Chapter 62: The Lie and Truth of the Moonlight
“Studying, exercising, and housework, for whom are you doing it all for?” (Yuri)
The moonlight was shining on my sister. The fragile silhouette of the reflection was as sacred as the mythical Artemis, and was simply beautiful.
I couldn’t gauge the intent of the question, so I just gave the obvious answer.
“Well……, it’s just for me?” (Yuki)
“……really?” (Yuri)
I’m not sure what she’s trying to say, but I’m not good enough to read her intentions. When I think about it, I’ve never really been able to understand anything, so I guess I can’t blame her. I’m a thoughtful person. It’s impossible for a diminutive like me to guess what’s in her heart.
“Is there anything else?” (Yuki)
“Yes. There is, you don’t trust anyone anymore. No, I don’t think so. You don’t need anyone anymore. You don’t expect anything from anyone, and you don’t want anything from anyone. So you just try to do everything yourself.” (Yuri)
That may be true, if you ask me. But there’s something I don’t understand.
“Is there a problem with that……?” (Yuki)
“Whenever someone asks you for something, they’ve always betrayed you. You’ve come to take it for granted and have come to accept it as normal. I know there is nothing I can do about it. But I just can’t watch it anymore!” (Yuri)
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my sister’s sad face. She has apologized to me several times in the past. I’m sorry for making her feel that way. In fact, I didn’t mind at all, and the fault was with me for causing trouble, not my sister. In fact, it is I who should apologize. When I tell her that, her expression, which is always sad, gets even more distorted.
I was helpless. There was nothing I could do. I didn’t want her to look like that. She said that I stopped smiling, but she also stopped smiling. At least, until that day, she had a smile that I could admire. I wanted her to smile. I wanted to see her smile like that.
I didn’t even know what to do. Should I have been angry and rejected her? Or should I have cursed and abused her? If that’s the case, I don’t think I can do that.
“I asked you before. What are you going to do after graduation? You didn’t give me a concrete answer. And yet, you’re always studying hard. Why? Is there something you want to pursue in the future?” (Yuri)
“It’s so that I don’t get in trouble.……” (Yuki)
“It’s the same with nails. You learn and practice what I just told you. Why is that?” (Yuri)
“? Because it’s the only thing I can do.” (Yuki)
That’s all I can say. I’ve always been a nuisance to my family, both at school and at home. Especially in my sister’s case, she goes to the same school. I’m sure she’s had more than one or two bad experiences because of me.
“I don’t think it bothers me or mom. We know that saying…… won’t get the message across. Because the fact is, we do–” (Yuri)
Her expression twisted in frustration, and her clenched fist slapped the surface of the water.
“But I want you to notice something. You don’t want anything from anyone, but you want someone to respond to you. Don’t you think that’s very unfair?” (Yuri)
My sister is approaching me. The distance between us is reduced to zero, and I can see her breasts right in front of me. They are huge. Her hand is gently placed on my forehead and lifts my hair.
“I can’t get rid of that scar.” (Yuri)
“I’m sorry to show you something so unsightly.” (Yuki)
“As long as you continue to forgive me, I will never forgive myself.” (Yuri)
Her fingers delicately and gently stroked the wound, as if she were touching a piece of glass that was about to break. There was a scar about two centimeters long on my hairline. It was a scar from when I had been pushed off the playground equipment.
“It’s not noticeable. It’s fine.” (Yuki)
“That’s not what I meant! Because you’re like that, I’m……. Yukito, listen to me. I don’t care what you do to me. I’ll do whatever you want.” (Yuri)
“So, can I touch your breasts?” (Yuki)
“Go ahead.” (Yuri)
“I misspoke.” (Yuki)
I was immediately answered. Of course, I didn’t mean it. It was just something I couldn’t help but say. It can’t be helped! It’s right in front of me, you know? I’ve been trying to look away from it for a while now, but I can’t take my eyes off it. Threatening suction power. It’s the chest area. This is what is commonly known as magical power.……
“-Even now, aren’t you actually planning to disappear from our presence?” (Yuri)
“No, I’m not.” (Yuki)
It is thanks to Sekka-san that I have managed to survive despite my misfortune. I am grateful to her, and I don’t want to die anymore. I’m sure that’s how I’ll continue to live my life. But maybe that’s not what she meant by disappearing.
“I have a feeling. You’ll be gone. Because you want to be alone and you know that anyone other than yourself will hurt you. And you know you’re going to hurt someone else.” (Yuri)
“That’s all right then.” (Yuki)
Sharp words that gutted me. No matter what I do, I can’t respond to anyone’s feelings. Then, what should I do? If I wanted someone to be happy, and if they wanted me to be happy, there was only one option left for me.
My sister sags down as she touches the wound. Her moist eyes waver. They are jet black, as deep as obsidian. We are in a hot spring. I don’t want to talk about weight with women because it’s strictly forbidden, but I can directly feel the body heat of her burning body.
If you know so much, why do you keep trying to reach out to me? The hand that once pushed me away. And now…
“—Hey, tell me. The truth. What happened that day. What happened after. I tried to kill you, and now you’re gone. It’s not forgivable. An apology isn’t going to cut it. But I’ve been wondering. When you called me, you said—” (Yuri)
Nothing changes, even if I search for answers in the sludge that accumulates in the depths of my memory. Everything is just the past.
My sister regrets it. Even now, she continues to regret it. I’m sure that the reason why she sneaks into my room at night when I’m sleeping is because she regrets what happened that day, and not for any other reason.
–She’s already suffered enough. That’s enough. That’s why I kept forgiving her. It’s not your fault. You’re not bad. It’s my fault, it’s my—fault. There’s nothing else. There is no such thing as the answer you are looking for.
