Ch.436IF Side Story: Seems I’ve Arrived a Bit Early (133)

I should say it was expected.

We went to the police station and were released quickly.

Everyone who let us go had shocked expressions. Some looked worried, while others seemed completely bewildered.

Understandable, considering we were girls covered in blood holding a Japanese sword.

At least my blade had disappeared… though that created another problem.

My blood-formed blade, when it disappears, just falls to the ground and bursts like a water balloon. Naturally, this leaves behind a considerable amount of blood.

Blood had also dripped from my wrist until the wound healed, and the bites on my leg and arm bled for an incredibly long time. The larger the wound, the longer it takes to heal.

Calling me a monster wouldn’t be entirely wrong.

“…”

Even though my wounds had disappeared, we didn’t go straight home from the police station.

We went to a fairly large hospital nearby.

It would be more accurate to say we went for appearance’s sake rather than for treatment.

Since so many passersby had witnessed what happened.

“…Will she be okay?”

“Mako?”

When I muttered while lying in bed, Yuka asked.

“Yeah.”

Mako was, of course, picked up by Mr. Miura.

Even until we parted, Mako was still trembling from shock. Fortunately, she hadn’t directly seen the Aogui, but she had seen me wounded and covered in blood.

Mako didn’t cling to me screaming or crying.

She just stared at me blankly, even forgetting to shed tears.

I couldn’t find any more words to say to her.

Telling her everything was fine now would have been meaningless after what she’d seen.

“…”

Yuka opened and closed her mouth several times.

I was lying in a private room in this hospital.

I wasn’t even in pain anymore, but I was lying here because there had been witnesses around.

“Yuka, will you be okay?”

“Huh?”

When I asked somewhat abruptly, Yuka blinked.

“I mean, being there when…”

“Ah.”

Yuka smiled slightly.

“I think it’ll be fine.”

I had been injured. I had wounds from being bitten and torn. My wrist had been cut.

Passersby had seen that.

Unfortunately, we were students attending school in that area. And Hanakawa High School’s uniform is quite recognizable. A black sailor uniform. I’m not sure how many schools in Japan have this kind of uniform, but in this area, there’s only one with this design. The middle school students who use a different building wear white sailor uniforms, that’s all.

If I had been the only one injured, people might have thought it was some kind of accident, but the person next to me was Yuka, also covered in blood and holding a sword.

And the girl clinging to my side was a girl who looked exactly like me.

…Anyone seeing that for the first time would only think Yuka had done something terrible.

“Ugh…”

Koko, who was sleeping beside me, made that sound. Since both Koko and I are small, the bed was big enough for both of us.

Koko was lying next to me, tightly hugging my arm.

She was lying on her side even though the bed was slightly raised. Isn’t that uncomfortable? Well, Koko’s flexibility rivals that of a cat.

Or maybe a mollusk.

“The passersby… I’m sure the relevant people will handle it somehow. There have been so many murders by other yokai before. The government people have been covering those up.”

Perhaps it’s fortunate that this is the mid-2000s. The systems aren’t yet convenient enough to distribute photos taken with mobile phones everywhere.

Besides, I’m not even sure if anyone passing by took photos with their phones—

…Well, I decided to think like Yuka. There’s no point in thinking too deeply about this anyway.

Knock knock.

Just as I gave up thinking and slumped back on the bed, there was a knock at the door.

My body immediately tensed again.

Who could be on the other side of the door? Probably not just a doctor. Maybe Mr. Miura, or Kagami.

Both are extremely burdensome people to face. With Mr. Miura, well, our relationship wasn’t exactly warm to begin with, and Kagami… Kagami is my mother.

Ah, I’ll have to tell her about today too. Or maybe she’s already heard from someone.

I was terrified of seeing Kagami in tears. I’m a bit afraid of seeing that now. It feels like I’m shredding the heart of a mother who sacrificed her whole life for me.

“…I’m coming in.”

But the person behind that door wasn’t Kagami.

Nor was it Mr. Miura.

The person who carefully opened the door and peeked her head in was none other than Mako.

Not only I but also Yuka, who was sitting in a chair beside the bed, was surprised.

“Mako?”

“Kotone.”

When I called Mako’s name, she awkwardly smiled and carefully entered the room, closing the door behind her.

“Um… are you okay?”

“Ah, yes.”

I answered.

At least in this situation, I’m fine. Not a single wound remains.

Mako hesitantly approached me.

In her hands was… a fruit basket.

A typical get-well gift.

I wondered if Mr. Miura had come with her, but the door just naturally closed. No one else followed her in.

Mako came in and glanced at my legs, but they were covered with a blanket, and I was wearing long pants underneath. There was no way she could see any wounds.

My arms were fine too.

“Ah, thank you.”

When Yuka stood up and accepted the fruit basket on my behalf, Mako shyly bowed. Yuka gave up her seat and leaned against the window.

Mako silently sat down.

And quietly looked at me.

“…Kotone.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Was what happened today… because of me?”

“No.”

I said firmly.

“Really?”

“Yes. Absolutely not.”

“What about the bear that appeared last time when I was there?”

“That wasn’t because of you either. It was completely coincidental, just coincidence.”

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure.

Yeah. Maybe it’s not because of Mako.

Contrary to Mako’s misconception, it might not be that she puts me in danger, but that I’m the one putting her in danger.

“…”

Mako pressed her lips tightly together.

She clearly didn’t believe me.

“Kotone.”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to transfer schools again this time?”

“No.”

I said firmly again.

“…Is this time different from before?”

“Yes, because the situation is different.”

Mako looked at my left wrist.

Though Koko was holding onto it, the tattoo on that wrist was slightly visible beneath the rolled-up sleeve of my hospital gown.

It was a tattoo that seemed inappropriate for a high school student.

I don’t know what it’s like in the 2020s, but when I was in high school, not many students had tattoos. I think the perception would be even worse in Japan during this period.

That’s partly why I keep it covered.

Mako’s eyes welled up with tears.

But before I could comfort her, Mako quickly pushed up her glasses and roughly wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

The area around her eyes turned red, but Mako didn’t seem to care.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Mako.”

“I…”

Mako said.

“I don’t want to see you suffering alone like this…”

Mako and I had only known each other for a few years.

They say childhood takes up a disproportionately large part of our memories at this age—

Was this just because Mako was too kind? Or was there a reason I was a special friend to Mako?

But as I thought about this, certain faces came to mind.

Harumi and Yuu.

They were special to me. Just like Mako.

It wasn’t for any particular reason. It was simply because they approached me first when we were young. They held my hand and included me when they went places to play.

They stayed with me at home when Kagami went to work, gathered for Christmas parties… with no dark memories, just good memories as friends.

That’s why they were special.

…I see.

That’s how Mako and I had been too. When Mr. Miura went to work during the day, Mako would come to our house to play. Even though we didn’t have amazing toys or videos like at Harumi’s house, we would roll around reading books or just chat about anything to pass the time.

To Mako, who had no sisters, did I feel like a sister?

“…”

After thinking for a moment, I said:

“Mako. I… just wanted you to be safe.”

“…Kotone.”

“If you get hurt, it would be because of me. I was the one who could endure somehow. So, it doesn’t matter to me if you rush at that yokai with a sword or shoot it with a bow.”

Mako pressed her lips together and couldn’t say anything.

We stayed like that for a while.

Mako didn’t seem to dislike me anymore. She stayed by my side until Kagami came, and even after she arrived.

But somehow, I kept feeling anxious, as if there was something misaligned in our conversation.