Ch.21Chapter 3. If Only There Was a Conscience (7)

“……That oni costume.”

“It’s not an oni, it’s a namahage.”

What’s a namahage?

“Namahage is from Oga City in Akita Prefecture— Ah, that’s not important right now.”

The man quickly shut his mouth after seeing my expression.

I mean, I did wonder about it in my head, but he didn’t have to answer out loud before I actually asked.

Is he some kind of yokai enthusiast or something?

I looked at the kitchen knife lying on the floor.

“Ah, that was for self-defense, just in case…”

I thought that made sense. If you’re going to venture out in that kind of situation, you’d want to carry something to protect yourself.

But a kitchen knife seemed a bit extreme. Wouldn’t people normally grab something like a club?

…No, that’s not right. There’s nothing like a club in my room either. I guess there aren’t many club-like objects that would work for self-defense except maybe a baseball bat.

“Um… so, you.”

As the man was about to ask me something, I heard police sirens in the distance.

I don’t know who called them, but they’re coming pretty quickly. It’s only been a few minutes since I collapsed on the stairs.

But if things had gone differently, the police might have been too late.

How long would it have taken for the man to kill or rape me without resistance? The thought sent chills down my spine.

I stared at the kitchen knife, then suddenly grabbed it.

“Hey!”

The man was startled, but this time I didn’t put the blade to my wrist. Instead, I frantically rubbed my hands all over the knife.

I’m not sure how many fingerprints I can erase.

As far as I know, fingerprint fragments probably won’t be admissible as evidence at this time. And since no actual murder took place, the police probably won’t be enthusiastic about collecting fingerprints anyway.

Looking up, I didn’t see any CCTV cameras. Well, it would be more unusual if there were any in an old apartment building like this.

“…Mister.”

“Yes?”

“Testify that you dropped the knife as soon as you came out.”

“What?”

The man made a slightly dumbfounded sound.

“In that kind of situation, just holding a knife could get you in big trouble.”

I know of a case where someone went to prison just for standing there holding a glass bottle. That was in Korea, but would Japan be much different?

“Then what about you?”

“I’m a minor.”

Sixteen years old.

I’m not sure exactly what age Japan’s juvenile protection laws cover.

“Say you dropped it, and I picked it up while escaping.”

I could hear police officers shouting something.

The sound of car doors opening and closing, and police officers running frantically.

“Don’t move!”

I don’t know how many officers were at the bottom of the stairs, but the one who came up shouted that and looked at the man and me.

A man in a strange costume. And me holding a kitchen knife.

The police officer looked momentarily dumbfounded at the sight, but quickly seemed to assess the situation and shouted at the man.

“You—”

“No.”

I said that to the officer and dropped the knife on the floor.

“This man helped me.”

“…Is that so?”

The officer looked back and forth between me and the man, but still didn’t completely drop his guard against the man.

The officer cautiously approached me.

“…Can you stand up?”

“…Yes.”

I didn’t refuse the hand the officer extended and took it. In truth, my legs still felt weak. Supporting that man at the station, walking all the way here, running, struggling under that pervert—experiencing all those things in such a short time had drained me.

The officer supported me.

“…We’ll need you to give a statement. Will that be okay?”

“Yes.”

I answered obediently.

What else could I say?

The man blankly watched as I walked away supported by the police officer.

*

Now, what should I do?

The best outcome in this situation would be for the whole thing to just go away.

Of course, that stalker needs to be kept as far away from me as possible. How to do that is the problem… let’s take it step by step.

The first thing the police asked me was “Where are your parents?”

I had no choice but to call Kagami. She’s the only character in this world who’s supposed to be related by blood to Kotone Kurosawa.

I’m not sure if “character” is the right word, but anyway.

Kagami entered the police station and gave me a slight smile when she saw me. As if telling me not to worry, she—

“Ha, I don’t even know that bitch.”

—said that.

Legs crossed, arms folded.

Now that I look at her, she was wearing completely different, flashy clothes than when she came to meet me. Her skirt was ridiculously short.

…Well, how should I put it… she looked rather… promiscuous. It wouldn’t be surprising if she’d just been dancing at a club.

“But Ms. Kurosawa, it clearly says here that you’re her mother—”

“Does giving birth make her my daughter?”

What an absolutely ridiculous excuse.

“She doesn’t earn money, wastes time studying useless things, and gets into unnecessarily expensive schools. She’s never done anything good for the mother who gave birth to her, so why should I call this girl my daughter?”

For a moment, I was impressed.

Even if it’s deliberate, how can a person say something so incredibly inconsiderate?

But then again, she might not be a person at all. I found myself accepting that thought.

The police officer’s mouth was hanging open in shock.

Not just that officer, but everyone nearby was staring at us with their mouths agape.

“Tch, everything was going so well, and you had to ruin the mood by calling me.”

I thought for a moment about why this woman was acting this way.

My conclusion was that she wanted to establish “Kotone Kurosawa” as a “pitiful child.” It seemed like some kind of character building.

Understanding the situation perfectly, I decided to play along.

I kept my mouth shut and lowered my head.

