Chapter 155 Alessandra’s Past (2)
Chapter 155 Alessandra's Past (2)
“It’s strange—some things I remember clearly, while others are hazy, like I didn’t pay attention to them at the time… maybe that was the root of everything...”
One day, Alessandra was at home doing homework.
“This is bull crap… I don’t get any of this,” she muttered, rubbing her head.
Just then, Kei entered her room.
“Look, Onee-chan! I made this at school together with Kota-kun!”
He held up a small, rough figurine of a man dressed in black, frozen in a fighting pose.
“Is that Parkour Man?” Alessandra asked, taking the figurine in her hand.
“No! It’s Survival Boy. See? His clothes are black. Kota has one too.”
Alessandra chuckled and flopped onto her bed.
“Hahaha, it doesn’t look like a boy. It looks like a weird wrestler.”
Kei puffed up his cheeks angrily and jumped onto the bed.
“Finishing move!”
He lunged at Alessandra.
“Ahhh!” she screamed as he counted,
“1… 2… 3… You’re out!”
Both of them burst out laughing.
Their life was good.
Eventually, the Survival Boy anime ended. The program concluded on a cliffhanger, with the boy facing a massive bear as the screen faded to black, leaving a small sense of emptiness behind. Still, they stayed close—continuing to gather with Iryoku and Kota, playing together after school like always.
They often went to each other’s houses, growing familiar with one another’s parents. One afternoon, Alessandra came over to Iryoku’s place. Downstairs, she greeted Sachiko, Iryoku and Kota’s mother.
“He’s in his room, sweetie,” Sachiko said with a warm smile, happy that such a cute girl had come looking for her son.
Alessandra headed upstairs and knocked on the door.
“What’s up, Iryoku?” she called out.
Iryoku jumped in place, startled.
“E—Ale Onee-chan! H-hi! Come in!”
Alessandra immediately noticed he was sweating. She’d seen him like that plenty of times before—and she knew exactly why. Kota had already told her.
“You know, Ale Onee-chan,” Kota said proudly, “my onii-chan is always exercising in secret. Push-ups, sit-ups—like he’s training to become a powerful warrior. But when I walk in, he pretends he’s not doing anything. I wonder why? Maybe he’s planning to surprise us with super strength… or some secret technique!”
Alessandra laughed softly. “Alright then,” she said, holding up a controller toward Iryoku. “Let’s play some games. I brought my own.”
And just like that, they sat down and started playing together.
A year passed.
Alessandra turned thirteen and moved into her second year of middle school. Kei and Kota advanced a grade as well. They turned seven right at the start of elementary school, making them the oldest kids in their class. Luckily, they even ended up together—and they were over the moon about it.
Everything seemed peaceful in their lives. It was their happiest time… until one day.
After school, Alessandra decided to hit a few balls with the baseball team. She went sometimes—not because she wanted to join, but just for fun.
After that, she headed to the park where she usually met Kei, Kota, and Iryoku. Their elementary school was nearby, so Kei, Kota, and Iryoku usually arrived first, with Alessandra coming later.
But this time, when Alessandra arrived, she saw Iryoku pacing around the park, like he was searching for something.
“Yo, Iryoku. Where are the boys?” she asked.
“I can’t find them,” he replied, worry creeping into his voice. “I arrived a little late because I had cleaning duty.”
Alessandra raised her voice. “Kota! Kei!”
No response.
They searched the park, then the restrooms. After circling the area again and again, panic began to set in.
They decided to check their homes.
When Alessandra got back, her mother was in the kitchen, cooking.
“Hi, tesoro. I thought you’d be out playing longer,” she said, then paused. “Where’s little Kei?”
Alessandra frowned.
“He’s not here?”
Something sank deep into her chest. Her heart tightened.
She rushed to Kei’s room—empty.
She ran back outside and sprinted to Iryoku’s house, breath hitching as she knocked hard on the door. Iryoku opened it, his mother right behind him.
“Please… tell me Kei is here,” Alessandra gasped.
He wasn’t.
Terror set in.
They ran through the neighborhood, then back to the school grounds, calling their names until their throats hurt.
“Nothing…” Alessandra whispered. “Where are you, Kei… Kota…”
Her chest ached as fear took hold. They kept searching, running in wider and wider circles through the streets. Two hours passed like that.
Eventually, they returned to Iryoku’s home.
A police car was parked outside. Iryoku’s parents were there—so were hers.
“Mom! Dad! Did they come back?” Alessandra asked desperately.
They shook their heads. The worry on their faces was unmistakable. Her mother looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“Maybe they were trying to imitate that show you mentioned,” the detective said. “Don’t worry—we’ll find them.”
But Alessandra only felt worse. She knew her brother and Kota weren’t the type to wander far—especially not without waiting for her and Iryoku.
That night, Alessandra, Iryoku, and their parents searched frantically through the neighborhood. Even some neighbors joined in, calling out the boys’ names as they combed the streets.
They found nothing.
The next day, the police came again. Still no results.
Soon, their pictures appeared on the news.
"Two boys missing. Possible case of imitation inspired by an anime show."
The story drew attention for a few days…
then slowly faded away.
The families continued their search, but nothing turned up.
Alessandra felt like her heart was dying.
She was sitting in Iryoku’s house, and he held her tightly as she cried. His voice trembled as he whispered,
“We will find them.”
Alessandra often wondered what difference it might have made if she had arrived earlier—if she hadn’t stayed at school. But life had been forced to continue. They kept searching, moving forward while carrying an aching emptiness inside them. Days turned into weeks, then weeks into months. Before she realized it, the year was coming to an end, and something vital was missing from all of them.
