Abandon

It was difficult to fall asleep without her side's comforting presence, but she still attempted it.

The moment she closed her eyes, all she saw was darkness, there was a cry of a small girl left alone in a forest. But it was no ordinary forest; it was a forest with odd rumors surrounding it, to the point that the locals called it the forest of death.

It was a memory from the past. The memory of the day mother left her. She got separated from the people her mother told to send her back home with, and she found herself wandering through that forest.

There wasn't a single sound; it was like she was the only person in the world.

That day she recalled tripping over a pile of bones.

During that moment she finally heard a sound, but it was the sound of beasts- creatures of the night.

The scene in her mind changed again; she woke up in a hospital. Several people were gathering around her bed shouting.

'I can't believe this.'

'There is no way Sumire just left her like that- in a place like that.'

'Yuhi you have to stay calm. Sumire actually-'

'Like hell! She isn't that type of person. She would never harm Lila.'

Despite the pain in her head, those voices were clear. Mother left her alone in that strange village; she got separated and wandered into a forest.

She almost died.

Mother abandoned her.

No, that isn't possible. Her mother, her mother loves her. Her mother will never leave her. It must be a lie; it has to be.

But no matter how many days she waited, her mother never came to see her in the hospital. She was discharged and returned home, but the large house was so empty.

Father seldom spoke to her, and he got very angry when he did.

The scene changed again to the back of their house; a girl stood there covered in blood and a pile of bodies surrounding her. It was the bodies of the servants that bad-mouthed her mother.

'Monster.'

'Monster-'

____

A man with sea-colored blue hair stepped into the room with a large briefcase in his hands. He walked over to the large bed in the center, preparing to scold her when he saw something strange. The girl's entire face was pale and drenched from sweat from head to toe.

She clung to the sheets desperately as she tossed and turned.

A deep sigh passed his lips. 'This girl, I don't see her for a while, and she is reduced to a helpless state like this.'

"Master Soichiro, Miss Lila's condition seems strange. Should I call someone?"

Soichiro shook his head. "Leave this to me; wait outside."

His guard quickly disappeared, and Soichiro turned to the helpless girl on the bed. The noise seemed to have woken her up since she turned to him, but there was still fear in her eyes, and she was trembling badly.

Soichiro cupped her cheeks. "So, what state do you call this, dear?"

"So-Soichiro," Lila mumbled.

"You're so useless. Just because Haruka and Kiryu aren't around, you end up like this. I told you before there are times when those two won't be there for you. You need to face your fears already."

The more he scolded her, the more she trembled. Soichiro lets go of her face and pulled her into his arms. He patted her back several times and held her hand. He didn't say anything.

He is no good with comforting scared girls.

The first time he saw her in this state was on the night she first came to light town with him. After consulting with an expert, he learned that this girl had severe PTSD. Most of her dreams are visions of the most traumatic parts of her life. The main cause was when her mother, Terashima Sumire, left her.

Tsk that dammed woman. If he had enough power to kill her, he would have done it already. Unfortunately, he is not an idiot; that woman is far too frightening to mess with.

It took approximately an hour for Lila to calm down; ,she pushed him away immediately when she did.

"Your still so ungrateful."

"I would have been fine."

"Hah, stubborn." Soichiro walked over to the barred windows and peeked outside. "A group of infected surrounded the chapel. So Austin Kiryu left to handle it. Originally they wanted you to deal with that type of thing, but he stepped up to lighten your workload."

"I know already."

"He is so loving and caring towards you, but you still treat him so coldly."

"Soichiro, Yori-"

Soichiro exhaled deeply. "I don't think that woman can die."

"But Kasumi wouldn't lie."

"It's probably to do with her using so much of her powers in a different space. There is a high chance that she will recover her life force if they bring her body back with them. If they burry, then she really will die."

"I see."

"Don't stress over it; you're already half dead yourself."

"Haruka was working on medication before he left. It seemed like he did work something out since my symptoms are not as bad as before."

"Not bad, huh? What about your psychological problems? Did you tell him about that?"

Lila turned quiet, and he sighed. This woman never changes; she would rather suffer than tell her loved ones what is wrong with her. If he did not accidentally discover it, she would probably keep it from him too.

Tsk, she always gives him such a headache.

"Where is your mother?"

"Um, she said she wanted to go exploring and left the assembly matters to me."

That woman is far too carefree.

"Didn't your eldest brother return? Shouldn't he be assisting you?"

Lila's sweat fell. "It's true he is back, but he has the adventure blood. He does not like sitting in one place for a long time."

Terashima Kyoko and Tsueno Huan are still recuperating. Terashima Yuhi most likely went along with that woman.

What is with the people in the Terashima family? Why do they always leave this girl alone?

It frustrates him, even more, knowing how special the girl treated her family. What makes those people so important that she would risk her health like this?