part1 c10 (2/2)

“Yeah? Because I want to find you for the answer.”

Tsurumi said peacefully. She didn’t look at me while she spoke, so what hid behind her eyes, including those feelings, I didn’t have that faintest idea…

“”What do you want to find me for…”

Rustle!

“!?”

There was a lot of noise at the woods behind. Everyone looked at the source of the sound, and they saw some white light s.h.i.+ning out of the crevices between the trees.

I could almost hear who was gulping. At this moment, my mind became blank: is this…

“Menma?”

But Menma is at my side? When I murmured in my subconscious…

“Yo.”

Walking out from there, Matsuyuki lightly waved his hand.

“Eh…What, so it was Yukiatsu!!”

The tense atmosphere softened at an instant. Tsurumi seemed to have closed her eyes slightly.

“I brought some steak and also a few varieties of vegetables. There are also spice and olive oil…”

“Oh yeah! You’re surely Yukiatsu! You’re completely different from those useless women!”

“What are you saying?!”

Listening to Hisakawa and Anjo’s quarrel, I heaved a sigh. The other Menma…I could really believe in such a thing—how dumb.

Yes. No one, save Hisakawa, would believe in Menma’s existence…

“Ah. But you really freaked me out! I thought Menma would really run out…”

“If you’re talking about Menma, I saw her just a while ago.”

Matsuyuki said something astonis.h.i.+ng with a light-hearted tone. His tone was so natural that one couldn’t even notice what he was saying.

“Menma?!”

But Hisakawa caught his words that were drifting away.

If you’re talking about Menma, I saw her just a while ago.

“What?”

“Heh? Menma is here?”

I couldn’t help turning around to look at Menma, who was looking at me too. Yes. Menma was here. The thing was…

“You’re lying!”

“Really? Where’s her? Where’s Menma?”

“There. At the lawn.”

“Waah! So there’s another Menma…let’s go have a look, Jintan!!”

Menma had already dashed away. “Ah…” at the moment of my hesitation, Hisakawa raced behind her frantically.

“Wuaghh! Menma, wait for me! I’ll give you some German sausages!”

“Ah, Wait!”

“Hey.”

There was an icy voice behind my back, freezing my steps that were about to leave. The corner of Matsuyuki’s mouth showed a soft smile.

“Seems that it isn’t only you who can see Menma.”

“What?!”

What was his smile supposed to mean?

Matsuyuki…did you…did you really see Menma…?

“Hey. Jintan! Let’s quickly find her!”

“Ah. Okay!”

Being hurried by Hisakawa, I also ran away. Since some time I was unaware of, the sweat covering on my skin had splitted apart like a film: one layer that belonged to others, and one mine. Every kind of sophisticated feeling was sticked on my body like glue, making me maximally displeased.

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