Volume 5 - CH 12

The BirdCage Girl Dreams

It’s been a few days since Tanikawa Sakuya-san ambushed me in front of the school. Since then, Akechi-san and Emi have been coming up with various plans for me.

On my end though, all I could do was keep the curfew my father set.

“Towa……”

“I’m sorry, I need to go home soon.”

It was hard for me to do this when I couldn’t even tell Madoka about what is going on after I finally became friends with her.

After the fun shopping trip, I was anxious because it felt like the bond I have with everyone is gradually disappearing.

“It’s okay. Just a little bit more. You need to endure this for only a few more days.”

“Emi……, thank you…….. Thank you.”

“You should thank me after it’s all over you know.”

I almost cried when Emi hugged me.

Without Akechi-san and Emi, I would have been crushed by my problem already.

It was them who acted as my moral support.

Even when I got home according to the curfew, the atmosphere inside my house was still awkward.

I was desperately concentrating on my study because I couldn’t bear staying even a second longer in this suffocating place.

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And then…….

“It’s fine now, Miyamura-san. Today we will solve all your problems. This will be the last day you have to be bound by your father.”

“Akechi-san…..”

During the lunch break, Akechi-san called me to the library and said that to me.

Emi was also happily smiling beside him.

“Fufufu……, then we’re going to tell you the plan okay.”

“First of, we need you to break your curfew today.”

“Eh…..? W, Why?”

“There’s no parent that wouldn’t worry when their child comes home late right? There, Hideyori-kun and I will come in and help you persuade your father.”

“I see. If the two of you are with me then I will be at ease too.”

With that flow, I agreed to their plan.

The three of us headed to a park nearby my house and killed time there until it passed curfew.

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“Alright, I will give you one final piece of advice okay.”

“Yes, Akechi-san!”

“ [■■■■■■■■] “

After that, we confirmed the stages of our plan.

At first, I will have to face my father alone, and the two will come in later.

“Also, if your father doesn’t let you in even after you rang the intercom then you should follow the steps in this envelope okay.”

“O, Okay……”

“Alright, we will see you later then!”

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Just like that, I parted ways with them and walked home.

In front of the door, I confirmed that the light inside was lit but the door was locked and I couldn’t enter.

So, I use the intercom and call out to my parents.

“Dad, Mom, please let me in!”

[[Shut up! If you are going to stay out this late then just stay out there for a day!]]

“!?”

From his voice over the intercom, I realized how angry my father is and I started shaking. But, as told by Emi, I opened the envelope to see what I should do next.

I found a piece of paper inside so I pulled it out.

[[Use this to get into your house!]]

Then when I looked at the envelope again, I was shocked.

There were two silver shining things inside.

And one of them is…….

“A, A key?”

Why did Emi get the key to my house?

How?

With my hands trembling, I used the key and the door really opened.

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I started to panic.

Eh? Why am I doing all this………

“I’m, I’m home…….”

When I said that, my father showed up at the door as though he was waiting for me.

“Da……”

—*slap*

A strong slap hit my cheek.

“You little……!? So you were the one who stole the key from me yesterday huh!?”

“I, I di——”

“Shut up!”

*Slap!*

With probably the strongest slap he ever hit me with, my head turned blank.

Just like that, my mind was plunged into darkness.

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“……..”

Eh?

What happened?

Ahh, that’s right.

I was hit by my father so I probably fainted huh.

Seriously, being that cruel was unnecessary right.

All I wanted was just to go shopping and visit the pool with my friends you know……….

Haaa, what a shame Dad.

……..eh?

…………eh?

A shame?

………what did I do?

“Come on, Dad,……..why are you sleeping in a place like this………”

When I tried to push away my father who was leaning on me, I felt my hands soaked in something unpleasant.

It was a slimy liquid that smelled like iron…….

Eh?

Why is my father soaked in blood?

Why is there a hole in his stomach that looks like it was made by a knife…….?

“D, Da–……”

His abdomen was soaked with fresh blood.

And my body was covered in some kind of unpleasant liquid……

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Blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood

Blood, blood, blood, blood, blood everywhere.

“N, NOOOOOOO!? WHAT IS THIS!?”

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What, how?

Why is my father dead?

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Where’s my mother? M, Mom…..?

Where is she………

Emi.

Akechi-san…..

What happened to me…….?

I walk further inside the house.

That’s strange, I saw the light before I entered the house.

But, why, why is it so dark in here……?

I steadily headed in and turned on the light.

And there, in the center of the room, something was hanging from the cieling.

