---

---

"I came to save you today."
And then I showed him a superficial kindness less intoxicating than amazake.
*...Ua? Aaaa?*
Ah, no, this won't do. I'm reaping what I sowed.
I carelessly made the situation too similar.

3.
The past bares its fangs.
*I came to save you. Save you from what? I haven't done anything wrong. I'm not unhappy. There's nothing.*
*Don't touch the piano.*
*Liar, liar, liar.*
*Liar, liar, liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!*
"Ugh, kugiih, giugiih,"
The past-bugs devour the corpse of memory from within. I crouch down, writhing in pain. *euwebeoeto adzutsu risu ga totemo "auuido sui na no yo, nanoni tsui esuiyenoa ga," ga,, ga, gi.*
I bit down too hard, and a tooth chipped somewhere. Something like a tiny pebble fragment dances on my tongue. Following Hisaya-kun's earlier example, I spit it out, then wipe my mouth. Uncurling my body, I'm back.
Hisaya-kun, forgetting the situation for a moment, seems to be recoiling from me slightly.
In response, I offered a smile, also known as "a wet splat." Even doing this, I know my place.
"Pardon me. Nearly losing my mind so seamlessly isn't something a lady should do, is it?"
*Though perhaps it's inappropriate for any human, without needing such fine distinctions.*
"Ah, and actually, what I said just now was a lie. For my own convenience, I need you to remain here for a while longer. Saving you will have to wait for quite some time."
Hisaya-kun's eyes desperately seek mine in the darkness. Oh my, I could blush. Except, his gaze is laced with hatred. That's why I'm enjoying this.
*I am an utter sadist, after all. Yes, truly.*
"For now, just a status report. It seems the other three have also taken possession of divided parts of Tsurusato-san. If this keeps up, the game might just start without you, hm?"
I slip in one more jab, another bit of torment. With fierce impatience building, Hisaya-kun's facial expression loses its composure.
*What a lovely face he makes. His usual appearance is like sliced bread soaked too long in water, with the worst possible taste and texture, so seeing it contort produces such intense pleasure.*
*Honestly, I'd love to keep stabbing him with a kenzan of words.*
But Akane is waiting at home, so perhaps I should wrap up this playtime and head back.
*...'Home,' I wonder? My perception of the apartment. Hmm.*
"Also, your family isn't making much of a fuss about your disappearance. Quite the amusing group you have there."
Switching from report to evaluation just for that point, I conclude my chat. The stench is bad, so I don't want to stay too close anyway. I quickly departed, turning a deaf ear to Hisaya-kun's protests (taking a cue from Mayuko-san).
*The fact that today I didn't even try to remove the gag shows how my rough handling of him is naturally escalating, doesn't it?*

B
Once out on the street, I took a deep breath. Opening my umbrella, I tried humming a little song.
"Rain, rain, go away, pitter-patter... Just kidding. I don't possess the ability to freely control the weather, so I'll change the song to suit the situation. '...Believe the morning suuun~♪ ...Hmm hmm hmm hmm-hmm-hmm~♪'"
*It's not that I hummed the rest because I only remembered the first line of the lyrics. Yes, that's a genuine lie, 'pon my honor.*
Driven by a surge of good humor, an inexplicable sense of satisfaction, I looked up at the sky.
*...But, I wonder why? Why did Mayuko-san kidnap Hisaya Shirota?*

