Volume 2 Chapter 11/12 – Sacrifice 4/ Sacrifice 5 – Attempted Suicide

“Aika-sama, Aika-sama.”

“There, there, it’s okay.”

Hatsushiba-san, who had just protected me from the brink of an explosion, instantly grew attached to Aika. Maybe it was because the tense atmosphere had cleared up, or perhaps it was due to the natural aura that Aika exuded. The room now had a warm and gentle air about it.

“What is this? What is this? What is this?”

“Haha, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Why are you so terrifying in the first place?”

“It was just a coincidence.”

“There’s no way that was a coincidence! You made me wet myself! Are you stupid?!”

“…”

“It’s a lie, a lie. Please, don’t go silent! I’m sorry! I’m begging you!”

“Geez, Kyo-chan…”

“Haha, sorry. But, I have to make things clear, okay?”

“…Yes.”

“Is it correct to say that the plan was to use Aika as a sacrifice, record the deed, disgrace Kuzukawa, and have him expelled?”

“Wow, Kyo-chan, that’s both casual and brutal.”

“Those who prepare a sacrifice… they’re usually all the same.”

“…Aika, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Nothing has actually happened yet.”

“No, there’s a scene in the edited video where Aika is laughing. And I’m the one who filmed that…”

“Oh, right. Can you show it to me?”

“Sure.”

Hmm, I’m getting hit a lot more than I expected in that video. More importantly, I wonder if the cleansing spell was too noticeable. Did Mihane catch on? Well, she’s not one for fine details, so maybe it’s okay.

“As expected.”

“Just as Kyo-chan predicted.”

“Now then, Hatsushiba-san.”

“Y-Yes?”

“What are you going to do from here?”

“…?”

“I haven’t been to school, so I don’t know for sure, but the plan failed today, didn’t it? So, Kuzukawa and his group will either continue as they are next week or switch to a different plan.”

“That’s true…”

“At school, Aika and I will act as if we haven’t seen the video and go about our lives normally. Aika said she doesn’t care what others think, and she’s leaving the group. Will you stay with that crowd?”

“…”

“If you’d like, could you tell me what happened?”

“…That’s…”

“Of course, I intend to keep this between us, and if there’s anything you don’t want to talk about, that’s okay too.”

I moved closer to Hatsushiba-san and patted her head, casting a mild healing spell so the light wouldn’t leak out.

“It’s hard to carry this burden alone, especially when you’re living by yourself. Why not try relying on Aika and me?”

“Yeah, talk to us,” Aika added.

Hatsushiba-san finally gave in and began to speak haltingly. Her story was that her childhood friend and best friend, Kato Megumi-san, had suffered something akin to the atrocities committed by depraved bandits who abducted women.

Well, in that other world, such things were relatively common… I’d even call it a cliché. I’ve had my fill of that.

What’s different in this world is the presence of video recordings, which can be spread far and wide. That, combined with the fact that you can’t just kill people here, makes things complicated.

There were magical tools in that other world called “Monoliths of Record” that could supposedly record events. Well, Lillie mentioned them, but I’ve never used one, so I don’t know what they’re like.

I’m grateful Hatsushiba-san told me, since I really don’t want to use the “Satori Magic | Vision of the Past.” The deeper I dive into the past, the more I want to scratch at unreachable spots behind my eyes. Blood flows from them, and on top of that, healing magic barely works.

In this atmosphere, I definitely don’t want to say in front of these two, “My eyes! My eyes!” But when your eyes start hurting, you end up saying it for real, whether you want to or not.

…Tia Croix would always laugh hysterically at that, regardless of how serious the situation was.

“So that’s what happened.”

“It’s awful…”

“That’s why I decided to change my appearance and reinvent myself completely during these three years of high school, so I could investigate.”

“But, they were there.”

“Yes. So at first, I was confused. I wanted to reject them, but I knew that doing so would only attract their interest. So, I had no choice but to flatter them.”

“And Aika was part of that group.”

“Aika belonged to the group but wasn’t very engaged. She didn’t yield to Kuzukawa.”

“So, you saw it as a chance to use her as a sacrifice?”

“Yes. So, I’m sorry, Aika.”

“It’s okay, I forgive you!”

“…I’m really sorry. Thank you.”

After confiding in us and receiving some healing magic, her face looked much more relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. That’s good.

“But, um… why does Toudou-kun know about Megumi? I thought I erased all traces as best as I could. I’m not accusing you or anything, but I just want to know if Shimode might have caught on, or if it’s already been exposed.”

I only touched the surface, so I didn’t learn her name.

“Oh, Shimode hasn’t found out. I can guarantee that. I can’t give you all the details yet, but it’s through a unique method only I can use.”

“…I see.”

“If I had to say, it’s more like the information came from you, Hatsushiba-san. So no one else is involved, and no secrets have leaked. Not to Kato-san either. It might be hard to believe just with words, but you can trust me.”

I infused a trace of magic into my eyes and spoke to her. It’s not a lie, so I hope it resonates.

“…Okay.”

“So, now. Are you seeking salvation?”

◆　◇　◆

| Hatsushiba Tomoka

Kato Megumi.

She was my friend since kindergarten and my childhood friend.

She was an active girl with lots of friends, who laughed often and ate heartily, with a smile that could light up the room.

