My Girlfriend is a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 44 – I Will Save Your Life

A tall, Cossack-style hat, and a purple coat with a red lining. The pièce de résistance was the massive bag that loomed behind him. His appearance was so strange and odd for a salesman that I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should call the police. Countless masks were attached to the back of the bag, making it far scarier than any poorly made voodoo doll. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me he was that type of monster.

Someone, call a hero.

“W-who are you?”

He was the epitome of suspicion. More than the scent of a criminal, he reeked of a convict, and he was indeed suspicious. I was at a loss with this pervert, the type that would definitely get stopped and questioned by the police if he walked along the roadside. I was so scared that if I had to describe his pervertedness, my vocabulary would infinitely increase.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m a magician who delivers happiness to everyone… Well, that’s a lie. I’m just a humble fortune-teller. I asked her classmate, and they directed me to this house as Ruri-sama’s residence.”

“Ruri? Wait a minute. Do you know my sister?”

“No, not exactly. But I am a bringer of happiness. It’s my duty to save those who live with unhappiness. I’ve heard that Ruri-sama is considered very unfortunate among her classmates. That’s why I…”

“Leave.”

“Pardon?”

“You dare to call my sister unfortunate based on hearsay. Leave. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

“But…”

“I’ll call the police.”

My hand was already halfway to the receiver. I felt that calling Kusune might be faster than calling the police, but either way, this man had to be sent away. Whether one is happy or unhappy is a subjective measure and not for a third party to decide.

While I can’t say I have no worries, living with Shizuku is happiness itself for me, but to others, cohabiting with a convict might seem more like torture than unhappiness. No matter how great a person is in this world, they cannot judge whether another person’s life is happy or not. And yet, this fake fortune-teller was so presumptuous.

“…I understand, I understand. Indeed, it was rude of me to come unannounced and try to predict your future. I will come another day and ask the person herself. However, please be careful. As things stand, Ruri-sama will likely be visited by misfortune.”

“Oh? So it’s a trick where she has to rely on you to avoid unhappiness?”

“…You don’t believe me. But my power…”

“It’s not that.”

Interrupting the fortune-teller, I glared at him with undisguised hostility. It had been a long time since I felt this uncomfortable. I was angrier than when I was being bullied.

“I really don’t care if your power is real or not. But let me ask you this: if seeing the future helps one escape unhappiness, does that mean all the successful people in history had the power to see the future?”

“…I can’t answer that.”

“That’s because it’s impossible. If there were that many people with such power, your ability would be more well-known. And yet, there are people who succeed without it. So what if you can see the future? There are people who live and succeed without that ability. Of course, there are ups and downs in life, but in the end, they succeed, even without seeing the future. Even if I grant that Ruri is unhappy, I intend to help her. I won’t borrow your power. Do you think you’re special because you can see the future? Do you think that without your foresight, people can’t overcome the unhappiness that befalls them and will only be crushed by it? That’s arrogance. Now leave.”

I closed the front door and locked it without hesitation. I ranted to distract him, but the whole flow was sophistry. There was no connection between ‘being able to see the future’, ‘whether the cause of the success of historical greats was due to their ability to see the future’, and ‘whether Ruri was unhappy or not’. While it might seem like I was making a valid point about not deciding someone’s happiness, in the end, I was also guessing the fake fortune-teller’s emotions and portraying him as the villain in this conversation.

But sophistry works against people who try to persuade with unknown perspectives and logic. Most of the time, they arm themselves with logical arguments based on common sense, so they can’t keep up with sophistry that has no logical content at all. They get confused and are defeated. It’s an ideal way to win.

“Onii, is something wrong?”

As I kept an eye on the fake fortune-teller through the door, Ruri called out to me from inside the house. Rubbing her eyes, she must have been taking a nap—or rather, an evening nap.

“Oh, it’s you, Ruri. I just sent away a strange man who wanted to see you. Just to be sure, do you have any middle-aged male friends in their forties or so?”

