If so…
Yuuki swallowed hard and said,
If so, this means Koton…”
It can’t be done immediately.
However, Kagami shook his head dismissively at Yuuki’s words, which carried a hint of weak hope.
I believe I mentioned it before. It’s a method with very little possibility and might also be dangerous.
Kagami said while staring intently into the fridge.
And since it’s a method with little possibility and might be dangerous, we need to investigate and prepare more securely. We should move what’s here to somewhere else.
…Why?
Because there are others who might be aiming for this. Until now, Koton has been cooperative with the government, so there was no reason to disturb her, but now that we’ve identified a potential enemy, they won’t just ignore the situation.
So it’s not going to happen right away?
…You seem to be concerned about the new semester.
The third semester starts in early January. There are only two days left.
What would the school say if Koton couldn’t return by then?
Missing?
Yuuki held onto that word with hope, but Kagami calmly dashed that hope away.
Most likely, Koton will be considered dead. No, in this situation, it’s correct to say she is as good as dead.
But then…
I won’t give you false hope. I also don’t wish to hold onto such hope.
Kagami closed the fridge, stood up, and turned towards Yuuki.
Let me say it again. There is a possibility. But the method to bring back the dead is very complicated and only works on certain individuals. Moreover, it could lead you to an ‘odd direction’ if you’re not careful.
Odd direction…?
It means a monster that merely takes the appearance of Koton could be born. If not, well…
But Kagami, with narrowed eyes, did not finish that thought.
This matter cannot be known by anyone else. Therefore, it would be safer to follow government guidance for now.
But if that’s the case…
Yes. Kurosawa Koton is a dead person. She will be processed as such legally, and the school will be informed. Even if they don’t know exactly what I’m planning to do, they will surely take preventative measures.
Yuuki’s arms drooped weakly.
I’m sorry I couldn’t give you the words you were hoping for.
So, what about the other kids…
Kagami nodded.
At the very least, this method absolutely should not reach the Yuuki family. Across time and space, the methods used to bring back the dead are always bizarre.
Kagami’s one side of his lips quirked up.
It was hard to tell whether the one smirking was Kagami himself or if it was Yuuki, who was deliberately avoiding beneficial methods.
But still, I will make one promise.
Kagami said.
If it is successful, Koton will return.
…
Yuuki briefly looked at Kagami before nodding his head.
If there’s anything I can help with…
I appreciate that. Thanks to you, things might get a little easier.
Kagami flashed a smile towards Yuuki.
At least that expression looked genuine.
—
January 7th. Friday.
Waking up early in the morning to go to school is something most students find annoying and dislike, but that doesn’t mean there are many kids who hate meeting friends at school.
Because of shared hobbies, similar routes, or simply sitting in the same spot at school. Whether they met through club activities or just happened to strike up a conversation for no particular reason.
If you break down each reason, they seem trivial, but thanks to those connections, some people could end up knowing each other for a lifetime.
Hello!
Even the kids who had their faces twisted in fatigue until they left home waved their hands to each other when they entered the classroom as if they had never been tired.
It’s the first time seeing your face since Christmas!
It seems everyone has been busy…
As Harumi said with a smile, Mako lowered her eyebrows slightly and smiled back.
Mako’s father had been discharged from the hospital, but it seemed he was still uncomfortable. It wasn’t like it changed their lives drastically, but then again, it’s hard to maintain a bright expression while seeing a family member unwell.
Still, Mako’s face looked considerably better than before Christmas. Whether it was thanks to the Christmas party or not, Harumi thought it was a relief.
Yuuki-chan—
Harumi turned to Yuuki while smiling, but she was shocked.
Yuuki’s face was expressionless, not much different from usual.
But after knowing someone for a long time, you start to notice the emotions behind that expression. After all, there are types of expressionless faces. There’s a big difference between being slumped over a desk and staring blankly out the window.
As for Yuuki now,
Yuuki-chan, is something wrong?
Harumi asked Yuuki, who was staring blankly into space. She had seen this kind of expression before. It usually appeared when Yuuki was deep in thought, and typically that happened when he saw kids spreading bad rumors behind his back.
This was a facial expression Yuuki had often made back in middle school, and now he was making this expression again.
Why?
Well, it’s surprising that he hadn’t made such a face since entering high school. During middle school, after spending several years together, the surrounding kids eventually understood that Yuuki wasn’t such a harmful person, but in high school, there were so many kids they hadn’t seen before.
…Hmm?
But while Harumi was pondering these thoughts, she tilted her head.
Was the timing a bit off?
Since it was just yesterday that school was out, there was no way Yuuki would have heard rumors about himself while being away.
Could it be something at home?
Yuuki-chan?
…Yeah?
Only after Harumi called out again did Yuuki finally respond.
Upon making eye contact, Yuuki, already pale, looked even whiter. If anything, almost ghostly.
…Is there really something wrong?
