Chapter 4: Truth 2

Chapter 4: Truth 2

"Guh... That hurts..."

The man—presumably the stalker—had been punched in the nose, and he was grimacing while holding his nose in pain.

It seemed to be quite painful, and judging from his appearance, it seems like he can't get up immediately.

"..."

Kuromine-kun glanced at the stalker in silence, then picked up the folding knife that had fallen to the floor and folded the blade before putting it in his pocket.

Afterward, he approached me and bent down to meet my gaze.

"Sorry, Hoshimiya."

"...Why are you apologizing to me?"

"Because I wasn't there when you needed me."

Kuromine-kun was genuinely apologizing. He twisted his face with a look of regret, expressing a complex mix of emotions that seemed to include anger and sadness.

"It's not like that... Even though I pushed you away... you still came for me!"

My heart change just with the fact that Kuromine-kun come to save me. That alone was enough to satisfy me.

"Let's escape quickly. Can you stand?"

"I-I'll manage somehow..."

While the stalker was in pain and suffering, I stood up with Kuromine-kun's support.

Suddenly, when I looked at Kuromine-kun's face, I noticed that his expression had changed to a normal one.

Unnaturally normal expression...

As we headed towards the entrance, just as we were about to reach for the doorknob...

"Don't mess with me! You...!"

An angry voice came from behind, and I turned around.

The stalker stood up, leaning against the wall in the corridor, and pulled out a folding knife from his coat pocket.

──He had another one!

Come to think of it, I've heard about it before. There are more people who carry knives with them than you'd imagine in the world.

"Ayana-chan... even though you accepted me!"

"It didn't seem that way. It was forced, wasn't it?"

"Because Ayana-chan betrayed my expectations! Bringing you, a pathetic guy into this room!"

"Is he referring to me as the pathetic guy?" Kuromine-kun muttered.

Kuromine-kun, yes it's you, I thought.

"I'll stab you, damn it! If I get serious... I won't hesitate to stab someone!"

─A dark madness swirled him.

The stalker's eyes were bloodshot, and the hand holding the knife was trembling with excessive force. I was too scared, and my eyes started to well up with tears.

But the boy right next to me...

"Oh... You'll definitely stab me. You're the type who would actually do it, seriously," Kuromine-kun calmly stated the truth and continued his words.

"Comparing you the middle-aged man in the past robbery, you lack rationality in your eyes. Just looking at you, it's clear that you're a selfish person who only thinks about yourself."

"You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I'm a similar kind of person, so I understand somewhat. I feel a sense of familiarity. You and I are both has dangerous side."

"I-I'm not dangerous! I just want Ayana-chan to accept me!"

"I understand that feeling."

"Don't say things so casually—"

"Holding selfish ideals for someone you love, and when those ideals are betrayed, you feel disappointed and lose control selfishly... I'm exactly the same."

Kuromine-kun is overlapping himself with the stalker. Even though they're completely different...

"Hoshimiya, run away."

"But... W-What about you, Kuromine-kun?"

"I... It's fine."

"What are you saying—"

"Stop talking with 'MY' Ayana-chan!"

With a mad rage, the stalker swing the knife and charged at Kuromine-kun.

Normally, one would become too scared to do anything with knife. But without hesitation, Kuromine-kun reached into his pocket and pulled out the folding knife and casually toss it at the stalker.

"..!"

The stalker flinched and momentarily paused in his tracks.

Seizing that momentary opening, Kuromine-kun stepped forward ──

"Huah!"

Kuromine-kun struck the stalker's face with full force, sending him flying!

The stalker fell backward, seemingly bewildered, as he stared at Kuromine-kun, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"I can empathize with you. But hurting Hoshimiya is a different matter. I absolutely won't forgive it."

"Y-You...!"

Kuromine-kun punched the stalker's face again but the stalker tried to get up, but Kuromine-kun mount him over and raised his fist.

"What were you planning to do to Hoshimiya? Huh... you bastard."

Despite his composed choice of words, Kuromine-kun delivered a powerful blow to the stalker's face.

The excessively violent scene frightened me, and I covered my face with both hands.

However, my ears informed me of the current situation.

The dull sound of a punch landing, and the stalker's voice, crushed as if begging for forgiveness...

Then, the sounds ceased. I finally mustered the courage to look, and there was Kuromine-kun, holding the knife, raised above him.

"No, you can't! Kuromine-kun!"

I immediately sensed his intentions and instinctively threw myself at Kuromine-kun.

"Hoshimiya... Let go of me."

"No! That's really not okay! Calm down!"

