My Girlfriend is a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 10: From the depths of a dark wall

Kind-hearted individuals may be bystanders, but they never kill others with their own hands. Because normally, people don’t have the courage to kill others. Not punishing someone is like the pot calling the kettle black, but at the same time, it’s also a matter of resolve.

Since the moment murder was defined as a crime, it became an inviolable area for good people. However, every good person has a dark side. In other words, the way to dissipate it is a remote attack that invades the invisible realm of the verbal blade ……. This is the moment when invisible violence became the most powerful.

However, that strength exists only because humans live under the same rules. Unlike words, whose power is influenced by the sensitivity of the recipient, physical violence has a constant power. Just one person capable of it is enough to nullify the strength of words.

For example, even if at this moment I were endowed with vocabulary capable of defeating any person, I couldn’t win against Yuuna. No matter how I struggle with intangible words, I’ll only fall before the blow of a metal bat.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

Leaving the bag behind was a mistake. If only that dreamlike thing could happen again, I’d be confident I wouldn’t fail this time, but miracles like that don’t happen conveniently.

―――Will I go back if I get hit one more time?

I abandoned such thoughts. I couldn’t get close to her as she swung the bat at me with a devilish expression on her face, and if I died, that would be the end of it. If I die, who in the world will protect Shizuku?

I climbed the stairs to the corridor. Since Yuuna was definitely following behind, if I go down the opposite staircase, the entrance will be deserted. If I can escape from there, there’s a good chance of shaking her off. Whether she changes or gets furious, human specs don’t change much. If there’s a clear difference in basic ability, I should be able to escape.

That’s what I thought, but I was at the end of my luck. My thoughts were naive, indeed. I had estimated too easily that I could escape from this situation.

It was when I realized my own immaturity, after the thrown bat hit my thigh and I fell.

“Guo… A… Uuu”

Isn’t it better that it didn’t hit any vital points? A lump of metal is bound to hurt no matter where it hits you. My whole body is a vital spot. Those accustomed to pain might not even notice, but I hope the same is not demanded from ordinary people.

There was the sound of picking up the bat from the opposite side of my field of vision.

“You’re going to die. Any last words?”

“…Even listening to a will, huh? You’re surprisingly decent. How kind.”

“That’s your last will. Now, die.”

The moment she forcefully swung the bat down, I rolled my body to evade. I reconsidered that even if I continued to escape, there might be no end, so I shifted my focus to disarming her.

“Give it back!”

No matter how crazy she is, she’s just an ordinary girl. Even without any tricks, I should be able to take it by force――― that was also a poor judgment.

Yuuna possessed a physical strength that was unimaginable for an ordinary person. I can’t give specific examples, but the bat she was gripping screamed in agony.

“What ridiculous strength… You… aren’t at the level of training, are you?”

My hand gripping the bat was starting to hurt. Even though I’m trying to lift it with all my weight, Yuuna was still preparing to swing it.

Without saying a word, she maintained pure murderous intent towards me.

―――This is impossible.

I can barely resist, and it seems like there’s no end to this fight. But if I were to break this deadlock, I would definitely be beaten up.

Since it’s a stalemate anyway, and since it would ultimately be my loss, I decided to trust in my own physical abilities and let go of the bat.

“…Gah…!”

And then I was hit. She saw through my habit of exaggerated dodging and attacked me in a timed manner. Although I managed to dodge the center, it still hurt. I could only hold my temples and crouch down.

“Do you feel even the slightest bit sorry for Keisuke?”

“……Ah, kuuuuh!”

“Does it hurt? Keisuke was in even more pain. It was enough to kill him, so don’t get so depressed. Ryuma-kun must die.”

“”Hi-… murderer, you’re so terrible!”

That’s all I could do, hurl insults like an old trout. The worst part was that I had a sliver of consciousness remaining. I had to accept the fatal blow about to be struck down upon me. There was surely time to feel the pain. As long as there was consciousness, it would be there.

What kind of pain is enough to cause death? I haven’t forgotten the pain I felt when I was bullied, where back then I wasn’t dead. Even still, I don’t think there is any pain worse than that.

To be honest, I am afraid.

They say if you’re afraid, you should run away.

But I can’t run away.

I’ve been beaten.

I’m going to die.

I repeated the question and answer to myself over and over again. Contrary to the endless acceleration of my thoughts, my actual body could not move a single inch. I have no idea what the best course of action is. No matter how much I thought about it, I could not come to a conclusion.

“This is not murder. It’s ‘justice’, for I am the chosen one who can hear the voice of heaven. That is why I am not committing a crime. I will only kill you and bring the world one step closer to peace.”

The bat was swung.

At that very moment, I cast aside all shame and dignity, letting out a thunderous cry that seemed to tear my throat apart.

“Somebody help me! Please help me!”

Even if I got criticized for being in such a place, it didn’t matter. It’s better than losing my life. Whether I get suspended from school or detained by the police for hours, or whether I get hounded by bystanders or harassed by internet trolls, it’s still better than dying here.

So I screamed. A scream of desperation. A last-ditch resistance against inevitable death.

As if to dismiss it as meaningless, Misakigawa Yuuna delivered the final blow.

