Chapter 31: Ingrained Lies

Shigure Minato had lost her meaning for living.

Having lived as Ren all this time, now that her mask has been stripped away, she doesn't know how to live from here.

The family she wanted to protect, the precious person, she hurt them with her own hands, so it's questionable whether she even has any attachment left.

Minato had been someone who lived in her sister's shadow.

At home, only Ren was praised, and at school, whatever she did came with the label "Ren's younger sister". For Minato, Ren was a point of comparison.

However, Minato never resented Ren. She looked up to her proud, one and only older sister with admiration.

When she was scolded, Ren would gently comfort her, and when she didn't understand her studies, Ren would teach her in an easy-to-understand way suited to her comprehension level. Minato loved such an older sister.

That's precisely why Minato couldn't believe that Ren had committed suicide.

Minato learned through Ren's death that being able to "do anything" isn't a good thing.

Having lost Ren and to heal their mother who had fallen into panic, Minato decided to live as Ren.

Their father was somewhat opposed, but ultimately nodded. That was probably because he understood there was no other choice.

Minato, who decided to live as Shigure Ren, continued her efforts.

To approach the image of her perfect older sister.

To live as her older sister's shadow warrior.

To atone for having killed herself.

Minato grew up as Ren.

Every week she would place her own favorite food at the grave where she was supposed to be dead and clasp her hands in prayer. Then she would tell her older sister that she was doing well. She would visit their mother and go to sleep with complicated feelings as their mother treated her as her sister.

In the repetition of such days, Minato eventually lost herself.

Minato wanted to become someone who was needed. Someone strong like her older sister who could be needed by someone.

But sadly, the world continued to need Ren. Even in death, it wouldn't stop needing Ren. The one possible exception, Kanato, she had pushed away herself. Minato is alone now.

She will continue living as Shigure Ren. Shigure Minato is dead. Telling herself this, she spends days just going back and forth between school and home.

These should be the same days as always, but Minato felt unsettled.

What floats in her mind is Kanato's face. The face of the kind man who had put up with her selfishness is strongly burned into Minato's heart.

Even this walk home alone was fun when she walked with him. It was he who gave color to unchanging days.

That Kanato, too, got hurt because of her. Minato didn't want to see anyone else precious to her get hurt.

「...Haah.」

One heavy sigh. She wanted to somehow wipe away the attachment to Kanato remaining inside her.

「Heey, got troubles? Want me to listen?」

「...!」

The worst things happen at the worst timing.

▼▽

On her way to her part-time job, Misumi saw a familiar figure.

She could see Minazuki and his usual companions heading somewhere.

Besides her excellent intellect, Misumi possesses rare intuition. Her intuition didn't fail this time either.

「Shigure-chan, I heard you had a fight with your boyfriend.」

Misumi immediately took out her smartphone and called Kanato.

▼▽

「...Hm?」

While chatting with Sena in the classroom, my smartphone in my pocket vibrated.

Taking it out to look, there was an incoming call from Misumi. I press the call button and put my smartphone to my ear.

「What's wrong, Misumi? I can't cover your shift today──」

「It's an emergency, senpai! Shigure-senpai and Minazuki-senpai...」

「Where are you now?」

「Near the park right after going down the hill!」

I said "I'll be right there" and hung up. Grabbing the bag I'd left on my desk, I flew out of the classroom.

I run through the hallway, take the stairs two at a time, and head to the entrance.

While bumping into students along the way, I finally reached the entrance where Honoka was waiting for me.

「Ah, Kanato!」

「...What the hell.」

「I'm sorry about before... Won't you walk home together today? I want to thank you for last time too...」

「I have nothing to talk about with someone who spreads bad rumors about people.」

Despair begins to seep into Honoka's expression. My guess was right after all.

「W-Why...」

「A genius kouhai is a good thing to have... I hate people who lie. I hate people who lie to trap others even more. ...Hey, tell me. Were the words I heard from you that time a lie?」

「T-That's not it! What I said then was just because I was embarrassed! I didn't really mean such things...」

「I see. ...Maybe we should have talked earlier. Before it came to this.」

I pass by Honoka, throw my shoes out of the shoe locker, and run. I don't have time to deal with her or for regret.

I fly out of school and run at full speed down the hill toward Shigure. The walk that normally takes a little over ten minutes can be reached in a few minutes if I run. Misumi's figure soon came into view.

「Senpai!」

「Hold my bag for a sec.」

I throw my bag to Misumi and head toward Shigure. In her current mental state, Minazuki-senpai is the worst possible combination. I need to deal with this urgently.

「Shigure!」

「...!」

「Ah?」

While Minazuki-senpai freezes at seeing me, Shigure runs away. Right now, getting her away from Minazuki-senpai is the priority. I'll chase after Shigure's back later.

Seeing his prey escape, Minazuki-senpai furrows his brow and glares at me. I glared back, not to be outdone.

「You... don't get in my way.」

「That's my line, virgin-senpai.」

Minazuki-senpai's expression froze. The knife I've been sharpening has certainly caught his heart.

「You're hitting on various girls because you want to graduate, right? Shigure is one of them?」

「W-What are you talking about...」

「I heard from Amanai-senpai too. That you forced acts on her. ...Breaking up because you want to graduate is laughable.」

The blood drains from Minazuki-senpai's face. Putting up a pretense that's already broken isn't worth maintaining.

「You're bad with bright people, aren't you? That's why you hitted on people like Amanai-senpai and Shigure when she's weak. ...I don't know what circumstances made you that way, but even though your body grew up, your heart stayed small.」

「You bastard... what do you know!」

「I don't know. I don't want to know. ...I just know there's someone who's been badly hurt because of you. Don't interfere with Shigure, you who just wants to make yourself look big!」

I could see Minazuki-senpai's fists trembling. The situation is explosive now. I'm prepared for the inevitable collision.

「You... you don't know anything! In the end, it's all about appearances! It's natural for the weak to be oppressed!」

A fist filled with unwarranted resentment hitted my cheek directly. I could glimpse some of his own struggles in Minazuki-senpai's words, but I don't care about that. Such reasons don't justify hurting Shigure.

「It pisses me off to be interfered with by someone like you! Even though you're weaker than me!」

「Even if your body is strong, it's meaningless if your heart is weak...!」

Minazuki-senpai's unreasonable anger pounds into my face and stomach repeatedly. But I won't kneel. I have to get at least one hit back.

「Don't interfere when you don't know anything!」

「Just because your body got bigger, you got cocky... That's your downfall!」

I whip my aching body and squeeze out strength to dodge Minazuki-senpai's fist. Then I slammed a punch filled with all my resentment into Minazuki-senpai's face.

Just one hit. But that one hit. Minazuki-senpai staggered and then fell to his knees.

「You bastard...!」

「You're too tough...!」

「Hey you guys! What are you doing there!」

Just when I thought it was all over as Minazuki-senpai tried to stand up, a shout echoed and a disciplinary teacher appeared. Behind him is Sena.

「Kanato, are you okay!?」

「...You could have come a little earlier.」

「Even I came at full speed after Misumi-chan called me. ...Looks like things will settle with senpai for now?」

「I hope so...」

With Misumi clinging to me tearfully and Sena looking at my bruises with a bitter smile as I leaned on his shoulder, I was led back to school.