"I am calm. Yeah, surprisingly calm... So it's okay, let go of me."

"It's not okay at all!"

Finally, I realized that Kuromine-kun was quietly consumed by rage.

He was bottling up his anger inside, without outwardly expressing it.

It felt more terrifying than someone who would just shout in anger.

Yet, despite that terror, there was something even more...

"I... don't want it!"

"...Don't want it?"

"I don't want the person I love to be unhappy... That's why I don't want it!" I scream.

"...I see."

"If you do that... you will be unhappy!"

I didn't even know what I was yelling. I just let out my feelings.

"...Even though you said you hated me."

"I love you! I love you so much! That's why... stop this already, please!"

Desperately clinging to Kuromine-kun's body to restrain him, I felt his strength slowly leaving him.

"Kuromine-kun... Please don't become someone who hurts others."

"... I'm sorry."

In a weak voice, Kuromine-kun replied and quietly placed the knife on the floor.

◇ ◇ ◇

"It's been a while since I wore this tracksuit."

"Yeah, I think it's been the day when Kuromine-kun first came to this house."

After finishing our baths and changing into pajamas, Hoshimiya and I talked while I glanced at the tracksuit I was wearing. It belonged to Hoshimiya's father.

Perhaps it felt a little nostalgic because it symbolized the time I spent with Hoshimiya.

"It's already 1 o'clock..."

I murmured as I looked at the floral-patterned clock on the table.

After confronting the stalker, we naturally decided to contact the police... But that's when things became difficult. We were asked numerous detailed questions, repeatedly questioned about the same things... When they asked for a guardian to be present, I thought it would be a hassle.

My guardians would be my grandparents, but they live far away in the countryside and prefer to keep their distance from me.

Well, since it's late, the police agreed to talk to them over the phone.

And before we knew it, it was already late at night.

I had expected Hoshimiya's parents to rush back home, but surprisingly, it was Mondo-san who arrived. Apparently, she had been in a neighboring prefecture on business and appeared covered in an astonishing amount of sweat. She must have been really worried.

I may be imagining things, but Hoshimiya seemed to be in pain, clutching her head whenever her parents were mentioned.

Having been released from the police, I was now free and decided to stay overnight at Hoshimiya's house.

"..."

An indescribable silence dominated the room.

As Hoshimiya sat on the bed, I nervously took a seat on the floor.

No, it wasn't just me who couldn't calm down.

Hoshimiya also seemed uncomfortable, turning her face away and twirling her hair with her index finger.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, probably from the bath.

Suddenly, a sharp pain surged through my right fist.

"Ow!"

"Kuromine-kun!? What's wrong?"

"No, my right hand suddenly started hurting!"

"Show me!"

Hoshimiya, in a state of panic, quickly got off the bed and came down to where I was.

She sat down on the spot and gently lifted up my right hand with both hands to examine it.

"How is it?" I asked.

"It's turning red."

"Yeah... Is that all?"

"Sorry. I can't tell even if I look at it."

"Well, I don't think it's broken. I'm always training, so..."

"You train, huh..."

"You never know what will happen in life, right? I'm training to be able to protect Haruno at any time."

"...You really love Harukaze-san... Hahaha."

It felt like she was forcing a smile.

"Ah..."

The two of us stared at my right hand up close.

Naturally, our faces were also getting closer. Hoshimiya's blushing face was right in front of me.

"Kuromine-kun."

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

Before I could ask what she was apologizing for, Hoshimiya hugged me.

"Just for now... Just for now, it's okay..."

"Hoshimiya, what are you..."

"I was going to hold back. I knew that you and Harukaze-san had mutual feelings... I knew there was no room for me... And I knew that you genuinely liked Harukaze-san..."

"..."

"I wanted you to be happy as soon as possible, Kuromine-kun... That's why I tried to step back and let you go to Harukaze-san."

"...I see."

I listened to Hoshimiya's words.

"But you know, I couldn't forget about you. Even when you weren't around... I ended up sleeping with your futon... I couldn't say anything... I couldn't say anything, but I understand those feelings."

No words could come out... I couldn't say anything, but I understood.

"No matter how much distance I tried to put between us, I couldn't forget about you... And you saved me from the stalker... I can't take it anymore... I can't bear it anymore..."

"Hoshimiya..."

"Kuromine-kun, I love you... I love you, really."

She held me tightly and whispered "I love you" repeatedly.

When someone expresses their feelings with such passion, there is no choice but to make a decision as well.

"...There's a proper reason why I didn't go out with Haruno."

"For my sake, right?"

"No, that's not it."

