My Girlfriend is a Death Row Inmate - Chapter 4: Even if it's a lie

Chapter 4: Even if it’s a lie

The fact that Misakigawa Yuuna was there helped me. But it also heralded the arrival of a new calamity. Because if she saw the scene, she would surely be shocked, considering who the actual culprit was.

And she knows about me, who cooperated with the culprit.

“What should we do… I don’t think she’s the kind of person who can keep her mouth shut.”

“Touch my chest and calm down. You’re jumping to conclusions too quickly.”

“Jumping to conclusions?”

“If your assumption is correct, then first, that girl—Misakigawa Yuuna—should denounce you, not play around with interrogation. That’s the way of a righteous citizen. But she insisted on holding you for questioning. Whether you were there or not didn’t matter. If she saw you, she would’ve spoken up. But the fact that she didn’t means she wasn’t there at that time… In other words, it’s more correct to say that she saw the corpses after you brought me home.”

“I see…”

Although we are close in age, there’s no comparison in our emotional maturity. After all, she’s deemed a death row convict. Perhaps she doesn’t even harbor feelings like fear or anxiety.

“Getting worked up about something like that, you’re also quite the coward. If the police were coming to question you, that would be one thing, but if you panic over such matters, you’ll likely get caught in no time.”

“…A-Are you going to… kill me?”

Honestly, the fear hasn’t disappeared. Even though she was still wearing a straitjacket, her arms were free. At this distance, there’s no way she’d kill me.

Perhaps sensing my fear, Shizuku changed her tone and pulled my ear closer.

“Are you scared? Don’t worry, I trust you.”

A warm voice that made me feel like I had returned to the womb. It was as if I could feel my mother’s breath whispered into my ear from a very close distance, strangely calming my mind. I’m saying this knowing she’s a death row convict.

“…So don’t be scared. You’re the first person to try to protect me. How could I disregard someone like that?”

“Ah…”

“Hm?”

“Do you… love me?”

I don’t know why I even thought of such a question. No matter how you think about it, it’s not normal to expect love from a death row convict.

But just a little bit is enough.

Even though I’m a liar, I want to be loved.

“Hehehe. Yeah, I love you~?”

“Onii-chan! It’s lunchtime!”

I had completely forgotten that it was a shortened class. It’s not like it’s been years since I last had lunch at home, but it felt emotionally refreshing. After all, today is a weekday.

“Hey, Onii. Did you really get a girlfriend?”

“Huh?”

“Really?”

“You think so?”

It’s definitely a weekday, but it’s refreshing to have the whole family gather around the dining table. I was moved by the sight, which would not have been possible except during long holidays.

All of this is thanks to Shizuku Nanagi. Her threat has been extensively covered as TV material, and her arrest has been reported numerous times. I think that not only my parents, but also anyone who could leave early, was warned to be careful of her.

“I’d be sad if it was actually a lie. You must be seriously mentally ill if you delude yourself that you have a girlfriend.”

“But he’s a liar so I don’t think he can get a girlfriend.”

“That’s right. Girls are attracted to honest guys.”

“That’s a horrible thing to say coming from a parent!?”

Sakisaka Kazuki and Sakisaka Hijiri, my parents, weren’t just teasing. They were frowning seriously as if discussing a very serious topic.

“I wonder why our child is such a liar even though he’s our son.”

“Maybe he’s not really our child after all!”

“Ahahahaha!”

Since being labeled a pathological liar, this kind of teasing has become a daily occurrence. But what does it matter?

Do they think that if it’s become a daily occurrence, it won’t hurt the other person? That’s a big mistake. Every time I’m told I’m not their child, I start to lose sight of who I am. Do I deserve to be loved? Is it okay for me to be here?

Is Sakisaka Ryuma allowed to live?

It’s like being denied my own existence and it’s upsetting. At times like this, I always stuff my face with food to cover up my emotions. If my mouth is full, I won’t have time to cry. Tears can somehow be concealed.

“…Onii.”

Ruri divided a piece of fried chicken from her plate and handed it to me. It’s only proper to thank her since she’s family, but my throat felt tight because I was holding back tears. If I loosen it, tears will definitely come out.

So I couldn’t say anything. Even so, my sister muttered to comfort me in a soft voice.

“You’re my older brother. Don’t worry about it too much.”

Even though it was coming from a relative ally in her rebellious phase, I was happy.

After some teasing, the conversation returned to my girlfriend.

“Hey, what kind of person is your girlfriend, Onii?”

“Ah, I want to know too!”

