Volume 1 - CH 5.07

Translator: Kell

Rain was beating down on the roof of the school building. When I returned to the library to check the downpour, I decided to go home a little bit later. I entered the storeroom, and the sound of the rain quickly faded away. Shizuka was sitting at the desk set between the shelves. Asato was absent today. At my suggestion, Shizuka took out the playing cards. The two of us dealt the cards together to play Cheat. The scent of ink and paper was stronger than on a sunny day, and the room seemed darker than usual.

I’d bet Asato would say something like, “It’s like being in an aquarium.”

“It’s been so long since we’ve been alone together,” Shizuka said, smiling. “I’m kind of happy.”

“Yeah, Asato’s always around. I guess it’s been a while.”

I stroked Shizuka’s head. I’d gotten into the habit of petting her because she would get happy like a child.

Pulling her head back, Shizuka giggled. “I wish I could stay like this with you forever,” she said with a heartfelt joy in her voice.

“We got exams next year, though,” I said casually. “Some are even already studying. I don’t think we’ll be able to see each other much. Kinda makes me said when I think about it.”

“…What?”

Cards fell to the floor. I didn’t know why Shizuka dropped them. I bent down to pick up the cards, while Shizuka remained frozen on her seat. Sensing something off, I looked up.

“…What?” Shizuka repeated, her eyes wide open.

A twisted smile appeared on her lips. There was a strange glow in her eyes, and the corner of her brows twitched.

It was the first deranged expression I had ever seen in my life.

“…Shizuka? What’s—”

“Tsutomu-san. What did you just say?” she asked in a mechanical tone.

A chill ran down my spine. I felt like I had made some kind of irreversible mistake. I racked my brain, but I couldn’t figure out what I had done exactly.

“Uh, I…”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have misheard. You didn’t say anything in particular. I’m sorry. It’s just not possible.”

She bent down and began picking up the scattered cards, but her fingers only shoved them around. After a while, she managed to pick them all up.

“I can’t believe we won’t see each other more often.” Once again, she dropped everything to the floor. “Please tell me it’s not true.” She gave a twisted smile.

In that moment, I had no idea who was in front of me. My junior who smiled bashfully all the time was not there. The sound of rainfall was grating to my ears. For some reason, the fact that we were the only two people in the library sent a shiver of fear crawling down my spine.

Suddenly, Shizuka brought her face close to mine. Her breath brushed the tip of my nose.

“Tell me it’s not true,” she said.

My heart pounded rapidly in my chest. My brain was in chaos, but slowly I opened my mouth to answer.

“It’s true. I’ll be busy… so I won’t have much time.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I felt that something was terribly off. Simple as that.

Shizuka bit her lip hard. Her teeth tore at the flesh, spilling blood. But she licked it away as if feeling no pain, and smiled.

“Ah, yes, of course. I understand. It’s okay. It’s just that you won’t have much free time, so you can’t come to the library anymore, right?”

With a broad smile on her face, Shizuka stretched out her hands and embraced me. She then leaned in close and whispered, “It doesn’t mean you’ll have less time to see me, right?”

She leaned into me like a spoiled child. Slowly, she pushed me down, and I found myself looking at the ceiling. I thought the body on top of me was heavy and soft as I lay there unable to move.

With a smile like the Holy Mother, Shizuka whispered, “Let’s move in together, Tsutomu-san. At first, I thought it wouldn’t take long. As soon as you start college and I graduate, we get married. But I guess we don’t have to wait anymore. Us not seeing each other is just odd. You and I need to be together. We have to be together. Always. Forever. What do you say, Tsutomu-san?” she said in a sweet voice, tilting her head.

Her hot lips met mine. Face beet-red, she kissed me repeatedly. Then, she pulled away hesitantly, before gingerly inserting her tongue in my mouth.

Wet flesh intertwined. A strange sensation crawled down my spine.

My head was a mess. Moving in together. Marriage. Odd. It all sounded too outrageous. I just couldn’t believe that the girl in front of me was the Shizuka I knew. It was as if a switched flipped inside her, and she became a different person.

“Tsutomu-san.”

Slowly, she unbuttoned my shirt. She brought her face closer and licked my neck. The sensation of her wet tongue made my hair bristle. Suddenly, she moved her hands to my lower part. At that moment, I came back to my senses. I grabbed her slender shoulders and pushed her off. When I got up, Shizuka was sitting on top of me with a puzzled look on her face. I tried to get away, but she wouldn’t move.

“What’s gotten into you, Shizuka?!”

“Why, Tsutomu-san? Why?”

She looked like she was about to cry. Then it hit me.

She didn’t know how abnormal her behavior was.

There was a bizarre look in her eyes, but she hadn’t lost her fondness for me. A chill crawled down my spine again. Something was wrong. Was she really the Shizuka I knew?

“You like me, don’t you, Tsutomu-san?”

I liked her smile. It felt like I had gotten a little sister.

“You love me, don’t you?”

But…

“I…”

My mouth was dry. I thought I heard a fox laughing in the distance.

The fox was giggling behind a mask.

“I don’t love you.”

A crack appeared on Shizuka’s face. There were a few seconds of dead air. Suddenly, Shizuka stood up without saying a word and started running. Nonplussed, I rose to my feet and followed her. There was no one in the library anymore. Rain was pouring down outside.

Hazy rain and soaked roads.

For a moment, I thought I spotted a dark-blue parasol.