My Girlfriend is a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 9: Falling from the palm of my hand

People have habits. Whether it’s in the way they eat, walk, or talk, everyone has them, though not necessarily just one per person. Personally, I don’t think I have any, but from an outside perspective, there must be something.

It was during last year’s sports festival that I noticed her habit. When she was running around here and there, she caught my eye.

There’s not much more to say, and no punchline, so what’s the point, you might ask. You never know what’s bound to be useful in this world.

“Wait, Yuuna! Why did you hit me?”

The identity of the person wearing the ski mask. It was Misakigawa Yuuna. But even if it were her, she wouldn’t react here. What’s the point of wearing a ski mask? There’s meaning in others not knowing your true identity. She kept running off to places I’m not familiar with.

But no matter how much she ran, she couldn’t shake me off. I have the advantage in stride, physique, and basic physical strength. In a proper chase, I could catch up easily. If she had mastered parkour like some ninja, there would be no chance, but there’s no way she could have mastered such dangerous movements.

However, using corners and traffic lights to her advantage made it a bit troublesome. I don’t know when I started to be disliked by inanimate objects, but the traffic lights turn red just when I approach. This is very annoying. I didn’t stop my feet, but since I’m running through gaps between cars, it’s not surprising if I get scolded later. There’s also the possibility of being designated as a troublesome child in the town rumors.

If asked whether I would stop chasing, I wouldn’t. If I stop here, I wouldn’t know when I’ll be attacked again.

Besides, there must be a reason why she tried to attack me, even going as far as skipping school. Despite being put through shitty experiences, Misakigawa Yuuna is a fundamentally good person. That much should not be misunderstood. The bad one here is me.

Many idealistic people might argue that she’s not good, but let me ask you this: Is there a perfect person in this world?

Is there someone who never fails, never makes a mistake, does everything right, and is truly good?

Just as even villains sometimes perform good deeds on a whim, good people also sometimes commit evil deeds on a whim. That’s all there is to it. Just to clarify, their search for the culprit is done out of goodwill, so it’s not an evil deed. In this case, good and evil are subjective.

You might be curious about why she tried to attack me with clear murderous intent. Along the way, she found the abandoned factory where Shizuku and I met. Unfortunately, it’s currently off-limits to entry, with nobody allowed except the police.

I thought she would enter there, but if she had entered with a metal bat in hand, it would have seemed like an ambush. Yuuna passed by normally. Where could she be going?

— If you run away normally, I’ll catch up in no time, you know?

It might buy her some time, but it’s not a situation where that’s going to help much. Yuuna has two options. Give up or somehow shake me off. If there’s a way to shake me off, she should use it quickly, or she’ll run out of breath. If not, I wish she’d give up already. I don’t want to get tired needlessly either.

“Yuuna! I won’t hit you back, so please stop!”

She still didn’t stop, but she wouldn’t have run away in the first place if this is all it takes to stop her. I just said it to see what would happen.

A full-on game of tag, which I hadn’t experienced even when I was a child, ensued for about five minutes. Yuuna’s figure disappeared into a building.

I stopped and gazed at the exterior.

— What is she up to?

The place she ran into is an abandoned hospital. Leaving aside the fact that it’s off-limits, the perimeter is covered with iron fences, so Yuuna has effectively blocked her own escape route.

It’s unlikely that she changed her mind during her escape. She even entered herself and then knocked over some nearby garbage just to be sure. If she removes it, she can pass through, but does she have enough energy left after getting that exhausted? With utmost caution, I stepped into the hospital’s interior.

Right after that.

“Whoa!”

As expected, Yuuna was fully committed to making an ambush. She hid near the entrance wall and attacked me when I tried to follow her. Fortunately, she lacked physical strength, using centrifugal force and the weight of the bat. Even an amateur can see the trajectory clearly, and although it’s impossible to dodge narrowly, it’s not a problem if I avoid it in an exaggerated way.

The wall it was slammed into cracked. Such an attack would be fatal no matter where it hit. It must be avoided at all costs.

“Hehe, hehehehe…”

“…?”

All of a sudden, she started laughing and took off her ski mask, as if to confirm something. It really was Misakigawa Yuuna. I’m not even a bit surprised.

“Yuuna. Why did you attack me?”

“Attack? You mean, I was trying to attack you, right? How did you know what I was planning?”

“You’ve hit me once before. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been so on guard.”

“Yeah, that’s it. That’s how you tried to deceive me. But I know. I know that you’re hiding Shizuku Nanagi, the death row prisoner.”

