Chapter 2: Mother's love

At Tachikawa Hospital , Seo is standing by the window in a patient room while looking at the view of the city.

???: "How's the weather outside , Nii-sama ?"

He look behind to see a red hair girl , Haruhiko Iwami , leaning on the patient bed.

Seo: "It's pretty cloudy out there. Maybe it will rain soon."

He walk pass her bed then pick up his sling bag off the table. He look at her one last time before leaving the room;

Seo: "I'll visit you again tomorrow. Have a rest for today."

Iwami: "Be careful on walking back home , Nii-sama."

After he close the door of her room , a man in his 30s named Sagawa Itoki , lean his back to the wall while crossing his arms waiting for Seo.

Seo walk to Itoki then he ask;

Itoki: "How is she ?"

Seo: "She seems cheerful.....but within her smile , I can tell that she's feeling empty."

Itoki: "I see....By the way , can you do a favor for me ?"

Seo: "Um...sure. How can I help you ?"

Itoki: "I didn't come really often to her apartment complex. Since you're living next to her , would you mind to go check at her place ?"

Seo: "No , I don't mind at all. Sure , I'll go check."

Soon after , Seo were given a small folded paper and a key to Iwami's apartment by Itoki then he begin to leave the hospital and on his way to his apartment.

42 minutes later , Seo finally arrive at the door of his apartment. But he turn around where he see another door where Iwami live so he decide to put away his stuff at his apartment. After he close his apartment door , he walk to the door on the other side where he use the key that Itoki gave to him and enter Iwami's apartment. When he went inside , it was dark and quiet since no one is living here so he walk around the apartment. As he continue to look around , he see something that catch him then walk to it and pick up a family photo of Iwami and her parents happily together. He then trigger a memory of what happen to this place.

3 months ago , Seo just move in to his new place then he proceed to go to nearby convenient store to buy for his dinner. As he leave the store , he see a woman taking a walk while pushing a girl on wheelchair. He notice she carried one plastic bag of groceries as she push the wheelchair so he approach them to offer help.

Seo: "Excuse me ma'am , can I help carrying your groceries ?"

Asahi: "Oh ? sure , thank you so much."

Seo: "Don't mention it."

Asahi: "I don't recall seeing you around here. Do you just move here perhaps ?"

Seo: "That's right. I live at the apartment complex near a small park."

Asahi: "A small park ?...then , could it be that you're that new neighbour living next door ?"

Seo: "Yeah , nice to meet you. I'm Ootori Seo."

Asahi: "Haruhiko Asahi and this is my daughter, Iwami."

Iwami: "Nice to meet you."

Seo: "Nice to meet you too , Iwami-san."

After their first encounter , Seo and Iwami become close friend to the point she consider Seo as her older brother. Everything goes well until 2 months later.

Inside Haruhiko residents at the apartment complex , Iwami suddenly wake up from her sleep then she check the digital clock to see that it is 5:57 PM. So , she get herself move to her wheelchair and goes to the living room. As she on her way to the kitchen to get something to drink , she notice a door to her mom's room is wide open which is odd to her because her mother usually close her room's door. She change her direction and move to her mother's room to see if her mother is there. But , she is horrified as she witness her mother is hanged by the neck. Asahi still alive despite that she is hanged but she's struggle to breathe.

Iwami: "Mom!!!"

Iwami immediately roll her wheelchair to her mother and desperately try to rescue her but as soon as she near her , Asahi manage to kick Iwami away from her making Iwami fall down from her wheelchair. Iwami get up from her fall and realized that she were pushed out of her mother's room , so she's struggle to crawl to her mother's room again in hope that she is still alive....but it was too late.

Meanwhile , Seo just arrive at the apartment complex from convenient store. Then suddenly;

Iwami: "Noooooo!!!"

Seo: "Iwami....!?"

Without second thought , he rush to her apartment as fast as he could. When he arrive and goes inside , he see Iwami is sitting on the floor , crying in tears. He run to her;

Seo: "Iwami , what's wrong ?"

Iwami: "Mom.....my mom....."

Seo: "Eh...?"

He look ahead of her and shock to see Asahi is now deceased as her body dangling by her neck tied with a rope to the ceiling.

As the memory ended , Seo open his eyes in the quiet living room. He soon hear a doorbell coming from outside.

(End of Chapter 2)