My Ex-Girlfriend’s Sister Ran Away to My Room, and We Can’t Stop Making Mistakes. - Chapter 32: Shadow.

Shadow.

We took the train as far as it would go. Perhaps because we had left our local station so late, the surroundings were already pitch black by the time we arrived. Searching for a place to stay, we eventually stumbled upon a small business hotel.

It was also then that I held Ayumu’s body for the very first time.

It was the first experience for both of her and me, making for clumsy, awkward sex. Before we knew it, both of our hair was a disheveled mess and we were covered in sweat. It felt so absurd that we ended up bursting into loud laughter together.

“I wonder if Mom is worried,” she murmured softly, staring at the dimly lit dial of the clock floating in the darkness.

“It’s fine. She probably figures that I’m the one who took you away.”

“I did something terrible. She’s going to be so angry.”

“She won’t be. She’s too kind for that.”

“And Dad…”

She choked on her words a little there.

“To tell you the truth…”

Rolling over in bed, she turned to face me. Her bare skin brushed against my leg.

“To tell you the truth, it’s not that I hate him. I just didn’t know how to interact with him anymore. I know I said some really harsh things to him, too.”

“Yeah.”

“We’re family, after all. Once you actually leave, you can’t help but worry.”

“Do you want to go back?”

“No. I want to stay together like this. I feel like that house actually runs smoother when I’m not around.”

“You think so?”

“Besides, right now, I feel so free.”

“I’m glad.”

She rested her head against my chest. When I kissed her and pulled her close, she closed her eyes, looking completely at ease.

After letting out a soft sigh, she spoke up again, sounding deeply apologetic.

“We left Mii behind, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, we did a bad thing there.”

“I bet she’s absolutely furious right now.”

“We’ll have to apologize to her the next time we see her.”

“I wonder when that’ll be.”

“Once things settle down, let’s get in touch with her as soon as possible.”

“Yeah.”

She nodded, then let out a sudden chuckle.

“If we tell her we eloped, Mii is definitely never going to forgive us.”

Letting out a few amused giggles, she closed her eyes. Just like that, we drifted off to sleep, resolving to head even further away on an early morning train.

***

“The train’s coming in a little bit.”

“It’d be faster if we doubled back a bit and took the Shinkansen, but what do you want to do?”

“Let’s save our money. We can take our time.”

Answering cheerfully, she took hold of my hand.

As we were walking in front of the station, a middle-aged police officer brushed right past us.

“Are you Hachijou Ayumu-san?”

Just as we were about to pass through the ticket gates, a voice called out from behind. Turning around, we saw the officer staring fixedly at us. Looking at his face, Ayumu realized something and gasped.

“Oh no. That cop… he’s an acquaintance of my dad’s.”

Realizing who Ayumu was as well, the officer began walking toward us.

“Let’s run!”

I couldn’t believe it, of all places, right here.

I pulled her by the hand and we bolted.

A train was just sliding onto the platform. If we moved now, we could still make it.

“Wait! Stop right there!” the officer shouted, giving chase.

Even so, we were faster. Just one more step, and once those doors closed, we would make a clean escape.

“Your father—!”

But we couldn’t. The moment the officer screamed something else, Ayumu’s legs came to a sudden halt.

“Huh?”

As she stood frozen, completely immobilized, the officer shouted the words to her once more.

She couldn’t move. As if a stake had been driven straight through her, she didn’t twitch a single muscle.

The train doors slid shut with a heavy thud.

“What did you… just say?”

Leaving us behind, the empty train began to pull away. With this, we couldn’t go anywhere. A massive void opened up in my chest, expanding rapidly by the second.

We could never go back to how things were.

“What did you just say?!”

The officer caught up to us and repeated the exact same words. They throbbed painfully against my skull.

All the strength drained out of Ayumu’s hand, leaving it limp. Her lips trembled. Without so much as blinking, she stared straight out into the distance.

“My dad… is dead?”

The buzzing of the cicadas was unbearably loud. Drip by drip, her tears began to spill onto the concrete ground. Even those were instantly dried away by the scorching heat of the sun.

I didn’t know what to say to her.

Even now, I still don’t know.

If I hadn’t suggested running away together, would her father have avoided death? Would they have been able to go back to being a normal family? Would Ayumu have been spared from living her life saddled with this crushing guilt?

Would we have been able to stay lovers forever?

I didn’t know the answers.

Everything had already passed. Everything was hopelessly, irreversibly lost.