I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling in an unfamiliar room.

“Where…is this?”

As I gradually looked around the room, I could see machines, curtains, window and a door. I remembered this place, I saw it once before after all. It was a room in a hospital. Looking to the side, I saw a feminine figure sitting there, I jerked when I made out the figure to be Mother.

Feeling shocked by my sudden jerk, the figure grabbed hold of my hands.

“Yuusuke! You are awake! Father, Father, Yuusuke is awake!”

Father? Mother can’t possibly be calling Father…Father. As I looked closer, I made out the figure. It was Tsubasa, my sister, I had saw her as Mother due to her hair colour. Hearing the news, my father rushed into the room with a doctor.

The doctor than began various checks on me.

“Do you feel any pain?”

“Pain…No. I don’t…”

“I know you must feel shocked after what happened, maybe even traumatised by fear, but don’t worry, we are here to help you.”

“Shocked? Fear? … I’m sorry, what do those feel like again?

“?!”

Hearing my statement, my sister, father and the doctor all looked like they were in disbelief.

“Hey doctor…speaking of pain, what does pain feel like again?”

“E-Excuse me for a moment”

The doctor proceeded to took out a small wooden hammer and began to gently hit some of my pressure points.

“Do you feel any pain from this?”

“N-no?”

“T-that’s…”

After that, the doctor brought my Father out and were talking outside. Apparently, all the points he hit were supposed to inflict at least some sort of pain to me but I didn’t even as much flinch.

“So, what are you trying to say doctor?”

“I’m afraid, that your son’s sense of nerves and feelings that is connected to his brain may have been severed…”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting!”

“Even if you ask me…This is a case never seen b-b-before and even if you go to other doctors, they will say the same thing…”

“That is…”

Seeing them conversing outside, I pondered what was happening, I turned to my sister.

“Hey Tsubasa Nee-chan, where’s Mother?”

“Mother is…in a hospital too…”

“I don’t really remember much after Mother entered the room. If she is sick, we should go visit her!”

“Ah… Mother is not sick, she is just tired and resting now, we will go see her another day.”

“Okay…”

After that, my Father didn’t believe the doctor’s words and took me to see various doctors, even some globally-renowned doctors and they all said the same thing. All except one.

It was a young doctor, Miyazuki Kenji. He was a world-renowned doctor who was recognised for his unmatched genius mind.

“He appears to have lost his sense of feelings and maybe even emotions as well.”

“Yet another doctor with the same answer, no matter I will find…”

“But, he may be able to gain it back.”

“What are you implying?”

“From what I heard from you, it is very possible that the incident had caused him to feel various emotions all at once and to have it be betrayed as well as the continuous beating that might have caused it. He could still have some emotions left inside of him that we do not know of.”

“He is my child, no matter what happens to him, I will not let him remain this way. Please…please help him.”

Seeing my Father slowly looking down and begging the doctor, I voiced out after the long conversation.

“Father, that’s…embarrassing…”

“Heh, see? You will never know what is going on with him.”

“I…I trust you. What should I do?”

“For the time being, try to stimulate all the emotions that is possible with him and see if he could feel any of it and maybe come for regular check-ups.”

“Th—Ring!!!”

It was then that there was a sound that rang throughout the hallway we were in. It was Father’s phone.

“Sorry, let me take this for a moment.”

As Father began to move aside for his phone call. Miyazuki-Sensei crouched down and talked to me.

“Hey there. Would you like a candy?”

“Sure…”

“What a monotonous voice ahaha. How about this, if you want the candy, you have to give me a bright smile!”

“A smile? I will try”

As soon as I said that I would try, I began to make my mouth curve to smile and I realised.

“Sensei…how does a smile look like?”

“! ...I see. It’s like this see?”

He showed me a bright smile as he smiled at me.

Seeing how he was smiling, I used my hands and pulled my mouth upwards to make somewhat of a smile.

“Well, that’s for starters I guess. Good job!”

He passed me the candy as promised and I received it and thought nothing of it.

“W-what did you say...?”

“Euphino is…Euphino…”

I turned to look at my Father who was utterly shocked and devastated

“What do you mean Euphino won’t answer you and open the door!”

“I’m heading there right now!”

As he hangs up the phone, he picked up his belongings and grabbed my hand.

“I’m sorry Kenji-Sensei, you would have to excuse us for today.”

“No worries, it seemed urgent. See you again Yuusuke-Kun”

He waved us goodbye as my Father dragged me away and into his car.

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Minutes later, we arrived at yet another building which also resembled a hospital. The name plate had said

“Matsuzawa Mental Hospital”

My Father was seemingly in a hurry as he dragged me in with him. We arrived at the reception counter.

“Take care of the boy here. Lead me to where she is. Wait for me Euphino.”

As I saw my Father running towards the inner area of the hospital, I was thinking to myself. What emotions would Father had been feeling now? I told father I felt embarrassed and that was true at that moment. Maybe what the various doctors say about me not having emotions was a lie?

Feeling a little curious, I decided to follow my father to my mother and tell her all that has happened. I knew Mother was in here as Father said her name a lot.

