Erase

Act 73: The Mother

FLASHBACK
19 YEARS AGO

-Apartment 1:10 AM-

In the middle of the cold midnight of January, 2001, in an apartment complex somewhere in Tokyo, a woman was sitting on the bed inside her apartment, crying tears of utter fear and sorrow, while the man beside her is fast asleep.

Hunched over and stripped naked, the only thing that was covering her up was a silky white blanket, which she happens to share with the man beside her, whom she can't even look in the eye.

According to the company ID that was lying beside the side table, the woman's name Kurumi Katsuragi, and judging by her crying, she seemed to have had an incredibly rough night.

"How... how could he do this... to me...?" Whispered Kurumi. "Why me...? Why me...?"

"He was... family to me..." Kurumi continued. "I treated him... like a brother..."

"Why...?" Kurumi continued, in between sobs. "What did I do... to deserve this...?"

Beside her left hand, was a pregnancy test meter, which gave out a positive result, indicating that Kurumi may or may not be pregnant.

4 YEARS LATER

After a gruelling labor period, Kurumi had successfully given birth to her one and only daughter, whom she decided to name "Jun", which, when written in Japanese, meant "pure".

In spite of the circumstances behind her birth, Kurumi took care of Jun with all her heart. Just like what any other mother would do to her child.

Kurumi raised Jun as a single parent, and as a result, Jun spent most of her childhood without a father figure by her side. This didn't bother Jun much, until...

-Park 8:34 AM-

One day, Kurumi was walking with her daughter Jun in a nearby park. Along the way, the 4-year old Jun notices a family, consisting of father, a mother, and their happy little daughter, passing by and going on in their merry way.

Observing the family as they went and left, Jun can't help but notice something that the family had, but they didn't have. She then asks her mother Kurumi.

"Mommy? Mommy?" Said Jun.

"What is it, Jun?" Kurumi replied.

"Look at the family over there." Said Jun. "They have a father while I don't have one. Why is that?"

Kurumi was silent. She couldn't tell Jun about the events that had transpired on the day that she was born, at least not yet. Her mind was far too innocent to handle it back then. Besides, the scars were still far too fresh to talk about it.

"Umm... That's a secret." Said Kurumi. "I'll tell you about it someday, I promise."

"Ehh? Why not now?" Jun replied.

"Because..." Said Kurumi. "Umm..."

Suddenly, an ice cream truck arrives near their place. Kurumi immediately thought of an idea.

"Look, Jun. It's the ice cream truck!" Said Jun. "Let's go buy some!"

"OK!" Jun replied.

Jun and Kurumi then walk toward the ice cream truck as they fetch themselves. The two of them then look at the wide variety of flavors available. Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, so much flavors to choose from...

"Hmm... What flavor do you want?" Said Kurumi. "Chocolate or..."

"Strawberry!" Jun replied.

"Haha! I knew you'd say that." Said Kurumi. "Two cones strawberry, please."