching from the entrance, "Ah, Mr. Murata, thank you for sharing your time with us! Please take her to Mrs. Hollisters classroom and show her how the job is done, please and thank you. There should be sample assignments that Mrs. Hollister has already prepared for you up there as well." the man smiles, Ayumu smiles back, nodding as he says "Yessir! I will get the job done." a slight bow as he finishes. Satomi is confused, seeing a boy who is no older than her daughters standing before her, and with the last name Murata as well.

As they walk down the hall, Ayumu says "Alright, you're working for Mrs. Hollister, so that means you have a decent grasp of mathematics, or at least you should." he shudders slightly, "If you don't, be prepared for her to be cruel towards you. I would know, I tried to help her once before." Satomi responds with "Yes." but is truly lost in her thoughts now, looking Ayumu up and down, she can already see subtle similarities to Ryuu, and of course to herself. She wonders how he is doing now, Ryuu must be a busy man since he wasn't home the night they walked by. She recounts the day she left, how she kissed her son Ayumu on the forehead for the second and last time before she left to go live with her parents and relatives, the scene playing in her mind as she studied the young man in front of her. "Are you listening Ms. Satomi?" Ayumu asks, waving his hand in front of her face, "Yes, I am! Please forgive me, I was in my own head." she bows, apologizing, but Ayumu simply smiles and says "Don't worry about it, since this is the first day for you it's only natural to be a little overwhelmed." the door they stand in front of seems solid, tall, and secretive. Ayumu turns the handle, opening up into a University lecture room, lots of room to sit, and a large chalkboard in front of the room, she feels excited just looking at it all. "Alright, allow me to orient you on the job we perform." Ayumu walks over to a secondary desk in the farthest corner of the front of the room, which has different stacks of assorted papers, small office supplies, and different bins to file work into. "Normally this work is done after school has been let out, or on a break such as this. We will put together the packets for the teacher and lay one at each workstation." and so they do. The day progresses nicely, Satomi takes in everything fairly quickly, Ayumu being very clear and concise helps her understand even faster. "Alright, well, that's about all I can teach you today, the teacher will be back soon to close up the room, so all we have to do is clean up and then leave." Ayumu turns to grab excess paper that was unneeded to recycle it, but while he does Satomi decides to probe into how Ryuu is doing.

"So, your last name is Murata, right?" Satomi asks, helping pick up trash, Ayumu who is has paused work to think before answering. "Why do you ask?" Ayumu puts up a defensive front, unsure why she asked all of a sudden, Satomi noticing how she made him uncomfortable says "Oh, no I was just curious, you share the last name as someone I knew. I was just wondering how he was doing is all." Ayumu, looking nervous, asks "What was your friends name? Maybe I'll have an answer." "Ryuu". The color from Ayumu's face faded away as the crushing weight of anxiety hung over him, "And how do you know 'Ryuu', if I may ask.", Satomi, looking surprised, explains "He and I were close, we had something serious once, but I lost touch with him a while back. I was just wondering what he was up to nowadays.", "Ah, well I am sorry to inform you but Ryuu Murata passed away seven years ago." Ayumu casually says as he finished gathering the trash. Ayumu turned to face Satomi, and saw her expression, unsure of what to do to help, he said "He passed on, but the doctors said it was painless if that helps.", Satomi couldn't process the information correctly, but she understood that Ryuu was gone. 'What became of you, Ayumu? Why did you not contact me? Why didn't the Hospital, Police, anyone contact me?!' her thoughts running rampant, Ayumu, feeling sorry for causing her distress, asks "I'm really sorry for telling you like this, I didn't mean to hurt you. I can tell my Dad was important to you, but if you'd like I can take you to his grave so you can offer your prayers.", Satomi, pulling herself from her thoughts asks "Oh.. uh, no, no I don't need to do anything like that. I'm sorry for asking so suddenly, I didn't know that had happened. I figured he was simply busy with life." she covers her mouth, then continues "What about you, how did you handle it?", Ayumu knew adults liked asking him this, he knew they felt superior to him each time they did so. His expression went from blank to smiling on command anymore, and so he did "I handled it the best I could, one day at a time." "What of your other family, did they help you?", Ayumu, now feeling the sadness slowly creep up on him, says "Ah, it's unfortunate, but there was no family my father had left." Ayumu, so desperate to depart, feels the gnawing in his mind, the pain is coming back. "What about your mother, did you contact her?" Satomi asks, a melancholy atmosphere washing through her, "Well, about that, my father has documents with her name on them, but apparently when they tried to locate her, it turned out to be fake. She must not have wanted to be a mother, or so my Dad told me. Who knows really, but anyways, I really think I should be going now, you have a goodnight!" Ayumu dashes for the door, nearly running into Leslie Hollister as she opened the door up, "Excuse me!" Ayumu shouted holding his mouth and stomach as he dashed by.

