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Something like that happened.

The sensation of opening your eyes and opening a book is similar. A different scene greets me.
That morning, when I opened my eyes, the scene in front of my house was there. There's a bit of a blank in my memory. I don't recall getting up, eating breakfast, or changing. However, my attire is properly my uniform. My usual sailor uniform; I pinch the end of my tied scarf.
I was under a dazzlingly clear sky, as if to scold us for bundling up against the cold.
Figuring it wouldn't be a problem, I decided to head out as I was. Just as I left the premises, I lightly greeted and passed by the strange old man from the neighborhood. He might not be old enough to be called 'ojisan,' but calling an older man 'seinen' didn't quite sit right either.
The strange old man has a gentle demeanor and a soft-spoken manner, but sometimes, he’ll look down in an odd direction and start a conversation. He’s probably seeing another world. People like that are everywhere. Each person had their own scenery.
At first, I wondered if what I couldn't see was my sister, but my sister isn't that small. It'd be a different story if she were moving around like a caterpillar—that idiot might actually do something like that—but it was probably impossible.
On the way to school, I glanced at the fish drawing on the roadside, but I didn't spend a long time admiring it. My sister isn't in a place like that. I have a feeling.
So, where is she?
She might be there if I turned around, or she might be laughing at someone right in front of me now.
The world was full of my sister, yet I couldn't grasp her.
I arrived at school, quietly headed to the classroom, and silently attended classes.
I diligently focused on my studies, avoided interacting with other students as much as possible, and spent my time peacefully.
I had to do these things more than necessary.
Just like holding my breath at the bottom of the sea.
I am positioned a little lower than ordinary people.
This is something I was born with, something that can't be helped. I can't interfere with it, nor can I pretend it didn't happen. That's what it means to have parents who were involved in a crime. A gruesome incident that occurred in the countryside, surprisingly, remains in people's memories even as time passes, and is loathsomely passed down through stories. I was aware of what kind of child I was from past events and understood my place.
In the past, I couldn't accept it and acted out a bit, but I was young.
Now, I'm world-weary. Not matured, but my spirit has certainly withered.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Nothing particular happened, and it was after school. If I keep turning a blind eye to various things, each day becomes thin, as if dissolving into the air. Like folding up a chair and putting it away, I calmly settle into my daily routine.
It's ideal, in a way. But I have to do something about my sister, at least.
It was an older sister's destiny.
As I was putting my bag away, I casually glanced out the window, and an uncouth sound, "Ugh," escaped my lips.
A purple shadow wavered at the main gate. The shower of blossoms painted on the umbrella slowly traced a circle.
Yesterday's Neko-something-or-other was leaning against the main gate, as if waiting for someone. Probably me. I could feel my face scrunching up, wondering what on earth this was, continuing from yesterday. I wonder if my father asked her to do something.
Students on their way home were all talking amongst themselves as they passed by. The mouth, faintly visible beyond the umbrella, was relaxed, as if enjoying their reactions. She should be someone with a fair amount of public exposure, but I wonder if any students would recognize her. If I talked to someone like that at the main gate, unnecessary rumors would spread.
Should I go around to the back gate and head home?
As I was thinking this and looking down, Neko-something-or-other loosely waved her hand at the empty space in front of her. It looked as if she had greeted someone passing by.
Even when I strained my eyes, I couldn't see anyone.
Something I can't see, but others can.
No way, did my sister just pass by?
Before I knew it, I had grabbed my indoor shoes and was rushing out of the classroom. I ran down the stairs as if kicking them, and left the school building, stepping on the heels of my outdoor shoes. As I started running, my right shoe flew off and rolled to the side of the school building. It was too frustrating to pick it up, so I just ran towards the main gate.
"What's going on, what's going on?"
I overtook Kaneda, who was heading to his club activity, but I skipped the explanation.
"No, Kaneko."
I wasn't listening.
I ran and burst out in front of the main gate. Neko-something-or-other looked surprised that our eyes met.
