Published at 26th of March 2019 12:07 am

Volume 7, Part 3

27,756th time

"Ah…? Huh?"

All of a sudden, I regain my grasp of language as I watch the crimson sky from the rooftop.

"…Sunset."

I don't know how long it's been. Having given up on thought, the crimson sky and the act of jumping to my death have become no more than meaningless phenomena to me.

"Beautiful."

The fact that such a normal comment crosses my mind borders on a miracle. I have no idea how many times I've experienced the festival. I don't remember any recent events either.

I've returned to normal for just a moment.

However, it probably really is a miracle, and if I let this chance slip, I'm going to return to being a meaningless phenomenon that spends each day aimlessly, just to commit suicide upon spotting the setting sun.

Yeah … I have to choose now. I have come to commit suicide in order to avoid being trapped in an endless loop, but in the end, I wound up being trapped in a different kind of loop nonetheless. I'm at a dead end and I have to live with it. I have to make the decision to cut through this pointless loop.

I have to stop jumping to my death.

I have to give up on her.

Am I really okay with that, I ask my former self. He's the one who resolved to recover her and bring her back into his life, and has since withered away. He's the one who is taking control of me in order to jump off the roof.

—Am I okay with that?

Not at all. I want to save her. She's more important to me than anything else. I used to be ready to sacrifice everything, including my life and everyone else's.

But…

But—

—What was her name, again?

My last memories of her have been painted over by the repetitions of this day. If that was the plan of my enemy, then his plan succeeded. The sheer weight of time has driven her out of my head. I can't save her nor is there any point to my actions anymore.

I was defeated in every respect.

"But … that's okay, right?"

I've fought enough. I haven't kept count of the days that have passed, but I know the number is huge. I must have spent about as much time here as I did in the Rejecting Classroom. If I continue to maintain this futile struggle, I'll only break my own mind.

…No, it's already been broken for a long time.

The only way I can rid myself of my insanity is to discard the memory of this struggle.

Even though I'm aware of this, my legs keep me on the rooftop and try to jump off the fence whenever given the chance. It's become routine for me.

You gotta be kidding! Don't do that! I punch my thighs repeatedly to try to stop my legs from moving. I'm at my limit! Understand that already! Give up! Only after the pain renders them unusable, am I able to stop their routine of hurling me to my death.

"Hah … Hah…"

I force my body to leave the roof, dragging my traitorous legs with me. Breathing heavily, I stagger down the stairs a step at a time.

"Let's go back…"

Let's think about happy things.

"Let's go back…"

Let's think about Mogi-san's smile.

"Let's go back … to the enjoyable school festival."

I head back to a happy world, even if it's a fictional one.

Opening the entrance door from inside, I enter the schoolyard. I see the campfire. I hear the Oklahoma Mixer.

—It's been so long since I've last been here.

But if I've really returned to this world, then I ought to go to Mogi-san. I should say the words I had to swallow until now.

This will be my farewell to she whose name I've forgotten.

As I make up my mind, my legs suddenly feel lighter, as if a curse has been lifted from them. My heart is slowly defrosting after the long period of emptiness.

My heart is occupied by the smile of the girl I love.

"Kazu-kun…?" the girl mutters as she spots me before the fire, and rolls her wheelchair toward me.

"What kept you busy today? You look pale, are you okay? …If you're okay, would you join me in watching the campfire?" she says with a gentle but somewhat forced smile.

There's no way she wouldn't be sad. After all, even though she was really looking forward to our day together, I broke my promise.

"…I'm sorry," I say.

"Eh…? D-Don't worry yourself, Kazu-kun! I know that you had your reasons…"

"I'm sorry!" I repeat as I cry and cry.

"Erm … you don't need to apologize so much just for what happened today…"

It wasn't just today. I've neglected you and this world for an incredibly long time. I devoted all my time to she whose name I've forgotten instead of you.

I have been betraying this world's Mogi-san non-stop.

But I've decided to live here from now on. Whatever happens here is not just a fleeting phenomenon, but a series of important steps. I can no longer trivialize anything that happens in this world.

