Burglars

"Phew… This should be fine, right?"

Sera asked in exhaustion.

The ward that Zen lived in for 10 years was luxurious. It also had a few facilities on its own and appliances. As such, the size of the ward could be said to be out of the norm.

Since their parents emphasized that they should thoroughly clean the ward, the siblings worked together and were able to clean the place a few times.

"Yeah, I think so too." said Zen absentmindedly.

Sera looked at his brother who did not even have a trace of exhaustion on his face and immediately pouted again.

Looking in the mirror, she saw her appearance which was quite haggard due to cleaning and wrinkled her eyebrows.

Then, she said before rushing to the bathroom, "Ugh… I'm going to take a bath first!"

Zen nodded, still absentminded.

He could not help but look around the ward while reminiscing about all the memories of the past.

He wished to be able to leave this place, and he still does. However, it cannot be avoided that he still had some feelings for this ward. After all, he spent half his life living in it.

Zen was seemingly able to see the faint silhouettes of him and his family.

The first day he got admitted to the hospital. The day where he felt anger, sadness and helplessness.

The day where he had entered puberty and caused trouble to the nurses because of his 'hairs'.

The nights of loneliness that he spent alone just laying in the bed without being able to move. The pillows and blanket that accompanied him in those times and witnessed the lowest point in his life.

There were all sorts of things that happened in the past 10 years. And it all happened in this room.

They all kept flashing past his eyes, making his expression filled with complicated emotions.

Until it reached the most recent event that changed his life.

The day where his parents gave him the device required to enter the game.

Zen felt a rollercoaster of emotions.

He clenched his fist and thought with determination, 'I have experienced enough suffering. I'll do my best so me and my family won't have to go through those gruelling times again!'

As soon as Zen decided on this, he felt a special kind of feeling. He even seemed to have a sound.

A sound reminiscent of the system's notification in the game.

'What was that…'

However, seeing that nothing was happening, he shook his head and thought that it was just his imagination.

'Still, I feel that something's different…'

"You're still standing there?"

Sera, who had just exited the bathroom, asked with raised eyebrows.

As far as she remembered, when she left to take a bath, her big brother was in that same position too.

Looking at her brother who was still in that same exact position as earlier, she thought, 'Is there something wrong with him?'

Zen, who had just come to his senses, noticed his sister dazedly.

"Brother! It's already 9am!!"

"What!?"

Zen snapped out of his dazed state. He looked at his phone and saw that it was really 9am already.

Realizing this, he hurriedly went to the bathroom.

'Damn, did I really spend so much time just reminiscing?'

Zen pondered while walking, he felt that there was something more to it.

***

A few minutes later…

Zen was currently sitting on the sofa with Sera as they waited for their parents to arrive.

He was wearing a simple outfit which consisted of a black hoodie, jeans and sneakers. Sera's clothes were also the same, the only difference was the fact that she was wearing a white cap and hoodie.

'Hmm… mom and dad really prepared for this, huh?' Zen thought while looking at his outfit. These clothes were prepared by their parents beforehand. After all, he couldn't just wear the patient gown outside.

As for the weird feeling that he felt earlier, he decided to put it in the back of his mind temporarily since there were more important matters at hand.

The siblings continued to wait patiently, glancing at the wall clock from time to time.

Soon, they checked the time and saw that it was already 10:07 in the morning.

They were excited for their departure, but still decided to wait patiently. The siblings knew that for their parents to arrive late, something important must have happened.

***

A few more minutes later…

Knock~ Knock~

"They're here!"

Zen and Sera excitedly got up and welcomed their parents.

"I missed you guys so much!" said Rina as she hugged the siblings tightly.

"Mom, where's dad?" Sera, whose cheeks were squished due to their mother's tight hug, asked in confusion after seeing that their father was not with her when they opened the door.

"He's waiting in the car. Anyway, nevermind him, come closer to mom~" Rina hugged the siblings tighter while rubbing her cheeks to theirs.

The siblings, whose cheeks were still being squished and rubbed by their mother, glanced at each other with a wry smile on their faces.

They knew that their mother must have been tired and this was her way of 'recharging' her energy.

Therefore, they behaved themselves and let their mother take her time.

Seeing this, Rina became even happier. She cherished this moment, wishing for it to not come to an end.

***

About 15 minutes later…

Rina unwillingly broke out of their hug, her feeling evident to her expression. No matter how much she wished for this moment to last for eternity, she knew that there were still things that needed to be done.

'Although I'd really like for it to last forever, we don't have much time.' Rina thought sadly. Then, she helped her children tidy their clothes that had become wrinkled earlier while asking, "It's time for us to leave, are you guys ready? You didn't forget anything, right?"

"Yes, mom!" the siblings, who had just been freed from their mother's herculean hug, answered as they regained their breathing.

The trio did not delay any further and exited the room after checking if they forgot anything.

***

Walking in the hallway, Zen and Sera carefully followed behind their mother.

It had been a few minutes since they exited the room and until now they still haven't seen anyone.

While following behind their mother, the siblings also noticed that the routes that they have been taking were places where people don't usually go.

It was as if Rina had already memorized the blueprint of the hospital and was deliberately walking through the places where it was most secluded.

Despite their curiosity, Zen and Sera did not utter a word. They judged that it was not the right time to be asking questions, as such, they saved their questions for later.

After a few minutes of walking, they soon arrived in front of a door.

Above the door were the words 'Fire Exit'.

At this moment, Zen and Sera only thought of one thing, 'For some reason, I feel like we're burglars right now…'