"Oh my, you figured it out, didn't you?"
Did she think I wouldn't, with her dressed like that?
"Why are you here?"
"I wanted to get closer to the atmosphere of a school. It's quite lively, isn't it?"
Fufufun, she hummed a strange tune, tapping the handle of her umbrella.
"More importantly, did my sister just pass by?"
"Your sister? Did you have one of those?"
"Over there."
"Where?"
Neko-something-or-other averted her eyes, feigning ignorance.
"You were waving to someone, weren't you?"
"Really?"
"Ah, hmm, so that was your sister. You don't look much alike, do you?"
"I get that a lot. Which way did she go?"
Following Neko-something-or-other's careless pointing, I went out to the road. I went out, but I couldn't tell.
All the backs of the female students I could see were wrong. Searching for something I couldn't see, my eyes started to spin.
I turned around. Neko-something-or-other craned her neck from the side of the gate to check.
"Looks like she's already gone."
"If you doubt it, you should make yourself able to see her."
She hit a sore spot. Relying on others is something to be ashamed of.
Someone once said that family problems, especially, should be resolved internally.
I think that's absolutely right.
"Oh right, I was supposed to help you find her. Should I have stopped her?"
Artificially, Neko-something-or-other narrowed her eyes and smiled knowingly.
"...Next time, do that."
"Understood."
Just like my sister's replies, it was light and cheap.
After gazing into the distance once more, I admitted I had lost sight of my sister. She's such a selfish, willful person.
What remained was an idiot who had forgotten one of her shoes, and Neko-something-or-other. When I looked at her, she gave me a sweet smile.
"Well now, care to talk for a bit?"
"I have nothing to talk about."
"You do."
I tried to ignore her and leave. But the words she threw at me stopped me in my tracks.
"Don't you want to find your sister?"
Her provocative tone sparked a rebellious feeling in me.
"And you think I can do that if I'm with you?"
Neko-something-or-other was filled with a confidence that left no room for doubt.
"Perhaps."
Even as she retracted it, she was brimming with confidence. That confidence didn't seem like a sturdy pillar, but a lump of sugar.
"I think I can be of help. I'm an older sister too, after all."
Does that have anything to do with it? Probably not. But, on my own, I don't even know where to look. Besides, if someone who knows the situation is with me, they could tell me if they see my sister, perhaps.
I thought for a moment.
Relying on others is shameful.
But not being able to see my sister, I think that's an even greater shame.
In other words, a huge embarrassment.
"I'm going to get my shoe, so please wait."
I showed her my right foot, wearing only a sock.
"Bwahahaha!"
She burst out laughing, as if to say, 'What's that?' And yet, only her mouth was laughing; her eyes weren't smiling at all.
In that incongruity, I recognized something similar to my parents.
This person, too, is skewed.
When I went back to retrieve my shoe, doubling my effort, Kaneda was holding it. He had it hooked on his fingertip, dangling it.
"No, Kaneko."
Right.
"Thanks."
I took it, and this time, after putting it on properly, I returned to the main gate. Seeing that, Neko-something-or-other finally finished her role as a gate ornament. With her umbrella still up, walking together, we would inevitably stand out.
However, she might be of some help. A flashy medicine.
"Neko-something-or-other-san."
"It's Ooe Yuna."
"Oh."
Ah, right. I think that was her real name. I remember now.
"Why did you lie yesterday?"
"Just because. Besides, it wasn't a lie. I have many names."
She said, "It's like Enoch." Who the heck is Enoch?
Twirling her umbrella habitually, Yuna-san looked around. My great-aunt's house wasn't in the direction we were walking. As I was wondering where she was taking me, Yuna-san spoke as if she'd sensed my thoughts.
"Did you know? Apparently, kids these days don't say 'kissaten'; they say 'cafe'."
"Increasing words is a good thing, isn't it?"
"Is that so?"
