Misako slumped over the living room table, asleep mid-task. Exhaustion had finally claimed her. Her soft, rounded figure was faintly illuminated by the pale light of her unfinished work. She had given everything today: as a mother, a wife, a teacher. Always pouring, never refilling. She gives until there’s nothing left. And then there was Majime. Her earnest, quiet son. The one who watched her break piece by piece.
For months, Majime has lived in torment. His hand moves not with malice, but with something far more complicated. Until his aunt Rika whispered a secret. Misako isn’t his real mother. Her suffering is a chain he must break. The moment Majime hears it, the chains around Majime’s heart didn’t just loosen. They snapped.