In one of Japan’s suburbs, a fierce civil war erupted against the royal family after they agreed to the United States’ conditions to avoid a nuclear strike. The streets were filled with smoke, and the sky burned red with the fires of the cities.

  Amid this hell, there was a four-year-old boy named Haru. He didn’t fully understand the reason behind all the destruction, but he knew one thing — he had lost his entire family in a single moment. He wandered among the ruins, his small voice drowned by the screams of war, his eyes searching for shelter in a world that had forgotten mercy.

  As time passed, Haru was taken to an old orphanage owned by a cruel man named Saito, who forced the children to work and punished them harshly for any mistake. In a lonely corner of the orphanage sat a small boy, no older than six — Haru — quietly cleaning the floor, sadness and exhaustion reflected in his fragile eyes. He was frail, his gaze filled with hidden fear and an unhealed wound. Saito often beat and tormented him, believing Haru was different from the other children — too quiet, too lifeless, like a puppet without a soul.

  One day, a humble family visited the orphanage — the father, Takashi, and the mother, Mika. They were searching for a child to care for alongside their sick son, Ren. Yet, they found no suitable child except one — a boy in a miserable state.

  Takashi approached one of the staff members, Yuji, and asked, “What’s the story of that boy over there? Why does he look so different from the others?”

  Yuji laughed mockingly and replied, “That one? His name’s Haru, if I remember right. He’s the only child no one’s ever thought of adopting. Director Saito hates him for personal reasons — scars left by the war, I suppose. He tortures the boy mercilessly. Honestly, we expect he’ll be thrown out soon to die on the streets. Who would care about him anyway?”

  Mika’s eyes filled with tears as she whispered ,“Oh my God… he looks so innocent. He reminds me of a painful past I once lived through. we can’t leave him here.”

  Takashi objected at first, saying, “Mika… we came here to find a child who could help us care for Ren, not to add more burdens.”

  But Mika’s gentle eyes and soft voice changed his heart. With a faint smile, she said ,“I know… but maybe fate brought us here to save this child.”

  After a long silence, Takashi sighed and said, “Alright… we’ll adopt him.”

  Haru didn’t understand what was happening, but for the first time, he felt a warmth he had never known before when Mika reached out her hand and said with a tender smile,“Haru, come with us. From today… you’re part of our family.”

  The little boy hesitated at first, his body trembling with fear. His eyes wandered between the urge to run and the longing for safety. The woman, motherly in her kindness, gently placed her hand on his shoulder and said softly,“ Don’t worry, my dear… you’ll live a much better life than in this dreadful, lonely orphanage.”

  Her words slipped into his heart like a warm breeze in the cold of solitude. He calmed down a little and looked up at her with a faint glimmer of hope he hadn’t felt in so long. In the end, the small boy reached out his hands — perhaps toward a better life, away from that cursed orphanage.

  Haru arrived at his new home, and at first, he was nervous. The house was very clean, filled with things he had never seen before — a device called a television, a warm bath, and a comfortable bed. Even the food was unfamiliar to him, as he had grown used to eating moldy bread at the orphanage. But he tasted it, and little by little, he gradually got used to it.

  Haru learned how to dress neatly, speak properly, and read and write quickly. As the days passed, he began to feel warmth, peace, and affection — feelings he had never known in the orphanage. For the first time in his life, he began to understand emotions such as love, anger, sincerity, and many others. He finally felt safe… but soon, everything changed.

  The family returned home with their sick son, Ren. At first, Haru didn’t mind, but things didn’t go well. Although the family cared for both children, most of their attention was directed toward Ren because of his illness. As days went by, the flames of jealousy and anger began to burn in Haru’s heart, as he felt himself sinking back into the shadow he had struggled so hard to escape.

  On a quiet evening in early autumn, Ren was watching TV from his wheelchair when he heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door with difficulty and found a seven-year-old boy named Haruto, an old neighbor and friend. Ren welcomed him warmly, unaware that behind that smile was a cruel, bullying nature.

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  The two sat and talked, and during their conversation, the guest noticed Haru silently passing through the hallway. The friend asked curiously,— Who’s that?

  Ren replied with a hesitant smile,— Oh, that’s my adopted brother… for some reason, he refuses to talk to me, but I’m hopeful he’ll change with time.

  The friend’s eyes glimmered oddly as he recalled who Haru was. At that moment, anger began to show on his face until it almost burst out. Ren noticed and asked,— Is something wrong?

  But Haruto hid his feelings behind a fake smile and said,— No, nothing at all!

  Ren quickly changed the subject and said excitedly,— Anyway, since my adopted brother doesn’t remember anything about his birthday, my friends and I thought we’d throw him a small party at the start of autumn. You can join us if you’d like, of course.

  The friend smiled with interest and replied,— Thank you for telling me. Honestly… don’t worry, he really does seem like a good boy. In the end, that’s what any loyal brother who loves his sibling would do, right?