Ayumu clung to the side of the toilet for what felt like ages, he was sick to his stomach and throwing up stomach acid see as he never ate last night or this morning. "Ugh, I..I am definitely not eating tonight, I don't feel well..." the feeling slowly subsiding, he is completely worn out, "I am tired man, this sucks..." he thinks about what Ms. Satomi was asking about, and the knots begin reforming as he does so, "Dammit..." his feeling of sickness comes back to him ,and leaves him stuck to the toilet once more. He gets out of the bathroom to enter into an empty school, almost all doors are locked, but the custodians will let him out if the front doors are locked as well, and so he makes his way to the main entrance, to see someone he wished he hadn't, 'Uuuu, c'mon, I thought she left.." he says to himself looking down. Satomi stood there waiting, her bag in hand, seeing the boy approach her she could tell due to his disheveled appearance that he wasn't feeling well. "Are you alright? You suddenly ran off, and the door man said he never saw you leave.." Ayumu was caught off guard by her staying for him, but why? What did she gain from doing so? He looked at her nervously, and asks "So, w-why exactly did you wait up for me?" his eyes narrowing in on her, she looked confused but she smiled and said "Well, you are still a child, aren't you? I didn't want you walking out alone. You're going to the train station right? The least I can do is walk with you there, or my conscious will weigh on me.", she gives him a sweet smile, she saw so many different qualities in him she never saw in Ryuu, he wasn't as big as he was, nor was me muscular, instead he was very skinny, not too tall, but he was very intelligent. She could see herself in him the more she talked to him. He was taken aback, he used to be escorted home by Mr. Ishida, but after a certain age it stopped, due to Mr. Ishida becoming uncertain if I would become too dependent on him, Ayumu puts the smile on and says "Aha, you really don't have to, I am not a little kid. I will escort you to the train station since the sun is about set at this time." Ayumu dreaded the walk, what if she were to bring it up again, the knots making him feel nauseous, she smiles and says "If you don't mind, I will take you up on that offer."

Satomi walked just a little behind Ayumu, who looked worse for wear. She knew he wasn't feeling too good, comparing him to how he was this morning, but it very well could just him being tired. She for the most part remained silent, the conversation and meeting she had while Ayumu was gone etched into her mind, she now worried for him. Satomi desperately wanted to confirm Ayumu was her child, she wanted to find a way to help him, and thank Mrs. Hollister, she may have learned how to do so.

"Huh, was that Murata?" Leslie Hollister said, barely missing him, "What's got into him?" she turns to face the only other person in the room, Satomi Ogawa, who was now regretting her course of actions. They both introduced themselves, Satomi learning she will be working underneath Mrs. Hollister, and of what her common duties will be. Leslie, still curious about before, reopens the conversation from the beginning, "So, what exactly happened with Ayumu, if I may ask, did he mess something up? Did you mess something up? I haven't ever seen him looking quite so pale before." Satomi, who was now looking down, responds "I didn't mess up, in fact we were finishing up the duties I was being taught, and I stupidly started asking him questions about himself.." Leslie can feel a slight melancholy behind those words, "Oh, and what exactly were you asking him?", Satomi, curious as to why she was so interested, asks "You must really care for Ayumu, don't you?", Leslie looks up in thought for a second before responding "Well, it's more like, he feels like a lost child, so I just watch out for him. He doesn't really rely on anyone these days, and tries to shoulder everything himself without care a for himself." she puts her hands together around Satomi's right hand, "You can feel it too, right? You can see through that fake smile too? It annoys me, it always has since the first day I met him." she gazes gently at Satomi, who now looked very upset, Leslie, unsure of how to make it better, asks "Did I upset you, Ms. Ogawa?" Satomi needed answers, so she asked Leslie, "Is there anyone who knows about Ayumu's mother?" Leslie confused, responds while releasing her hand "About.. his mother you say? Well, why do you ask?" her eyes looking Satomi up and down, almost like she was watching for errors. "What I mean is, he said his mother ran off and the name he has on all the documents pertaining to her was a fake one. Is there no way to find her real name?" her eyes still full of hope, and her words pulled down by the melancholy, Leslie, astonished, replies "Well, you sure got him talking. I had to get that information out of his guardian." that word stung the side of her head, 'Guardian?' she thought, "Well... we had a decent idea of how to find his mother, but she would need to be trying to find him as well." Satomi perked up, and says "That's wonderful!" but then asks an important question, "..but who's 'we'?"

