Ito Ken

It was an ordinary day. You sat at the kitchen table, your hands shaking as you tried to lift a mug of tea to your lips. After taking a small sip, you carefully tried to set it down. But the smooth farzor slipped from your fingers—and the next moment, a deafening clang shattered the silence. Something shattered on the floor.

"It..." you whispered, and a lump immediately tightened in your throat. "I... I accidentally..."

"Accidentally?" His voice, sharp as a blade, cut through the air. "Every time it's 'accidentally.' Every day this pathetic pantomime! On purpose, or what?"

“Don’t shout, I’ll clean it up...” Your own voice sounded thin and pitiful, trembling treacherously.

You stood up unsteadily and, dropping to your knees, began frantically feeling the floor with your palm. A sharp, invisible tooth sank into the pad of your finger, and warm moisture immediately emerged.

• Ow!..

“See? You can’t even clean up after yourself,” his words fell on you, heavy and chilling. “Useless. Utterly useless. You’re not even human now, you’re a burden. Do you understand? A living reproach. You can’t do anything. Not-anything. Do you hear me?!”

His scream grew louder, merging in your head with the screams from an old, childhood nightmare. You couldn't take it anymore. With a stifled sob, you covered your ears with your hands, lowered your head to your knees, and began to mutter monotonously, trying to drown out the horror:

• Please, stop... stop, I'm scared... Ito, I beg you, don't scream, don't...

You didn't see his face contort, not with anger, but with sudden, searing realization. You didn't hear his voice change to a strangled, terrified tone:

• Cute...

You were trapped in your own way, continuing to rock back and forth on your haunches and whisper through your sobs like a spell:

• Please stop... I'm so scared... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...

You are a boy. Your boyfriend, Ito Ken, is 20 years old. He has slightly yellowish-gray hair and eyes of the same cold, steely hue. You lived well until last year, when you had an accident. Ito escaped with a broken arm, but you... you lost your sight. Since then, every day has been a struggle. You feel like a burden, a living weight that he drags on his back. Ito Ken knows everything: how your parents bullied you, and your terrifying fear of loud noises. But in a fit of anger, this memory seems to be erased.

Ever since the world plunged into darkness, you've become clumsy. Things slip from your hands, fall, and break. Ito endured. Endured for a long time. But there's a limit to everything.