Chapter 100: The Blank Girl

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Translator: Soafp

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The moment I parted ways with Hizaki-san and stepped out of the editorial building, a cold wind brushed against my cheek. It was late February, yet the remnants of winter still lingered in the evening air.

Looking up at the sky, the deep blue gradually succumbed to the encroaching darkness. As the information I had researched swirled in my mind, something seemed to be within my grasp when suddenly my phone rang in my pocket.

I paused for a moment when I saw the name displayed on the screen.

KONATSU-CHAN.

I remembered that we had exchanged numbers the last time we spoke at the café. What had been a casual exchange back then now seemed to hold deeper meaning. Feeling the sweat form in my palm, I pressed the call button.

“Did you find anything, Senpai?”

Her usual lively voice seemed off, somehow. Beneath that bright tone, I could sense a cold emotion flowing through it.

Amidst the bustle of the busy street, I moved to the side of a building and cupped my hand over my ear, trying to block out the surrounding noise.

“…Yeah.”

Konatsu-chan’s silence echoed through the receiver. During that brief pause, a gust of wind blew strongly, causing my hair to flutter. It felt as though she was deep in thought, and then, her voice returned, noticeably more testing than usual.

“Could you come to the Nishikeoka Abandoned Hospital now…?”

At those words, my breath caught in my throat.

—Nishikeoka Abandoned Hospital.

The place mentioned in the article I had researched at the editorial office. The place where Suz-chan had met her end. And now, I was being asked to go there…

For a moment, time seemed to slow down.

But without a second thought, words spilled out of my mouth.

“…Got it. I’ll be right there.”

There was no hesitation. I could no longer escape.

With that, Konatsu-chan simply said, “Then I’ll be waiting there,” and hung up without ceremony. I felt an unsettling sense of satisfaction in her voice, but I quickly set aside my unease and started walking toward the main street.

It took me a bit of time to find a taxi. When I finally saw one available and raised my hand, it thankfully pulled over.

“Please take me to the Nishikeoka Hospital ruins.”

The driver looked slightly puzzled, though I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination. Perhaps it was rare for someone to head out to Nishikeoka, a suburban area, at this hour.

I sank into the back seat, trying to calm the growing anxiety and tension inside me by taking deep breaths over and over.

The view from the taxi window gradually changed.

From the cityscape of towering buildings and noise, it shifted to an orderly residential area. Eventually, the houses became more sparse, and I began to see overgrown plants and abandoned shops. The streetlights grew farther apart, and the pressure of the darkness intensified.

I gazed absentmindedly out the window, recalling my conversations with Konatsu-chan up to this point.

The day she first approached me. The smile and behavior she had put on, pretending to be a junior. And then, the gradual unveiling of what seemed to be her true feelings. The hidden meanings behind her words and expressions—those things were now beginning to connect rapidly in my mind.

The distrust that Miyabi and Aoi had shown toward Konatsu-chan, and her involvement with Godai—all of it seemed to lead back to this.

But why the abandoned hospital now? What was she trying to show me?

A sense of foreboding crept into my mind.

“Did Suz-chan really… die there?”

Without realizing it, I clenched my fist so tightly that my nails dug into my palm. Even the pain from that felt distant, as my mind wandered aimlessly.

The image of Suz-chan, covered in mud, her vacant eyes, trembling lips, and her tattered uniform—those images returned to me vividly like a photograph.

“Sir, we’ve arrived at the Nishikeoka Hospital ruins.”

The driver’s voice snapped me back to reality, and I realized the taxi had already stopped. Outside the window, I saw the dimly lit entrance of a park. It was a quiet, desolate place.

“Thank you.”

I thanked the driver in a tense voice, paid the fare, and stepped out.

The cold night air struck my cheek strongly, making a sound by my ear. Shivering from the biting chill, I looked around.

On a slight rise in the terrain, the dark silhouette of the abandoned hospital loomed. It gave off an ominous presence, as though a giant beast were sleeping in the darkness. Just looking at it made my throat dry.

As I walked toward the hospital, I soon came upon a large iron gate.

The main gate of the abandoned hospital was closed off more securely than I had expected. The rusted iron bars were covered with countless brown stains, and beyond them, weeds had grown to shoulder height. Heavy chains and padlocks were piled on top of each other, and multiple warning signs such as “No Entry” and “Danger” were posted.

I stopped in front of the gate, gazing up at it when, suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness.

Konatsu-chan.

She was standing quietly in front of the main gate. Her twin-tail hair fluttered slightly in the wind. Instead of her school uniform, she wore a black coat, and a scarf was wrapped around her neck. Bathed in moonlight, her figure seemed to melt into the darkness, giving off an almost surreal impression.

