Chapter - 17

Thud

A dull, heavy sound echoes from some distance away.

A clang, followed by an instantaneous crash to the asphalt.

It was a violent, alien sound that could not possibly have been made by a human body.

──Kurumi Ayase, confirmed dead, age 16. Or was it 17?

Well, it doesn't matter either way, I don't really want to know.

So bye-bye, bitch-san..., I say goodbye in my heart with a smile on my cheeks.

"No! What, now?"

Senior was surprised, and a cramp ran down his neck.

He squints at me as if he's puzzled by my stiffened expression.

Then, as if to answer the question, I hear people shouting loudly.

"It's an accident! Someone got hit by a truck!"

"I saw it, it was a girl, she jumped out of nowhere and... Look, there!"

"Is that it!?"

"Woof..."

"Hey, do you think she's alive? I don't think she's dead..."

"Is that where he got hit? Oh my God, he's completely blown away."

"Look at that, his leg or arm is bent in a weird way, it's horrible."

"Oh no, it's... probably already dead."

"He just jumped out of nowhere, is it suicide?"

Blah, blah, blah.

The chatter is building to a fever pitch of confusion.

I could see from a distance that someone was taking pictures with a camera or something, with a bang and a flash.

One of the voices I think is on a cell phone saying, "Yes, it's true, a girl was hit by a truck right in front of me and she went flying, and she went flying with a lot of momentum, and by the way, she was a very pretty girl, what a waste."

Hoot. Even if you're the best in the whole school, you're nothing more than a spectacle or a joke.

The world is cold.

"An accident...? A car accident with a truck? Did someone get hit?"

Are you talking to yourself? You mutter to yourself and start walking away.

You panic, wondering if his face is still in its original shape, or if it's not and he's judging you by your clothes.

"Stop it, senior."

You tug on the hem of your shirt to stop.

"But..."

"I don't want to see anyone who's been in an accident."

He makes a frightened face and shuffles away.

"There's a crowd, someone's probably already notified, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"That's true."

"We can't help being spectators. Let's go."

You let go of his arm and walk away from the accident scene.

The ambulance's siren shakes the night sky, slowly drawing closer.

"Is he going to be okay..."

Senior looks back at me several times to see if I'm getting more and more worried.

Hiding from those eyes, I fiddled with the cell phone I had surreptitiously pulled out of my pocket when we were pressed together earlier.

I turned it off.

This way, I won't get a call from Kurumi Ayase, the one who hit me earlier.

"So, Maya, back to the story..."

"Huh?"

"Are you sure your house is empty today?"

"Yep. My parents are out of town for a while."

"Well, in that case."

He asked if he could stay the night.

Of course, I said yes.

It was a premonition after all.

I might be laughed at if I tell you this, but I've been able to see things like that since ancient times.

It's not like I can see into the future or anything.

It's just that I can get bits and pieces of information about the future. That's about it.

I see in my dreams, very roughly, bits and pieces of what's going to happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

You get a rough causal understanding of "why" it's happening.

In the end, that's about it.

It's not as if you can foresee things at will, so it's not very convenient.

Well, it's not completely unhelpful, so sometimes it's useful.

When I confessed, there was no immediate difference between me and my senior.

Knowing that you'd be there to support me when I broke my posture by pretending to be kicked by Kurumi Ayase.

That I was able to get her cell phone number in advance.

That I'd driven that bitch to self-destruction so that I could be safely connected to you.

I knew that no one would come to the hallway until the service was over.

It's clear that I'm borrowing heavily from the power of precognition.

It's like taking a test while looking at a conception paper, because it teaches you what you need to do to fulfill the future you see, with hints along the way.

Even if you don't ace the test, you'll still be able to predict a solid performance.

It can also help you see how to avoid a future that you've seen coming, which is sometimes helpful in its own right.

One of the reasons I told Kurumi Ayase to withdraw was to lead her to self-destruct, but another big reason was that I could see a future where "If I don't withdraw, I'll have the word "dog" carved into my forehead with a carving knife." I don't want to do that.

