Chapter 2: Interrupted

... "Hm? Where's my mom? Where would she be at this hour without telling me?" he wonders, standing still for a moment. "That's weird — she always lets me know." Then he shrugs. "Well, maybe she just had somewhere to be and didn't have time to say anything. I guess that's one possibility."

Bundled up in warm clothes, Yoru heads to the edge of the property to take a short walk. "Okay so... where am I even supposed to go? There's nothing special anywhere in this town. Everything here is so bleak and monotonous."

Yoru lives in a small village full of industrial buildings. But those don't interest him; he prefers to enjoy the quiet places. "Well, I could take a walk in the woods... again. I've just already been there at least a thousand times. But hey, I've got nothing to lose, so..."

With that mindset, he makes his way to the woods, which are only a few hundred meters from his house. Once inside, he starts turning things over in his mind. "Maybe I should think about where I want to apply for work sometime in the next few days or weeks. If I just stay home, my mom will probably get upset. But I have absolutely no idea what I want to do. What if I can't find anything and end up getting kicked out? What if every place I apply to rejects me? What if I find something I hate and get stuck there forever? What if —"

>> Self-doubt << — suddenly a voice cuts through his thoughts.

"Huh? Who was that? Who said that?"

Yoru looks around trying to find the source, but he can't see anyone. "Oh great, now I'm hearing voices too... in the middle of the woods, where there's nobody but me. That's actually kind of unsettling..." With an uneasy feeling, Yoru continues through the forest — but luckily he's quickly distracted by the sounds of the animals and the birds singing.

A while later, he steps back out of the woods. "Finally made it out. I never would've thought a little fresh air could sort my thoughts out this well. It's like the wind carried all the problems away with it... well, that's how it felt, at least."

-- And so Yoru continues on his way home. --

Just as he's about to turn onto a narrow path, a boy calls out to him. "Hey, you!"

Yoru just looks at him, confused. "Yeah, I'm talking to you! I know this is coming out of nowhere, but I just saw you wandering around here on your own. And I thought to myself, 'Hey, maybe you should go talk to that guy!'" the stranger continues cheerfully. Yoru's expression goes serious. "Hm? Me? Could you maybe tell me who I'm even speaking to?" "Uh, yeah, of course! My name is Sero! I moved here not too long ago, so I'm alone most of the time... That's why I came up to you — to maybe build a friendship, you know?" he answers with a smile. Sero holds out a piece of paper.

Yoru is irritated and confused: "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Oh, that... it's just my number, in case you ever..." "I don't need any friends," Yoru cuts him off in an ice-cold tone, and walks away. Sero lets out a quiet sigh and continues on his way as well.

Back home, Yoru notices his mother still isn't there. "Oh — looks like she's still not back. Well, I guess I'll have to stay on my own a little longer." He goes upstairs to his room, changes into comfortable clothes, and lies down on his bed. He picks up the piece of paper Sero gave him and crumples it. "Friends... sure... What do I need friends for? In the end they only disappoint you and leave you alone anyway." For a while Yoru lets his thoughts drift, until different ones suddenly surface. "Why am I always so serious? A few years ago I actually used to enjoy being around other people. Now I'm just... like this. Maybe I should give the other guy a cha..."

>> More hate << — the same voice cuts through again, the one he already heard in the woods.

Yoru jumps out of bed. "There it is again!" He looks around the room in alarm. "Again... there's nothing here. That voice — where did it come from?" He searches the room for a while longer, then finally gives up. "Maybe it's just because I slept too much today and my brain is still half asleep or something like that." He slowly settles down. "Well, it's already pretty late, so there's no point in staying up any longer — even if I slept a few hours ago already. But I just can't help it, I'm so tired." Yoru sets the crumpled piece of paper on a small shelf beside his bed. "Well... maybe I'll still need this thing tomorrow." Exhausted, Yoru falls asleep within minutes.

-- And just like that another day in his life ends. But before we continue here, let's jump to another place, not far from Yoru's house... --

"Did you meet him?" asks a mysterious voice.

-- Chapter 2 End --

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