I can no longer commit suicide.

"I love you, Kazu-kun."

I can no longer ignore Mogi-san's confession of love.

Her confession has slowly but surely affected me. It changed my heart, which used to be occupied by she whose name I've forgotten.

My love for Mogi-san has grown day by day.

Just like it did in a past world of endless loops.

She has been erased by the repetitions of this world.

I wipe away my tears and grab Mogi-san's delicate shoulders.

"K-Kazu-kun…?"

Today I will finally respond to her.

"Kasumi Mogi, I love you."

My tears start to flow again.

"Please stay with me forever."

I will no longer ask her to wait until tomorrow.

Mogi-san is completely flustered by my sudden confession.

I know. Mogi-san didn't confess to me first this time; my confession must have come out of the blue.

Despite that, she flashes a smile.

"Thank you."

She shows me the sunflower-like smile that I love so much.

"I also want to be with you forever!"

We take each other's hands and start to dance a simple Mayim Mayim.[2] We can't dance properly because of her wheelchair, but I'm satisfied anyway. I'm definitely happy right now.

From now on I will live in this pointless, repeating world. Some people might consider this a bad end, but I'm perfectly happy with it.

I mean, what could be more wonderful than experiencing mutual love for all eternity?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"Haha"

I'm happy.

"Hahahahahaha"

"Hahahahahahahaha"

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha"

And thus, my long, long fight finally came to an end.

If only that were true.

I'm in an unfamiliar town.

More precisely, I'm in an average shopping district that has become rather unpopular because of the country-wide trend toward large shopping malls. What's the name of this town again? …It doesn't matter, does it? My whereabouts have no relevance to the lonely battle that I'm fighting.

The evening has caused the street to empty out, and in the middle of that street lies a boy in a school uniform, Yukito Tejima. He has passed out and is holding onto a girlish dress-up doll.

Deadlock Among Mirrors. That box granted Tejima's desire for "a world containing only him and his ideal girl." He wished for a world dedicated to himself and a girl one year his senior, Suzu Amemiya. However, boxes always incorporate doubts as well. Tejima didn't believe that his wish would really come true, and he also knew that Suzu Amemiya wouldn't want to live with him in such a lonely world. Furthermore, even though he may have wished for seclusion, he didn't truly harbor that desire in his heart of hearts.

Allowing his half-hearted wish to create a box resulted in the mirror maze named "Deadlock Among Mirrors." All he achieved was to lock himself in a house of mirrors with lifesize dolls of Suzu Amemiya that only ever said what he wanted them to say.

I broke into the world he created and wandered through the mirror maze, coming across nothing but soulless dolls. As there were no clues to lead me to a solution, I wound up locked in there longer than I anticipated. My somewhat desperate tactic that eventually superseded the status quo, was to break all the mirrors around me. By ignoring the rules of the maze, I eventually reached Tejima, who was hiding in the center of his world. I persuaded him to give up and took his box.

Only one day has passed in real life, but the subjective time I spent in the box was a year. It would be a lie to say that I'm not tired.

As a side note, Tejima and Suzu Amemiya aren't a couple. In contrast to what Tejima might want to believe, his crush regarded him as nothing more than just another student with whom she had exchanged a few words. While the real Amemiya is somewhat pretty, she is nothing like the perfect girl that I came across in the mirror maze.

His box is emitting a feeble, cheap light as if plastered with silver paper. I drop it on the ground and destroy it by stepping on it. The box, despite its size, broke with hardly any effort on my part.

Now I'll have to start over again.

…How long am I going to keep doing this? How long will I be able to?

"Once again you failed to obtain a box."

I glare at the speaker, who has appeared out of nowhere.

"O!"

He has assumed the appearance of Yukito Tejima's father, but his charming smile has given him away.

"Why do you not give up already? You will never acquire an empty box again, nor would you be able to master it."

"Perhaps. But it doesn't matter; I will continue to seek a box, and I will turn my Flawed Bliss into real bliss. I will make everyone in the world happy."

"And you are willing to sacrifice yourself for that goal?"

