Vol 2 Chapter 3 (2/2)
Karen recalled the gentle smile that Pitohui gave then.
‘Being too tall is tough?’
‘Honestly, that’s not really that big of a worry.’
Karen faced the man sitting in front of her, bent forward, and enquired.
“As Pito-san can partic.i.p.ate in SJ2, she’s planning to play a death game with her life at stake, right?”
“That’s right.”
“And you, Gous.h.i.+-san, want to stop it, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then I’ve got a question. ──Why didn’t you try to stop it by going to the police, or making use of psychosomatic medicine, or telling your story to someone else? That would have been much, much more beneficial to Pito-san than relying on someone like me, wouldn’t it?”
Those words were not something that she wanted to voice out, but still had to do it.
It was obvious that Pitohui (IRL) had sunk into madness, but how could Gous.h.i.+, who knew that better than anyone else, leave that alone? Karen could not understand it.
“That’s simple.”
Gous.h.i.+ answered in the same tone as before.
“No matter how much something is beneficial to Pito, I don’t wish for anything that Pitohui doesn’t want.”
Karen needed several seconds to understand the meaning behind his words.
She understood what he had said, but now needed to confirm whether he was really fine with it.
“Say what……? So, you’re saying that, in the end, you decided to 〝respect the person’s will〟?”
“That’s right.”
“Even if it’s something insane? Even if it’s the worst case── suicide?”
“That’s right.”
“………… I can’t understand you at all.”
‘This is hopeless.’
Karen concluded.
She knew that Pitohui was weird, but this man named Gous.h.i.+ was just as crazy.
Karen finished up the now completely cold black tea which was on the table.
Wanting to quickly throw the empty can away, Karen stood up.
‘At this rate, I want to get out of here.’
With this thought in mind, she stepped towards the trashcan next to the vending machine that stood alongside the wall, and threw it in.
As she turned around, she saw Gous.h.i.+, who perhaps thought that Karen was running away, right in front of her.
And then, his large right hand grazed Karen’s head as it extended to the wall, and she heard *don* as his hand struck the wall.
“Ah, eh? Ehm…… Err…. err, ehm…… that is……”
Looking at Gous.h.i.+’s face that had a sharp glint in the eyes──
‘Aah……, is this….. the so-called…… 《Kabe-don》? ……
In her confusion, Karen was somehow able to understand that much.
Giving Karen a sharp look, Gous.h.i.+ shouted.
“Have you ever seriously loved someone? Have you loved someone so much that you’d be willing to devote your life to them?”
Still confused, she did not have the time to make up a lie.
Karen answered honestly, as if she had been given a truth serum.
“W-well no……”
And then, the man shouted once again with an expression filled with sorrow, pain and anger.
“Then, you absolutely don’t understand how I feel right now!”
“Which means……”
Still pressed against the wall, Karen looked down at the man in front of her.
“Gous.h.i.+-san…… you…… like Pito-san?”
“I love her!”
This was her first time experiencing a Kabe-don, but who would have thought that, in this state, she would hear a confession of love to someone else.
‘Life is full of surprises, huh.’
Karen thought.
“For now…… sit down. I’ll still hear your story out. And, I’ll have you listen to my questions as well.”
After saying so, she added this.
“Do you want anything to drink? My treat.”
After picking a highly carbonated drink, thinking that it might be invigorating, Karen bought Gous.h.i.+ the same black coffee that he requested.
“Here you are.”
“Thank you very much. I’m not good with coffee. Especially black. My stomach becomes irritated when I drink it.”
“Ain’t j.a.panese strange?(1)”
“There’s still more to it. But, Pito loves coffee. Especially black. So, I drink it as well.”
“…………”
‘Love is scary.”
Karen thought, but kept quiet.
After both of them sat at the same place as before,
“Gous.h.i.+-san.”
Karen decided to ask what was on her mind bluntly.
“Gous.h.i.+-san, you were that scared of dying IRL during SJ. I do think that it was a normal response and I can understand that now. But, for someone like that, you don’t seem to be scared about partic.i.p.ating in SJ2 that could similarly lead to 〝IRL death〟. Isn’t that strange?”
“It’s not strange. Since dying after Pito has died isn’t scary. Only dying alone first and leaving Pito behind is really scary.”
‘Ah, you’re both really weird. Is that what they call a mended lid for a cracked pot?(2)’
Karen thought, but kept quiet.
