"That's not true. It just isn't! I can't! I can't control that!" Ishihara shouted in his head. As he was panicking in his head, Ren comes over and shakes him. "Ishihara listen to me!" Ren yelled, shaking him vigorously. "I'm listening!" Ishihara answered quickly. Ishihara had sweat pellets forming on his head and was breathing heavily. "Whatever you're thinking about, forget it now." Ren demanded, putting both his hands on his shoulder. "Got it." Ishihara answered. Even though he said that, he lied. Those thoughts stuck with him and all he could do is smile. "All I gotta do is smile. If it works for her, then it could work for me." Ishihara said in his head. He starts to do a pretend smile, somehow this tricks Ren. "See what happens when you push those thoughts away." Ren said, patting him on the back. "You're right, it feels great when you push away those bad thoughts." Ishihara commented. Before they could walk away, Ishihara was stopped by a thought. "Aren't you coming?" Ren asked. "Wait, don't we have to still be in school?" Ishihara questioned. Ishihara was confused, but Ren answered him with a smile. "If you still want to go to class, go, but I asked and you could go home." Ren answered. Ishihara thinks about what to do, he then imagines the gossip about him. He then shakes his head and answers. "I'm going to go home. The situation is going to be intoxicating." Ishihara answered.
"Haha, yeah. I think it's best for you to just leave." Ren commented. "Yeah. Can you go get my stuff first? I'll stand outside of the classroom." Ishihara asked. "Sure." Ren answered. They both walk towards the classroom and Ren enters the classroom. Ishihara stands against the wall and Reina's head pops out of the doorway. "Psst!" Reina said. Ishihara looks at her and looks at her in confusion. "What do you want?" Ishihara questioned. Reina gives him a piece of paper. "Call me." Reina whispered, going back into the classroom immediately. Ishihara looks at the piece of paper and stuffs it into his pocket. Ren comes out and drops the bag into Ishihara's hands. "Ready to go now?" Ren asked, stretching out his arms. Ishihara gives a thumbs up and he begins to leave. Ren goes back into the classroom and Ishihara looks back. He takes out the paper and looks at it, then the classroom. He puts the papers back into his pocket and walks away. He walks out of the school and looks back to the building. "Karma really is a bitch." Ishihara said, looking up. He sees Reina watching him from the window. Yumi, Saya, and Haruko were talking, and Reina was waving to him. Ishihara waves back and smiles and then walks away. "Just like when you were younger." Reina mumbled. "What was that?" Saya asked. "You ok?" Yumi added. "Just talking to myself." Reina exclaimed, waving her hands frantically. "Chill out, we're just asking." Haruko said. "Yeah we are!" Yumi added.
While they were talking, Ren was overhearing them. He looks at her with glaring eyes. She looks at him with determined eyes and he looks back with daggers. "You really got to stop getting in my business." The two said in their head. While those two were having their personal conflict with each other, Ishihara was now walking home. He passed shops and buildings and saw a familiar sight, a bridge. He stares at it for a while and then walks on it. "It's been a while." Ishihara said, going to the edge and seeing the river. The calm flowing stream of water, the brisk air, and the scent of grass provided a calming atmosphere. He looks down and sees something shining in the river and goes to check it out. "What is that?" Ishihara said, walking carefully down the hill. He goes to the shining object and picks it up. "A necklace?" Ishihara questioned, holding it in his hands carefully. The chain on the necklace was gold and in the pendant was a blue colored gem. "Who could've lost this?" Ishihara questioned. Right when he begins to look at it for one final time, his phone in his bag starts ringing. He picks it up and it's Mari who was calling him. "Hey Mari." Ishihara said. "Big brother, where are you? I got a call from school that you left." Mari asked. "I'm just taking a scroll right now, I'm coming home right now." Ishihara answered, putting the necklace in his bag. He begins to walk home and looks to the sky. "You can do it." Ishihara said.
He passed a few shops and kids. Two of them were Chihiro and Ikue. Ishihara was confused, weren't those two with Haruko? Ishihara was gonna pass by them without being seen, but Chihiro was spinning and was about to go into traffic. Ikue tried to run for him, but was pushed back by Ishihara. "Come over here!" Ishihara shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling him back before he got hurt. They both fall to the ground and Ikue goes to check on them. "Are you both ok?" Ikue questioned. "Yeah, are you Mr. Ishihara?" Chihiro asked. "Yeah. What are you two doing here, I thought you were with Haruko?" Ishihara questioned, getting up and helping Chihiro up as well. "Well we were told to go back home, but he insisted we play and, well you saw what happened." Ikue answered. Ishihara puts his hand on his face in exhaustion. "And I thought my sister was childish." Ishihara mumbled. Right at that moment, Mari sneezes while she's reading a book. "Is someone talking about me?" Mari questioned with confusion. "Mr. Ishihara, may I ask, are you ok after… that." Ikue asked awkwardly. "Can we not talk about that anymore? I really don't like… talking about past problems." Ishihara answered with a forced smile. He squeezed his arm and was seen doing it by Ikue. Even though she saw, she pretended not to know. "All right, me and my brother are going home." Ikue said, grabbing her brother and beginning to walk away. "No way I'm letting you two walk home alone. Especially after what happened here." Ishihara said in his head. He gets up and walks behind the two.