  Ren was puzzled by his tone, which carried something unsettling, but he chose not to comment. As the guest prepared to leave, he said with a faint smile,— You know what? Maybe I’ll come to his birthday… what do you think?

  Ren answered, trying to stay optimistic,— Umm, well… maybe that’s a good idea.

  Haruto left the house without another word, while Ren silently hoped his instincts were wrong.

  In a corner of the crowded street, Haruto gathered with his usual friends. Anger blazed in his eyes as he shouted sharply, "That boy! He’s the one who humiliated me!"

  One of his friends didn’t understand what he meant, but another — one of his closest companions — burst out laughing mockingly and said, "Oh, I remember now! A whole year ago, on our way home, we ran into a kid from the orphanage. When you tried to provoke him, he wiped the floor with you and punched you hard in the stomach — then you ran away like a coward!"

  Before Ryoji could finish his sentence, Haruto struck him violently in the stomach, making him bend over in pain. Yet despite the blow, Ryoji kept laughing in a disgusting, taunting way.

  His close friend Kayoto asked in surprise, "It’s been a whole year since that incident… do you really still need revenge?"

  Haruto replied, his eyes filled with hatred, "Of course. I will have my revenge."

  Ryoji sneered, "Hah, you could barely handle one punch. What are you going to do? Face him again and cry like a child?"

  Haruto stepped closer, his voice low and dripping with malice, "No, not this time… I have a plan that will make him destroy himself. We’ll go to the orphanage — the same place he came from — and there, we’ll prepare something that will completely break him."

  A day passes, and Haruto arrives at the orphanage. He is astonished by the place—it looks old and lifeless, like an abandoned house. But as soon as he approaches, he is shocked to see the director beating his assistant with all his strength, shouting angrily: “You fool! You lazy idiot! Not only did you neglect your work, but you also sold the boy? You imbecile! Did you think I wouldn’t be furious when I returned?!”

  The assistant trembles and replies nervously, “It’s not my problem! And what’s the issue anyway? We got a good amount of money when I sold that filthy-smelling kid! You should be grateful I helped you with your miserable orphanage, Mr. Saito!”

  Saito freezes in anger, then yells furiously, “Help? You sold what I considered my doll to vent my anger on! You know what?”

  Slowly, Saito pulls out his gun and points it at the assistant. The assistant steps back in terror, shouting, “W–wait! Are you insane? You’re going to kill me?!”

  But Saito doesn’t care and fires a shot at the assistant’s ear. The man screams in agony, clutching his bleeding ear. “You! You’ll see! I’ll call the police!”

  Saito laughs mockingly, “I’m a soldier, you idiot!”

  The assistant’s eyes widen in shock. “What?!”

  Saito fires another shot, hitting the man’s leg, then says coldly, “Be grateful I spared your life, you failure. Now run away like the rat you are—and never come back!”

  The assistant bursts into tears and limps away, screaming for help. Haruto, who had been watching from afar, smiles excitedly and says, “Wow! That was amazing!”

  Saito turns, startled by the presence of a child, and raises his gun toward him, saying sternly, “Who are you? Trespassing on private property is not allowed!”

  Haruto quickly raises his hands, stammering,“Wait! I didn’t come to cause trouble—I came for revenge! You know a boy named Haru, right?”

  Saito studies the boy’s face, not understanding at first. But when Haruto hints at what happened a year ago, Saito bursts into mocking laughter, “Ah! Now I remember! You’re that kid who wet his pants in fear when that brat hit him! Hahaha! That was the best thing I’ve seen in a long time!”

  Rage boils inside Haruto, but he restrains himself and says calmly, “Yes, yes... very funny. Anyway, I want revenge—but in a way that makes him lose his mind without me facing him directly.”

  Intrigued, Saito says, “Listen, even though you trespassed on private property—and even though I don’t care about brats like you—I’m still angry at that cursed boy for escaping me. So, what do you want?”

  Haruto replies quietly, “I want a gift… something that will drive him mad.”

  Saito thinks for a moment, then says, “Wait here.”

  Haruto waits, crushing ants under his feet with cruelty, until Saito returns carrying a small box. He smirks and says, “Make sure you never say you brought this gift yourself—and ensure it ends up in someone else’s hands.”

  Haruto doesn’t fully understand the last part, but he gets the idea and says cheerfully,“ Thank you for the gift, Mr. Saito! I’ll make sure it’s delivered in the best way possible!”

  Haruto leaves, full of joy, while Saito looks up at the sky and sighs softly, “How I love this kind of child… the ones who know no limits to their evil, who were never taught any manners… For some reason, I feel a bit of guilt… Oh well, it doesn’t matter. It’s not like I actually care.”

  Then Saito walks back into the orphanage, muttering to himself,“ Now then, who will be the next assistant I bring in?”