I don’t know how to act. So hiding my face would make me look more “pitiful.”

“…Huh.”

The police officer looked back and forth between me and Kagami, letting out a hollow laugh.

*

Looking back at the situation, I did injure the stalker too.

I bent his fingers almost completely backward, and in the process, he fell backward down the stairs, hit his head on the floor, and passed out.

From what I heard, he didn’t die, but he needed medical treatment and was taken to the hospital.

“But you don’t need to worry too much about that problem.”

Kagami said.

The police didn’t keep me for long. I was the victim, the stalker still couldn’t speak properly, and the man’s testimony was limited. They couldn’t detain me in that situation. They didn’t seem to want to anyway.

Instead, they took me home. I must have looked… extremely pitiful.

The two police officers who drove me and Kagami to my home told me in a small voice that I should call them anytime if I needed help.

Did I really look that miserable?

If so, at least Kagami’s plan was successful.

Anyway, at home, Kagami said that to me.

“…Do you have someone high up who believes in cults?”

“Hmm, there are some, but not enough to introduce you yet.”

…I must be in a higher position than I thought. If the “high people” in this country are treated like that.

No, wait, that means such “religions” actually exist.

I was just being sarcastic.

“I told you, didn’t I? About hearing the good word. How could you think it’s not a religion?”

I put my hand to my forehead.

“Then what did you mean by not needing to worry too much? That today’s events won’t be a big legal problem?”

“I’m not sure about that either.”

“Then?”

“You know one of your friends, right? The one who can make minor incidents other than murder ‘disappear.’ The friend from a family that’s been entangled with this country’s high-ranking people for a long time.”

Kagami chuckled and said.

“In case you’ve forgotten, you’ve already broken into someone’s house who had nothing to do with you. You even splattered your blood all over the place. Your friend casually assaulted that man and knocked him unconscious. Could that be forgiven in a country that follows the principle of legality and the presumption of innocence? Even if the other person was a cannibalistic murderer.”

“…”

I had nothing to say.

“It’s a problem that could be solved with just one phone call right now, isn’t it?”

She’s right, but I really don’t like her attitude.

I let out a deep sigh.

“Then that’s settled.”

Kagami said with a smile.

“Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”

“…You mentioned a cult earlier.”

“That’s right. We haven’t decided on a name for the religion yet. Would you like to name it?”

“…”

“Oh, and we’ve received quite a lot of donations. Do you need any?”

My mouth opened slightly, then closed again.

“You don’t need it?”

“…That money…”

“Of course, it’s what would be called a ‘cult religion’ in this country. One where you have to make generous donations to rise higher. But we’re the real deal, aren’t we? It’s not that difficult to convince people.”

I sat there blankly for a moment.

“Oh, naturally, we’re going to do it whether you tell us not to or not.”

I didn’t expect otherwise.

“Do you need money?”

“I don’t need it.”

“I thought you’d say that.”

Kagami smiled and stood up.

“It would be much easier if you just gave up.”

“…”

Seeing that I wasn’t giving any response, Kagami shrugged.

“Well, I’ll be going then. It’s uncomfortable for both of us if I stay here anyway.”

Kagami said that, gave me a slight nod, and opened the door to leave.

“…Haah.”

I sighed deeply and ran my hand over my face.

Then I folded the table and set it against the wall, and laid out the futon on the floor.

As always, I folded the futon lengthwise and slipped in between. I laid my head on the pillow and turned to my side.

After lying like that for a while, I sighed deeply again.

…It seems like it will be difficult to fall asleep again tonight.

Looking at my phone clock, it was just past ten.

Is Yuuki asleep?

Should I bother a friend and receive help? Or should I use someone else’s blood money without conscience? Those were the only options available to me.

…What a terrible world.

I sighed deeply and finally grabbed my phone.

Click, I opened my phone and pressed Yuuki’s number. It was already registered, but there weren’t many numbers registered in my phone to begin with. I had already memorized the numbers I would use frequently.

After hesitating for a moment, I pressed the call button.

Putting the phone to my ear, the signal rang three times, and just as the fourth ring was about to start, the other person answered.

[Kurosawa?]

That voice calling me, as if completely unexpected, made me feel slightly relieved.

“…Yuuki.”

[What’s wrong?]

Yuuki’s voice dropped significantly, as if she sensed something from my voice.

I hesitated for a moment before opening my mouth.

But what came out was not words, but a thin breath.

Only after the situation ended did I realize how terribly exhausted I was. It was completely different from the weakness I felt when being supported by the police officer.

Various parts of my body ached. It seemed like the parts that had been hit when I fell on the stairs earlier were only starting to hurt now.

The cuts I had made on my wrist disappeared so quickly, but this pain… apparently not.

“I…”

I tried to speak but quickly shut my mouth.

My voice was trembling severely.

I rubbed my eyes with my hand.

[…Are you at home?]

“…Yes.”

[Okay. I’ll come right away.]

It would take quite a while to get here from Yuuki’s house.

But Yuuki answered like that anyway.

She didn’t make any other demands.

Is this what it means to be the female protagonist?

After the call ended, I put my phone by my head.