"Then, what is it?"

"Because I... love Hoshimiya."

"...Huh?"

Seemingly unable to comprehend what I said, Hoshimiya lifted her head and looked into my eyes.

"I want Hoshimiya to be happier than anyone else."

"T-That means..."

"To put it more clearly, I want to be by your side."

"By... my side..."

Hoshimiya's cheeks flushed, and she repeated my words, seemingly chewing on them.

"Fr-From now on... I want to live with Hoshimiya in this house... I mean that."

Due to excessive nervousness, my words got stuck.

Nevertheless, it seemed like my feelings had reached Hoshimiya firmly...

"S-So, that means... a confession?"

"..."

I nodded silently. I couldn't put it into words.

"You want to... be in a relationship with me?"

"Yeah."

"And being in a relationship means... becoming lovers?"

"That's right."

"And as lovers, it means we have a special connection--"

"What's wrong? You've been saying the same thing since earlier."

"W-Well... um..."

Hoshimiya averted her gaze from me and awkwardly fumbled with her mouth.

Did her innocent side activate at this moment?

"What about Harukaze-san... Is she okay with it?"

"Right now, Haruno doesn't matter. This is about us."

And besides, I'm afraid of leaving Hoshimiya alone. She seems like a person who attracts misfortune."

"A predisposition for misfortune... W-Well, that may be true."

Getting robbed and a stalker within a month... Not many people can be struck by such misfortune.

I recalled the saying, bad luck comes in threes.

"But it's not just because I want to be with Hoshimiya myself... I want to protect you," I said.

"Pr-Protect me..."

"Yeah..."

"But, um... Kuromine-kun, you also can't do without me, right? You're a mess... I used to wake you up every morning and make meals for you..."

"Yeah, I can't do that without Hoshimiya."

"R-Really..."

To the point where her face turned as red as steam, I spoke.

"I love Hoshimiya... Please go out with me."

"Is it... okay for me? I mean, I'm not like Harukaze-san..."

To Hoshimiya, who took a self-deprecating attitude, I shook my head from side to side, determined not to let her finish.

"As I said before, Haruno doesn't matter. I'll say it again... Please go out with me."

"K-Kuromine-kun..."

"I... want to hear your answer," I said.

"Um... Th-Then, um... yes. Y-Yes, please take care of me...!" Hoshimiya replied in a barely audible voice.

◇ ◇ ◇

"So, um, what should we do... Ahaha."

Just one minute after we started dating.

We looked at each other, exchanging glances and feeling confused about what to do.

For the time being, I decided to close the distance and sat down next to Hoshimiya on the bed.

"W-Waah. Kuromine-kun, what are you doing?"

"I just sat down normally. Why are you so flustered?"

"I-I'm not flustered or anything..."

"You're clearly flustered. And you even avoided eye contact with me."

"..."

Hoshimiya fell silent. I was also a bit perplexed.

We're officially dating now. That's good. Will anything change from how it has been until now?

"Hoshimiya, is there something you want to do?"

"W-Well, not really... How about you, Kuromine-kun?"

"I want to do something like looking at erotic books with Hoshimiya."

"You're so straightforward! It's surprising how straightforward you are!"

"Do you not want to do something like looking at erotic books?"

"Why can you say something like that with a straight face? I can't understand!" Hoshimiya exclaimed.

"Don't you want to do it?"

"W-Well, I think we should get to know each other more before that..."

"Riku Kuromine, 16 years old, right-handed, no favorite or disliked subjects, no particular hobbies—"

"Wait, wait! That's not what I meant! And besides, you keep saying 'none' for everything!"

"Then what do you mean?"

"Well, I think we don't really know much about each other's lives and what we've been through."

"Yeah... We haven't really talked about our pasts, have we?"

"I want to know more about you, Riku, on a deeper level. And in return, I want you to know more about me."

Upon hearing that, I decided to talk about myself. But there's nothing particularly special about me. Well, except for the accident that caused me to lose my family, my life has been fairly ordinary. I've been solely focused on being with Haruno and not paying attention to anyone else.

As I continued, I noticed that Hoshimiya had a kind expression on her face. I felt that she was being considerate, so I ended the conversation there.

"I want to hear Hoshimiya's story this time."

"It's about me, right? Okay."

"After hearing Hoshimiya's story, let's do something like in an erotic book."

"I-I said it's too soon! In the first month, let's start with calling each other by name... And for the next three months, we can hold hands..."

"That's too slow. Just holding hands even after four months..."

"B-But... It's embarrassing, and I need to mentally prepare myself!"

