Time passed, and it was now evening.
A Lexus E300 pulled into the garage at Yoru's house.
A slightly chubby middle-aged man, with some resemblance to Yoru in his features, stepped out. Beside him was a mature, stylishly dressed woman carrying an overstuffed shopping bag.
Kitakami Toyotani and Kitakami Megumi arrived at the entryway and began to change shoes. Instantly, they spotted Yoru's shoes.
"Aren't these Yoru's shoes?" Megumi asked her husband.
No matter how tall, fat, or disgusting Yoru was in other people's eyes, no matter how disliked he was outside—in her heart, he was always her precious son.
"He was supposed to be in Chiba for the school trip for a few days… why's he back today?" Toyotani immediately realized something was off.
"I'm going upstairs to check!" Megumi couldn't sit still anymore. She ran inside without even taking off her shoes.
Upstairs, she found Yoru's bedroom door closed and gently knocked on it.
The knock was soft, but urgent.
"Yoru? Why are you back so soon?" Megumi asked with a gentle voice.
"I wasn't feeling well. Didn't want to do the whole trip, so I just came home," came Yoru's slightly raspy reply from inside.
Yoru thought he was doing a good job hiding it. He'd drunk lots of water to soothe his throat. Even to himself, he sounded completely normal now.
But not to a mother who cared deeply.
"His voice is hoarse… like he's been crying."
Megumi silently withdrew her hand, glanced at Toyotani who had just come up the stairs, her eyes brimming with concern.
Toyotani opened his mouth but said nothing, simply lowered his head in guilt.
After a long pause, he said bitterly, "It's my fault… our son inherited my constitution… maybe even worse."
Both parents knew well—Yoru had suffered another blow, had been bullied again.
They felt ashamed, powerless, and deeply heartbroken. All they could do was try to give him the best life possible as a way of compensating.
"It's all your fault! Back then you were all slim, muscular, stupidly handsome—I was totally fooled!" Megumi suddenly lost control and lightly punched her husband in the chest.
In university, Toyotani had been the undisputed campus heartthrob.
There were plenty of good-looking guys, but none on his level. He stood alone at the top.
His perfect looks had instantly caught Megumi's eye—someone already used to being courted by handsome men.
In front of Toyotani, even the hottest guys looked dull.
Once they fell in love, deeply, Megumi learned the truth: Toyotani had an easy-to-gain-fat body type.
In fact, Toyotani used to be a full-on fat guy.
As an adult, he had half his stomach surgically removed, underwent multiple rounds of liposuction, took long-term medication, and trained intensely—only then did he become that muscular hunk.
But once his body built resistance to the meds, and as he got older, the weight started creeping back.
"I didn't think our son would inherit all of it… and even worse..." Toyotani sighed again, full of guilt.
"This is all on you!"
Megumi was still uneasy about Yoru and shot another glare at her husband before hurrying back downstairs.
...
Dinner Time
The table was full of dishes, but most were low-oil and low-salt.
Toyotani and Megumi sat across from each other.
"I get it."
Yoru's voice came first, and the door opened.
The couple relaxed slightly but kept their eyes fixed on their son.
"Wow… everything looks so good."
Yoru entered the dining room and smiled at the spread.
He seemed completely normal.
But the faint redness in his eyes didn't escape Megumi's notice.
"Wash your hands before eating," she said softly, heart aching.
"Okay."
Yoru quickly headed to the sink.
But he forgot one thing.
His palms were full of tiny wounds from digging his nails into them earlier. The moment the icy water hit—
The sting was brutal.
Yoru nearly cried out in pain but forced himself to finish washing and sat at the table.
Good thing Mom and Dad didn't notice, he thought, relieved.
His stomach was empty, but he had no appetite.
He ate quietly, chewing rice and dishes without much taste, occasionally glancing at his parents and savoring this moment of peace.
"If they found out I could get expelled from Shuchiin… Mom and Dad would be devastated," he thought as he chewed.
The tuition at Shuchiin was so high. If he didn't attend, Mom could buy better clothes, higher-end skincare…
"Eat more," Megumi said, placing a piece of beef on Yoru's plate.
Yoru nodded and ate it. Then, after some hesitation, he put down his chopsticks.
"Dad, Mom."
He looked at Toyotani and Megumi, his voice uncertain.
"If something's bothering you, just say it," Toyotani replied, setting his bowl down.
"I want to move out. Rent a small apartment near school and live on my own."
Yoru hesitated, but he said it.
And felt incredibly guilty.
His parents had spent almost all their savings to "donate" their way into Shuchiin. They paid sky-high tuition every semester, all for him. But he was useless—couldn't even take care of himself, kept getting bullied.
And now he needed their support again.
What a failure.
But Yoru really wanted a private space to force himself to study harder, lose weight, and work toward making the top 30 in his grade—to avoid being expelled.
He wasn't confident… but it was the only way.
To his surprise, his parents exchanged a glance—and agreed without hesitation.
Yoru nodded firmly, but instead of joy, tears welled up again.
He hated the culprit and the three bitches even more.
Especially the culprit!
Yoru wanted to clear his name, avoid expulsion from Shuchiin, and then… seek revenge.
Assuming he was thinking along the right lines, there were many possible suspects. It would be nearly impossible to track them—like finding a needle in a haystack.
So he didn't hold much hope.
But the revenge… had to happen.
Yoru's eyes lingered on his parents again, and he fell silent.
He couldn't drag them into this. Couldn't let them worry or be disappointed.
Otherwise, he would've gone all out back in the principal's office.
That meant… the only breakthrough left was the mysterious treasure chest.
Something clicked in Yoru's mind. He shoveled down a few last bites and excused himself.
The dining room fell quiet again.
"Yoru's definitely been crying—his eyes are red, his voice is hoarse, and his palms are injured!" Megumi's heart broke as she spoke to Toyotani.
"Sigh… let him have some space," Toyotani said. He had noticed it all too.
Only the one trying his best to hide it—Yoru—was still clueless about how obvious he had been.
"What if…" Megumi's eyes turned red again.
"No. He's still too young," Toyotani cut her off firmly.
Megumi wanted Yoru to follow his path—get a surgery, take those special weight-control meds, and work out hard. Then he'd lose weight too.
And when he did—he'd be unbelievably handsome, even more than Toyotani was in his youth.
Not just as handsome—but surpassing him.
Megumi was a natural beauty herself, so with complementary genes, Yoru would only be even more attractive.
Then he wouldn't be bullied anymore.
In fact, girls would line up for him.
But surgery was damaging. Those meds were also harsh on the body.
Toyotani's balding and health issues had nothing to do with genes. It was stress, overwork, and late nights.
Besides—Yoru wasn't even an adult yet.
Over the years, Toyotani had hidden every single photo of his handsome younger self, afraid that Yoru might see what he used to look like—and be tempted to take that same extreme path to lose weight.
"But still…" Megumi couldn't help but speak again.