As someone struggling with English class, I feel like, 'Don't make things more complicated.'
"Isn't it more interesting to be able to express things in various ways?"
"No, not at all."
Yuna-san counted on her fingers.
"Gloomy, prone to delusions, mad, stubborn, narrow-minded."
Rather than expressions, it was just a list of insults. And all of them were phrases that struck a nerve.
"Are you talking about me?"
"I hope not."
Nonchalantly, she parried with an air of composure. As if I were being toyed with on her spinning umbrella.
A personality type I'm not good with.
Hmph, I snorted.
The only one that fits is probably 'gloomy.'
And so, we headed towards the shopping district. The shopping district always looks gray whenever I see it. Is it because most shops have their shutters down? 'Prosperity' was something that once existed; now, its remnants are displayed in shop fronts, covered in dust. In a gap between them, Yuna-san found a cafe quietly breathing.
"Let's go there."
The cafe, located behind a defunct taiyaki shop, showed remnants of a tobacco store at its front.
We went inside. Beside the entrance was a tank with an arowana swimming in it. Yuna-san craned her neck and stared at it for a moment. Like with my aunt's dog, she seemed to have a strong interest in living creatures.
"Do you like animals?"
"...Hmm."
"Yes. I like all of them, probably second only to humans."
It was an unexpected reply. She didn't have the face of someone who liked humans very much. I don't think this assessment, close to finding fault, is off the mark. Because this person resembles my father.
Which means, she also resembles me. I had thought our only commonality was a dislike of people.
An old woman guided us to a seat in the back. The shop was small, and the lighting was dim. There was an old man behind the counter, so they probably ran it as a couple. The reddish-purple chairs felt worn to the touch. There were no other customers besides us.
"Watakushi will have orange juice. And you?"
"Anything is fine."
"Nothing then."
"That's fine."
The old woman withdrew without fuss. ...Fine, fine, whatever.
"Cheer up, I'll give you some sugar cubes."
"I'll give you three."
"No, I don't need them..."
They were pressed on me. White, black, and white. After rolling them in my palm, I popped one of the white ones into my mouth.
"You don't come around here?"
"No, not at all."
Sweet.
"Friends?"
"Zero."
"You're gloomy, aren't you?"
Nffufu, she laughed unreservedly, as if she had expected that answer.
"Leave me alone."
"Rest assured, I have no intention of doing anything about it."
"Whew."
I was genuinely relieved. Though it was definitely a lie.
"Is that so? Your sister might come here to play quite often."
"I don't know," I said, shaking my head.
"I just said it. Since I stopped being able to see her, I don't really know much anymore."
My image of my sister was frozen around the time she wore a randoseru backpack. Matching randoseru. Because they were easy to mix up if even the color and shape were the same, I actually mixed them up several times on the way to school, so I didn't like it. Even though we were in the same grade and should have been taking the same classes, my sister's randoseru was heavier.
When I asked her once what she was putting in it, she pulled out a lot of drawing paper.
My sister loved to draw.
The orange juice arrived quickly. And toast came with it too. Even though it wasn't morning service time.
"Here, for you."
Yuna-san offered me the plate with the toast.
"Is it okay for you to buy this for me?"
"It's fine. When I get home, you see, I have to eat loooots of my cute little sister's home cooking."
"No, really, hehehe," a rare smile, seemingly devoid of composure, appeared at the corners of her mouth.
"Oh."
The toast was thinly spread with butter. I placed the remaining sugar cubes on top of it.
I bit into it all at once and crushed it.
"By the way, what specifically did you want to talk about?"
Crunching the sugar like sand, I got to the main topic. After sipping her orange juice through a straw, Yuna-san took out a university notebook and writing utensils from the sleeve of her yukata.
"You had something like that in there?"
"Anything can fit in these sleeves."
"I can even pull out a metal bat or a frying pan."
"Amazing, 'ssu."
Why does she tell such pointless lies?
"May I hear your story? About your sister, that is."
