The Ones Within: Utaite Version

Chapter 21: Past, Present, Future

"Come on, Mafumafu. You're being rude to our guests.", she lightly scolded the dummy.

Hashiyan and Eve still didn't know what to say as they just stared at the dummy.

They were so distracted by the doll in front of them that they didn't hear the footsteps of someone coming up. "Hey... would you care to tell me who you guys are?", a blonde male asked as they turned towards him.

Time Skip
"This is Mafumafu's friend Kradness who comes over once in a while!", the woman introduced him. "Did you already read the post board?", he asked as she just gasped remembering that she didn't.

"Ah, I can serve them the tea. You can go outside for a while. It's fine.", Kradness assured her as she nodded and went outside.

"I'll be back in a few minutes!", she said as she walked outside. They just stared at her walking away as Hashiyan wanted to say that they were going soon anyway but Kradness still poured him a glass. "Are you surprised?

Mafu's mother has been like this for a few years already.", Kradness said as he smiled bitterly. "...What about...her real son?", Hashiyan asked after a moment of hesitation.

Kradness hesitated a moment pondering wether to tell them or not before deciding it wouldn't hurt to tell them. "Her real son, my childhood friend, was very weak in the past.

So that you don't even start with the questions: Mafu's mother and her husband's son died from heath complications.

Then they adopted Mafu because he looked almost identical to their son. Soon after her husband died from an accident in the laboratory.

She became even more unstable until she treated Mafu as if she was her one and only son ignoring everything else.

She even tried to change his name but I stopped her before she would do so. Detective-san, please stop investigating this case regarding her.

I don't want her condition to get worse. I promised Mafu I would take care of her and... I don't want her to feel even worse.

For her... Mafu is still living in that room...", Kradness said tears on the brim of his eyes. "It could have been that Mafu even ran away because he didn't want to be a replacement anymore.

It's possible facing that kind of love is something no one should go through.", Kradness said sipping on his tea. "Please... just stop.

You talk as if it's none of your business. But what if he wants to be found and rescued.

You're his friend right? Then do everything in his power to save him. Because when he's really gone then—", Eve stopped himself when he noticed his behavior. He clenched his teeth as he sat back down as Hashiyan looked at him pitying.

"I'm sorry...", Eve apologized quietly as he clenched his fists on his lap looking on those hands. "...Thank you very much for telling us everything.

We'll be taking our leave.", Hashiyan thanked Kradness as he bowed to him before standing up and leaving with Eve.

Hashiyan took a last glance at the family picture. There was the blonde woman with red eyes.

A black-haired man with blue eyes and a small child with blonde hair.

They were at some kind of festival as they were all smiling brightly. Hashiyan sighed before exiting the house with Eve.

"You want to continue? I even changed the games settings so it would be easier for you to clear... but alright. It would be a pain for you to start protesting again.", Retrodot accepted as the others decided to go in. "Just make sure to make a decision until tomorrow morning.