"Ah, Yuna-onii-chan, good morning!"
An early morning greeting that would clearly delight the male populace of the world. However, the one being addressed ends up starting her day with a vein popping on her forehead and furiously ruffling her hair.
"Good morning. Looks like I overslept a little today."
Glancing up at the clock I'd picked up from the garbage dump, it was almost eight AM. Wiping away the night's sweat, I sat down on the chair in front of the table. This chair was salvaged too. Because we're dirt poor, you know. ...Oh dear, was that phrase wrong? The meaning should be correct, though, not that it needs stating again.
Yesterday, I came straight back from the warehouse, took a bath, and went to sleep... Whoa, because my hair was only half-dry, my bedhead looks like something out of a legendary super warrior anime. Even if kindness and anger were to collaborate, I shouldn't possess either one.
"Hey, hey, where did you go last night?"
Akane slid under my feet, sitting in the W-position girls favor. For a moment, she overlapped with the image of Kaneko-san's dog, Jirou. Since a fleeting moment is a waste, I decided I'll be doing a lot more collaging from now on. Just kidding, though.
"Fufufu, a place for adult socializing, that sort of thing."
"........."
She gets unresponsive when she doesn't understand, this child. Her desire to learn is somewhat lacking.
"Let's see... To put it in words Akane can understand," I trailed off, my gaze wandering. It was a fabrication to begin with, so even I'm not clear on it. Ah, so *he* was always like this, telling a lie first and then struggling to deal with it. How futile.
I checked the right arm, hidden amongst the pile of junk I'd collected. It didn't look like it had been gnawed on, and thankfully, the decay hadn't progressed enough to fill the room with stench yet. Relief.
"Akane, what do you want for breakfast?" I changed the subject. I meant to divert her anyway, so it's killing two birds with one stone. Okay, adding that expression should make things satisfactory, right?
*Creak.* A smile that sounded exactly like the grating of rusted metal.
"Um, let's see, gratin!" Hers was a genuine article, all beaming smiles. Supporting sound effects like *ukiuki* (excitedly) were playing too.
"I see, tamagoyaki it is then." "Ouii." "Ouii." "Get the chopsticks ready." "Get the chopsticks ready." "Ouii." "Sit up straight." "Ouii."
Since this is a daily exchange, Akane isn't disappointed and carries out the preparations sluggishly as usual, slouching. Meanwhile, I rolled up my sleeves, straightened my posture properly, and opened the fridge. I like housework more than work, so Yuna's getting fired up. Supported by what feels like some kind of fundamentally misguided motivation these days, how is everyone spending their summer? End of mental summer greeting card.

"Chop, chop, chop, and..." Skipping the process. The completed breakfast was tofu miso soup, tamagoyaki, and white rice. Neither of us complains even if it's the same as two days ago. Akane forgives my transgression thanks to the tamagoyaki, and I sympathize with the emptiness of my wallet.
Sitting across from each other, holding the rewashed disposable chopsticks, we said, "Itadakimasu." "Itta-ki-maasu." The meal began. Akane ate heartily, while I somewhat hesitantly forced food down my throat, washing it down with water.
It's a great help that even households without water purifiers can drink delicious tap water in this area.
"After we eat, I'm going out, so Akane, you can do whatever you like."
"Ehh, today too!? Can Boku come?"
She tapped her rice bowl with her chopsticks, *kachikachi*. Her manners have gotten worse since we started living here, I wonder whose fault that is.
"Denied. A lion cannot take its cub on a family trip after throwing it into a thousand-fathom valley!"
"What are you talking about?"
"That's a question I'd like to take to a telephone counseling service." I mixed too many things together.
*Buu*, Akane pouted obviously. I feel like her range of emotional expression has widened compared to before. She never mentions Touka anymore, but that's surely preferable to her being melancholic during the rainy season.
"Isn't it fine just playing at home?"
"But I'm bored of the games. And there aren't any old ones."
Meaning she can't buy new ones. That's impossible, of course, we have no financial leeway. We don't even have a washing machine, so clothes get hand-washed in the bathtub.
"I suppose you'll just have to endure... eh, eh, eh?" Just then, static electricity ran through me.
"What's wrong?" "Hmm." The value of good or bad is unclear, but quite an interesting question has arisen.
I'll ponder this slowly later or ask Akane about it.
I put down my chopsticks. Swallowing the tofu, and then.
"Akane, I'm going to set up a signal."
"Nyau?" She kept her mouth on the bowl, only her eyes turning towards me.
"When either you or I come back to this room alone, knock on the door twenty times. The person inside will then unlock the door and let you in. If the doorbell rings without that prelude, even if you hear a voice, absolutely do not open the door. Ignore it."
"Oooh? Okay, got it! Is this secret base pretend play?"
"It's not pretend play. We're caught up in an unrealistic reality."
"........."
"What do you want for dinner?" "Cheese omelet!" "I'll take that into consideration."
It's unclear if such precautions will be useful, but it's probably better to swallow a fragment of satisfaction from *doing something*. Especially since there are two of us here who lack any sense of tension to begin with.
After that, we spent the lukewarm mealtime conversing aimlessly with things like, "Don't you want to go to the pool?" "I do not want to go, yes really." "With Yuna-onii-chan!" "No thank you-u."
Akane, finishing first, said "Gochisousama. Kiiiin," stretched her arms out horizontally, and ran off. If that child is cheerful, then there's still some small part that can be saved, perhaps.
"........." I settled back deeply into the chair. "Fuu." *It means nothing.*
A truly roundabout daily life has begun, and honestly, I'm mentally exhausted.
Even without doing things like this.
If only I could leave this apartment and aim for a new land, then all the solutions would gather together all at once, wouldn't they?
But I had circumstances that absolutely prevented me from leaving here.
Be that as it may, my status makes me somewhat reluctant to call the police. Besides, it's impossible.
We're not exactly model citizens; it's questionable if we even have family registers.
Well, "Ooe Yuna" is also a fictional person, so I can't really say anything about others, ohoho.
Ah well, it's a standard trope for the protagonist's true identity to be vague or for them to have amnesia. Yes, exceptions abound.

