Chapter 1

Translated by KaiesV Edited by KaiesV

The sky seen from the window was still covered with leaden clouds. Even from the air-conditioned room, it was easy to imagine the humid, muggy air. Even though the time was just a little after 1:00 p.m., the city outside was as dim as if it were evening. However, this was not unusual during the rainy season.

He suddenly turned his attention to the love hotel across the street and saw a couple coming out. The man is dressed in a dark blue suit with a brown business bag hanging in his hand. He is in his late fifties. His romance gray hair and well-proportioned body for his age must be attractive to women who prefer older men.

The woman, on the other hand, was wearing a cool light blue dress and white pumps. Her short bob hairstyle gave her a neat and clean look. Her age was considerably younger than the man. She was probably in her early twenties.

Judging from the man’s attire, is he working on his day-off today? Probably not, he doesn’t look young enough to have a secret meeting in a love hotel after a break from work. He probably has the day-off from work.

He is a married man, and in order to see his adulterous partner, he must have come out of the house under false pretenses, “At least take me somewhere for the holidays!” He probably came out of the house under the guise of “I’m working today,” but to his begging wife and children.

Compared to the young woman, who was standing firm, the man was fidgety from start to finish, ruining his dandy looks.

Returning my gaze to the sky—— The weather forecast calls for a 90% chance of precipitation in the afternoon. In addition, there is a heavy rain and flood warning. It should be sloshing by the time they leave this clinic.

Of course, they had brought an umbrella, but it would be a 10-minute walk to the station. Apparently, it is inescapable that my feet will get wet. Grieving, he just bought a pair of New Balance 576’s and they are ruined… Kisaragi Haru let out a small sigh as he gazed blankly out the window.

「You know what, I’m the one who needs to let out a sigh.」

Kotone Sagara floated on her cheekbones, a look of dismay on her face. Then Kisaragi’s gaze, which had been silently directed out the window, slowly shifts to her.

With sharp eyes reminiscent of a Siamese cat and a lean physique that looks as if all excess fat has been trimmed off. Such a dignified white coat suited her very well.

She usually wears contact lenses, but today she wears glasses with small metal frames. The slight swelling around the eyes suggests that contact lenses were difficult to insert this morning.

Causes of swelling—— she only shifted her eyes to the mug on the desk. The contents are not the usual black coffee, but an apricot-colored liquid is visible. From the aroma, it is probably jasmine tea. This tea is very effective for hangovers.

How much alcohol did she consume last night? She is a lonely person, so she would never drink alone. Her partner is probably a bad friend who lives on the first floor of this building.

The slacks peeking out from the hem of the lab coat also had several centerline distortions and wrinkles. Most likely, she had become too lazy to go home and was staying at her close friend’s house. Then they go to bed without changing their clothes or removing their makeup. It is only natural that their faces would swell up if they did so. And since they slept in until the last minute this morning, they went straight to the clinic instead of returning home—— And, well, that’s about it.

「All you do is look out the window… You didn’t hear what I said at all, did you?」

Here they go again with the usual nitpicking… From an early age, he was good at blocking out uninteresting noises without having to cover his ears. Kisaragi, still exercising his right to remain silent, let out a sigh in his mind.

Turning his eyes momentarily to the hourglass on the desk, he saw that roughly 10 minutes had passed since they had entered this room. Seeing that her laptop was not open, she was probably, as usual, having a chat unrelated to counseling.

「Just to make sure I’m clear, you didn’t hear what I said, is that correct?」

Kotone questioned Kisaragi, who was still exercising his right to remain silent, again, as if she were a mother scolding her own child.

「If that’s what you want to think, that’s fine with me.」

「You know, I always wondered how you can stump people at this distance. What kind of nerve do you have?」

With a wrinkle between her eyebrows, Kotone pulled a cigarette from the pocket of her lab coat in frustration. The brand name was Gitanes Caporal . The big thief, whose trademark was his fringe and red jacket, liked to smoke these French cigarettes. She lit it with a small Zippo lighter and slowly exhaled smoke as she leaned back against the backrest.

