Chapter 106: The Unwavering and the Unshakable

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Translator: Soafp

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The night city reflected in the taxi’s window was filled with dazzling lights. The neon signs reflecting on the traffic lights, the shadows of people walking on the sidewalk, the countless particles of light reflected in the glass buildings—everything held a surreal beauty.

I leaned against the back of the passenger seat, staring at the screen of my smartphone. The chat icon was lit up, and a group call was incoming.

“Marin & Kagura”

When I looked at the screen, Kyoko-nee made a small, displeased face and turned her gaze away from the window.

“…”

Suppressing a slightly exasperated feeling, I said nothing and held the receiver to my ear.

“Hajime! Listen, the whole school is talking about you!”

As soon as the call connected, Kagura's cheerful voice burst through.

“Even Miyabi and Aoi are being bombarded with questions about you every day,” Marin's voice joined in.

I couldn't help but laugh softly.

“Oh, and the photoshoot for the west wing has started as planned. The actor playing the teacher was already on set.”

“The replacement for Koda-san also came today.”

The reports continued in quick succession, leaving me no time to interrupt. Still, just hearing their voices made a small warmth stir in my chest.

“… Are you still doing interviews today? How many days has it been now?”

“Since the press conference and skipping school… It's been about twenty days.”

“… You're not pushing yourself too hard, are you?”

Marin's voice grew slightly somber.

“Yeah… I'm fine.”

I answered softly, quietly listening to their voices as my gaze drifted downward.

A brief silence fell, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was a warm kind of quiet.

Then, suddenly, Marin spoke up.

“Hey, do you remember? The first day we met?”

—That hallway in the publishing house. The moment I was about to sit on the long bench, when I unexpectedly heard that voice.

“Ah, is it okay if I sit next to you?”

Her smile from that moment, the faint scent that lingered, her strikingly beautiful features, and the strange sense of familiarity.

“Are you also here because of the movie…?”

“Wha… What happened!?”

The tears that glistened in her eyes, gently wiped away with a sunflower-patterned handkerchief that day.

“Hajime, you were really crying back then, weren't you? You were so happy…”

“… Yeah.”

I answered shortly, but the warmth I felt deep in my chest was overwhelming.

Following that, Kagura's voice added to the conversation.

“I remember too. When we first met, I was introduced by Hizaki-san, but you kept looking at my chest, Hajime.”

“Wha— That's…”

“Hehe, just kidding. But, from that moment, I had a feeling. Hajime, you're a bit clumsy, but you really try to face things head-on.”

“… Was I like that?”

“Yeah. At first, I was half-interested, but as we talked more… somehow, I just got more and more drawn to you…”

Their voices gently blended together through the phone, soothing my heart.

“I'll never forget the first time I went to Hajime's house. It was the first time you talked to me seriously about your novel.”

“Yeah. You told me about your past, and your childhood friend… you told me everything.”

I remember how their voices trembled, how their hands shook slightly. Both of them remember it clearly.

“… Hajime, we want to stay by your side, always, forever.”

Marin's voice was followed by Kagura's soft words.

“No matter what happens, we'll never leave. So, please, don't do anything dangerous… please.”

My chest tightened.

This kindness was more painful than anything right now.

“Thank you… but I'll be fine. Let's meet again tomorrow, I'll make sure of it.”

I gently ended the call, placing the phone on my lap. When I looked sideways at Kyoko-nee, she had turned her face away with a sulky expression and muttered quietly.

“Today, I'll let it slide…”

I almost couldn't hold back a small laugh as I stared at the night view outside the taxi window.

The lights of the passing city felt like they belonged to a distant world.

I closed my eyes quietly and leaned back against the seat. Still, the voices of Marin and Kagura seemed to echo in my ears, like a lingering sound.

—I haven't told those two the real truth.

I tucked my phone into my pocket and exhaled slowly. Inside my chest, quiet resolve and faint hesitation tangled together.

The atmosphere in the taxi was calm, only the sound of the engine softly filling the silence. The stillness only seemed to make my thoughts stand out more, and I felt a little heavier.

