Veiled Pain | Riki Nishimura

20. A Secret That Got Out

Asami had worked in the restaurant today. It's been a pretty busy day and that's why her parents needed a helping hand. However, her thoughts often wandered elsewhere. Now she was Riki's best friend? Sure it's lovely, she hasn't had any friends in years. But there is another thing on her mind, and Riki is involved in it as well. He cuts himself. And presumably for a reason. If Asami is his best friend, shouldn't she do something? But what? She doesn't know.

Now Asami and her parents were almost ready in cleaning the restaurant. They had a change to start cleaning it earlier since they didn't get much customers in the evening anymore. Shugo and Jun were playing outside in their yard. It was Jun's bedtime soon, so they let him play so he gets tired.

"Mom, dad, Asami! There's Police cars outside!" Shugo stormed inside in excitement.

His parents looked at each other in confusion or even in worry and then almost hurried outside. Asami went after them confused as well.

Outside there were two cars parked in the middle of the narrow street. A Police car and another van. They were also parked in front of the gray building where Nishimuras and the old couple lived.

Asami read the text on the other van's side in curiousity. 'Shizuoka's child protection services' Her mother gasped a little after she apparently read it too.

"Where are they?" Shugo inquired, since they didn't see the polices or the other professionals outside. They stood there for a while, willing to know what was happening.

Soon the front door of the building opened and there came seven people. A Police had a man in handcuffs, which Asami assumed as Riki's father. Even thought he was a distance away she saw how messed up he looked like. His hair was messy and he had huge black circles under his eyes.

The other Police walked with Riki's mother, but without any kind of harsh contact and while the mother was crying too. The two other professionals walked next to Riki as they entered out the last.

"Child abuse?! What bullshit is this! He's my son! I'm his father and I can treat him the way I want!" Riki's father shouted in anger. His voice was low but sharp, and he seemed drunk on top of that.

"You're not my fucking father!" Riki yelled in frustration.

"Honey, take Shugo and Jun inside." Asami's mother ordered firmly in shock. Her husband instantly lifted Junpei up to his embrace and took Shugo's hand to drag him inside.

The policeman pushed Riki's father inside the Police van. "We need you to come with us too." The woman next to Riki said to him gently. He didn't reply anything but just glanced her in confusion. And overall he seemed really confused and stressed. He didn't seem himself.

Riki and his mother went to the Child Protection services van and so they both vans left the street.

Asami and her mother were just left standing there in shock. Asami was right all this time. She never wanted to believe it, but Riki's father really was treating him badly. But she doesn't know a reason for it. There might not even be one.

She turned to look at her mother who now held her hand in front of her mouth, like she was about to cry.

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Riki was sitting at the police station in a booth that wasn't a room, but almost. A policewoman was sitting across from him and she was questioning him. She asked a lot of questions to which he nodded or just answered shortly. It felt unreal, he was no longer the only one who knew that his father was beating him. But he wasn't scared. He doesn't have that kind of emotion anymore.

"So you admit that your father has used violence on you for years, but has not hit your mother except maybe a few times?" The policewoman inquired again to make sure. He hummed as a yes.

"What about those bruises on your face right now? Has you father been involved for those?" She then asked. He knew his face was filled with old and new bruises, and his lip was open because of the punch he received from his father today after he came from school.

"Yeah." He replied. Then the policewoman started talking about what's going to happen after all this, but he didn't even listen her. There was another thing he wanted to know.

"Who made the notice?" He interrupted her with his question. She looked at him a while in silence, as if she was confused why he didn't know.

"Oh, well it apparently was your mother." She answered. Riki frowned a little, wondering why she'd do that now, after all the years. If she really cared about him that way why didn't she do something sooner?

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