My Girlfriend is a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 3: Growing suspiciousness is accompanied by distorted love

Would confessing make things easier? Is that really the case?

These guys don’t want to do good deeds. They just want to enjoy the thrill of cornering someone. They want to interrogate someone who’s suspected of wrongdoing and briefly become great detectives. There’s no malice there. Even if someone has a sense of decency, they rarely engage in actions that can be perceived as malicious.

But just because there’s no malice, does that mean anything goes? That’s not the case. If everything is determined by malice, then murder without malice would result in innocence. Would terrorism without malice result in innocence? No, definitely not.

“Now, let’s begin the interrogation! Ryuma-kun, come forward!”

I wonder how many of them really suspect me. Most of them are probably just fooling around. It’s only because those three, who are considered friends with me, were killed that things have come to this. If it were someone else in their position, it would likely be the same for them. Do they lack that imagination?

“You did it, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t do it.”

“Don’t lie.”

“I said I didn’t do it, didn’t I? If you’re going to say that, then show me some evidence.”

Yes, I didn’t do it. It was Shizuku. She did something I don’t quite understand and killed three people. I didn’t see the scene, and I didn’t participate in the murder. I was just there, or rather, I just enjoyed Shizuku’s company.

Yuuna, with the demeanor of a prosecutor, raised her index finger.

“I understand. Let’s change the question then. When those three were killed, were you at the scene?”

“I wasn’t there!”

“That’s obviously a lie. Because Ryuma-kun, you were being bullied, right?”

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

“No, I don’t. Those three wouldn’t do such terrible things. But even if your story were true, it would still be strange if you weren’t at the scene. After all, you were bullied every day, right? And the bullying you experienced was physical. So it would be strange if you weren’t there yesterday too.”

I see, she’s not just a pseudo-prosecutor. She’s quite sharp with her questioning. She’s taking the words I usually consider true and using them against me. I could change my statement here, but then my lie would seem even more credible. That’s something I’d rather avoid, so admitting seems like the better option.

“…Yeah, that’s right. I was there.”

“I knew it!”

“You’re the culprit, aren’t you?”

“Confess, confess! Why did you kill them?”

“I told you, I didn’t do it!”

I resent that bastard Tokita. If he had just said to stop looking for the culprit, it wouldn’t have come to this. Please, I beg you to return as soon as possible. I’m innocent. I had nothing to do with it. She’s the one who killed them.

“And you guys, you only believe what’s convenient for you, right? No matter what I say, you always mock me for being a liar, but at times like this you don’t think I’m lying!”

“That’s because you wouldn’t tell a lie that would put you at a disadvantage, right?”

“Ugh…”

I’m too weak in arguments. Why do I get shut down with just a few words?

“It’s okay, Ryuma-kun. I won’t say you’re the culprit. Because I know. You tried to hit Mizuki-kun and got beaten up in return, right?”

With a mocking tone, Yuuna reminded me of a bitter memory. It’s the infamous “misunderstanding incident.” But it’s not a particularly interesting story. I just intervened when the girl who confessed to him was being beaten up, and then I got beaten up too, and in the end, I even got kicked in the groin. By the way, the girl who was crying when she confessed was laughing hysterically when she saw me being beaten up. Then she walked away hand in hand with him… That’s all there is to it.

I’m not saying I’m absolutely right. It was my fault for jumping to conclusions. However, because I knew he was a bastard who bullied people, I couldn’t help but think that he might have finally started targeting someone else. And Yuuna’s wording is slightly misleading.

At first, I didn’t attack. Literally, I just intervened. But then I was hit, so I tried to hit back in self-defense, but I was met with a barrage of blows. Even though in my mind I’m an invincible gunman with unlimited guns and a perfect aim, in reality, I’m just a weak high school student.

“There’s no way you could have won against those three by yourself. And crushing their heads…?”

Yuuna paused there for a moment and then continued in a whisper.

“It’s okay. I won’t say you’re the culprit if you tell me everything you know. Got it? So talk.”

A secret should be answered with a secret. My voice should be silent. I have no choice but to follow her lead, feeling cornered. Perhaps she didn’t approach me with the intention of following through with her invitation. She just wanted to offer a deal, expecting me to follow. Unfortunately, that’s too naive. It’s far too naive.

I transformed my expression from one of shrinking and bowing my head to one of smiling broadly, not seizing but scooping up their arguments.

“You, you, you, you, you, you! That’s suspicious! There’s something’s fishy about you! Everyone, did you all hear that? You all heard what Yuuna said, right? Hey, onlookers!”

“She’s really suspicious!”

“Even though Tokita-sensei only said that they died, how can you accurately describe such a gruesome situation like their heads being crushed? That means you were at the scene, right?”

“Uh…”

By proving her lie, I will also prove that I was at the scene. In other words, it’s a double-edged sword that balances credibility, but that’s beside the point. There’s only one person who believes me, someone who’s said to have a habit of lying. That person is surely still waiting for me to mess up.

