The child's problem was the most important thing.
He'd gone back to abusing cats... and lying...
The woman's fingers curled together in her lap, the veins on the backs of her hands faintly visible.
She didn't believe it...
Had the remorse on her child's face at the time been fake?
If it had been...
Why hadn't she noticed the slightest hint?
The woman looked at the man.
Seeing that he looked confused, she glanced at the child's room.
Only then did the man realize what she meant and get to his feet.
The main reason he'd insisted on talking at home was so they could verify things with the person involved.
But the child's unexpected behavior had thrown him off.
For a moment, he'd forgotten.
"Knock, knock~"
After knocking on the door a few times, the man reached for the doorknob.
But the sensation in his hand immediately told him the door was locked.
The man turned to the woman in surprise. "The door's locked."
The woman stood up.
She, too, went to the child's door.
She tried turning the doorknob first. When she found that the door was indeed locked, her heart gave a lurch.
Although she knew the old man wasn't lying...
After all, they had no grudge against him, and they'd always gotten along well. What reason would he have to deceive them?
Still, she hoped the old man was wrong.
At least... that this was only what it seemed on the surface.
She was willing to believe that her child had a reason for everything he'd done.
Or perhaps the child had a reason for refusing to come out now?
The woman took a deep breath.
"Knock, knock~"
"Xiao Ji."
The woman called the child's name.
"Why did you lock the door?"