Hello, she’s in a bad mood today… Seeing the absence of the usual ring on the ring finger of her left hand, did she have to say goodbye to the younger, wilder type? Kisaragi absentmindedly gazed at the smoke from Kotone’s cigarette as she pondered such barren thoughts.

「Sensei…」

「What?」

Looking up at the ceiling, Kotone exhaled smoke boldly.

「Do you feel guilty or anything as a doctor for letting your patients breathe secondhand smoke?」

「It doesn’t spring to mind, so not really.」

Kotone said as if to reopen, and blew smoke vigorously in Kisaragi’s face. It has been a long time since he started visiting this clinic. This kind of communication with her had already become a regular occurrence.

「So, how’s it going?」

Opening her laptop, Kotone quenched her thirst with a cup of jasmine tea. It was the familiar signal to start counseling.

「Well, it’s a bit of a blip.」

「How are your seizures going?」

「No recent activity.」

「Are you taking your medications properly?」

「Yes.」

「Good.」

As she typed on the keyboard, Kotone smiled with satisfaction. Apparently, the honest reception made the corners of her mouth turn up.

「How’s school going, have you gotten used to it yet?」

「Yes. To the extent that I no longer have to get lost in the large school building.」

「No, I don’t mean that… do you have friends or anything?」

「No.」

「Quick answer. It’s already been three months since you entered school. And not a single person?」

「Yes. Not a single one.」

「It is also clearly… You know, when you get to high school, you’ll have a friend or at least a girlfriend.」

「I’ve told you before that it’s not necessary.」

Kisaragi looked disgusted. In case someone’s wondering, this question and answer has been done several times when he went up to junior high school. And as in this case, the answer was decidedly “not necessary.”

「…So, what do you do by yourself during breaks and such?」

Letting out a sigh, Kotone pressed her cigarette into the ashtray.

「I’m sitting by the window, so I can look out and roam around the school building like I did earlier… Well, it varies.」

「Is it fun… to roam the school building? You’re on your own doing that kind of stuff.」

「No, not at all.」

Silence fell over the counseling room.

「Why don’t you try to engage with people?」

「Why do I have to try engaging with people?」

「Because it’s a good thing? Haru-kun. To have a social life, it’s an absolute requirement to interact with people. People can’t live on their own.」

Kotone responded as if she were admonishing her own child, who was not doing well. When she made this kind of expression, she was usually in a bad mood. It is reasonable to assume that she and her boyfriend have broken up. It’s not hard to see why she might be upset. However, he doesn’t want to get caught in the middle of it. Kisaragi, thinking so, let out a sigh for the first time today.

「I’m involved with people at least as much as you are. Even to the point of having silly, useless conversations with Sensei like this.」

「… You’re really just saying that.」

「It’s often said.」

「You used to be so adorable…」

As if reminiscing about Kisaragi as a child, Kotone shifts her gaze out the window with a faraway look in her eyes. Then, with a sigh, she immediately reaches for a cigarette on her desk.

「But Sensei, is it really that bad to be alone? There are no complicated relationships and it is very easy to live. At least for me.」

「All right, that’s enough. So you’re going to live alone and lonely without any friends for the rest of your life?」

「Yes. But people can still live.」

「That’s true, but… well, to each their own, so it doesn’t matter.」

She seemed to think that she couldn’t force me to do something that she said she didn’t need, but she backed down easily, which is unusual for her. It would be helpful if she would back off as easily as she does every time.

「What about the case, then? Do you still remember it?」

「Well, sometimes… But it was a long time ago. My memory is hazy.」

「I see… It’s been 12 years since then, right?」

Kotone rested her hand on the keyboard for a moment and looked deeply moved. Then a moment of silence fell between them. Soon after, as if to regain her composure, she resumed counseling.

