Chapter 4: Truth 3

Chapter 4: Truth 3

"What... is happening?"

Leaning against the handrail in the corridor, I gaze up at the night sky, which is completely covered in clouds.

Hoshimiya's terrifying scream still echoes inside the room.

The stalking issue was resolved, and we just confirmed our feelings for each other...

It was supposed to be our beginning...

"...The screaming has stopped."

Finally, a quiet night arrives.

Just as I turn around, the door opens, and Mondo-san appears.

Numerous scratch marks run across both arms with a faint trace of blood.

"Ah, sorry, Riku-kun. Sorry for suddenly kicking you out," Mondo-san says with a smirk, as if nothing had happened earlier.

"Um, what about Hoshimiya...?"

"She's fine, she fell asleep."

"I see..."

What I want to ask isn't about that.

Mondo-san must understand that.

She ponder, resting my chin her hand, wondering how to explain everything.

"Do you know something, Mondo-san?"

"Yeah, I know. This is my third time seeing Ayana-chan like that."

"Three times...?"

"It's been a while, so I let my guard down a bit. By any chance, did you talk about past stories? About cars... or suicide..."

"About my parents and travelling..."

"Hmm... If it was just that, it would have been fine... Maybe something happened, and her memories started to come back."

What is she talking about? Mondo-san is muttering to herself, lost in thought.

"Mondo-san, please explain it to me so that I can understand."

"...Are you sure?"

"What... confirmation are you talking about?"

"If you ask, there's no turning back, you know? Your insight against Ayana-chan will undoubtedly change."

It was not a joke, this is serious and heavy question. What does resolve even mean?

I don't understand. I don't understand, but...

"Tell me... please."

"Well, I guess so. It's normal to ask, right?"

And then, Mondo-san looks into my eyes and utters something unbelievable.

"Ayana-chan's parents... they committed suicide."

The night breeze gently brushes against my skin, sending a chill throughout my body.

The silence of the late night made words crystal clear in my ears

"That can't be... It's a lie, right?"

"It's not a lie."

"But... Hoshimiya was talking as if her parents were still alive. She said they were away on a business trip..."

"Memory alteration... that's what it is."

"Huh?"

"When humans go through extremely painful events beyond their capacity to bear, they conveniently rewrite their memories."

"But even so...!"

Just a while ago, she was speaking so happily about her memories with her parents. The memories seemed filled with joy.

Seeing my dissatisfaction, Mondo-san looks up at the cloudy night sky and begins to speak quietly.

"Ayana-chan's parents died by suicide, about three years ago. It was when Ayana-chan was in her second year of middle school."

"Why would they commit suicide...?"

"Various reasons can be considered, but the biggest one is probably guilt."

"Guilt?"

"Yeah. On the way back from a travelling... they caused a car accident."

"...!"

My heart jumps heavily in my chest.

"The other party involved in the accident... what happened to them?"

"They passed away."

"........"

It was the response I had expected.

Seeing me fall into silence, Mondo-san continues the conversation with a heavy expression on her face.

"Ayana-chan's parents faced negative feedback from it, they were looked down upon by the neighborhood... And it seems, Ayana-chan also experienced bullying."

"That... is understandable, I suppose..."

"Ayana-chan's parents were originally known for being kind and sincere. They were loved by the neighbors and relatives. Of course, I admired them too."

"Um, regarding the relationship between you and Hoshimiya..."

"Ah, we're cousins. Well, we never really had a chance to meet each other. I think it was the first time we actually met after Ayana-chan's parents passed away."

"Although Ayana-chan didn't notice it." Mondo-san adds.

"Going back to the topic, because Ayana-chan's parents had a good reputation, the decline in their credibility after the accident was severe."

"........"

"And Ayana-chan's parents were truly good people, in the sense that they couldn't overlook the misfortune and pain of others. They were actively involved in volunteer activities, it seems. So, I suppose... they couldn't bear the fact that they took someone else's life."

"And so, they chose suicide... leaving Hoshimiya behind?"

Mondo-san nods silently.

I-I can't believe this.

While it's true that the situation was harsh, to take their own lives leaving their daughter behind...

"Ayana-chan saw it."

"Saw... what?"

"Her own parents hanging themselves."

"..!"

"When Ayana-chan came home from school and went to the living room... they were already..."

Perhaps imagining that scene, Mondo-san frowned.

Surely, Hoshimiya must have experienced an unimaginable shock.

To the extent of altering her own memories, to preserve her sanity.

"After that, Ayana-chan ended up living with her grandparents, but it was apparently extremely difficult for her... She either remained withdrawn or went on rampages like earlier."

"...Is that so?"

"Her grandparents house was filled with things related to her parents. The smell of the house, seeing her grandparents... it reminded her of her parents, I heard."

Mondo-san continues.

"Gradually, Ayana-chan started to recover. It was as if nothing had happened."

"She... altered her memories, didn't she?" I asked.

"Yep. In Ayana-chan's mind, her parents are on a business trip. However, there were still moments when she would remember them. Especially when she saw things related to her parents."

"Like photos and jerseys, were they okay?"