"...Whah shouwd I doo I wondew."
I don't even have the luxury to feel ashamed of the terribly ill-mannered act of talking while chewing food in my mouth, just kidding though.
"Yuna-onii-chaaan!" Akane's voice from the next room.
"If you call me that outside while staring intently at my chest, I'll twist your head backward. What is it?"
"I have lots of money now!"
"...Ho, hogi!" Now then, what on earth should I do about everything?

---

**Chapter Two [ P4 ( paranoia , poison , personal , promise ) ]**

When I told her what happened just as it was, my little sister called me "Onii-chan." Akane's expressions, altered by rush construction work when she was fourteen, were all too novel for me, lacking the foundation of elementary education.
*I am Boku, right is left. Heat is cold, and Big Sister is Big Brother.* She herself doesn't find these values, easily flipped like Othello pieces, strange at all. Did the family pity her? Did they grieve? Or was it grounds for applause?
The fact that I can't remember probably means that no one except Mother and Touka paid it any mind.
Truly, what a "happy" child she is.
......Ah, but there was one thing that hadn't been flipped, wasn't there? Her way of using smiles, I think, was more correct than mine.

E

A time when someone's desires are fulfilled.
A time when someone's violence is wielded.
Laughter overflowed within the family.
I was always crying. I was often praised for having a pretty face. I was mocked for having a good crying face.
I was encouraged many times to "do your best."
Soon, I ran out of tears.
Someone else often laughed too.
People outside the family sought violence too. Time flowed by like a dream.
I often lost consciousness. Every day, I entertained everyone.
I was paid something called a fee.
That was my job. That money connected the family. I was together with my family.
Everyone else besides them was an enemy too. I stayed home all day long. I didn't know what "outside" was. Important people came often. Someone in the neighborhood called them for me. I started going to elementary school. Only superficially, the family became kinder. Strangers started talking to me. Everyone except myself was scary. I was told, "I'll help you."
I was begged, "Please let me kidnap you." I didn't know what that meant.

I didn't know the meaning of words. She pulled my hand forcefully.

For the first time, a smile was kind.
I tried calling for help.
I called that person "Mother."
I gained a contract and a family.
I gained separation and freedom.
I became Ooe Yuna.
I lost Sanae Rika.

---

"...And you know, this happens all the time. But what's unusual is that the other kids aren't with him. Since way back, our kids always stick together. The Biwajima kid didn't get along, but then again, that's probably because they were the kind of child who'd commit a murder like that..."
*I wish she'd notice I'm looking away.*
*[.........]*
*No, perhaps even if she faces the facts directly, she can't grasp their meaning?*
In the morning, just as I'd declared, I left Akane to watch the house and went outside.
In the hallway, I ran into Hisaya-kun's mother, who had come to get the newspaper, and ended up continuously listening to her monologue disguised as small talk. The morning sun had fully risen, its yellow rays burning me, the railing, and this chatter spot.
Partway through, Kaneko-kun, walking Jirou amidst kids returning from radio calisthenics (or rather, he was carrying the dog. Overprotective?), passed by the front of the apartment, but they only exchanged light greetings—"Mornin'." "Oh, hello"—and didn't stop. However, in those few seconds, I didn't miss the complicated look he sent towards Hisaya's mother.
"Shirota, ah, that's my son, you know, he's still going to school properly, so it's fine. He goes to the same school as Fukiage-san's daughter and Toshiki-kun, you know. Only Eri-chan failed the entrance exam, and that kind of thing is tough, isn't it? The atmosphere gets heavy in just one part, it was hard. Ah, but it's already been a year since the exams. University entrance exams are in two years, aren't they? Next year means there's only one year left, doesn't it? We'll be spending every day with frayed nerves again, you know? No, really, the mood at home gets so tense, even Father gets short-tempered somehow, it's awful. When he comes home and I greet him, if he's been lazing around a bit and has bedhead, he immediately finds fault. Ah, how about at your place? Eh, you're not married? Hmm, maybe you moved out to live alone because high school is far away? I often see your little sister around lunchtime, how is she doing? Ah, no, no, I'm not prying, I'm sorry..."
*[.........]* *Inside my head, six days' worth of three-minute cooking shows just finished airing.*
*Though I did remember something just now.*
"Well then." *Dealing with people is tiresome, isn't it?*
*There was an interruption.* *The fact that Hisaya-kun is a habitual offender of staying out all night without permission is useful information, though.*
"And you know, that one over there—" "Excuse me, it's about time for me, so may I?" "Oh my, quite a bit of time has passed, hasn't it? I'm sorry, are you heading out now? It's been so hot outside lately—" "Well then, see you." Detachment. I forcefully shook her off.
Hisaya's mother, also unsuited for socializing, retreated into her room with a smile like a light being dimmed.
*It seems she really doesn't care particularly.*
*Even though her son disappeared without a word.*
*She's used to it, so no worries. No, no, madam, you seem quite unused to it.*
*To the fact that calculating people's deaths requires getting one's hands dirty with murder.*
*People close to you disappear quite suddenly, you know? It happened to me too. Though, I don't think of 'those things' as having been close to me.*
"Well, it doesn't concern me, and it's actually convenient," *I murmured.* *It seems it'll take a few more days for Hisaya-kun's disappearance to cause a stir.*
Shall I head to the meeting place?

