Smile! Tomorrow will be worse .1
Having snapped out of his brief yet deep introspection, twenty-two-year-old Aico Clint shifted his gaze away from the reflective surface of the mirrored glass. He strode purposefully towards the wall on the east side of the room, where his work desk stood.
Seating himself in the comfortable reclining chair, a creation from Singapore, Aico's attention was drawn to a phone icon that illuminated the display panel embedded within the glass surface of his desk. With a tap, the screen revealed the face of his female secretary, her voice emanating through the speakers.
"Mister Clint, I apologize for disturbing your rest. COO Miller has requested your presence for a dinner tomorrow. How would you like me to respond?" The encroachments of the outside world were unceasing. The responsibility thrust upon him due to his parents' untimely demise and the care of his younger siblings had made Aico the new head of their family company. Although he had taken up this mantle at the tender age of seventeen and steered the company successfully, his youth often made him an easy target for manipulation. Yet, regardless of his age, Aico possessed a level of independence and maturity that belied his years. He had achieved significant milestones in his life, all achieved through his own merit and determination.
Aico's fingers brushed against the frame positioned near the edge of the desk. Inside the frame rested a photograph containing the images of five individuals. His parents, captured in the photograph, bore wide smiles – a stark contrast to the stern expressions they usually wore during their work. Aiken, his younger brother, averted his gaze from the camera, his cheeks flushed a rosy hue, possibly due to a bout of shyness during the photo-taking session at the park. Aivhy, his younger sister, was caught in the act of restraining Aiken, preventing him from escaping, while simultaneously making playful and goofy faces. As for Aico himself, he too was caught in a moment of candid joy, his smile a genuine and heartfelt expression as he gazed upon his family.
"Uh, sir?"
"Oh sorry, tell him I have prior plans," Aico promptly responded, causing a flicker of concern to cross his typically composed secretary's face. After all, the Chief Operating Officer was the executive vice-president, essentially the second-in-command at Bastian DS. Being one of many high-ranking officers, Aico couldn't easily decline an invitation from him, even if it was just for a meal. However, the perplexity in his secretary's expression disappeared almost instantly, and her professional tone persisted. "Understood. I will convey your message accordingly."
As the call concluded, Aico settled even deeper into his chair, his legs crossed. He could well imagine what Miller might be seeking. Naturally, being the head of the company and considering his age, Aico was well aware that some of those individuals would betray the company without a second thought, potentially even resorting to kidnapping him or his siblings for a ransom.
"Aiken... Aivhy," he murmured softly, his back reclined against the chair, a subtle smile tugging at his lips. Unbeknownst to him, his expression had brightened. He once again turned his gaze towards the photo frame, memories of their picnic flooding back, the smile fading as he recollected the aftermath. He swiveled his chair, peering out of the window and recognizing the familiar weather beyond.
As the rain began to pour, the timing couldn't have been worse – it coincided with their picture-taking session. Aivhy and Aiken, in their youthful enthusiasm, darted into the rain, much to their mother's scolding dismay. Aico couldn't help but chuckle at his stubborn siblings, finding amusement in their antics. "Alright, kids, let's head back home!" their father called out, initiating the process of packing up their belongings. Aico eagerly joined his father, assisting in the task.
"Vhy! Ken! Be careful!" their father's worried voice echoed as Aivhy and Aiken sprinted through the parking lot towards the car. A sudden unease gripped Aico as he spotted unfamiliar men lingering around their vehicle. Acting swiftly, he raced over, swiftly pulling Aivhy and Aiken away from the potential danger. He immediately informed his father about the situation, prompting their parents to hurriedly retreat into the car, explaining that there might be a threat of explosives.
The mysterious men eventually dispersed, and Aico's parents chose to stay cautious, leaving the three siblings outside the car while they investigated further. Aico led his younger siblings meters away from the car, placing a call to the police to report the potential threat.
However, amidst the tense situation, Aiken managed to find a strange box with a conspicuous red button at its center. Ignoring the warnings and still shaken by the encounter, Aiken pushed the button, resulting in a deafening explosion emanating from the direction of their car.