“……Who? Did someone like that come by?”

I felt relieved to hear from Ruri that she didn’t know anyone like that. If she had been a friend, I would have deeply regretted committing a grave sin, even if I had to bow down and apologize for being extremely rude. Well, it’s unlikely if you think about it normally.

There aren’t many benefits for a junior high school girl to be friends with a middle-aged uncle. It’s true that relationships aren’t just about profit and loss, but to put it simply, it’s unlikely that people of different generations will have similar interests. If you don’t have common ground, communication is painful. Even without any ulterior motives, the benefits of being friends with an older man are slim. It’s more likely that people of the same generation will have similar interests—you don’t need to rely on the wisdom of the greats to know that. Because they are of the same generation.

“…Just to be sure, do you have friends?”

“Well, I have people I talk to a lot… Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, it’s fine if you have friends. Even if you’re not being bullied, it can be lonely to be all by yourself.”

“That’s not the case for me. I just go along with people who talk to me.”

“Friendship is different for everyone, so that’s what friendship means to you, right?”

No, that’s not what I wanted to ask about. I needed to ask something else, even if it meant changing the subject a bit forcefully. Still, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“Ruri. Are you…”

I stopped myself from asking. This was a form of leading question. She would immediately realize that I was indirectly asking, ‘Are you happy now?’. Whether one is happy or not is a personal decision, and it should never be forced or influenced by others.

“Never mind. By the way, do you remember when you asked me to invite Kusune over just once?”

“Huh? Yeah, of course, I remember. Is there something about that?”

“Well, actually, tomorrow is the start of a long vacation. I talked to Kusune, and she said she didn’t have any plans, so I asked her to hang out with you, and she said yes.”

“Really?”

Her sleepy eyes suddenly became alert. The Kusune effect was formidable. As expected of someone she admired, she gave the reaction I wanted to see. That’s right, that’s the kind of reaction I was hoping for. Our motives may be different, but it’s a fact that I asked for her sake. I’m happy if she’s happy. That’s the kind of relationship a good brother and sister should have.

“So, I don’t know what the plan is, but next time Kusune comes, it will be to invite you out. So be prepared.”

“U, um… But I’m kind of nervous.”

“She just sounds stiff, but she’s actually pretty normal. There’s no need to be nervous.”

“B-but if I cause any trouble, she might…”

“That would be an abuse of power. To begin with, she’s not a police officer, just a cooperating member of the public.”

Ruri, usually calm and indifferent, seemed to be unnecessarily worried, perhaps due to the rare occasion of feeling tense. There’s a saying that the anticipation before a trip is often the most enjoyable part, but at this rate, she might be so nervous that she pretends to be out. That would be regrettable.

“Hey, Onii.”

“Nn?”

“Thank you… for granting my wish.”

No, I was the one who was unnecessarily worried.

It’s a bit embarrassing to be thanked directly, but I feel that being honest at this point would be out of character for an older brother. However, it would be strange to respond with a sharp retort, so after some thought, I decided to pat Ruri on the head.

Even if we’re siblings, the fact that she doesn’t resist having her head patted is a sign of our closeness. Seeing my hand reach out cautiously, Ruri offered her head as if to accept it.

“……I’m glad. Have fun.”

“Yeah. I’ll tell you about it afterward as a memorable story.”

“Okay. I’ll look forward to it. I’ll have some kind of souvenir story for you, too.”

“……Are you going somewhere with your girlfriend?”

“Of course. She’s my lover, after all!”

I don’t have any plans, but somehow, I’ll make it work. Rather, I will make it work. It would be a waste not to enjoy this long-awaited vacation.

“Oh, right, Onii. If you can, can you show me a picture of your girlfriend?”

…………

“N-no, sorry. I don’t really take photos, so I completely forgot. Actually, I don’t have any, ahahaha!”

“Okay. Then after the date, it’s fine. As a memento, right? I’m curious about the person you fell in love with. It’s fine, right?”