For that reason, I am willing to swing this double-edged sword.

“I can see the logic behind assuming my statement is correct. But if you were there at that time, you could come up with a different logic. They were basically bullying me behind the scenes. They did it yesterday too. If you were there, you should’ve seen it, right? In other words, you were condoning the bullying. You knew there was bullying going on! You knew I wasn’t lying!”

“W-wait…”

“Hey, all of you! She’s way more suspicious! If you want to interrogate someone, start with her, and then I’ll talk! How about that! Even me! That’s the way it’s supposed to be, isn’t it?”

There are neither allies nor enemies among bystanders. Nor are they neutral. If anything, at that moment, they side with the stronger party. Even if there was still ninety percent doubt about me overall in this situation, the current momentum is in my favor.

At this moment, these onlookers have become Yuuna’s enemies.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and rushed out of the classroom with all my might. Yuuna tried to follow, but the wall of onlookers, or rather, the heartless but well-meaning classmates, blocked her pursuit.

They were more interested in her inadvertent slip-up, something more intriguing than my boring insistence that I didn’t do it.

I successfully made it home!

“I’m home!”

I announced my return while taking my shoes off. Only my sister’s “Mhm” came back from the living room.

Compared to those classmates, my family is still on the better side. Even so, my parents have been avoiding me lately because they seem to pity me whenever the fact that I’m considered a habitual liar is mentioned. I’ve even been taken to the hospital once, but there was nothing abnormal found because I’m not really a habitual liar. Why did I get defensive when accused of lying?

Because I’m not a liar.

The best one is my younger sister, Ruri. She still believes I’m a habitual liar, but she’s the only one who responds with a mix of exasperation and acceptance, saying, ‘Well, whether you’re a habitual liar or not, you’re still my big brother…’ It might just be because she’s going through puberty and wants to rebel against our parents, but even that alone makes me happy. She really is my sister. I want to pat her on the head and say that, but she’d probably hit me.

I went through the bathroom and then straight up the stairs to my room. I don’t usually lock the door, but I’ve been using it since yesterday as a new habit. Otherwise, it feels like someone might just walk in at any moment.

“I’m back.”

When I announced my return again, the spot where the blankets were piled up moved restlessly, and someone fell off the bed.

“Welcome back. You’re early.”

The person who appeared was the death row convict on the run, Shizuku Nanagi. Her straitjacket wasn’t completely removed because I hurriedly brought her here. Only her arms are free, just like they were at that time.

Even without considering her status as a death row convict, it’s ethically questionable to bring a woman in for no reason, so I’ve prepared for any potential trouble with my family by telling them that I’ve ‘got a girlfriend.’ It was dismissed as just another lie, but…

“It’s okay, sorry for that. I didn’t have a hiding place… It was sloppy, wasn’t it?”

“Hehe. Yeah, it was really sloppy. And this blanket, isn’t it for winter? It was so hot until you came back. It was sweltering. It felt like being thrown into a desert.”

While joking around, Shizuku’s cheeks, constantly adorned with a smile, were flushed. It occurred to me that we hadn’t ventilated the room at all. Even if she were to get out from under the covers, it would still be hot. Plus, the straightjacket is definitely sweltering.

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s just really hot… Want to come over? I’ll show you just how hot it is.”

With her right eye, condensed like lacquer, staring at me, I couldn’t resist as always. Shizuku Nanagi has a mysterious charm. It’s not just about the beauty of her female body—it’s some kind of sixth sense, a mysterious charm.

On the thick futon, I did as I was told and lowered my posture until I was within reach of her hands. In the next moment, my body was sucked in with a physical force unimaginable for a woman in a straitjacket, and I was “restrained” by Shizuku.

“Gotcha~♡”

Seemingly knowing everything about me from our first meeting, she hugged me repeatedly, pressing my face against her chest. Even though I have no girlfriend, I had already learned about the charm of a female body at the hands of Shizuku. Speaking without ulterior motives, it’s ridiculously delightful (don’t say I only have ulterior motives).

“What do you think? Isn’t it hot? It feels like heat is leaking out from your whole body, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s… hehe, you’re… Hmph.”

“Oh my, are you expecting something from a death row convict like me? I wonder what it could be?”

“―――Huh!?”

“Oh, you don’t have to say it. But nope, not happening. The police are probably still watching, right? If we both want to get entangled without thinking about anything, it’s better to do it after that’s settled. Hehehe.”

Shizuku might have called herself a slave, but in reality, it’s me who’s at her beck and call, and it goes without saying that the roles are reversed. But it can’t be helped. Shizuku Nanagi is, before being a death row convict, a girl— and the only person who fully trusts me, someone considered a habitual liar.

After embracing each other tightly for a while, Shizuku finally released me.

“Now, what happened today? I can’t go outside. Anything is fine, so tell me in detail.”

“…Shizuku-san. Actually, things might be getting a bit serious—”

“Hmm? Something serious? What is it?”