---

The first person to arrive at Tsurusato-san's room was Fukiage Yuka.
She was sitting in the same spot as yesterday, listening to music. Today she sat with one knee up, a pose that transparently revealed her intention to give off an impression of melancholy. How nostalgic. I used to do that often around middle school age too. Well, not that I ever *was* a middle schooler.
As I greeted the refrigerator with "Excuse me~," she shot me a sharp glance, then once again buried her ears and optic nerves in her own world. *She's just at that age*, I thought, deliberately avoiding comment as I stepped into the room.
The room was muggy and hot, with a damp smell seeming to seep from the refrigerator. If this continues, this room might eventually reach a state akin to soaking one's hips in a forty-two-degree cesspool.
*That's only if the murder isn't discovered by then, though.*
I hesitated slightly, then turned on the air conditioner switch. No, actually, I made a beeline for the remote. I even committed the outrage of lowering the set temperature by one degree. But I wonder, in an apartment where the tenant has vanished, who pays the overdue electricity bill? Having lived in a detached house for about nineteen years, my knowledge of apartment living is rather scant. Though I can sort of compare rents.
"The others aren't here yet, I see."
Affecting a low voice within mumbling range, I tried speaking towards Yuka-chan. This way, against the highly probable outcome of being ignored, I've prepared the escape route of talking to myself to avoid awkwardness, right? I've graduated from the childish behavior of talking continuously until the other person responds.
"Not yet." Oh, she opened her mouth. Seems the glue sealing her lips wasn't quite so strong. Is she just a taciturn person, perhaps? Come to think of it, Kiyoshi back at the mansion was quiet too, dependent on the environment rather than personality.
Yuka-chan's words didn't continue, and she retreated into her perfect world again. I see.
The game has already begun, hasn't it? How to make her talk?
I have this trait where I just want to bully withdrawn kids when I see them. That girl who came to the mansion, what was her name again... right, the soft, plump girl called Fushibushi Yuu Yuu, I remember teasing her and locking her in her room. It's irrelevant, but for some reason, I find it hard to remember people's names. Ah, is it because it's irrelevant? How careless of me to arrive at the answer myself.

