Chapter 51: Uncertain Shadow, A Girl Who Shouldn’t Exist

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Translator: Soafp

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In my hazy consciousness, I slowly opened my eyelids.

My blurry vision gradually focused, and the ceiling above me appeared, sinking into darkness.

A faint moonlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, casting soft shadows on the ceiling.

Occasionally, the headlights of a passing car would briefly illuminate the room, casting a subtle play of light and shadow in the stillness.

As my awareness grew clearer, I started to understand what the scene before me indicated.

The sterile white walls, the quiet hum of machines, and the smell of disinfectant. The dry air carried a faint metallic chill.

—It's a hospital.

As soon as I realized that, a dull heaviness settled in the back of my mind.

My thoughts lagged behind as I turned my head and glanced around.

And then, what caught my eye was—

Three figures standing beside the bed.

In the middle chair sat Kyoko-nee.

She was leaning against the backrest, quietly breathing in her sleep. Her long blonde hair glistened softly under the moonlight, and her expression was peaceful, giving off a sense of relief.

And then—

Miyabi and Aoi were sleeping, leaning against Kyoko-nee's shoulders.

Both of them, nestled against her, were breathing gently as they slept. Miyabi's black hair swayed slightly, and Aoi's silky hair draped across her cheek.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed a small bandage wrapped around Miyabi's arm, and a thin gauze on Aoi's knee.

Both seemed to have minor scrapes and bruises, but their peaceful sleeping faces suggested they were unharmed, and the three of them, possibly exhausted, were in a deep slumber.

Seeing them like this, my heart felt light.

I was relieved—

A warmth spread through my chest, and my eyes grew slightly teary. Just knowing they were safe was enough.

—Knock.

A small sound broke the silence.

A gentle knock at the door.

I turned my head, and the door to the hospital room quietly opened. A young man in a white coat poked his head in.

He had a soft and pleasant appearance, with a well-defined nose and calm, warm eyes. His intellectual and composed aura made him seem oddly warm, even in the cold hospital air.

When he noticed I was awake, he smiled gently and bowed slightly, slowly approaching the bed.

“I see you're awake”

he said in a gentle tone, his voice echoing softly in the quiet room.

“Ah, yes… thanks to you. Um… who are you?”

I asked, still processing the situation.

“Oh, sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'm Mizuki Amano, an intern here at the hospital.”

He said, offering a calm smile. He briefly glanced toward Miyabi.

“Ah… Could it be, are you Miyabi’s…?”

Noticing his gaze, I asked, and Mizuki nodded.

“Yes, she's my cousin. By the way, those three seem to be as close as ever.”

He said, looking at Kyoko-nee, Miyabi, and Aoi resting on her shoulder.

“Wait… You know us?”

“Yes, of course. Though you might not remember, I've met you a few times when you were younger, Hajime-kun. But it was only to exchange greetings,”

“Really? I'm sorry, I don't remember…”

I apologized, bowing my head.

“No need to worry about it,”

he reassured me, waving his hand lightly.

Then, he glanced around the room, taking in the surroundings.

“By the way, it seems like the other two aren't here.”

“Eh?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“The other two?”

I didn't quite understand at first.

However, Mizuki's face shifted, as if he realized something, and a subtle smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

“Ah… I see. So that's what's going on…”

There was something cryptic about his smile.

Before I could ask what he meant—

“Well, it seems this was caused by a nervous fainting due to an imbalance in your autonomic nervous system. It can be triggered by intense pain or sudden stress. Even though you’ve woken up, don’t push yourself too hard just yet.”

Mizuki said, delivering the diagnosis in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

“R-right.”

I muttered, still confused by the medical terms.

“Well, I'll leave you to rest then.”

He said as he turned toward the door.

However, just as he was about to open it, he stopped, turning back slowly to look at me with a slight, almost eerie smile.

“I hope this time, you won't lose anyone.”

He said quietly.

A chill ran down my spine, an inexplicable shiver crawling up my back.

“Eh…?”

But Mizuki didn't respond, and without another word, he left the room.

The silence returned.

But the strange feeling in my chest lingered…

“Hmm…?”

I turned toward the sound.

It seemed that Kyoko-nee had woken up before me.

Still sitting in the chair, she rubbed her eyes slowly and looked up.

“Hajime…?”

She murmured, her voice still groggy.

At her movement, Miyabi and Aoi, who had been sleeping against her, stirred and began to wake up.

“…Hajime!”

Miyabi’s eyes widened, and in the next moment, she threw herself at me, hugging me tightly.

“I’m so glad… really…”

Her voice trembled, and her shoulders shook.

