CH 32

Chapter 32 – Totoki Koine’s Determination

It was already dusk after a long day of crying on the rooftop, when I decided it was time to return to my hospital room. But the moment I reached over to pick up my crutches—

“―Koine!”

I suddenly heard a voice calling me, and I turned my head to see my sister, Airi, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Onee-chan…?” (Koine)

My older sister had gone to attend a local university and was busy with her studies, so she didn’t come home often. She ran up to me and hugged me tightly.

“Thank goodness… I’m so glad you’re safe! I heard that you were brought here… I was so worried about you!” (Airi)

“Onee-chan… Onee-chan…Sob… Waaaahhh!” (Koine)

I gave in to my sister’s warm embrace for the first time in a long time. My sister held me as she gently stroked my head. I was so relieved… to have my beloved sister by my side. Just that fact alone blew away the deep hopelessness I was feeling.

But at the same time, I felt guilty.

“I’m… sorry… I’m so sorry, Onee-chan!” (Koine)

I suddenly apologized, naturally prompting her to ask me why I was apologizing.

“Mahina… Mahina is…!” (Koine)

I told her that Mahina was still left behind in that dungeonized community center.

My older sister turned pale, uttering to herself, ‘how could this be…!’. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

“We need to tell the police immediately!” (Airi)

It wasn’t that I hadn’t done anything. I had earnestly requested the doctor at the hospital to help me move the police into action. However, I was told that the police had their hands full at the moment and couldn’t spare any manpower for the community center.

“In that case, I’ll go rescue her myself!” (Airi)

“No! Y-You can’t…go to a place like that by yourself… There’s no point…” (Koine)

The monsters I had seen in the classroom and at the community center… there was no way any person could win against them alone. Not even with guns. They were existences beyond understanding.

This was real life, not an RPG with magic and skills. As the weak, we couldn’t fight them without a plan.

“But! But…” (Airi)

My older sister wanted to help, but she understood what I was saying. If she went alone, she would surely get overrun.

“I’m sorry… Mahina was taken hostage…!” (Koine)

―Ohsaka Aito. I didn’t think I would see him again there, nor did I think he would cause such tyranny.

Because of that person, everything went out of control. I couldn’t even comprehend how that guy could do such horrible things without even batting an eyelid.

…But even I had once obeyed such a person, and I really found myself shameful for it.

Then, at that moment.

“―Onee-chaaaaan!” (Mahina)

For a moment, I thought it was an auditory hallucination. But―

“Onee-chaaan!” (Mahina)

I wanted to cling to that voice and never let it go. I turned my head, and there she was―my beloved little sister. She was waving both hands with a big smile on her face. And she was running towards us.

I had wanted to see Mahina so badly that I wasn’t only having auditory hallucinations, but visual ones as well…?

Or so it seemed, because I heard my older sister mutter, ‘M-Mahina…?”

In other words, what I was seeing wasn’t an illusion nor a dream, but an unmistakable reality.

“Mahinaaaaaaaa!” (Koine)

I left my sisters embrace and began to exert my greatest efforts to move in her direction, dragging along my broken right leg in the process.

Then I kneeled down and caught Mahina as she threw herself into my arms.

That smell, that warmth, and…

“Oneeee-chan!” (Mahina)

The sound of her cute voice, which could never be mistaken.

“Mahina! It’s you, right?” (Koine)

“Yeah! It’s Ma-chan!” (Mahina)

“Mahinaaaa!” (Koine)

I cradled her in a powerful embrace. Then our older sister came over and gently wrapped her arms around the two of us.

“Airi-oneechan, is that you?” (Mahina)

“…Yes. I’m so glad you’re safe, Mahina.” (Airi)

“Eheheh~, welcome back, Airi-oneechan!” (Mahina)

“I’m back, Mahina. But how did you get here? Weren’t you… all alone at that place…?” (Airi)

Right. There was no way she could have escaped from that community center all alone. Even if she could have, there was no way she could get here. She wouldn’t know that I was here, and she wouldn’t have known the way either.

“Well, you see, you see! Onii-chan saved me!” (Mahina)

“Onii-chan?” our older sister asked back, naturally curious about her words.

“Yeah! Over there… Huh?” (Mahina)

“Onii-chaaaan! …Huh? Where did he go?” (Mahina)

Mahina called out for the person too, but there was no response.

“M-Mahina? What kind of person was this Onii-chan?” I asked her.

“Let’s see, he’s the birdie Onii-chan!” (Mahina)

“Bird…?” (Koine)

When I heard the words ‘bird’ and ‘onii-chan’, there was only one person that came to mind. With a start, I jumped to my feet and used my crutches to head for the exit of the rooftop.

“W-Wait, Koine, what’s wrong?” (Airi)

Mahina and Airi chased after me in a hurry. I looked all around the exit of the rooftop, but…

“….He’s not here.” (Koine)

“Geez, what’s up with you all of a sudden? Do you have any idea who this Onii-chan is, by any chance?” (Airi)

“…Yeah, probably. No, I know for certain.” (Koine)

Without a doubt, it was him. But why…?

If it was that person, why did he save Mahina? He had no obligation to do so. And he didn’t just save her. It would have been suicide to go to that place.

There was no way he would have put his life on the line.

After all… I betrayed him.

“Onii-chan… isn’t here? I wanted to play with Birdie-san again though…” (Mahina)

Again… as I thought, it really was Bouchi, without a doubt.

“Bouchi-kun…” (Totoki)

“Bouchi? Is that the name of the person who saved Mahina?” (Airi)

“…Yes. Hey, Onee-chan… Actually―” (Koine)

About what I had done to him… And about the time we met again at the community center… And that he had saved Mahina without a doubt… I told my older sister everything.

She was directing a stern gaze at me while I was telling the story, but after she finished, she sighed and replied, ‘I see.’

“So that’s what happened.” (Airi)

“…I did the worst thing to Bouchi-kun. So… why did he save her for me?” (Koine)

“Who knows? That’s something only he would know. But… There’s one thing you can’t forget.” (Airi)

“That is…” (Koine)

“That he saved Mahina’s life.” (Airi)

“!? …That’s true.” (Koine)

“And that someday, when you see him again, you need to properly thank him for it.” (Airi)

She was right. That was the obvious thing to do. As a classmate who had done nothing for him, that was the only thing I could do.

I thought that the only way to make amends with him was to never see him again. Because that was what he wanted.

But in the end, I didn’t think that was right. I couldn’t just go on like this and pretend nothing happened.

That’s why―

I gazed up at the sky, which was dyed a deep crimson.

Bouchi-kun… I won’t give up. I won’t ask you to forgive me. But I will do what I can for your sake. So… when we meet again…

That was the answer I had come up with.