"Yes. Because—"

"I am Aya Otonashi."

In response to my firm statement, O flashes a scornful grin and vanishes.

I don't remember how long we've been playing this game of cat-and-mouse. My memory only consists of recent events.

Therefore, all of my prized memories that may have once existed are no longer retrievable.

For example—

"—Ah."

A warm and cozy feeling spreads within my heart as a certain name almost surfaces, but the fragment of a past memory vanishes before I can recall anything.

Oh well, it no longer matters to me, anyway. What point is there to a potentially close relationship in the past when I've forgotten about it? I bet that person is in a new relationship by now and has forgotten about me as well.

"I am—"

Alone.

I've been alone ever since that day.

Completely exhausted, I stagger into a rental apartment in a business hotel and collapse onto my bed. However, I can't fall asleep.

My head hurts as if it were beaten by a hammer. My body has suffered from my lengthy struggle against boxes; I feel like bursting from within at any moment. If I cry for help, the monster that is emptiness will jump at my throat and devour me.

I'm at my limit. I've long been at my limit.

I crawl over to my bag, take out my scented oil, and pour some onto a tissue.

The fragrance of peppermint. Strangely enough, I can fall asleep while surrounded by that scent. My body must have learned somewhere to be soothed by the scent of peppermint.

My consciousness starts to fade.

Moments later, I dive into a past that I can only remember in my dreams.

✵✵✵

My sister, Aya Otonashi, could predict the future.

She would identify the culprit in less than ten minutes when we watched a detective show. She would predict the contents of the dinner that our housekeeper, Yoshida-san, prepared for us every day. She would predict the couples who would start dating in her class. She predicted when her teacher would quit his job.

Whenever one of her predictions came true, I became more and more fascinated with her. Her "prophecies" struck me as mysterious magic, and as the magician, she topped it all off with her outstanding intelligence and beauty.

I was proud to be the little sister of such a perfect person, especially because I was no one special myself.

However—Aya-oneechan also predicted something about me. Something dreadful.

It happened on a winter day when I was 12 years old. It was freezing cold, and the wind was rattling the windows all around us. I had just come home from school and was still wearing my coat. The first thing I did was run into my sister's room to warm up. Her room proved to be as hot as I expected, causing me to smile in contentment. It was filled with a peculiar fragrance that consisted of a mix of various scented oils and perfumes.

That seemingly random mix of scents was somehow in perfect harmony. It was the smell of my beloved sister.

Unlike my room, which was furnished in an utterly normal way, hers had all kinds of luxurious furniture that didn't seem appropriate for a child's room. Her chandelier and her antique mirror in particular could have been plucked right out of a fantasy world.

That being said, I thought that an extravagant room like that was a perfect match for Aya-oneechan.

As she watched me take off my coat from her canopy bed, she gave me a serious look for some reason. I tilted my head in response, and she said, "I have to talk with you." Still a bit puzzled, I sat down on the chair before her.

She abandoned her serious look and smiled at me instead. She stood up and embraced my head, and then, she said loud and clearly:

"I will now predict your future, Maria."

With these words, she released my head.

This was the first time she had ever made a prediction involving me. I was somewhat surprised and straightened up immediately.

My sister looked into my eyes and said: "You will become me—you will have to." Seeing that I was completely lost, she continued, "By which I mean that you will have to make others happy."

"Become you? But then what happens to you, Onee-chan?"

She hesitated slightly, but her gaze didn't waver as she answered me.

"Maria, when I'm 14, I will leave this place."

Aya-oneechan ended up dying at the age of 14. She died on her birthday in a traffic accident, together with father and mother.

I was left behind, just as she had predicted.

Ever since then, I have been living as Aya Otonashi in accordance with her prophecy.

✵

I first met Aya-oneechan in the spring of my fourth year. I still vividly remember that day.

"Hey, why is everybody lined up?"

My mother just smiled wordlessly in response to my question. All the members of the household, including the maids, were lined up in front of the main entrance. I had never seen them do this before, so I was somewhat anxious and clung tightly to my mother's hand.

