Chapter 23: 28 February The Madman and the Ordinary Man

Translator: Soafp

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[1 day before]

As soon as I got home, I started feeling uneasy.

“Hey, Mana.”

As I was heading towards my room after returning from school and climbing the stairs, my own sister and someone I despise to the point where just hearing her voice makes my heart race, Maya Kimisaki, was blocking the way like a gatekeeper right in front of my room.

“…What? Onee-chan.”

“You’re being cold. Do you hate me?”

“… “

Despite my open display of dislike, she acted like she didn’t notice. Seriously, why the questioning tone? Can’t you see? I often wonder if this Maya Kimisaki person is lacking something essential as a human being, but it’s probably just my own personality…

“Well, whatever. Let’s get straight to the point.”

“…Yeah, if you could keep it brief.”

My sister then casually took out a sheet of paper from a clear file she was holding and handed it to me.

“What’s this?”

“You’ll understand when you read it.”

She handed me a paper with a lot of text on it. It seemed like too much to read all at once, so I decided to summarize the important parts.

………

“Ha?”

I couldn’t help but let out a sound of surprise.

What… is this…

“Fufufu.”

The sheet my sister gave me contained information such as the name of the high school and address where my brother, Yuran Kimisaki, transferred to.

In shock, my hands lost their grip on the paper, and it fell to the floor like a falling leaf.

“Why…”

“…Remember what you told me before?”

“What…?”

“You said Yuran got a girlfriend.”

“…!”

That’s right. Three weeks ago, on that day when I reunited with my brother, I spilled everything to my sister. I even mentioned that he had a girlfriend.

But I never expected it to turn out like this.

“Admittedly, I was skeptical. Yuran ditching me to get a girlfriend was unthinkable.”

“…”

My sister closed the distance between us,

Slowly, step by step, she approached me.

Then, she took the paper from my hand, which had fallen to the floor without care, and waved it in front of me.

“Ouzakura High School, 1st year, Class D, address in East Kinukari Town, Ouzakura Ward, ○-△-✕.”

Like a witch casting a spell, she recited my brother’s personal information one after another.

Why, how, how does she know this…!?

“I only know up to this point. I had no way of knowing if Yuran had a girlfriend, of course.”

“I-I see.”

“Yes, I will ask Mana a question there.”

“Y-yes.”

My sister tried to engage my full attention, covering my field of vision with her own face. Her eyes, as beautiful as they were filled with jealousy, seemed to go beyond admiration and inspire fear.

“Why did Mana know that Yuran had a girlfriend?”

…What should I do?

If I tell the truth, my sister will undoubtedly become enraged and rush to where Onii-chan is. However, my sister’s eyes were locked onto mine, making it impossible for me to lie or divert my gaze. I needed to carefully consider the best course of action.

“I’m sorry, I just lost my temper and said something stupid.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you’d be sad if I said so, so I said something out of character.”

“…”

“…”

Onee-chan eyes stare into mine, not moving an inch, like robots that exist only to confirm the truth of my words.

“…I see. Okay”

“Yes.”

I inwardly patted my chest in relief.

I was aware that I was saying something rather messed up, but it seems that my sister’s suspicions were confirmed and her eyes were returned to their original position.

For the time being, however, the suspicion against me was cleared. Now it was my turn to pursue.

“Onee-chan, about this paper…”

I asked about the “paper.

Why does my sister have a piece of paper with my brother’s personal information on it?

My brother had strongly asked my mother and father not to reveal his whereabouts to my sister or to us.

No matter how much those parents would never reveal their whereabouts to my sister…

“…”

My sister falls silent, and a heavy air flows through the room.

“Onee-chan…?”

“…I slept.”

“Ha?”

Slept? What are you talking about—

“I slept with Yuran’s teacher.”

“….Even so…”

“S*x.”

“!”

T-this is lie….

Yes, my sister is crazy, but to have a s*x with someone who used to be my brother’s homeroom teacher, what’s wrong with her?

“He revealed everything about Yuran’s whereabouts to me, even though we only slept together for one night.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because I love Yuran, I love him so much that I’m willing to have s*x with even a dirty middle-aged man to find out where he is.”

“…”

I was speechless.

I would never want to have a s*x with anyone other than Onii-chan and even if it were necessary to locate him, I would not be able to have a relationship with him.

But my sister is different. She would have s*x with the other opposite s*x for the sake of the one she loves, in other words…in the truest sense of the word, she would do anything.

“Mana, I’ll tell you now, I had a lot of sex with a lot of people to please Yuran.”

“Ha?”

“For example, the advisor of Yuran’s club, the main person in Yuran’s class, and Yuran’s cram school teacher.”

…Stop…

“By having a relationship with the club advisor, he helped Yuran to compete at the last minute, and by having a relationship with the main person in the class, he helped Yuran to establish his position in the class, and then…”

“STOP IT!!!!”

“? What’s wrong?”

My brother was becoming tainted.

His existence was being tainted.

I had a feeling like that.

I didn’t want to know that my brother’s existence was based on my sister’s infidelity.

“…Onii-chan, who was frustrated about not being able to participate in the match, practiced swings until he had blisters every day, and he ran every morning… So when he finally got to play in the match for the first time, he was so happy that tears came out… because his skills were… recognized…”

But still…

“Onii-chan’s happiness… my happiness… all of it—”

“It relied on me.”

I heard the sound of something crumbling.

Not many people can do something so cruel. This person is fundamentally insane.

