The Man Whose Beloved Girlfriend Was Stolen Destroys Everything ~After Being Forced to Witness the NTR Scene, What Awaited Him Was a Dungeon. - Episode 9:  Best Friend II. (Little Sister’s POV)

Episode 9:  Best Friend II. (Little Sister’s POV)

The damp sweat clinging to my uniform had started to feel uncomfortably sticky by the time I quietly opened my eyes. From the school grounds below came the unusually loud voices of boys shouting—lunchtime had already arrived.

“…I left my lunch in the classroom.”

I pressed a hand to my growling stomach and reached for the doorknob, intending to go back for it. But the moment my fingers touched the metal, the thought of facing anyone—of meeting anyone’s eyes—felt impossible. I retreated to my original spot in the shade.

“Haah…”

A dull, leaden melancholy slowly filled me from the inside. I tilted my head back to look at the sky, hoping for distraction. Not a single cloud marred the perfect, endless blue.

“…I wonder if Haru-nii made it to heaven.”

Did he die without suffering?

Without regrets?

Happily?

No one could answer those questions. No one ever would. Only Haru-nii—who was no longer here—knew the truth.

“I wonder how many decades it’ll be before I go there too…”

I reached a hand toward the blue sky and murmured the words half in jest. But the emotion behind them couldn’t be hidden. My vision gradually blurred—

“—Haru-nii…! Decades… I can’t wait that long…!”

The dam broke.

Tears spilled freely, staining the ground in dark spots. My sobs echoed in the quiet rooftop where no one else was present.

I wanted to live together again. Laugh together again. Eat dinner together as a family again.

I knew—knew with painful clarity—that those days would never return. And yet I kept wishing, over and over.

The days without Haru-nii were sad. Painful. Unbearable. The way he used to greet me with a smile when I came home exhausted from club activities. The gentle way he helped me study. All of it—gone—!!

“—Take me with you too…!!”

The words melted quietly into the damp shadows of this place.

***

“N-Nacchan…!? Are you okay…!?”

I was leaning against the wall, tears still streaming unchecked, when familiar footsteps approached and a familiar voice called out. It belonged to the one person in class I could truly call—

“Shizu…ku…?”

—Minase Shizuku.

“Nacchan… feeling a little better?”

“…Yeah. Sorry for worrying you… and for this morning, too.”

While Shizuku gently stroked my back, I murmured the apology. She was my first real friend after starting high school—someone I could now call a best friend. At school she was mild-mannered and rarely got involved in conflicts, but in secret she was also active as an explorer. An amazing girl in every sense.

“No, no—this morning wasn’t your fault at all! They were the ones spouting whatever they wanted without even understanding how much you’re hurting.”

“…Thanks.”

Shizuku puffed out her soft, round cheeks in clear anger and began criticizing the rest of the class instead. She was obviously furious on my behalf, but the sight of her indignant little hamster face was anything but intimidating.

“…Hehe.”

“Ah! You finally smiled!! Nacchan hasn’t smiled at all lately—”

“Sorry about that.”

It was true. When was the last time I’d smiled—even a little? Certainly not once in the three months since that day.

But now, thanks to this best friend of mine, I had smiled again for the first time since Haru-nii disappeared.

“Shizuku. Thank you. Really.”

“…? I don’t really know what for, but you’re welcome… Oh, right—Nacchan, you forgot your lunch in the classroom, didn’t you?”

“Ah.”

She was right. Talking with her had eased the tightness in my chest a little. Should I go get it? No, the thought of facing classmates still made me shrink… but with my metabolism, skipping lunch entirely wasn’t an option either.

“That’s whyyy—”

While I agonized over the decision, Shizuku rummaged through the bag she’d apparently brought with her.

“Here! I brought it for you!!”

She set down in front of me a familiar black lacquered jubako box.

“My lunch…!”

It was unmistakably mine.

“Shizukuuuu!! Thank youuuu!!”

“No problem♪ Come on, let’s eat, let’s eat! I’m starving too!”

Truly… I was so lucky to have her as my best friend.

***

““Thanks for the meal.””

We finished in about ten minutes and began cleaning up the boxes. Carrying a heavy jubako all the way up here must have been a hassle. I was deeply grateful.

“There’s still plenty of time before lunch break ends. Let’s chat a bit!”

Shizuku rubbed her full stomach contentedly and made the suggestion. With nothing else to do, I agreed. She scooted right up beside me with a slightly embarrassed smile and pressed close.

“So… this is kind of a rehash of what Harino-kun said, but—are you feeling okay?”

“His rehash, huh… hehe. …Well, compared to the beginning, things have calmed down a bit lately.”

“Good! Then next—”

“————”

“—————”

We continued chatting idly about nothing in particular until, shortly before the end of lunch break, Shizuku’s voice suddenly cut off.

Curious, I turned toward her—and found her looking at me with an unusually serious expression.

“Sh-Shizuku…?”

The sight of my best friend wearing an expression I rarely saw left me momentarily speechless. She took a few deep breaths, then spoke quietly.

“When I came up here… you were crying, weren’t you? It was because of your brother… right?”

“…Yeah. This morning brought some memories back. Of the days when Haru-nii was still here.”

“…!!”

My halting answer made Shizuku lower her head, face tight with emotion. But only for a moment—then she suddenly lifted her gaze and seized both my hands.

“Wh-What’s wrong, Shizu—”

“—Nacchan…! I’ll definitely—I’ll definitely find your brother’s body for you…! I know I’m still weak right now and can’t do it yet, but I swear I’ll find him! So… so please… don’t think about dying…”

“…Huh?”

Her eyes burned with fierce determination even as her voice trembled weakly. So she had heard the words I thought had dissolved into the shadows earlier.

“I know I can never replace your brother… but still! …Whenever something hurts, or it’s painful, or you’re sad—please don’t hold back. Tell me. If it even slightly… if it can lessen those thoughts of wanting to die…!!”

“Shizuku… why would you go that far…”

She gripped my hands so tightly it hurt, tears streaking her cheeks as she stared straight into my eyes. I genuinely didn’t understand why she was willing to do so much for me.

Shizuku wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, met my gaze head-on, and—

“Because Nacchan is my ‘best friend’!”

—answered with the brightest, strongest smile I’d ever seen from her.

“…! Shizu—”

———Keen, kohn, kaan, kohn.

“Ah—I have to get back!”

The chime signaling the end of lunch and the warning for the next period rang out just as I started to speak. Shizuku released my hands, hurriedly grabbed her bag, and rushed off.

“…Jeez.”

I felt a tiny flash of irritation at how she’d run away without letting me finish—but more than that, my heart was warm, full.

I gently covered the hand she had held—already cooling—with my other one.

“…Hehe. Thank you, Shizuku.”

Really… truly… I had the best friend anyone could ever ask for.