Chereads / Reach Out / Chapter 20 - Younger Brother

Chapter 20 - Younger Brother

After the two friends dropped Ayumi off, they walked back to their homes. Ayumi goes inside and sees her mother is continuously meeting with Tanaka everyday. "You're back? I made some food over there, if you're a bit hungry please eat!" Her mother smiles at her. Ayumi nods her head then walks to her room.

"I don't think your daughter likes me Yuki," Tanaka tells her. "She's just a young kid, don't worry about her," she smiles. He sips the tea, "Alright." Ayumi lies down on her bed, "Mother's been meeting with him TOO much nowadays.." She thinks about something during school, 'Sanyu already had my number..why did he pretended like he didn't? The questions is... why did I decide to play along? ' She remembers his words a few days ago, "Text me when you get home safely."

Ayumi sits up and hits her head with her hands, "No! I shouldn't be thinking about him!" She grabs her school bag and takes out her assignments, "Lets do this instead, therefore I won't think about stuff."

Tanaka and Yuki laughs as they talk to each other. "By the way, it's scary how your daughter really resembles you!" Tanaka tells Yuki. She laughs, "Yes, my daughter mostly resembles me than her father. She has my beauty!" "Sure is beautiful!" He laughs as well.

Kaya cleans up the table after finishing dinner. "I can do the dishes sweetie, please go rest," her mother tells her. Kaya bows, "Please excuse me then." She goes into her room to finish up with her assignments. The pencil in her hands stays still, she doesn't move a muscle and just stares at the blank assignment with a sad look. She takes a deep sigh then rubs her temples, "I can't.." Tired, she decides to go sleep instead of doing her homework.

Kaya's mother goes into a room. She lits an incense and places it in an incense bowl. After bowing three times, she looks up at the picture and sadly says, "My dear son.. how are you doing right now..?" Crystal clear tears falls down to her high cheek bones and drops off her pointy chin.

—2 Years Ago— "Hiro? May I come in?" Kaya asks. "Sure," he replies. She comes in his room and lies down on his bed, "What are you doing?" He slides a paper under his other piles of assignments, "Nothing much, just studying.." She smiles brightly, "What about school? How's that going? Listen, I made it into the girl's soccer team!" He looks back at her and fakes a smile, "Really? Sister, that's really cool of you!"

"I know right?! Mother and father were very proud of me when I told them the news! I'm going to do my best on the team! With my high stamina, I'm never going to stop running and kicking the ball until I score each game and win!" She kicks around and laughs. He smiles at her, "Never give up.."

The next day, after school, Kaya goes pick up Hiro at his school. Students pushes him around, "Was it you faggot?! Do you think you're so cool that you can do whatever the f*** you want?! Listen, I lost my girl because of you..she LEFT me because of YOU!" "An ugly person like you dare say to her that Kujo was cheating!" Another student says and pushes him to a wall. Hiro looks down, "I never said anything..though."

Kaya sees the scene and runs over, "What the hell do you boys think you're doing to my younger brother?!" They look at her, "Hashima's older sister, you don't need to be involved in this. It's between your younger brother and us." She fiercely looks at them, "Oh yea? You think bullying is a good thing to do?! If my brother is involved in this kind of situation, that automatically brings me in. Anyone, I mean ANYONE who messes with my brother will have to mess with ME."

"It was his fault for starting it first. He just can't keep that filthy mouth of his shut. He's asking for a death wish," The student says to her. "He's nothing more than an autistic and depressed person!" They all laugh. Hiro drops a tear and looks away. Kaya slaps one of the students, "SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME AND I WILL F*** YOU UP! I WILL KILL YOU AND THROW YOUR DAMN BODIES INTO A RIVER!!" She looks at the rest of them.

"Leave my younger brother alone or I won't leave you all alone... if you don't, then consider yourselves dead." She angrily says. The students looks at each other then scoffs, "Lets go." After they left, Kaya looks at Hiro, "Are you okay? Hiro, why didn't you tell me you were getting bullied?" She hugs him and cries.

"I want to become stronger.." he sadly tells her. "I will protect you, you have me. Don't worry!" She looks at him.

They later walked back home and rest. "We should tell mother and father about this," Kaya tells him. He nods his head, "okay."

A few days later Hiro was transferred to another school for the sake of his safety and health. Kaya comes in his room, "I bought you something today." He brightens up and smiles, "What did you buy me?" She smiles happily and takes out the gift, "Ta-da! A journal and pen!" He excitedly accepts the gift, "Sister! Thanks! You're the best!!" She smiles proudly, "I know I am."

He opens the journal and flips through the pages with a wide smile on his handsome face. She looks at him happily, "It's to help you cope with your depression. It really helps out a lot writing down your feelings and thoughts in your journal when you can't express your feelings openly to others. You can also write many positive things to keep you happy! Like memories of us together playing around.. or some exciting things you would like to do in the future! Didn't you said you wanted to become a police officer when you grow up? Write it down! You should also write down goals to accomplish!"

He hugs Kaya, "I will do so! Thank you....THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Her heart feels warm, "Anything for you, my brother."

A month later, everything seemed fine. It was a nice and sunny day. After school Kaya excitedly runs to a bakery shop, "Today is Hiro's birthday! I will buy him the best cake and as a family we'll celebrate it together! I can't believe he's 14 now!" Meanwhile at home, their parents were decorating the house with "Happy Birthday" words on the wall, and balloons floating in the house.

On the way back home, Kaya passes by an alleyway dumpster. She pauses and walks backwards to see something. The cake drops onto the dirty ground. "HIRO!!!!!!" She runs to him as she yells and cries. His bloody body was laid beside the dumpster. She holds onto him in her arms and cries, "HIRO!!! NO!!" Citizens comes by to see what was happening and gasps at the scene.

She tries to wake him up, but his body remained stiff and cold. He did not wake up as Kaya calls for him to. The citizens calls the police. As she shakes his dead body, his phone slips out his hoodie pocket. It was on, and still recording. Her eye's widens and she takes the phone.

The police comes by as well as the ambulance. Her parents comes running and cries as they see their son, brutally murdered. "Stabbed so many times, this murderer must've been very mad," a police officer said. The detective investigates the scene, "Find anything that'll become a clue! Especially the knife, try to find that!" Kaya hides Hiro's phone in her pocket. Her parents hugs her as they cry.