Before long, father pulled through the gate in his Merc and parked right in front of us. A young girl stepped out of the back seat.

Upon noticing us, the girl smiled faintly and bowed her head.

"It is a pleasure to meet you."

Even though there was nothing special about her bearing, I was deeply impressed. We were about the same age and height, and yet I instinctively sensed that she was cut from a different cloth. Her face was perfectly shaped, her legs were slender, and her skin looked as soft as silk—but her aura was even more remarkable than her looks. Despite her young age, she was surrounded by a fragile and melancholic air (not that I would have used those words to describe her back then). I was completely overwhelmed by my encounter with this mysterious girl, and hid behind my mother's back.

"Starting today, she's going to be your big sister," my mother explained.

My big sister? This girl? How is that even possible?

When I looked around, I saw that everyone, including mother, was welcoming her. It seemed like they were pleasantly surprised by her precocious politeness. Maybe it's only obvious to kids like me that she's not normal? I thought to myself.

However, that perfect first impression Aya-oneechan had made on everyone did not last long.

After father got out of the car and had his chauffeur park it in the garage, she said something that left everyone speechless.

"Would you please kneel before me?" she commanded in a tone that sounded nothing like a child's voice.

At first my father thought she was kidding. The little girl was making jokes, everyone thought.

Aya-oneechan, however, continued emphatically, "Apologies are in order. One for me, separated from her mother because of your promiscuity, one for my new mother, who is now obliged to bring me up, and one for my sister, who now has to deal with having a half-sister. So kneel down before us."

She fixed her gaze on father, signaling that she wouldn't set foot in her new home until he obeyed her demands. He could have just laughed off her requests; she was only a four-year-old girl, after all!

"Kneel down, please."

But that was out of the question.

He was not allowed to make light of the matter in the face of her seriousness. If he made the wrong decision, she would never again believe in the bonds of family. I—no, everyone present sensed that.

What was really strange in hindsight, was that everyone agreed that there was only one solution: father had to kneel down before her.

Eventually, he got on his knees and lowered his head.

"…I'm sorry."

It was an unbelievable scene. A high-ranking executive at a large finance firm who was used to barking orders, was prostrating himself before his 4-year-old daughter in front of his family and his servants, his face contorted with humiliation.

"Thank you. Now I am able to live here."

That incident did not, however, undermine his authority as a father. Aya-oneechan was generally well-behaved and listened to her parents. She made no further attempts to injure father's dignity.

However, in retrospect, she had been the real ruler of the family from the day of her arrival.

Our family must have been dancing to her tune all along.

Her pitiful circumstances also drove my parents cut her some slack.

We were a family of four: a father, Michishige, a mother, Yukari, an elder sister, Aya, and a younger sister, Maria. Aya-oneechan and I were half-sisters, and she was only 3 months older.

Five years after Michishige-san (I used to refer to him by name because both mother and sister did so) had lost his first wife, Yoriko-san, to illness, he married Aya-oneechan's birth mother and former celebrity Rinko-san. Her exceptional beauty, which was said to charm any man, must have drawn him to her.

Their relationship did not last long. Rinko-san was not a family-oriented person, nor did she love Michishige-san (at least according to him). He searched for comfort outside his family and had an affair with Yukari, a recent high school graduate who had just started working as a receptionist at his finance firm. Before long, he got Yukari pregnant; at the same time, his wife Rinko-san was three months pregnant with Aya-oneechan.

After securing enough alimony and child support to live quite comfortably, Rinko-san readily accepted a divorce. She got custody of Aya-oneechan, who had just been born, and Michishige-san married my mother just before I was born.

Apparently, Michishige-san and Rinko-san stayed in touch after their divorce. He even went to see Aya-oneechan from to time to time after getting permission to do so from my mother (Yukari). Eventually, after Aya-oneechan turned four, Rinko-san asked him to take full custody of their daughter.

Michishige-san accepted immediately. It was rumored that he had heard from a third party that Aya-oneechan was being neglected.

Aya-oneechan never talked much about Rinko-san. I only remember that she once darkly jested: "She told me that I should have never been born!"

