***

Upon asking back, he suddenly had a lot of things rushing past his brain, but everything got cleansed before he recognized a bit of it. They left a big hole behind. At the bottom of the hole, snow was falling. Big heavy snowflakes were dancing and landing on the middle garden.

He should be standing still in the middle garden. After being scolded by grandma, he was forced out into the middle garden. And then--

" Why am I here now?"
The moment he asked the adults around him, a heavy lid shut itself within him. Everything related to the beast side of him was all together sealed tightly with his lost horn.

" What do you mean?"
The woman shook his shoulders.
" Do you remember? You have been missing for a year! Your mother and your father are worrying to death!"

" About me?"
But, you know, I was at the middle garden just a moment ago. He was to extend his arm to point to the garden, but the arm was brushed by his hair that became overgrown all of a sudden. He touched his hair astounded.

An old man by his side dabbed his eyes to choke back his tears.
" That must be your grandma calling you back, so that she could see your face for the last time."
The old man turned back to everyone around him.
" Well, why not we let the family spend some time alone? They must give a proper farewell before the hearse is to leave."

Oh sure, the agreeing voices urged, and he was taken by his still crying mother back to his home.

To his own self that belongs to this world, time starts running again from this point. At the his other self that even he didn’t remember -- his own self as Taiki.

***

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