Tie a Knot|| Blue Lock

Chapter 18

Although it took a while, [Name] eventually stopped crying as he now sat on their living room couch all bundled up inside a warm blanket. His mom was currently in the kitchen as she made them both a warm cup of chocolate milk.

It didn't take long before Fumiko came back as she set down a cup in front of [Name] before sitting next to him.

He grabbed the cup off the table gently and brought it up to his mouth, giving it gentle blows to get rid of some heat.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Fumiko asked with a patient smile as she held her own cup of warm milk, enjoying the warmth it was giving to her hands.

[Name] chewed on his lips as an apprehensive look appeared on his face. Fumiko simply smiled as she looked away, letting the topic drop. If [Name] wasn't ready to talk about it, then that's okay with her. She can wait until he's ready.

"So what made you decide to come here so late in the night?" Fumiko changed the topic easily as she squinted at a nearby calendar. "Don't you have school tomorrow?"

"We do," [Name] mumbled as he winced after taking a sip of the drink, causing his tongue to get burnt up slightly. "But I missed you."

Fumiko couldn't snort as she lifted a hand to her cheek, enjoying the adorable behavior her son had. No matter how much he's aged, he'll always be her cute little boy.

"That's no excuse to skip school!" Fumiko huffed sternly as she looked away. Her facade didn't last long as she began to chuckle. "Just kidding~ You can visit me anytime you want, I'll always be here to accept you."

[Name] couldn't help but smile warmly at the thought of always being accepted back home before remembering something. Instantly, an anxious look appeared back on his face as he fidgeted.

"Ma, do you remember how you always told me stories every night when I was a child?" He brought up suddenly as he took a deep breath, trying to calm down his erratic heart.

"Oh, of course I do! How could I ever forget?" Fumiko beamed at the warm memories that flooded her, the nostalgia hitting her motherly heart quite strong. "You always did love listening to them."

"Yeah, I did." He nodded with a smile, feeling just as nostalgic as she did right. "Your favorite story was always about the red string of fate."

Fumiko's eyes softened as she nodded wistfully. "Yeah, it was." She spoke in a tender tone, her cup sitting steadily on her lap as she fidgeted with its handle.

"Can I tell you a story about it?" He breathed out, starting to feel anxious again.

"I'm all ears," Fumiko nodded as she let her eyes close, wanting to fully immerse in whatever story he wanted to tell her.

"Let's say there's this boy that can see the string of fate that connects people to each other. He's seen them go far and wide or even completely miss each other despite being so close." He began his tale, his own hands fidgeting with the now colder cup in his hands. "For the price of being given such an ability, it seems like fate had decided to not give him a string, leaving him all alone without a fated."

"Oh, that's quite sad..." Fumiko muttered as she stared at the ceiling, her full attention still on [Name]. "The poor kid never wanted the ability why does he have to pay the price just for having it?"

'He wonders that too.' He thinks bitterly.

"Who knows?" He shrugs. "Anyways, as he grew up, he never told the story of being able to see such a thing. He's also come to learn what the strings meant, although it saddened him quite a bit to realize he didn't have a soulmate. Nevertheless, he continued on normally." He took a deep breath. "Until one day, he met someone."