A lively cartoon plays on the old TV, its vibrant colors contrasting with the dark room. The upbeat background tune masks the sound of heavy rain outside. The boy sits on the gray carpet, watching with a bright smile as the colors flicker through his joyful eyes.

  On screen, two children stand in a colorful town. A blue van soon arrives, with a man handing a dog to them. One of the children takes the dog, cradling him carefully in his arms.

  Child 1: [Bad dog! You're always getting lost... I missed you so much!]

  He pets the dog, a tear falling across his cheek as the dog licks his face. As the officer laughs, the other child steps forward.

  Child 2: [Thank you, officer... I was worried we'd never see Freshy again!]

  She wipes off her tears, shoulders trembling slightly. After, she flashes a sincere smile to the officer before turning to the dog, offering her hand as the pet licks it. The officer steps away, swinging open the door to his van.

  Officer: [No worries, kids. Make sure to take good care of him, alright?]

  Children: [We will!]

  Both children smile warmly at the Officer, eyes glinting with joy and gratefulness. As the van leaves, the children turn to look at the screen.

  Children: [Remember! Always care for those you love, so they don't get lost!]

  Soon after, the episode ends, credits rolling out. The boy stands up, approaching the TV to turn it off. After pressing the button, he begins to walk over to his bedroom, rubbing his sleepy eyes. It's 10 o`clock already... I wanted to watch a bit more...

  Suddenly, hard knocking echoes through the apartment, making him flinch slightly. The child runs to the door. He stands in front of it, the lock still latched.

  Boy: [Who is it?]

  He asks. A deep, authoritative voice responds.

  ???: [Is this the residence of Sayaka Kenki?]

  The boy raises a brow, wariness evident across his features.

  Boy: [Um... Yeah... Who are you, sir?]

  ???: [Friedrich Bax, 2nd Rank Exterminator. May I come in?]

  The child's eyes light up, a wide smile appearing on his face. Amazing! An exterminator! The good guys who fight demons and win!

  Boy: [Of course!]

  He says, removing the lock and opening the door. As he opens it fully, before him stands a tall man, around 40, with wide shoulders. He wears a black trench coat and simple black pants with boots the same color. Despite the heavy rain outside and the fact that he doesn't carry an umbrella, he isn't wet at all.

  His sharp, shaved face and features show a serious expression, bordering on intimidating if not for his kind, light gray eyes. His hair flows freely, long enough to touch his shoulders. He crouches down, placing a gloved hand on the child's shoulder.

  Friedrich: [Hello there. What's your name, little one?]

  Boy: [Hinozu! Nice to meet you, Mr. Exterminator!]

  The child beams, offering a big smile to the man. Friedrich tenses for a moment, before parting his lips hesitantly.

  Friedrich: [I have something to discuss with you, Hinozu. Let's talk about it inside, alright?]

  Hinozu tilts his head, both curiosity and excitement bubbling up inside of him. He steps aside, inviting the man inside. Friedrich takes a quick glance around the dark living room, flicking the switch to turn the lights on.

  Hinozu: [Oh, the switch doesn't work. It's broken.]

  The man looks into the kid's dark eyes for a moment. Finally, he nods.

  Friedrich: [Let's... sit down, boy. Can I sit here?]

  He points to a chair at the small dinner table in a corner. As the child nods, he waits for Hinozu to sit before doing so himself.

  The room falls into silence.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  The darkness only seems to accentuate it. As several minutes pass, the boy finally speaks up.

  Hinozu: [So... What did you want to say to me, sir?]

  This catches the man slightly off-guard, as if he were in a trance. His gaze fixed on the table, he taps his finger several times before looking directly into Hinozu's eyes with a somber, almost melancholic expression.

  Friedrich: [Listen... Hinozu. Sayaka... Sayaka's dead.]

  The man holds his gaze on the child, however difficult. The child stays silent, his expression unchanging, the same smile still plastered on his face.

  Friedrich: [I know it's hard to proce—]

  Hinozu: [No she isn't.]

  The boy's reply surprises the man.

  Hinozu: [She's at work. As always. She'll come back soon, I know it. She always does.]

  Friedrich sighs, his expression faltering as he clenches his eyes shut. The boy shifts occasionally on his chair, expecting the man to say something.

  Friedrich: [Listen, Hinozu. Sayaka won't come ba—]

  Hinozu: [Yes she will. You don't know that.]

  He argues with a hint of skepticism in his tone. Friedrich wipes his face with a hand, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead despite the cold.

  Friedrich: [Please, listen to me... Okay? I'll try explaining everythi—]

  The boy gets up from his seat as he yells in a high-pitched voice.

  Hinozu: [Liar! You're just lying so you can make me cry! Sayaka is not dea—]

  [Hinozu!]

  The boy flinches as the man shouts. Friedrich clenches his fist, his eyes shut more than they were. A few more beads of sweat travel from his forehead across the side of his face.

  Friedrich: [Sit. Please.]

  His voice is low and commanding, bordering on dangerous, but the man doesn't speak with anger or annoyance. He waits as the child sits on his seat again, before placing a hand on his shoulder across the table. When the child nods, he places his hand back on the table.

  Friedrich opens his eyes, only one side of his face visible as the other's engulfed by the persistent darkness of the room. His gray eyes meet Hinozu's black ones.

