𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗘 || 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘆𝗮 𝘅 𝗢𝗰

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱; 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻

MARCH 6TH

KAYO HAD ENDED UP STAYING THE NIGHT AT SATORU'S PREVIOUSLY. As of right now, she was standing in front of the dining table with the breakfast plate in front of her. Kayo's eyes began to water before she started to fully cry. She never got to have any of this. Mrs. Fujinuma had treated her better than her own mother ever had. Satoru had realized just how much better he had made Kayo's life, he felt proud of what he'd done.

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"Your daughter has been missing for three days. In those three days, did you even bother looking for her?"

Ms. Hinazuki was stunned before she got defensive, "So now you're trying to make me the bad guy?" She yelled at Ms. Fujinuma angrily, "Go to hell!"

Ms. Hinazuki put her hand on a shovel nearby, picking it up. Out of anger, she began to swing at Ms. Fujinuma. However, Ms. Fujinuma didn't get hit as Kayo has pushed her mother back, away from Ms. Fujinuma. The shovel had missed Satoru and Ms. Fujinuma by about a centimeter, thankfully.

"You didn't worry about her. You were only worried about yourself."

"What?" Ms. Hinazuki questioned with her teeth grinding against each other in anger.

Blood trickled down Ms. Fujinuma's face, she had gotten grazed by the sharpness of the shovel, as she hadn't been missed entirely.

"What do you think you're doing, Kayo? Let go of me!" Ms. Hinazuki said bitterly as Kayo held her tightly in place.

"That's enough, Ms. Hinazuki." Ms. Fujinuma had said firmly yet calmly, "Kayo doesn't want to see you like this."

"How about you? Treating me like the bad guy, right before Kayo's eyes!" Ms. Hinazuki retorted, "Who do you think you are, kidnapping someone's daughter like that?"

"Shut up!" Satoru intervened as he was far from upset by now, "Who do you think you are, throwing your daughter in a shed and doing nothing after she's gone for three whole days? What kind of parent are you?" Pointing at Ms. Hinazuki angrily as he called her out.

"You have no idea about the pains and responsibilities of being a parent, you brat, shut your smart mouth!" Ms. Hinazuki was even more upset than before. She took the shovel in her hand and shoved Kayo off of her to the ground. Kayo whimpered as she fell.

Ms. Hinazuki held the shovel once more, ready to swing at Ms. Fujinuma again before an unknown voice called out.

"You are Ms. Akemi Hinazuki, correct?" The unknown voice asked, looking at Ms. Hinazuki as she turned to face the man. "We're with the Child Protective Services from Ishikari. We'd like to speak with you about your daughter."

"You tricked me..." Ms. Hinazuki said in realization, glancing at both Ms. Fujinuma and Satoru as she muttered angrily, lowering her shovel, "Goddamn the both of you!"

"It seemed you wouldn't agree to meet with us, so we enlisted Ms. Fujinuma's cooperation. There really was no other choice."

"Whoever said I wouldn't meet you?"

"Please forgive my presumptuousness, but we're here now."

Mr. Yashiro looked at Satoru and gave him a small smile before walking over to Ms. Fujinuma, "Sorry I asked you to do this."

"Not at all, Mr. Yashiro. I had a few words for her, too, so I'm actually grateful I could help." Ms. Fujinuma responded, not looking at him but instead giving her full attention to the woman in front of her.

"They're the criminals for kidnapping my daughter! Call the cops!" Ms. Hanizuki yelled in panic, she had lied. She had been avoiding Child Protective Services.

"No, first we need to discuss your usual relationship with your child." The man had informed Ms. Hinazuki that they would not be calling the cops.

"What are you talking about? What about my relationship with Kayo?"

"We've decided that your daughter, Kayo, needs to be taken into custody."

"What? Into custody? I'm her mother, you idiot!"

"As the boy said, you revoked your guardianship by failing to look for your daughter when she went missing for three days!" The man called her out, causing her to panic further.

"It's because of that brat over there! Why are you treating me like a criminal?" Ms. Hinazuki kept her raised voice as she spoke.

"Ms. Hinazuki, please calm down."

"Okay, I'll go to the police myself! They can settle this! Come on, Kayo!" Ms. Hinazuki began dragging Kayo as she kept a tight grip on her wrist.

"W-wait! Ms. Hinazuki!"

"Please wait!"

"Akemi!"

A woman's voice had called out to Kayo's mother. She turned her head to see her mother, a short, older lady.

"Akemi..."

"Mom?"

The older woman, Ms. Hinazuki's mother, got on her knees, "I am so sorry. We've been estranged ever since I made you break up with that man, but I've been worried about you and Kayo all this time." She picked her head up from the ground but remained kneeling, "I know how hard it is for a woman to raise a child on her own. You must have been so lonely."

Tears were about to fall from the woman's eyes, "It must have been hard. I should have helped you." She said, her voice growing hoarse and gentle, "You had to take all of it on by yourself. I should have been there for you."

Tears began falling from Ms. Hinazuki's eyes, as she remembered. She remembered how what that man did to her, and she began doing to Kayo. She was silent, dead silent.

"Everyone... this is my fault. Please don't blame her. Please don't think badly of Akemi." The woman begged the workers, putting her head down once again.

Ms. Hinazuki silently walked over to her tearful mother, falling to her knees as she hugged her, "Mom!.." She began sobbing as she buried her face into the woman's torso.

Kayo doesn't have a mother whom she can cling on and cry to. She won't even look at her mother anymore. I don't blame her. Satoru thought, looking at Kayo.

"Don't worry about Kayo. I promise you I'll take good care of her." Ms. Hinazuki's mother said softly as she patted Akemi on the back comfortingly.

"Satoru, thank you. You got me out of this nightmare." Kayo gave him a soft smile, before walking into the car in which she'd drive to her grandma's house.

I did it.

I saved Kayo.

... But can I save Kumiko?

A/N: IM SO EXCITED THAT I GET TO MOVE ON TO THE SECOND VICTIM WHO IS KUMIKO IN THIS BOOK. BE PREPARED FOR SOME EXTRA CUTE SCENES WITH KUMIKO, KENYA, AND SATORU IN THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS!! <33