Path of the Extra Chapter 370: Leo Karumi [4]

Victory belonged to him.

Leo claimed victory.

Leo triumphed in the tournament.

The battle proved far tougher than the semifinal. Facing a nine-year-old opponent with vastly greater experience, yet still...

Leo emerged as the victor.

Just a nosebleed and a minor break in his left hand were the price, yet...

He had broken free at last.

Now he could stop for good.

The ordeal was over.

The highlight came from his mother and father both attending to witness his success.

Following the win, after treatment for his injuries, collecting the trophy, and dining at a restaurant where his mother spoon-fed him since using his hands would have brought him to tears—that day drew to a close.

Strangely, though it ranked among Leo's most agonizing days physically, it also stood as one of his life's greatest joys. A day brimming with family happiness...

A joyful household, with parents beaming with pride over him.

Leo reclaimed the acting role during his audition the next day.

One full week had elapsed since his triumph.

Sprawled on his bed, Leo groaned and sighed in irritation. Sleep eluded him. His hand pulsed with pain.

At last, fed up, Leo rose from the mattress and exited his room, making his way toward his parents' location.

Night had fallen deeply, the house dark with lights extinguished, yet Leo navigated the path blindfolded if needed.

Arriving at his parents' bedroom, something halted him abruptly.

A faint glow seeped from beneath the door.

"How many times—he—"

"I wo—budge—"

Even more oddly, Leo caught the sounds of his mother and father filtering through the door. They seemed locked in a quarrel. The phrases were indistinct, yet picking them up filled Leo with unease and fear.

"It’s for his sake!"

"Haaa... you keep saying that..."

Edging nearer to the door, their words sharpened in clarity.

Pain lingered in his hand, yet he pushed it aside. Leo leaned his ear to the wood.

"Just what gave you the right in the first place to decide all on your own to let him quit!?"

"I told you already, didn’t I? We made a deal. And he has fulfilled his end of the deal."

"Like I give a shit about the deal you two made!"

Leo recoiled at her furious outburst.

"You didn’t even bother to discuss this with me beforehand, just acting all on your own! Didn’t we both agree that it was best for Leo’s development if we let him do many things now?"

"We did, but you have to realise there is no point to this if he comes to hate doing all these things. Even if he is smarter than average, even for him it can sometimes be too much."

"Smarter than average? Sometimes too much for him? Are you joking with me? He is not an average boy, Ronald. Leo is a monster!"

Evidently, their dispute centered on Leo abandoning Muay Thai. His father had kept it secret from his mother, sparking this conflict over his choice...

"He is much smarter than my sister ever was! Don’t talk about how this is too much for him when my sister could handle more than this at his age. Leo has the potential to be the best at anything he tries. He is better than us. He is better than my sister could ever be! Even if he doesn’t like it, what does it matter? If he is the best, then that is enough, is it not? What better can there be?"

"...Your sister wanted to be the best for your parents’ sake as well... before she died, no?"

"..!"

" ... "

For the first time, such details reached his ears.

Strangely, silence enveloped the room for a stretch, unbroken until his father resumed, tone gentler.

"Sorry... that was insensitive of me. My emotions got the better of me."

"You don’t understand..."

Abruptly, Leo detected his mother's voice once more, now subdued and tense.

"Before she took her own life... when we were little, the two of us were always compared to each other. But she wasn’t as smart as they made her out to be, she just worked really hard. She was so good at working hard. At being disciplined. She was much better than me at that, so everyone thought she was some kind of genius... and I wasn’t. It was like I wasn’t normal because I wasn’t a genius like her. And yet it was her who, in the end, couldn’t handle the pressure and hung herself right after getting accepted into one of the best universities in the world to become a doctor... But Leo is different. He has the capabilities. He is smart... He can do it. He can do what my sister couldn’t. He can be the best. He doesn’t have a choice."

"Why doesn’t he? There are many other things in life besides being the best. He can be a normal kid..."

"You are wrong!"

Her shout rang out once more.

"He is not a normal kid!"