“… Kyoko-nee, how was today?”

My voice unexpectedly echoed quietly.

Kyoko-nee, still looking out the window, paused before answering.

“There was someone… This is the sixth day in a row.”

“… I see.”

I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Sure enough, they had appeared, but at the same time, I was more convinced that it wasn't the right time to act just yet.

“You were amazing, I didn't notice at all. I'm really glad you were with me, Kyoko-nee.”

I said, while barely holding back a small smile.

But Kyoko-nee didn't respond. Instead, I felt a slight hesitation in her presence.

“… Hey, Hajime.”

Her voice was slightly raspy.

“… Maybe… should we stop?”

At those words, I slowly turned my face toward her.

The light from a streetlamp outside illuminated Kyoko-nee's profile, casting a soft glow.

“Sorry, Kyoko-nee. But… I've decided not to look back at the past and move forward.”

I said, and without realizing it, I had clenched my fist tightly.

Kyoko-nee didn't reply. She just seemed to let her shoulder drop slightly.

The taxi stopped at a red light, briefly brightening the car. In the quiet, she muttered softly.

“Tomorrow… we're not supposed to go together, right?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow, just take care of the preparations. If you ask Kagura and the others, they'll move the things they've already prepared.”

Choosing my words carefully, I spoke gently but clearly.

“I understand…”

Her voice sounded as if she were on the verge of tears.

I reached out slowly and gently stroked the head of Kyoko, who was sitting beside me.

“I’m sorry, Kyoko… for making you worry until the end…”

“Don’t say ‘until the end’… idiot…”

As she said that, Kyoko leaned against my shoulder and trembled slightly, as though holding something back.

Feeling her warmth, I closed my eyes.

I looked out the window again at the night scenery. The city lights continued to flow quietly, beautiful as ever.

—It’s almost time.

Just a little more until everything ends.

Silence returned to the car. Kyoko had her eyes closed, leaning against my shoulder. The light from the street lamps outside gently illuminated her cheek.

Her soft breathing seemed to bring a sense of reassurance, and I too quietly adjusted my breath.

—We’ve come this far.

It’s been twenty days since that press conference. Every night, Kyoko and I had gone out, searching for clues and gradually accumulating information.

On the surface, we were “conducting interviews,” but the real purpose was different.

I took out my phone again and turned on the screen. Familiar names appeared in my social media timeline.

—Ranko.

Thanks to her actions, the fire had definitely spread.

“Professor Ranka’s new work might actually be nonfiction.”

“The suicide of a girl at the Nishikeoka abandoned hospital five years ago might have been a murder.”

“The dark rumors surrounding a medical student—connected to unresolved cases of young women.”

They were all speculations, just rumors. But all of them would definitely resonate with him.

Each of these rumors was being spread just at the edge of what’s acceptable, and Ranko and her friends were the ones doing it. The online articles were stirring things up, and eventually, they started appearing on TV news.

The information was spreading on its own, involving people all over Japan and gradually revealing the outline of a man who had no real identity.

“Silence is the most eloquent.”

The words I had said at the press conference—”She carried an unacknowledged loneliness, and an event changed her life dramatically. And the person who orchestrated that event is still living freely”—those words were still being quoted online. No explanation was given. Just silence, and action.

That was why he was shaken.

The information from Kyoko, the memories from Konatsu, Ranko’s posts.

Everything had been built up for this day.

—But it’s still not enough.

The final step hasn’t reached him yet.

At this rate, it won’t be a decisive blow.

That’s why I chose tomorrow.

I quietly closed my phone and let out a deep sigh.

“…I have no choice.”

The words I murmured were absorbed by the silence of the car.

At that moment, Kyoko slowly opened her eyes and looked up at me.

“…Were you pretending to sleep?”

When I asked, she gave a slight smile and said,

“Just a little…”

“What the heck?”

I replied, and Kyoko let out a small laugh and murmured quietly,

“Just a little longer… like this…”

At those words, I nodded softly.