Since I had minimal contact with Rinko-san, I can't say if Aya-oneechan was telling the truth. However, she certainly appeared to be a "pitiful child" to most people.

I suppose my parents tried to make it up to her by being much more permissive with her than with me, although they were still rather strict with both of us. They gave her a luxurious room, they bought her all the toys she wanted, and she had the right to pick her candy before I got to. In order to protect her from rumors, she was even sent to a different school than I was.

It would be a lie to say that I wasn't bitter about that kind of treatment back then. On the other hand, I could definitely tolerate it.

After all, my mother always said to me:

"I'm so happy that you were born."

She said it all the time.

"You kept Michishige-san and me together. You're my angel."

I was so proud whenever she told me that.

If my mother hadn't been pregnant with me, Michishige-san might not have divorced Rinko-san, and the affair might have just fizzled out. Michishige-san would often tell us that he had become a reformed man thanks to my mother's deep and abiding love. I thought they were a truly happy couple and wanted to one day become as happily married as they were.

I was the foundation of our family.

Yeah.

Maybe nothing bad would have happened if that had actually been true.

✵

It was so broiling hot on the first day of my first summer vacation in middle school, that just walking around indoors made my underwear sweaty and stick to my skin. I hated that feeling, and resolved to spend my entire vacation in air-conditioned environments. Wild horses couldn't have dragged me outside.

I had finally been freed from school, and on top of that, I had neither private lessons nor piano lessons on my schedule. To savor this taste of perfect bliss, I got comfy on my bed and turned on my handheld game console. I was determined not to do anything for the entire day.

Because of that, I didn't care at all when I heard the doorbell. It wasn't for me, at any rate, since no one would drop by unannounced to visit me.

Nevertheless, someone knocked on my door shortly thereafter. I could immediately tell who it was.

"Aya-oneechan?"

I got out of bed and opened the door. As I expected, it was my sister. She was wearing a gorgeous white dress.

Ever since she had turned 13, no one called her 'cute' anymore. She had become a bewitching beauty who caught everyone's eye. While her build and her face were still immature, her extraordinary aura completely overwhelmed those shortcomings.

"Was that actually for me?" I asked. "Did I get a package?"

"No, it was a guest of mine."

Seeing me cock my head, Aya-oneechan gently stroked my long hair. I had grown my hair long just to emulate her, so I was always happy when she touched it.

"I am going to invite that guest into my room. I want you to be there with me, Maria."

"Huh? I have to meet that person?"

It was the first time she asked me for anything like that. Since we went to different schools, we had no friends in common … or to be more precise, I had no friends at all.

"Yes. You need to witness what is about to happen."

"…What do you mean?"

Without saying another word—probably because an explanation would have taken too long—she grabbed my hand and dragged me out of my room. I was accustomed to her bossy attitude, so I gave in and followed her.

"Ah, right! Here is one of those 'prophecies' that you love so much," she said and turned back to me. "Candy will be taken."

I once again inclined my head. Aya-oneechan was being even more cryptic than usual. My attempts to ask for clarification were silently ignored with a smile.

"You're always doing whatever you feel like with m—EW!"

"Hm? What's the matter?" she asked.

Averting my eyes, I pointed at the eight-legged creature that was scaring me.

She smiled and said, "It's just a spider." She proceeded to pick it up with her bare hands, then watched it crawl around.

"A-Aren't you scared?"

"Hm? There is nothing it can do to us, is there? It's actually quite cute. I love how its body seems so perfectly constructed."

With these words, Aya-oneechan smiled and—

"—Ah…"

…squashed the spider in her fist.

"…Why did you do that?" I asked in surprise as I stared into her eyes.

"Because that spider was here without my permission."

I was somewhat worried about who she was going to introduce me to, but the person waiting for us was a completely normal boy who didn't mesh well with the atmosphere of her room at all. He wasn't ugly, but compared to Aya-oneechan, he was just a run-of-the-mill kind of guy.

There was a serious look on his face, and dark circles under his eyes indicated that he hadn't been sleeping well.

