---

---

Next, I recall the members of the Ooe family.

Ooe Keiko-san is dead. She was cremated.

Ooe Takahiro-san is dead. His bones came out of the kitchen trash can, so they were buried.

Ooe Touka is dead. She was eaten, but the faint remains went under the earth.

Saka Kiyoshi-san is dead. He was sucked dry, down to the marrow.

Ooe Kouzou-san is dead. In his next life, he'll be a polyp. Just kidding, though.

Saka Natane-san, freed from the mansion, was arrested. As a murderer.

: Why, I wonder? Even knowing the answer, I'm still slightly unconvinced.
Just doing your best to survive is a sin, so this human world is a difficult place.
Well, maybe it wasn't the *best* way, though.

The full account reported by Natsuki-san—who came storming in to visit this inpatient, perhaps intending to snap some sense into me, check up on me, and inform me that my best friend had declared our second 'breakup'—left just that much room for minor doubt regarding the whole affair.

Ooe Yuna had also been hospitalized a day before me, but after being filled up (guzzle, guzzle) with IV drips, she was discharged three days ago. Incidentally, regarding the yukata I borrowed from her, she refused to take it back, saying, "Even if you returned such blood-soaked clothes, I could only use them for nefarious purposes." On top of that, the next day, Mayu grilled me, asking, "Why were you wearing a girl's clothes?" So I loudly insisted, "Just trying on a little gift for you, saaah!" and it easily became Maa-chan's outfit, resolving everything. However, afterwards, she decided, "But putting it on Mii-kun makes you look like a doll, kyaaa-waaah-eee!" so it ended up becoming shared clothing. Which means the situation is hopeless, too.

So, what follows is my parting conversation with Yuna.

『There were two things I forgot to ask.』
「Oh? And I felt like I'd forgotten three.」
「First. While I was imprisoned in the basement, was it you who locked Fushimi up? I ask.」
「For now, I'll try feigning ignorance, wondering what you could possibly mean.」
「There was no reason for Natane-san to kill like that, and more importantly, it was out of sequence according to her rules. Well, the same would have been true for me, left to die in the basement... I pause for a beat and try observing her reaction.」
『Just because it wasn't Natane, concluding it was me is rather too simplistic, don't you think? I try acting indignant.』
『You were the only one around with the composure to find my disgraceful state amusing. I try embellishing my guess with a tone full of conviction.』
『I try denying it with an angelic smile. Pekaaaah!』
『Thanks for screening this scene from hell, complete with your own sound effects.』
『Being told that, I try acting a little embarrassed. Tee hee!!』
「Before you feel shame, I recommend you learn to question the values that led you to lock Fushimi up while leaving my basement room wide open, I suggest, while also judging further pursuit pointless and moving to the next question,」
「Ah, before that. Are you omitting the question of why I didn't tell anyone else the way to escape the mansion?」
「The mansion, huh... Hmm. No, that's because it doesn't really matter.」
「Oh, really? Even though you're the type whose curiosity just aches for those kinds of side-road interests.」
『Don't state it so definitively, because you're right. Okay, one more thing. Why, after being kidnapped, did you live so comfortably in that mansion all this time without escaping?』
「Wherever I am, I am still *me*. In that case, is there any reason to reject a new world?」
『...That's a lie, though, I try kindly adding for her.』
「Let's just say it was a matter of living standards, I'll explain.」
『Hmm…………』 『Doesn't really matter, though.』 」 (*Self-correction: This last part seems to be the narrator's internal thought following Yuna's line.* -> 『Hmm…………』 *Doesn't really matter, though.*)
『...Well then.』 『Yes, well then.』
We speak at the same time, our wishes clashing: 『I truly hope we can meet again!』 I say, ending with "yo." / 「I truly hope we *don't* meet again!」 she says, ending with "wa."
『…………Seriously?』 Because our words didn't overlap perfectly, I was half in doubt.

After that, taking Ooe Akane—who waved, saying, "Big sister, bye-byeee!"—with her, she went home somewhere. The possibility that Yuna will reappear in the near future as the final boss is extremely high, so she bears watching. Therefore, we didn't even exchange a parting handshake. Just kidding, though. She forced me into a handshake. It hurt, normally.

