Ch.290If Side Story. Tokyo Slayers: Final Chapter (28)

“Well, that is…”

“I don’t know what happened either.”

When Souta became flustered, Fukuda answered.

Souta decided not to ask about what had happened.

According to Fukuda, those men apparently had some history with Fukuda’s friend, Yamashita. Fukuda didn’t mention what happened to those men, nor what happened to her, but Souta could make a rough guess.

“From that man’s perspective, the girls who were with those guys probably weren’t of much interest. No matter what, they’re not people who act without standards… Well, if his daughter experienced something like that, he would have been furious, though we can’t know exactly what happened.”

“…”

No words came to mind in response to that.

Souta wasn’t someone with an entirely righteous personality. Basically, he was the type to help if he saw someone having trouble, but that was it. He had no intention of defending someone’s bad behavior by trying to interpret it in the best light possible or arguing that they should be treated equally.

He’d already experienced too many things for that.

“Those girls probably took the men’s side and got roughed up a bit. That’s all there is to it.”

Yuka, Nanami, and Souta looked at each other.

Then they looked back at Fukuda.

“Then, do you know why Kurosawa didn’t come to school today?”

When asked that question, Fukuda, who was standing with a somewhat bitter expression, furrowed her brow.

“What?”

“Kurosawa didn’t come to school today. She’s not answering calls either. Her phone is just turned off.”

The students in Kurosawa’s class weren’t particularly friendly toward her, but they wouldn’t lie about something like this.

There was nothing to gain from it.

Moreover, two of the three people who had been actively bullying her weren’t at school either. The class didn’t seem to care much about that situation.

“The last time she didn’t show up…”

Back then, she had been caught by those kids and was being bullied.

Kurosawa’s expression hadn’t changed much even in that moment, but considering her behavior until now, she definitely wouldn’t have welcomed it.

“…No way.”

Fukuda seemed to have the same thought, as her face turned slightly pale.

“That man who’s Yamashita’s father.”

Yuka slowly opened her mouth.

“How much does he know about Kurosawa? Would he protect her after what happened?”

Fukuda’s eyes trembled slightly.

“…You don’t know exactly what happened to those men, right? Whether they were hospitalized, or if they can’t go outside for a while… You don’t know that.”

“So, you’re…”

“Kurosawa is just a skinny high school girl on the outside. Even someone with an injured arm or leg could still do something if they’re big enough.”

“Wait, wait a minute.”

Fukuda rubbed her eyes with her hands as she spoke.

“No. They probably aren’t that fine.”

“…Is Yamashita’s father that kind of person?”

By this point, even the oblivious Souta and Nanami, who was quite removed from this world, could roughly guess what the two were talking about.

“…Yes, that’s right. At least, that kind of handling… would probably be certain. Unless those men have some superpower that heals bones in a day.”

Yuka’s gaze alternated between Souta and Nanami.

Are you going to look for her? That’s what her eyes were saying.

“Should we just let this go?”

Nanami said.

“Her homeroom teacher isn’t exactly a good one, right? If she doesn’t come to school, he’ll just record her absence and won’t even think about contacting her.”

Souta agreed with that.

“Wait, wait a minute.”

Fukuda interrupted the three who were discussing this so casually.

“Do you guys even know where Kurosawa lives?”

“In Saitama, right?”

“So besides knowing she lives in Saitama, you don’t know anything else. And it’s not a small city. Were you planning to go door to door?”

They had thought about asking the school, but…

Would they even give out the address? Thinking about that homeroom teacher who showed no interest in students while avoiding troublesome situations, it seemed unlikely he would tell them even if they went as a group to ask.

“…There is a way.”

Yuka said.

“What way?”

To Souta’s question, Yuka thought for a moment before answering.

“I don’t know Kurosawa’s house, but… I know someone who might. I’ll ask.”

Souta, Nanami, and Fukuda tilted their heads at Yuka’s words.

But Yuka didn’t reveal who she was going to ask.

*

Yuka really did find out the address. Simply by exchanging a few emails.