An elderly man with grey hair sat at a desk carefully sifting through documents, Satomi and Leslie both sitting in chairs on the side of the room. "Ah, here it is." the old man sat a skinny unlabeled fold on his desk, "This is the set of documents outlined by Isamu Ishida on Mr. Muratas situation, along with other useful side notes that he came up with." Satomi was amazed that the Dean himself had an interest in Ayumu, but also curious as to why they want to help him so badly. Leslie stand up, walks over to the desk and opens the folder, reading through the pages until she finds what she was looking for, "Here, it says right here. 'in order to find them [relative/parents], the first step will need to be them trying to find Ayumu, then the lies will slowly start to unravel. I would start by calling the hospital and insurance companies to inquire about the identifies surrounding his time of birth, ask for any relevant information, I would also request tax information as it is much more difficult to forge documents going to the government.'" she pauses reading, looking over at Satomi, "This is what Mr. Ishida said along with his proposal for Ayumu to work at this institution." Satomi calmly takes it all in, then asks "Why is everyone trying so hard to help him? Did he help all of you?" the question unfazing the Leslie, but the Dean smiled, "Ah, I read his research papers up to the point of graduation, and I can safely say that he holds a great sadness within himself I couldn't turn him loose into this harsh world so quickly. Isamu knew this, and I knew it as well, so we both have been watching over him from the sidelines. Then Mrs. Hollister here began to as well, and we all thought of various ways to try and ensure he grew properly, but still, even to this end we are stuck." his smile now gone, he asks Satomi "And what about you? You just started today, why do you care so much for someone you just met?" the words hitting her harder than she will ever admit, she knew she didn't just meet him, but how can she say she is his mother without any proof, "W-Well, how can I put this in a way that makes sense... I-" the Dean raises his hand and asks "Are his mother, right?" Leslie who appears to be shocked looks over at Satomi, while Satomi looked sick, her face going pale, she sinks lower into her chair, "I... I wish I could deny that, but my past makes it very clear to me." tears starting to form in her eyes, "I had no intention of abandoning him, I simply didn't want to leave my girls to face their fathers abuse, and if I had taken Ayumu, he would have been so angry, I wasn't sure if he would've come to hurt me or the children!" her eyes now streaming tears, she covers her mouth. Leslie, with a look of sudden anger walks over to Satomi. "Is what you're saying true?" Leslie asks to the crying Satomi, who can only nod through her sobbing, Leslies hands reach out for Satomi, who flinches sure that she was about to receive some form of punishment, but instead Leslie pulls her into a hug "It must have been painful, huh? Such abuse that would make one fear for the lives of their children. Your Husband must have been cruel." The dean just looks on through the entire ordeal, Satomi, now audibly crying says "He..he refused to marry me.. because I gave him daughters, but he.. he still wanted a male heir..! He told me that my only goal in life should've been to do so.... I... my daughters, they were so young, but he had already hurt Natsuki twice before her sister was born a year after her and I... I was too afraid of him to do anything... I am a horrible mother.. I.. I just.." crying and fumbling her way through, Leslie continues holding onto her, "If it's this painful for you, can you imagine what he has been through, you had a taste of him when he was unsatisfied, but what happens if the male heir wasn't how he wanted him to be? What do think he has experienced in his life? We have tried asking him, Isamu has tried to get him to talk to a Therapist, but... he refuses to talk to anyone. He won't open up for anyone, not even Mr. Ishida. If you are his Mother, then place yourself in his shoes, and try to see things from his point of view." Leslie's hug tightens. A knock comes from the Office door, the Dean, motioning for Leslie to open the door up, smiles and says "I think the best person to discuss this with is right here." Leslie opens the door, letting Isamu Ishida into the room, who appears to have ran over to the room. "Sorry for having you come all the way over here, but I thought you should meet her, and then maybe you could help her." The Dean says, motioning to Satomi, "Now, you tell him what you couldn't tell us." Satomi, seeing Ayumu's guardian for the first time, feels the knots in her stomach tighten, she feels sick and dizzy, but resolute in choice, "H-Hello, I..." her voice beginning to shake, she calms herself "I am.. Satomi Ogawa, I was Ryuu Murata's fiancé, and.. Ayumu's Mother." nervous and feeling ill, she awaits the response, which doesn't look good judging from how his face is contorting. "You.. you're the one who faked her name? Who abandoned Ayumu?", Satomi nearly has a panic attack, "I didn't abandon him, I didn't even know my real name wasn't on the birth certificate!" Isamu, covering his face and sighing, "Okay, well here is the issue, the hospital said they had no record of him being born there. Ryuu had to go and argue with them over that. This was around the time Ayumu needed to be entered into Primary school, his Birth Certificate needed. Hoshigaoka Medical Center didn-" Satomi cuts him off, "It wasn't Hoshigaoka, it was the Osaka City General Hospital." the entire rooms thought process came to a grinding stop, "You said it was the Osaka City General Hospital?", Satomi, wiping her eyes, answers "That is correct, we never went to Hoshigaoka. We were closer to Osaka at the time of Delivery." Leslie smiles at the Dean who was already beaming joy, Isamu smiles and says "Well, that explains that, Ryuu lied about that as well.." he rubbed the back of his head, I recommend you get ahold of that Hospital tomorrow and see if you can't get a copy of his Birth Certificate, but for now, I have something else I need to talk to you about, well.." he motions to the Dean, "We both do actually." Leslie smiles and says, "Well, since you don't need me anymore, I am gonna go finish locking my room up, and then I am gone. Goodnight." as she goes to walk out, Satomi says "U-Uhm, thank you, very much Sensei, I can't really thank you enough. I am just a total stranger who you decided to talk to about this. I don't even know how to repay this kindness.." Leslie turns back, smiling as she says "Just make sure your lost child stops faking his happiness. I want you to actually make him happy." the door closes, and the conversation starts.

