Tsunagari

Chapter LXX.

The first school semester had come to an end the day before. And today, it was the twentieth of July, which officially marks the beginning of the summer vacation.

Six weeks had gone by ever since the funeral. It hurt everyone to see the dark-haired girl this sad.

Gōjun had noticed that she would force herself every day to try to behave normally, but her grief was apparent in her eyes. He wished he could take away all her pain. But what was reassuring was that, neither he nor the others would give the girl the occasion of finding herself all alone with her person. Solitude was the greatest enemy of a person who is in grief. Gōjun was comforted by the idea that the dark-haired girl was not living all alone; that she had moved in with Shunsui. The reddish-brown-haired young man and he would spend all their time outside of school with her, and their beloved blonde woman, Tsubasa, would often dine with them at Shunsui's place and she had slept over a few times to keep the dark-haired girl in her arms through the night.

Katsura would meet her every morning at the shrine. She would call her every evening, and she would come to visit her with Kenren every weekend. She would take her to her apartment for them to spend some time together. Natsui and Yūsei would visit her too during the weekends. Saien was equally present for her. He would always keep an eye on her at school, and every now and then, he would bring her a desert which he has prepared with his own hands for the two of them to enjoy it together.

And during that lapse of time, Hideyoshi Daicho-san had been able to find some clues about the whereabouts of her father. Shin Kirigakure has been arrested, and he has pleaded guilty. He was going to spend a few years in jail.

'I would advise you not to try to threaten me! I know the law very well! They don't have any legal rights on him!' Gōjun heard Kenren shouting on the phone, when he returned home that evening from Shunsui's place.

Closing the entrance door behind him, he looked at the older male where the latter was standing in front of the furniture by the side wall of the entrance hall. The man's expression was angry. He had hung up the telephone now.

'Is everything alright?' the teenager inquired, feeling a bit concerned, but the dark-haired man didn't answer him and simply flung around to flounce away.

Gōjun was truly preoccupied now and he followed after Kenren, catching up with him just outside of the back door of the house. The man had plumped himself down to sit there under the porch. Gōjun couldn't remember the last time he had seen Kenren this angry.

Sitting himself down next to him, the younger male asked him, in an anxious tone, 'Who was on the phone with you just now?'

'It was the manager of your mother,' the man answered, after a long minute of silence, his expression softening a little as he took a glance at Gōjun.

The younger male's eyes went wide at him; his breath catching.

'She had an accident yesterday. She was driving while she was drunk. Fortunately, her injuries are only superficial, but the doctors think that the problem might be more serious than that; they think that it could have been a suicide attempt. Her manager told me that she has asked to see you.'

Lowering his eyes immediately, Gōjun stared at the ground for a moment, his heart accelerating in his chest as he asked himself what he should do. He would lie to himself if he said that her accident did not affect him. But-

'I'm not going to visit her!' he stated, in a decided tone.

'Gōjun, she is your mother!' Kenren scolded him, and jerking to his feet, he stated at him, severely, 'Listen to me carefully! You will go to visit her at the hospital, is it understood?!'