I waited for the chance and slipped away from the receptionist and began dashing and chasing after my father. As I ran, I heard loud shouting and banging and decided to venture towards that instead.

“Euphino! Euphino! Can you hear me? It’s me! Your Husband Kuzano!”

The source of the shouting that I discovered was my Father. He was surrounded by a group of people who appeared to be the staff of this said hospital. Father was desperately banging on the door and everyone was looking at him.

I decided to sneakily creep up towards what was transpiring. And as I reached near Father and behind the group of staff.

“That’s it! I’m breaking this god damn door!”

“Baam!”

In multiple shoulder thrust, Father had knocked open the door, feeling excited and a little delighted to see Mother, I rushed forward before Father did.

“Mother!!!”

“Yuusuke what are you doing here!”

The scene that I saw when I went through the door. It was utter hell on earth. Shrivelled pillowcases, a messy room, broken vases, flipped tables and chairs, feathers of pillow everywhere, and my mother…

“Mother--….M—Mother?”

My Mother was at the dead centre of the room, she was looking down and looked really pale.

“Mother?”

I then realised, Mother was standing…

A rope hanged from the ceiling pipe and at the noose of it was mother’s neck.

“Eu…Euphi…Euphino…”

“NOOOOO!!!!!!”

My father rushed forward towards my mother and began to hug her. Various screams of fear and terror by the staff accompanied Father.

“M..Mother?”

“EUPHI!!!!!!!!”

At that moment, I felt nothing, and then a memory shot through my brain. The memories of mother beating me half to death with a golf club, the memories of the loving mother that played with me, and the gruesome sight of the mother in front of me.

I, Kanjouu Yuusuke, at that point, fainted.

March 27th 2008, Kanjouu Euphino had passed away. Cause of death, Suffocation from suicide.

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I woke up in yet another hospital room. This time, I felt, really empty, as if nothing in the world mattered to me. And then, I recalled the memories of the incident. I screamed.

Doctors and nurses came into the room and injected a syringe into me to calm me down. And then I fell asleep yet again.

This time when I woke up, I felt someone’s hands on me. It was Tsubasa.

“Tsubasa Nee?”

“Yuusuke…You are awake…”

I saw my sister’s face as she began to lift her head up and spoke to me. Those were the eyes of someone who had cried endlessly just recently, those were the face of someone trying to be strong when they themselves are the weakest right now.

“Nee-chan… Where is Mother?”

My sister began to uncontrollably sob and hugged me.

“Mother is…Mother is with Big bro Kyousuke now…”

“You don’t have to worry about a thing Yuusuke, I will be here for you.”

I finally realised what my sister meant only a few months later.

“So how are you feeling? Yuusuke-kun.”

“hahh… nothing in particular.

“Ahaha I see.”

“Maybe a little embarrassed by the way you are examining me naked.”

“I see. At least you still have your feeling of embarrassment.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Who knows? Only time will tell.”

Miyazuki was examining me a few months after I was discharged from the hospital.

“We have been through various tests now, although it still seems like the only emotion you retained was embarrassment.”

“Hahh… I’m not sure what you mean by only retained emotion.”

“In the first place, Isn’t this normal for everyone?”

“Ahaha, not quite. But don’t worry you will regain it one day, I believe it.

“Do you really think so?”

“I do. You will meet various people and have various encounters and one day, you will be able to express your emotions again.

After the examination, I went out of the examination room, only to have Alfred, our butler, pick me up.

“It’s time to head home, Yuusuke-Sama.”

Ever since the day my mother died. Father had been very distant from us. He seemed more colder and stricter. He had often reprimand Tsubasa and me for the tiniest things.

Our household was still as big as ever although there were only 3 people living in the various rooms. The Butlers and maids were living in a different quarter from us.

One day, I decided to ask Father what he had wanted for lunch so I could tell the head chef. As soon as I entered the study Father was in.

“Father, what would you like for lunch today?”

Father appeared to be taken aback when he saw me there.

“Eu…”

“Eu?”

“It’s nothing, nevermind.”

These occurrences happened time after time and I could see that Father didn’t like to see me. Perhaps looking at me had triggered the memories of the incident and made father remembered about my Mother.

Ever since that day, I began to distance myself away from Father as well as Sister as I believed that I would just kill the mood whenever I’m around. It was 5 years later that I decided to speak to Father once more.

I was about to start middle school soon and my sister was halfway into her Collage school.

“Father, I want to speak to you about something.”

“…What is it?”

“I…I want to move out.”

“…I see.”

“I believe you would find that okay as well.”

“I will give you the necessary money and allowance to live alone.”

“That is fine. I will move out as soon as I find a place. Don’t worry, I know how to take care of myself. I have seen the chefs at work and the maids cleaning. I know how to handle all the chores already.”

“I see…”

“If that is all, I will be leaving.”

“…Sorry for this Yuusuke…”

And that was how I began to live alone in a 4-room apartment by myself, doing all the cleaning and housework alone too and sometimes getting the occasional visits from my sister.

3 years passed by in a flash and I’m currently in high-school.

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“Alfred…”

“I have brought news for you from Kuzano-Sama.”

“From Father?”

“Yes, he wishes to speak to you after a long time.

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