“You finally came.”

Her voice was colder and sharper than I had imagined. There was none of her usual liveliness, and it sounded as though she were a completely different person.

“Sorry, I thought I was coming quickly…”

I responded cautiously, feeling a bit uneasy. This was the first time I had seen her show such an unguarded side of herself.

She stared at me for a moment before silently shaking her head.

“Follow me.”

She said that and then started walking away from the main gate. I took a deep breath, and despite the anxiety swirling within me, I followed her.

“Over here.”

Konatsu-chan’s low voice echoed through the darkness. Without hesitation, she climbed the stairs, moving forward, choosing corners with precision as if she had the map of this place memorized. The thought that she might be familiar with this place only made my chest tighten further.

Moonlight poured through the cracked window, casting eerie patterns on the floor as it contrasted with the shadows. For a moment, I thought I saw the silhouette of someone and involuntarily turned around. But there was nothing there.

“What are you looking at?”

At Konatsu-chan’s voice, I snapped back to reality.

“…No, it’s nothing.”

I shook my head and followed her. I stumbled upon an old patient card that had rolled across the floor, hesitating for a moment. The name had become unreadable due to years of weathering, but it was a trace left behind by someone who had once received treatment here. A place where life had passed through, now turned into a ruin.

The cruelty of it made me gasp.

“It’s up ahead…”

Konatsu-chan’s voice resonated once again in the darkness. A dim staircase stretched ahead, and the door at the top was slightly ajar. A faded emergency light reflected the moonlight, casting an eerie glow on the stairs.

“The rooftop… huh.”

I whispered these words almost as if muttering to myself, and Konatsu-chan turned around for a brief moment. It was too dark to see her expression clearly, but I felt that a fleeting pain flickered in her eyes.

“Let’s go.”

Konatsu-chan said quietly and began to ascend the stairs. I followed, my footsteps heavy with each step. As I climbed, the thought crossed my mind: “Did Suz-chan climb these stairs in the same way?” The weight of that question tightened my chest.

What kind of thoughts did she have as she climbed these stairs? Just imagining it made my heart ache.

“We’re almost there.”

Konatsu-chan’s voice brought me back to the present. At the top of the stairs was a heavy metal door. A cold night breeze blew through the small gap where the door was slightly open.

Konatsu-chan placed her hand on the door and looked back at me.

“Are you ready?”

I didn’t understand what she meant by “ready,” but I no longer had any intention of turning back.

“Yeah…”

I answered briefly, and Konatsu-chan pushed open the door. The sound of metal creaking echoed, and the cold night air quickly enveloped the two of us.

The moment the door to the rooftop opened, an unexpected sense of liberation spread out.

The night sky, adorned with countless stars, stretched endlessly above. In the far distance, the lights of the city sparkled, and the sea of lights seemed to extend all the way to the horizon. The view from this height felt unnaturally beautiful.

However, what truly caught my eye was a small altar set up in a corner of the rooftop.

A small bottle filled with water, offerings such as sweets and fruits, were neatly arranged. There were also remnants of incense sticks and a wilting bouquet of flowers, indicating that someone had been taking care of it regularly.

Konatsu-chan walked up to the altar, squatted silently, and took out a new flower from the bag hanging on her shoulder, gently placing it there. Her movements were meticulous, almost as if it were a sacred ritual.

I watched her for a while, and then, hesitantly, approached and spoke.

“Is… your sister… here…?”

Konatsu-chan’s shoulders trembled slightly. She gently placed her hand on the flowers and took a deep breath as if trying to suppress something.

But soon, she composed herself and turned around as if nothing had happened.

“You found out that I’m her sister, didn’t you?”

She softly stroked the edge of the fence and continued.

“Yes… my sister jumped off from here.”

Her words were so flat that the emotion behind them felt unnatural. However, the slight trembling of Konatsu-chan’s fingertips told me more about her true feelings.

“…”

Seeing me at a loss for words, Konatsu-chan tilted her head slightly.

“Is there something you want to say?”

In response to her question, I took a deep breath and decided to share what I had researched at the editorial office.

“The article mentioned that Suz-chan was pregnant and that she committed suicide because of it. The police concluded that there was no foul play.”

“And then, the family—meaning you all—became separated, and you were taken in by your mother’s side.”

Hearing those words, Konatsu-chan briefly lowered her gaze. The night breeze gently stirred her hair, and the weak moonlight brushed her cheek.

Then, she quietly asked.

“Do you… think my sister’s death was suicide, Senpai?”

I received her question and slowly shook my head.

“The Suz-chan I knew would never do something like that…”

Choosing my words carefully, memories of Suz-chan flooded back, as clear as if it were just yesterday.

