Nickson's Point of View (The same timeline with Yuki and Sung-ho, but earlier... You know how it is, right?)
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"Do you not want to visit your brother, Nickson?" Chung-hee knocks on the front door and asks me a question.
It has been three days since I locked myself inside this room, unable to muster up my courage and walk up to the brother I have lost and found yet again. The fourth day comes crashing through my calendar and accompanying the ringing volume of my alarm clock beside the railings of my bed.
I reach my hand on the pocket-sized device and slam the button shut to silence the noise. As soon as the noiseless atmosphere traps me, I turn my face over to the gate. I could not meet the stern gaze of the butler, thinking to myself of how pitiful I have become from the past few days.
"Leave me alone, Wilson." After voicing my rejection, I turn and face the side of the wall. It is difficult for me to acknowledge the truth, so here I am, covering myself with the blanket.
Before going out of my room, Wilson leaves a familiar sketchbook on the floor. With a loud thump on the floor, my mind could not help but feel curious about the sound.
At first glance, it looked like another one of those useless journals to help me recover, something like therapy that I used to do when I was a young age.
But upon looking at the cover again, my eyes peer through the ground. I race through the entrance and pick the object while shedding a tear dripping from my eyes.
"I knew you had not given up yet, Master Seo-jun," The butler returns and greets me at the hall with the tablet in his hands. He has yet to open the gadget and allows it to activate it myself to see what is inside.
With a firm gaze, I take the drawing tablet from his fingers and slide my hand over to the peeking hill of a button. After the beeping sounds coming from the tech, I witness the screen flashing before me, revealing the applications that I recognise.
As I open the first application of the tablet, my entire body freezes like a pillar to hold on to the building. My eyes peer at the scribbles in front of me with my memories, knocking some sense inside of me.
"The park that you drew when you were still a little kid, Master." The butler moves away as he continues to explain the history of the image. "Have you forgotten already?"
"But you were not there to know it." The distant past is still fresh inside my head, lingering like a trapped bird inside a cage.
How could I forget, Wilson?
Wilson shrugs his face, still walking ahead, and tells me a line that I cannot brush aside.
"Your brother loves you more than you know." With those words ringing inside my head, I stop and look at his stiff back.
Wilson still refuses to turn around, but I know there is no sense in facing me. He takes pity out for my sake and exits the settee once and for all.
I, all alone inside the spacious room, spiral around and pick up my things. My hands reach for the sunglasses, my bag, and place the tablet inside.
Time passes by, yet it feels I am inside an eternity. The drizzles outside ruins my mood, but that does not stop me from going outside. As I grab two parasols, I race forward towards the slippery streets and head towards the Clock Hotel.
However, my scheme does not turn out as I have expected. Despite knowing who I am, they could not tell where Sung-ho has stayed for the earlier days as they try to recall the events that have happened before.
The last time these people saw him was last Sunday. The workers could not guess where Sung-ho had gone away.
"Sung-ho said he would leave in Tokyo for today if something does not happen." The girl tending the bar confesses as she sees me getting ready to look for the guy under the heavy grey clouds outside.
After wiping the glass using a cloth, the bartender meets my eyes and notices my clothes. She lifts her fingers and marks my tie as she vacates inside another room.
"What a peculiar person." I think to myself, uncertain what to react to that gesture.
But upon looking at my clothing, I soon understand why she would point at my uniform as soon as he witnesses me.
Without a hint of doubt, I sprint towards the road and head past multiple streets. I could not hear the honks and whistles of the nearby pedestrians since I am in a hurry to meet someone important to me.
However, my feet collapse on the ground and beg for any form of rest that I could provide. Despite my well-built body, I could not last long enough to run two kilometres of distance within a day.
"Brother Nickson?" The little girl from the orphanage approaches me as soon as she sees my body descend on the soil. She turns my body around and spots a wound with blood surrounding my skin.
"Himari, I am fine." My hands reach out for her forehead and afterwards shuffle her long and jet-black hair. Although her worry seems not to vanish from my caresses, Himari lets out a faint smile as she pulls me closer to the foundling home.
The little girl runs inside the house and fetches me a pair of towels, one for her and one for me. After expressing my gratitude by patting her head for the second time, I cover my face with the cloth and dry myself under the roof.
"What are you doing right now, big brother Nickson?" Himari asks.
(Note: I may add the word "Oni-chan. It is a Japanese word, meaning Older Brother.)
I shift my gaze at the northern building where I am supposed to go. But I could not proceed any further since I have grazed my leg into a terrible condition.
The door vibrates and reveals the caretaker inside. I meet her gaze and politely bow my head and greet her. In response to my courtesy, the lady inclines her head and smiles at me.
Upon observing her movements, I could only guess that she is searching for Himari since she has a drawing book in her hands. With the open window and children gathering inside, Himari must have seen me trip at the nearby trees and sprints at the site to rescue me.
"Ara, Nickson! Why are you out here when it is raining?"
"I was going out to meet someone." I give her my reply and stand up from my seat.
The woman gestures to me to stay and tells me something that would make me want to hang out for a little longer here in the orphanage. "Come inside, Nickson. I will prepare you a kotatsu, some warm cookies and tea."
(note: Kotatsu is a heated table fitted underneath, over which goes a heavy floor-length quilt or blanket which keeps the heat, and the tabletop. It is popular in Japan.)
As I glance inside the transparent glass, I see a table with a blanket covering the surface. All the orphan circles around the board while listening to the young warden. The young adult-looking girl is telling a story about the book in her hands.
I could not discern the book cover clearly, but the designs seem familiar to me.
"I am really sorry, but I should be on my way." As I speak what is inside my mind, the steward has already vanished outside. Only the pouring rain hitting the metallic roof is the sound that is accompanying Himari and me.
"I need to go, Himari." Upon declaring my statement, I wiggle and squeeze the water from my black vest, fix my glasses, and am about to go outside, but something stops me from moving on.
My umbrella in my hands falls off from my grip. I notice that I have brought two parasols with me during my trip. Unsure of what to do with the extra umbrella, I approach Himari and hand her over the ancillary parasol.
"Give this to someone who needs an umbrella, okay?" Himari nods and acknowledges my request.
But before I could advance, Himari shouts for the last time, catching my attention amidst the rainfall.
"Will you come back and check my drawing?" I squint my eyes and discern the old-fashion sketch back between her fingers with a set of crayons.
"Of course!"
After our exchange, I scurry my way towards my school and meet face to face against the silver gates. I glance at my side and notice a security guard getting ready to sleep in his comfortable chair with a cup of coffee on the table.
I go towards the entrance and meet with the guard. The ward stands up from his seat and attempts to stop me from my tracks. However, I have already figured out how to get inside since I own a ticket entering the school grounds.
Upon safeguarding the glasses covering my eyes, I speak to the watchman in Japanese.
"Vice-President of the student council of this school. I hate to admit, but if you block me again, I will fire you from your job."
I recall that being an officer of this international school will give you authority, within a set of limitations. With that in mind, entering the school is a piece of cake.
The security wipes off his sweat and allows me to enter the school. As I judge his reactions, I know this event has happened before, especially to the two latter officers, Byakko and Washi.
Nothing is holding me back as I step my foot inside the empty lockers and hallway of the academy, looking for the familiar figure of my brother, Sung-ho.
However, I find nobody inside the expanding building of our academy. Even though this place has yet to have any renovation, the location is as wide as an arena. Anyone can dump anything inside, but the structure would still have some space for leftovers.
As I return to the first floor, the farthest classroom steals my gaze. The words banging inside my ears keep me at bay and go to a complete halt after reaching the classroom.
"Class 1-A."