" ... "

"You are almost never home because of your work! Do you understand how difficult it is to raise him alone while having to balance it with my own job? He can’t make any friends his age, he barely talks to anyone, he is always thinking about something and I have no clue what... He cut off a bird’s legs out of curiosity, for god’s sake! He is not normal! Those normal things that life offers aren’t meant for him... You haven’t even seen his skill with the piano. Give him one more year and he can already compete at national competitions! He is so far ahead in his classes that the teachers are always struggling to give him more, always calling me while I’m at work to talk about him. It’s troublesome. He is so troublesome. How can he be called a normal kid? Even if he wants to, he just isn’t, and he can’t escape that..."

Gripping his tiny fists despite the sting in his left one, Leo continued eavesdropping, a peculiar pang twisting in his heart.

"The only time that boy gives me any sort of relief is when I see him at least excelling."

Leo cast his gaze downward, lips tightening.

That outcome wasn't his desire.

Before the idea fully formed, the door flew wide.

"Leo...!?"

Leo raised his eyes and jerked back upon spotting his mother. She fixed her stare on him while he retreated a step, her face blending astonishment, fury, and concern. Faint tear trails stained her cheeks too.

"What are you doing up so late!?"

She bellowed.

"I-... I... I-I..."

Words failed him utterly. Overwhelmed by fear and digesting the overheard revelations, coherent speech evaded him. The ideas swirled relentlessly in his head.

Why? Why did he respond this way?

Was he truly abnormal? Merely... a monster?

" ... Sorry. "

That single phrase was all he uttered.

"I... I’m sorry..."

Why? Why did tears cascade down his cheeks?

Frustration gnawed at him.

"Leo!"

She called out anew, though this instance stemmed not from rage.

Seizing his left hand, she sank to her knees, eyes bulging with alarm as she inspected it.

"Your hand! What happened!? Why is it so swollen!?"

"Huh...?"

Leo peered at the hand in her grasp. She spoke true. How had it swelled so much?

"I’ll get some ice."

His father dashed off promptly while his mother scooped Leo into her arms and bore him inside, settling him softly on the bed.

"How did this happen...?"

Kneeling before him, she probed his hand with a ashen, fretful expression.

"Did you sleep on your hand?"

" ... I... don’t know, " he whispered softly.

"This is not good... It might be inflamed. We’ll have to go to the hospital."

" ... Sorry. "

Leo offered another apology, remorse consuming him.

"Leo. Stop crying."

" ... Sorry. "

Once more, apology was his sole response.

Tears flowed without end.

Soon after, a tender fabric brushed his face. She dabbed away his tears delicately.

Leo lifted his gaze to hers, eyes watery and bewildered. She met it with a soft, caring, purely maternal warmth.

"You were listening, weren’t you...?"

Leo's mouth parted, then snapped shut swiftly.

Unexpectedly, his mother encircled him with her arms, drawing him close in a hug.

"Sorry, Leo, " she murmured gently into his ear.

"I didn’t mean to scare you or sound mean..."

Her embrace grew firmer, and Leo's tension eased as he nestled against her, eyelids drifting shut gradually.

"I can get too emotional when I’m tired sometimes. But Leo... I only say those things because I am your mother, and I naturally want the very best for you. You are not like the other children your age, Leo. You are different... and sometimes that makes me anxious, because I want to do right by you."

Pressing his face into her, Leo sensed profound sorrow welling within at her statements. Finally, fitting words escaped him.

" ... Am I a burden to you, Mom? "

"No."

Her reply came swift, prompting Leo's eyes to widen as he peered up. She regarded him with tender affection.

"You will never be a burden to me. Do not misunderstand, Leo. A mother will always worry about her child."

"But—"

"It’s okay. You made a deal with Dad, right? It’s okay. You can quit if you don’t like any sports related to fighting."

" ... Really? "

"Really."

A sincere, faint smile graced his features naturally. Still, despite her efforts, Leo spotted the subtle grief in her eyes.

" ... Mom, if I become the best, will you be happy? "

Her eyes flared briefly at the query before curving into a smile.

"Didn’t I tell you? I always want the best for you."

"Okay..."

He nestled his face against her once more.

"I promise... I promise I’ll become the best... with the piano..."

"You must really like the piano."

"Mhm."

"Then I can’t wait for that day to come."

Until no one surpasses him.

... As long as she observed him, he would achieve it.

... That was the intended path.

... If only she observed him.

... If only that cursed entity had never come into being.