CRYSTAL TEARS

Chapter 3

There was a knock at the front door. Shishido, who had finished cleaning up around the living room, walked over to see who it was. On the other side were Y/N's parents. His father had a rather annoyed look on his face as he tried to get his wife to stand upright.

She seemed intoxicated, giggling and slurring her words as she leaned on her husband. Shishido opened the door and greeted them.

"Uh... Welcome back, Sir and Madam."

The man motioned toward his wife. "Help her inside, would you?"

Shishido nodded and took the woman's arm, pulling her inside. "What are youuuu... doing?" she said, stumbling along on her way to the couch.

The man sighed as he closed the door behind him. He then began removing his tie. "Watch over her for a second," he said to Shishido. "I'm going to get her a glass of water."

He didn't give Shishido a second to reply before he disappeared into the kitchen. "Let go of me already," Y/N's mother said, flopping back onto the cushions of the sofa.

She placed her arm up against her head as she leaned back. "Um..." Shishido began to say. "Mr. Yaoyorozu said he would be back with a glass of water for you."

The woman didn't say anything. So, they sat there in silence, the air around them becoming awkward very quickly. Shishido cleared her throat. "Y/N is... already sleeping. I got him in bed early, just like you instructed, Madam."

Again, there was silence. "He, uh... Seems to really like heroes. Maybe... He'll become one when he's older."

At that, Y/N's mother finally broke her silence. She began to chuckle, shaking her head from side to side slowly. "Oh, Shishido... You care so much about that brat, don't you...?"

"I do..." was Shishido's reply, wondering why the woman was laughing.

"But you don't know a damn thing..."

"Huh...?"

Before Shishido could question what she meant, Y/N's father finally returned from the kitchen. He had a glass of water and a bottle of medicine in his hands. He then set them down in front of his wife.

"Here. Drink this," he said, handing her the glass.

He then took shook out a few capsules before downing them himself. After everything that had happened during their meeting with their client, he was feeling a massive headache coming on, not to mention having to deal with his drunk wife.

Shishido stood up from the sofa and excused herself. "Good night," she said, leaving the two be.

As she made her way to her room, she couldn't help but wonder what the boy's mother had meant with her words. It made her uneasy how much the woman had stopped trying to hide her distaste for the boy.

What had changed, she wondered. Y/N was their firstborn son and they were both so happy when they first heard the news of his arrival. Now, they hardly bat an eye when it came to him. She clutched the fabric of her apron.

The poor boy... I just hope he knows that none of it is his fault...

--

The next day, Y/N's parents left the house once again. This time, it was on the premise of meeting with their hero agency and addressing upcoming assignments. The staff had finished making breakfast downstairs.

All that was left was to get Y/N to come down and eat. Shishido climbed up the steps and made her way to the boy's room. She knocked on the door a few times before stepping inside.

She had expected to see Y/N still sleeping. But, instead, he was sitting on a cushion in the corner of his room. He had a book in his hands with a hero on the cover. He seemed to be thoroughly entertained considering he hadn't yet noticed Shishido.

There was this enthusiastic smile on his face as he flipped through the pages, his (e/c) eyes taking in every detail. It brought a smile to Shishido's face as well as she leaned against the doorway.

After a while, she knocked on the door again to get his attention. This time, Y/N looked up. "Good morning, Y/N," she greeted. "Up and at it already, I see."

"Morning, Shido-chan," he replied, a smile still adorning his face.

Shishido began making her way over and pulled up a cushion to sit beside him. "What are you reading?"

At that, Y/N turned his book so that she could see. "It's called Silver Hero," he said, flipping through the pages. "He fights bad guys and saves people."

"Silver Hero, huh? Do you like him?"

The boy nodded. More than the story, he was intrigued by the hero himself. He was young but held a lot of bravery to save the people he cared about from danger. "Then, what kind of hero do you wanna be when you grow up?"

Y/N thought about it, but he wasn't quite sure. He hadn't seen or met many real-life heroes. He knew his parents were, but these days, they were less active. The only hero influence he had been exposed to came from books.

His (e/c) eyes trailed down to the illustration of the Silver Hero in his book. Well, if it had to be anybody...

"The Silver Hero," he said, directing his gaze to Shishido.

She smiled at his answer. "I see. Then, I'm sure you'll make a great hero someday!"

Seeing how happy she was with his answer made him grin, proud of his choice. It was then, though, that Shishido remembered why she had come initially.

"Right! Breakfast," she said. "Let's head downstairs and eat while the food's still warm."

The (h/c)-ette nodded and set down his book before he left his room with Shishido. Downstairs, the table had already been set. They had just been awaiting the arrival of the young master of the house.

"Good morning, Y/N," Chiasa greeted as she pulled his chair out for him.

"Morning!" he replied, eager to see what was on the menu.

"What will it be today? Juice or milk?"

"(F/d)!"

Chiasa nodded. "Alright. I'll be right back with your drink then."

While she grabbed his drink from the kitchen, Shishido set his plate down in front of him. "Here you are, Y/N. Enjoy."

His eyes gleamed at the neat display and he immediately began to eat. As always, the food was delicious. The staff were all good cooks, after all. To complement the meal, Chiasa brought him his favorite drink.

"Thank you," he said, taking a sip from the glass.

The rest then joined him for breakfast. The table always seemed empty and devoid of feeling when he ate with his parents. But with them, the boy didn't feel alone. It brought a smile to his face to see every seat filled. The staff even talked to him about what his plans for the day were.

"The park!" he responded happily.

"The park, huh?" one of the staff said. "Sounds fun!"

"Shido-chan said lots of people walk their pets there, so we might get to see them."

"Don't forget to ask before you pet any of them."

Shishido smiled to herself as she watched him converse with the others. Seeing him so happy and enthusiastic greatly brought the mood up. Still, there was a lingering thought in the back of her mind.

"You care so much about that brat, don't you...? But you don't know a damn thing..."

She set down the glass she had been drinking from and tried to shake the thought away. She absolutely didn't want to bring the mood down with negative thoughts like that. But still...

Towards her own child... Why is she like that?