Since I wasn’t good with crowds and tended to be shy, she was considerate and always played with just the two of us.

Even in elementary school, she was popular enough to receive frequent confessions, and she was usually surrounded by classmates. Knowing that I wasn’t comfortable in those kinds of groups, she refrained from talking to me at school.

Instead, we often played at her house after school. Since I didn’t have any real hobbies, I often asked, “Aren’t you bored?” to which Megumi always replied with a laugh, “I have fun just being with you.”

After moving up to middle school, Megumi, who had become even cuter, joined the basketball club. She had always liked being active and said it seemed like something glamorous. She had no experience but was determined to give it her all!

As for me, I joined the volunteer club. The club was barely hanging on with a single remaining member, and the school was only keeping it alive out of obligation. It seemed to fit my gloomy personality perfectly, so I chose it.

The sole third-year member wanted to focus on exams, so after our initial meeting, I never saw them again. Being alone in the club became my solace, a retreat from the exhausting group classes at school, and I practically lived in the clubroom.

During that time, Megumi, who was now in the top of the social hierarchy, shone even from a distance. I felt that if people found out she was friends with someone gloomy like me, it would only inconvenience her, so I tried not to interact with her much.

Occasionally, Megumi would peek into the clubroom. When she did, I’d share some hidden snacks, and we’d enjoy casual conversations.

However, after the summer break of our second year of middle school, Megumi stopped coming to school.

Desperate to know why, I visited her house many times. She would sit in her dark room, expressionless, her gaze cast downwards, and wouldn’t answer any of my questions. No matter how much I asked, she wouldn’t tell me. I had no other friends besides Megumi, so I couldn’t get any answers from anyone else. I was helpless.

I blamed myself for being unable to help Megumi when she was suffering.

One day, when school had been closed due to an outbreak, I went to Megumi’s house around midday. I had borrowed a spare key from her mother, so without warning, I let myself in, only to find Megumi attempting to take her own life in her room. I rushed in, tackling her to the ground, and managed to stop her.

In the process, her pajamas came loose, revealing raw bruises, half-healed cuts, and piercings on her nipples. That’s when something inside me changed.

Fortunately, I didn’t panic. Pretending I hadn’t seen anything, I first calmed her down, held her hand, and put her to sleep. She seemed to have trouble sleeping at night, so she often slept during the day, and it didn’t take long for her to drift off.

Up until then, I had held back, believing it was better to wait until she wanted to talk. But after seeing what I had, I desperately wanted to help, so I broke my self-imposed rule and searched her room and phone for clues.

And there, I found—

In the closet, wrapped in a towel, was a knife stained with blood.

On her phone, I found videos from an unknown sender. In one, Megumi was being tormented, crying out in anguish. In another, there was an unfamiliar girl, also crying out, while a trembling Megumi, holding the knife, slashed at her.

I was shaking. I never imagined things had gotten this bad. It was immediately clear that Megumi was being threatened. There was no way Megumi would do something like this of her own free will.

When I gently asked her about it, she told me, albeit in few words.

About the four devils.

It was the work of students who were also popular at school.

To a second-year middle schooler like Megumi, the thought of going to the police was overwhelming. I tried to persuade her, promising to go with her, but she wouldn’t agree, terrified of the retaliation.

Megumi was a victim, but they had forced her into the role of an accomplice. They had made using the knife a condition for her release.

They had all the evidence in their hands, and their faces weren’t shown in the videos. No one would believe someone like me at school. We were trapped. And worst of all, Megumi herself had already given up.

I pleaded with Megumi, desperately.

I got on my knees, crying, telling her how much it meant to me that she had been my friend since we were little, that I considered her my true best friend. Even if my words came out incoherent, I promised that I would do something, that I would save her. I was sobbing uncontrollably, but Megumi, perhaps having run out of tears, hugged me back silently.

Then, I begged her to leave this town for the sake of healing her heart. I suggested she stay with her grandmother, where I had visited with her before.

To her parents, I hid the details and asked them to consider transferring her to another school, urging Megumi to ask them herself as well.

I pleaded with them to trust me and to follow my advice. Even though being separated was painful, I told them it was all for Megumi’s sake, and I convinced them through tears.

I had resolved to gather evidence and completely reinvent myself. To start fresh, I decided to leave my hometown and live alone upon entering high school.

Fortunately, my family was well off. I convinced my mother by saying I wanted to change my gloomy self, and my father, who was indifferent, agreed to follow her lead. With certain conditions in place, I secured a way to live on my own.

Megumi accepted my proposal. Her parents, worried about her absenteeism, agreed, and she went to her grandmother’s countryside home to recover.

Perhaps because she had left the city, or maybe because we talked on the phone every day, her expressions still hadn’t returned, but our conversations slowly started to feel more normal.

During the spring break before high school started, I went to visit her in the countryside. I showed up in my new ‘gyaru’ look to surprise her.

She had transformed into someone resembling my old gloomy self, and it hurt to see her that way. But she gave me a faint smile and said, “It’s like we’ve swapped places, huh?”

Despite what she had been through, I could tell she was stabilizing. I could see how hard she was working.

Now it was my turn. It would take time, but no matter what, I would take my revenge on those people. I told Megumi of my resolve and promised to come again during summer vacation before we parted ways.

And then came the entrance ceremony.

At the school gate, amidst the falling cherry blossoms, there stood the four devils.