Free Web NovelChapter 132: When Tragedy Strikes
"So, how was school?" Seiji asked out of nowhere, right when they reached the highway. Mizuki stole a glance at the backseat before rolling down the windows. The breeze swept her curly hair as the scent of the sea rolled inside the car.
In response, Hajime shrugged before giving a bland answer to his parents. Although the family was usually separated for months at a time due to work, they had a strong bond, and it was never lost, even when they weren’t beside each other. Hajime’s answer gave off the feeling of indifference, but for what’s it worth? He just didn’t want his parents to worry about his school life. Besides, he was doing rather well in school, so there weren’t any problems with that.
"We’re going to have a parent-teacher meeting this week." Akiko brought up out of nowhere while guiltily twirling her hair. His brother had already warned him that morning not to mention anything about it, but she just had to.
Giving her a cold look, Hajime gestured that she shut her mouth before their parents felt even more guilt. "I’m going to let big brother attend the meeting." Akiko continued, mouthing the word ’what’ as she stared at his older brother before smiling in an endearing manner.
"Is that so? I see. Please take care of that for me, big brother," Seiji looked out the rearview, smiling at Hajime.
"You want me to miss a day of school?" Hajime hissed at his sister, ruffling his hair. He was well aware that it took her sister a significant amount of time to brush down her hair; that’s why he got back at her by messing it.
"Big brother!" Akiko pouted as she desperately combed her hair.
With a smile on her face, Mizuki let out a satisfied exhale while leaning her head out the window. "We’re almost at the sea. Haah~ it’s been so long since I’ve been there. I wonder if it still looked the same as before."
"It probably looks the same. The sea doesn’t change in appearance that fast, you know." Seiji muttered.
From afar, the sound of the crashing waves could be heard. The nostalgic fragrance of the sea was stronger now, and the entire family looked forward to driving to the side and sinking their feet in the sand.
It wasn’t every day that the Sasajima family got to have a vacation such as this one. Having one parent present is already rare enough, but having both of them with their children is even more so. Because of their line of work, they could only gather as a whole family once in a blue moon.
And today was one of those days, and that’s why all of them eagerly anticipated the beach trip.
Seiji even made a mental note to himself, constantly reminding himself to make the trip as memorable for their kids as possible. Because after this, they’d have to continue their work in the field, and they won’t be home for another couple of months.
From time to time, the husband and wife considered retiring from their dangerous line of work, but they couldn’t. There were just too many wrongs in the world that they couldn’t possibly ignore. They have the skillsets and the resources to put an end to these ’wrongs’; that’s why they couldn’t just retire willy-nilly. Lives were at stake, and they belonged to the select few who could hinder it or possibly stop it altogether.
But because of that, their time with their family had been sacrificed, and they regretted watching their children grow with only their minimal involvement in the picture. Hence, they’ve decided to quit. After their last mission, they were going to quit and get a job at a much safer workplace. The pay would be incomparable to what they have now, but they’ve saved up enough money to kick back and relax.
Mizuki and Seiji’s expressions lightened while looking at their children. Even though their presence wasn’t with them most of the time, they turned out well-behaved and respectful. There were no problems with them at school whatsoever, and it gave them, as parents, a fulfilled sense of pride. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
FLASH!
For a brief moment, bright lights filled the entire interior of the car, causing Seiji to flinch behind the wheel. He didn’t panic, however, since he was used to surprises, especially when he was in the field. In that instant, he knew that a truck had counter flowed, and he swerved the other way in order to avoid it.
It didn’t even occur to him that everything was planned right from the start. Since they were in the middle of the highway and it was a bright morning, he let his guard down and thought that the truck driver had just lost control of the brakes.
But the moment the Sasajima’s car swerved to the left, the truck also swerved that way, as if intending to ram the car in the first place. Seiji stole a glance towards the rearview mirror as everything went by in slow motion. He hit the brakes, but it didn’t matter since the truck was going straight at them at full speed.
The truck came to a full stop as soon as it connected with the car. As for the car, its rear came up after it halted in an instant. It tumbled over while its windows broke from the impact.
At the same time, the skies had darkened. What was once a bright morning turned into a cloudy day as the atmosphere got heavier. A drizzle came down, and then a downpour soon followed. It’s as if the skies were told to cry at the accident, glancing downward at the deaths of two parents and the poor children who were left behind to fend for themselves.
Hajime’s consciousness dwindled as he looked out. All of them were upside down, and he noticed the crimson blood flowing with the pouring rain. Right outside, the truck could be seen right in front of their car. One of its tires started rolling down the highway, and somehow, Hajime thought of the sudden transition of their lives as a family.
Just as the tire rolled down from sight, so did Hajime’s life rolled down, like curtains drawn in a play after the tragedy had struck. He turned to the side and saw his younger sister unconscious, dangling from her seatbelt while her head bled profusely.
At that moment, Hajime realized that their parents were in a worse condition than they were. After all, he and his younger sister were in the backseat, and the front seat took the full brunt of the impact. He didn’t want to look... but he had to... he knew that this might very well be the last time he’ll see his parents.
A part of him wished for a second chance. He had prayed that his parents wouldn’t die... but he knew otherwise. Mustering his courage, with blood and tears running down his face, he looked forward.
His mom was slumped forward, flinching, but she forced a smile on her face, just like his dad did. Both of them looked back and smiled at Hajime.
For a second, Hajime forgot the accident. He forgot his parents’ injuries, not to mention their bloody state. For a second, he saw his parents as they would normally look.
They were saying something, almost inaudible. Hajime had to lean in so he could hear what it was.
"You’ll be all right, son. You’ll be all right." His parents muttered as they reached out their bloody hands to wipe the tears streaming down his face.
