Part 4 — The Name That Was Missing
The faint echo of the lock upstairs still lingered in the house.
Kaito spoke without lifting his head.
"…Is it true?"
Akari turned slightly, her eyes calm but serious.
"What is?"
"That Haruto," Kaito said, voice steady but tight, "always comes on top."
Ayame frowned immediately.
"What are you talking about?"
Kaito looked at her.
"Daigo-sensei said it. His evaluations. His results."
Ayame shook her head.
"No. That doesn't make sense. Arashi was always first. Every result day, every meeting—his name was always at the top."
Kaito's eyes flicked to Akari.
"…Then is it true? Haruto really was on top?"
Akari's gaze softened, her voice patient but firm.
"Yes. He was. But there's a reason no one ever saw it."
Ayame blinked. "What do you mean? His name was never there. Not once."
"Haruto feared failing," Akari explained carefully.
"He would write only what he thought he could pass at first. But then, looking at his own paper, he worried it wouldn't be enough. So he kept writing, thinking, calculating… until he had completed the whole question paper and earned more marks than anyone else.
"That's why he knew so much even if he didn't study at home. He concentrated fully in class, absorbing everything, so when exams came, he could turn that fear into results."
Kaito's jaw tightened. "So it is true."
Renjiro added, calm but firm,
"Haruto never wanted to be first for attention. He did it for himself—and for those he cared about."
Ayame froze. "Then why didn't I know?"
Akari looked toward the stairs, voice soft.
"Because knowing would have hurt him even more. Some things are better carried alone."
Ayame slowly sat back down, confusion weighing heavy in her chest.
Arashi.
Haruto.
The rankings she thought she understood—
None of them were what they seemed.
Upstairs, behind a locked door, Haruto sat alone—
having erased himself so well that even the people closest to him were only now starting to notice the gap.
The plates had been cleared.
Only the silence remained.
Haruto's footsteps were no longer audible upstairs, but the weight of his presence still lingered in the house.
Renjiro rose from his chair.
"Akari, we need to go out for a bit."
Akari looked up and nodded.
"Alright."
Renjiro lowered his voice slightly, speaking only to her.
"We'll take Kaito with us."
Akari understood immediately. "Okay."
Kaito noticed the exchange.
"Why am I coming?"
Renjiro answered evenly.
"Because it's better this way."
Kaito frowned. "Better how?"
Akari stepped in before it could turn sharp.
"It'll keep things from getting worse between you and Haruto. You both need space."
Kaito hesitated, then looked away.
"…Fine."
Renjiro continued, casual on the surface.
"We'll also pick up a few things while we're out."
Ayame glanced toward the stairs.
"So Haruto stays here?"
"Yes," Renjiro said. "You stay with him."
Ayame nodded slowly.
"Okay."
Kaito sighed, standing up.
"So I'm being taken out to avoid another fight."
Akari gave a small, tired smile.
"That's one way to put it."
Renjiro headed toward the door.
"Let's go."
The door closed behind them, soft but final.
Ayame remained in the quiet house, eyes drifting back to the stairs.
Upstairs, Haruto was alone—
and for the first time that day, the silence felt intentional.