Dad Morishige

Emotions

My wife was dead.

Someone kidnapped her, only to kill her afterwards. I didn't know who the culprit was--there was no signature, for obvious reasons. I also didn't know why they killed her in the first place. Who wanted me to be all by myself?

It wasn't fair. I had already lost a father figure, my son... and then my wife. Why? Why did these things have to happen to me? I tore the note to shreds and cried even more.

"Kumiko..."

After what seemed like hours of crying, I heard a knock on my door.

Not our door... it was only mine, now.

"Seishirou! What's the hold up? Is everything okay??"

I recognized the voice instantly, and made myself stop crying. I couldn't let Akamine see me in such a state... I looked pathetic and vulnerable.

I shakily made my way towards the door and opened it.

"Fukumi... I'm sorry... here, I'll go retrieve it--"

"What's wrong?"

Her arms were crossed and eyebrows were raised. She tapped her foot several times, meaning she was going to wait until I answered. I didn't really feel like telling her... but she was the only person I felt close to that I had left.

"S-Someone... kidnapped and murdered Kumiko."

She stopped tapping and looked at me with her sad gray eyes. Her face looked fallen, and I wasn't used to seeing such a look on her face.

"That was your... wife, right?"

I nodded, and still made myself not cry. She looked like she was going to burst into tears, so I had to look as if I was put together.

I had to put my mask on.

"Mhm. Don't cry, okay? ...Wait, I thought you were staying with the dead bodies!"

Akamine stuck her bottom lip out, and bowed.

"I'm sorry, Seishirou... I know I was supposed to, but you were gone for hours, so I became worried and had to come find you."

I shook my head and tried my best to smile, so she would calm down.

"It's alright... I'll go get it, then we can go back."

Akamine's eyes shifted to the side, and she rolled on her feet. Oh, no... what was she about to tell me?

"Actually..."

"What are you hiding, Fukumi?"

She continued what she was doing, but added finger cracking into it.

"...Masami took care of them. He moved them. I'm not worried about Suzumoto, because she was in a bag. Isn't that weird, when you think about it? How did she--"

I raised my hand outwards towards her, hoping she'd stop talking.

"Sakutaro. That's how. And... Yoshinaka? Where did he move the corpses to?"

Akamine shrugged her shoulders as I walked towards the cabinet I put the formula in. I grabbed it, and met her at the door again.

"We should be on our way, then. We'll have to thank Yoshinaka when we see him, hmm?"

Akamine smiled and jumped up and down for a few seconds. I couldn't tell why she was so excited. I felt terrible, but the facade was necessary. If I broke down... who knows what Akamine would do?

I opened the door and left the house, and she followed me. After locking the door, we rushed to the hospital again.

I literally didn't want to wait any longer. The sooner I revived Sakutaro... the better.