She pointed the tip of the mechanical pencil she was holding at me. If I recall, her profession was a pianist. I don't know if they're all like that, but she had beautiful fingers, fitting the image of her profession.
"So you didn't want to talk, you wanted to listen?"
"I don't know the whole story, so I'd like to try and organize the information a bit."
She grandly titled it, "Sister Transparency Incident." Looking at it, I found it hard to read.
"That's a lot of hiragana."
Moreover, the characters were rather large, like a young child's writing.
"I'm uneducated, literally."
She spoke of herself with a faded, self-deprecating smile.
"Even so, I'm in the middle of studying. ...But that doesn't matter, right now it's your story. The idea that you never had a sister in the first place, that's not possible. I've met her before too."
"Never mind 'before,' you just saw her a little while ago, didn't you?"
"Oh, that's right."
The word 'imouto', written large in hiragana, sitting squarely in the middle of the notebook, somehow felt very... her.
"...Um."
"Do you remember when you stopped being able to see your sister?"
Everything around me is dark as night, a sea where only the waves are an uncanny, vivid blue.
I imagine a scene of timidly extending a foot towards that sea surface.
"I think it was six or seven years ago."
When I try to remember my sister from that time, the smell of earth accompanies it. Probably because she was always playing outside... Was she playing? It was vague, like a lump of air mixed in.
That was all.
"An incident?"
"Hmm."
"Around 2026 or '27, then. What was it like when you couldn't see her anymore? Did it happen suddenly, like poof, or did you gradually become unable to recognize her?"
"All at once, suddenly. It wasn't like my sister gradually became transparent. How should I put it... It's like she slipped around to the back of my brain... I feel like she's there, but my eyes won't turn towards her."
There's this constant frustration, as if I could see her if I could just flip my brain's orientation.
But sticking my hand inside my head is difficult. Physically, and mentally.
"Seven years since you stopped seeing her. During that time, didn't you feel any inconvenience?"
I thought for a bit, then answered, "Not particularly."
"She seems to be doing fine, and I don't have to hear her noisy voice. No inconvenience."
To say that this unpleasant sensation, like the corner of my eye being covered and blocked, was 'no inconvenience' was a stretch.
Even if I got used to it, it was still a hindrance. But correcting every single lie was also a bother.
"Hmm. If it were me, I'd be worried if my sister was gone for even a day."
"My, what an admirable older sister you are. But my sister isn't exactly *gone*."
She's there, somewhere. Maybe she's even next to me right now.
There was no sign of anyone other than me touching the half-eaten toast.
"And now, recently, you're trying to find this sister. What brought about this change of heart?"
I lifted my face from my notebook. I hesitated, wondering if it was okay to talk about it. But hiding it wouldn't solve anything.
"Because it seems she's involved in an incident, so I can't just leave it alone."
Yuna-san tilted her head. Then, she made a gesture as if adjusting glasses she wasn't even wearing.
"A murder case. Don't you know?"
She added 'satsujin jiken' in hiragana. It was right next to 'imouto'.
"So your sister is involved in this case."
"I think she's the culprit."
I glanced behind me. The old woman was sitting at a counter seat, looking up at a TV in the upper right. On the TV screen, a rerun of an old drama that seemed to have no connection whatsoever to such a dangerous incident was playing. It was a scene where someone was about to dine and dash after a debt collector took all their money while they were eating yakiniku.
I remember watching it when I was a child too. Just how many years have they been rebroadcasting it?
"Tell me about this case."
Her pen tapped 'satsujin jiken.' Black dots appeared between 'sister' and 'incident'.
"Do you really not know?"
"I don't live around here, I can't read newspapers, and I barely have a TV. Manga is great, though, with the furigana."
"So, please tell me," she urged. It wasn't pleasant to talk about, but...
"...Apparently, they're disappearances, but probably murders. And it's always people close to me who die."
Yuna-san stared at me. "Hmm," she murmured, writing a note below 'satsujin jiken'.