"Hello," he said as he smiled and shed much of his tired demeanor. Like most of the students attending Aya-oneechan's private school, he must have enjoyed a good upbringing.

I, on the other hand, was unable to respond properly to him, and just looked down at the floor. I wasn't trying to be rude, but I simply wasn't comfortable dealing with boys my own age.

Without acting offended in the least, he turned to Aya-oneechan and said, "Here's what you wanted."

"Thank you," she said as she took a notebook from him.

He started to look in my direction.

"Err, Aya-san? Why's your sister here?"

"Don't worry. She won't do anything."

"…So it's all right if she hears us?"

"Of course."

Despite my sister's comments, he couldn't help but glance at me from time to time. Well, I was a total stranger, after all.

…I'm uncomfortable. I wanna go back and play some more games… I thought to myself.

"Actually, would you mind explaining the situation to her?" Aya-oneechan asked.

"…How much does she know about the situation at our school?"

"Nothing!"

"Nothing at all…? So explain everything from the very beginning?"

She nodded.

Apparently, she didn't intend to introduce him to me. The boy also didn't seem to care about me beyond my identity as her little sister. I started to desperately wonder about why I was even dragged into this.

The still-unidentified boy turned toward me and calmly said, "Okay, let me explain what's happening at our school." I tensed up in response to being stared at by a boy. "See, we have an 'enemy.'"

"…An enemy?" I mindlessly repeated the forbidding word that I'd just heard.

"Right. There is a group of girls in our class led by a girl called Yamash*ta. They are our 'enemy.'"

I raised an eyebrow. "Enemy" was too strong a word to use for a classmate. Normally, a phrase like "not getting along" or "not being able to stand them" would be more appropriate, especially coming from someone so well-bred.

"Yamash*ta's group is trying to drive Aya-san out of our school, and we're not talking about relatively harmless stuff like slander and the silent treatment. They are actively seeking out teachers and parents, collecting signatures, boycotting the classes of teachers who defend Aya-san, and spreading false rumors about her. It got to the point where a member of their clique ran for vice-president of the school council on a platform of forcing Aya-san to transfer to another school. Anyway, you have to understand that this is not a class-only dispute, but rather a school-wide one."

I had no idea. She had never mentioned anything to me, nor had she seemed troubled.

Quite the opposite—

I looked at Aya-oneechan's face. She was still smiling peacefully.

"…"

Quite the opposite; she had been in a good mood lately.

"According to the enemy, our class has been disrupted by Aya-san. They claim that Aya-san is disturbing the natural order and that everything would return to normal if she were gone."

Aya-oneechan shrugged it off, saying that "They are right insofar as every class I'm part of becomes abnormal, at least in my experience."

She was telling the truth; her class environments would always take a turn for the bizarre. Once, a fanatical admirer stalked her and broke into our house, armed with a knife. This was a good example of the types of problems that her incredible charm could cause.

Having a major impact on your environment is a natural consequence of being 'special.'

"But Aya-san didn't do anything wrong! They're the ones who started it, and as soon as they were about to get in trouble, they blamed it all on Aya-san! It's a charade! They're not right in the head!"

I slowly grasped the situation.

Things likely started small; Yamash*ta and her friends probably resented Aya-oneechan because the boys in her class were obsessed with her or because of favoritism from some teachers. The girls must have ganged up on her in response. Normally, the story would end right there because a single person has no chance against a large group.

However, they were opposing Aya-oneechan. She never yields to anyone.

Besides, Aya-oneechan naturally has plenty of allies. As a result, the number of allies and enemies kept escalating and intensified the problem.

Once the ball got rolling, that group of girls couldn't just back off either, even if they wanted to, because the situation had taken on a life of its own. You can't stop fighting if people behind you are pushing you into a conflict.

As a result, the matter got worse and worse.

Aya-oneechan always had many friends and foes, and trouble followed her wherever she went. This time, however, the trouble had grown too great to shrug it off as just the norm. After all, the entire school was involved.

"To think that they are trying to threaten Aya-san into transferring when she hasn't done anything wrong … they're evil!" hissed the boy.