Then I curled up and hugged my knees.

Lying between the futon in a fetal position like a baby in its mother’s womb, I stayed still for a long time—

Bang bang bang!

—I opened my eyes to the sound of someone knocking hard on the door.

I rubbed my eyes and looked at my phone.

It was just past 11:40.

…I thought it would be hard to fall asleep, but it seems I fell asleep as soon as I lay down in the futon.

I rubbed my eyes and pushed the futon aside to get up.

“Kurosawa!”

I heard someone shouting from beyond the door.

As I was getting up, I realized I was still wearing my school uniform.

Whatever.

“Kurosawa! Are you in there!?”

Bang bang bang!

I heard the sound of someone hitting the door hard with their fist.

Hearing someone moving in the next room, I quickly headed to the entrance.

Without putting on shoes, I walked barefoot across the entryway to the door.

Click.

As soon as I unlocked the door, it swung open outward.

Yuuki was standing there.

White short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. Did she just grab whatever clothes she could find?

Sweating and breathing heavily, Yuuki was looking at me.

Did I look that bad?

“…What happened?”

Yuuki asked with a very surprised expression.

*

There’s an expression people make when they first enter my room—well, so far that’s only been Teacher Suzuki. Kagami doesn’t count as a “person.”

Anyway, there’s an expression people make when they first enter my room.

A blank stare with their mouth open, looking around the room as if their soul has left their body.

In my opinion, it’s not just because the room is small or old.

Rather, it’s because there are so few things in the room that a person needs to live.

I did get a fan and a rice cooker, but my room still looks like it’s inhabited by a hikikomori who has completely given up hope for life.

Yuuki had secretly followed me to the apartment before, but she had never been inside my room.

“You…”

Yuuki was about to say something but closed her mouth.

Her eyes were on the futon I had just been lying on.

The pillow was pushed to the side of the futon, and the futon that had been folded in half and hastily unfolded still had the bottom part slightly folded. Without a blanket on top, it was easy to understand the situation.

I slowly moved to unfold the table.

Cushions… I don’t have any. Would they sell them at the 100-yen shop? Maybe that’s too much to ask for 100 yen.

“…Sorry. I don’t have coffee or tea.”

I was about to get up to boil some water, but Yuuki grabbed my shoulder and pushed me down.

As I sat back down with a thud, Yuuki herself moved to sit across from me.

And sitting face to face with me, she asked.

“What happened?”

“…”

When I called, I thought this was my only option, but now that we’re face to face, I don’t have the courage to speak.

It feels… shameless, I guess.

But Yuuki, sitting with her arms crossed and her mouth firmly shut, looked like she would continue sitting like that until I spoke.

I finally opened my mouth slowly.

*

After hearing my story, Yuuki had an expression that suggested she didn’t know what expression to make.

In fact, Yuuki’s character was portrayed as someone who reacts coldly to people’s deaths.

I say “portrayed as” because that’s not actually true.

Later, when the protagonist got extremely angry and tried to kill someone, she physically blocked him and stopped him.

She constantly transferred schools and maintained shallow relationships with friends, and always arrived only after someone had died, so she didn’t show it outwardly, but like all heroines of this period, Yuuki is tough on the outside but soft on the inside.

How shocked must such a character be after hearing that her friend was almost raped by a stalker?

“…About that stalker problem… my grandfather and father can do something about it. I’ll make sure he never appears near you again.”

“…Thank you. I’ll repay you someday.”

“There’s no need… No, that’s right. Make sure you repay me someday. I’ll be waiting.”

Yuuki answered like that.

I opened my phone to check the time.

It was already midnight.

“…The subway must have stopped running.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Yuuki exhaled deeply. Sitting with both hands on the floor, leaning her upper body back slightly, Yuuki looked at me.

“I’ll stay here tonight.”

I looked at Yuuki silently.

“What, is that not okay? I even brought my bag.”

Oh, I see.

Yuuki is a well-prepared girl. She must have thought ahead about how far her house is from mine.

“Grandfather wanted to come too, but it didn’t seem right for him to enter a house where a girl lives alone.”

If they had come by car, they might have been able to go back, but that would have been even more troublesome for them.

“Okay.”

“Good… Um. Did you have dinner?”

“I ate. With friends. Hamburgers.”

“I see… But aren’t you a little hungry? We could have a late-night snack. I may not look it, but I know how to cook.”

Yuuki said as she stood up.

“Oh, but… the refrigerator?”

“…”

When I couldn’t answer, Yuuki froze with her mouth open.

“Ah~ Then should we eat out? Hm?”

“…Are you hungry?”

“No, not really, but you know what they say. When you’re feeling down, it’s good to eat something to improve your mood. Should we go to a family restaurant?”

“…”

Yuuki was… acting brighter than usual.

Is she trying to lighten the mood somehow?

She’s really such a kind-hearted person.

She might not look it, but she’s probably on par with Sasaki in reality.

Normally, I would have felt a bit guilty about relying on Yuuki, who’s younger than me, but right now I didn’t have the luxury to think about such things.

“…Okay.”

So, today I’ll accept the female protagonist’s kindness.