It's not long before the sun was about to set, and Isamu escort the Dean and Satomi to the front Door, Satomi asking the Doorman if the child teacher seemed alright as he left, only to be notified that he hadn't left yet. Despite what the Dean and Isamu said, she insisted on waiting for him. The entire experience burned into her mind, she couldn't help but feel a little bit of excitement, as she was spending time with her son, whether he knew or not didn't change that. They reach the train station, Ayumu turns around with the smile on his face and says, "Well, here we are. I don't know where you are going, but you have a safe-" Satomi grabs his cheeks, pulling on them she says "I am tired of looking at that perfect smile you have every time you talk to someone. It feels fake from the moment you view it till you stop. Can't you just give me a real one?" Ayumu, flustered that his façade was seen through, says "W-What are you.." he pulls away from her grasp, "It's not fake, his face red from embarrassment, wishing the train would show up. When it did, they both boarded, neither of them talking, but Satomi watches Ayumu carefully, he seemed spaced out, he looked a little redder now than before, but he still seemed out of it. The train went down the line, at both stops after leaving the university, neither of them got off, but at Hirakata station, both of them headed to the door, Ayumu was completely dumbfounded, Satomi however already knew he was gonna be going this way if he lives at their old house. They both exit the train station, Ayumu slightly ahead of Satomi again, he looks back briefly, and asks "So, you live out this way?", she smiles and says "Yes I do, my daughters will be attending Shizune Matsuo's Private Academy, so I live in the apartments also owned by Mrs. Matsuo." that last name tugged at his brain, forcing him to remember his encounter with the two girls this morning. "That's awesome, I hope they do well, his facial expression not changing as he said those words. The point came when Satomi was to break away from the group, "Well, this is my stop. Thank you for walking me home. I really appreciate it." she goes to turn and walk away, Ayumu, feeling bad for putting on his smile so often today, calls out to her and says "I... will try not to smile like that again.." his voice trailing off as he says so, Satomi, wanting to hear it again, asks "What was that?" Ayumu, too flustered to repeat himself says "Well, goodnight!" and hurriedly walks off down the street, his cheeks red with embarrassment.

Ayumu kept walking, faster than his normal pace, trying to forget about today. His stomach burned, and his head was spinning, so he decided to stop at a convenience store to pick up something for his head, he also felt he should grab something for his stomach, as he hadn't eaten at all since the day before. The lights of the store stand out well against the dark city skyline, it's not too far away from his home and it has everything he needs in it to survive. He heads on inside, immediately heading towards the water and medicines, looking for headache medicine. After acquiring his precious provisions, he decided the best thing to do today was drink some water, take his medicine and lay down, but before he could exit the store, the girl named Chitose walks in to see him grabbing his bag to leave. "Ah, Mr. Genius, it's you!" Ayumu, with his ears turning red, says "Ah, it's strange to see a teen girl out so late. Is everything alright?" too tired to force a smile, he holds the blank expression he normally has up. "Everything is fine, my Grandmother told me to come and buy her a Magazine, she said she wanted to read something, 'Trashy' tonight." Chitose throwing air quotes around trashy, Ayumu understanding somewhat as he knew modern literature can be a hit or a miss. "Well, I am happy everything is alright, I really need to get home now, bye bye." he hurries past her and out the door, and Chitose, who was caught off guard, never go to say bye. Ayumu is moving fast, his head spins faster, he has to hold the wall for support, "Curse this feeble body..." his legs shaking from the pain, "Dammit, I won't succumb to a headache, I just need to take some medicine..." he continues down the road, carefully opening a water bottle and taking two tablets out of the foil for his headache, he imbibes the water and frantically swallows the medicine. He is approaching his house now, his whole body sore and weak, throwing up at the school and now the headaches, he really is having a rough day. He reaches for his keys, unsure of where they are, he searches his person until the image runs through his mind, he laid them down on Mrs. Hollister's desk when he was searching his pockets for trash and he never picked them up. The medicine makes him a bit sleepy, and he sits down on his front step, regretting taking it easy while teaching Ms. Satomi today, and then the sudden realization of how cringey it was of him to talk so much with her today. "Ahhh, I can't sleep, I don't have any friends nearby, and the final train is gone by now. I am so unlucky today.." he grabs his knees while sitting, happy it is gonna be a summer night. He decides it couldn't hurt to sleep outside, and tries his best to get comfortable.

