Closing

“Karina Kawano…”

The uniform she wore was from the neighboring all-girls school.

From the next day on, I waited for her after school, hoping to catch her. But she never showed up.

A few days later, a news report caught my attention.

“Early this morning, a 17-year-old high school girl was found hanged in her home in Sawada City by her family,” the anchor reported.

A terrible feeling washed over me. There was no name, no picture, not even the name of the school. But somehow, I just knew it was her.

I rushed out of my house and headed to the scene. Of course, there was nothing I could do by going there. But if she had died now, it felt as if I had indirectly caused her death.

The area was bustling with activity. I approached a bystander.

“Which floor did the incident happen on?” I asked.

“I heard she jumped from the fifth floor. She was only 17. Such a waste…” he replied.

“Thank you,” I said.

I pretended to be a resident and made my way to the fifth floor, where yellow police tape was already up. Among the police officers, I spotted a nameplate from a distance. It read “Kawano.”

Confirming my worst fears, I felt my shoulders sag with despair as I headed to school.

Everything was back to square one. I would have to gather all the information again. Despite my frustration, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she might have left some clue behind. A month later, I decided to visit her house.

◇

*Ding-dong.*

“Yes?” The door was answered by a woman who looked somewhat haggard. She must be the mother of that little girl.

“Um, I’m Riki Ooma. I was in the same class as Karina-san a long time ago,” I said. She looked surprised and asked, “Riki Ooma-kun?”

“…Yes,” I replied.

“Oh, I’ve been expecting you,” she said and invited me inside.

I was led into the house and served tea.

“I hold a bit of a grudge against you.”

“…me?”

“You don’t remember, do you?” she said, handing me five letters along with some cookies.

The letters were love letters addressed to me, and one detailed the events of that fateful day.

‘I always liked you, Oma-kun. That’s why I never intended to tell anyone about that day, even if it meant taking the secret to my grave. But when I saw you again after so many years, and you didn’t remember me, it broke my heart. I understand. You forgot because you wanted to erase the memories of that incident, and that included me. I accepted that. But now I realize that it wasn’t okay. One day, you’ll remember me and feel pain. So, please, Mom, if Oma-kun ever comes, turn him away. Don’t show him these letters. I wasn’t there at the scene. Neither was he. Oma-kun didn’t kill anyone. I want him to live a life free of guilt. Please, Mom.’

So… I killed my father?

What the hell?

At that moment, the memories of that day flooded back.

I loved my mother dearly. Not just in a familial sense, but as an object of romantic affection. On the other hand, I despised my father, who rarely cared about the family.

One day, I saw my father being violent towards my mother, and I made a decision.

I decided to kill my father. I studied various methods, gathering everything needed for the perfect crime bit by bit.

However, I realized I needed an accomplice to carry out my plan.

My sister wasn’t the type to get involved in such things and didn’t hate our father as much as I did. I needed someone who was completely obedient to me.

The best option would be someone who was in love with me.

While I thought there couldn’t possibly be someone so convenient, I noticed a girl who always seemed to be watching me.

That girl was Karina Kawano.

I pretended not to notice her feelings while gradually getting closer to her, setting up the plan to execute my scheme.

In the end, everything went perfectly. I managed to kill my father, stage a perfect crime, hide the money in a way that made it unclear whether it was a suicide or an incident, and began to enjoy a happy life.

However, there were two problems.

One was the existence of Karina Kawano herself. Depending on her feelings, my perfect crime could unravel. The other was that I started having recurring nightmares about that day. The image of the man I despised dying haunted me.

I found solutions to these two issues. First, I made it clear to her that she was an accomplice. This way, she couldn’t confess. For the latter, I created another version of myself.

A guiltless, pure Riki Ooma.

Having successfully reset my mind, I started a new life.

Reading that letter made me lose my mind. I had opened my own Pandora’s box.

I screamed, pounding the ground.

“I… I… What was my life for?!”

After writing a letter of confession, I followed her in death.

Seeing my body, my little sister muttered, “Oh well, he died. Onii-chan and father were both really pathetic,” as the curtain fell.

The play ended with scattered applause, leaving a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth.