Chapter 169 (1/2)

Volume 2

Chapter 148

After I left the hospital, two months had passed.

The season was deep winter, a season when the dryness and cold permeated your skin.

I thought that the new life I worried about would finally become easy and quiet.

I had no connection with juniors at school as I as I had missed out on clubs and committees, and with class change and my rise to senior class I only knew Yuuto and Mai.

On the day of the disappearance, almost all of the junior class, third group, that I was in was involved.

The only group that was saved were those that fell down from the surprise of seeing the magic circle’s light emerge, and after running were lucky enough to escape being taken by that magic circle.

That day, Mai was late and was running to school herself, and because of that she was able to escape the circle.

However, those two or three other classmates that were lucky enough in avoiding the circle, were all killed anyway.

It happened one month after I returned, those murders.

Mai’s friend, Satomi, was murdered.

In addition, there was the random group slaughter that happened about half a year ago.

Almost as if arranged beforehand, random attacks occurred on those related to the disappearance, and classmates were among the victims. Mai’s other friend Yuki also disappeared.

Now, the only ones left from junior class, third group was Yuuto and I.

Anyway, now I hardly know anyone at this school. That’s why it now feels like I’m a transfer student in my own school, which makes me think that I have even more problems now.

Especially since everyone’s so interested in what happened to me during my disappearance.

However, on the other side of that, no one really ever asks me what happened.

『Everyone’s had a hard time more or less in this year since the happening…and with you not having any memory of what happened, we were told not to bother asking you to avoid more chaos』

Yuuto said with a slightly wicked smile, and I felt embarrassed about myself.

Why do they all think about me more?

The only way I was given consideration was that I was allowed to sit next to Mai in the classroom, so even with everyone around me conscious of me, I still got used to the situation quickly.

I was thankful that my new classmates treated me relatively normally, and my daily routine slowly seemed to return.

「Okay, time to give back the test. Until the regular instruction begins, take some time to look over your test answers.」

Hearing the loud voice of the morning homeroom instructor echo made my heart feel nostalgic after everything that happened to me.

「The last math test I think had careless misses. It makes me sad to see my scores.」

Hearing my sister say such honors-student-level things made my heart race.

「Oh…I see.」

We all were returned our tests by name, and after getting my test back, I sat down.

I tried as hard as I could to hide my test score!

「Brother? What is it?」

「Sorry, I have to go to the bathroom.」

Fwip, I got up from my seat and left the classroom begin with my test in hand. I went to the bathroom.

I jumped in the first toilet stall and locked it, and looked at the answer sheet with something like a prayer.

「Uffh…」

However, I looked up into the air as I saw the reality of my marks on the answer sheet for the five subjects. Since I was in the toilet, I couldn’t see the sky.

(Damn, if she finds out…)

「『Brother…I’m so disappointed. I guess my brother’s finally become an idiot.』」

I imagined her breathing in a sigh, shaking herself, and then crushing the test answer sheet in her hands.

If she sees these scores, she would watch me every day including Saturdays before the retest a month later, and lord over me by making me study.

She would have no compassion, even as I was restarting my life as a student all over again.

My sister was going to a sword training ground in order to strengthen her body against that crazy cult, so when that offense-switch within her flipped, she turned into a compassion-less, smiling, Spartan devil.

When she found out that I was addicted to video games as a middle school student, she would always win her smiling arguments to my parents, and I never had a day of peace.

But because of it, I got 100% on my redo test.

「Fff, this sister…she beats me all the time. And just like that one manga character, I leave enough proof for her to find it.」

I tore the answer sheet and threw it away as I thought of her evil pursuit of me due to my grades.

After tearing the paper as small as I could so as not to clog the toilet, I flushed it one sheet after another.

「No proof…all gone.」

No conviction if there is doubt.

Even if she looks at me with doubtful eyes, if there’s no proof, then that switch of hers won’t go off.

My sister was pretty solid in that regard.

If I said『there was no paper in the toilet so I used the test sheet』she would get angry and it would end with her saying『you need to learn to be more delicate, brother.』

I finally left the toilet, and entered the classroom like a king.

「Welcome back, brother.」

As I got back to my seat, the homeroom ended, and there were about five minutes left until the beginning of first period.

「Ah, well, my stomach hurt, and there was no paper in the stall…」

「I see. That’s too bad. So, did you use the test sheet instead, poor brother?」

「Huh?」

I didn’t expect that kind of response from Mai when I got back.

(T…that was weird, really weird. This feels strange…)

I started to feel sweat pour from my brow as I began to feel scared.

「Brother, what’s wrong? You’re really sweating.」

「N…nothing, it’s, maybe the air is bad!」

「That’s not true, brother, last week someone came to repair the air conditioner. The room is just as warm as it needs to be.」

「Ah, I see, well, it’s still strange.」

Phew, I tried to blow it off, but she kept pushing me as she breathed in a long sigh.

「This girl only looks out for her brother for his own good. Even if he’s a pervert that likes to bully girls, or a pervert that likes to fall in love with his sister, or is a pervert with a thing for feet…I’m still going to watch over you.」

Whawawhawahaaat?!

「Whoaaaaaa, wait a second, what are you saying?! Stop it please, you’re going to make me look bad, look, even Nakamura it looked at me like some kind of monster, you’re going to make everyone think I’m some kind of weirdo!!」

「Weird like a brother that flushes his answer sheet out of confusion about what to do with hiding a test that he totally messed up on…I think you’re disgusting…you’re worse than human excrement!」

Ah, she found out.

No…this is not good.

Mai was looming next to me with a look of total knowledge, and I knew that her switch had been totally thrown by now.

「And that horrid score…it makes me so sad. I guess it’s an appropriate score for a brother that’s become a depraved little imp.」

「?! What? What did you say?」

Mai held up the test sheet that I thought I had flushed to the bottom of the ocean!

Mai’s hand gently shook as she looked over the scores.