My assistant who would ask, "Boss, what should we do?" is minding the house, so it seems I have to play both roles myself. Hmm, investigate something. Yuka-chan? Right, right... Investigate the woman before me, Boss. Without revealing my identity. Roger that......... *Seems like another character got mixed in there somehow.* Oh well, commencing interrogation of the suspect.
"What are you listening to?" First, attacking from the line of interest, hobbies, is the standard path. No, wait, "What song is it?"
"Does 'Pachelbel's Canon' mean anything to you?"
Even though her tongue and lips moved haphazardly in a faint murmur, her voice quality was captivating, easily mistaken for humming something. Even without being loud, the timbre contained a valuable mass capable of elegantly drawing the right to speak to her side. Does she usually hold back this voice, or is it her trump card?
"Yeah, well," *it's probably something like Chopin. The written characters look somewhat similar.* And what was Chopin again? Sounds like the German reading of Champagne or something. In other words, I have absolutely no clue what this girl is using as fodder for her eardrums. Hmm, my statement instantly became a lie. Have I finally started climbing the slope of the Great Liar? Straight down the Protagonist Highway... Oh? The two characters for "Unfinished" are nowhere on the page, what's this about?
"So, is being engrossed in music and silent part of your personality? Or is it wariness towards me?"
Normally, the basic strategy is three left jabs followed by a right straight, but I got tired of detours and aimed straight for the main topic. There's no need for us to achieve mutual understanding and become buddies who exchange phone numbers.
Yuka-chan switched the knee she had propped up, then removed only the right earphone facing me and opened her mouth.
"We're in the middle of a mystery game right now."
"Hmm? Right."
"I realized reading mystery novels, but culprits usually get found out because they say something. So I figure if I don't talk, I won't slip up."
"Eh, are you the culprit?"
*I managed to get a confession right off the bat. Boss, arrest her. Though ordering myself around feels rather empty.*
"I'm not, but." She popped the earphone back in her ear and averted her gaze. She's good at making people suspicious.
"By the way, what kind of person was Tsurusato-san to you, Yuka-chan?"
*Being this obvious makes her smell like a red herring. The low culprit rate of the person suspected for having no alibi in a closed circle setting speaks volumes. Though the credibility is dubious when comparing fiction and reality together like this.*
"[.........]" Silence.
"How tired did you get when you cut off the arm?"
"[.........]" Silence. *Ah, this just deepens the suspicion of her being the culprit.*
*But, in this situation, with that attitude, I think she's just passively accepting dirt being thrown onto the grave she dug herself. Boss, what should we do? Hmm, gnaw on her hair to provoke her. Please stop that.*

---

By the time Imaki-kun arrived next, and finally Erina-chan showed up dawdling, the clock had passed nine. During that time, I tried thirty-six methods to make Yuka-chan open her lips voluntarily, but she started blatantly avoiding me partway through, so I exercised restraint. Still, her demeanor somehow reminded me of the uncomplaining Touka. If I brought Akane here and set her on Yuka, quite an interesting spectacle might begin.
Imaki-kun, sporting a hairstyle like a giant pimple today, while looking annoyed by my presence, took charge of the situation and declared a cheerful greeting.
"Alright, everyone's here, shall we begin?"
*Boss, strategy meeting time? No, this is still an act. One without any reward, at that.*
"Okay then, first let's check alibis." ← Imaki-kun.
"Yes, Leader, question. In that case, this conversation is pointless unless we first determine the time Tsurusato-san was murdered." ← Me.
"Umm, that night, if I write the schedule on the floor," ← Erina-chan.
"Ah! Right. Uhh, what do we do? Thinking about it, the police are pretty convenient, huh? Hmmm." ← Imaki-kun.
"Leader, what exactly was the plan for how we were supposed to deduce things?" ← Watakushi (Myself).
"Whoa, 'Leader-wise,' isn't it weird that I ended up in this role? Oh well, whatever. Uhh, well, you know, uh... what was it again? Man, in my imagination, it was all brilliant, you know? I pictured this setup where everyone's smiling cryptically, trying to figure each other out, but what's with this situation that inevitably makes me foresee a total mess? Shirota's not here either, damn it." ← Nowood-kun.
"I'm in the middle of drawing, so please wait a moment. When does night start being night?" ← Eri-chan.
"Ah, the 'planning the field trip is more fun than the trip itself' phenomenon, I see." ← Personal.
"What's with that petty example? My plan was for a thrilling mystery game full of speed!" ← Imao.
"After eating dinner, I was in my room, planning to start my summer homework at first, umm, but I got bored partway through, and there was a bug on the tree, so that kid," ← Ecchan.
"Read the mood and interrupt your lines." ← Eldest Daughter.
"Yes. Um, is it okay if I keep drawing, maybe?" ← High School Girl.
"Your ideal game, Imaki-kun and friends, is one where you continue discussing the case while feigning nonchalance, and pick out slips of the tongue within that?" ← Me-Overload.
"Yeah, yeah, that's it. You get it, huh? But actually, reaching that point might have been reckless from the start. Maybe we really need to go through the motions a few more times to get experience first?" ← Man.
"Using only black felt-tip pens gets boring, doesn't it? Uh, um, does anyone," ← Paa.
"Too bad for you. Well then, shall the four of us do our best to liven things up?" ← Me.
"Well, yeah, I guess so. Besides, it's totally obvious Keiko-san isn't the culprit, so it's kinda lame." ← Yuu.