“She was never the type to give up on a precious life… she was always kind, and she cared deeply about even the smallest life…”

Then, Konatsu-chan slowly stood up and, staring at the distant night view, muttered.

“Well… you know her well for someone with your habits…”

Her tone, filled with sarcasm, pierced my chest.

Konatsu-chan quietly stroked the flowers that had been placed and continued.

“My sister was a very kind person… She was always sick when she was little and would go in and out of the hospital, but she would always come visit me. She would read me picture books, and on her days off, she would stay by my side all day to make sure I wasn’t lonely…”

Her voice began to shed the mask of a cheerful junior and started to carry the raw emotions she had been hiding.

“Such…!”

As she said that, Konatsu-chan’s expression changed completely. The smile that had been on her face disappeared, and her eyes grew sharp, emitting a coldness that made her seem like a different person.

Suddenly, her gaze pierced through me sharply.

“How could you betray such a kind sister… you—!”

Konatsu-chan rushed toward me, grabbing my collar with both hands. The usual charming look of the younger, affectionate girl vanished, replaced by a swirling mix of hatred and sorrow. There were tears glimmering faintly in her eyes.

“You betrayed her!!”

The grip on my collar was so tight I could hardly breathe. However, the pain from her words felt even more suffocating than the pressure around my throat. In that moment, I realized that her way of addressing me had shifted from “senpai” to “you.”

“I… betrayed?”

Konatsu-chan slowly caught her breath and gave a small smile. It wasn’t a mocking smile, but one full of deep sorrow.

“…Let me tell you what happened back then… Senpai.”

Saying that, she let go of my collar. The spot where her hands had held me still ached, and I coughed painfully, but I couldn’t help but ask.

“Back then…?”

Konatsu-chan stared at me for a few seconds, her eyes filled not only with resentment but also sorrow, anger, and even a sense of resignation.

Then, she quietly nodded, and with the wind of the night blowing, she began speaking slowly.

“That day, I was finally discharged from the hospital, and I went out with my childhood friend, Sanae.”

Her voice seemed to be almost drowned by the quiet night wind, but it reached my ears clearly.

“It was hot, so we were resting in the shade of a tree in the park… when suddenly, an unknown boy appeared.”

Konatsu-chan’s eyes seemed to be staring far into the past as she recalled the memory. Her voice gradually changed, as though she were squeezing out the words.

“He was a boy, probably in the upper grades of elementary school… and he had a knife in his hand. He showed it to us and told us to follow him.”

I felt a chill run through me as I listened to her words. Her expression twisted slightly, and she unconsciously brushed her wrist, as if recalling the fear.

“Sanae and I were scared and tried to run away. But the boy… he slashed my dress with the knife like this,” Konatsu-chan mimicked the motion with her arm. “And…”

For a moment, Konatsu-chan’s words faltered. The shadow of past terror seemed to resurface in her eyes.

“Just when we were about to be dragged into a deserted place, I heard my sister… Suz’s screams.”

My heart started pounding faster. Sweat beaded on my palms, and my mouth went dry.

“And then, Suz…”

The moment her words trailed off, I couldn’t help but gasp.

“…Suz-chan?”

Konatsu-chan, her hair fluttering in the night wind, quietly continued.

“She suddenly appeared, and charged at the boy, shouting at us, ‘Run!'”

Just speaking those words, Konatsu-chan’s voice trembled slightly. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, but she continued.

“Sanae and I, in a panic, fled from the scene… But—”

Konatsu-chan’s voice weakened dramatically.

“I collapsed on the way due to an attack. I had a seizure.”

Hearing that, my chest tightened painfully.

“Sanae desperately called for help. Adults rushed to the scene, and an ambulance came… I was taken to the hospital. I woke up two days later…”

“…And Suz-chan?”

I asked in a trembling voice, and Konatsu-chan was silent for a while. She looked up at the sky, as if trying to look directly at the moon, before finally speaking.

“She was battered… and collapsed. But… my sister was alive.”

When I heard that, my eyes widened slightly. A sense of relief washed over me, but there was also an undercurrent of anxiety, a complex feeling stirring within me.

Konatsu-chan spoke slowly, as if reminiscing about a distant past.

“I immediately went to see her. When I opened the door to her hospital room, the moment she saw my face, she looked like she was about to cry… and said, ‘I’m so glad.'”

That made my chest ache. I could almost see Suz-chan’s face at that moment, as if I were there.

“But… my sister’s eyes, which were so concerned about me, were bloodshot as though she had been crying. Her body was covered in bandages, and she was so weak, far from the usual energetic person she was… it was almost unimaginable.”