Well, it’s easy to forget, but Yuka has various connections. Since she’s received thanks from people of quite high standing while dealing with yokai, finding the address of a girl who attends the same school shouldn’t be difficult.

Fukuda and Nanami looked somewhat doubtful, but they still followed behind Yuka as she led the way.

Even though they took the train right after school ended, the distance was much farther than expected.

Moreover, the house wasn’t right near the station. They had to take another bus or walk a bit further.

As they slowly made their way deep into the residential area, what the group encountered was—

“…This place?”

“This is it, she said.”

A very old-looking two-story apartment building.

It wasn’t just old. The entire apartment seemed poorly maintained, with various parts excessively worn down. The concrete sections had areas that looked like they had fallen off from age, and the wood appeared quite unstable, as if it had gone through too many cycles of drying and getting wet.

“Here? Where Kurosawa lives?”

She attends Hanakawa High School. It’s not just a place with high academic standards, but it’s also known for being expensive to attend.

The uniform alone isn’t cheap, and naturally, the cost of commuting from Saitama to school every day would have been considerable.

Above all, Souta had imagined the “Kurosawa family” to be similar to Yuka’s household.

Even if not extremely wealthy, a house with history and authority that manages a shrine.

But the place before his eyes betrayed such imagination.

“…”

Yuka silently walked ahead.

Climbing up the old stairs where rust would come off on your hands if you touched the railing, Yuka stood in front of the second unit on the second floor and knocked on the door.

Knock. Knock.

The door must not have been very thick, as the knocking sound seemed unnecessarily loud.

There was no answer from inside.

But.

“There’s someone in there.”

Yuka was right. The door and walls were thin enough that they could hear the sound of someone moving on the other side.

Swish, swish, the sound of something slightly scraping the floor.

The sound of feet stepping on the floor, as if someone was walking.

…The sound of something rattling.

But no answer came. No one came to the door.

After a moment of silence, Yuka knocked on the door again and said,

“Is anyone there? Kurosawa didn’t come to school today. Ah, I’m Yuka Yuuki, Kurosawa’s friend. …I came to check if she might be sick.”

There was more rattling from inside.

Then a thud, as if something had fallen over.

“Aah…”

A sound like sobbing was heard.

“Hello?”

Yuka spoke more urgently. The sobbing voice from inside didn’t seem to have much strength.

Something didn’t feel right about the situation.

They had never heard about what Kurosawa’s family was like, so they didn’t know who might be inside.

“…Go away.”

A faint voice was heard from inside again, along with the rattling sound.

“Kotone is no longer here. She probably won’t be going to school anymore.”

“What?”

“Kotone was able to live happily thanks to all of you. She’s gone to a better place now, so don’t worry.”

Bang!

But as soon as those words ended, that sound rang out.

“Fukuda.”

Fukuda had struck the wall hard with her hand. The wall, no thicker than the door, resonated loudly once.

“What do you mean, ‘gone to a better place’?”

Fukuda asked.

“That sounds strange.”

“…”

There was no sound from inside again.

…

No, there was a sound. It just wasn’t words.

The sound of quiet sobbing. The person inside was crying after talking about Kurosawa Kotone.

Yuka stepped back a little, and then,

“W-wait, Yuuki!?”

Before Nanami could stop her, she slammed her body against the door with all her might.

“Yuka.”

Souta tried to stop her, but Yuka was already stepping back again.

Bang!

The next time she hit it, Fukuda joined her.

The two girls, smaller than Souta, combined their strength and pushed hard against the door again—

Crack.

Wood chips flew from the doorknob area as it completely broke.

The door swung open, wobbling slightly.

The three who tumbled in through the opened door—

“…Huh?”

Met eyes with a woman inside.

A haggard-looking woman who seemed like she hadn’t properly bathed.

“Aah…”

The woman was crying.

“I wanted her to remain just a normal girl in her friends’ memories…”

Saying that, the woman who resembled Kotone so much, with iron chains around her neck, burst into tears.