Chapter 28: I can’t be positive

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Translator: Soafp

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The sense of unease I had felt before coming here seemed to have grown even larger.

After that conversation with Mari-san, I couldn’t find anything positive to hold on to.

The despair of the betrayed side is this deep, I realized once again.

Whether I am at fault or not, if I can’t escape from such deep darkness, then nothing I do will matter. That’s how I felt.

If there’s one good thing I could force myself to find, it might be that Katsuragi now has a deeper understanding of the pain that Mari and I are going through.

……

I don’t feel like going home.

Maybe I’ll just kill some time somewhere. …No, forget it. I don’t have any money.

I’ve fallen into this unproductive thought loop. A life like a lump of apathy.

I need to move into a different house from Maya as soon as possible.

Lost in these strange thoughts, I opened the front door. There was a pair of unfamiliar women’s shoes. They must be Mizuki’s.

……From the room at the back, I heard something that sounded like an argument—no, more like shouting.

Why are Maya and Mizuki talking with such raw emotion?

Fortunately, they hadn’t noticed I was back.

Should I eavesdrop, or just leave without hearing anything and go back to my room?

I chose the latter.

Thud.

I closed the door to my room and locked it, signaling that I no longer wanted to let Maya in. Feeling a bit relieved, I lay down on the bed without changing.

…I’m so tired…

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After a while, I heard a knock on the door.

Even though it wasn’t yet evening, I had fallen asleep.

While I didn’t have to think about unnecessary things when I was asleep, the knocking that brought me back to reality was incredibly irritating.

When I ignored it, the knocking turned into a pounding on the door, which eventually stopped as if they had finally given up.

I had no intention of talking to a traitor. Even if I could never forget being betrayed and the wounds would never heal, there was no need to engage more than necessary.

……

Come to think of it, I was told to visit my parents’ house. They had insisted that I shouldn’t get involved in this issue, so what do they want now, both Dad and Mom?

……

Wait a minute.

That’s right, returning to my parents’ house is an option. It’s not too far from my office, and more importantly, it’s a place Maya can’t easily intrude upon.

──I should pack my things and head there.