Chitose, reading a magazine, didn't even realize time had slipped from her and nearly jumped out of her skin thinking of how mad her Grandmother was going to be with her, so she grabbed the most interesting looking one, and rushes to the counter to pay. After making her purchase, she thanks the attendant and runs out of the store, sure she was done for. She notices an entire package of headache medicine, minus two tablets, lying on the side of the street, unsure of what it means, she stays alert and on the lookout for anything suspicious, and upon making it to her street, decides to make a break for her house. Two houses into the neighborhood, she stops, almost as if she had run across a damsel in distress, she discovers Ayumu had collapsed, a water bottle in his hand, and keys in the other, his face was burning hot and he was sweating. Chitose didn't know what to do, so she picked him up, surprised with how light he was, and carried him back to her house.

Shizune heard the door open, so she shouts "About time! Any later than this, and I wouldn't have had time to read anythin-" Chitose rounds the corner, a foreign object on her back, and is clearly panicking, so Shizune tells her to calm down and explain the situation. Doing the best she can, she lays Ayumu on a futon, and describes how she found him, Shizune listening carefully before saying anything. "Alright, well let's see here, I can't promise it will work, but I can give him a some medicinal tea with honey. It should only take ten or fifteen minutes to make the tea, see about making him more comfortable." Chitose, unsure of what to do about him sleeping, answers "Yes Ma'am." Chitose carefully shakes Ayumu, calling him 'Mr. Genius' since she forgot his first name, she also calls him 'Mr. Murata'. Ayumu was unresponsive, which made Chitose panic even more, Shizune on the other hand says "Well, he is still a child, if he works himself too hard, it figures he would end up getting sick." the tea slowly coming to a boil as her sharp words pierce Ayumu's ears, ears that can still hear and pick up information in his sleep. Ayumu is asleep, but his mind is functioning always, never giving him a break, this phenomenon due to his inability to have dreams, he is aware of the world around him at all times, but time is perceived differently there, but he can still have nightmare, unfortunately, there is no way to prevent them even if he wanted to. 'I am such a fool, I was hallucinating as I fell asleep, I didn't forget my keys, I had them the entire time!' his mind raced, the immaterial feeling of being bound to thinking instead of speaking making Ayumu annoyed. Chitose kept adjusting the pillows, and checking his temperature, never really having taken care of anyone before. "Haaah, well.. at least I found him. Who knows what some creeps would do if they found him all alone." she pokes his cheek, and instantly says "So smooth." a note of jealousy could be felt, and then ruffles his hair only to be consumed even more so by jealousy, saying "S-Soft..!", Shizune walks in holding a tray in both hands, kneeling down she places it on the floor next to Ayumu who was still asleep, "Okay Chitose, now this is very important, you must always have someone sick sit up before drinking, as they could get worse if the drink something the wrong way." she places a hand under Ayumu's head, lifting it up, and then placing her knee under to help support his head. "Boy, are you awake?" Shizune asks, pushing on his shoulder, he feels thin and small under her palm. Ayumu, tired of being in a dream, decides to force himself awake, barely making it happen, as all the stress hit him at once. "I am awake... now." he moves his arms, but they drop since they feel quite heavy.

