V2Ch1: Fate Part 4

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Translator: Soafp

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Buying a drink from the vending machine, Sho ran back to the woman.

“…Eh?”

The bench where Sho had told her to sit was empty.
Looking more closely, he saw her still sitting on the ground where she had been before, staring up at the sky.

“Don't just sit there… I told you to sit on the bench, didn't I?”

“…My whole body hurts too much to move that far.”

Now that he looked carefully, her body was covered in cuts, and the skin peeking out from under her clothes was mottled with bruises.
It was obvious at a glance that these weren't all caused by just that one man earlier.

(She's… been subjected to violence regularly…?)

The man from before came back to Sho's mind, and with it, anger surged once more.

“Why don't you go to the police? You don't have to endure this.”

It was the most natural thing to say. But the woman shook her head slightly.

“No matter what… it'd be useless.”

“Why! The police are more reliable than you think—”

“—They're useless.”

She cut him off sharply, spitting out the words. Hearing her say it so bluntly left Sho speechless.

“Anyway, we need to treat your injuries… Do you have a first-aid kit at home?”

“They'll heal on their own if I just leave them.”

“If you leave them, they'll fester, and you'll end up with tetanus. At least disinfect and bandage them properly.”

“…You're so noisy. What are you, my da… my family?”

For an instant, Sho thought she had almost said dad before catching herself.

“I'm not your family, but I am an acquaintance now.”

“An acquaintance? We just met tonight.”

“Yeah, and I've seen your face now. That makes us acquaintances.”

“Such twisted logic…”

With an exasperated sigh, she raised her arms and looked up at the sky.

“So? Do you have one? A first-aid kit?”

“…Yeah, I do. If nothing else, I'm well-prepared for injuries.”

It sounded almost as if she was saying, since I get hurt all the time, I'd better be ready for it. That made Sho even more irritated.

“Then let's take care of this right away. Where's your house?”

“You've probably already guessed, haven't you? …It's right there.”

Sho had suspected it.

But in his heart, he hadn't wanted to admit it. Now, as she pointed straight at the vandalized, broken house in front of them without hesitation, reality sank in.

“You coming inside? I don't have any food, and I can't really offer much hospitality…”

Following her words, Sho stepped into her home.

“…Excuse me.”

It was the first time he'd entered the home of a girl his age—especially one he'd just met. There was no way he could stay calm.

“You live alone?”

“Yeah… my parents are both gone.”

“I see…”

He hadn't meant to pry, nor did he have any plans to dig deeper. It was just natural curiosity. But she didn't seem to take it that way.

“So, now that you know I live alone, are you going to start showing your true intentions?”

“N-no! That's not it at all… I just…”

What he really felt was something else—
But looking at the wrecked exterior of the house, he hesitated whether he should even ask.

“Just what?”

“…Nothing.”

“Don't swallow your words halfway. That's not very manly. I won't get mad—go on, say it.”

With a little sigh, she urged him to speak.
Feeling guilty, Sho decided to be honest.

“Well… this house… is it rented?”

He had tried to phrase it as gently as possible, but it ended up sounding like an awkward, clueless question about real estate.

“…Pfft—hahaha!”

To his surprise, she burst out laughing.

“You really are too considerate, aren't you? Living like that until now, doesn't life get exhausting?”

“W-what…?”

She wasn't wrong.
Sho had lived his whole life being mindful of others.
He'd been called “the considerate one” by his coworkers more times than he could count.
But hearing it from a girl he'd just met… was embarrassing.

“Well, you don't look like you're working some amazing job that could afford to buy this place outright. So I figured it's rented… or maybe it's your—”

“Stop.”

This time, she cut him off suddenly.

“…What?”

“I don't like it. Not at all.”

“…Huh?”

Sho was confused.
He had helped her, come into her home—and now she didn't like it?
Was she unstable?

Doubt crept into his mind.

“Calling me ‘omae' all the time—I don't remember becoming your wife.”

So that was it.
Half relieved, half exasperated, Sho let out a sigh.

“Then by that logic, I shouldn't be calling you anta either.”

“Well, I don't know your name.”

“…Neither do I.”

They had come all this way, had all this back-and-forth, and yet neither of them knew the other's name.

“Haha… what a pair of fools we are.”

“Fufu… I guess so. I'm Haru.”

“I'm Sho.”