The door slammed. Silence swallowed the room.
Renji stood still, heart pounding. Then he moved. No thinking, just shoes on, keys grabbed, door locked behind him.
The streets were cooling under a fading sunset. The sky had turned purple-gray, and the city lights flickered to life.
He walked fast at first, then faster, almost jogging, eyes scanning every sidewalk, bus stop, alley, corner. Every time he thought he saw her, it wasn't her. He passed the Bright Mart, then the park. Nothing.
His thoughts spun as he walked.
He remembered the hospital. His mom's hand limp in his. His dad hooked up to machines.
They were on their way home from grocery shopping. His dad must've zoned out. That happened a lot. A second too long—and they slammed into a barrier.
He remembered his sister's face when the doctor told them. Cold.
"They're stable. But they may never wake up."
He was 18. Still a kid. And the last shred of his family had started slipping away.
Then came the silence. His brother, married and practical, didn't offer help. His Sister sent money but never checked in. He fell into himself. Closed up. Became a shadow in his own house.
Then Ichika.
A brat. A loud, annoying, stubborn, sharp-tongued brat.
But also the first person to call his apartment home.
He pulled out his phone.
Renji: [H-Hina… She's…She's gone. I-I screwed up. I need help. Please]
Hina responded in less than a minute.
Hina: [W-Wait. Hold on, Relax! What are you talking about?]
Renji: [I-Ichika…The girl staying with me! She… She run ran out of my apartment, and i…]
Hina: [We're on it. Where was she last seen?]
Within twenty minutes, Bright Mart staff were out on bikes and scooters, asking around, checking corners. Hina coordinated them like a commander.
Then a ping.
Coworker: [Think I saw her. She's near the edge of Minato Ward, by the orphanage.]
Renji: [Don't let her leave. I'm on my way.]
He ran.
His legs ached. His lungs burned. But he didn't stop.
Ichika was crouched behind a trash bin across the street from the orphanage. Her hoodie was up, but her face was pale.
She was staring at the gate. Watching.
From where she sat, the building looked smaller than she remembered. Not as scary. Not as loud. But it still felt like a cage.
She thought about the meals, the rules, the broken promises.
She thought about the relatives who said, "We can't take her," or "I have enough problems with my own kids."
She thought about the way Renji had yelled—but also how he never once threw her out, how he bought her clothes, made her food, let her take up space.
She sniffed and wiped her face with her sleeve.
"I should've stayed," she whispered. "I should've shut up."
"No, you shouldn't have."
She turned.
Renji stood there, chest heaving, hair messy from the wind.
"You found me, huh?..."
"You're not that hard to find. You're loud even when you're not talking."
Ichika looked down. "...Sorry."
He walked over, crouched beside her.
"You broke the rule. You messed up. But I did too. I should've told you more. Been honest. I freaked out, but... I shouldn't have shut down."
Her voice cracked. "I didn't mean to dig through everything. I just... wanted to understand. You never talk about it. I thought maybe I could... help. Or something."
"I get it. And I overreacted. I'm sorry."
She didn't answer at first. Then her face twisted and she lunged forward, hugging him tight as she started collapsing.
He caught her. Held her.
Her voice was muffled in his shoulder. "You're the only one who ever stayed. Even when you didn't have to. Even after I screwed up."
"I'm not going anywhere, Ichika. You hear me?"
She nodded, face wet, still gripping his shirt.
After that, they walked back home.
Back at the apartment, everyone was there—Hina, a few coworkers, all crammed in the hallway outside Renji's door.
When they saw the two walking up together, Hina exhaled deeply.
"We were gonna start printing flyers."
"Sorry," Ichika said, bowing her head. "And... thanks. All of you."
One of the clerks patted her head awkwardly. "Don't do that again, alright? You scared the crap outta everyone."
Later that night, after everyone left and the door clicked shut, Renji made tea. Ichika sat on her futon. arms wrapped around her knees.
"Hey," she said. "Can I tell you something now?"
He nodded.
So she told him.
About her parents, who had a big debt with a gangster, they tried to pay it, but the debt was too much, so he k*lled them. She also told him About how no one wanted to take her in on the funeral. How she was passed around. Labeled as difficult. Loud. Too emotional.
"They said I was too much work," she said. "Even my aunt."
Renji didn't say anything.
He just sat beside her and listened. The tea went cold.
But for once, neither of them felt it.
Outside, the night was quiet. And inside, they were finally starting to understand each other, that night, Ichika slept beside Renji, wanting to feel closer to the only person who cared for her…
To Be Continued…