"Didn't I say we both were going home. Why are you following us?" Ikue asked. "Well after what happened, I'm not letting you two go home alone." Ishihara answered, getting his phone out. "That's fair." Ikue said. "Mr. Ishihara?" Chihiro asked. "Yes Chihiro?" Ishi answered, looking up from his phone. "Do you have siblings?" Chihiro questioned, his head tilting to the side a little. "Yeah I do, a little sister. She should be just a few years older than you two." Ishihara answered with a smile. "So he gets giddy when he talks about his sister." Ikue said in her head, staring at Ishihara. "Now that I think about it, how old are you two?" Ishihara questioned. "Well I'm 12." Ikue answered first. "And I'm 9." Chihiro added. "Huh. You two are really a few years younger than my sister." Ishihara commented. "Then how old is your sister, huh?" Ikue asked. "She's 13, just a few years away from you two." Ishihara answered. Ikue looked at him and decided to not pry in his business any longer. They soon reach the Takemoto household and step on the front porch. Ikue opens the door with her key and taps her brother on the back. "All right I'm going! By Mr. Ishihara!" Chihiro said, running up the stairs. Ishihara waves back and is about to leave, but before he can, Ikue stops him. "Wait a minute!" Ikue shouted. "What is it?" Ishihara questioned, looking back. "You should really stop lying to yourself and others." Ikue answered, shutting the door and not giving any time for Ishihara to question her.
"Hey wait a minute!" Ishihara shouted, slamming on the door. "Sorry, but Ikue is not here right now." Ikue said in a high pitched voice. He hears her walk away from the door, leaving Ishihara in confusion. "How does she know?" Ishihara questioned, walking away from the house. He walks away and Ikue looks at him from the window. "You lie to yourself too much, just like her." Ikue said. Ishihara on the way to his house thought about what happened, another panic attack, finding a necklace, and getting told he lied too much. He was still confused on how Ikue knew that. He walks and walks until he reaches his house. He opens the door and gets greeted by Mari wearing an apron. "What took so long?" Mari demanded with puffed up cheeks. "Sorry, I was walking some kids to their house." Ishihara answered, taking off his shoes. "Come on and eat. The food is about to turn cold." Mari said. "Sorry, but I'm not hungry." Ishihara said with a forced smile. Mari was visibly stunned by this, Ishihara never skipped lunch or any meals. "Can you please leave my food in the fridge? I'll eat it later." Ishihara said, going upstairs. "He never said that before." Mari said in her head. She hears him close the door to his room and she decides to not pry and farther and goes to put his food away for later.
Ishihara in his room drops his bag on the floor and slumps down next to the door and begins to cry. "Why… Why must I be like this? I have to be stronger. For her and me. So why am I like this now?" Ishihara mumbled, tears forming up in his eyes. He stays there for a while, quietly mumbling to himself. All he mumbled to himself was his self doubts, mistakes, questions, and his abilities. When he looks up, he sees a hazy shadow looking towards him with magenta eyes. It stared at him for a while, then it reached out for him. "You… diiid… thisss." The shadow said in a raspy voice. "No I didn't." Ishihara mumbled. "You did this." The shadow said in a clear voice. The shadow is in front of him clear and center, it puts their hand on his cheek and makes him look at them. "You forgot us." The shadow said. "No I didn't." Ishihara said. "Then why can't you remember what we look like?" The shadow questioned. Ishihara stays quiet, the shadow goes up to him closer and he looks away. They bring his face towards them and make him look at their eyes. "Then who am I?" The shadow questioned. "I don't know." Ishihara said. "Who am I?" The shadow questioned loudly. "I don't know." Ishihara answered again. "Who, Am, I?" The shadow demanded even louder than before. "I don't know!" Ishihara shouted in sorrow. He starts to panic and doesn't notice it getting close to his face. He looks up, his face sweating profusely and with tears streaming down his cheeks.
"That's why you'll never be good enough." The shadow said, before disappearing into the darkness of his room. He puts his head down and starts to have a panic attack. "Not my fault." Ishihara said, repeating this with every breath. His breathing became erratic and he could hear his own heartbeat. He stays like this until Mari knocks on the door. "Big brother, are you ok? I heard you shouting." Mari asked, standing in front of his door. Ishihara wipes away his tears and regains his composure. "I'm fine, just saw something." Ishihara said, forcing his voice to sound cheerful. "Can I come in?" Mari questioned. "No, rather you not." Ishihara answered, keeping up the same cheerful voice. "You're lying." Mari said, her voice turning serious. "What are you talking about?" Ishihara said, trying to pretend it didn't bother him. "You never say things like that. You always let me in, no matter what." Mari commented. Ishihara didn't know what to do, he had to stand there, there was nothing to say to her to get her away. "Please, If you're dealing with something. You don't have to do it alone." Mari said, reverting back to her old self. He could hear her sniffling behind the door. "Do you not trust me?" Mari questioned, her eyes tearing up. He opens the door and she sees him. Ishihara's eyes are red, his face covered in sweat, and his jittery hands. "Now you see, why I didn't want you to come in or see me." Ishihara said with a sorrowful smile.