Chapter 4 Part 3 – Even If I Count the Lies and Secrets

“Woah! A Tokyo Banana!”

TLN: A famous Japanese treat that looks like a small, cute banana. It is made of a very soft, fluffy sponge cake filled with sweet, banana-flavored cream or custard.

The moment she peeked into the paper bag I handed her, Chiharu let out an excited cry.

It was the day after returning from Tokyo.

I had come to visit Chiharu again to deliver souvenir sweets.

“Amazing! As expected of my big brother, you even went to Tokyo?”

“Just for a part-time job. It was like a day trip.”

“Heeh. You seem so grown-up these days.”

As she spoke, Chiharu kept pulling boxes out of the paper bag.

There were Butter Butler financiers and New York Caramel Sands, but the best reaction was for the Tokyo Banana.

Well, it’s the most obvious “Tokyo” thing, after all.

“Did you buy some for yourself?”

“Of course I did.”

In fact, I had a lot more. Tokyo had too many souvenir options, it was hard to narrow it down.

“So, what have you been up to? Have you been doing your homework?”

“Haa…big brother, it’s still the first half of summer vacation! No need to rush, no need to rush~.” Shaking her head in exasperation, Chiharu opened the box of Tokyo Bananas.

Her eyes sparkled at the row of yellow sponge cakes, and she picked one up.

“Careful now, don’t spill it on the futon.”

“I know that! I’m used to it… oh, a crumb fell.”

Exactly what I feared.

I cleaned up the crumbs on the futon and spread out a few tissues in front of Chiharu.

She’s a messy eater, so it can’t be helped.

“Don’t eat them all at once. I bought a lot, so split them up over a few days.”

“Okay! Mmm, today… big brother seems even more ‘big brother-ly’ than usual. Did something interesting happen in Tokyo?”

“Nothing happened. If anything, you’re even more ‘little sister-ly’ than usual.”

With that silly exchange as a starting point, we chatted about random topics for a while.

The anime she’d been into lately, manga she’d read, news she’d seen.

How she cried during that drama starring Kotoha Somei, and the hospital romance gossip she’d heard from the nurse, Miss Niina.

I spent most of the time just listening, but Chiharu seemed happy.

It would have been better if she had more friends to talk to.

I quickly stopped my train of thought, it wasn’t good to always be so negative.

That’s just being greedy. Compared to when her condition was severe, she’s much better now.

At the very least, for me to wish for more… would be selfish.

“See ya, Chiharu. I’ll come again soon, okay?”

“Ah, yeah. Take care! Make sure you watch the anime and drama I recommended!!!”

“Yeah, I got it.”

I nodded to the waving Chiharu and left the hospital room.

I walked down the hallway toward the elevator. Every time I glanced into an open room, I saw patients of all different ages and genders.

I had grown used to the procedures and the hospital facilities.

But the atmosphere of this building, where people’s circumstances and emotions intertwined, never sat right with me.

I wondered if it was because of Chiharu’s illness. Or… because I felt a sense of guilt.

Lacking the courage to be certain, I pressed the elevator button, wanting to escape.

“Mizuki.”

As the door opened, someone called my name from behind.

I don’t really want to talk to this person right now.

But, he was someone I couldn’t simply ignore.

“Father.”

My father was standing there, wearing a white coat.

His taste in plain-colored ties and half-rim glasses hadn’t changed since I’d last seen him.

He was slightly taller than me, but a little thinner.

The gentle, well-featured face that Chiharu had inherited looked a bit awkward now.

“Visiting… Chiharu, right?”

“Yeah.”

When I nodded, my father said, “I see,” and remained silent for a moment.

I said nothing either, only feeling the sensation of the elevator doors about to close.

I don’t usually see my father much at home.

It’s not that we avoid each other, nor is it that we get along poorly.

It’s just that my father tends to get home late, and recently, he’s been staying at the hospital more often, and for longer shifts at a time.

This was probably the first time we’d met in two weeks.

“I’m sorry for always leaving the housework to you…”

“It’s not a big deal. You’re the one working hard. So, did you need something?”

“Ah… no, it’s not that I ‘need’ anything. Just…”

“…”

“About Chiharu’s condition… do you still have no leads?” After hesitating slightly, my father asked me.

The wrinkle between his brows was deep, and the white hairs mixed into his short hair caught my eye.

He used to be someone who looked quite young.

My father had undoubtedly aged over the last few years.

Well, even so, he only finally looks his actual age.

“I don’t, I’m sorry. There’s nothing new.”

I answered quietly.

My father stared at me, his expression unchanged.

“If my father, a doctor, doesn’t understand it, there’s no way I would.”

“…I see. No, I’m sorry.” Shaking his head weakly, my father let out a deep sigh.

He asked the same question every time we saw each other. Each time, I gave the same answer.

I don’t know what kind of feeling drives him to do that. No, I’ve always avoided thinking about it. I am aware of that.

“I’ll be going now.”

“…Ah, then, goodbye. I’ll be staying here for a while longer.”

I nodded to my father, who spoke apologetically, and entered the elevator.

As the elevator ascended, a faint sensation of floating washed over me, and I closed my eyes.

Just as unpleasant memories were about to resurface, the doors opened.

I walked to the reception and greeted Miss Niina, asking her to handle the checkout procedures.

However, I didn’t feel like leaving the hospital immediately, so I turned toward the waiting area to buy a drink.

And there—

“…”

Mahina Kirie was sitting alone.

Unlike last time, she didn’t seem to notice me.

Her eyes were lowered as she stared blankly at the toes of her shoes.

I had no particular business with her. If she didn’t call out to me, it would actually be more convenient.

Despite that, for some reason, my feet were moving toward Kirie.

As I stood beside her, Kirie’s shoulder twitched, and she slowly looked up.

“Oh… Hidaka-kun.”

“…What are you doing here?”

It was obvious she was visiting her mother, yet I asked anyway.

I didn’t quite understand my own logic.

It was just that Kirie’s expression looked sadder than usual, and that bothered me.

No, “sadder than usual” wasn’t the right expression.

Just like that day at the karaoke, when we talked about her ability, she was…

“I just came to bring my mom some clothes and books.”

Kirie pulled up the corners of her mouth, smiling as if to put on a front.

Then, she immediately returned to a gloomy state, and a short sigh escaped her.

She’s bad at hiding her emotions. But– I’m sure I’m the same.

“Hidaka-kun, visiting your sister again?”

“Yeah. I was about to leave.”

When I answered, Kirie nodded, saying “I see,” and slowly stood up.

“I’d like to meet her sometime, Hidaka-kun’s sister,” Kirie said.

I gave her a soft nod.

Chiharu would surely be happy. Kirie would undoubtedly make for a good conversation partner. Better than someone like me, anyways.

However, I was afraid of her knowing about Chiharu’s condition.

“Let’s walk home together.” Kirie smiled again, as if putting on a mask.

I felt a cowardly sense of relief that I didn’t have to be the one to suggest it.

We walked side-by-side toward the station.

Kirie was talking about random topics as usual, and I was just listening and nodding in response.

I’ve really gotten used to being around her.

Even though just a month prior, we had barely known each other.

“It’s almost time, isn’t it…?” Kirie said suddenly.

Her voice was lower and stiffer than usual.

Connecting it to my own thoughts up to that point, I immediately understood the meaning of her words.

I… want to confirm. Whether or not I have the power to kill people.

The person who can do that is away on a trip. I think they’ll be back in a month.

Four weeks had passed since then.

It felt both short and long at the same time.

In the end, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Nothing like what I had feared that day.

“I’ve just been… a bit nervous. I was thinking about a lot of things at the hospital just now.”

“…I see.”

“I just… got a little nervous. I was thinking about a lot of things at the hospital earlier.”

“……I see.”

“Ugh, jeez! What’s wrong with me! Even if I worry about it now, it’s not like anything’s going to change, right?” Forcing a smile onto her face, Kirie suddenly ran a few steps ahead of me.

But her pace soon slowed back down, and she resumed her dejected trudge.

Her slender back looked even smaller than usual, and for some reason, it felt heart-wrenching.

“Kirie.”

I hadn’t intended to, but before I knew it, I had called out to her.

And yet, I knew exactly why I was doing it.

“Why do you want to know about your ability?”

When I spoke, Kirie paused for a moment before turning back to face me.

Her expression was stiff, and her eyes seemed clouded with hesitation.

“Hidaka-kun…”

“Whether or not you can kill someone. Once you know that… what are you going to do?” I had been intentionally trying not to think about it ever since the question first occurred to me. I didn’t think I wanted to know, nor did I think there was any need to.

But now.

Now that I knew about Kirie’s situation, and that moment was right in front of us—I felt just a little bit…

“I…”

“Hey there, Mizuki-kun! What a coincidence, am I right?”

Just then, a voice called out from the path ahead of us.

I glanced past Kirie’s shoulder and saw a familiar figure.

Kirie let out a small gasp, freezing on the spot.

With her pink short hair swaying, Love was waving at us.

However, next to her stood another person—a tall woman.

“…”

She was dressed in a suit that didn’t suit the summer heat at all, paired with a silver tie.

Her long black hair shimmered coldly in the summer air as it flowed.

Sharp eyes, a straight bridge of the nose, thin lips.

Her sharp features formed a grim expression as she stared straight at us… no, straight at Kirie.

I knew who she was.

When was the last time I had seen her?

Just as I was searching through my memories, Love pointed at her and spoke.

“She got back earlier than scheduled, so I brought her along. Peace, introduce yourself.” Even as Love spoke, the woman—Peace—didn’t stop walking towards us.

And then, right after she reached us—

“Love-chan… is this person, maybe—”

In the middle of Kirie’s sentence, I felt a faint whoosh. The air around us trembled for a split moment.

In that moment, peace vanished from my field of vision.

“Wait!”

By the time I realized what had happened, she had already circled around behind Kirie.

“Wha—”

A white handkerchief was pressed against Kirie’s mouth.

As if her batteries had been pulled, Kirie collapsed, and her limbs went limp.

Catching the falling Kirie in her arms, Peace glared at Love, her face still twisted in a scowl.

“Whoa~ that was a bit forceful! Did you really have to do that right away?”

“I should’ve done it earlier. If something had happened, there would be dangerous consequences.” Peace rebuked in a sharp voice.

Love shrugged her shoulders and let out a weary sigh.

“Alright, alright. I guess we have no other choice. Mizuki-kun, carry her on your back.”

“…Okay.”

After thinking for a moment, I nodded and did what I was told.

Her body felt surprisingly light on my back.

The fact that—she—had restrained Kirie.

It meant that it was coming.

I felt bad for Kirie. She likely would never be able to fulfill her condition of wanting to confirm her abilities.

But, I had neither the right nor the reason to stop what was about to happen.

“This girl possesses an ability. You knew that, didn’t you, Love?” Peace snapped, her voice a mixture of anger and irritation.

As Love pouted guiltily, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of resentment toward her expression.