My Adopted Family

"I'm home."

 

"Welcome, Rye."

 

When I returned home, my mother came out to meet me at the front door.

 

The only place where I can feel at ease.

 

And the only person I can put my mind to.

 

I'm a happy person simply because I have a place to return to and people who welcome me.

 

"Did anything happen at school?"

 

If there was something, then there was, but if I start talking about such trivial things, there is no end.

 

"No."

 

As I answered, I hugged my mother in my arms.

 

"Oh."

 

My mother was surprised by my sudden behavior but happily patted my head.

 

The stress accumulated throughout the day melts away.

 

*** 

 

The university Ryker attends has several unique clubs.

 

From clubs that make people wonder how such a club got permission to clubs that make people wonder if there are real people who do such activities.

 

One of them is the bird-watching club.

 

Bird Watching.

 

It literally refers to the game of observing birds.

 

What this club does is simple. Watching their own bird (Ryker).It started as a small club.

 

Six like-minded students from one department gathered together and formed a club.

 

They made their activities known and recruited others.

 

By the end of the first semester, half of the department had added their names to this club, and after a year, it was promoted to the central club, and members from the entire school were received.

 

The number is unofficially around 500.

 

Although there were still six officially registered members, the number of women who agreed with their wishes was increasing.

 

The most important thing in bird watching is observing birds in their natural state.

 

Never invade a bird's privacy.

 

That is the first rule of bird watching: getting close to or talking to them is prohibited.

 

Even if you observe, you should never make eye contact.

 

Even realizing that someone is watching can be a threat to a bird.

 

Moreover, touching or feeding them is an absolute taboo.

 

Just enjoy watching from afar.

 

That was the reason for the existence of the bird-watching club.

 

"But these days, freshmen."

 

The club president was Maya. She was furious and pounded on the desk.

 

There were several bottles of the same type of water that Rayker drank today piled up on the desk.

 

"Chairman. What should I do." A dark-haired beauty asked.

 

"First, let's educate them in our own way. When that doesn't work."

 

The other female students standing around the president nodded with solemn expressions.

 

After a while, that obnoxious first-year student was dragged into the club room.She was the female student who was dragged away after being silenced by other students while talking to Ryker.

 

"Why did you bring me here? I have an appointment so I have to go."

 

The junior said while playing with her red-stained nails, heavy makeup, earrings, and short skirt, She was a typical girl who doesn't cared about dress code at college and appered as loose woman with no dignity.

 

Maya doesn't care about this. Others could wear what they like and do what they want. Maya doesn't care, but she can't forgive others approaching her bird. 

"If you promise me one thing, I'll send you back right away. Do not approach second-year student Ryker."

 

"Yes? Senior, by what authority you are ordering me?"

 

The junior laughed as if she were looking at Maya. However, Maya did not pay attention to her junior's arrogant attitude.

 

If this were enough to scare this junior, Maya wouldn't even call her here.

 

"Hey. Turn off the lights."

 

At a word from the Maya, the other female students move in unison.

 

Turn off the lights and close the curtains. Some students locked doors.

 

"Well, what are you doing? I'm going to report you all if you even touch the tip of a hair?"

 

The junior, feeling threatened, got up from her chair and took a defensive stance.

 

Instead of answering, Maya played a video on her laptop and presented it to her junior.

 

"This is an edited version of a documentary filmed by actress, Evadne, Ryker mother, when Ryker was in middle school."

 

"Actress Evadne? Really? Is Ryker really her son?"

 

Instead of explaining to the junior student, who asked in surprise, Maya motioned for her to look at the screen.

 

On the laptop screen, Ryker's mother, who looked younger than she was now, was being interviewed.

 

『The first time I saw that child was on TV news.』

 

『There is a boy who was abused by his biological parents.』

 

The screen changed from Ryker's mother to footage of a news broadcast at the time.

 

『Police urgently arrested a couple in their 20s on charges of child abuse.』

 

『There were clear bruises and cigarette burn marks on the victim's body.』

 

『Daycare teacher (Mosaic): When the child urinated that day, blood came out. The child was already sick, so I called his mother. Then she said that her child was fine and that she would take him to the hospital later. But I'm worried, so I'll have to take him to the hospital first─』

 

『Doctor: Two ribs were broken, and both the radius and ulna of his right wrist were broken. The ribs were broken when the father kicked the child in the stomach, and the wrist appears to have been broken when the child blocked something like a hard stick. His wrist was so swollen, how could no one notice?』

 

『Some say that the police who received reports of child abuse responded lukewarmly in handling the case, failing to recognize its seriousness. Mr. B, a neighbor, complained to the police, saying that he had reported it to the police a long time ago, but they treated it as child discipline rather than child abuse.』

 

A child's bruised body. A broken bone and a swollen wrist. Then, X-ray pictures of broken bones were displayed one after another on the screen.

Some club members were already sobbing while watching the video.

Maya also silently wiped away her tears.

 

It was such a heartbreaking story every time she saw it.

 

The screen returned to an interview with Evadne, Ryker's mother.

 

『How can biological parents do that to their own child? I'm so angry and sad because I'm a mother too-』

 

『I was wondering if there was any way to help. Then I heard that the child had entered a protection agency, and I thought I might be able to adopt him─』

 

There, Maya stopped the video.

 

The junior who was watching intently got angry.

 

"No, why stop it? I'm still watching."

 

"This is all I can show to non-members."

 

Maya closed her laptop. The lights in the room also turn on.