Published at 26th of March 2019 12:07 am

Volume 2, Part 5

May 2nd (Saturday) 14:00

I discover why it's 'too late'.

Though I can't come to terms with the sight before my eyes that quickly, it was definitely too late.

"These are the corpses of my mother and Yuuhei Ishihara."

I'm in yet another residence unknown to me. I see a normal living room without any noteworthy features.

…Except for the red liquid that's been splashed everywhere.

I look at the bodies.

There's the corpse of a middle-aged woman. Her head is split open, her brains are scattered everywhere and her head has been reshaped into a crescent moon.

There's the corpse of a middle-aged man, which was probably the real Yuuhei Ishihara.

His head is split open, just like the woman's. In addition, his limbs are bent at bizarre angles as if his joints have been completely destroyed. It's a gruesome scene, suggesting that someone held an enormous grudge.

At any rate, it really stinks in here.

"Aah—"

The stench causes me to calmly observe the corpses, and I make a mental leap. Why—is this here?

"This is his attack on you!"

A fluorescent lamp palely illuminates the two corpses.

"These murders were committed with Kazuki Hoshino's body. You know what that means, right? As long you're Kazuki Hoshino, you won't be able to get away from the sin of murder. When you get caught by the police, Kazuki Hoshino will be punished."

His voice already echoes from a distance and doesn't quite reach my ears properly.

Miyazaki-kun looks at me, but then faintly sighs.

"......was the scenario we planned to use to corner you, but let's scrap that. As I told you before, despair that was born from a lie will become hope when the truth is revealed. Those corpses are the cause. The cause that made him want to take over your body."

"The cause...?"

What if murdering these two people was the trigger that made "him" want to steal my body?

Based on Miyazaki-kun's statements, I suppose "he" considers his life to be full of misfortune. What would "he" wish for if he obtained the box after such an incident? I doubt he'd want to regain his life.

He wouldn't want to be himself anymore. Therefore, he would want to steal another man's body.

"...I understood how the owner ended up making such a wish! But.. I don't really understand why you'd help him realize this Sevennight in Mud. Wouldn't it be better to tell him to destroy the box and turn himself in...?"

"If he went to prison, I wouldn't be able to be by his side anymore, would I?"

Indeed. But still, surely going to prison is still better than becoming another person?

"You look like you still don't understand...ah, I see. There's no reason you'd know this. Say, have you never wondered: if he's inside you, where is his original body right now?"

Come to think of it, that never came up. I assumed that he vanished since he's inside my body.

"I'll answer that question! Take out your phone."

That's all I need to hear to understand what's going on. I take out my cell phone, open the data folder and check the voice files. There's a new one.

I play the file.

"My original body? I've already killed it!"

I stop breathing.

So "he" committed suicide after killing his mother and Yuuhei Ishihara? Why engage in such a foolish act...!?

"I mean, isn't it just a hindrance? I have no need for that body —I'm not that kid anymore!"

......Wait! So in other words—

"It's too late; got it? I can't protect the person I want to protect anymore."

—Right, it's already too late.

Not only for Miyazaki-kun, but also for me.

After all "his" original body died. Which means that the owner died. Which also means that there's no way to destroy the box anymore.

In short—the ultimate outcome of the Sevennight in Mud cannot be prevented anymore.

It's too late. We are entirely too late.

"My only choice is to make the Sevennight in Mud come true." He spits out these words so plainly that I immediately realize that he's choking off his emotions.

He distinctly says: "So, Hoshino—I think I'm going to erase you."

He slowly raises his pale head; his eyes are—blank.

"I'll completely mow down your will to resist."

Without looking in my eyes, Miyazaki-kun continues to speak.

"But I can't rest after doing just this, because there's Maria Otonashi to deal with. So I've been thinking about making you surrender and stopping Maria Otonashi. I've been thinking about how to do both at the same time."

Miyazaki-kun's mouth twists slightly, and he continues.

"Capturing Otonashi. But by having you do it."

"...And this makes me surrender?"

"Yeah. Think about it: if we capture Otonashi and confine her until May 6th, she can no longer endanger us—that's obvious enough. If Otonashi can't make a move, the Sevennight in Mud won't be averted."

So betraying Otonashi-san is equivalent to abandoning my last resort.

It would mean that I've surrendered.