Even now, she continues to regret it. You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.
–She’s already suffered enough. That’s enough. That’s why I kept forgiving her. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault. It’s my fault, it’s my fault. There’s nothing else. There is no truth that you are looking for.
And yet…
But why?
“Could it be that someone abducted you?” (Yuri)
[Yuri PoV]
A doubt I’ve had for a long time. My brother is the only one who knows about it.
Even if that were the case, it would not make my sins any lighter. But perhaps it can be made heavier, if not lighter. Another sin I have committed.
I was too afraid to even touch it.
On the surface, there is no such thing as a case. My brother himself had denied the possibility.
At the time, he replied
I was playing on the playground equipment by myself, and I fell down. I was trying to go home, but I got lost.
My name was not called. I kept my mouth shut. My brother protected me when I tried to kill him. So the only people who knew the truth were our family members. But there was something I didn’t know either. What happened to my brother after I pushed him that day? Six blank days.
I tried to kill my brother, and then he was gone. It wasn’t until nearly a week later that I reunited with my badly injured and vanished brother. He was still alive, but the cost was too great.
Scars that would last a lifetime. He no longer smiled and stopped calling me Nee-san. And he apologized to me for not being able to disappear. No matter how many times I apologized, no matter how much I asked for a punishment, my brother continues to forgive me. He never blames me or gets angry.
My brother was found in a neighboring town. The town we live in is reasonably large. The distance between us and the next town was not something that my little brother, who was seriously injured, could walk to. The place where he was found was also not a place where a child would be alone.
So why was he there?
I wanted to believe that nothing had happened. In fact, my brother answered that nothing had happened. Still, it was probably just my skepticism that made me wonder if something had happened. Perhaps it is just an illusion that I am showing myself, as I want to be punished.
Still, I couldn’t shake it off.
My brother never lies. He is a good, honest boy. He is cute.
But that only means that he doesn’t lie for his own reasons. If it was for someone else, if it was to protect someone else, he would lie without hesitation. He hides the truth and paints everything with fiction. As a result, he doesn’t care how much he gets hurt.
He is self-punishing to the point of being willing to sacrifice himself.
It was only recently that I realized this.
That’s why the suspicion that had been hanging over me for a long time, and that I had tried to believe was impossible, came to my mind once again.
–The possibility that he had been abducted by someone else.
libertariancicero
August 20, 2021 at 12:18 amSometimes, I feel like Yuri will eventually tie her brother up and keep him locked away so that no one else can have him.
some mob
August 20, 2021 at 12:32 am………….I believe that his aunt will be the one to do that……rather she hasn’t make a single appareance in long while………
Exfernal
August 20, 2021 at 12:25 am“Fool me once – shame on you, fool me twice – shame on me.” That saying means that trust, once broken, cannot be recovered ever again. You can’t fix what’s broken. And you can’t remain sane while attempting the impossible feat of disproving that truth.
So I can’t wrap my head around the unbelievable egocentrism of perpetrators who ask for impossible the victim, someone they don’t have the right to ask for anything. They need to learn to live with the consequences of their actions, like it befits an adult.
some mob
August 20, 2021 at 12:34 amThey haven’t realized that they must stay away from him for his own good which they don’t want to do.
Garen
November 14, 2021 at 6:09 am>like it befits an adult
That only applies to the teacher and the teacher intern. The sister, childhood friend and basketball girl were all kids themselves. Even what the Mom did while neglectful wasn’t that bad.
It’s absolutely false that leaving him alone was the right thing to do. My guy was borderline suicidal up until recently. He was fully planning on disappearing forever be it through death or otherwise and he still has no drive towards self preservation. He absolutely needs their help. At the very least from his mother and sister. The others are arguable.
some mob
August 20, 2021 at 12:30 amIt appears that Yuri has realized that laying bare everything, not physically speaking, is the way to help Yukito though he also need to laid everything bare(feelings not his body)…..but it seems that Yukito isn’t getting the idea……*sigh*……….
………………Speaking of which……….it is really strange that Yukito managed to get to the next town when he was such a young child………..let’s hope that he simply had some sort of adventure and something like and adult taking a liking to a minor didn’t happened(even if it was an adult woman….).
Though supposing that something like that happened, how does his family never noticed? I mean after getting back home he normally should have a throught body search in a hospital and his aunt hypnotised him so she should been capable to find the truth since she was dead worried too………something smells fishy…..
Gavin
August 20, 2021 at 12:44 amWhat is even going on in this novel I have no idea anymore
Mr. Lister
August 20, 2021 at 5:28 amThe ride never ends. So who would Yuki be protecting? Seems odd for someone he’d protect to take an injured child to a different town and just let him loose.
sense-san
August 20, 2021 at 6:24 amIt has been already foreshadowed by previous chapters. Basically, Yuki had some help.
Gladiator02
August 20, 2021 at 7:27 pmI had suspected the same thing too when i read early chapters too honestly. Even if him walking to the next town is not impossible, what would he eat and where would he sleep? Considering his described age that does seem a reasonable suspicion.
Could it be another woman problem? Perhaps another older woman? Or maybe author wanted a complete change and made the culprit a male
It could also not be an abduction. Maybe he met a wise woman or girl and they convinced him to go back. Because if it’s Yukito he might have gone complete missing but he decided to return after getting advice from that girl. And maybe… she’s the true heroine!! (Dun dun dun)
But this is just a theory…A game theory.
gohanish
May 29, 2023 at 10:10 amSo is there another character we are missing? A kidnapper?