They spent the rest of the day trying to get Isaac's papers back from the gazebo. Rikki ended up serving as a decoy for the guarding members so Isaac could go in and out without much trouble, though Rikki went for several laps again. Isaac had to wait for Rikki at the meeting spot, by the entrance of the paper club building. He arrived before Rikki had and waited. Isaac started spacing out sitting on the steps of the building. He thought about his rejected project, his sickly mother, and Mei. The more he thought about this the greater the burning feeling in his chest.
"Hey buddy, you okay?" Rikki appeared with his bicycle, nudging Isaac out of his trance. When he snapped back to reality, they were already losing daylight. He looked at Rikki who seemed okay aside from the dusty clothes from the chase he just had.
"Are you ready to go?" Isaac saw Sydney with Mei right behind her. Sydney carried both of their bags and had an impatient look directed at him. Mei had her back turned on Isaac while Rikki struggled to make light of the situation by sharing his marathon story with the sports club.
"Listen, I've been running the whole day and what I want right now is to sit somewhere that serves food so get your ass up Isaac and let's go." They exited the campus in pairs. Sydney, who was with Mei, texted Rikki as they walked, sharing each other's progress. She didn't seem too satisfied with Rikki as she would look back at him and give a demonic stare from time to time. Mei seemed to enjoy Sydney's company but would often look back at Isaac and change her expression entirely.
"So you figured out what to say to her?" Rikki asked as he composed a text for Sydney.
"I still don't know, Rikki. The biggest argument we had as kids was when I told her I could play tic-tac-toe on her forehead when she had that yellow headband on." Rikki managed a loud laugh which caught Sydney's attention, giving another demon stare.
"Hey Syd, do you know about this rumor going around?" Mei looked up, changing her somber tone to a serious one.
"Mei you got be more specific. People talk about scandals, drugs, and other shady businesses that go around campus every day." Sydney happily answered.
"It's about the one Professor Kira told me, the student under fire by the entire campus and the Fine Arts Department." Mei had her notepad out from her pocket.
"You didn't know? Then again, I didn't think he'd tell you about it." Sydney wondered.
"He? Just who do you mean?" Before Mei could answer, Rikki approached the two from behind.
"Hey guys, Isaac said something about filling in for a friend at work so he took off. Didn't even know he had work. He just took the bus over there." Rikki pointed at the bus that was about to leave while Sydney looked at him disappointingly. Mei knew where Isaac worked and assumed that he was lying. Before a second thought, she swiped Rikki's bicycle then followed after Isaac.
"Hey Mei!" Sydney called after her but Mei's mind was made up.
"Don't bother, Syd. This gives those two some time to themselves anyway. Which is what the point of this trip was about right?" proudly asked Rikki which he would soon regret later when they eventually arrived at the arcade and the irritated Sydney would beat him at every single game in the arcade.
Mei spent the entire day resting on her desk so she had the energy to keep up with the bus going at minimum speed. She kept her distance so that Isaac would not notice her approach. To her surprise, he got off at the first stop and angrily entered the hospital. Mei followed but was greeted by a wave of elderly people going for their afternoon jog it seemed.
"Hey gramps, watch the hands." She scowled at the perverted old man after stopping him in his tracks. When she finally entered the hospital Isaac was nowhere to be seen. She went directly to the receptionist's desk.
"Excuse me but is there an Aikawa registered in this hospital?" The receptionist directed her to the 8th floor and Mei quickly went into the next elevator. She went straight to the room directed to her and stopped beside it as she heard voices from inside. Two voices, one she recognized to be Isaac and another one, a man's voice. The man spoke in a much deeper and more composed voice.
"So what? Six months pass and you just waltz right back in here expecting us to act normal?!" Isaac said, raising his voice.
"Yes I may have left but I never stopped supporting you or your mother." The man replied.
"Bullshit! I've been doing the work and paying for her bills! Who do you think visits her every day just so she has company? Just so she knows that someone still cares for her!" Isaac muttered angrily.
"Your mother and I… have already talked about me and my visitations. It is none of your concern." The man replied, his voice growing softer. Isaac approached the man and grabbed him by the collar. His mom leaned forward out of her bed but the man motioned her to stop. Isaac had his fist ready to pound the man with all his strength.
"It's true, Isaac! What your father says is true!" His mom shouted at the two. Isaac lowered his head and fist then let go of his father's collar.
"I heard you two talking over the phone the other night. Just… How long have you been lying to me?" Isaac said, gritting his teeth.
"Ever since I was admitted last year. Your father has been supporting my bills and your education." She reluctantly said.
"I… Lied about everything. The bills had been paid in advance months ago and the money that you give the hospital they give to me and your father stores it in an account he made for you." She paused for a moment and added, "We know that you've been having trouble in school and balancing work. The school wants to revoke your scholarship privileges, but we've been convincing them to let you keep them. Just until you graduate." She could not lift her head to face him.
Isaac swung his gaze to his mother, bright red eyes filled with tears and a pained expression. He could muster no words as the Mother he cared for and the Father whom he loathed deeply had been lying to him all this time. To him, all his efforts up to that point had been a lie, nothing more than smoke and mirrors that obscured the fact that he was a puppet, dancing as its puppeteer wished. He had achieved nothing, therefore he thought of himself as nothing.
Rather than making it worse, he decided to quietly leave the room. He walked across the bed with his head hanging low and his soul fatigued. The door creaked as he opened it slowly and disappeared into the stormy night of the hospital.
Mei was speechless as she witnessed the entire scene play out. She wanted to go after Isaac but he just passed her by. The face had on was not one Mei recognized Isaac to have. She stood in the hallway, arm raised to reach out to Isaac who dragged himself away from her. Minutes later Isaac's father came out and looked at Mei. He had the look of a tired man, not that different from how Isaac looked like a moment earlier. He averted his gaze then rode the elevator down.
Isaac's mother was left alone in the room. She cried to herself whilst holding a portrait of them as a family. Then a knock on the door. She quickly set the frame down on the desk table beside her and expected that Isaac had returned.
"Uhmm… Hello Ms. Aikawa." Mei entered the room holding a modest posture.
Ms. Aikawa stared for some time and recognized, "That yellow headband! It's little Mei!"
"Please come and sit over here dear." She wiped traces of tears from the bottom of her eyes.
Mei was delighted that Ms. Aikawa was the same bubbly woman she was when Mei was growing up. But what made her hesitate to go near was everything else. She was hooked up to many machines, her face had a smile but was clearly forced. Crutches worn out from use and sheets stained with blood folded up on the side to be replaced. Mei wanted to cry, to run up and embrace her. Instead, she managed what she could of a reassuring smile, but deep inside, her heart was breaking.