「How is the dream? Do you still see them as usual?」

「No, I haven’t seen it for a long time. I haven’t seen them for a long time.」

「Yeah, that’s a good trend.」

With her slender, delicate fingertips, Kotone rhythmically keys the keyboard. When she finished typing, she slowly shifted her gaze to Kisaragi.

「So how do you feel about the criminal now?」

She always asks this question when that hot summer day when the incident occurred approaches. Yes, ever since that day when he visited this counseling room.

「Nothing in particular.」

「You don’t hate them?」

「Sensei, it’s surprisingly difficult to sustain anger.」

The words that came out of his mouth is not always what he really mean. Kisaragi muttered this in his mind and smiled a thin, cold smile.

「So what if the criminal shows up on your doorstep?」

「Who knows? I’ve never really thought about it.」

「Then imagine it. Make it as real as possible.」

A serious gaze fell on Kisaragi. Then he closed his eyelids without saying a word. Then, after a few dozen seconds, he slowly opened his eyelids and quietly opened his mouth.

「I, probably won’t do anything.」

「…I see.」

Upon hearing Kisaragi’s chilling words, Kotone seemed relieved, yet somewhat forlorn.

「Okay, well, that’s enough for today.」

Kotone then closed her laptop and shook Kisaragi’s hand. It was the usual signal that the counseling session was over. He bowed lightly in response. This is another scene that has never changed. But such an otherwise ordinary life will surely come to an end someday. It will be…… soon.

「Ah! by the way, Sensei, I forgot to mention one thing…」

As he put his hand on the doorknob of the counseling room, Kisaragi turned around as if remembering. Kotone then wiped the lenses of her glasses with the hem of her lab coat and tilted her head slightly.

「Alcohol consumption should be limited to a moderate level. Drinking too much is poisonous to your body, and it will also cause trouble for your friends downstairs.」

「…Wait, how do you know that?」

Kotone looked at Kisaragi for a moment, but then immediately turned her sharp gaze on Kisaragi, wrinkling her brow.

「To tell you the truth, I’m Sensei’s stalker… If you’ll excuse me then.」

Despite Kotone’s dumbfounded expression, Kisaragi smiled unusually. He doesn’t like to get involved with people, but he have this much mischievousness inside too. He left the S Clinic muttering to himself.

The backstreets of Yodamari-cho in Yamato and Yamato Ward are crowded with numerous sex establishments and love hotels. In such an unsafe corner of the city, there is a 30-year-old five-story building. On the top floor of the building is the『S Clinic』where Kotone practices.

Kisaragi always wondered about the sense of the name as well as the location. Couldn’t it have been a regular『Sagara Clinic』? More importantly, why did she alphabetize the S in Sagara?

The influence of the surrounding brothels inevitably reminded him of SM clubs. Did she not think of that? No matter how he thinks about it, there can be more than one question.

Why did you open a clinic in this location before? He had asked her. The answer was simple: the rent was cheap, as expected. She was not convinced that changing the location to a place in front of a station, even if the rent is a little higher, will increase the number of customers.

Kisaragi left the S Clinic and boarded the elevator to go to the dispensing pharmacy on the first floor of the same building. Kotone prescribed stabilizers and antidepressants, just as she always did. Kisaragi entered the dispensing pharmacy and handed the prescription to the familiar-looking pharmacist.

「Kotone, she was in a bad mood, weren’t she?」

Misuzu Tanigawa asked as she looked down at his prescription. She wears round glasses and has a childish face and a curly head. Her appearance is in stark contrast to Kotone’s cool impression. As he mentioned earlier, she is the close friend of Kotone’s from their college days.

「Yes, slightly.」

「She broke up with a guy. She had a rough day yesterday with the yakking and drinking.」

「Yeah, I can tell.」

He understood. So the swollen eyes weren’t just caused by excessive drinking.