"Alright. I'll let Hoshimiya set the pace."

To be honest, the desire to do something like in an erotic book was just a joke. I thought Hoshimiya would panic and refuse, so I said it in a teasing manner. I don't have the courage for that either. Well, it's true that as a teenage boy, I'm truly curious about it...!

"Hmm, what should we talk about?"

"Oh, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. But if it's a weird question, I'll get mad."

"It's a normal question. Hoshimiya, were you a plain girl in middle school?"

"Hey, could you stop using the term 'plain girl'?"

"Okay, I got it. Did you have a high school debut?"

"Well, yeah. I think I started becoming like I am now after entering high school."

"So it was from high school. In that photo, Hoshimiya had black hair and looked quiet, right?"

I point my finger at the photo frame placed on the table. In that photo, there's Hoshimiya's parents and what seems to be a middle school-aged Hoshimiya.

"Do you remember what triggered your high school debut?"

"I'm not sure, I don't remember well. I think I wanted to break away from my previous self... or something like that?"

She used a strong expression, 'wanted to break away from my previous self'—that caught me off guard.

"Now, I'd like you to tell me about your parents."

"My dad and mom are really, really kind."

"I can tell. It came through when I saw the photo."

"Right? But they could be overprotective. If I just fell down, they would panic and call an ambulance!"

"Haha, that must have been tough."

"Especially when I was in elementary school, I loved playing outside, so I think I worried them a lot."

She seems to be reminiscing happily, and her voice reflects that.

They must be wonderful memories.

"Oh, and we used to loved travelling."

"Travelling?"

"Yeah, travelling. My dad loves cars, you know? So, on holidays, the three of us would get in the car and visit various tourist spots. And even after I became a middle school student, we still went to travel... to?"

"Hoshimiya?"

"Oh, this is strange. I remember my elementary school memories, but from midway through middle school, my memories become vague..."

Something seems off. Hoshimiya suddenly looks distressed, clutching her head. It's clear that something is wrong.

"Hey, Hoshimiya. Don't force yourself. If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine..."

"N-No, it's not that... Something, something feels like it's coming back...!"

Is it a headache? Hoshimiya grimaces in pain.

Nevertheless, as if pulling out her own memories, she starts to speak intermittently.

"When I was in first year of middle school, we went out to celebrate... and in the summer of my second year, we went on travel... I remember, on the way back... Ahh...!"

It was sudden.

As if struck by some kind of shock...

"No... Noooooo!!"

An indescribable scream, not even resembling a cry of despair, escapes from Hoshimiya's mouth.

"No... Noooo!!"

"Hoshimiya! What's wrong!"

I can only be bewildered by this sudden turn of events.

Hoshimiya screams and cries like she's gone insane, thrashing about on the bed, clutching her head.

"Why... Whyyyy!!"

"Hey, pull yourself together!"

"Nooo!!"

"────!"

I tried to reach out to Hoshimiya as she thrashed around, but she's thrashing my arm forcefully.

What... What is happening!

*Ding-dong.*

The doorbell rings.

But right now, I can't afford to move away from Hoshimiya.

*Ding-dong.*

It rings again.

*Ding-dong. Ding-dong.*

*Ding-ding-ding-ding-dong.*

"Shut up!"

I understand the frustration, but they're ringing it too much!

...Wait, this continuous doorbell ringing feels familiar. It's Mondo-san!

I hesitate as I look at the crying Hoshimiya, but I rush towards the entrance.

And when I open the door...

"Ayana-chan!?"

"Mondo-sa─"

She pushes me aside and rushes into the room, without even taking off her shoes.

"What... What's going on..."

I close the door and quickly make my way to Hoshimiya.

"It's okay, Ayana-chan, it's okay."

"Why... Whyyyyyyyy!!"

What is she screaming about?

Hoshimiya is crouched on the bed, bent forward, crying and screaming as if rejecting something.

Mondo-san, while gently speaking, tried to embrace Hoshimiya, who was in that state.

"But, Mondo-san, is this...?"

"I'm sorry, but please leave!"

"Huh?"

"You can't do anything right now, Riku-kun! I'll explain it later, so go outside!"

Until now, Mondo-san had appeared as a careless adult.

However, the Mondo-san in front of me emitted an intense determination, staring at me with the utmost seriousness.

"No! Ayana-chan, it's okay. I'm here for you."

Mondo-san comforted Hoshimiya gently, even though she was being scratched.

...There's nothing I can do in this situation.

For now, I decided to follow Mondo-san's order and leave Hoshimiya's house.

Chapter 4 Part 2 End. Open for correction

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