And to make matters worse—

There was real madness in his eyes.

"I'll teach them a lesson … I'll kill them!"

The words he said are often used figuratively and hyperbolically, but in this case they bore an entirely different weight. He clearly meant them literally. He was actually considering violence.

"Didn't I tell you that I don't approve of violence?"

"But Aya-san…! They'll only learn the hard way!"

"Be honest with me: Did you come here today to get my approval for violent acts?" Aya-oneechan asked.

The boy remained silent.

"Once you use force, you will automatically be the one at fault, no matter what your enemy has done. It's always like this. Violence is not a solution."

"Fuck…! But then what should we do…?!" he squeezed out as he looked down and clenched his fists. "…I want to kill them … kill them … kill, kill, and kill them!"

I was terrified; he was sincerely wishing for the deaths of their enemies. His state of mind was easily "murderous."

"…Ugh…" I uttered as I imagined a classroom filled with murderous intent.

A single cup of that sort of feeling was more than sufficient to cause nausea; if it were to fill an entire classroom, there was no way a normal school life could be maintained. The mere presence of such aggressive feelings would preclude a healthy everyday life.

In that case, I thought, the situation is hopeless.

A terrible incident was going to occur that even Aya-oneechan couldn't stop.

My body started to tremble.

Why … why did Aya-oneechan want me to see this…?

They continued to talk, but the more I heard, the more frightened I became of his unnatural behavior.

After their abnormal conversation had finally come to an end, we saw him off outside the entry gate.

I was treated politely from start to finish. He seemed to behave normally around everyone except for his "enemies" and "Aya Otonashi."

"Ah, right. Please take this," Aya-oneechan said before he left, handing him a paper bag.

"What is this?"

"You said that you cannot sleep, right? I picked out scented oils and some other items that will help you get some rest. Use whatever you see fit. I also included a note on their uses."

"Th … Thank you so much!"

I was stunned; he had been moved to tears because of such a small gesture, and was now weeping.

His feelings toward my sister were anything but normal. They had transcended love entirely.

If anything … they were feelings of worship.

I escaped into my room, dove under my blanket because I didn't want to think anymore, and focused on playing games.

But I sensed clearly: I could not escape.

One week after his visit, I was shaken awake in the middle of the night. "What's the matter?" I asked, but Aya-oneechan wouldn't give me a proper explanation and proceeded to unbutton my pajamas.

After I had finished changing into my regular clothes, she took me outside and caught a taxi. The address she provided was about one train station away.

"What are we going to do there?"

Aya-oneechan didn't answer.

After we had gotten out of the taxi, Aya-oneechan looked around carefully and pulled me into the bicycle parking lot for an apartment complex. We then ducked down as if we were trying to stay in hiding.

"Onee-chan … explain to me what's going on!"

"You will understand in a few moments."

"Onee-chan! Jus—" She interrupted my bawling by pressing her index finger against my lips. I gave in and decided to wait in silence.

After about five minutes, a group of four people assembled before one of the houses in front of us. The shadiness of their behavior was immediately apparent; they were all wearing black jerseys to avoid attracting attention.

"…Ah," I whispered quietly. I recognized one of the figures who was wearing a cap. It was the boy who had come to our house the other day.

I was getting a very bad feeling about the entire situation.

"Let's do this," one of them said.

"Yeah!"

Two of them kept watch, while the boy I'd recognized and one other person approached the house. They were carrying plastic containers and started to toss their contents all over the walls.

I noticed the peculiar, penetrating smell of oil.

Is this … lamp oil?

—No way, are they going to…?!

Once I realized what they were up to, I leaned forward and read the name plate of the house they were covering with the oil.

"Yamash*ta"

"Onee-cha—mghn…!"

She covered my mouth.

—Why? They were about to commit arson in the middle of the night! There were probably people inside and the fire department would take some time to arrive. If worst came to worst, the inhabitants might die. Why wasn't Aya-oneechan stepping in?

While I was struggling with my confusion, the preparations continued. The two people who had scattered the lamp oil nodded to each other and produced a few pieces of newspaper. After putting them down by the walls of the house, they drenched the paper in more oil.

