"By the way, Nagatsuki said she'd visit later."
"Really?"
I grimaced noticeably.
Seeing this, the doctor grinned even more joyfully.
Later, the doctor began to snore loudly. (She should go home.) I thought to myself because I was alive.
"Well, I might've missed the chance but..."
At least, as a formality...
"Goodbye."
"Just kidding."
I was alive.
The next day, after a simple examination, I was forced to attend a scolding session hosted by my aunt and uncle. Afterwards, while protecting her right leg, I met Mayu. She said she had sprained her ankle by misstepping while descending the stairs of a department store. Hearing this, I left the hospital with a mix of guilt and indifference.
Yellow fallen leaves covered the pavement. The humid heat from when I started living with Mayu was replaced by a cool breeze. The cold nights in the hospital didn't surprise me anymore.
The long summer heat finally ended. It was the end of the summer before I'd be locked in a cage, becoming an adult. While I wasn't nostalgic, I regretted not taking a deep breath at least once.
Now, let's stop being sentimental and return to my usual self.
"Don't you think it's harsh?"
"Well, yeah."
Mayu ranted, and I responded with non-committal answers.
"That liar, when she saw me, she just slapped me. When I tried to retaliate, she ran away. I've always thought she's crazy. You shouldn't meet her either."
"Hmm... Didn't you do something to provoke her? Like, act cheeky or something?"
"Not at all," she firmly denied.
"I see. Then, it's not your fault, Mayu."
My superficial agreement made Mayu, happier than a fluttering leaf, smile.
I shouldn't have children. I'd spoil them too much, creating spoiled brats. I realized this. "By the way, you didn't go on the school trip, did you?"
To avoid talking about the doctor, I changed the topic. While everyone else was on a trip enjoying service areas in Kumamoto and Nagasaki, Mayu didn't participate and was here. It wasn't clear for whom, but if I hadn't done the no-rope bungee and had been on the trip, would Mayu have joined? "Because you weren't going."
It was a statement that implied 'Isn't it obvious?'.
...After all, I'm needed.
So, it's fine for now.
The doctor would probably be mad though.
"That's why, I want to go on a trip with you next time."
"Sure, someday."
I promise with a straight face, even though I know the chance will never come.
It's a bland lie.
Even though fiction is supposed to color our days filled too much with reality, I walk on the fallen leaves.
Living while spewing lies.
I returned to Mayu's house.
I entered the living room.
By the way, I wonder how those kids were doing. I hope they haven't dried up.
"Mayu, can you make lunch?"
"Yeah, sure."
I sent Mayu to the kitchen and quickly went further inside, sliding open the fusuma (sliding doors).
After three days apart, the unfamiliar stench hit my nose and eyes.
"Ah..."
Four innocent eyes from the boy and girl looked up at me, seeking shelter.
Their gaze, which seemed to beg for salvation, almost made me falter.
Supporting myself on the fusuma, I resist the urge to look away and speak with a cheerful voice.
"I might've stayed out all night, but welcome back!"
Their greeting was even more enthusiastic than mine opening the fusuma.
Tugging their chains to their limits, they approached.
"Hey, why weren't you here? You hardly came to the room."
Their faces flushed, Anzuko asked, creating an illusion of a wholesome younger sister.
Kota looked up at me with pleading eyes, "Where were you?"
Don't ask like a newlywed!
I kept that retort to myself.
"Let's talk about that later..."
I took a deep breath in the unfavorable atmosphere, sullying my lungs.
Anyway...
"Did you get food?"
"Yes, it was delicious as usual."
"Something about not wanting to get scolded by you," she mumbled.
Anzuko's imitation of my voice was spot on. Maybe individuals of similar mental ages resonate.
But have I ever scolded anyone?
While I seldom possess kindness or warmth, my negative emotions are frozen in response. I'm detached from anger or jealousy.
If regular people are like crafted products, I'm like something made of plastic. And I didn't hate that about myself.
...Though it's a bit half-baked.
"Hey, you're, um..."
"Yes, you're talking about me."
I helped Anzuko out as she hesitated to refer to me informally. The window.
With a slightly softened expression, Anzuko said, "Oh, I see. So it starts with 'Mi'." and seemed satisfied.
"Hmm, Mi-kun... Mi-kun..."
She savored the name "Mi-kun" on her tongue. While watching her do this, I took a deep breath.
"In any case, one of my worries is now gone."
Only one more remains.
A way to conclude this lax kidnapping incident.
A way to "somehow" deal with these kids, to "somehow" resolve the situation, and to turn Mayu back into a regular high school girl.
I seriously pondered, as a form of rehabilitation for my groggy mind.
I thought deeply.
Pieces of thought overflowed, and I strained my brain so much it felt like I could start hallucinating.
It felt like my brain cells were boiling, with heat gathering in my forehead.
In the midst of this, I suddenly recalled a solution I arrived at on the rooftop of a department store.
Running away, murder, kidnapping.
I retrieved the idea I had let go of when I was free-falling, ruminated on it, and looked at the two kids.
"Um, Mister? You're frowning really hard."
Most people might think using someone as an object is the worst thing a person can do.
But if you're doing it to save someone dear to you, is it really that bad?
I wanted to prioritize Mayu, for my own sake.
...That's why I decided to "use" these kids.
Releasing the tension from my shoulders and forehead, I took a deep, murky breath. What remained in my emptied insides was a backward determination.
I'll make them lose.
I'll do my best to make them lose.
The kidnapper, the kidnapped, the murderer, the murdered, and those who will kill.
The next day after my discharge, I took advantage of my paid leave and went out in the morning to run errands. During that, I ended up playing a game that felt like an artificial athletic event where I had to climb walls and dodge security. Exhausted, I dragged myself back to my apartment.
The room was silent. Mayu, of course, was still deep in sleep, as were Kota and the others since we had stayed up playing until late.
With the TV on, I collapsed on the sofa and soon fell into a deep sleep.
During that time, I had a rare dream where I talkd with a mysterious old woman and realized my own happiness, but by the time I woke up in the afternoon, I had forgotten it. That day, I enjoyed an ideal holiday, active for only about half the day. Tomorrow would be the real deal, so today was enough.
The day after, I suffered from a headache due to oversleeping from the day before.
Even though today would be the busiest day of the year, my body felt lethargic.
"...Well, it's fine."
As long as my heart doesn't feel the exhaustion, it's okay. I don't need to be a decaying corpse; I can be a mud doll.
It was so simple that instead of feeling nauseous, I felt like crying.
So (even though it's unrelated), I decided to skip the classes that were set to resume today.
First thing in the morning, I searched through Mayu's sleeping room. I checked the drawers of the desk, the boxes in the closet, and all over. It was a task so tedious I wished I could delegate it to a wannabe detective.
After about an hour of searching the house, I found the tool I was looking for: the key to the shackles. The reason it was in the shoebox by the entrance is too nonsensical for amateurs, so I left it unexplained.
I visited Kota and the others' room to check the key. The two were already awake, reading some borrowed and over-handled comics. When I entered, they paused and greeted me.
"Good morning, big brother."
"…Hmm."
Being called that doesn't evoke any particular feelings in me. I bent down in front of the two and inserted the key into the handcuff-like shackles that adorned Kota-kun's ankles. The key fit perfectly into the keyhole, and with one twist, I felt resistance. His ankles were freed from the shackles.