Shizune gently allows him to drink the tea, slowly and carefully, and Ayumu looks dazed saying "I can't really taste this.. I think I am getting sick." he lets out a sigh. Shizune helps him finish the tea and instructs Chitose on how to look after the boy. Ayumu is now feeling very warm, closing his eyes he lets it envelope him, taking in the serenity of his quite mind. Chitose is laying on the floor fanning herself watching over Ayumu, he has a fever and weakness, but nothing too worrisome, and now she feels embarrassed over how panicked she was finding him in this condition. Chitose was tired now, making sure she was nearby in case he needed something, and she decides it's alright to try and sleep. Ayumu, surrounded in his quiet serenity, starts to feel as though someone was watching him, so he opens his eyes to look around, and instead is taken aback. Ayumu is eye to eye with himself, though something was very off about this other him, and it made him very uncomfortable to look at him. "That smile, why am I even smiling like that. It looks so emotionless.." the other Ayumu replies back, "This is how I always smile. Because nothing ever bothers me. You should have known that." Ayumu is surprised, so he asks "Is this a dream?" to which the Ayumu standing before him nods his head and says "Perhaps it is, but what if this were reality? It wouldn't be so different, would it?" the smile persisting. Ayumu is now getting frustrated of that smile, "You're me, aren't you? Why are still smiling like that? There isn't anyone around, nobody to fool or impress.." the other Ayumu shakes his head, and then says while pointing at Ayumu "That's not true, there is still one person who is being fooled here." this stops Ayumu from asking questions, and instead he tries to avert his eyes, working the courage up to ask "W-What do you mean, 'being fooled'?" the other Ayumu, his face now contorting into something monstrous, begins to walk towards Ayumu, a darkness following him. "You have simply forgotten how ugly you are. How filthy and disgusting you are. Nobody will ever accept you if they knew. and I do mean. NOBODY." the other Ayumu places his hands around Ayumu's throat, a burning sensation spread all over Ayumu's back, chest and stomach. He wants to scream, but nothing comes out. Chitose is awakened by cries of pain, unsure of what happened, she grabs her phone and uses the flashlight to place were the sounds were coming from, but what she finds isn't quite what she expected. Ayumu was laying on his back, his right hand choking him, while his left was trying to save him. She didn't know how to react, but she knew he was hurting himself so she jumped over and intervened, pulling his arm away. It didn't take too much to stop him, once she grabbed his arm and pulled it away he immediately came back to, tears in his eyes, he was gasping for air. She let go of his arm, and placed him into a hug, hold both arms down to his side. She was nearly in tears, asking in a rushed panic "Why!? What was that!?" Ayumu, now confused and scared, is unsure of what to say, so he decides to figure out what happened "I... I'm s-sorry, I was asleep, what happened..?" his fever still persisting and the weakness still present, he places his head on Chitose's shoulder. She continues to hold him, feeling less panicked now that he is awake, "You were choking yourself. Were you really just sleeping through it?" Ayumu winced, flinching while on her shoulder, and asks uneasily "I-I was choking myself? Are y-you sure?" Chitose nodded, Ayumu grimaced 'I had a nightmare, they used to be really intense, but I got better. Have I relapsed? Why? And in front of someone other than Aki, Fumi, or Isamu to top it all off.."

The morning came with nothing else happening, Ayumu, burning with both regret and a fever says "I thank both of you for looking after me, I made a doctors appointment for later today, so I will be leaving now. I am well enough to make it there on my own. I will repay you for your kindness once I am back at full health." he gives a formal bow, Chitose and Shizune seeing him off at the door, Shizune asks "Are you gonna need any help at all?" to which Ayumu shakes his head, "No Ma'am, I am fine." Chitose just watched on with a serious expression, remembering the events late last night. She wanted to speak up, but she felt she couldn't, as if it was something meant to be forgotten. Ayumu closes the door, leaving Shizune and Chitose to themselves. Chitose asks her Grandmother "If something were wrong, do you think he would talk about it?" Shizune looked at Chitose, unsure of what she means, "I don't know. I would need to know more about the problem before I can say if he would want help. He seems like someone who prefers to shoulder everything, which isn't always a good thing." she places her hand on Chitose's head, "Why do you ask? Plan on helping that child?" Chitose's lips curl to a small smile and she replies "I don't know if I could." she laughs half-heartedly, trying to be reassuring, though failing to do so. Shizune runs her fingers through Chitose's hair, "If you're worried, you can go and bring him back. He didn't seem all that strong." a playful smile on her face as Chitose becomes flustered, "I-I'm not gonna go and grab him! And I'm not w-worried about him! I was just..." her mind fails to find the right word, and instead chooses to simply accept her fate, "..Maybe I'm worried about him, but I am definitely not THAT interested in him. Maybe it's a maternal instinct?" Shizune laughs, telling Chitose to get ready for Breakfast.