Then, at last, there was some development in the case of the missing boys—
Alessandra and Iryoku were told to stay out of the room while the adults spoke with the detective. They tried to obey… but couldn’t. Quietly, they moved closer and sneaked toward the window, straining to hear the news. Both of them felt their hearts ache with every word.
Remains had been discovered in a hut at the edge of the city, near the river.
They weren’t the boys.
The body belonged to a missing girl from another city—someone who had disappeared long ago.
While examining the hut, the detective had found something else.
A small piece of clay—a crude figurine, unmistakably shaped by a child’s hands.
A chill ran through everyone.
Alessandra and Iryoku burst into the room.
Alessandra broke down.
“Waaah—where are they?!” she screamed. “No! They’re alive! They have to be alive!” She thrashed wildly as her father Gosei and Iryoku’s father, Isamu, tried to hold her back.
“Calm down, Ale!”
Iryoku stayed behind her, his head hanging low, shoulders shaking as he sobbed.
Alessandra cried uncontrollably—and soon the adults did too, even as they tried to console her and Iryoku. They were all crushed by fear and uncertainty, haunted by the same question:
What fate awaited the two boys?
At last, Alessandra lost all her strength and collapsed, completely spent.
She stayed home, crying constantly, clutching Kei’s figurine. She stopped going to school. She didn’t want anything at all.
One day, someone quietly entered her room.
It was Iryoku. His face was full of worry.
Alessandra lay on the bed, turned away from him, showing only her back. She didn’t want to be seen like this.
But Iryoku stepped closer and gently comforted her.
“Ale, onee-chan… everything will be okay. They’re alive. They will return,” he said, his voice tender but firm.
“That’s why you need to be strong. You need to go back to school.”
“It’s my fault,” Alessandra whispered. “If I hadn’t been late, they would be okay.”
“No,” Iryoku said firmly. “It’s not your fault. I thought the same thing—I wasn’t there either.”
He held her.
As they embraced, Alessandra felt her heart calm in Iryoku’s arms. She felt safe—but then something clicked.
He was younger, smaller than her, yet he was the one comforting her. As she wrapped her arms around him, she realized how easily she could shield him.
She had forgotten he was still a little boy—someone she was supposed to protect.
Later that night, Alessandra made a decision.
Iryoku’s words echoed in her mind:
You need to be strong.
The next day, she decided to attend school. She walked in with her head held high, trying to project strength—even if she didn’t truly feel it.
People treated her kindly, offering soft words and forced smiles.
“Everything will be okay,” they reassured her.
But something happened during lunch.
While she was in the girls’ restroom, Alessandra overheard a group of girls talking.
“That red-haired gorilla came back,” one of them sneered. “She should’ve stayed home.”
“She ruins everything. She takes all the boys’ attention,” another added.
“Stupid bitch.”
Alessandra flinched. This was new to her. She knew not everyone liked her—but no one had ever gone this far. No one had ever messed with her directly. Her size alone usually kept people quiet.
She didn’t really care.
But then she heard that voice.
Kana’s.
Alessandra recognized it immediately—one of the prettiest girls in school.
“That stupid brother of hers supposedly got kidnapped or something,” Kana laughed. “He probably just ran away from that insufferable gorilla bitch.”
She snorted. “Honestly, he’s probably just as annoying as her. Who knows—maybe someone did society a favor and got rid of him.”
She giggled. “I just hope they come for her too. Hahaha.”
The restroom door slammed open.
Both girls flinched as Alessandra stepped out, towering over them—her glare burning, eyes filled with rage.
“A—ah… eeh—”
They trembled. One of the girls panicked and bolted for the exit, shoving the door open and fleeing. Kana tried to follow—
—but Alessandra’s hand shot out and seized her wrist.
“Now repeat what you just said,” Alessandra demanded, her voice low and furious.
Kana shook violently. “I—it was just a joke… I didn’t mean it,” she stammered. “I’m sorry!”
She struggled harder. “Let me go! I’ll tell the teacher!” she screamed.
She flailed wildly, her hand striking Alessandra’s cheek.
“Ah—”
Alessandra didn’t react.
She just stared at her—cold, unmoving.
And she didn’t let go.
A dull thud echoed through the restroom as Kana collapsed to the floor, gasping.
“Uh… uh…” she sobbed, curling in on herself.
Alessandra struck her in the stomach.
Kana gagged, clutching herself. Alessandra stared down at her—and then hit her again.
“Ahh—rggh—!”
This time Kana retched, vomiting onto the floor. Alessandra turned away without another word and walked out, leaving her there.
Alessandra’s breathing was hard and heavy. As she flexed the hand that had struck Kana, she felt something strange—release.
It felt good. Euphoric. Like control.
She returned home feeling refreshed.
Once there, as she was changing, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
It was Iryoku. He froze the moment he saw her.
“Oh—sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Alessandra said calmly. “Stay.”
She finished changing into her sporty outfit.
“You… went to school?” Iryoku asked.
“Yes,” she replied firmly. “You were right. I can’t keep acting like a crybaby. I’m done.”
She stepped toward him, looking down at his small frame.
His hand suddenly rose, gently rubbing her cheek.
“You got hurt? What happened?”
She felt the concern in his touch and shook her head, suddenly very happy. “Nothing.”
Then she pulled him into a hug, smiling softly, already feeling better with him in her arms.
The closeness reminded her of her little brother.