Chapter 19
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I exhaled a menthol-flavored cloud of smoke under the exhaust fan. It was 10 PM.
In the darkened living room, Tsubaki was quietly breathing in her sleep as usual.
After visiting the sunflower field, we couldn’t stay at the festival venue for long due to the incident with Mishima.
Instead, we spent some time at the shopping mall near the transfer station, looking at clothes and stopping by a café for a simple date.
During that time, Tsubaki seemed a bit awkward, but she wore a joyful smile.
I couldn’t help but search for Mayuko’s shadow in that smile over and over again.
Yet, her image was nowhere to be found. Until this morning, no matter how hard I tried to erase it, it clung to my mind.
Or perhaps, I had already stopped trying to erase it.
Another puff of white smoke slipped out of my mouth.
I put out the cigarette and moved to the living room, where I peered at Tsubaki’s sleeping face.
Indeed, she looked nothing like Mayuko. No matter how many times I blinked or rubbed my eyes, the situation remained unchanged.
…This is probably for the best.
As I lifted my head, the urn came into view at the edge of my vision.
I moved to the shelf and touched it, feeling the cold surface. Mayuko’s hands had been warm and soft.
When I closed my eyes, images of her smiling, getting angry, crying, and looking discontent while complaining came to mind.
They were so vivid, it was as if she was right in front of me.
None of those faces resembled Tsubaki in the slightest.
“Of course, Tsubaki isn’t you,” I murmured as I opened my eyes. Naturally, there was no response.
Instead, I heard the rustling of fabric from the sofa.
“Mm…”
With a sleepy voice, Tsubaki slowly sat up.
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
“No… it’s not your fault, Kawakami-san… I just… had a bad dream, it seems.”
“I see.”
After everything that happened during the day, it’s no wonder she had a bad dream.
“If you can’t sleep well, do you want to use the bed?”
“No, I’m fine… Ah.”
Suddenly, her sleepy eyes widened.
“Um… if you say so, Kawakami-san…”
Her gaze wandered, and her voice wavered slightly.
She was definitely misunderstanding.
“You don’t have to be so on edge: it’s not an invitation like that.”
“I see…”
“Are you relieved?”
“N-No! That’s not it…”
“Hahaha, you don’t have to be so flustered. You didn’t originally want that kind of relationship with me, right?”
“…”
In lieu of a response, her long eyelashes lowered.
It felt a bit regretful, but it was the obvious answer.
What she sought from me wasn’t romantic affection.
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t really looking at you either, after all.”
Her slender shoulders trembled slightly.
“Um, in that case… our romantic relationship…”
“It’s probably best to call it off.”
“Yes, you’re right…”
Tsubaki clutched the towel blanket and hung her head.
The reason for her dejection was obvious. It’s better to clear things up before they get complicated.
“Regarding what comes next, if…”
—Ding-dong.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Who could it be at this hour…?
“Is it a guest?”
“No… I don’t know. Let me check. You stay here, Tsubaki.”
“Okay… be careful.”
Nodding at her anxious voice, I left the living room.
I moved to the front door and looked through the peephole, but I saw no one within its range.
…Was it just a prank?
Surely, no one would be starting fires in the middle of summer… but I’d better check outside just in case.
When I opened the door and stepped outside, there was no smell of burning or chemicals.
It really was just a prank.
Still, a doorbell ditch at this day and age, how quaint…
“Kawakami!”
“!?”
Suddenly, something knocked me over, and my back slammed against the floor.
In my swaying vision, that something climbed on top of me.
“It’s all your fault… How are you going to make up for this!?”
A shrill voice pierced my ears.
Ah… it’s Mishima.
Her usually neatly parted bangs were disheveled…
“Because you brought that girl…”
Her thickly applied foundation was streaked with sweat and oil…
“She played the tragic heroine…”
Her mascara and eye makeup had run down…
“…and my boyfriend misunderstood and broke up with me!”
…her red-stained lips babbling nonsense.
Regardless of her words, this disheveled appearance was uncharacteristic of the usually meticulous Mishima.
This wasn’t a situation where a sane conversation was possible.
I needed to get out of this…
“Stop playing dumb and apologize properly!”
—Thud.
“Guh!?”
She grabbed my collar and slammed my head against the floor.
“It’s all…”
—Thud.
“Because you…”
—Thud.
“Were deceived…”
—Thud.
“By that girl!”
—Thud.
With a final strong impact, Mishima’s movements stopped.
Despite this, my head throbbed painfully with each pulse, my ears buzzed loudly, and my vision swam.
Ah… I guess I can’t escape…
At least the door is… closed.
This way, Tsubaki won’t be harmed. This place has an auto-lock, after all.
“…Have you reflected enough?”
Her face, marred by smeared makeup, twisted into a triumphant grin.
“Screw you… Get off me…”
“Oh, so scary. You shouldn’t speak to someone you’ve loved for years like that. That’s not how things work nowadays.”
“…What?”
I’m in love… with someone?
“Well, I get that you want to get my attention, but you know…”
Seriously… what is she talking about?
“I know you’ve always been in love with me, Kawakami.”
The increasingly distorted face grinned deeply, and I felt a surge of nausea.