When the next day came, Chiba unlocked the door. "Aru, it's time for breakfast." Aru looked at him with a tired look. "... Okay..." he said. Though he wasn't hungry, he had developed another plan during the night. If he would have the permission to walk around in this building when he went to breakfast, he could also sneak away... Not outside. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance. But he was sure that there must be a telephone somewhere around here. He would try calling his mother to pick him up. If she knew what was going on here... she just had to! "I know where the canteen is..." Aru said to Chiba. Chiba nodded. "Very well then. I'll be coming around ten a clock to get you for the therapy. And remember... In case you try to escape, don't waste your time. You won't get outta here." He smiled gently. "Enjoy breakfast~" He turned around and left. Aru looked after him and then went down the hallways towards the canteen.
This was the first time he actually saw the other children. Some of them were already sitting at tables, others stood in a queue in front of the counter to pick that what they wanted for breakfast. Aru could see a basket with buns, several sorts of juices, two pots of milk and tons of things for buttering on the buns. The scent in the air made him hungry. He heard his stomach growling. He decided to get something to eat after all. He could maybe ask one of the other kids for where the telephone was! That was a great idea. He queued up behind the last child after he had picked a tray from another table. When he had his turn, he took one bun and buttered it with marmalade. Then, he poured milk into a glass and went to an empty seat next to an elder-looking girl with messy, long and brown hair. She looked up when Aru sat down but instantly turned her head again when Aru returned her look. "Uhm... excuse me?" Aru attempted to start a conversation. The girl didn't answer. "...Excuse me?" he asked again. The girl looked at him. "...what?", "Do you know... whether there is a telephone around here...?" The girl smiled without an emotion. "In the offices of the therapists are telephones. Good luck getting to them." Aru nodded. "Okay...", "My pity, by the way." the girl said. "You look young and already landed in hell itself. I'm stuck in here for several months now. It feels like an eternity." With these words, she turned her attention to her plate again. That girl was there for MONTHS?! This truth really shocked Aru. He stared on his plate and kept quiet. "..." His stomach growled and even though his hunger faded away from the one moment to the other, he forced himself to eat his bun and drink his milk before he stood up again. He looked where the other kids brought their stuff and put his plate and glass away before he looked around. A few therapists seemed to be around too... He could see that woman from yesterday talking to another therapist he never saw before. What was her name again? Maya? Aru hoped they didn't notice him and sneaked away. Now, he just had to find that woman's office. That shouldn't be that hard ever since there were names on the doors.
Maya's office was around the corner on the right side. The door was just a little bit opened. Aru looked around. There was no one who could see him. He quickly went inside the room, closed the door and walked towards the desk. The telephone stood next to a great computer. Aru reached for it. Luckily, he knew the number of his house, so he inserted it. A few peep-sounds followed before the voice of his mother answered: "Good morning, Kanzaki here. Who am I talking to?", "Mom?" Relief rose in Aru's chest. "...Aru? Is that you?", "Yes! Please, Mom, you have to pick me up! They are hurting me! I don't wanna be stuck here for months and endure this, please!" Silence at the other end of the line. "Mom?", "Aru... I thought I told you they'd help you getting o-", "You lied to me!" Aru screamed into the phone. "You said I am not ill but Mr. Chiba said that I am! Why did you lie to me, Mom?" Again, no answer came. "This is so unfair!!" He continued. "I never wanted to be here and they hurt me, so please, at least, you have to get me back home!!", "I won't, Aru." The answer of his mother was short and strict. "Don't be a coward. You'll survive your therapy and be better in no time." And then, the connection broke. "Mom? MOM?!" A fast, regular peep-sound was all he got as an answer. She had put down. Again, despair filled his chest and he wanted to cry, but he repressed it. Instead, he put the phone away again and left the room. He quickly went back to his own dorm and sat down on his bed. His mother didn't want to come picking him up... he would never escape from here. He would never be free again. He was caged in this hell...
He noticed a movement in the corner of his eye. He turned his head as fast as he could, scared that is could be Chiba who came to pick him up. But... it was a ghost girl who stood in the corner of his room and looked at him. Her hair was dark and wavy and she wore a dress. "...Hello... Did you get lost here?" Aru asked. The ghost didn't reply. They never responded to him. They were just standing there, motionless, and stared at him like he was some sort of painting in an art gallery. He got used to it quite fast, still, he always kept hoping again and again that one of the spirits he saw would actually talk to him. Every single time, he had been disappointed. Just like this time. "I will be imprisoned inside here forever... I don't want that... Do you know a way out?" The ghost didn't give any reaction. "Can you understand me?" Aru asked. The pale blue eyes of the ghost girl rested on him. "...Are you alone?" Aru kept asking. The ghost nodded slightly. "I can understand that... I am lonely too. Hey, we could probably stay together! The other humans cannot see you, so you'd be save here! What do you say?" The girl came a step closer. Then, she dissolved into white fog and disappeared. Aru lowered his head in disappointment. "..."
The door opened and Chiba came in. Aru jumped up from his bed and shrank back until he felt the wall in his back. Chiba looked at him like an eagle that spotted his prey. "I heard you talking to somebody, Aru..." he looked around. "...Did you see a ghost again?" Aru hesitated before he nodded slightly. "...Huh... That's not good... I have to go a level higher, I fear..." he mumbled to himself. "I don't wanna go back to the pain room!" Aru said. Chiba tilted his head. "I fear you don't have any other choice, little one." Chiba said and went towards Aru. The little boy looked around in panic but there was no where he could escape to. Chiba took his hand. "You'll soon don't have to suffer from your illness, okay?" With these words, he dragged Aru with him. Aru lashed out but it didn't help even the slightest bit. Chiba maybe didn't look like he had tons of muscles, but that guy was hella strong. Seconds later, Aru was again chained to the chair and screamed when the electrical shocks stroke through his body, but this time, they were even heavier...