My Girlfriend is a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 42 – Finding Solace in Love and Shadows

Where am I?

Is this that house again?

But that woman isn’t here. The house seems different from the last time, and my field of vision is very dark. I don’t have a flashlight, so if I try to walk, I’ll probably trip. The floor creaks loudly with just one step, and since I don’t know where I am, I don’t want to make any noise if I can help it.

‘Do we really need ultimate wisdom? Hey, give us our mom back! We want our mom more than anything like that!’

It’s familiar, yet unfamiliar. My memory seems to be confused, and I can’t even remember my own name right now. The only things I’m sure about are the memory of having seen a similar memory before and the awareness that this is a dream.

‘Calm down, both of you. This is a wish for the survival of the village. If we fail, we will perish. No one wants to see their hometown destroyed, do they?’

‘Then let’s move! The three of us will live far away! Give us our mom back! Give her back, dammit!’

‘… Don’t get cocky, you brats!’

Along with the sound of something being kicked, the wall in front of me is hit. The voice of the girl who had been making a fuss suddenly became faint and weak.

‘… I won’t forgive you.’

‘This is an adult problem. It’s a village tradition that has continued for a hundred years. Do you understand? Even if you don’t, it’s up to you to make a fuss about wanting your mother back, but your mother has already agreed. This was going to happen.’

‘… I’ll never forgive you. All of you…’

Even though it’s a dream, it seems like I should mediate. Being careful not to make any noise, I searched the wall with both hands as a sacrifice. When I reached the wall in front of me, I realized it was a door. A sliding door.

‘I’ll curse you! I’ll curse all of you in this village! Perish, be destroyed! May everything rot away and be forgotten by everyone! I will never forgive you all—neveeeeer!”

I opened the door.

“………… Where is this?”

I remembered my name. My name is Sakisaka Ryuma. This is my room, and the place I’m lying down on is my bed. And what I see in my field of vision is the ceiling… or rather.

“………… Shizuku?”

Nanagi Shizuku. A death row inmate who is currently on the run, and my–lover. I made a promise that if I could successfully escape, I would grant her one wish, but since she usually acts submissive, seeing herself as a slave, I have no intention of asking her to do anything.

But if I said, “I want to commit a crime,” she would probably listen to me.

While saying, “It’s not like ordinary people feel guilty when they commit crimes against criminals, but it’s illegal,” or something like that.

For some reason, she’s wearing our school uniform, but it’s obviously not the right time to ask about that. She seemed angry for some reason. Her eyebrows were furrowed, making it obvious.

“…… You like to worry people, don’t you?”

“Huh? Ah… Did I do something? No, I really don’t remember doing anything.”

“Hmm. So you’re saying that falling asleep with a girl in an empty school building isn’t a bad thing?”

…………

Ah.

Due to the strange dream I had, I couldn’t understand the context. That’s right. I remember that after school, I played Kokkuri-san to save Miharu-senpai, and… I must have fallen asleep because I was so relaxed. When I looked out the window at the scenery, it was too bright for after school.

“What time is it now?”

“Seven o’clock. Do you understand if I say it’s the next morning? You slept for a whole day.”

The pieces fell into place without explanation. Looking at Shizuku’s uniform again, I asked with a bitter smile.

“………… Was it you who brought me here?”

“It was me.”

I understood why she was angry. Anyone would be angry. I had fallen asleep, leaving all the burden to the person who had to take care of me. If I had been killed during that time, I wouldn’t have been able to complain. A different kind of tension filled the air, unlike the Kokkuri-san incident.

I couldn’t ask where she got the uniform, but if I did, and it turned out to be a criminal act, I would definitely reprimand her. However, I wondered if I even had the right to do so.

“Fa… What about my family?”

“I brought you here in the middle of the night, so it’s fine. I’m grateful that your family relationship isn’t good. If you were loved, no matter what time it was, they would have been waiting for you to come home.”

“………… I’m sorry.”

“Do you think an apology is enough? I’ll make sure you pay for this favor later. Really… I was so worried.”

“I’m sorry.”

All I could do was apologize. Maybe I was tired and my mind wasn’t working properly, but even so, I could think about how foolish it was to fall asleep in such a place… No, I couldn’t leave Miharu-senpai behind. Even if time could go back, I would probably still do the same thing.

“…… I’m not going to ask what you think of me, because I’m scared.”

“Hmm? What did you say at the end?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just that… I only have you… You’re the only one who can hide this dirty body of mine. If you left me, I’d have nowhere to go… That’s why, please stop doing dangerous things. I thought my heart would stop when you didn’t come back.”

“…… Yes.”

I was shrinking from being seriously scolded. My thinking was too naive. I had been relying on her kindness. I like her too, but that’s why I’m suspicious. But if I had left her alone by going home, it would have ended up like this sooner or later. If someone called me a type who doesn’t feed the fish I’ve caught, I’d have no choice but to nod. I was fishing again, taking advantage of the fish’s patience.

