remember. 𝙜𝙤𝙟𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙪 ✓

𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙧. years later

After all, Haru was the spitting image of his father.

"It's really him!" he pointed at the picture and exclaimed. "Mama, it's Papa!" he said with an excited voice which confused Y/N.

"Yes, it's him, we've already viewed these pictures a lot of times and yet you're this...happy?" she can't help but be perplexed at her son's reaction, it's as if it was his first time seeing them. 

But when Haru learned that his father is gone, he was really sad, and every time he asks to look at his pictures, he just keeps quiet and has a sad look on his face, but now he looks happy, to which Y/N really doesn't understand.

"Because I saw Papa earlier!" he exclaimed.

Y/N was bewildered, why is he saying that suddenly?

"Haru...I'm sorry, you're still hoping to see him, right? But you already know he's gone. I'm sorry you couldn't meet your father." she hugged the boy and caressed his back. 

But the boy shook his head.

"No! Why wouldn't you believe me, Mama? I saw him, I really saw him earlier!" 

Y/N really doesn't know what to react  at times like these, until now, she's still trying to grasp on what it is to be a mother. And at times like these she really doesn't know what to do. 

"Grandma said he might still be alive, so it's really him!"

Upon hearing that, Y/N mentally groaned. 'Ma, why would you say that?' She mentally noted to talk to her mother later.

"Haru, it's getting late, we should go to sleep, hmm?" she tried diverting the topic.

"Mama, you're not believing me" the boy pouted. 

"Haru, I can't really give you false hopes" she said. 

"I'm sleeping with grandma and grandpa tonight, I don't want to be with you" he suddenly said which surprised and hurt Y/N at the same time. This is the first time he said this.

"Haru" her voice suddenly changed from a soft tone to a stern one. "Don't give me that attitude"

But the boy just let out a huff before getting out of bed and running outside the room to go to his grandparents.

"Haru!" She called but sighed and facepalmed as he was out of her sight. She let him be for a while. 

Sighing once again, she touched the picture on the album and had a melancholic look. 

"Satoru...it's so difficult to be a parent" she said. "Why aren't you here with me?"

A tear escaped her eye and she wiped it away as she closed the album and composed herself to go after her son. 

━━━━━━━━━━━

"You know what, you look familiar" the brown-haired man said as he tours the newly hired teacher. 

"Eh? Really? Do you perhaps know me before? Have we met already Haibara?" the other man said, he seemed like he had his hopes up, maybe he could supply him some information about his past.

"Actually no" he smiled awkwardly. "This is the first time we met but I'm really sure I have already seen you from somewhere, or maybe you just have a look-alike" he added, trying to think.

"Ah, that's unfortunate" he replied as he unconsciously touched his necklace that was tucked in behind his shirt.

"Anyway, here's your classroom! You're going to start tomorrow, right? I hope you'll love it here!" the man named Haibara said cheerfully to which the newly-hired teacher reciprocated with a smile.