Souji came home to an empty, quiet, cold house every day after school. Of course he still did club activities, and sometimes he'd spend an afternoon with a friend, but it was all he could do to spend his evenings anywhere but his uncle's house. Sayoko was long gone from the hospital, but he still went in for janitor duties and a little extra cash when he could. Two weeks ago, Shu had declared that he didn't need Souji's help anymore, too. He couldn't go tutoring anymore. He had no one else in the evenings now that his uncle and Nanako were also gone.

And maybe it was starting to get to him. Maybe it had started to get to him a long time ago but only now was it actually really getting bad. He'd sat alone up in his room tonight, reading and rereading the same sentence in his book for about five minutes straight. Maybe he should put it down and study. Or make a model. Or origami. Something else that would occupy his mind and keep him from thinking and worrying.

What if Nanako didn't pull through? What if all their effort, plowing through Heaven in the space of a single day, was for nothing? They'd saved her as fast as was humanly possible and still she was just barely clinging to life. Souji let the book fall down to his lap and closed his eyes. He needed Nanako to pull through. His uncle, too... Dojima wouldn't be able to handle it if she didn't. Everything would change for the worse, their family would be wrecked, and what did he have left if their family was wrecked? He'd have nothing left, and...

He really needed to make a model or something. Shakily, Souji got to his feet and nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the doorbell ring. A quick glance at the clock radio indicated that it was past nine. Who would show up this late? With a put-upon sigh, he left his room and went to answer the door. The face he saw upon opening it was a welcome enough surprise.

"Yosuke..."