Chapter 3 – The Weight of Expectations

Morning sunlight slipped through the window blinds, painting thin golden lines across Riku’s desk. His room looked neat — maybe too neat.

Books were stacked perfectly, trophies lined up on the shelf, and his study timetable hung on the wall like a silent order he could never ignore.

Riku sat at his desk, staring at the same page for the past ten minutes.

Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry — all the things his parents believed defined success.

Downstairs, the faint sound of clattering dishes and his father’s voice echoed.

“Riku, don’t forget your coaching class at five! You’re wasting too much time again!”

He didn’t reply. He just sighed and leaned back, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

It wasn’t that he was a bad student — in fact, he was one of the best in his class. But every word from his parents felt like a chain.

Doctor. Engineer. The same words he had heard since childhood.

To them, the world outside that path didn’t exist.

But to Riku, it did.

He wanted more than a secure future — he wanted meaning.

He wanted to do something so great that his name wouldn’t fade even after he was gone.

“Even if I die,” he whispered to himself, “I’ll make sure the world remembers me.”

The words lingered in the quiet room. He didn’t know how he would do it — through what, or when — but that fire inside him refused to die.

He glanced at the small notebook hidden behind his textbooks — the one filled with his real dreams, ideas, and wild thoughts no one knew about.

It was the only thing that truly belonged to him.

Downstairs, his mother called again. “Riku! Breakfast!”

He closed the notebook and forced a smile.

“Coming,” he said softly.

Then, under his breath — “One day, you’ll see. I’m not meant to just follow a path… I’m meant to make one.”

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The rest of the day passed in quiet monotony — school, homework, and the endless rhythm of expectations.

At 6 p.m., Riku sat in his coaching class, surrounded by the hum of students scribbling formulas and equations. The clock ticked slowly, its hands dragging through the minutes like heavy footsteps.

The teacher’s voice was calm but repetitive — “Focus on the concept, not just the marks.”

Riku wanted to listen, he really did, but his mind drifted elsewhere. The numbers blurred into thoughts of the future — the kind he actually wanted.

By the time the class ended at 8:30, his head felt heavy.

He packed his books, thanked the teacher, and stepped outside. The sky was deep blue now, scattered with quiet stars. The streets glowed with orange streetlights, and the air smelled faintly of rain.

He rode back home slowly, the wind brushing against his face.

When he reached his colony, it was almost 9 p.m. The neighborhood was peaceful — most windows dark, a few faint TV sounds echoing in the distance.

Instead of heading straight home, Riku stopped at the small park near the entrance. He sat on the old wooden bench, dropped his bag beside him, and looked up at the night sky.

The stars looked distant — calm, untouchable, and endless.

For a moment, he felt the weight of everything pressing down on him — his parents’ dreams, his own uncertainty, the strange, unspoken future waiting ahead.

He exhaled softly. “Let’s see what happens tomorrow,” he said to no one in particular, his voice fading into the cool night air.

The wind rustled through the trees. A single leaf drifted down beside his shoe.

Riku smiled faintly.

Then he stood up, picked up his bag, and walked home under the quiet glow of the streetlights — unaware that tomorrow was going to change everything.

     

Ch4 will come next Wednesday 11 pm 

Made by :-  DKT Sensei