Shizuku loosened the tie of her uniform.

“I’m going to change, so you go to school. I can’t help you with your tardiness.”

“Eh, ah. Yes. I’ll be going… Wait, what? Change of clothes… Eh, if you change clothes here, where would you put your underwear…!”

“You don’t have to worry. After all, I’m not wearing any underwear. If you don’t believe me, I can show you right here, can’t I?”

Shizuku turned to face me and was about to hike up her skirt, but I jumped out like a rabbit. The stimulation was too strong. It’s not a manga, but I feel like I’d blow my nose if I saw it.

I didn’t have time to eat breakfast, so after changing into my uniform, I just brushed my teeth and rushed out. Shizuku was waving at me with a smile from the second-floor window. When I turned around, she looked surprised and pursed her lips, then closed the curtain.

“Good morning, Kouhai-kun!”

The person who ran up to me from the front was Tsutsuki Miharu. A senpai who had been tormented by ‘Karakiri-san’ and had become extremely thin. It was hard to imagine that Shizuku would guarantee her safety, so she must have made it home on her own. If that was the case, then from Miharu-senpai’s perspective, I was a kouhai who had left her behind and gone home…?

If that was the case, I would have to apologize, but I couldn’t apologize for something I didn’t remember doing. People call that a false accusation. But to call it a false accusation, the possibility of it actually happening is high, and the fact that she came to talk to me also suggests that she might be here to complain…

Such negative thoughts were suddenly enveloped. Miharu-senpai hugged me without hesitation early in the morning. I wasn’t prepared at all, and my thoughts were confused by being hugged.

“Thank you… Thank you so much! You really saved me!”

“Eh, ah… Ah, yes. Um, aren’t you angry?”

“Angry? Why? You helped me, Kouhai-kun! Look, my body and face are back to normal, right?”　

She rolled up her uniform to show me her stomach. There was no sign of protruding ribs, only a healthy, toned stomach and waist. I was glad she had recovered, but this wasn’t something she should be doing early in the morning. I didn’t like being misunderstood as someone with a special sexual fetish. Who would be a pervert who licks her belly button?

It seemed that she herself didn’t quite understand the situation, and I hurriedly rolled down her uniform as she almost showed her underwear.

“Hey, stop it, it’s embarrassing! I can see you’re back to normal!”

“Hehe! Kouhai-kun, you’re so reliable! At first, I thought you were a little unreliable, but my eyes were wrong. Thank you so much!”

“I’m glad to be of help, Miharu-senpai.”

Miharu-senpai, who seemed so happy that she might start dancing on the spot, said, “That’s right,” and took out a piece of paper from her bag and pushed it into my hand. It was ‘Karakiri-san’, so it would have been a bad joke, but what was written on it was an ID. Probably for a communication app.

“You promised to be my friend, didn’t you? We need to exchange contact information!”

“Ah, ah, I see. Thank you very much. I’ll gladly accept it.”

“Ahah Don’t be so formal! We’re friends, aren’t we? You saved my life, so it’s only natural.”

I had imagined her to be a little more ladylike, but she must be extremely happy, as her personality seemed a little off. But I couldn’t blame her. If things had stayed the way they were, she would have died.

“It’s not like I can still hear the broadcast or anything.”

“In that case, I’ll ask Kouhai-kun to help me again.”

“No, I’d rather you didn’t.”

I also needed to thank Kusune later. If she hadn’t connected me with an expert, I would have failed. Senpai said it was thanks to me, but that wasn’t true at all. I was just the one who carried it out. All the knowledge was borrowed. Maria, Housuke, and the consulting office.

For Senpai, it was just a simple reversal, but when I started walking, she matched her steps with mine. I see, it’s well done. If misfortune continues, good luck will come. Somehow, my heart was racing more than usual on the way to school. I was going to school with a beautiful senpai, and she didn’t seem to suspect anything.

“Hey, Kouhai-kun. I want to give you something, but is there anything you want?”

“Something I want?…… I can’t think of anything right now.”

“Okay. Then I’ll list the things I want to give you.”

Saying this, she took out some chocolate from her bag again. Inside the box were individually wrapped chocolate bars, neatly lined up, and there were exactly three bags each for me and Senpai.

“Here, have some.”

“You like sweets, don’t you? You even brought them to school.”

“It’s fine, isn’t it? I was really tired yesterday. Here, try some–“

She pushed it into my mouth somewhat forcefully. She was surprisingly forceful. But since the chocolate was delicious, I let it slide.

“Let’s get along from now on?”

………… Eh?

I suddenly felt a strange gaze, so I turned in that direction, and a cockroach was staring at me, moving its antennae. But I wasn’t going to do anything about it. The moment our eyes met, the cockroach scurried away into the grounds of a nearby house as if it were escaping.