Konatsu-chan’s voice trembled, and for a moment, her words got stuck. In that silence, I could feel the pain, as if it were tangible.

“I asked my sister. What happened?”

“But my sister didn’t say anything… She just smiled and said, ‘It’s alright now.’ She tried to act bright and cheerful like always, and my heart felt like it was being torn apart.”

“Even then, I realized something. My sister was desperately hiding something…”

“And later, I overheard the police talking…”

Konatsu-chan’s gaze shifted from the night sky to my face for a moment. Her eyes held an indescribable hatred.

“—My sister was… assaulted by that boy, that day.”

The moment those words hit, a chill ran down my spine.

My throat froze, and I couldn’t speak. The discomfort I had felt when I saw Suz-chan that day suddenly started to connect. Her disheveled clothes, the pale look on her face, and most of all, the meaning behind her vacant eyes.

Just thinking about it made me feel nauseous.

Konatsu-chan continued, her fists clenched tightly.

“But what broke my sister's heart even more… was you, senpai.”

“—No, Hajime Aizawa!!”

Her name echoed, and I flinched, my shoulders trembling.

Konatsu-chan's eyes pierced through me sharply.

“I found out everything from my sister after time had passed… She said that, at that moment, she ran for her life. And—she saw a familiar face in front of her.”

“—The faces of you three.”

The moment I heard that, memories of that day flooded back into my mind.

Torn clothes, hands covered in dirt, trembling lips.

Aoi’s words, “Your clothes are dirty,” and Miyabi's question, “Why are you so dirty?”

And then, the words I said, “How sad.”

“…No. That wasn't what I meant… That wasn't what I intended…”

Konatsu-chan glared at me.

“You three were the ones who shattered my sister's heart, by saying… that she was dirty, that she was a pitiful child. Even though she tried to help, she ended up in such a state. And most of all, the people she thought were her friends…”

I collapsed to my knees.

The memories I had buried deep inside were forced to resurface.

Back then, we were just worried about her. But Suz-chan's heart was torn apart by those words. How much did that one careless comment of mine hurt her?

Konatsu-chan looked at me with disdain and said,

“My sister barely went to her new school and always stayed holed up in her room. I wanted to cheer her up, so I thought if she could meet you, someone she always talked about with such joy, she might get better. So I went to see you. I relied on the memories of you all hanging out together, just like before… And I found it. I saw you all playing together like nothing had changed… And then, I overheard the promise.”

A promise. The word made me look up instinctively.

“You promised to make me the protagonist of the story, right? How nice, how touching! But—”

Konatsu-chan suddenly leaned her face close to mine, speaking coldly.

“Did that promise include a place for my sister…?”

Her voice was not only filled with anger, but also with frustration and sadness.

“Actually, Suz should have been there too…”

She muttered, and then clenched her fist tightly.

With that question, I couldn't respond.

Konatsu-chan’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile.

Silence flowed between us. I couldn't say anything. I just felt suffocated by the guilt within me, mixed with fragments of past memories.

Konatsu-chan stared at me quietly for a while before finally speaking again.

“After my sister's death, I desperately searched for clues to learn the truth. And I happened to find it.”

Her voice was filled with painful anger and sorrow.

“I found the novel my middle school senpai had been writing in the library.”

At those words, I looked up in surprise. I remembered — in middle school, after school, I had been writing the original version of ‘Two and One’ in the local library. But I was lost for words when I realized that Konatsu-chan knew about it.

Konatsu-chan continued with a cold, mocking expression.

“I held a faint hope… that maybe, just maybe, you still cared about my sister, that you would remember her. So, I snuck in a few times while you weren't there to see for myself.”

She let out a dry laugh. That expression carried both resignation and a faint trace of hope.

“But…”

She hesitated for a moment before continuing quietly but firmly.

“The name of my sister never appeared in the story you treasured, the one about the bond with your childhood friends…”

Those words stabbed into my heart as though they were tearing it apart.

The novel I had been writing, ‘Two and One’ — it was the story of Aoi and Miyabi. Suz-chan's presence was nowhere to be found. Had I unconsciously tried to forget her? Or did I lack the courage to face her?

Under the starry sky on the rooftop of the abandoned Hospital, I was left kneeling, stunned, as Konatsu-chan's cold gaze pierced into me.

The night wind was chillingly cold against my skin. But it hurt even more deep inside my chest.

Konatsu-chan spoke quietly but definitely.

“The story you wrote is far more sinful than the world realizes. Because… in your story, my sister had never existed from the start.”

Her voice held both anger and mockery. But beneath it was undeniable despair.

I couldn't say anything. The stars in the night sky felt like they were too far away.