Chương 16: Chapter 4 The Night I Became a Witch(Part 3)

Rina's POV How do most people spend their days off? As for me? I was making lunches before sunrise. Our daughter Haruka had already moved out after entering college, but our son Nayuta was still in high school. Worse, he had morning club practice. Which meant I was awake on my day off. Again. I was tired. Incredibly tired. Meanwhile, my beloved husband Tsukasa remained asleep upstairs. The murderous intent bubbling inside me was immediately redirected into cooking.

"Fine," I muttered.

"If you're going to sleep in, then enjoy your prison sentence." The sausages went into the lunch box. Then the omelet. Then an excessive amount of furikake seasoning. No gratitude required. A single "That was good" would be sufficient payment.

"Morning, Mom." Nayuta wandered into the kitchen.

"What's for breakfast?" I pointed at the frying pan.

"Would you like wild rabbit?"

"... That's a concerning answer." He opened the rice cooker. Then sighed.

"Rice is fine." The boy had learned survival. I approved. The rice cooker contained five cups of freshly cooked rice. Enough for Tsukasa's two lunch boxes, Nayuta's lunch, and our meals throughout the day. Like always. Routine. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Comfortable routine. The kind you never appreciate until it's threatened. Nayuta finished breakfast and stood up.

"I'm probably not getting home until evening."

"Okay. Be careful."

"I know."

"And watch for cars."

"I'm not five."

"You'll always be five." He rolled his eyes. I considered that a victory. After he left, the house became quiet. The dishes were done. The laundry machine was handling itself. Buying the washer-dryer combo had been expensive, but it remained one of the best purchases we'd ever made. The remaining chores could wait. I deserved tea. And maybe toast. Definitely toast. A short while later, Tsukasa finally appeared.

"Morning."

"Morning." I handed him his lunch boxes.

"Nayuta had practice, so I made yours too." He accepted them with a grateful smile. For a man concerned about middle-aged weight gain, he had a bad habit of skipping meals. Someone had to keep him alive. That someone was apparently me.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." A brief kiss. A familiar goodbye. The same routine we'd shared for years.

"Drive safe."

"You too." Then he left. And I watched him go, never imagining that would be the last time I'd see him as a man. The rest of the morning passed normally. I drank tea. Watched television. Spoiled our cat, Nyan-ta. The perfect day off. Until it wasn't. The emergency news bulletin interrupted the broadcast shortly after lunch. Reports were coming in from across the country. Massive ring-shaped structures had appeared without warning. No one knew what they were. No one knew where they'd come from.

The commentators were doing their best to sound informed. They weren't succeeding. It seemed serious. Very serious. Still, it had nothing to do with us. Or so I thought. Ding-dong. The doorbell rang. I glanced toward the entrance. Had I ordered something? No. Had Tsukasa? Not that I knew of. Maybe my mother-in-law had sent something. I opened the door. Two men in dark suits stood outside. Not delivery workers. Not salesmen. Not religious recruiters. Police. The older of the two held up his identification.

"We're with Central Police Station." Police? My stomach dropped instantly. Had there been an accident? Had something happened to Tsukasa?

"One moment." I opened the door fully. The officers introduced themselves as Itsuki and Miyafuji. Then came the question.

"Is Mr. Tsukasa Kuroe home?"

"No." The answer felt strangely difficult.

"He's at work. He won't be back until tomorrow." The two officers exchanged a glance. Something about that look made my chest tighten.

"Has something happened?" The younger officer hesitated. The older one answered.

"Have you seen the news regarding the structures that appeared today?" My heartbeat accelerated.

"Your husband appears to have entered one of them." For several seconds I couldn't process the words. Entered? What did that even mean?

"He appears to have become trapped inside." Everything else disappeared. The room. The officers. The news. All of it. Only one thought remained.

"Is he alive?" The question came out louder than intended.

"Is my husband alive?" The officers immediately tried to calm me.

"Please, ma'am."

"We don't know." The honesty hurt.

"At the time of the report, your husband entered the structure during work." The officer lowered his voice.

"We've been unable to contact him since." My hands began trembling. Not knowing was somehow worse than bad news.

"Can you come with us?" I nodded immediately. There was no world where I stayed behind. Not while Tsukasa was missing. Not while there was still a chance he needed me.

"I'll get ready." The preparations took less than three minutes. Wallet. Phone. House keys. Food and water for Nyan-ta. The essentials. Nothing else mattered. As I climbed into the unmarked police car, our neighbor called out from across the street.

"Everything okay?" I forced a smile.

"No idea." And for the first time that day, it was true. I had absolutely no idea.