"Kota!" Seeing the small figure come downstairs, Masashi Emoto could no longer contain his anxiety and rushed out from his hiding place.
When he pulled the bewildered little boy into his arms, the people who had followed him out could all hear him let out a very obvious breath.
"I'm sorry, Kota... I shouldn't have left you home alone..."
Masashi Emoto held him tightly as he spoke, but everyone else could hear what his true apology was really about.
Even though he knew Rokuda was the most likely suspect, he had still wanted to give him a chance. Those twenty-odd minutes might have seemed harmless at first glance, but ultimately, they could still have harmed Kota. Masashi Emoto was apologizing to his younger brother for that.
"Uh, Brother..." The child, suddenly pulled into an embrace, was clearly flustered. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to run out of the house. Um, that uncle, he..."
"It was Brother's fault. I should have told you sooner. Next time, you can't open the door when there's no one else at home, understand?" Having calmed down, Masashi Emoto pulled back slightly and carefully checked Kota over, wanting to make sure he had not been hurt.
He was indeed still wearing the clothes Aya Emoto and Masashi Emoto had put on him before leaving home. Aside from his timid expression, he looked no different from usual.
"Yes, Sister said I can't just take other people's things..." Kota looked away. "Um, that uncle happened to come over, so I wanted to give the card back to him..."
"...Kota is a good boy. From now on, we'll write our phone numbers beside the telephone. You have to call us and confirm before opening the door, okay?"
"Okay."
Masashi Emoto finally smiled. Just as he was about to turn and