‘Still, I guess Gous.h.i.+, who’s still seeking a solution, is slightly better? I don’t really know.’
“Gous.h.i.+-san, you said it a while ago, right? That I can save Pito-san. And that you wanted me to do it.”
“Yes. That’s the main topic. And the reason for me being here.”
“Then I’ll ask. ──How am I able to do that?”
“Please partic.i.p.ate in SJ2 as LLENN. And then, during the tournament, please have a serious, direct match with Pito, and defeat her.”
“Hah?”
“Defeat Pito. With LLENN’s hands, please mercilessly kill her. If you do that, Pito will be saved. She definitely will not commit suicide. And I’ll probably be able to live through this too.”
“W-why?”
‘Mercilessly killing a person during SJ2 who insists on committing suicide if she died during SJ2 is the solution?’
‘Gous.h.i.+-san, did you drink too much coffee and go mad?’
Thought Karen, but,
“Gous.h.i.+-san, did you drink too much coffee and go mad?”
She was unable to keep it to herself. She ended up voicing it.
“I know that I’m not exactly sane. However, I don’t think that’s the fault of the coffee, probably. I don’t think something like that was added to the coffee.”
‘Well, you don’t really need to answer me so seriously.’
Karen thought. Gous.h.i.+ continued his speech.
“But, this is the one and only solution. So, please, partic.i.p.ate in SJ2 as LLENN, somehow find ourteam, and defeat Pito. Naturally, Pito, me, and the other team members will fight with all we have to stop that.”
Hearing those words, Karen was confused.
“Huh? Huuh? ──So wait, you’ll be my enemy all the way? Shouldn’t you as M-san spread negligence among the team to set the tables for me defeating Pito, or something? Am I wrong?”
As she thought that this was a given, Karen enquired, without considering that it would cowardly or unfair at all.
“In that case, it wouldn’t be a 〝direct match〟, I believe. It would be cowardly. Unfair. That’s why we can’t. I too shall fight with all I’ve got again.”
This is what she got after he suggested a solution.
‘Is this man, Gous.h.i.+, a faithful dog or something?’, Karen felt that love encouraged lots of mistakes.
Perhaps her shock showed on her face,
“Please don’t give me that look.”
As he told her this with his handsome face.
“I am humbly sorry. But all of this is beyond my grasp.”
Beginning her reply in sarcastic keigo,
“So, Gous.h.i.+-san, persuade me. How, why, due to what reason would Pito-san not commit suicide upon me killing her, enlighten me!”
Karen ordered.
Gous.h.i.+ answered that in about 30 seconds. Or rather, responded to the order.
Having heard the answer, Karen thought.
‘Ah, so that’s it.’
And then, she spoke.
“Okay…… I’m gonna partic.i.p.ate in SJ2! And so── I’ll be the one to defeat Pito-san!”
With a gentle smile, Gous.h.i.+
“Thank you. You are our only hope.”
Said such words that set one’s teeth on edge, and, after leaving an email address to contact him without Pitohui noticing, left the observation room.
“Ah, that’s Karen-oneechan! Yahou!”
“You’re right. So Karen uses this place too, huh.”
Karen’s four year old niece, and her mother, Karen’s sister, entered the room.
It was great timing, as Gous.h.i.+ should have just pa.s.sed them at the elevator. If they had arrived just 20 seconds earlier, they would have probably seen that Karen and Gous.h.i.+ had been here alone.
Karen,
“Ya……, Yahou!”
Had her blood run cold deep down as she answered. And, she was thankful that Gous.h.i.+’s personality ensured that he threw away the empty can of his coffee.
Karen’s sister’s room was above this room, thus Karen did not understand why they bothered to come all the way here, but...
“Juice!”
Seeing her niece going towards the vending machine, she understood why. This was the closest place for it.
Touching the vending machine with her mobile phone, Karen’s sister asked her.
“Say, how’s the remainder of your spring break looking? We’re planning to go spring skiing this time, how about coming with us?”
“Come with us!”
Karen was glad to get an invitation from her sister’s family, but right now, Karen had tons of things to do before the 4th of April. That’s why, she could not waste even a single day.
“Ah, sorry. I kinda decided to read a ton of books during spring break……”
Karen made up a silly lie, but it seems that it was not seen through.
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