"At first, they weren't. But as time went by, the memory alteration progressed, I suppose. She became able to accept certain things to some extent."

"..."

"However, seeing her grandparents would remind her of her parents, and she couldn't live a normal life anymore... That's why Ayana-chan decided to live alone. She chose a high school in a place away from her hometown. That way, it fits with the setting of her parents being on a business trip, right?"

"I see..."

"Also... even if Ayana-chan causes a commotion in the apartment, I can take responsibility as the landlord. Well, it's just me and Ayana-chan living here though."

"Ah... Huh? Mondo-san is the landlord?"

"That's right. Didn't I tell you?"

"You didn't. Mondo-san, I've lost count of how many times You've surprised me."

"Ayana-chan and I never had a chance to meet face-to-face right? Ayana-chan parents didn't associate to me either. That's why there will be no chance of remembering them to me."

"As a guardian, you're suitable..."

I have no way of knowing the exact details of the exchange that took place, but Mondo-san had decided to take care of Hoshimiya.

Looking back, on the day Mondo-san and I first met, she was repeatedly ringing the doorbell. As soon as I opened the door, she shouted, 'Ayana-chan!'...

Mondo-san was not just a weird erotic manga artist.

"The real Ayana-chan is not like a gyaru."

"I know. It's only her appearance, right?"

"In middle school, even her appearance was pretty reserved. This is just my speculation, but that change in image was probably a form of self-defense. An act to protect her own heart... though it sounds strange to say it that way."

Mondo-san let out a wry smile and then changed to a serious expression.

"Ayana-chan was protecting her own heart by falsifying her memories and changing her appearance."

"So, that's how it was..."

Knowing Hoshimiya's past, I was at a loss for words.

I didn't know how to react.

No, looking back now, there were several incidents where I could have realized this.

First, the day when Hoshimiya and I first met...

When I mentioned that I wanted to commit suicide, Hoshimiya cried excessively.

Perhaps unconsciously, she might have been reminded of her parents.

Moreover, I just noticed that her first-person pronoun had changed.

Right after she was attacked by the convenience store robber, she used 'watashi' (formal 'I'), but when in school she switched to 'atashi' (informal 'I'). Did a glimpse of her true self leak out when facing a extreme fear?

There were other instances as well. When Hoshimiya was asleep, she would sometimes mutter "otousan" (father) and "okaasan" (mother) while crying. Knowing this, I can understand that it was because of those reasons.

"Um, what about the victims? Did any of their family members survive?"

"I didn't ask for their names, but it was a family of four. A husband, wife, a middle school boy, and an elementary school girl."

"...What?"

"As far as I've heard the only one who survived was middle school boy."

"..."

"Well, maybe I can't really call that survived. I don't think I could endure... being the only one to survive."

Mondo-san's words sound distant.

What is this feeling? My heart rate suddenly starts racing.

Even though it's this cold, my body starts to sweat.

'Hey, Riku-chan. Do you remember anything about last name Hoshimiya?'

Why am I suddenly recalling Haruno's words now?

At that time, I replied, 'Well, she's a classmate.... Isn't it?'

...Huh?

I can't believe I only remembered her because she was a classmate.

I have no interest in any other girls except for Haruno.

To the point where I can't even remember their names.

For example, Kana, Hoshimiya's friend.

I still don't know Kana's last name, and I only call her Kana because Haruno referred to her that way.

I have such little interest in girls other than Haruno.

So how did I remember "Ayana Hoshimiya"?

She stands out, I admit that but, Kana is the same.

Nevertheless, I unconsciously remembered only Hoshimiya.

...No, if I go beyond remembering, what if I actually knew?

What if the memories I had locked away in the depths of my brain were overflowing from my unconscious?

Just as Hoshimiya was altering her memories, what if I was doing the same?

The only things I remember from middle school are the everyday moments with Haruno and the moment my family was hit.

...That's was all?

"What's wrong, Riku-kun? You look pale."

...

Vivid memories were reappearing and mental images is playing in my head as if I were there.

--I stopped walking to tie my shoelaces.

--And the moment I looked up, a car crashed into my parents and my sister just a few steps ahead of me.

--Amidst the uproar of screams from the surroundings, three people emerged in the car, their faces pale.

--Two kind-looking adults and a plain girl. The three of them had pale faces.

...

My head feels like it's about to split open. Yet, the haze clouding my memories is gradually clearing on its own.

The two adults in the photograph placed in Hoshimiya's room...

...were a married couple.

And the plain girl was Hoshimiya.

"Ugh, aaahhh!"

I leaned against the wall in the corridor and slumped down.

Ah, so that's what it was.

The source of the unease I felt when I saw the photograph... is because of this.

As the haze of my memories cleared, a surge of suppressed emotions erupted from the depths of my heart.

That moment...

"Riku-kun! Pull yourself together!"

"My..."

"Riku-kun?"

For some reason the scenes happenings from this book reminds of Oregairu.

Chapter 4 End. Open for correction. I kinda messed up, I ended up making Ch4 part 2 longest and ended up making part 3 shortest. Thanks for the Ko-fi, you've motivated me.