Crash.

A quiet noise not worth interrupting a swinging blow rang out.

But it did indeed stop my death.

“……?”

The bat stopped just before it struck my head. Even though the momentum was completely gone, I didn’t need to fear anymore, but I’ll avoid it just to be safe. I don’t think there’s anyone who wouldn’t avoid it even if a knife were pointed at them. It’s the same thing.

Fortunately, Yuuna was distracted by the noise and literally didn’t pay attention to my presence.

Rustling.

A rat crawled from behind the wall.

No, not just the wall. There’re some crawling on the ceiling and floor too. Hundreds, thousands of rats surged out from nowhere, squirming and writhing. Even though it’s an abandoned building, the concrete was sturdy, although there were plenty of gaps.

“W… What…?”

An inexplicable phenomenon that drowns out the fear of death just before. It’s unpleasant, as if my heart was being torn apart. And it’s scary.

The rats, which were surely present across the concrete, did not appear at all, but instead seemed to be gathering at a certain point …… on the wall halfway between me and Yuuna… We were horrified by this mysterious phenomenon and naturally distanced ourselves from it. Miraculously, I was able to escape, but my body wouldn’t listen to me.

Cracks appeared in the wall.

“Uwaaah!”

No matter how sturdy a wall is, if it gets a single crack, it will collapse from there. Even though rats weren’t visible after the floor was exposed, herds of them were appearing from somewhere and breaking through the concrete in an instant.

A multitude of rats, more than tens of thousands, avalanched in. Overwhelmed by the force like a dam bursting, I couldn’t move from the spot until my body was soaked in the pool of rats.

Or rather, I couldn’t move even after soaking in because I didn’t want to step on them. Yuuna completely went berserk (in a direction that lacked composure) and was crushing rats indiscriminately, but there was no sign of their numbers decreasing. Moreover, they’re completely burying Yuuna up to her ankles.

“Are you okay?”

“…Eh?”

Something emerged from the pool. She was wearing a familiar straitjacket, and the moment her figure emerged from the rat’s water, I immediately recognized ‘her’.

“Shizuku!”

The true identity of the rat king is the most feared death row inmate, Shizuku Nanagi. I thought that the rats were moving randomly, but they were actually avoiding her feet.

Shizuku bent down in front of me and gently hugged my trembling body.

“I’ve come to help you, guided by these small animals. You’re safe now. Leave the rest to me. I have to thank you for protecting me.”

“I-I protected…?”

“Nnufufu, well, just watch.”

Shizuku Nanagi kissed my cheek and stood up. In the face of the unexpected appearance of this death row inmate, Yuuna got so shaken that she even let go of the metal bat.

“Ah, you… You’re Shizuku Nanagi…!”

“Nice to meet you. It seems I’ve interfered with your love affair. I’m not going to apologize. I prioritized him to protect him. That’s all there is to it.”

“Keisuke’s life is much more important than his.”

“Oh, do lives have value? Life is precious because they’re all equal. There’s no such thing as a life with value. There’s only prioritization. I prioritized him who saved me. That’s it.”

“…You’re a death row inmate. That’s perfect. I’ll give both of you the righteous judgment!”

Yuuna plunged her hand into the midst of the rats. After a while, her gaze fell. I think she’s probably looking for the bat, but it seems she couldn’t find it.

“Oh, are you looking for something? Then let me clear the way for you.”

At Shizuku’s snap of her fingers, the rats scattered all at once. However, even after the floor was exposed, her weapon was nowhere to be found.

“…Huh?”

“Oh, sorry. It seems the rats took it. But it can’t be helped. It’s a weapon used for attempted murder, so it should be confiscated.”

That bat might have pushed her madness in a certain direction. Now that Yuuna has lost her means of killing, she started crying instantly and began to flee as if she were the victim from the beginning.

“…I won’t let you escape.”

I had never known Shizuku’s physical abilities while she was unrestrained like this. I never thought she could catch the escaping Yuuna in just three steps.

“No! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go, please! What did I do!? Keisuke, help me!”

She was so strong when she was with me, but as soon as she was faced with Shizuku, her wrists were twisted. She was pushed to the floor and still resisting pathetically, I couldn’t feel a trace of her earlier madness.

“You tried to kill him. That’s attempted murder. Therefore, it is punishable by death.”

“No! I didn’t know, I didn’t know! Ryuma-kun, help me!”

…… Unfortunately, I don’t own a cell phone. I had no choice but to watch and see what happened.

“Actually, I was planning to make you eat your own legs, but oh well. It can’t be helped. As an act of mercy, I’ll kill you with my own hands.”

A sensible person would have stopped here. But as I’ve said many times, from the moment I hid her, I was banished from that classification. And even now, I don’t want her to stop.

It’s not about ‘She tried to kill someone herself, so she can’t complain if she gets killed.’

It was because of the thought, ‘If I get in the way, I will be killed.

I know she trusts me. But I’m still afraid of people who can kill without hesitation.

“Now, how do you want to die?”

“No! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”

“Is that so?”

Shizuku’s hand touched her neck.

“Nooooooo! Somebody help me!”

Screech.