My Girlfriend is a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 19 – The Enemy of a Friend’s Friend

After spending some time playing around with Shizuku, quite a bit of time had passed. Since meeting her, various complicated things had happened, but at least Shizuku was on my side, and I was on hers. That much was clear, and if that was clear, then whatever else happened didn’t seem to matter. In this state where it wouldn’t be wrong to call us accomplices, whatever the outcome, it might not end well, but I had chosen to be on her side with full awareness of that.

For example, even if I made a mistake, there are people who, in hindsight, would say, “Don’t do such things from the beginning,” but in my case, that logic wouldn’t apply. Even a grade-schooler would understand that helping a condemned criminal wouldn’t lead to a good outcome. Yet, I extended my hand to help.

In the future, I might hesitate many times, but every time, I’ll remind myself. I definitely made a mistake. I knew I was making a mistake as I made it. So no matter what happens, I shouldn’t complain.

Because it’s a story of “don’t do it from the beginning.”

Realizing that dinner time was approaching, I went downstairs. When I peeked out from the entrance, Kusune was already gone. Feeling relieved, I reconsidered that it was natural if she was a decent person. If she were still there, it would just be plain stalking.

“Hey, Onii.”

“Hmm?”

Ruri emerged from the living room. Her voice brimmed with even more energy than usual, and just by hearing it, I couldn’t quite discern whether it was truly my sister’s voice. Others would not believe their ears if that was a family member speaking, but it could also be due to the fact that I had just interacted with Shizuku until a moment ago.

Her voice resonated deeply. Not in terms of high pitch, but it was more like the sound seeped through my ears and permeated my entire body. It felt akin to when you hold your hands near a fireplace when your fingers are numb, and you feel the warmth gradually spreading—it was something like that.

If you keep hearing such pleasant words like “I love you,” “I adore you,” “I cherish you,” “You’re the only one for me,” it could make you feel like this. It’s not like I’m being controlled, but when I hear her voice, my body naturally moves in accordance with those words.

To put it in a rather unpleasant way, it’s like overdosing on Shizuku essence throughout my entire body. Would she agree that it’s not unreasonable for Ruri’s voice to become indistinguishable?

“Hey, Onii. Are you friends with Kusune-san?”

“Friends? Well, more like acquaintances…… but I’m not so much of a stranger as an acquaintance,…… Yeah, I guess we’re friends. Why do you ask?”

Ruri bit her lip. Her expression was unusually serious, and I couldn’t help but tense up, wondering what she was going to say. Whatever it was, I wouldn’t be surprised. If she told me she knew I was harboring a death row inmate, I wouldn’t be shocked; I might even apologize to Shizuku right away (not that she wouldn’t harm me, but she might target my family).

As if to materialize my thoughts, Ruri got down on her knees right then and there.

“Please, just this once. Invite Kusune-san over to our house.”

If this were a detestable opponent, I could still revel in a sense of superiority. But being the first time someone’s ever kneel before me and it’s my sister, I’m truly an unfortunate guy. I quickly lifted her head and put my hands on her shoulders, trying to reason with her.

“Listen, Ruri. Kneeling has the most impact the first time. If you keep doing it, its power diminishes. What I’m trying to say is, don’t kneel for such trivial things, and if you’re asking for a lifelong favor over something like this, it’ll only make your Onii sad.”

“But, I want to be friends with Kusune-san…”

“If you just want to become friends through me, you can casually ask. I was pretty hurt, you know. Did you think I was so stingy that I wouldn’t listen unless you asked for a lifelong favor?”

He’s really beyond saving with his habit of lying. Well, the former accusation is more of a stretch, or rather a result of my own misjudgment. Ruri looked disappointed, saying, “I didn’t mean it like that,” and seemed like I’d hurt her feelings instead. Even so, we’re siblings after all, or rather two sides of the same coin.

“I didn’t mean it like that either, I’m sorry. But don’t use words like ‘lifelong’ so casually. You’re my imouto, so you can rely on me whenever you need.”

“…It’s because I don’t want to get scolded by Mom and Dad.”

“Huh?”

“Onii is a liar, remember? That’s why whenever I ask for something like this, later on, I get lectured by both of them, ‘He’s a liar, so his promises are worthless. If you need help, rely on me instead,’ or ‘Someone who can’t tell the truth from lies is unreliable’… I hate it.”