  Then, he speaks, his voice calm and compassionate.

  Friedrich: [I... I was on patrol duty, a few hours ago. And then... I-I saw her. I saw Sayaka... On the ground. Unfortunately, she was...]

  The man feels a knot in his throat, unable to get the words out. He clenches his jaw, then parts his lips.

  Friedrich: [She was dead. I'm sorry, Hinozu.]

  The boy's shoulders tense, his eyes widening for a moment before his expression turns blank. He stays silent.

  Just the raw, cruel truth.

  Friedrich waits for Hinozu to speak, to say something, but only silence follows. Just as he parts his lips, the child speaks, his voice low and hoarse. His eyes, hidden behind his hair.

  Hinozu: [How did you find out it was her?]

  Friedrich: [I didn't know who it was at first, so I checked her purse, and found her name and address, along with, uh, a photo of her and... And you.]

  He stands up, approaching the child before crouching down in front of him. His expression shows compassion and sadness.

  Friedrich: [Listen, Hinozu. I know how you feel. I just want you to know that it'll all be alright. It may not seem like it, but, it will be. Understood?]

  Hinozu simply nods. Friedrich ruffles his head as he smiles softly.

  Friedrich: [Good. You're strong, boy. Really strong.]

  [I am?]

  [Yes. You are.]

  The next minutes pass by in silence. As the child seems to gather his thoughts, the man, still crouching, offers a hand.

  Friedrich: [I know this place is important to you, but a child can't stay here alone. I'll take care of you until we find you a place to live. Okay?]

  Hinozu: [Okay.]

  The boy takes Friedrich's hand as they both stand up and slowly walk towards the door. The man notices a small black jacket and a small umbrella. He takes them as Hinozu puts on his boots. Once he's finished, he puts the jacket on the child before handing him the umbrella.

  Friedrich: [Let's go.]

  Hinozu nods, reaching out towards Friedrich's hand. The man grasps the boy's hand as he opens the door. Turning left into the narrow corridor, they descend the stairs until they reach the main entrance. The man glances at Hinozu before stepping forward after the child.

  They step outside, standing side by side. Friedrich looks up into the sky, while Hinozu looks forwards. The scenery is bathed in white, the cold biting their skin as white particles fall from the sky.

  It's snowing.

  Hinozu opens his umbrella, and they soon walk again. In complete silence. The street lamps flicker, the soft wind carrying stray leaves away. As they reach Friedrich's car, Hinozu looks back. He looks at the footprints, following each one of them. His gaze stays fixed on that special place he leaves behind.

  Tears don't flow from his eyes, nor does his face show gloom. He accepts the truth, though he doesn't understand it.

  Turning around, he faces the car and gets in. Friedrich fastens his seatbelt before sitting in the driver's seat. The man starts the car, driving off to a place so familiar to him, yet so unfamiliar to the child.

  Friedrich: [You should get some rest, Hinozu. It'll be a fairly long drive.]

  The boy glances at the man before closing his eyes. Soon enough, he falls asleep. As the snowfall intensifies, Friedrich keeps his focus on driving, his eyes turning red as he holds the tears back.

  As the snow subsides, roughly 40 minutes later, the car stops in the snow-filled driveway of a small house. Friedrich opens the door, exiting the vehicle. He leans against the car and retrieves a pack of cigarettes. Picking one from the pack, he stares at it intently before putting it back, letting out a long sigh in the process. When will you actually stop? When you're dead? He chuckles. A chuckle that's devoid of mirth. A single snowflake falls on his hand.

  [Maybe even then, you'll keep doing it.]

  ——

  As the night passes, the Sun begins to rise, bathing the small room with its golden light. The sounds of birds chirping kill off the silence, announcing the arrival of morning to those still asleep.

  The clock shows just past 6:15. The boy sleeps peacefully, eyes closed and breath steady. There's no sound of keys jingling, nor the click of the lock at the entrance. No footsteps approach, nor does the faint knock echo on the doorframe to his room.

  There's no tender touch.

  Hinozu opens his eyes slowly. He sits straight up, looking to his right with a sleepy smile.

  Hinozu: [Good morning, Sis!]

  He says. But as his eyes adjust to the abundance of light, he realizes. His words did not fall on the ears of the person he intended to. They didn't fall on any ears at all.

  Hinozu: [Sis?]

  Searching nervously around the room, he finds himself in an unfamiliar place. He lets out a long breath, one that he didn't know he was holding.

  Then, a tight knot forms in his throat. His chest feels heavier, breathing becoming laborious. His vision blurs.

  A tear rolls down his cheek. He brushes it away —But more follow, falling incessantly as his face soaks.

  Hinozu: [D-don't cry, everything w-will be f-f-fine...]

  He sobs. Deep sorrow claws at his insides, raw and overwhelming.

  Hinozu: [Don't go... Sis!]

  [Don't leave me alone!]

  The boy's shoulders slump, his hands gripping the sheets. He blinks repeatedly, tears still flowing freely as he bawls.

  As his tears run dry, he doesn't move. He sits there, trembling, before lying down at his side. The room falls into silence, the only sounds the chirping of birds and the gentle rustling of the curtains.

  A stray, burning tear travels across his face, and Hinozu slumbers again.