Chapter 29

This is Tōka's perspective.

Let me say this first.

The least reliable part of this novel is the past as told from the protagonist's perspective (I'm stating this outright).

Because on that day, I couldn't even muster the courage to speak.

The last image of Nana I saw was her expressionless, tear-streaked face.

☆

Since I was little, I, Tōka Taka, have been an excellent child.

A child who consistently delivers the required results, always meeting expectations. Whether it was sports, studies, or extracurricular activities, I excelled in everything and was always praised.

I had an older sister I loved more than anyone else.

Rin Taka, my first cousin, one year older than me, and the biological daughter of the head of the Taka Group.

She always listened to my stories as if they were her own and praised me, a kind person.

But she wasn't just kind; Rin was even more of a genius than I was.

She aced her studies just by attending classes. I never saw her put in any visible effort in music, etiquette, or anything else.

Her poor athletic ability was just one of her endearing traits.

Rin consistently achieved better results than I did, but she always did things her way, following her own path.

Her interests were always in games. She spent her free time playing games, experiencing joy and sorrow, a rather mysterious person.

Rin would laugh off my stories and pat my head, saying, "What a silly child," but she always made me feel special.

The person who was always by her side was a girl called "Nana."

"Nana" was a very quiet and reserved child, always expressionless and never speaking on her own.

"Nana, this is Tōka."

"I am Tōka Taka, nice to meet you."

"..."

Our first conversation probably went something like that.

She gave me a brief glance and then let her gaze wander aimlessly.

She wasn't being cautious; she just had no interest.

It was the first time I had been treated like that, and I was taken aback.

I couldn't ask Rin directly, so I had someone in the household investigate "Nana."

While she was pretty, she paled in comparison to Rin. Her family was a typical middle-class household.

They became acquainted through the parents' relationship.

She saved Rin when she was attacked by a dog and was severely injured.

Most importantly, she was Rin's favorite.

Before feeling envious or jealous, my first thought was, "Why?"

I was an excellent child, praised by everyone. But "Nana" was just ordinary.

Apart from being overly quiet, her test scores were average, and she wasn't good at singing or playing instruments.

The only notable thing about her was that she always brought two lunch boxes and seemed to eat a lot.

To me at the time, "Nana" was just an ordinary girl.

That's why I envied her.

An ordinary girl could be by the side of the person I admired.

Someone who couldn't do anything could monopolize Rin's attention.

So I tried to provoke her.

I aimed to outdo her in test scores, school performance, and extracurricular activities, but all I got in return was a blank stare.

Sometimes she would pat my head or hug me, clearly treating me like a child, but I was happy just to get a reaction. Looking back, I was pretty foolish.

My initial goal had changed; I didn't want to be ignored by "Nana" anymore, so I started to actively engage with her.

My curiosity turned to jealousy, and as I was brushed off, I somehow grew closer to her.

Before I knew it, the time I spent with the two of them had become a happy one.

Nana still treated me coldly, but we were like three close sisters, almost always together.

By the time we were about to finish elementary school.

One day, while the three of us were walking around town, a runaway truck came speeding towards us at a speed that could kill.

It was clearly targeting the three of us, or more accurately, me and Rin.

I thought I was going to die.

Faced with the roaring truck, I froze.

Just as I closed my eyes, thinking I was going to die, I felt my body float.

After a few seconds of floating, there was a loud crash behind me, and then a strong impact to my stomach.

When I opened my eyes, I was being carried on Nana's small left shoulder, and Rin was being carried on her right shoulder, looking annoyed.

"Ouch... Nana, couldn't you have been a bit gentler?"

"Two is too much."

"Alright, thanks... Nana, are you crying? Did you break your leg?"

"Both legs."

"Hey... Why don't you sit down? I'll call the police and ambulance."

It was the first time I saw Nana with tears in her eyes, and it took me a while to realize that both her legs were broken.

What happened? Even now, it's hard to believe, but she had jumped with us in her arms.

She jumped so high and stayed in the air long enough for the truck to pass, using so much force that her legs broke.

Landing with the weight of three people, it's no wonder she was in tears.

Later, I heard that her footprints were left in the concrete, but since they were covered up, the truth is unknown.

In the end, the accident miraculously only injured the driver.

Nana was taken to the Taka Group's specialized medical facility by ambulance and returned after about half a month, fully recovered.

At that time, Rin told me more about Nana.

Nana Nanaka had a condition where her muscle mass was far greater than that of an average person, but it didn't show.

She was born with this superhuman physique and had the natural athletic ability to control it and extremely sharp senses.

In other words, Nana was not just special but "abnormal."

If I were my old self, I might have thought, "Of course she can be by Rin's side because she's special."

But I already knew. I knew the feeling of her gentle pat on the head and her strong embrace.

I knew how she would look confused by my persistent attention and seek help from Rin, who would laugh.

Rin had said that Nana extremely disliked using her strength.

Now that she can control her strength, but as a child, she couldn't and had often hurt her parents.

I was surprised to hear that she had hesitated to even touch Rin at first.

So, the only thing Rin asked of me was to say "thank you" to Nana.

And for the first time, Nana gave me an awkward smile.

☆

It was a rare snowy day.

Nana, who usually never left Rin's side, was walking alone in the street.

She was walking unsteadily, seemingly unaware of my presence.

Without an umbrella, she was walking under the snowy sky.

As usual, she was expressionless, but that day, she looked different.

Tears streamed down her face, and she walked aimlessly, looking hollow.

Nana, who rarely showed any emotion, was crying openly.

Seeing her like that, I couldn't bring myself to speak and just stood there, frozen.

Before I knew it, I had lost sight of her and hurriedly called Rin.

— Her parents had passed away.

The news, delivered in a trembling voice, made me run out to look for Nana.

I searched and searched but couldn't find her.

And that's how Nana disappeared from my life.

• Additional Information (Optional to read)

Until then, Nana was like a doll in front of everyone except her parents and Rin. She was also a mysterious figure who was always with the two popular girls. She was well-known, but no one knew much about her.

When this mysterious creature was seen wandering the streets, crying, it became quite a topic. And then, she suddenly disappeared.

Rin, who was close to her, remained silent, and I didn't know anything. So, the theory that Nana had disappeared after her parents' death spread.

After she disappeared, she was taken in by her aunt, but before that, she was protected by a certain person.

Of course, that person is related to the Taka family, but I'll leave that for another time.