"So let's move on to the execution—Hoshino, I'm going to confine you within my room and use you as a trap to capture Otonashi. I'll drag you along, no matter how much you resist. I won't hesitate to use violence. Well, resistance will be pointless once you switch identities again."

"Then... why don't you just wait until I switch?"

"If I did that, you might try to rationalize what happened by saying that you were held against your will. Unless you betray Maria Otonashi of your own accord, it's meaningless. After all, we have to make you surrender completely."

......I see.

"So what are you gonna do? Wanna try to resist?"

Miyazaki-kun takes a pair of brass knuckles out of his pocket and puts them on. The look in his eyes clearly indicates that he's not bluffing.

Should I betray Maria Otonashi—no, Aya Otonashi?

What is there to betray? We don't trust each other right now. Also, Miyazaki-kun might not have noticed yet, but I've lost my will to resist ever since I found out that my everyday life has been lost for good.

Should I fight against Miyazaki-kun? No way. Why should I choose a painful and pointless path?

"——"

But I still can't say it.

I can't say a sentence as simple as "I will betray Otonashi-san."

Why not? I don't get it. Nothing will change if I don't say it. I have already given up and when the time for the switch comes, I'm going to be imprisoned. The outcome won't change. Still, when I try to vocalize my betrayal, there's a burning pain in my chest.

"M-Miyazaki-kun, say—"

Bam.

"—Ugh!"

Miyazaki-kun hit me. I fall to my knees and can't even speak.

Miyazaki-kun's expression remains blank as he looks down on me. He won't listen to anything I have to say. He will strike without mercy if I show any signs of resistance.

I know. I can only choose betrayal.

Isn't that OK? After all, Aya Otonashi's an enemy.

He grabs my shoulders and makes me stand up. He holds his fist against my defenseless stomach.

"Come on, let me hear your words of betrayal!"

"You may—"

This has no meaning, so there should be no reason to hesitate.

So why—

"You may—imprison me."

Why does my heart seem to break when I say those words?

May 2nd (Saturday) 23:10

I'm dreaming.

I'm dreaming the same dream once again.

May 3rd

May 3rd (Sunday) 07:12

I wake up. It's not the sensation of switching identities, but rather the normal sensation of awakening.

I'm lying on the floor of Miyazaki's room. My hands and feet are cuffed.

Miyazaki-kun is sitting on the bed. There are dark circles under his eyes. Maybe he hasn't been sleeping properly as of late.

When he notices that I'm awake, he wipes my face with a washcloth. The menthol from the washcloth wipes away the last of my sleepiness.

After wiping my face, without even greeting me, he says: "I'll instruct you now."

"You will restrain Otonashi by putting handcuffs and footcuffs on her and demonstrate your willingness to betray her by doing so. That's all you need to do. Simple, isn't it?"

"...really?"

"Ah?"

"Will you really believe that I've surrendered if I do it?"

[He] is free to judge my actions. He might be unwilling to accept this as 'surrender' and demand an even worse act of absurdity.

"He said that he'd be satisfied once he can steal Maria Otonashi from you."

"Steal...?"

An e-mail from a while back suddenly comes to mind.

"My deepest desire has been granted. Now we can be together forever."

I finally understand the meaning of those words.

It seems like [he] mistakenly thought we were lovers. Thus, he's under the impression that he could go out with her after completing the Sevennight in Mud.

But that makes no sense. It's impossible to steal everything from me just by taking over my identity.

"You cannot steal her from me!"

"I can."

I almost jump. A voice that shouldn't be here somehow replies to my muttering.

"I am Kazuki Hoshino and no one else! I'll be able to possess her this way."

The voice is coming from the speakers next to the computer that Miyazaki-kun is controlling.

"Do you think this is absurd? Do you think that I cannot become Kazuki Hoshino because you already are?"

Of course. Only [I] am Kazuki Hoshino, so no one else could be.

"So tell me, what makes Kazuki Hoshino Kazuki Hoshino? It can't just be your personality. After all, you would still recognize someone you haven't met in ages as the same person, even if his disposition and personality have changed completely with time, right?"

Hearing [his] words, I recalled something [he] once said.

"So tell me: when you see someone acting a bit unusually, would you think right away 'This is someone else. Someone took him over.'?"

"—Ugh!"

