The Heart of Zero

The figure in Riyugi's blurry vision slowly became clearer. As the door opened, the tension and anticipation she had been holding onto collapsed in an instant. Standing at the doorway wasn't Shingin—it was his mother, Jade.

Riyugi's heart sank rapidly, the hope she had carried tearing like a fragile thread. Jade furrowed her brows slightly, her voice filled with concern. "Riyugi? Why are you here? It's so late! Your face is so red—are you alright?"

Riyugi inhaled deeply, trying to stabilize herself. Her breaths were still erratic, tumbling out of her chest in short, uneven bursts. She barely managed to prop herself up, her face still painted with the unresolved anxiety of her long run. "Ah… Auntie, is Shingin home? I… need to talk to him about something urgent." Her voice faltered, each word seemingly costing her all the strength she had left.

Jade's expression briefly flashed with unease before she shook her head. "Shingin? He went on a school camping trip. Didn't you know?" Her tone carried a slight trace of reproach. "And look at you! Running all this way at night, completely worn out. A girl wandering around like this—it's too dangerous! I'll call your parents to come and pick you up."

Riyugi felt like the world was spinning around her. Shingin wasn't here? A camping trip? The information jumbled in her mind as her legs began to give way, the world beneath her feet tilting precariously. She almost collapsed, but Jade quickly reached out and steadied her. Her voice grew more alarmed, tinged with worry. "Oh no, you can't even stand properly! Come inside and rest for a bit."

Riyugi lacked the strength to resist and allowed herself to be guided into Shingin's room. She collapsed onto his bed, the cool evening breeze seeping through the slightly swaying curtains, offering a small reprieve. Her mind remained in disarray, her breathing slowly stabilizing, but her heart still pounded wildly in her chest.

The room was imbued with Shingin's presence. The faint scent of fresh grass lingered in the air, a fragrance Riyugi recognized as uniquely his. The room was simple yet radiated personality—messy books, a basic desk, and a bed haphazardly made. Everything seemed so ordinary, yet each detail brought her warmth and familiarity. Riyugi's gaze softened as her initial panic began to morph into a more complex emotion—one she couldn't quite name. She had rushed here, desperate, as if seeking to understand more of the world Shingin inhabited.

Jade left the room to fetch some water and a warm towel. Left alone, Riyugi sat quietly, the room silent except for the faint sound of wind brushing against the curtains. She lay there for a while, her emotions gradually settling, though the unanswered questions in her heart remained. Why did Jade and Shingin lie about his camping trip? Why had he vanished without a word?

Her eyes wandered across the room until they landed on a framed photograph on the desk. Riyugi sat up, her curiosity piqued, and walked over to examine it more closely. As her fingers brushed over the glass of the frame, her heart skipped a beat—the photo showed a younger Shingin standing amidst a group of children. They were all smiling brightly, with Shingin's rare, carefree grin particularly standing out.

Her heart raced. Who were these people? What was their relationship with Shingin? The questions pricked at her, sharp and persistent, leaving an ache deep in her chest. The urgency and exhaustion from her frantic run earlier faded into the background, replaced by a bittersweet sensation she couldn't quite articulate. Staring at the photograph, Riyugi felt like she had stumbled upon a fragment of Shingin's past, one that seemed both familiar and distant.

In the picture, Shingin appeared much younger, his smile radiant as he stood among eight children in total. The group stood in front of a dilapidated warehouse, their closeness radiating a sense of camaraderie and shared history. Riyugi gently traced the outline of the warehouse in the photo, as if trying to extract more clues from the image.

Just then, Jade returned with water and a towel. When she saw the frame in Riyugi's hands, her expression shifted, her features growing somber. "What are you looking at?" she asked, her voice lower now, carrying a hint of tension.

Riyugi snapped out of her reverie and hurriedly set the photo back on the desk. She hesitated before asking cautiously, "Auntie, who are the people in this photo?"

Jade fell silent, her gaze lingering on the photograph as if lost in thought. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice tinged with a heaviness that Riyugi could not ignore. "They're Shingin's childhood friends… They grew up together. But many things…" Her words trailed off, the sentence left unfinished, hanging in the air like an unspeakable truth.

A pang of unease shot through Riyugi's chest. She couldn't explain why, but she felt as though this photograph held a profound significance, a key to understanding the changes in Shingin's life.

Jade sighed deeply, her voice thick with a sorrow that was impossible to mask. "Some of them… are no longer here." Her eyes reflected a pain too deep to put into words. "Shingin has been different ever since. You're his friend, Riyugi—I hope you can understand him."

Riyugi's heart sank, weighed down by an indescribable grief. Though Jade had said little, Riyugi felt the enormity of what lay beneath her words. Shingin's radiant smile in the photo was now but a shadow, a fleeting trace of a joy long gone.

She nodded slowly, her emotions swirling—a mixture of sadness, compassion, and an even stronger resolve to understand Shingin better. Though the door to his heart seemed tightly shut, Riyugi was determined to find a way to reach him. Perhaps this was why he had hidden the truth about his withdrawal from school, why he had chosen to leave without a word.

Her hands clenched into fists as she made a silent vow. No matter what it took, she would find Shingin and uncover the truth about the pain he carried in silence.