Fushimi is still hospitalized, and she wasn't exactly resting quietly in bed... rather, she was right in front of my room. She was actively acting suspicious—hopping up and down (pyoko-pyoko) in the hallway, hiding half her body behind the slightly open door. What's with her? Is she picking a fight with Maa-chan? This is the second time for you, so next time, forget dragonflies, Mayu (+ fruit knife) will come flying at you. ...Hm? She opens her notebook and shows it to me. Prioritizing legibility over efficiency, three giant characters occupying the entire page read: 「FEELING OK?」
I give a slight nod, affirming it. Next, Fushimi taps the words 『SCHOOL』 and 『CLUB』 on the next page alternately with her finger. But she doesn't touch on the subject of recruitment. Guess this means the club is thankfully defunct. No more being bothered by the radio waves flying around the school. Just kidding, though.
It feels strange saying it, but I get the feeling things around *me* are more "yun-yun."
When I nod my chin exaggeratedly, Fushimi nods up and down, satisfied (un un). ...Even after going through all that, she won't cut ties with me. Is she dense, or just unshakable? Apparently, though, she now has an aversion to pork and beef and can't eat them. When I asked why chicken was okay, she replied, 「Because... it's my favorite?」 Maybe she really is unshakable.

To declare my intention to continue associating with such a heavyweight, an appropriate attitude is probably required.
「Pleased to continue this association!」
In my mind, I converted it to katakana (KONGO TOMO YOROSHIKU!), letting the sound echo off the warm-colored hospital room walls.
Without missing a beat, Mayu tilted her head, 「Unya?」 and I deflected by making a peace sign with both eyeballs, saying 「Yayyy.」 Only the method was a lie.
「Yayyy?」 Maa-chan responded with a smile, despite not understanding.
Fushimi seemed to grasp the intent behind my bizarre outburst, her mechanical pencil racing across the page at top speed. Then, holding the edges of the notebook with both hands, she publicly displayed its contents.
A forceful acknowledgment came back—「YO!」 「RO!」 『SHI!』 『KU!」—and our friendship contract was thus smoothly extended.
Fushimi clutched the notebook in her right hand, swinging it energetically (bun-bun) as she dashed down the corridor in a trot. She left in a way that you could just picture her getting scolded by hospital staff within ten seconds.

I watched Yuzuyuzu go for about a second, then craned my neck towards Mayu.
「Maa-chan, can you show me the paper with the class assignments again?」
「Mmmph,」 she replied, not hiding her displeasure at the topic being brought up. She tossed aside the apple and knife, lazily opened her bag, pulled out the paper—folded more complexly than my bones—and tossed it over. Using my toes, I picked up the flimsy paper—about as thin as my compassion—and, with great effort, placed it on my lap and quickly scanned it again. Hmm, no matter how many times I look, Mii-kun is in Class A, and Maa-chan is in G. Seems reasonable, I decide, satisfied. Though I don't get why. ...And then, my eyes stop on an item likely to become a source of heartache, and my breath hitches. Turns out I'm together with Nagase-san. Thaaat's preeetty awkward. Incidentally, Fushimi is in the same class as Mayu. Which means that for three years, not once will the Amateur Radio Club members be sitting side-by-side working hard in class. Not that it matters much, though.

「Okay, thanks.」
I return the paper to Mayu. Mayu takes it, crumples it up skillfully, and shoves it into her shoe. That decides the first thing I need to do once my arms heal.
[...]
Now, finally, let me steal a sideways glance at Mayu. Without turning my head.
Ever since the day I showed her my old drawing, Mayu has been calm, back to her usual self. Well, objectively analyzing what "usual" means for her gets complicated, so let's skip that, but things are peaceful. As she recovered, I think I felt a slight sense of wrongness shaking my semicircular canals amidst my hazy consciousness, but I conclude it's probably nothing worth pursuing, just a minor thing.
There are no pages torn from a sketchbook on the bed, no writing utensils with crushed tips, no scratched-out love. Just some strawberry juice splattered on the sheets. For the first three days after she seemed 'fixed,' I interacted with her cautiously, watching her condition, but now I've relaxed my shoulders too. Once I could confirm she was stable, all that's left is to live out these gentle days.
Mayu stopped chasing the reality of "Mii-kun" and reverted to a life lived in a dreamlike state. That's what happened, right?
Though that's a detached observation someone who encouraged it shouldn't have.
「Mii-kun?」 Mayu tugs near my knee. While maintaining my precariously built train of thought, I shift my focus to Mayu. Looking over, I see the apple has been peeled before I knew it, exposing flesh like the secret offspring of a Snow Country beauty and a Yellow Monkey. Today's approach seems to be no fancy carving, just biting straight into it.
Saying 「Thanks,」 I didn't go for the apple in her hand, but tried nuzzling (munimuni) Mayu's cheek with my lips. Incidentally, she hates it if you 'nibble' her ear. Apparently, it makes her go 「Hauwah!」 so it's no good.
Though it *is* possible.
「Nyaa~」 Mayu embraces the back of my head and the nape of my neck, encouraging my actions.
「Hmm, this is so very Maa-chan-Maa-chan-ish. The real deal, huh.」
I try evaluating it by mimicking Mayu's tone. When I get home, I'd like to savor the real thing in stereo.
But wow, living apart from Mayu for twenty days makes her cheeks feel this delicious.
No, really, it was a good incident for curing my boredom. Without it, I probably would have resorted to cheating sooner or later. Just kidding, though.
What I understood this time is the fatal misalignment at the point where axis meets axis at zero. An operational ethic that forces the adoption of incongruous calculations where 'normal' becomes negative.
That's why I can't reach the simple conclusion that I lost Maa-chan's Mii-kun long ago.
I understood, a little, what Mayu sees in the darkness. Meaninglessly, ironically.
I pull my mouth from her cheek and proceed to start gnawing on the apple.
「......I wonder why,」 I grumble with a sidelong glance at the blank CRT screen.
Mayu didn't do anything wrong, you know. And yet, right now, the one bearing the worst scars is Mayu. ...That's a lie, though?
Really, is Mayu free from sin?
The act of killing someone—under what circumstances can one escape judgment for it? Will society not condemn Mayu?
'You killed someone. But hey, results are okay! You're alive, so stick your chest out and carry on with life!' ...Something like that. I cut off the crackpot daydream that precedes even optimism.