“M,……Mom!? Wh….., What……? What is happening!?”

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“Yo, congratulations, it seems that you finally managed to break out of your cage huh.”

“Eh……? …….A, kechi-san……”

Coming in through the front door, Akechi-san was clapping his hands while smiling at me.

What is he talking about……?

“Oh? You don’t look all that happy huh? And after I went out of my way to prepare so much so that Miyamura-san can break out of your birdcage too. Right, Emi?”

“That’s right, since Towa said that you want your cage destroyed within a month, we were so busy coming up with plans to help you, you know?”

From behind Akechi-san, Emi also walked in.

It’s as if they know that all this would happen.

“No…., it’s a lie, it’s a lie…..right? What is this? A prank…..? A bad dream…….?”

“It’s the reality.”

“……Emi?”

“You can’t avert your eyes from the truth you know. It was Towa who murdered your father after all.”

————————-

When I was hit, I threw some small decorations in the doorway at my father.

Just like that, I started to run away.

“T, TOWAAA! YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SHlT!?”

“HIIE!?”

He grabbed my leg and I fell.

Where’s mom!?

What is she doing in a situation like this!?

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Then, I noticed something silver in my hand.

It was a knife.

The knife that was in the envelope together with the key.

Recognizing it, I swing the knife down.

“………….”

“Gah! Towa!?…..! Ga, Guah!?”

In a trance, I plunged the knife into my father’s stomach.

Then I twist it.

Twist twist twist twisttwisttwisttwisttwist.

“Haa Haa Haaa……”

“To, Towa…..!?”

“M, Mom……!”

“It’s okay Towa. This is all my fault.”

“Eh?”

Saying so, Mom ran into the living room. 

Following the sound of a chair being knocked down, I heard the sound of a rope swaying.

Just like that, my consciousness slowly began to fade.

—————–

“Hahaha….., that’s right….., it was me, I did it……. I’m so sorry, you two went out of your way to help me and……and…… eh, but……? Why was there a knife in the envelope…..? If that thing wasn’t there then……”

“Well, of course, it was there for Towa to murder your father with after all.”

“Eh……?”

“If you want to be free from your cage then you can’t rely on others! You have to do it with your own hands! And you did it. I’m happy for you, Towa.”

“Don’t touch me!?”

Emi tried to hug me like she always did but my body immediately recoiled.

From what she said, it was like she’s been planning this from the start.

“NO!? THIS IS TOO STRANGE RIGHT!? DID YOU PLAN THIS….? BUT WHY!? WEREN’T WE FRIENDS!?”

“We are. It’s because we are friends that we helped you destroy your birdcage right. Now you are free to play whenever you want you know, Towa.”

“No way, …….I can’t, I will be arrested. There’s no way I can pl-…….”

“Then how about this? [Your mother killed your father. After that, she took her own life. That will be your truth for your whole life.] [You witnessed how your mother murdered your father from the beginning to the end.] [You were afraid that your mother might kill you next, and seeing that, your mother hung herself.] [Miyamura Towa was the sole survivor of the incident. Akechi Hideyori and Sasaki Emi were not at the scene of the crime.]”

Foreign memories started to flood into my brain one after another.

My memory is being modified.

How weird.

My recollection of today was a mess.

It felt like I’m going crazy that I couldn’t even stand so I ended up kneeling on the floor.

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Why did Mom suddenly kill Dad?

Eh? Who did I kill?

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“[Destroy all the evidence. Also, you will forget all about the students you have been involved with from the moment you entered middle school until today.]”

The fun and colorful memories I had instantly disappeared.

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My encounter with Emi.

The time I met Juumonji-kun.

My meeting with Risa.

How I met Madoka.

The time I ran into Tanikawa-san.

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And

My first meeting with him, the laugh I shared with Akechi-san. All of them were erased…….

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“Farewell, BirdCage Girl. It was a funny farce while it lasted.”

There echoed only the voice of a man I don’t recognize

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The birdcage was broken.

At the same time, the bird also broke its wings and died along with its cage.

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————————–

“Nn? ……what was that dream…..?”

I feel like I’ve seen something very, very, important.

The dream was both radiant and sad at the same time.

A disgusting dream where it felt like all of me was trampled underfoot.

[[Towa, wake up! It’s morning!]]

Somehow, a wave of relief washed over me when I hear the voice of my mother.

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My life in this birdcage is not over yet.

TLN: Phew, that’s all for now. Next update will be 3 chapters so that should be thursday or friday next week.