Harumi asked worriedly, and Yuuki fell briefly into thought.
Whatever those thoughts were, they didn’t seem light. The more he thought, the darker Yuuki’s expression became.
Yuuki?
Mako also looked at Yuuki with worry after seeing his expression.
And as if they noticed, the kids around started to pay attention too. Mako had many friends in class, and Yuuki and Harumi had opened up their little circle thanks to Mako. They were not exactly best friends, but they spent time together whenever Mako was around.
Um…
Yuuki’s gaze turned toward the front.
That gaze was directed at Koton and Koko’s empty seats.
Thinking back and forth between those two empty seats and Yuuki, it wasn’t hard for Mako and Harumi to realize what Yuuki was worried about.
Is something going on with those two?
If you think about it, it was strange. Koton and Koko typically arrived at school a little early. If they didn’t, there was a high chance of being late due to the long distance they traveled.
Yet their seats remain empty now.
Could it be that they knew why Koton and Koko hadn’t come to school?
Mako and Harumi had both contacted Koton. It had been the same over the year-end and the new year. Although they had exchanged nothing grandiose, at least they hadn’t lost contact.
So if something had happened to Koton and Koko, it likely occurred in the last few days.
Harumi’s expression grew increasingly serious, and Mako’s face turned pale.
Yuuki—
But before the two could ask Yuuki something, the classroom door opened.
Entering was their homeroom teacher, Suzuki.
And Suzuki-sensei’s face was as pale as Yuuki’s. No, perhaps even worse.
Unlike her usual self, greeting the kids with a smile, now she had the look of someone who didn’t quite know what to do.
As Suzuki-sensei entered and her gaze briefly lingered on Mako, Harumi, and Yuuki,
Yuuki seemed to already understand the situation, but Mako and Harumi felt a bit scared of that gaze.
She hadn’t said anything yet, but just with that look, they felt as if they had already been informed something was wrong with Koton and Koko.
Ah, it’s okay. Just sit down.
As the class president got up to leave her seat, Suzuki-sensei awkwardly smiled and raised one hand slightly. The class president sat back down, dumbfounded.
The atmosphere was divided between Mako, Harumi, Yuuki, and those around them, and the rest of the class, who hadn’t heard the conversation yet.
The commonality was a low murmuring, creating an air of restlessness, but the difference was that those around Mako were having a much quieter and more cautious conversation.
Suzuki-sensei watched the kids for a while before taking a deep breath, like someone about to dive into the water.
First, there’s some news that needs to be conveyed.
The kids fell silent. It wasn’t that they were good at listening to teachers, but most were likely curious about what the homeroom teacher would say.
Um…
Each word seemed to be carefully weighed by Suzuki as she spoke.
Right after the semester starts, I have some bad news. Kurosawa Koton has…
Mako’s mouth fell slightly open.
The kids murmured.
Did she transfer schools?
One of the students raised their hand and asked.
Suzuki shook her head.
No, that’s…
With a pale face, Suzuki closed her eyes and after a moment of distress finally managed to speak.
…Koton has left us.
For a moment, the classroom fell silent.
Sensei?
At that moment, Mako, who hadn’t spoken until now, cautiously raised her hand.
The previously murmuring class fell silent again, drawn to Mako’s movement.
All the kids knew about it. That Mako and Koton were always close friends. Initially, Mako used to take care of Koko, but at some point, Koton naturally became a part of Mako’s and her friends’ lives.
Since no one quite knew the exact meaning behind the term ‘left,’ everyone was cautious. Mako seemed a bit confused too.
When Suzuki-sensei met her gaze, Mako spoke with a tone more cautious than before.
Does “left” mean…
…
Suzuki-sensei didn’t directly express its meaning.
Instead, she answered,
When Koko comes back, I hope everyone will welcome her warmly.
That was the reply.
Koton has left. She is not coming back.
If she had transferred, she would have been with Koko. If she were unable to attend school for whatever reason, there would have been no reason to hide it. If she had to drop out of school, that would suffice as an explanation.
Furthermore, Mako had been in contact with Koton. If there had been such a complicated circumstance, surely the story would have been told long before.
…
Mako’s hand fell weakly.
Harumi was staring dumbfoundedly at Suzuki, mouth slightly open.
Suzuki-sensei, after lowering her gaze slightly, began to gather the items on the teacher’s desk again.
The glistening in her eyes was not an illusion.
—
In dramas and movies, when a school-going child dies, people often leave flowers in their place.
But no one would have expected to see that in real life.
…
By now, Mako was staring blankly at the solitary flower that someone had brought.
She neither cried nor trembled, nor did she openly show signs of sorrow. She only had an expression of someone who had lost their spirit.
By the time the second period had just ended, seniors from upstairs came down—Kagami, who was in the same club as Koton, and Izumi.
Yuuki brought both of them into the classroom.