If Natane-san is to be punished, then Mayu probably should be too.
Because she is a murderer.
One of those humans for whom murder was necessary to survive.
Therefore... and let's continue.
So what?

「Hey.」
Mayu and I are healthy today, tomorrow, and the day after, day after day, but still.
I call Mayu.
Mayu turns to me.
「When we get home, I want to eat curry.」
Mayu's facial muscles collapse in a high-quality way.
And my face, on its own, easily,
「Mii-kun, you're such a glutton,」 she says.
No kidding.

---
**Afterword**

A completely pointless spoiler.
In the manuscript submitted for the award, the protagonist's gender was reversed.

And that's it for Volume 5, a story written by someone who loves *Chrono Cross*, loves *Metal Max 2*, loves *Mother 2*, loves *Boku to Maou*, loves *Way of the Samurai*, loves *Captain Tsubasa*, loves *Dark Chronicle*, loves *moon*, loves *ICO*, loves *Hero Senki*, loves *Super Saiya Densetsu*, loves *Mega Man 3*, loves *Spelunker*, loves *SIREN*, loves *Sweet Home*, loves *The Portopia Serial Murder Case*, loves *Shin Momotaro Densetsu*, loves *Wild Arms 2nd Ignition*, loves *Abarenbo Tengu*, loves *The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time*, loves *Dragon Quest V*, loves *Shiren the Wanderer*, loves *Final Fantasy V*, loves *Hoshi wo Miru Hito*,
and above all else, loves *Machi*.
Someday, I'd like to try writing a story like that, one about "people living right next to each other."
But if I did, it would probably just turn into *Machi*, so I likely never will my entire life.
(Hitoma Iruma)

My thanks once again to my two editors who took care of me. I find their opinions extremely helpful during our meetings. In fact, I feel like I might not be contributing enough myself, but never mind that.
If they hadn't picked up my work two years ago, I wonder if I'd be unemployed right about now... in that sense too, I am extremely grateful. I owe them a debt. Whether I can repay it in the form of results is an unknown quantity. I'll do my best.

Also, to Hidari-sama, who I never expected would end up helping me enough that I could thank them five times now. Regarding the character depictions in the work, I'm a hopeless human who relies completely on the illustrations, but I hope to continue working with you.

Of course, I offer my immense gratitude once again to my parents, who tell me, "Don't come down from the second floor."

And finally, naturally, my thanks to all the readers.
Among Dengeki Bunko authors, I tend to write stories that are somewhat out of place.
It makes me seem like a kid who can't read the room, but I'm aware of it.
If you're okay with reading things written by someone like that, please join me again next time.
Thank you very much.

Hitoma Iruma

---
**Author Bio:**
**Hitoma Iruma**
Age 2○. Bad at thinking about things seriously, and also bad at having serious conversations. Probably suspected by various people of not really being an author. Also often suspected of lying about his age, with people wondering if the minor details in his work referencing the 30s or his inability to drink are because he's underage. That lack of credibility really comes through in his writing style, yup.

**Illustrator Bio:**
**Hidari**
Lives in Yokohama City, Gemini. A freelance illustrator primarily working on card games, magazine pinups, etc. Lives like a hermit out of touch with current trends.

---
**Colophon:**

**Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan 5**
**The Pillar of Desire is Bonds**

**Hitoma Iruma**

**Dengeki Bunko**

Issued March 28, 2013
© 2008 HITOMA IRUMA / ASCII MEDIA WORKS

This e-book was produced based on the following:
Dengeki Bunko "Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan 5: Yokubou no Shuchuu wa Kizuna" First Edition issued May 7, 2008

Publisher: Satoshi Gunji
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Attn: Hidari-sensei