“So when I bring Yuran back, I’ll tell him everything.”

“…”

“Yuran can’t do anything without me… Poor thing.”

“Are you… serious?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Without me, Yuran is…”

My sister wore a grotesque smile. Her appearance was like that of a serial killer from a murder drama, a murderer ready to kill my brother’s spirit.

“Alright, Mana, I’m going back to my room.”

My sister turned her back to me and headed to her room.

But my boiling rage, which had been simmering uncontrollably, had nowhere to go.

I’ll tell her, just like before. Everything is already exposed, everything, everything!

“Onii-chan… he resents you.”

“…Ha?”

My sister’s footsteps came to a sudden halt.

“Onii-chan said he resents you.”

My sister turned to face me. Her eyes, looking at me, had lost their luster.

“Mana, what are you talking about?”

“It’s the truth, isn’t it? After all the terrible things you’ve done to Onii-chan why would you still think he likes you?”

“…”

“Onii-chan said it! He truly resents you!”

I shouted loudly.

Actually, I had never heard Onii-chan say anything like that. Onii-chan never talked to me about his grudges against my sister.

But deep down, he must absolutely think that… he must absolutely resent her.

“…”

My sister fell silent.

“That’s why—”

“Hahahahaha!”

“!?”

I thought she had fallen silent, but suddenly she burst into loud laughter.

I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with her emotions. However, I had never seen my sister laugh so heartily before.

The sight of my sister, laughing like this for the first time in my life, had a certain madness about it.

“Hahaha, Mana, you’re quite amusing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yuran resents me?”

“That’s right!”

“That’s impossible, isn’t it?”

My sister interrupted my words with an unbelievably low voice. After laughing loudly earlier, she now spoke in a low voice, her eyes devoid of light, piercing through me.

“Why can you say that?”

“Fufu, because we loved each other, didn’t we?”

“…But that was just you acting unilaterally—”

And just as I thought, she started to weave another crazy argument. What she did was nothing more than an absolutely despicable act without any mutual agreement.

“No, we loved each other.”

“Like I said—”

“Yuran’s essence flows within me as proof.”

“What?”

“Many times, Yuran released himself inside me. We felt pleasure together, we loved each other, and that’s why Yuran’s essence flows through my body. Yuran’s essence filled my mind and body… Fufufu… At that time, all of my senses were dominated by pleasure.”

“…”

“You don’t understand, Mana, do you? Because you’ve never been loved by Yuran.”

I know, I know. What she was saying was a fabrication, a delusion of a mad person.

“Mana, I knew your feelings toward Yuran. That’s why you hated me, right?”

I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know!

“So you’re jealous of me for having a relationship with Yuran.”

“No!”

I pushed my sister, who had rested her head on my shoulder, away.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

“I don’t envy you! I… I just hate you for hurting Onii-chan! Don’t you get it!”

“Fufufu, I understand everything now. Your jealousy is just the cute jealousy of a beloved little sister, right?”

She doesn’t understand anything. My sister doesn’t understand anything. Yet, she nodded as if she had accepted it, and her eyes regained some light. Why is she making self-serving conclusions? It hasn’t resolved anything fundamentally.

I…

“But it’s not going to work.”

“…Ha?”

“Yuran is mine. No matter how much you love him, I won’t let you touch Yuran.”

“What are you saying…”

“Yuran is mine. That’s a done deal. So, I won’t let anyone else touch him.”

Slap!

My sister slapped my cheek with force.

My lips split, and my blood spilled onto the hallway floor, succumbing to gravity.

“…If you keep acting like this, I’ll kill you, Mana.”

“…”

The word “kill” had been used countless times since we were kids. However, the way my sister said it now was different, and my instincts as a living being sensed it. She might really intend to kill me…

“What are you doing?! Mana, Maya!”

Perhaps my mother raised her voice too loud, as she hurried over, making a loud noise in the process. She had been cooking just moments ago.

“…”

Contrary to the intense emotions I had moments ago, my thoughts were now surprisingly calm. Maybe being hit had a cooling effect on my head.

“Mana…?! You’re bleeding!”

“It’s okay.”

My mother, looking worried, pressed a towel against my face.

“Mom, Mana said something she shouldn’t have.”

“Ha?”

“She used very disrespectful words towards me and Yuran… So, I scolded her a bit. It’s a sister’s duty to teach her not to say such things, right?”

“I see… Mana!”

My mother turned her attention to me as soon as she heard my sister’s explanation.

Without saying anything, I could predict the next words.

She was surely going to reprimand me.

Objectively speaking, there was no doubt that I was the victim here, being the one who had been hit.

Yet, my defense was not heard, and only my sister’s version of events was considered, establishing the truth of the matter and condemning me.

Ah… They really are…

They’re just allies of my sister.

I don’t want to stay in this house anymore.

At night, after everyone had gone to bed. I put all my belongings in my carry-on case.

In short, I ran away from home.

But it’s not just a runaway, I have a destination in mind.

My destination is Onii-chan’s house.

If I meet Onii-chan, I may be able to sort out my feelings, and I may be able to decide where my feelings are going ……. Ah, no, there’s no point in thinking of such a plausible goal.

After all, I just want to see Onii-chan.

I kill the sound and slip out of the house so that no one in the family will know.

There’s a beautiful full moon in the night sky, as if to bless my departure.

It’s a little cold.

But my heart is warmed by the thought of meeting Onii-chan.