When I Was Presumed Dead, They Became Unhinged Unknowingly - Chapter 38

“Yo-u’re alive. Satoru is really alive. I always felt something was off. I knew Satoru wouldn’t suddenly die without telling me.”

“Sorry, Karen. Sorry for disappearing suddenly.”

I approached her, who was kneeling on the floor, took her hands gently, and helped her up.

“I was troubled. Wondering how to live from now on. I didn’t know what to do without Satoru. I realized that when Satoru was gone, I couldn’t think about the future. When imagining the future, Satoru was always there. We were always together.”

“Sorry, Karen.”

“…It’s okay. I’m just happy you’ve come back like this.”

Karen hugged me tightly.

As I tried to hug Karen back, I caught sight of someone at the edge of my vision. The surroundings were darker than I imagined, but under the streetlight, I could barely see that figure.

“…Misuzu?”

As I said that, she approached from the dimly lit area. Looking at her face, it was indeed Misuzu.

“Satoru. You’re alive. She wasn’t crazy. Thank goodness, now I… I’ve found hope to live.”

The figure of the student council president who used to be dignified and relied on me in the past was nowhere to be seen. She, like Mika, looked emaciated and utterly worn out.

“Sorry, Satoru. I didn’t know anything about you. It’s my fault, all of it.”

“…Huh? No, it’s not. This is all my fault. I disappeared without a word, causing trouble. It’s my fault, so it’s not your fault, Misuzu.”

“…it’s not your fault. It’s all my… No, including that woman, it’s all our fault.”

Misuzu pointed at Karen while saying so.

“What do you mean? This is all my fault, and there’s nothing for you, Misuzu, to apologize for.”

“I said it’s not your fault. All of this and that happened because we knew too little about Satoru-kun! Everything is our fault.”

She said that, looking directly into my eyes. Her eyes seemed exhausted, perhaps from not sleeping for days, but there was a murky, dark emotion in them that I couldn’t ignore.

Because we didn’t know enough about Satoru, she said.

She indeed said that.

“Satoru knows everything about us. But we don’t know anything about Satoru. We didn’t know anything—his family, his home environment, anything at all. We didn’t try to find out. So, we’re at fault.”

She said, and her eyes seemed on the verge of tears.

Karen, seemingly awakened by Misuzu’s words, also looked up at me and shed tears.

That’s not true. They’re not at fault.

In the first place, I avoided conversations that would lead them to ask about me. I tried to avoid it as much as possible. I didn’t want to delve into my past, especially because I would die later. Besides, my past is not something decent. It’s not something I can tell people.

So, they’re not at fault. It’s all my fault.

“Hey, Satoru. Tell us. About you. Who is Satoru? What kind of person are you? Why did you help us?”

“…Okay. I’ll tell you everything. Come back here this weekend.”

…I had to talk.

But I couldn’t hide anything more. Moreover, it’s all something I caused.

And so, I’ll tell them everything.