Indeed, Daiya, Kokone and Haruaki have all recognized [him] as Kazuki Hoshino. Even Otonashi-san, with whom I have spent more time than anyone else—

"Even Maria Otonashi cannot distinguish [Kazuki Hoshino] from [Yuuhei Ishihara], correct?"

"...Uh"

"Well, since she knows of the boxes, she might perceive [Kazuki Hoshino]'s disappearance as a disappearance of Kazuki Hoshino's entire existence. Thus, I'll teach her that Kazuki Hoshino won't disappear when I take him over. By doing so, Kazuki Hoshino will continue to exist within her."

A chuckle resounds from the speakers.

"And I'll finally be able to obtain her."

As long as Kazuki Hoshino's external appearance is preserved, he will be recognized as Kazuki Hoshino, even if he's different internally. This is certainly true. So I don't think he's spouting complete nonsense.

...but it's a stretch to say that he could become Kazuki Hoshino.

"Do you find this logic too extreme?"

I shut my mouth-Miyazaki-kun read me perfectly.

"Hoshino, what would you do if you learned that someone important to you has a split personality?"

"Eh?"

I frown upon hearing this sudden example.

"Is your special person only one of those personalities? Would you carefully distinguish between the personalities and say 'that one is important to me,' 'I don't need that one,' 'I don't mind that one'? You wouldn't, right? At the end of the day, the personalities are irrelevant—your special person is a single human."

"......You could be right."

"Thus, it doesn't really matter whether the person inside is [Kazuki Hoshino] or [Yuuhei Ishihara]. If she still accepts that I'm Kazuki Hoshino, her feelings will remain constant. It's not [your] personality that Maria Otonashi considers important, I'm sure, rather it's—"

Miyazaki-kun continues without altering his expression in the slightest.

"—Kazuki Hoshino's existence itself."

His words contain some hidden power.

He wasn't just speaking in order to corner me.

"...but I'm afraid I'm not such a special person to her."

He smiles wryly.

"You might not have noticed, since you're too closely involved. But I know. Otonashi is dependent on you! So it will be hard for Maria Otonashi to endure losing you when your personality disappears. She will try to find something to fill that gap. It's obvious how she'll compensate for her loss, isn't it?"

"...you think it'll be [Yuuhei Ishihara]?"

"Not exactly. It's Kazuki Hoshino who will certainly continue to live, albeit slightly altered."

"That's why [he] will obtain her eventually...? This is only your suitable guess. Why can you be so convinced?"

"Because she's the same as me," Miyazaki-kun says in an annoying tone.

"Eh?"

"Because I'm depending on someone like Maria Otonashi does. That's why I can easily predict what she's going to do."

I finally understand why there's such power behind his words.

Miyazaki-kun knows how it feels when a special person disappears and turns into someone else.

"Stop being so nitpicky. You just have to betray Maria Otonashi. If you do so, she will start confusing [Kazuki Hoshino] with [Yuuhei Ishihara]."

"...Why?"

"Otonashi would never dream that [Kazuki Hoshino] would betray her. Even if you were to handcuff her, she would assume it was [Yuuhei Ishihara]. But in reality, it was [Kazuki Hoshino] who did the deed. Consequently, she will become unable to confidently distinguish between the two of you. The borderline between [Kazuki Hoshino] and [Yuuhei Ishihara] will disappear."

And then she's going to consider [me] and [him] to be the same.

If she feels this way by May 6th, Otonashi-san will accept my replacement without resistance, even if [he] steals everything from me. That's what Miyazaki-kun is saying.

"Did you get it? Okay, I'll instruct you, then."

"...Wait a sec."

I interrupt him.

"What?"

"What do you plan to do when [he]'s not convinced that he's completely stolen Otonashi-san from me?"

I think I know what's going to happen.

We aren't going out, after all. Thus, it's not possible to steal her from me. Things can't go as [he] planned.

"Won't you be making her suffer? Will you still use me?"

Miyazaki-kun keeps silent for a moment, and fails to deny it. "I guess so."

And he adds without reservation—

"So what?"

"'So what'...? U-Under no circumstances could I... do that. I agreed to betray her. But that doesn't mean that I want to trouble her to—"

"Do you want me to hit you again?"

"......Even if you do, I won't do it!"

I don't care if I have to suffer. Right now, I merely have to endure the pain.