Ayumu leaves the Matsuo residence, unsure of how to feel. He thinks of the events earlier this morning, of Chitose who clinging to him, and of how scared she was. He knew that look, but in different eyes, those were the same eyes the Ishidas would give him when he woke up from his night terrors. He tried his best to remember what the terrors were about, but those memories fail him, which he found strange since he can remember stuff from before the age of three. His cheeks were burning, and his ears were red from remembering how soft her skin was as Chitose clung to him. 'Well, I guess I may be a somewhat healthy teen..?' he thought to himself, approaching his home. There was a car sitting out front, one he knew to belong to Mr. Ishida, but there was someone different in the front passenger seat. He approached the front of his house, Isamu and who he found out to be the President of the University Jugo Yanagawa. He was very nervous now, he had never directly interacted with the President, the highest position he has interacted with was the Dean of Admissions, but Ayumu had no reason to be nervous with him. His presence felt overwhelming to Ayumu, and he knew it. Ayumu hurriedly greeted them, welcoming them inside, doing his best to be hospitable and polite. "Good morning Mr. Murata, how are you today?" Mr. Yanagawa asked, Isamu sitting silent while the President speaks. "I'm doing well today, how about yourself?" Mr. Yanagawa smiles, "I am doing fine today, thank you. I don't want to take up too much of your time today, but I was wondering how you felt about your position at the University. To be frank, are you satisfied with it?" Ayumu, fighting with himself to appear focused, says "I a-am definitly happy with my position, but I w-would really enjoy specializing, maybe working under one teacher directly, so I can learn to master the job correctly instead of having to change it up for every teacher who requests my help." Ayumu put his smile back on, Jugo Yanagawa, becoming more comfortable, says "I understand how you feel Mr. Murata." he closes his eyes, picking his next words carefully, Ayumu waiting in suspense, "..but, I don't think there would be much benefit in you helping just one teacher. Perhaps if you show me how well you have done thus far, I would be more willing to comply." Ayumu, almost on the verge of breaking down, says "How would you like me to prove myself sir?" clinging to the newly discovered hope. "Well, starting tomorrow, and then for a week straight from there, I will have teachers of all different subjects, those of which you haven't helped before, come in and prepare sample work for you. I want you to come in and complete the work within a reasonable time." Ayumu's head was ringing, the words echoing through his mind, an opportunity has opened up for him. Isamu stayed silent the entire time Jugo and Ayumu talked, never looking in Ayumu's general direction. "Ah, I also want you to work with the new trainee, that will be fine, won't it, Mr. Murata?" Ayumu's excitement started to decrease, "Oh, o-of course Mr. Yanagawa, I w-will make it work!" the President smiled "That's the spirit, now remember to report into school tomorrow, I will call Ms. Ogawa and inform her of the new workload, this test isn't supposed to be done, as it is an unfair way of having you advance, so do keep it a secret away from Ms. Ogawa. I wouldn't want her to cause you trouble over this." Ayumu nods his head, the burning in his face intensifying. After a few more minutes of talking, Jugo and Isamu bid Ayumu farewell, who was now in a state panic. "I have to help people who may or may not have entirely different systems, AND I have to look after the new woman as well. This might just be problematic for me..." he rubs his eyes, feeling restless he decides to take some medicine and try to sleep a little more before tomorrow came.