「Just in case because I’m wondering, is her partner a younger, wilder type?」

「Yeah, that’s right, but ……, I mean, does she ever talk about guys with you?」

「No, I just thought it might be possible, because about six months ago, there was a big silver ring on her left ring finger, which I didn’t think was Sagara-sensei’s taste.」

「You really are as sharp as ever, aren’t you?」

Misuzu admiringly handed a teacup filled with tea to Kisaragi.

「Thank you very much.」

As usual, he sits on the pharmacy couch and enjoys the aroma of the Darjeeling that Misuzu put in him until the medicine is ready to be dispensed. He looked out the window and saw that it was not raining yet. With any luck, it might last until he gets home. Well, he have never been so lucky in his life… Kisaragi smiled to himself as he stared out the window.

「So how is your high school life going? Did you get one of those girlfriends?」

A few minutes later, after dispensing the medicine, Misuzu appeared with a medicine bag in her hand.

「I hear the same thing as Sagara-sensei. But unfortunately, I don’t have a girlfriend or even a friend this year. I don’t need it. I will be around forever and ever.」

Returning the teacup to her, Kisaragi expressed her sincere and honest feelings.

「What a waste. You’ve got such a pretty face… Ah! Well then, can you do something about Kotone? I’m sick and tired of being forced to go out with her every time she gets her heart broken.」

「Well, if it’s okay with you, I’ll gladly be at least a sex slave for Sagara-sensei.」

「Oh, really? She’s going to love it. Because it doesn’t hurt to have you in my eyes all the time, or in my precious! Wait, you’re always saying that.」

「My important part is…」

「Oh, did you pull it off?」

「Well, slightly…」

「I’m sure you’re right. But the point is, you’re that cute.」

「…I know.」

With a thin smile, Kisaragi nodded quietly.

「Is that so? Then don’t worry too much about Kotone, young man.」

「Okay.」

Kisaragi nodded again, thanked her for the tea, and left the pharmacy.

Once outside, the heat and humidity still clung to his body. Perhaps it was because he had been in an air-conditioned place for a while, but the difference in temperature made him dizzy for a moment. Looking up at the sky, he could still see leaden clouds. But fortunately, it was not raining yet.

「Good, I guess I’ll take the shortest route.」

Kisaragi mutters quietly and walks through the entertainment street to Yamato Station. Normally, he would avoid this unsafe street and make a detour to the station, but with the heavy rains approaching, he had no choice but to take this route.

The entertainment district was sparsely populated for a Saturday, and the touts looked bored. Kisaragi quickened his pace a little, thinking that it would be a hassle to be accosted by them.

After walking for a while, he saw one man and two women coming out of a luxurious love hotel that stood out from the crowd. The man had an unnaturally tanned face and a gold necklace that he excluded from the chest of his flamboyant shirt, and he blended in uncomfortably on this sex street.

He seems to be in his late 40s, although he looks younger than that. He does not look like a businessman working in a company. A small rich man who owns a few bars and brothels, that kind of thing feels right. Perhaps a thick wallet in a branded second bag slung over his hand.

The women, on the other hand, were quite young. Although they were dressed like adults, they werw probably in middle school or perhaps high school. No, they’re definitely in high school—— Compensated dating. It is not an uncommon sight nowadays. But of the two women, he recognized one. She had a well-defined face with a downcast look on her face. It was his classmate Mishima Saya.

Her good looks and amiable personality, which makes her easy to get along with anyone, have earned her the trust of not only her students but also her teachers. In short, he is an honor student who is both gifted and talented.

Kisaragi walks by Saya without making eye contact. Then, after walking for a while, he slowly turned around. Then she was standing there in a daze, staring at him. Just then, rain was pouring silently from the leaden clouds.

Mishima Saya stares at him blankly as she is drenched by the rain—— The scene was like a painting, so fascinating. He guess he’s not so lucky after all… Kisaragi muttered this in his mind, opened the umbrella he was carrying, and made a short run to Yamato Station.

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