One piece of the puzzle

The two brothers walked side by side, the night colder than it had been earlier when Neo was heading to the party. Their breaths were visible in the icy air, and the cutting wind whistled.

The sky shimmered with countless twinkling stars. Only the sound of their footsteps could be heard.

The absence of other noises made Neo feel as if they were alone in the entire world—it was just him and Leo at that exact moment. Almost as though the two of them were in the spirit realm.

“I saw you dancing. I didn’t think you’d win, but still, congratulations!” Leo said, clapping lightly.

“All thanks to the training I did with our sister. Remember?” Neo asked.

“Yeah, I laughed a lot at the beginning. You two kept tripping like crazy.” Leo chuckled at the memory of those special moments.

“At least we got good quickly. Maybe I have a natural talent for dancing and didn’t know it,” Neo joked.

Leo, recalling Neo’s dancing, remembered something he hadn’t known before.

“Speaking of dancing, I got curious about something. Who was the blonde girl? I don’t know her, and I don’t remember you talking to her before.”

Neo smiled, a little embarrassed, as he thought about all the moments he had shared with her.

When she sang in the infirmary. When she made that gesture on his first day of school. When he had dinner at her house. And now, when they danced.

“Her name’s Saya. She’s in my class. I never imagined I’d meet someone as sweet as her.”

Leo smiled, seeing his brother happy. But his expression gradually shifted to one of confusion.

“I thought you were going to marry Yume.”

Neo mirrored Leo’s confused expression and asked, “Who’s Yume?”

“Looks like you don’t remember. This could be a real problem.”

“Leo, who is Yume?” Neo asked, frustrated.

“Before you lost your memories, I think you were in love with her. Well, you never told me anything, but I figured it out over time.”

Neo felt a hollow sensation in his chest, and the philosophy teacher’s words echoed in his mind. Without his memories, he was just a shell of who he used to be. Did that mean if he remembered his past, he would stop loving Saya?

Silence hung in the air as Neo reflected on his past, realizing he needed to say something to his brother—something he had promised long ago.

“Leo, thanks for helping me back then by giving me the school keys.”

Leo’s eyes widened at his brother’s gratitude. At first, he didn’t understand why he was being thanked, but slowly, he remembered that day.

“It was nothing. I couldn’t let my brother sleep in the rain. Sorry I couldn’t do more to help.”

“I think what you did was enough. Look at me—I’m here, fine, and thriving,” Neo said, taking a deep breath and spreading his arms grandly.

Leo, on the other hand, looked at him with suspicion rather than admiration. “And how’s the job?”

Neo exhaled and crossed his arms, realizing his act had been uncovered. “Okay, that’s a problem...” He grew somber, thinking about how the money Karine had given him would only last a few more weeks.

“If you want, I can help with that. An old family friend needs help with his restaurant, and you could work there.”

Neo thought over what he had heard and asked, “Hey, wait. How do you know I’m looking for a job?”

Leo sighed, preparing to tell the truth carefully. “Our dad asked me to keep an eye on you, but he didn’t let me contact you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I helped you in secret, without him knowing. Even our conversation today is technically a secret. Our dad can’t know we’re talking,” Leo explained.

“Why?”

“Looks like you don’t remember him, do you?”

Neo, trying to think of his father, felt a faint sense of disdain. But beyond that, he couldn’t recall his face or what he was like.

“No.”

Leo sighed again.

“Maybe that’s for the best. You two don’t get along very well, especially after what happened.”

“Can’t you tell me everything that happened?”

Leo’s eyes grew distant as he thought about the past. “I want to tell you everything, just like I did last time.” His eyes welled up slightly with tears as he pressed his lips tightly together. “But I don’t want you to use your powers, turn into a cat, and disappear again.”

“I won’t disappear,” Neo said, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

He then slowly withdrew his hand. “You don’t understand. Every time someone tried to tell you the truth, you couldn’t handle it and disappeared for weeks.”

“That’s not true,” Neo said with conviction, though deep down, he began to doubt himself. His tense shoulders relaxed as he spoke again, “Is it?”

Leo shook his head.

“Carolina said the shock was so great that you still haven’t accepted what happened. She said you need time, and the gradual return of your memories is your body’s way of slowly healing from the psychological damage.”

The two stopped walking when they reached the dormitory. Seeing that he wouldn’t get many answers from his brother, Neo decided to return to the topic that started their conversation.

“If you can’t answer that, then what did you come to ask me?”

Leo thought for a moment before asking, carefully choosing his words.

“Do you know anything about a code?”

“A code?” Neo asked, confused.

“Yes, Dad’s looking for something like a code. He expects us, the siblings, to know something about it.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know anything.”

Leo still wasn’t convinced by what he heard. “Are you sure? A code, a clue, a key—anything?”

Neo thought back to see if anything unusual had been with him when he woke up. His mind wandered, searching and searching, but he couldn’t find anything.

“No.”

Leo looked relieved.

“That’s probably for the best. I don’t know anything, and our sister doesn’t seem to either. But he’s not convinced.”

“So, do you think he’ll come after me?”

“Exactly. And his methods are questionable, so I came to warn you.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

“He’s starting to lose patience. If he considers you an option, I’ll try to convince him you don’t know anything.”

Leo hugged his brother before leaving.

“It was good seeing you, brother.”

“Same here.”

He smiled and turned, taking three steps toward the street. Neo turned to enter the dormitory but felt as if a piece of the puzzle was missing.

“Wait, Leo. There’s one more thing I wanted to ask.”

Leo turned back to Neo, smiling. “What is it?”

“You talked so much about our dad that it made me think of something. Where’s our mom?”

Leo’s smile vanished instantly at the question, while Neo looked at him with curious eyes. Leo’s expression turned to pain before he turned away and disappeared into the darkness of the night.