"I am the world itself, Yurie."
I confidently muttered. I really thought I was cool by saying that. I was wrong. I sounded like a geek.
Yurie raised her eyebrows in shock, and asked me what I meant by what I recently just said.
"World itself?" She said, in an unsure manner. Then, my face gave away a serious look, and the following words came out of my mouth in a cold manner:
"Yurie, I created this world. The stars of plasma? The gas giants? The galaxies that shine brighter than light bulbs?? The universe that contains all of those? I created them. All of them. The humans you see right now? Your friends?? They exist because I proved them worthy of being a living being. Yurie, you are lucky to exist here, so be respectful when you're talking to me."
I wasn't serious when I said that. I'm fine with it if she talks to me like I'm her friend, I was just saying that to sound intimidating…
"I'm sorry, sir..! I'll just—" I then interrupted her before she could say anything else.
"Don't apologize. I'm just joking when I said that. You can treat me as a friend, if you'd like." I reassured her.
She timidly nodded her head, signaling that she understood what I meant.
Wait.
Did she just call me 'sir'?
My head started hurting, but I didn't mind because it didn't cause too much pain.
I then invited Yurie to eat some noodles since she looked hungry.
"Yurie, would you like to have a feast with me?" I lightheartedly questioned her.
"I'm not hungry."
"I understand, Yurie. But, just tell me if you're in the mood to eat, alright?"
I didn't take her response personally, because I knew she had depression, and she mostly loses her appetite. Nevertheless, I'll look for a solution to help her eat, so that she'll stay healthy.
[I want to help her, and treat her like my daughter.]
Parents take care of their children. It is their responsibility to raise and care for them. Parents would listen to their children rant about their problems. Parents would love their children regardless of how they behave. Even if their children dislike them, parents will continue to support them through thick and thin.
I want to try and understand how Yurie feels. I want to have a short conversation with her, but it depends on her if she's comfortable with that. I don't want to force her to express her feelings, owing to the fact that she might not be able to express herself well. However, asking her wouldn't hurt, right?
"Yurie, is it alright if we could have a little chat?"
"Of course."
I don't know if this question would be too personal for her. I really don't want to hurt her feelings using my words, yet I have to try and understand why she's like this.
"How did your mother treat you when she was still alive?"
"…" Yurie remained silent.
"You don't need to answer my question."
Deep down, I knew the story.
Yui Tanaka didn't like her daughter. She didn't approve of how her daughter behaved. Yurie would often be the quiet cousin in family gatherings, so that's why her mother would force her to speak, and she would get embarrassed in front of everyone present. She didn't deserve this type of treatment, though.
One day, Yurie was tired of the shameless acts her mother did. She confronted her, but it didn't end well. Yui beat her until she gained purple-colored bruises.
On the other hand, Akito Tanaka, her father, would always treat her to eat Ice Cream while her mother was off to work. He loved his daughter more than he loved his wife.
Before the tragedy, Akito and Yui Tanaka were both at work. Yurie was in school, having fun with her peers.
Until the school principal asked the teachers and students to evacuate.
"Dear pupils and staff, may I have your attention, please? There has been a report that a killer has gone loose in this city as of this moment, and we are not sure if our school is safe. So please head to the multiple vehicles outside of our school to bring you all home. The killer is said to only target workplaces, so we are sure that they wouldn't come for your homes. Stay safe, everyone."
Yurie was nervous. She immediately ran to the 4th grade school bus and cried in her seat while her beloved friend, Toki, was comforting her.
When she was home, her aunt, uncle, and cousin were found crying on the floor. She was perplexed.
"Your mom and dad.. They-"
"They're gone."