She buried her cheek in my shoulder, unable to hold back, and a sob escaped her.

“Hajime…! I’m so glad, you woke up…!”

Aoi quickly followed, clinging to my arm, trying desperately to hold back her tears.

“Hey, hey, Hajime’s the one who’s injured, so take it easy on him,”

Kyoko-nee sighed, turning on the room lights.

The white light illuminated the entire room, and the surroundings finally became clear.

“Thank you, Kyoko-nee,”

I gently pulled Miyabi and Aoi away from me and looked at their faces.

Both of them were wiping away tears, but there was a painful expression on their faces.

“I’m fine. But how about you two?”

I noticed the bandaged arms and legs, and my chest tightened.

“Yeah, we’re okay. We bumped into things when we resisted, but…”

Miyabi smiled faintly as she answered.

“Since I play basketball, I’m used to these kinds of injuries,”

Aoi lightly swung her arm, showing me.

“…Really, you’re okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine!”

However, their smiles were strained.

Without realizing it, Aoi was lightly stroking the edge of her bandages with her fingers.

In contrast to their words, that small motion showed just how harsh the incident had been.

“But still, it must hurt a bit, right? Miyabi too…”

When I asked, Miyabi briefly looked down, then immediately smiled.

“I’m fine… As long as Hajime’s safe, that’s enough… Heh, by the way, Aoi, when your uniform was pulled, you bit Takamatsu and Godai’s hands, didn’t you?”

Miyabi said with a half-smile, as if recalling something.

“Heh~ My canine teeth finally came in handy,”

Aoi grinned proudly, and Miyabi laughed along.

But even though they were trying to act cheerful, my gaze was drawn to their trembling hands.

“I’m really… glad you two are okay.”

I whispered, gently taking their hands in mine.

They looked at me in surprise, then smiled awkwardly.

If we hadn’t made it in time, those two…

Just thinking about it made my chest tighten.

“Hajime…”

The two looked at each other.

Then, suddenly, a question that had crossed my mind slipped out.

“By the way, what happened to Godai and the others after that?”

At those words, their expressions froze.

“Huh…?”

For a moment, Miyabi and Aoi glanced at Kyoko-nee. However, Kyoko-neejust crossed her arms with a neutral expression.

“What…?”

When I asked again, Aoi spoke up awkwardly.

“Well… I heard they’re still in this hospital, though.”

At those words, I stiffened.

“But don’t worry,”

Miyabi hurriedly added.

“Apparently, there’s a police officer guarding their room.”

“…I see.”

I felt a little relieved hearing that, but Kyoko, standing next to me, snorted softly.

“They did this to Hajime. They should be grateful that’s all that happened to them.”

She spoke nonchalantly.

“All that happened…?”

A bad feeling crept up inside me, and when I asked, Kyoko-neegrinned.

“Hmm? I just crushed one of them to finish it off. They have two, so losing one shouldn’t be a big deal.”

At that moment, the atmosphere in the room froze.

“They have two… What? One…?”

I muttered, and Aoi quickly tried to change the subject.

“Hey, hey, Hajime!”

“Uh, yeah, what is it?”

“How did you find that place? I had my phone taken away, and I couldn’t tell you the location.”

Aoi tilted her head slightly, asking me.

“Ah, well, actually, when I was looking for you two, I ran into Suz-chan by chance… Oh, Suz-chan is a little…”

That’s when I said it.

“Suz-chan…?”

Kyoko’s voice sounded strangely tense. The awkwardness made me furrow my brows.

“Kyoko-nee, do you know Suz-chan?”

When I asked again, Kyoko briefly lowered her eyes and sighed.

“I… I see… You haven’t asked Mom anything, have you?”

Kyoko-nee’s tone was cautious, as if she were carefully choosing her words, thinking about how to explain things.

A strange feeling spread deep inside my chest.

“Kyoko-nee…?”

She pressed her lips together, as if swallowing something, and then said in a low voice:

“Suz-chan… should have passed away five years ago…”

The moment I heard Kyoko-nee’s words, the faint mechanical sounds in the room suddenly seemed unnaturally loud. I was struck by a sense that everything we had just talked about was rapidly distancing itself from me.

“…What?”

My thoughts couldn’t gather properly, and I found myself repeatedly trying to process the words in my head.

I was stunned by what she said, and it was as if I froze, forgetting to breathe. My heartbeat was the only thing I could hear, pounding loudly in my ears.

“Passed away…?”

I had talked to Suz-chan back then. I was sure she had been there at that time.

Unable to speak, all I could do was stare at Kyoko-nee’s face.