"At least seven people, just counting the ones I can. It's hard to dismiss as coincidence."
Classmates from elementary school, teachers, relatives... people close to me like that have disappeared.
It seemed random, but if I was at the center, everything was connected.
"I see. Considering the motive, it's possible it's related to you."
"The only ones who would do something like that are my sister, or maybe my mother. But Mother wouldn't be interested in serial murder. In that case, my sister becomes the most suspicious. She's had a bit of a dangerous streak since she was little."
"Hmm..."
Above 'imouto,' she added 'hannin?'
"Hmm, hmm..."
Holding the notebook up as if to cover her face, Yuna-san stared intently at it. I didn't think there was any new information written there. Nibbling on my toast, I voiced my question.
"Is that helpful?"
"It is."
The reply came from behind the notebook.
"Hmm..."
"Humans get a lot of information from sight. So, putting it into a visible form is the best shortcut."
"A long time ago, I was taught that. By a damn bastard."
I was startled by the sudden, rough expression.
"The fact that it's useful makes it all the more detestable."
Having said that much, Yuna-san fell silent. I hadn't thought she was an emotional person, or at least not someone straightforward enough to show it, so it was an unexpected reaction. That said, while I was surprised, I wasn't interested. It couldn't possibly be a good memory, so hearing about something like that wouldn't enrich my heart in the slightest.
Well, I convinced myself that various things must have happened. 'Various' is a convenient word.
As I finished my toast and was sipping water, Yuna-san put her notebook back on the table. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as if deep in thought about something, the tips of her eyelashes quivering slightly.
"Did you figure anything out?"
I asked jokingly, with no expectation at all.
Yuna-san took a sip of her orange juice, then picked up a sugar cube from the pot.
...Is she going to put it in?
"You're so rigid, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
Still pinching the sugar cube with her fingers, Yuna-san... assessed me that way.
My incomprehension must have been written all over my face, as Yuna-san's lips twisted into a smirk.
"There are no gaps in you at all, it's interesting. You have the type of personality that can't rest unless you fill them, don't you?"
"I don't understand what you're trying to say."
"It's fine, because I understand."
Saying that, Yuna-san popped the sugar cube directly into her mouth. Well, yeah, putting it in orange juice would be strange. Her thin cheeks moved, mumbling, bulging out at times.
"That's why,"
"One could also say it's a very convenient personality."
"I'm not particularly disparaging you, so live without worrying about it."
"I'm not worried about it, though."
Defiance naturally came forward. I prioritized that over asking for details.
Perhaps that was a personality trait that put me at a disadvantage.
"I see. Iiiinteresting."
Yuna-san stared pointedly at my head in a suggestive manner. It was unpleasant.
Are there really people who derive pleasure from such impolite stares?
"The great detective Yunarin has already figured out most of it!"
"Ehh, seriouslyyy?"
"Well, I still need to investigate the details a bit more, though. Fufuffuun~"
"Stop beating around the bush and just say it."
"I can't talk about it now. It'll become troublesome if I do."
"Oh, is that so..."
She didn't seem to understand anything at all.
"Even if you can't wait, just wait!"
Saying that, for some reason, she triumphantly curled her lips into a smirk and then pressed them shut.
Her irresponsible remarks reminded me a little of my sister, which might have been the only small gain from this.
And so, the not-so-fun tea party ended.
As expected, Yuna-san paid the full amount.
"To obtain money, one must spend their life. There is no exchange more precious than that."
"How was that?"
Yuna-san muttered while paying. After leaving the shop, she turned to me.
"Even if you ask me 'how'..."
It sounded like a quote from somewhere. "Hmm, not quite there yet, huh?" Yuna-san scratched her head.
Her glossy, long black hair cascaded down her arm.
"That was a meaningful time, wasn't it?"
"You think so?"
My stomach just got full. I couldn't shake off this feeling of not being refreshed, like having a stuffy nose.