But I absolutely cannot accept that someone has to get hurt because of me. This has nothing to do with her being my ally or not, I just cannot accept it.

He observes me for a while, but in the end he just sighs regretfully for some reason.

"You're okay with that?"

"......with what?"

"If violence won't get the job done, then we just have to use a different kind of threat, you know?"

"...What do you mean?"

Miyazaki-kun doesn't answer my question and remains silent.

May 3rd (Sunday) 08:45

I am standing in front of Kazuki Hoshino's home.

"Huh, your idea is really nasty."

"How so? If it's for your sake, this is the natural solution. And anyway, you'll be the one who executes it, right?" he calmly says.

"Do you think this underwear-girl will obediently follow my commands? If not, she'd be pitiful."

"Well, I'll pray for it to go well!"

Ryuu Miyazaki responds with some shallow words, as if he has almost no interest in what's going to happen.

No—Perhaps he really has no interest.

Faced with his inability to do anything in response to that incident, all other issues might pale in comparison. I have no real basis for this theory, but it springs to mind anyway.

"Okay, I'll start."

"Ok."

It's only natural, but I open the door without ringing the bell.

"I'm home."

I climb up to the second floor.

As always, Luka Hoshino is sleeping in just her underwear.

May 3rd (Sunday) 10:06

Miyazaki-kun presses a mobile phone against my ear.

"N-NOOO!!"

I hear a loud scream coming from the phone. I immediately recognize the screamer's voice. After all, it's someone I hear almost every day.

"Luu-chan...!!"

"Why are you doing this?! Stop it, Kazu-chan!!"

"Ah—"

What... what did he do!? What did he use my body to do to Luu-chan!?

"This happened because you didn't listen to us like a good boy!"

"But Luu-chan has absolutely nothing to do with this! So why did you do such a—!!"

"Because she has nothing to do with this, you'll suffer. That's exactly why we did this!"

Upon hearing these words, I instinctively try to throw myself at him—but fail and fall to the ground in an unsightly heap. I forgot that I was still restrained with footcuffs. As I crawl around, Miyazaki-kun steps on me and presses the cell phone against my ear.

"Uuh..."

Since I can't even cover my ears, I close my eyes instead, even though doing so is pointless.

I hear: "Just kidding~~~!"

"Huh...?"

"Kazu-chan, why do you want me to say such things? Big sis is becoming anxious about your future."

Dumbfounded, I raise my head and look at Miyazaki-kun.

What on earth? It was all a joke...?

Miyazaki-kun removes his foot from my body. I sit up while staring on him, even as he still remains expressionless.

"Why are you relaxing, Hoshino?"

"Eh?"

"Those were sound files recorded with the 'My Voice'-feature. They're not happening in real time. What if I reversed the order of those files? Maybe the sound file you just heard happened first?"

"Y-You can't...!"

"Just kidding!"

"Ugh..."

I feel miserable because I'm so gullible.

"Geez... why are you swinging back and forth from joy to sorrow? The problem isn't whether she was actually hurt or not, is it? The problem is that Luka Hoshino's completely defenseless against [Yuuhei Ishihara]'s actions. "

Miyazaki-kun turned the foot on my body around.

"[Yuuhei Ishihara] will become Kazuki Hoshino. Can't you imagine how much of a hindrance having a sister would be? Heck, you're living in the same room! Of course she'd notice Kazuki Hoshino's transformation, and it would be impossible to terminate your relationship since you're siblings. She's the person who might become the greatest barrier. That seems to be why he's indecisive: How should he deal with her?"

Having said this, Miyazaki-kun made a double click and begins to play another voice file.

"[Kazuki Hoshino]: you will betray Maria Otonashi for us, won't you?"

This is a threat.

A simple threat that he will kill Luka Hoshino if I don't obey.

"So what will you do, Hoshino?"

If I handcuff Otonashi-san, she might end up getting hurt. But If I don't, Luu-chan might die.

There's no way I could decide! —However, Otonashi-san won't be killed. Also, she might be able to overcome the situation with her brilliant skills. No, she'll definitely be able to do it.

—she will defeat us.

May 3rd (Sunday) 21:04

"I'm surprised Otonashi is taking such a long time to get here. I was sure she'd know where to go right away," Miyazaki-kun says.