Eyes speak louder than words. I couldn’t refute her with my eyes wide open and blinking repeatedly, thinking nobody knew about it. Yuuna was sure— no, she laughed as if she had anticipated that reaction from the beginning.

“I can hear the voice of heaven, you know?”

“Huh? …What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

“The voice of heaven told me everything. That you told Shizuku Nanagi the names of three people and killed them.”

“…What?”

The amount of information was different from last night. Moreover, she knew even the method of killing that I didn’t understand myself. I thought she had finally lost her mind, but what the voice of heaven said was not a hallucination.

I wanted to ask for evidence, but I couldn’t argue with her saying it like she was there watching the scene unfold. Who can say to a surveillance camera, “This is just your delusion”?

It’s that accurate.

“Don’t play dumb, Ryuma-kun. The person who told Shizuku Nanagi the names of three people is manipulated at will. You knew that, so you told her, right?”

It’s not a question, but a conviction. Yet, hearing her say that, I felt a little relieved. It seems that she really didn’t watch it as it happened.

Still, I understand how much of a mercy it was for her not to ask for my name. For Shizuku Nanagi, that was the ‘guarantee of not being killed.’

“Show me evidence. Evidence that I intentionally killed those three.”

“I don’t need evidence. Because the voice of heaven told me. Yes, that’s right. I’ve been chosen. I’m the messenger who wields the hammer of justice.”

She is seriously out of her mind. The voice of heaven did give her mostly accurate information, but relying on it is not the way of someone born in a rule-of-law society.

With persuasion and dialogue out of the question, all I can do is either fend her off or escape.

Let’s get the situation straight.

Two high school students are in an abandoned hospital. Misakigawa Yuuna’s weapon is a metal bat. I, on the other hand, was using my bare hands. I left my bag at school. Or rather, I threw it away.

This isn’t some middle school fantasy; I don’t think I can win against someone wielding a bat. Especially when I don’t even have any knowledge of martial arts.

Even if I tried to escape, by ducking the ambush, I inadvertently ended up fleeing into the hospital, leaving the main entrance now occupied by Yuuna.

“…Ryuma-kun. You know, I’m actually sad.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not stupid either. No matter how right the voice that suddenly appeared sounded, I would never have wanted to kill you. …You know?”

Yuuna’s hand gripped the bat tightly.

“If only you hadn’t killed Keisuke!”

“Uwaaaaaah!”

I exaggeratedly dodged the bat that was being swung around wildly. It’s not necessary to mention it now, but the voice of heaven or whatever it was that encouraged her to do so had completely driven her out of her senses.

“Keisuke! I loved him so much! My Keisuke!”

“Calm down! What the hell, you were dating him?”

“If I could go out with him, I would!”

I was just returning a question, but I ended up adding fuel to the fire. Yuuna, swinging the bat half-crazily, was full of openings, but I am not skilled enough in fighting to be able to take advantage of that. Amateurs like me tend to sense the “future hit” faster than the actual hit itself and close our eyes. I ran up the stairs from the edge of the hospital and got out of her way.

“Why did you kill Keisuke? Hey, why?”

“…… I didn’t mean to kill him. If I had to say so, it’s because he was bullying me.”

“You’re not dead, so it’s fine! How could you kill him for such a trivial reason? ………… Oh Keisuke, my Keisuke. Why didn’t you just kill Mizuki and Shuuya?”

“Huh?”

“If only they had died,…… I could have comforted the heartbroken Keisuke, and from there we could have become lovers,…….”

I take back what I said before.

Yuuna might have been originally crazy. It was just that her abnormality had not surfaced before. She was not the good person I thought she was.

What kind of good person tries to take advantage of someone else’s weakness? How can she be considered good?

“…… Do you not want to be killed?”

“…… Will you let me go, under the circumstances?”

“I’ll let you go if you tell me where Shizuku Nanagi is.”

“Then you don’t have to let me go.”

The words were ready before I could even think about them. That was the only answer I was prepared to give.

Yune tilted her head, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

“Why are you protecting her?”

“You’re convinced that I used Shizuku Nanagi and believe that I killed them. Just because I told you her whereabouts doesn’t mean you’ll let me off the hook. To you, I’m the real culprit.”

So I’m covering for her.

I don’t want to die either.

Nor do I want Shizuku to die.

She’s the one who killed them, but I was the one who hid her. From the moment I took that action, we were fated to be together. No matter what they offer in exchange, I won’t betray that kind death row prisoner.

“…Is that so..”

The warmth disappeared from Yuuna’s voice.

“Then die.”