The one who wants to keep the truth hidden the most is me. I pretended to be calm in front of my little sister, but it’s shocking to hear that they talk like that behind my back. The fact that my “habit of lying” was pushing Ruri into a corner. The assumption that it would be fine if I didn’t mind it at all has collapsed. Even though my parents probably didn’t mean any harm, if they were saying things like that to the point where she lacked the idea of casually relying on me, then it’s a serious issue.

“Huh? But wait. When you wanted to do parkour, neither of them seemed to mind, right? Is that story true?”

“… “

She fell silent. I wanted to keep the conversation going, so it felt wrong to doubt my sister’s words in this situation. For now, I’ll choose to trust her and continue talking.

“… It’s been exaggerated, but the reason I was called a liar was because of the bullying incident. It doesn’t mean everything I say is a lie. Besides, the main bully is dead now. As for the other two… well, it’s not like things will change just because I put my foot down. Sorry, I can’t help with that. But if it’s a request like this, I can listen, so rely on me more, okay?”

“… Okay. Got it.”

I may have tried to act cool in front of Ruri, but it goes without saying how much of a suicide mission it would be to invite Kusune over to the house. Shizuku and Kusune recognize each other with some sort of sixth sense. Whether it’s the smell of iron or blood, if they were in the same house, they would probably notice each other.

“Onii.”

“Yeah?”

“… Sorry. And thanks.”

“Don’t apologize. We’re siblings.”

Knowing it would be a suicide mission, I still made the wrong decision once again. I moved forward knowing I was wrong. And the reason for that is already decided.

Because Shizuku was kind to me.

Because Ruri is my little sister.

There’s no greater reason than that. Even the slightest reason can be enough motivation for someone who can’t weigh the pros and cons.

“Uh, I’m not sure when I’ll get her to come. There are some circumstances over here.”

——————————

So tired.

I immediately decided to go back to sleep, but my phone ringing interrupted that plan. How annoying. After ignoring it for about five minutes, it finally stopped, but immediately after, it started ringing again. It seemed too elaborate to be a prank call, so it was undoubtedly a call from someone I knew.

… But I was still sleepy, so I ignored it. However, I ended up dreaming of my phone angrily ringing, and I couldn’t even escape into my dreams.

“Hello?”

“It’s me. I’ve identified Shizuku Nanagi’s next target.”

As expected, the caller was who I thought it was. She’s the only person I know who would persistently call like this. It was a sloppy deduction even with my groggy head, but it seems to have hit the mark.

“… Oh, I see. So, who is it?”

“It’s a student named Sakisaka Ryuma. I looked into his past, but I couldn’t find any connection to Tenku Village. I made contact with him, but it seems like he’s wary of me for some reason.”

“Wary? I don’t quite get it. What does he think you’re doing by having you appear in the media? The world is craving for heroes. No one can deny the achievement of catching that Shizuku Nanagi. Someone who’s wary of such a hero must be quite mistrustful.”

“I couldn’t find any connection with Shizuku Nanagi either. So where did he become a target?”

“If you’re struggling, want me to lend a hand? Well, technically, you’re the one lending the hand.”

There were voices suggesting mobilizing a large number of people for the investigation of Shizuku Nanagi, but that would backfire. It would only fuel public anxiety and, above all, removing names from the police roster is an extraordinary hassle. Plus, if the name is known even before it’s removed, it’s completely pointless. In various ways, Shizuku Nanagi is troublesome. So even though evidence is in hand, the investigation is currently entrusted to her.

But there isn’t much evidence to begin with.

The lack of evidence is too glaring for a corpse. Even for just one strangulation victim, there are countless things that can be analyzed under normal circumstances, but there is none of that for the body that is presumed to have been killed by Shizuku Nanagi. A corpse with only the fact of being dead remaining… Does that phrase resonate with you? If I say that only Shizuku knows she killed them, would that convey it without misunderstanding?

“That’s why I called you. I’d appreciate it if you could assist in the investigation from now on.”

“I don’t mind since I only have work in the summer anyway. Honestly, I’m not part of the police, you know~? So if we’re going to do something like an illegal investigation, you’ll have to clean up the mess, okay?”

“I intend to.”

The call was unilaterally terminated. As usual, it was a call without a hint of allure.

“Shizuku Nanagi must be killed… Well, it’s for the sake of the world, right? ♪”