They ignited their lighters. If the flames touched the paper—it would be all over.

"…Mm! Mmm!"

She must have a plan, I was sure, but I could no longer stand by idly.

I shook off her restraining hands and screamed:

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

But I was too late. The pieces of newspaper had already been lit and the fire was spreading. The wooden building, covered in lamp oil, was swallowed by the flames in no time at all.

Having heard my scream, the culprits all turned toward me. At first, the two people who had been keeping watch seemed to be confused by the appearance of a witness, but they decided to run away. The other person next to the boy with the cap also paused for a moment but then rushed off at full speed.

Only the familiar boy remained.

He knew who I was, and gazed at me with widened eyes.

"…What is Aya-san's sister doing here…?" he stammered. Aya-oneechan then stood up and showed herself. "…A-Aya-san…!"

She took out her cellphone without saying a word and dialed the emergency number. Meanwhile, I was ringing the Yamash*tas' doorbell like crazy while shouting, "The house is on fire! Get out of there! Get out!" and proceeded to hammer my fist against the door. Since there was no reaction, I switched back to ringing the doorbell. At last, I got through to the mother and urged her to evacuate the home ASAP.

After Aya-oneechan had finished making her phone call, the boy with the cap approached her and said, "A-Aya-san, you must get away from here, quick! You'll be mistaken for an accomplice if you stay here!"

Watching the flames dance, she let out a sigh.

"You needn't worry about that. My sister here will testify to my innocence. More importantly, did I not tell you that you must not resort to violence?"

"But! There was no other way…!"

He looked even more exhausted than he had the previous week. His face indicated that he was completely exhausted.

"You did all this for my sake. As such, I cannot avert my eyes from this incident and will accept full responsibility."

"No! We are entirely to blame! You have nothing to do with this incident!"

"I'm afraid nobody will think so. Do I have to spell it out for you? You have caused me great trouble. Irrevocably so."

His eyes widened in shock.

"…I-I have caused you … trouble…? No, this mustn't be…!" he stuttered as though it was the end of the world. "Uh, ew…!"

He fell on his knees and burst into tears.

"EWAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he screamed and wailed.

"…"

The scene before my eyes left me thunderstruck.

—What the hell?

I felt nauseated. This was so wrong. I felt like I was watching a cheap melodrama.

First off, I knew that Aya-oneechan could have stopped him at any point. She deliberately failed to intervene. If I hadn't cried out, she might have waited until the house had burnt down.

In other words, Aya-oneechan had waited for him to commit a crime.

What's the meaning of this?

I looked at her … and held my breath.

Aya-oneechan was smiling despite this terrible situation. But that wasn't the problem. What was far, far more disturbing was that—

—I was charmed by her smile.

I had lost my equilibrium. The burning house before me was clearly bizarre. Out of place. Not fitting into any sort of everyday life.

And Aya-oneechan was to blame.

The disputes in Aya-oneechan's class stopped after that incident … which was unsurprising, since the two key people involved in the dispute left school.

Yamash*ta-san's home had almost completely burned down. Before moving away, she came to Aya-oneechan and begged for forgiveness. The boy with the cap, on the other hand, tried to kill himself by taking an overdose of sleeping pills before the police came for him. The pills were in the paper bag my sister had given him.

However, he didn't suffer from an overdose. He was successfully arrested as the main culprit in the arson, even as he wondered why he was still alive.

It was only natural that he didn't die from the sleeping pills Aya-oneechan had given him. The "pills" he had taken didn't contain sedatives or anything like that; rather, they were just some cheap 70-yen candies from the convenience store around the corner.

However, until she told him otherwise, he would not believe that the candies were anything other than sleeping pills because she had labeled them as such. The label alone had been enough to convince him.

Despite her deception, he interpreted it as an attempt to keep him from committing suicide. In the end, he gave his thanks to the very person who drove him into committing the crime in the first place.

…Ah, right. Aya-oneechan's prophecy.

"Candy will be taken."

She had predicted the future once more.

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