"That was quite aggressive. But it's a pity you failed. You should have used that at the entrance."
Of course, I was bluffing.
Misono-san moved to stand in front of the Japanese room. Her demeanor was so honest it made me wonder how she manages her daily life.
"It must be something very important in that room. Maybe it's the room itself that's valuable. Or perhaps you're storing something that embodies status, honor, or wealth. Or maybe it's something that could be fatal."
I vaguely hinted, but Misono-san didn't show any significant reaction.
I couldn't determine her breaking point, so I decided to stop the teasing.
I didn't come today to torment Misono-san.
Nor did I come to expose her supposed wrongdoings. "It's been a while."
Without thinking, I licked my lips, wondering if smiling in such situations would make me seem more human, and revealed the name as if unveiling a secret.
"Ma-chan."
The taser and the vase both simultaneously fell to the floor.
Misono-san's shoulders trembled, looking vulnerable as if she were a bullied child.
Her feet, like a fawn's, took a step closer.
Her pupils dilated and contracted to their limits, and her shoulders shook even more intensely.
"Do you remember?"
I asked in a gentle tone, without even realizing it. She took another step closer.
"Mi-kun?"
...Such a nostalgic name after eight years.
"Ma-chan."
Misono-san's reaction was clear in her shoulders. To comfort her, I embraced her slender, bony frame. I could smell her scent mixed with sweat.
"Mi-kun...?"
She called my name, still in disbelief.
"There, there."
"Mi-kun."
"There, there."
"Mi...kun..."
I gently patted her back in a comforting manner.
And with that, she broke down.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
With her entire body, Mayu let out a heart-wrenching scream. Cold tears flowed from her eyes, wetting the area around her like rain.
"Mi-kun! Mi-kun, Mi-kun, Mi-kun!"
Held in my embrace, Mayu repeatedly called out my name.
Finally, she collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
She wasn't just a classmate to me.
We were tormented together.
We were broken together.
We went mad together.
An unwanted relationship.
Misono-san and I were the victims of a kidnapping incident eight years ago.
It took more than thirty minutes for the situation to calm down after cleaning up the shattered vase.
"Sorry. I wanted to tease you a bit."
I apologized as I combed through Mayu's hair with my fingers while sitting on the sofa. Mayu, still crying, pouted but stayed in my arms.
"Stupid Mi-kun. You made my heart race."
"I was scared too."
Actually, I almost got shocked and would have ended up in a bad state.
"I'm confiscating this."
Children shouldn't have access to such things. When I picked up the taser during cleaning, Mayu didn't react. It seemed she no longer cared about it.
"Stupid, stupid. Stupid Mi-kun."
Mayu regressed to her child-like state. The composed Misono-san I knew had disappeared.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I only realized recently. I mean, I didn't know your name."
I gave a false reason, but Mayu remained unconvinced.
"Liar. We used to play together all the time. There's no way you didn't know."
"Ah, excellent deduction. Smart."
I tried to divert by patting her head. There wasn't a real reason to hide the truth, but I doubted she'd understand if I told her.
"Mayu has a small brain. Just like a..."
My words were cut off as she pressed her finger against my lips. Mayu spun around, now facing me.
"It's not Mayu. It's Ma-chan."
She released my lips. ...Hmm.
"Isn't it a bit embarrassing to call you 'Ma-chan' at this age..."
"No way! Mi-kun will call me Ma-chan!"
She flailed about like a child. No, she was exactly like a child. "Also, your voice is like a cat's meow."
"Isn't it fine being like a cat?! Is there a problem with that?!"
Thinking there isn't, well, that's a line from an alternate universe version of me.
"Mi-kun is Mi-kun and I am Ma-chan! It's decided and inseparable!"
It's strange how when she emphasizes this with tears, it feels incredibly sincere and urgent.
Perhaps swept up by the mood, I found myself nodding in agreement.
"True. If it was Mi-chan, it would sound like a blue robotic doll, and Ma-kun would sound like a mascot."
"Right, right! Mi-kun is smart!"
Her face twisted with a mix of laughter and tears, Mayu now began patting my head. Somehow, deep down, I felt like I was making a monumental mistake. Yet, I couldn't pinpoint what it was or how to address it. It felt wrong even to think in such a situation.
"I've been waiting all this time. Waiting for Mi-kun to call me Ma-chan and appear before me."
"...Really?"
"You've been waiting?"
"...By the way, can I look in that room?"
I glanced toward the traditional Japanese room in the back.
"Sure!"
Mayu quickly moved aside. When I stood up, she wrapped her arms around my neck, hanging onto me. I was a bit out of breath, but I carried her like a child towards the room, hoping that what was inside wasn't what I feared.
I slid open the traditional door without hesitation. Inside were just two kidnapped elementary school students.
"...Well."
I quickly closed the door, turned back, and switched on the TV. A young couple was having fun at an amusement park on a weekday. The boyfriend was smelling his girlfriend's shoes.
Mayu lay across my lap, and I took a moment to collect my breath.
"I don't like these sappy dramas."
Despite saying such a thing, Mayu took the remote from me and changed the channel to "8". The program shifted to a variety show. Even so, I felt the need to reflect on what had just transpired.
"Ma-chan."
While combing Mayu's hair with my fingers, I asked with a mix of resignation,
"Did you... kidnap those kids?"
"Yes!"
She answered cheerfully, almost as if expecting praise. If she asked for it, I might even pat her head.
"Hey, hey, you don't have to go home, right? Let's live together."
"Whoa, there."
"Separate your questions and demands."
"And? What do you say?"
She wasn't even listening. And her eyes sparkled with excitement. Was she always this innocent and childlike at school? Her actions were too natural for a maiden.
"Well... living together, that's like cohabitation, right?"
Expecting students to cohabitate with such purity. But it seems cruel to expect a relationship as pure as a clear river from someone tainted from the start. Besides, I'm still dependent on my uncle's household. I'd need the guardian's approval.
"We'll go to school together, eat together, bathe together, and sleep together. Sounds good, right?"
"Well, yes, but about the living expenses..."
"I'll cover them! It's all okay!"
I felt the temptation to become a freeloader.
...Well, why not? It's not like it's a long-term thing anyway. "Today, I'll talk with my uncle. If he says no, maybe we should run away together."
Such a conclusion seemed almost childlike. On the other hand, in Mayu's mind, it seemed like a foregone conclusion, her eyes shimmering with dreamy optimism.
"Ah, if only I had realized sooner... even during our school trip groups."
While expressing regret verbally, she looked oddly entranced. I followed suit, pretending to be deeply disappointed, even though it was a total lie.
"Now, let's put the rosy and sepia-colored stories on hold."
I exaggeratedly cracked my neck. As expected, the contents of the Japanese room were just as I had thought. This town indeed had murderers and kidnappers, and one of them was this girl, Misono Mayu. The mystery was solved, but what should be done about it?
Even though I had anticipated this, facing the reality was more shocking than expected.
"Typically, when you start living together, it's supposed to be more romantic, isn't it? Not dealing with such heavy criminal issues..."
I felt like holding my head in my hands and wanting to swap it out for another. Is a new face available yet?
"Why so blue? Your face looks like you've seen a ghost."
Mayu, having snapped out of her daydream, poked my cheek. With childish gestures and words, she peeked at my face and seemed satisfied with whatever she saw.