Both looked at the empty seat with disbelief, as if they could not believe what they were seeing.
Why…
Izumi murmured, but no one could answer that question.
No, technically, there was one person who could, but Yuuki couldn’t bring himself to explain how Koton had died.
How much did these people know about Koton? It was only recently that Yuuki learned about what she had been doing. And so, he couldn’t be certain what the people around her were aware of.
…
Izumi pushed up her glasses and wiped her tears repeatedly. Kagami, standing silently beside her, placed the croquette she was holding on Koton’s desk.
They both seemed like they wanted to say something to Mako, Harumi, and Yuuki, but upon seeing Mako’s face, they fell silent.
And with that shadowy expression, they left the classroom again.
Just before leaving, Izumi’s loud sobs could be heard. Kagami wrapped her arm around Izumi’s shoulder.
Mako and Harumi had expressions that conveyed confusion, not knowing what to do.
Yuuki understood. So did he.
Actually, the very death itself was a death that was hard to comprehend.
Usually, if a regular student died, there would be a funeral, and it would be normal for friends to come visit. But now, Yuuki didn’t even know where Koton was.
In the end, Yuuki too didn’t know how to address his own frustrating heart.
Yet the one thing that set him apart from the other kids was that he still held a fragility of hope.
—
During the next break, Yuuki couldn’t bear the stifling air in the classroom and stepped outside.
Mako and Harumi did not follow. As much as he felt bad for them, he was relieved that they hadn’t. He had no idea how to respond if they asked him anything.
However, upon running into someone who was even worse to face at that moment, he had to change that thought.
Coming face to face with Yuka, who still seemed in a daze, felt much worse than lying to Mako and Harumi.
…
The feelings Yuuki had upon seeing her were complex in many ways.
He remembered Koton’s death and Yuuki’s anguished cries. Logically speaking, it’s not like Yuuki killed Koton on purpose. Rumors had circulated that the one who stabbed Koton was an entity looking down upon them from afar.
However, still…
Feelings of darkness could not be absent.
Yuuki stood at the boundary between the classroom and the other class where Yuuki was.
Was he perhaps planning to come into Yuuki’s classroom? To glance at Koton’s seat?
Yuuki clenched his fists.
As their eyes met while Yuuki was walking down the corridor, Yuuki opened his mouth slightly as if he wanted to say something.
But he soon closed it again.
That was the same for Yuuki.
Yuuki wanted to say something to Yuuki, but when they locked eyes, the words wouldn’t come out.
He was reminded of the friends in class who still couldn’t accept the current situation.
It seemed that Yuuki was still trapped in that moment.
What if someone were to force Yuuki to hold a knife and move his hand to stab one of his friends? How would that feel?
…
Just imagining it made his heart race.
So, Yuuki decided to remain silent.
…There were also warnings to be cautious around Yuuki, though even he didn’t know exactly why.
As Yuuki walked past without saying a word, Yuuki hung his head again.
That back turned out to be pitiful.
That despair strangely infected Yuuki’s heart, and the very act of escaping the classroom only left him more troubled.
—
…What about the funeral?
After getting the news from the homeroom teacher, Mako hadn’t said a word until the end of the school day, but she finally spoke up on the way home.
Mako?
We need to say our goodbyes.
Mako’s voice was trembling.
Did she hold it back because they were at school?
Tears glimmered in Mako’s eyes.
Just like that… ending it so suddenly is strange.
Certainly, that would feel like it. Normally, when faced with death, time for preparation is never given, but still, not even being given time to say goodbye is too harsh.
I… can’t believe it. Is it real?
Mako continued to speak.
No matter what… No matter what, this is too much. Are we the only ones not called? Or was there no such thing? How could that be? Then Koton would be so pitiful.
What Yuuki had been about to say got stuck in his throat, leaving him unable to say a word.
It was true. Yuuki had witnessed that scene with his own eyes. And on the very next day, he heard there might be a chance to bring Koton back.
He had not let his guard down. Yuuki was also sad and confused. However, perhaps because the surrounding circumstances were moving too rapidly, he couldn’t allow himself to think that way.
If Koton, indeed, was truly dead, then there should at least be a place to say goodbye.
What about the family? What about Koko? What’s she doing right now? Her sister has become like this. She must be crying…
What should they do?
Yuuki was also confused.
As he fidgeted with his fingers, unable to do anything, Harumi wrapped her arms around Mako’s shoulders.
…
However, Harumi also had a look that conveyed she didn’t know what to say either.
The three remained standing on the street in silence for a while.
Harumi glanced briefly at Yuuki. Perhaps recalling what had happened that morning. It seemed Mako was too dazed to remember, but Harumi probably recalled the troubled expression Yuuki had been wearing.
Yuuki felt that situation was a bit frightening.
And it was only now that he thought Koton must have felt that way all along.
How pitiful… so pitiful…
Mako’s sobbing voice was too painful.
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