Chapter 3: Small Things Missing

Kei woke with a dull ache behind his eyes. Sleep hadn’t helped much. Every time he drifted off, he found himself thinking about the toothbrush, about the soft footsteps in the hallway, about Touko’s silent presence.

By morning, he told himself he was being paranoid. Maybe he had forgotten using the toothbrush. Maybe the footsteps were the house settling.

He needed the day to feel normal.

After breakfast, while Yui prepared to leave for work, Kei adjusted the bedroom shelves. He placed his small belongings just the way he liked: watch on the left, wallet on the right, keys in the middle. It was silly, but order calmed him.

Yui peeked in and smiled. “Settling in well?”

“Trying to,” he said. “You didn’t move anything last night, right?”

“Mmm? No. Why?”

“Nothing,” he replied quickly. “Just asking.”

Yui kissed his cheek before heading out. “Relax a little today. It’s your day off.”

Kei nodded and walked her to the door. As soon as she stepped outside, Touko drifted into view from the hallway. She stood halfway down, hands loosely at her sides, hair covering part of her face.

“Papa,” she said quietly.

“Good morning,” Kei replied, forcing a smile. “Did you sleep well?”

Touko didn’t answer immediately. She looked him over—slowly, like she was checking for something out of place—before saying, “Yes.”

Then she walked into the living room without another word.

The silence she left behind was heavier than her presence.

---

Kei tried to keep busy. He swept the floor, folded laundry, reorganized the bookshelf. For a while, the repetitive tasks helped.

But small things started catching his attention.

A book he’d placed upright was suddenly leaning sideways.

A pen from his desk had moved to the far corner.

His jacket, which he was sure he’d hung neatly, now dangled unevenly from the hanger.

At first, he thought he simply remembered wrong. New house, new habits, maybe he wasn’t fully settled.

But the feeling grew stronger: something was changing small details when he wasn’t looking.

He walked into the bedroom again to double-check the shelf with his wallet, watch and keys.

His watch had shifted slightly—only a few centimeters—but enough to stand out.

Kei stared at it for a long moment.

Am I losing it?

He turned, scanning the room. The door was open. The hallway beyond was quiet.

Then he saw it—Touko, sitting on the floor near the staircase, knees pulled to her chest, staring at him through her hair. Not hiding. Just watching.

Kei’s throat tightened. “Touko? Were you looking for something?”

She blinked slowly. “No.”

“Did you… come inside earlier?”

“No.”

Her voice was flat. Her expression unreadable.

Kei nodded even though he didn’t believe her. He didn’t want to make a scene. He didn’t want to accuse her of something harmless. Maybe she really hadn’t done anything.

Touko rose to her feet and stepped forward, stopping only when she stood directly in front of him. Close enough to make him step back without thinking.

She tilted her head. “Papa looks tired.”

“I’m fine,” he said. “Really.”

She held his gaze for an uncomfortably long moment. Her eyes didn’t waver. They didn’t blink.

Then she walked past him, brushing his arm lightly, and disappeared into her room.

Kei let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

---

By early afternoon, he felt ridiculous. He kept rechecking drawers and shelves as if the house itself were playing tricks. He was making himself anxious, and Touko’s quiet movements didn’t help. She drifted from room to room without sound, always appearing when he least expected her.

Every time he turned around, she was somewhere behind him. Not close enough to touch, but close enough to see.

Close enough to know.

Several times he caught her staring at his hands. Not his face. His hands.

It was unnerving.

He decided to step outside for some air. A short walk would clear his mind. When he reached for his phone to tell Yui where he was going, he paused.

It wasn’t on the table.

“Did I leave it in the bedroom?” he muttered.

He checked the nightstand. Not there.

Bathroom? No.

Kitchen counter? Nothing.

He searched the living room cushions, backpack, coat pockets, laundry basket.

Nothing.

Kei frowned and checked the same places again.

Touko walked into the doorway just as he was lifting the sofa cushions. “Papa?”

He straightened. “Have you seen my phone?”

Touko shook her head, too quickly.

“You sure?” Kei asked gently.

She nodded again. “Papa loses things a lot?”

“No,” he said, “I don’t.”

Touko’s gaze lingered on him for a second before she said, “Maybe Mama knows.”

“She’s at work.”

Touko didn’t reply. She simply walked away, her steps slow and measured.

Kei searched for another twenty minutes, growing more and more frustrated. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his forehead.

He checked the side table again.

Nothing.

He checked under the bed.

Nothing.

He dropped onto the mattress with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling. “I’m losing my mind.”

He got up one last time, determined to find it. He checked the laundry again, even though he knew he hadn’t washed his pants yet.

Still nothing.

Finally, he sank onto the sofa. Maybe he’d misplaced it outside. Or maybe he had left it in Yui’s car. Something rational.

He stood up, ready to check the car keys—and froze.

Touko’s bedroom door was slightly open.

A soft shadow shifted inside.

Kei hesitated, then walked toward it. Slowly, carefully. He didn’t want to barge in, didn’t want to accuse her. He pushed the door gently.

Touko wasn’t inside.

Her room was neat, bed made perfectly, desk arranged with care.

But something on the pillow caught his eye.

A phone.

His phone.

Face-down, tucked almost neatly beneath the pillowcase, as if someone had slid it there carefully so it wouldn’t fall.

Kei felt the air tighten around him.

He reached for it slowly, fingertips brushing the fabric.

Just as he picked it up, a quiet voice came from behind him.

“Papa?”

Kei turned sharply.

Touko stood in the doorway, head tilted, hands behind her back.

Her voice was calm. Almost sweet.

“Why are you in my room?”