"Well, she might not have noticed that you're being imprisoned. [Yuuhei Ishihara] did go back to your house just now, after all. However, she should realize that's something's up since her calls are being blocked... Hmm, Hoshino, did you guys have a big fight that would justify your blocking her calls?"

I can't answer—I can't remember what happened when we last parted, since everything was lost in a black cloud of despair.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter. We're going to proceed anyway," he says and takes out my cell phone.

He didn't do anything until now because [my] time to be in control today had been unclear. But my time window for the day is now settled, once 19:00 was stolen from me. I'll be in control until 23:00.

"...Ah, that reminds me," Miyazaki-kun then takes out some packing tape and sticks two pieces over my mouth. Since I'm already handcuffed, I can't remove it.

He makes a call. It's obvious who he's calling.

"Hello?"

"......Who are you?"

The room is silent. Even I can clearly hear Otonashi-san's voice.

"Ryuu Miyazaki!"

"...Miyazaki, why are you calling me from Kazuki's cell phone? What happened to Kazuki? I knew that you were [Yuuhei Ishihara]'s partner, but—"

"Partner? As if I'd help out that piece of sh*t! He merely found my weak spot and blackmailed me."

What is he saying...?

"Your weak spot?"

"Yeah. I'm not supporting him, he merely found a chink in my armor and used me. But I've had enough! Fortunately, I've come up with a simple solution to my problems."

"A simple solution...?"

"It should be easy for you to grasp. It's really simple."

"...Don't tell me—"

"Exactly. I just have to kill Kazuki Hoshino."

Miyazaki-kun speaks indifferently and emotionlessly. Only now do I realize that this is just a pretext. His performance just seems too natural. Even though I know the truth, for a second there I was about to buy into his fake story.

So I don't think Otonashi-san will be able to see through his lies.

"...What are you saying? I don't know what kind of weak spot he targeted, but that's just too risky. I never thought you'd be stupid enough to make that kind of choice?"

"It's so easy to see right through you; you seem surprisingly bad at deceit."

"......"

"Murder is definitely a risky gamble. It wouldn't be worth it. But that doesn't apply to Kazuki Hoshino right now. You should know why, right?"

"...I have no idea."

"Haha, don't play dumb! Okay, then I'll tell you. The risk-free murder opportunity is to 'just take advantage of the moment of the shift.'"

Otonashi-san already picked up on this, I suppose. After all, she told me yesterday that it would be dangerous if I switched identities while riding her motorcycle. If someone took that idea to its logical conclusion, it would be dead easy to fake a fatal accident or suicide.

This is what he means by risk-free murder.

"If I'm able to put an end to this threat, I'll happily do it."

"...Why are you telling me about this?"

"There's someone I'd like to shoot if I had a vanishing bullet, right? But by using this bullet, I'll also erase someone I have no grudge against. Since he's just too pitiful, I thought I might allow him to speak to his lover one last time right before the very end."

"Just how selfish are you...!?"

"Oh? Hoshino has only a few hours left, you know? He's as good as dead! But rest assured; I'll only kill him when he's [Yuuhei Ishihara]. I'll gently euthanize him. Isn't he lucky? He'll die before being taken over completely by that scumbag."

"Kazuki will regain his body!"

"That's just your personal opinion, isn't it? No one else would be able to be so optimistic in such a situation!"

"Gah..."

"Well, that's all. Okay, I'll let you hear his last words."

Of course, he doesn't remove the tape from my mouth.

Instead, he moves his mouse and double-clicks. My voice resounds from the speakers.

"Please save me—"

That line sounds really cheesy. If only—

"—Aya!"

—he didn't mention that name.

How do they know about that name...? They don't know about the Rejecting Classroom, so they shouldn't be aware of that name.

No... they might know it. I have used that name in classroom 2-3. Miyazaki-kun surely realized that it had to be some kind of code and reported it to [Yuuhei Ishihara].

But she doesn't know that [he]'s saying those words, so she won't pick up on that. Therefore—

"......I'll come to save you right away, Kazuki."

—she believes that I'm the one speaking.

"You made a mistake," Otonashi-san declares.

"You should of called me just before Kazuki Hoshino switches to [Yuuhei Ishihara]. It's 21:12 right now. The earliest you can act is 22:00. I'll defeat you and take back Kazuki in the next 48 minutes."

It's a failed announcement.

She doesn't realize that her words won't unsettle him; rather, they'll let him rest easy.

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