“What she’s like… It’s rude to ask about someone else. But I’m also curious.”

“W-well, they have some personal issues to deal with right now. A-Anyway, I’ll introduce her to you some other time. I mean, you’re asking too much out of the blue. There must be a reason, right? There’s gotta be a reason!”

“Hm. It was last night. I heard Onii talking to someone in his room. And there was your confession before that, so I wondered if it was true.”

It was obviously a conversation with Shizuku. Last night, she scolded me when I was panicking and in turmoil. What Ruri heard was probably just the beginning and the end of it.

“So, what’s she like?”

“…………Okay, for my cute little sister’s sake! She’s a beautiful, kind, warm-hearted woman with a big chest, a slender waist, and a charmingly ethereal aura!”

“Even though you have a habit of lying, you’re not good at it, Onii. There’s no way such a person exists.”

“She does! And it’s not a lie!”

“I didn’t see anyone like that when I went to watch your sports festival with you.”

“She’s not a classmate!”

“Then it’s definitely impossible. You hate going out, so you wouldn’t have met anyone, right?”

“……Ruri. That’s enough. Habitual lying will make you unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood, even for yourself. Poor Ryuma is creating his ideal girlfriend and basking in temporary happiness.”

“You’re still his parents! You should pray for your son’s happiness!”

I haven’t told a single lie in the current flow of conversation. I just gave Shizuku an honest evaluation. But to think it’s a lie… I’m terribly offended.

“The only girl I know of who was close to my brother was Sakuraba-san.”

“We cut ties long ago.”

“You’re not going to make up?”

“It’s fine. What happened is undoubtedly because of my lies.”

　I’m not saying everything lies there. Everyone tells lies a few times in their life. Regardless of the severity.

　But I can’t deny that when that lie came to light, it became the foundation of what I am today. It’s as if they made it known that I “easily tell lies.

　Feeling like I was rubbing salt in my own wound, I turned the TV on and found that all the channels were featuring Shizuku Nanagi, except for the drama stations. Some of the programs even had celebrities trying to persuade her under the assumption that she was watching TV.

I thought to myself, “Ah. Come to think of it, that death row inmate hasn’t been caught yet, has she?”

“That’s scary. And one of Ryuma’s classmates was killed, wasn’t he?”

“…… Oh.”

“……I’m thankful that my brother is safe. I can go back to school early.”

　No one in this family knows. If they found out by some chance, they’d surely faint. About Nanagi Shizuku being in my room.

She is the very ‘ideal woman’ that both my parents dismissed as a delusion.

“Ryuma, you’re lucky. You don’t have to worry about being attacked because you don’t go outside.”

Shizuku Nanagi is inside.

“Well, It’s none of our business! The police will catch her!”

I’m definitely aiding and abetting her escape (assuming I understand the charges correctly), so I’m in deep trouble.

“Yeah. Shizuku Nanagi will definitely be caught.”

My mother reacted to the girl shown on the TV she was casually watching.

“This girl is amazing, isn’t she? She’s a high school girl who’s been asked to help the police with their investigation.”

“Isn’t she just watching too many detective dramas?”

“You don’t get it. She’s amazing because she’s actually being relied on by the police. There have been rumors that the police have asked a high school girl for help with their investigation, but I never thought it was true!”

The name of this girl, who my mother praised highly, is Kusune Rinbara. She doesn’t have a profession other than being a detective, but she’s been specially cooperating since she made a significant contribution to the arrest of Shizuku Nanagi. 

She surrendered herself, but it seems the former played a significant role in the process leading up to it. Since I’m not involved, I can’t say anything much.

By the way, the rumors were about a high school girl helping the police with investigations that couldn’t be solved by the police alone, so strictly speaking, the rumors weren’t necessarily true.

“If she comes to this town, should I get her autograph?”

I want to say she definitely won’t come, but since a murder case has occurred, she will definitely come. This indicates a major turning point for me.

“Onii. That person earlier has a really nice figure, don’t they? Slim and slender. I want to be like that too… What if I said that?”

“What if you said that? It’s fine, isn’t it? If you want to be beautiful, I’ll support you. There’s no reason not to.”

I don’t think Ruri has a bad style either, but I guess she’s not happy with it. The difference between her and Rinbara is probably muscle. Rinbara seems to exercise every day according to interviews, so she doesn’t look unhealthy at all. Her hobby is parkour (what kind of high school girl is she?).

“…Onii.”

She looked away from her phone, which she had been looking at for some time, and said.

“I want to try parkour.”

“Stop.”