Reacting swiftly, Aico's heart raced as he sprinted at full speed toward their now wrecked vehicle. The sight that met his eyes was heart-wrenching – their car was in ruins, billowing with smoke and fire. Panic surged within him as he called out for his mom and dad, desperately hoping they had managed to escape the car in time. "Mom! Dad!" he cried out, his voice strained with worry.
Amidst the chaos, another anguished sound pierced the air – Aivhy's guttural scream. Aico's heart sank further as he witnessed Aiken, fueled by desperation, dart past him toward the car. Aiken's hands gripped the car door, his frantic attempts to open it proving futile. In his desperation, Aiken's wrist and hand were burned by the scorching metal as the flames continued to engulf the vehicle.
Aico's instincts kicked in, and he lunged forward, managing to grab hold of Aiken and pull him away from the blazing car. Aiken was struggling and in shock, his eyes fixed on the inferno that had once been their family car. Aico's grip tightened as he dragged Aiken back, desperately trying to shield him from the devastating scene before them.
As the fire intensified, the car erupted in a second explosion, the shockwave rippling through the air. Aico's heart clenched as he watched the car engulfed in flames once again, the force of the explosion seemingly draining the energy from Aiken. The weight of the tragedy pressed heavily upon them all, leaving them in a state of shock and devastation as they grappled with the incomprehensible loss that had befallen their family.
The weight of the tragedy sank in, and the three siblings found themselves in mourning alongside their grandparents. Aico valiantly held back his tears, struggling to remain composed in front of his grieving family. Aivhy's cries filled the air as she tearfully questioned the whereabouts of their parents, while Aiken, traumatized by the ordeal, was rendered speechless, his shock palpable.
Efforts were made to support Aiken, including seeking professional help from a psychiatrist to address the potential trauma he had experienced. Despite their best intentions, the once-cheerful Aiken remained deeply affected by the incident. His behavior drastically changed – he became reclusive, spending most of his time locked away in his room or at school, detached from his surroundings.
At times, amidst their shared moments, Aivhy managed to coax some semblance of the old Aiken back through games and laughter. They would engage in activities that briefly lifted the weight of their shared tragedy, and for a while, the shadows seemed to recede. But those moments were fleeting, for there were times when something within Aiken would snap, pulling him back into the depths of his own torment. The lively spark in his eyes would dim once again, and he'd retreat into the shell of the silent and timid kid he had become.
Aiken's transformation was accompanied by puzzling behaviors – he started wearing thick glasses despite having good eyesight, his school grades plummeted, and he seemed to attend classes only to barely scrape through each school year. He chose the path of isolation, locking himself away in his room, shutting out the world and leaving their little sister, Aivhy, to bear witness to the slow unraveling of what was once a tightly-knit family.
The aftermath of the accident had splintered their family dynamic. Aico, thrust into a role of responsibility as the head of the family and heir to the company, buried himself in work to cope with the pain. The weight of his obligations pulled him away from his siblings, creating a growing divide between them. Aiken, burdened by guilt and haunted by the perceived role he played in the accident, isolated himself further, believing himself to be the cause of their suffering due to the mysterious button he had pressed.
As for Aivhy, she grappled with her own feelings of abandonment, feeling left behind by her once-united family. She witnessed the slow erosion of the relationships that had once been her foundation, and it left her with a lingering sense of loneliness and insecurity.
In the midst of this fractured family, the specter of that fateful day loomed large, casting a long shadow over their lives and intertwining their destinies in ways they could never have imagined.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Aico's visits to his family home became increasingly rare, as the bittersweet memories of the past weighed heavily on his heart. He found solace in his apartment, choosing it over the prospect of purchasing a condominium. On a Friday afternoon, the apartment bore witness to a scene of disorder – a young man sprawled on the floor amidst the aftermath of consumed beer cans and blaring headphone noise. Aico had extended an invitation to Cziell for a duel, a battle that was scheduled to commence later. There were preparations to be made, and yet, as he rose from the floor, his unsteady legs betrayed him, and his knees buckled. He stumbled, his body careening towards the open veranda railing. In that fateful moment of imbalance, tragedy struck with merciless swiftness – Aico teetered over the edge and plummeted from his apartment, a sense of helplessness and shock gripping him as he fell. The world outside seemed to blur as he hurtled through the air, a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions swirling within him. The boundary between reality and virtuality blurred, leaving Aico suspended between two worlds.