♫ | SILENCE'S HARMONY; saiki k.

01. -- TONGUE TIED

Episode | 11
Word Count | 2.3k

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TWO HOURS HAD passed since her brother Yuuta was confirmed missing. The sun was beginning to set as it left an orange hue in the sky, and the once-crowded park was nearly empty. Despite this, she continued her search through each playground, hill, and picnic area—all his favorite places.

For the past few hours, she and her aunt had been scouring through every possible location where he could be, going mental as they looked for that 5-year-old. Well, mostly her aunt. She wasn't worried for the boy, but instead for whoever he probably ended up tailing behind.

After reaching the last area of the park that she had checked for the third time today, she let out a tired breath. She sat on a nearby bench, pulling out her phone to see if her mother had any luck finding him yet. Nothing. Considering all the places that he might have run off to, it wasn't much of a surprise.

'Where is that damned kid?'

She internally groaned, running a hand through her hair, masking her slight concern with annoyance. Having moved here during summer break—the middle of the school year—there was still a plentiful amount of packing to be done and insufficient time to apply to high schools. Maybe if she hadn't decided to purchase him a balloon while her mother was on the phone, she could've noticed him and stopped his ass from running off.

As if God had answered her prayers, a familiar voice startled her: "[Y.N]!"

She stood up, turning so fast that she nearly strained a neck muscle. She narrowed her eyes.

"Guess what? I was with the one and only Cybrog Cider-Man No. 2! Over there," he grinned, pointing a finger behind him. He whipped his head around expectantly before realizing that he was alone. "...What?"

'He's finally lost it.'

She pursed her lips into a thin line, coming off as serious when, in reality, she stifled a laugh. Taking a few steps toward him, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder, her expression unmoved.

"You're delusional," she deadpanned.

"I know I saw him!" he defended as he reached for his small, bluish bag. "I have his autograph, right, huh? It's gone?"

She sighed as she stared at him, his face scrunched up in puzzlement. Deciding that it wasn't worth trying to crush his imagination—especially when she had just found him—she roughly patted his head before holding her hand out. "Let's go."

"Okay..." he frowned defeatedly, his head facing the ground as his shoulders deflated. A small pout formed on his lips. "It wasn't a dream."

Despite his apparent gloom, she continued on with her phone in hand as she sent a quick message to her aunt. At this rate, she could finish an episode of her favorite show and maybe even make one of her infamous desserts while blasting her ears out.

Her pace quickened yet remained steady as Yuuta adjusted, his soft footsteps following suit. By now, the sun had set further as the sky turned a darker shade of red, with warm colors shining through the clouds. It was astonishing, to say the least.

Although a certain boy stood behind one of the buildings, eavesdropping on their conversation, Not only was he making sure that she was indeed Yuuta's older sister, but he also found her intriguing. As he watched the two walk away, he paused as he realized what was so peculiar about her.

'She... isn't naked... or flesh and muscles? What the hell?' His eyes narrowed.

His X-ray vision usually reacted within a few seconds of seeing someone, but no matter how long he stared at her, he could see her perfectly fine. He read her thoughts, searching for any clues that would help him figure out why his powers didn't work. After some time, he concluded that nothing about her seemed abnormal. She was just a special case, much like Nendo.