When the Yanderes Whose Affection Reversed Regained Their Memories - Chapter 5: Aria

Chapter 5: Aria

Mia regained her composure, and I too began to somewhat clear my head.

“Sorry, Roa. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s alright.”

“I should go now. Staying here any longer would be a bother to you, Roa.”

“…yeah.”

Mia looked tormented by guilt as she opened the door to leave. Just as she stepped out, she spoke in an almost vanishingly faint voice.

“…Can I come visit again?”

“Yeah…that’s fine. But not every day, that would be too much for Chloe.”

“I understand. So, see you?”

“Yeah.”

For the first time since we met, her face lightened up a bit as she left the room.

Honestly, I didn’t know if what happened was okay, and I had a feeling that I wouldn’t know what the right thing to do was in the future.

After Mia, the next person to come forward and bow their head to the ground, just like Mia had done, was Aria.

“Roa-sama, I am truly sorry.”

Aria.

Aria was an extraordinarily beautiful woman filled with such compassion that she was called a saint. In school, rumors floated around that she might even be an angel. Her supple blonde hair had the smoothness of silk, and her face was so perfect it made you think she must be favored by God. 

She had an unproportionally large chest and buttocks for her slender frame, making her exceedingly popular among the male students.

Now, the silk-like smoothness of her hair was lost, and she looked at me with vacant eyes.

“Even if I was being controlled by something, I can’t forgive myself for doing what I did to Roa-sama, whom I hold dear. However, I believe that you, Roa-sama, are far more compassionate than someone like me. Thinking that you wouldn’t do the same or worse to me, I’ve punished myself.” 

Saying this, Aria revealed something that instantly made me nauseous.

What Aria presented was a jar filled with eyeballs. The eyes, a beautiful mix of black and a faint gold, were packed tightly into the jar.

Those eyes undoubtedly belonged to the Aria standing before me, likely gouged out by herself and regenerated through magic.

“I don’t think that doing just this would make you forgive me, Roa-sama. If you wish, I can offer you other parts of my body as well. I dedicate my entire being to you. You may torment me as much as you please; treat me as if I were a slave.”

“…”

I couldn’t find the words to respond. I didn’t even want to say anything. I didn’t know what I should say. My thoughts were a jumbled mess; organizing them was out of the question.

“Aria, you should put that away. Roa doesn’t wish for something like this.”

“What would you know? I’m asking Roa-sama.”

The always-smiling, compassionate woman turned her empty, void-like eyes towards Chloe and said this in a tone tinged with slight anger.

“…Chloe is right, put that away. And from now on, don’t do anything like that again. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“…Understood.”

Aria hung her head in defeat, staring into the void, her mind seemingly adrift. Tears flowed from her eyes as she murmured softly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Before all this happened, Aria was always smiling. Now she had become like this. I had met them because I wanted to get back to how things were, even if just a little.

Therefore, having Aria cry like this was not what I desired.

“…Aria.”

“…Yes? What is it?”

“I can’t guarantee that things can go back to how they were before. Just looking at you and talking to you now, see… my hands are trembling.”

“…I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Moreover, although you healed me, my body still isn’t fully cooperating.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So… if you wouldn’t mind, it would help if you could come to check on me again next time.”

“I’m sorry… Eh?”

She lifted her face, which had been hanging down. Her eyes, still empty, continued to weep.

“You were one of the top healers, both in school and in this country, right? So, I’d appreciate it if you could do this as a way to atone.”

“…Is that alright?”

“Yes. But like I told Mia, coming every day might be too much. It would be an inconvenience to Chloe.”

“…I see. Understood. Thank you, Roa-sama.”

It seemed that a glimmer of light had found its way back into her eyes, if only just a little.

A few minutes later, Aria stopped crying and, much like Mia, prepared to leave.

“Then, I’ll be going now. It’s okay for me to come visit again, right?”

“Yes.”

“…In that case, I’ll come again. I’m truly sorry.”

“…See you, Aria.”

She turned back one last time and gave a graceful bow before leaving. Her face I saw seemed somewhat better than when she had arrived.