My Girlfriend is a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 29 – Escape from Deception

“I’m off to school.”

After finishing breakfast in a daze, I set off for school. From my room, a hand stretching out from beneath the curtains waved goodbye to me. As expected, she hadn’t fully awakened yet, or perhaps it was due to the effects of that awful nightmare.

Ever since meeting Shizuku, strange things have been happening one after another, from hallucinations I can recall to those I’m completely unfamiliar with. Ignoring them seems to be the best course of action, so I’m doing just that with all my might.

“This year will be the time it finally comes together…”

“What about those kids?”

“Right now, we need to find them a place to stay…”

Voices whispering secrets in the middle of the road. There’s no place for people to hide, and there aren’t any wind chimes anywhere… Yet, I can definitely hear them. The raspy voice of an elderly person and the hoarse voice of a young man. Looking around, there’s no one like that… … or at least, there was no sign of them now.

“Oh, Ryu! You’re up early for once. Let’s go together!”

………….

“I’ve found something interesting again, so call Ayako and let’s play together! It’s okay, there won’t be any danger this time.”

There’s no point in worrying about impossible existences. This is it. Not phantom limb pain, but phantom vision pain. Don’t worry about it. Worrying only makes it hurt more. Considering I’ve already become a criminal, I can’t deal with any more trouble. Besides, there are plenty of other, more pressing matters to attend to than these kinds of illusions.

The most recent case is Mitsuru Aikura.

Since there was no corpse left behind, it would likely be processed as a simple disappearance rather than an incident, as Shizuku had mentioned. However, the fact remains that she was killed because she attracted the attention of Kusune. It’s unlikely that Kusune wouldn’t pursue the matter just because it doesn’t constitute an official incident, and there’s a significant chance I’ll be interrogated as soon as I arrive at school.

Or perhaps the police are already preparing an arrest warrant for me behind the scenes…

“Ouch!”

While I was spacing out, someone tripped right in front of me. Snapped out of my sensory illusion, I faced reality. The one who fell was a girl who hadn’t even reached ten years old. Her injuries would likely be minor due to her light weight, but an injury is an injury. I hurried to help her up, pulling out a first aid kit from her bag and beginning emergency treatment with practiced ease.

It’s unnecessary to explain why I’m so well-prepared. Up until the moment I met Shizuku, I was constantly bullied. In a situation where even my family didn’t believe me, I was the only one who could tend to my own injuries.

It would have been foolish to rely on a hospital for injuries that weren’t life-threatening.

“Are you okay?”

“…Thank you.”

The girl, who had fallen, stood up sharply, despite her young age, and handed me the mask that had come off when she tripped.

“Here, take this!”

“Huh? But on your face…?”

The size fits perfectly.

Seeing the girl’s delighted smile, I couldn’t refuse and hesitantly accepted the mask, marveling at its peculiar design. The surface was covered with wrinkles, giving it a textured appearance, and the eyes were shaped like those of a fox, arching upward. There was no mouth.

For a child’s costume mask, it was either a unique choice or… excessively detailed.

“Onii-chan! If you ever have a really tough time, wear this! It’s a promise between us!”

“Hey, wait——”

“Bye-bye!”

In the blink of an eye, the girl vanished. The proof that she was not an illusion was provided by the first aid kit.

“…What was that all about?”

When I suddenly remembered the girl’s face, I realized something incredible.

I couldn’t remember her face.

Neither beautiful nor plain, her face had no distinguishing characteristics, and she could blend in anywhere yet stand out nowhere. If someone said such a person didn’t exist, that would be the end of it, but I truly couldn’t remember her. She had disappeared, and although I could throw away a mask like this without consequence, whether or not I would be punished was up to fate. I couldn’t bring myself to discard it.

Placing the bizarre mask in my bag, I started walking again. I hoped that the moment she spoke of, when I would need the mask, would never come.

——————————

I had been afraid of going to school since the days I was bullied. And now, with the update to my records, that fear has returned.

Mostly, I was afraid of what Kusune might say to me and what she might do. Those I passed on the way to school didn’t say anything, but I couldn’t be sure about my classmates. It would probably be considered some sort of taboo symptom if my hand shook while opening the classroom door.

―――Surely they wouldn’t conduct a surprise search at school!?

Gathering strength in my abdomen to suppress my trembling, I now faced rapid breathing. Recalling Shizuku’s touch, I endured this as well. What am I doing?

“―――”

Greeting Kusune wouldn’t divert her pursuit. Stepping into the classroom after opening the door, I abandoned all thoughts.

In that instant—regardless of whether I was ready or not, I regained my composure.

Everyone in the classroom was bowing deeply to me.

“Good morning, Sakisaka-kun.”

An ordinary greeting that stood out in this highly unusual situation. The one who greeted me in a slightly out-of-place voice was Kusune Rinbara. Acting as if she knew nothing about the date incident, she approached me as a fellow classmate.

“G-good morning… What’s going on here?”

“I’ve known about this for quite some time, but… I’ve received permission to share the information with everyone.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The fact that you were being bullied.”

…I was the kid who was bullied. However, because the situation was handled poorly, no one supported the truth. No one except Shizuku.

I, who had sheltered Shizuku, became a criminal in both name and reality. It would be wrong for me to seek retribution from my classmates now, especially since I hadn’t said anything because I thought so.

“…Bloodstains and skin fragments were detected from the clothes of the three who were bullying you. Also, in the class group photo found in their homes, pranks were specifically targeted at you, leading to the conclusion that you were indeed being bullied after a comprehensive review.”

“And the dogeza…?”

“Bullying is a crime. While they may not be the direct perpetrators, there is blame for those who turned a blind eye or attempted to ignore it. That’s why I made them bow. Whether you forgive them or not is up to you.”

“Uh, well… About forgiving them or not… I forgive them, I forgive them! So, um, could you have them stop bowing?”

“He says he’ll forgive you all.”

“R-Really?”

“…They’re dead anyway, so don’t dwell on it. We’re all classmates, so let’s have fun together.”

Classmates whose names I couldn’t remember raised their heads one after another. Knowing that they hadn’t been forgiven, they still seemed happy to be pardoned. Surely, they couldn’t think that I was forgiving them for harboring a death row convict, so to them, I must have appeared as a saint.

“Yes, I forgive you. But if you insist, don’t change the way you interact with me. Keep it casual, alright? Don’t make me regret this.”

As soon as they realized they had been forgiven, my classmates collectively stopped bowing and returned to their usual behavior, as if the earlier bowing had never happened.

“Sakisaka-kun, you’re very kind.”

“Well, kindness isn’t the issue here… Ah. About that, Kusune.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Regardless of the method, receiving an apology from my classmates removed the rust from my heart. It’s a relief, especially in a tough spot like this.

All of this was made possible by Kusune, who revealed the investigation details.