Dad Morishige

It's Not Insane (Pt. 3)

I led Mochida to my office, and pulled out a chair.

"Mochida, why don't we sit down?"

The young man had no objections, and he sat down quietly. He was directly across from me, and as I looked at him, he tensed up. It seemed he felt anxious.

I offered the most genuine smile I could, hoping it would calm his nervous energy.

"Mochida... You knew Sakutaro, correct?"

Mochida crossed his legs and rapidly shook his lower leg.

He was on edge, for sure.

I wasn't able to figure out why, though. Perhaps it was because I mentioned him in the first place...? I'm still not sure as to why.

"...Yeah, I did."

I held my chin and nodded, keeping my gaze on him.

"I see. A friend of yours?"

"Yes, sir."

"Wonderful. You see... I need to ask you a very important question. It's crucial you tell the truth. Understood?"

Nervously, Mochida nodded.

"Yes..."

I nodded again as I grabbed a stack of papers and began flipping through them. I wasn't directly looking at him, but I felt Mochida watching me intently.

"What was the name of the elementary school?"

Mochida's eyes widened, most likely in fear and horror.

"How do you...?"

"No time to explain how I know. Please tell me the name, Mochida."

His leg shook even more, and he started fidgeting with his fingers.

"...Heavenly Host."

"Ironic, hmm?"

"Yeah, but why do you even need to know what it was called? You don't plan on... trying to go there do you?"

I raised my eyebrows in genuine curiosity. Maybe I could go...? And just retrieve Sakutaro's body, and then come back...

"Is that possible to do, Mochida?"

Mochida frowned and shook his head.

"No. That place has been permanently destroyed..."

I decided I might as well ask about his other friends, just to know more about what happened.

"...Besides Sakutaro and Suzumoto, what happened to everyone else that went with you?"

Mochida looked on the verge of tears, but he suppressed the urge to cry. I must admit, he seemed pretty tough to crack, considering everything he went through.

"Shinohara was killed by Naomi when she was possessed... killed by hanging. Ms. Yui died soon before we left, too... She saved Shinozaki and Yoshiki, but was crushed by rubble to do it."

I nodded without saying anything else, and motioned him to continue.

"Hmm?"

"The survivors. There were nine of you, right?"

"Yes, that's right. Naomi, Yoshiki, Shinozaki, my sister and myself survived... but... Shinozaki eventually tried to bring the others back to life. Let's just say it didn't go very well, and she felt really bad. She stayed in Heavenly Host to consume the Nirvana... or something. Yoshiki really liked her, so he went back for her. I don't know where they are now, if they're even still alive. But my sister, Yuka, just started attending university, and Naomi is a nursing student. She's an apprentice here, actually. That's why I came. I'm meeting her for lunch, during her break. So... is that all? If it is, I really need to go find her."

I was shocked. Mochida told me more than I expected, but every last bit of information was incredibly valuable. I didn't need anything else, so I nodded and dismissed him.

"Have a nice lunch, Mochida."

"Thanks, Doctor."

He hurriedly left the room, and when he was out of earshot, I heard myself start laughing.

"Sakutaro... you won't have to wait much longer, son. I promise you that much."