"I'm starting to understand why *He* asked me."
Yuna-san's frivolous smile and expression immediately made me think of my father.
"So you did come because you were asked, after all."
My feeling of rejection sharpened like a needle, becoming more acute. I wanted to part ways with her immediately.
"Yes, that's right. Because he bought me lots of Kobe croquettes in the department store basement."
I couldn't tell if she was serious or joking.
"Turns out *He's* having a surprisingly hard time being a father too. Well, I sympathize with you, and I can't say I don't feel a bit of pity for *Him* either."
Hiding her mouth with her sleeve, she mocked me with her eyes alone. It was upsetting. I don't deny there are hardships, but my sister is probably causing more trouble currently.
My indignation, however, was lightly deflected by the owner of that eccentric attire.
"Next time, I'll let you meet your sister."
Leaving behind a prophecy with no guarantee whatsoever, Yuna-san said, "See you then," and left.
An out-of-season shower of blossoms danced at the tip of the umbrella resting on her shoulder. Without scattering, endlessly.
"As if there'll even be a next time."
If she came because of my father's arrangement, then I want to run away even more.
I took a road in the opposite direction from Yuna-san. It was a detour home, but I didn't mind. There were no people in the shopping district that was one in name only, and the sidewalk stretched out as if it were reserved for me. I couldn't see any other sailor uniforms at all.
In the end, it seemed I wouldn't find my sister today either.
Even though no cars were passing, I was stopped at a crosswalk. I stood still in an empty world. The wind stagnated, and sound was lost. There was nothing blowing through, exposing me to stagnation. If I held my breath, my outline against my surroundings became vague and blurred, and I felt like I might even lose sight of myself.
Relying on my breath and the pain in my heart, I confirmed my own existence.
The traffic light changed color, as if responding to my heartbeat. When I moved forward, I finally felt relieved. And then.

It was about the third step after I crossed the crosswalk.
*Thump.* A dull push to the back of my head from behind.
It took me a moment to realize I'd been hit.
"Today too, I'm walking home with Nee-sama!"
"Who are you talking to?"
Walking home on the same old unchanging path with Nee-sama, whom I happened to find.
A voice called out from a slightly lower position, as if matching the incline of the sun.
"Hey there, young ladies."
"Aye, aye!"
In the convenience store parking lot, an old man called out to us.
Maybe my voice was too loud; the old man's eyes widened as if taken aback. Nee-sama immediately scolded me, "That's why I said your voice is too loud." At the same time, she pulled my arm firmly.
I think she probably meant I should ignore strange people even if they talk to me.
But isn't it weird to ignore him after I already replied? Thinking that, I approached him.
"Hey, wait!"
Hmm.
"Magic trick?"
When I scampered over to him, I heard Nee-sama's footsteps following behind.
When I stopped in the wide parking lot, a slightly strong wind blew my hair around, and it wrapped around my neck.
He seems like a kind old man. Maybe because he's tall, his face is shadowed, so I can't see it very well, though.
"I learned a little magic trick, would you watch it for me?"
The old man nodded and slowly waved his hand. As I was staring up blankly, he clenched that hand...
And then, when he opened it.
"Ta-da!"
"Ooh, ooh! The same handkerchief as mine!"
In the old man's hand was a blue handkerchief.
"It's a matching set, isn't it!"
"No, no, no."
The old man waved his hand sideways.
"It took me three months to master this."
"Seems I don't have much talent for it," the old man said, scratching the back of his neck. He handed the handkerchief back to me.
"Oh, this is mine, huh."
"You should have noticed..."
Nee-sama, standing beside me, pushed her bangs up and then sighed. And then,
"Do you need something?"
Nee-sama shoved me behind her and stepped forward. The old man gave such a Nee-sama a vague smile.
"No, I just wanted to show off."
"...Really?"
"Yep, correct."
Nee-sama didn't believe him at all. The old man clowned around a bit.