"Yes, Captain Obvious, I know he's a child! Would you be perving on him otherwise?" Kio couldn't understand what Soubi was getting at. Should he just ignore what Ritsuka wanted because he was a child and clearly could not make informed decisions on his own. But then Soubi was mentally 8, which meant he couldn't be trusted by himself, leaving Kio as the only sensible one.

"What I believe is my own issue, Sou-chan. I don't think it is the whole truth, but some things match and I just... I don't know what to make of this whole place. I never meant for anyone to get hurt. Least of all you, Sou-chan."

Kio sighed. "They said my father committed suicide. They said he did it in front of me and my mother rejected me afterwards. That I was a lonely child." Kio scrunched up his hands into fists, nearly crushing the hidden lollies. "They said I... that... that my wife and daughter want me to be here. To get me fixed." Kio looked away. There. He'd said it. "They said that the piercings and tattoo are to express my inner pain. Self-harm."