Chapter 347: Early Autumn |
That was the spring of their second year in junior high school.
When the pale, delicate, and lovely young girl asked that question, the cherry blossoms behind her were falling like rain.
Even though her words sounded like a joke, her expression was incredibly serious. However, when she noticed the boy's eyes remained as indifferent as ever, her expression relaxed. "Stop! You don't have to answer!" She raised her hands defensively in front of her. "I know my affection level isn't high enough yet! I demand a reload! Take me back to before I said that!"
With that, she took a deep breath, clasped her hands behind her back, and took a step forward, closing the distance between herself and the second-year junior high student, Hoshino Gen. Pouting slightly, in a tone that was half-coaxing and half-pleading, she said, "Or, wait until your answer becomes the one I want. Tell me then, okay?"
Hoshino Gen didn't agree, nor did he refuse. Perhaps he simply didn't care at all. Regardless, their relationship remained just as usual after that.
...
"No... no way, at a time like this?"
After school on a perfectly ordinary afternoon, the other students had either gone to their club activities or swarmed out of the campus to head home.
But Shirayanagi Ayaha sat completely alone in her seat, too afraid to move an inch. No matter how her classmates called out to her, she brushed them off with obviously fabricated excuses.
Clatter—!
The closed classroom door was suddenly slid open. Shirayanagi Ayaha hastily sat bolt upright, not wanting anyone to notice her predicament. When she saw who was standing at the door, she relaxed slightly. With a bitter expression on her small face, she asked, "Why did you come back?"
Hoshino Gen didn't answer. He simply tossed over his removed school uniform jacket. "The smell of blood."
With that, he turned and left.
The school uniform jacket landed right on Shirayanagi Ayaha's tightly pressed, fair legs. She stared at the uniform on her lap, then looked up at the now-closed classroom door, and finally, her small face flushed beet red—
Tying the jacket around her waist, she stood up, left the classroom, and quickly chased after the boy she liked. "You have a dog nose! You could even smell that?!"
...
...
"This is b-bad, Ayaha-chan! That group led by Watanabe, the ones you rejected this morning, they took Hoshino-kun to the old school campus!"
...
The wind brushed past her ears, and her heartbeat was more erratic than ever before. For the first time in her life, Shirayanagi Ayaha ran like a normal person.
She gasped for air, her chest burning with every breath.
But when she finally tore through every veil, shattered every barrier, and sprinted right up to him...
All she saw was a hellish painting—severed limbs scattered everywhere, dark and light crimson blood splashed around like macabre graffiti.
The boy stood in the center of the corpses, his white shirt stained with blood. Her frantic breathing and footsteps caught his attention. He turned his head, and his eyes, which were usually filled with a calm indifference, brimmed with ferocious killing intent.
That azure left eye she loved to gaze at the most was now smeared with a terrifying, trembling crimson.
...
"Actually, when it comes down to it, this is still your responsibility!"
"The doctor said my body is too weak. Having a child would definitely kill me! So, I probably won't be able to get married in this lifetime—"
"But I'm an invincible, beautiful young girl, after all! Occasionally, I really want to experience romance and stuff too~"
"But because I've spent so much time with you, looking at other boys just feels a bit... displeasing."
"Even when we were kids, the reason I insisted on pestering you to be my friend was exactly the same—"
"It's all because you're too good-looking~ Hahaha..."
...
Her breathing was ragged, growing faster and faster, until even inhaling became difficult.
...
"You really should make more friends~"
"After all, look at me. My illness is so severe that even world-class experts say it will be hard for me to live past twenty!"
"Add in all the various accidents in life, and who knows, I might drop dead any day now~"
"Humans are social animals in the end. Even a giant ice block like you has learned to chat with me after I warmed you up for so long. Someone who has grown accustomed to companionship will probably find it even harder to endure loneliness—"
"So, it's fine while I'm here, since you have me to keep you company. But if there comes a day when I'm gone, you'll definitely still need someone by your side!"
...
Her heart beat frantically, faster and faster, until it began to throb with pain.
...
The world before her eyes seemed to recede, her vision growing blurrier and blurrier until everything faded to pitch black.
Her heart hurt so much.
...
...
"A-Gen, we're back!"
The front door of the villa swung open, and Tamamo-no-Mae charged toward the living room sofa, carrying a waft of sweet-smelling breeze.
Hoshino Gen, who was gripping a game controller, saw a blur before his eyes. The video game on the screen was instantly replaced by the little girl's smiling face hovering right in front of him.
Behind Tamamo-no-Mae was Hoshino Rin, lugging bags large and small. Following closely behind her were Daihaku and Shiro, shadowing her every step.
—Even though it was Hoshino Gen who had brought the wolf cub Daihaku home, the creature never bothered to spare him a single glance, whether he was leaving or returning. Instead, it was remarkably close to Hoshino Rin. Looking at it now, it acted just like Shiro, only lacking a wagging tail.
"Brother, have you had dinner yet? We brought you some Getsu-an cake~"
"That shop is so popular! We had to wait in line for a long time just to buy a little bit!"
"I put the stuff on the kitchen table. Remember to eat it, Brother. I need to take a shower first. It's already September, but the weather is still so hot—"
"Kyukyu-chan, do you want to take a shower now?"
Tamamo-no-Mae, who had burrowed into Hoshino Gen's arms, slipped right back out. She scurried energetically toward the stairs where Hoshino Rin was standing. "Yes!"
...
Having just finished her shower and blown her hair dry, Shimizu Yu stepped out of the bathroom, radiating a fragrant scent. At the same time, she held her mobile phone, chatting with Suzuki Sawami on the other end of the line.
"You said... an exploration?"
"Yeah! This Friday after school, we'll head out once the sun goes down!"
"You know about Kamishirogawa Private Academy over in Minato Ward, right? The exploration spot is their old school campus! It's always had those urban legends about being haunted. I heard several outdoor adventure streamers actually ran into ghosts while broadcasting there!"
"Even though everyone knows it was just for show, the reputation has already spread. A lot of people have gone to try their luck recently!"
"Plus, we've already made plans with the guys from our school's Outdoor Adventure Club!"
"Yu-chan, do you want to join?"
Shimizu Yu blinked her large eyes. Knowing that ghosts actually existed in the world—and having personally faced a Vengeful Ghost—she was naturally sensitive to the word "ghost."
After a moment of hesitation, she opened her mouth, wanting to persuade her good friend to stop seeking death. But just then, her father's shocked and furious voice echoed from downstairs—
"What? Wada is dead? His whole family was murdered?!"