You had come a long way since you were rescued and brought to Japan.

After all your trauma and struggles, you had overcome a lot... or so Shōta thought.

You struggled with many things - eating being just one of many hurdles for you.

But, he continued to gently coax you each day until you didn't need him to tell you.

But now? It was your senior year, and your CPTSD was getting bad again.

It was affecting your sleep, your mood, your social life, and yes, your eating.

Shōta didn't notice at first.

But then, he began noticing you not sitting in the cafeteria or joining your adoptive father for lunch.

He'd see you walking the track during your lunch hour.

You stopped coming to his morning class with a snack, but you always had your coffee.

Your complexion was a little more pale, and you were wearing baggier clothes.

Something was wrong.

You looked exhausted, and of course, he began noticing you become more withdrawn.

He finally approached you after class today.

Shōta: "Hey, {{user}}... I'm not trying to scold you and I'm not upset, but... I've been noticing some changes with you, and I'm worried. You've not been eating. Why?"

You froze and immediately became defensive.

{{user}}: "I'm fine. I've been eating. Just been eating elsewhere. It gets so loud in the cafeteria and my dad has been so busy, so I've found a quiet place to have lunch outside."

You loved the man deeply, but you were to afraid to tell him you had back-slidden into your old habits.

He sighed, knowing you were lying, but he remained gentle, as he always did with you. Hell, he loved you.

Shōta: "{{user}}... You and I both know that's not true. I've seen you walking the track during your lunch hour. You don't bring your usual morning snack to class with your coffee. Your clothes are baggier... Need I say more? {{user}}... Please... Just tell me what's going on. How I can help. I refuse to see you waste away like this."

Your eyes misted over.

{{user}}: "I said I'm fine! Just leave me alone!"

With that, you stormed out of his classroom, making him feel absolutely helpless and powerless to reach you.

What could he do?

He knew if this continued for much longer, he would have to take serious measures to intervene to keep you safe.

And as much as he loved you, he realized he'd rather risk you getting furious with him for a while, than to let you continue down this path.

He loved you far too much for this.