Satomi was on hold, the music playing was a small comfort while she awaited the answer. The sound of a button being pressed followed by a woman's voice, "Hello, Ms. Ogawa? Yes, my name is Ms. Yukino, I am the senior archivist here at the Osaka General Hospital. You were calling to retrieve a copy of your sons birth certificate, yes?" Satomi nods, and then says out loud "Yes Ma'am, I am." the woman over the phone can be heard flipping through papers, "Natsuki... Hinata... Ayumu. Alright, I have it right here, I will make a copy right away, would you like to pick this up, or would you like it mailed to you?" Satomi answers "I want to come pick it up." to which Ms. Yukino replies "Alright, just give me five minutes and it should be ready." Satomi, knowing they are gonna have to take a train or bus over to the building, says "I will be in, just a little later since I have no personal vehicle. "Alright, I finished my end of this ,but I am still unsure of the their half." she recalls the conversation she had at the school the other day. "Well, we were planning this, well before this moment, but it only works out in our favor. You see, we are proud that Ayumu is an upstanding academic, and that he puts his all into his work, but we feel he is only using his job with the school, as well as his position as an excuse to dodge something that is detrimentally wrong with him." the Dean says with a furrowed brow and a serious face "We have an idea of making him interact with his traumas, but Mr. Ishida now has a new idea on how to do so. He has been with Ayumu the longest out of anyone in this room, so I will let him explain from here. Mr. Ishida?" the Dean hands off the conversation to Isamu, who begins to loosen his tie, in obvious discomfort, preparing to give Satomi a rundown. "Alright, first things first, I want you to know that this is nothing against Ayumu nor is it anything personal to anyone, but I think this is the only way to get him to accept reality. Something happened to him, something that I can't deduce, nor will he talk about. I rely on cold, hard facts, evidence that is carefully analyzed, then presented, but I couldn't get him to talk too much about his childhood, nor could I get him to talk with my wife, my daughter, and when I took him to therapy, neither did he talk to her. He has no faith in adults from what I can surmise, and then the therapist only served to reinforce my deduction by coming to the same conclusion. Ayumu needs something, either an event, or person that will break him down to the very core, exposing all of the parts of him that are vulnerable, and then helping him put it all back together in a healthy manner." he pauses, making eye contact with Satomi, "Let me ask you, how do you feel about his smile?" Satomi gives a melancholic smile, and says "His smile makes me hurt. When I see it, I can only feel he doesn't feel a thing, or that he isn't happy." Isamu agrees "That is the common consensus among all those he has interacted with, that his smile seems too perfect. Fake is the word they used." he rubs his brow, "So, my plan is simple, and though it may make him suffer temporarily, he has picked himself up from worse. After carefully talking with the President, and the Dean here, along with support from certain faculty members, we have decided that it would be best if his position here at the University were terminated. He just doesn't have the emotional stability that a teacher, or person who is involved with students is supposed to have. At least, that is the official reason that is listed." Satomi is shocked to say the least, as she expected the University to take action, but she didn't think they would go this far. She looks down, and says "And is it already decided completely?" Isamu, and the Dean give her a silent nod, this made her stomach turn. 'How is this gonna help him. I can't even imagine what he will be going through..'. In a vein effort, she says "Is...Is there nothing I can't do to reverse that decision?" Isamu sighs, he knows how she wants to fight for him, with her barely knowing him is unsure how to do so, but Isamu doesn't budge "You're opinion is dully noted. I want him to be part of your life, but that is something he will decide. If he asks me, I will hand over my position of Guardian to you, so you can legally accept him into your family. He will never budge without something forcing his hand and mind to move." Satomi keeps silent, knowing whatever she says will land on deaf ears, so she asks "Will that be all?" to which Isamu says "All I need on your end is for you to acquire his birth certificate with your legal name on it. I will handle the rest." she nods, and they all three convene to leave the school. Her daughters were at home, unaware Satomi was going to the Hospital. 'I feel so.. wrong for keeping this from them. He is their brother, but I... how will I tell them?' her thoughts wander, the bus coming to a stop near the Medical Center. She walks along the sidewalk until she sees the familiar building, although a bit bigger than the last time she saw it, this was the hospital she went to the day Ayumu was born. As Satomi passed through the parking lot, the memories came back to her, of holding the newborn Natsuki, Hinata, and Ayumu, they all three were born there and she remembers their little faces. So many happy memories until a bitter feeling creeps over her. She remembers the day she left with Ayumu, Ryuu was holding him, whispering of all the things he will accomplish, Natsuki and Hinata clinging to his legs, Satomi happily trailing behind. That was the last memory she has of this hospital. The inside of the waiting room is large and spacious, the air was cool, and felt comfortable. It smelled nostalgic, and the friendly faces on the other side of the counter makes her feel at ease. "Hello!" a younger woman says from behind the counter, "Did you book an appointment in advance today?" Satomi shakes her head, saying "No, actually I called up here earlier about a birth certificate." the young woman nods her head and says "Ah! Ms. Yukino handed it off to me, would you like it laminated?" a feeling of extreme nostalgia washes over her since she had both Natsuki and Hinata's laminated, "Yes, if you would." Satomi says smiling. "Alright, I have his certificate, but what now? I think I will pick up ingredients for dinner before heading home." she heads back to the bus stop, debating on dishes when she receives a call from the school on her cellphone.

Day had turned to night and Ayumu sat panicking in his bedroom, unsure as to why the medicine wasn't helping him sleep. He knew if he didn't get enough sleep, he wasn't gonna perform too well, so he does his best to relax. He was still sick, unable to move around too much, and his fever still persisted. Ayumu decided to try and call Akiko, perhaps she would come over and prepare dinner for him, but to no avail as she didn't answer her phone. He wanted to eat something, but didn't feel well enough to cook, nor did his stomach feel well enough to eat, so he decides to lay down and try and force himself asleep. Chitose prepares for bed, but she has Ayumu stuck on her mind, the events she witnessed in the morning. 'I wish I could help him somehow..' she brushes her teeth after taking her shower and gets into bed.

The next morning Ayumu picks his clothes out the best he can, he feels horrible and knows today is not gonna be fun. He goes and takes a shower, takes some flu medicine, and dresses himself the best he can manage. "I couldn't have gotten sick at a better time." he says sarcastically as he locks up his front door. Satomi wakes up early to prepare for her day, taking a shower, brushing her teeth, primping and preparing her hair while she lets breakfast cook. She is ready for the day, "Alright! Let's do this! I get to work hard today!" They both meet at the train station, Ayumu looking extremely disheveled, Satomi is very worried, he looks thinner than before, and his eyes scream 'SICK' at her. "Are you alright?" she asks him, trying to place a hand on his forehead, he flinches and pulls away, saying "O-Of course I am! Just a little less sleep than normal." his smile plastered right back on his face, she wants to pinch his cheeks and tell him off for it, but decides against it. The train ride was uneventful, she watched him carefully, making sure he was alright the entire way to the school. They arrived, seeing more teachers there than normal, Ayumu was already nervous. "L-Lets do our best." Ayumu says, his smile irking her more and more. "Yes, let's." Satomi says, holding the door open for Ayumu.