And I had an unbelievable vision that said, "If you call your senior in the middle of the night and bring him out to this park, he can run over the bitch who's been stalking you because she's worried about you."

And that's how it became a reality.

Fufufufu...Yase Kurumi, no matter how good your grades are, how athletic, how beautiful, or how stylish you are, you can't beat a truck.

There is no "dodge, don't dodge" option for you who can't see.

It's all in my line of sight.

This is a mace from the future.

The truth is, I hesitated.

I mean, no matter how much of an abomination a bitch is, if she's running and she gets slammed by a truck and she's lying in the road, she's still a mushy piece of mincemeat.

So I was thinking of shallowing the depth of the kiss that was the final trigger for the accident──why the depth of the kiss I was exchanging with my senior had anything to do with the accident was unclear──to the point where it would break both of his legs.

Until right before I hugged his body.

Because, well...

The stench of that filthy bitch, on your body!

No matter how you smell it, it's not a flimsy marking.

There's no way that smell could have traveled that far without a lot of naked body rubbing and a lot of bodily fluids.

Did she cheat on you? No way.

That bitch must have forced herself on you, she's a rabid dog.

She has no shame. She's worse than an animal.

I changed my mind, even though I was planning to be lukewarm in my forgiveness.

Speaking of dogs, I'm one of them, dependent on my senior to give me everything, but I don't bite that hand when I make a mistake.

But that woman, she bites with all her might, and she's a bitch.

A woman like that deserves to be a piece of minced meat on the road.

So I didn't say no and gave her a deep kiss.

In my mind, I said, "Die, bitch. Die, bitch," in my mind.

Even so──I'm sentimental because I feel sorry for her when I see her dead.

Even the old people said good things about people who die.

Therefore, Kurumi Ayase, as long as you continue to be dead, I will consider you a good person....

When I hear about your death tomorrow, I'll shed a few tears.

I won't do anything to demean the dead.

Please don't ever come back from the grave.

A sincere request from a junior.

For a while after I got home, the accident was still on my mind.

By the time I got down on my knees and buried my face between the crotch of the senior sitting on the bed, I think I was in a good place.

Even while I was in school, I was making plans to do this and do that, so I was doing creative research and doing service.

My body was underdeveloped, but during my trial and error, my senior was interested in the area near my ribs.

He got very excited when he thought he was rubbing against my bones.

I don't know about you, but the warmth of the mucus I vomited on my ribs and the valley of my ribs felt very good.

My lower abdomen hadn't recovered yet, and he hadn't gotten around to full-blown action due to fatigue, so we spent some time flirting.

"What a time..."

While we were doing this, the time was near midnight.

We still have school tomorrow, so it's best to go to bed early.

We bathed together, did laundry, and got into the same bed.

"It's so calming to do this..."

Senior whispers while hugging me between his legs, just like he does with his hugging pillow.

If I can bring peace to his heart, it's happiness for me too.

Slowly, I reach for the switch to turn off the light.

"Huh?"

The light goes out before I can touch it, enveloping me in pitch blackness.

What's going on?

I was just about to turn it off, so it's not a big deal, but it's nerve-wracking.

I shuffle out of bed.

"Sorry, sir. I'll be right back."

"Should I follow you?"

"No. He's taking his time."

You leave the room, flashlight in hand, and trudge down the dimly lit hallway.

First, I check the breaker.

...It's down. Why, I can't imagine.

Well, let's put it up.

It's a little high up, so I can't reach it without stepping on it.

"Mmm..."

Your trembling fingertips touch the nub.

I strain my fingertips as if I'm going to jump, but then I hear a squeak behind me.

Something stirs, too.

"Sunbae?"

I didn't mean to keep him waiting, but I must have made him nervous.

I turn around and face the light.

The color that jumped into my eyes was black.

It's thicker than darkness, and it shines slightly white as it reflects the light.

The hair? Your hair? It's very long and voluminous for such a thing.

It's also spread out near the floor──much lower than I had imagined.

Like a lake.

He's got his face down, like he's prostrating, so I can't make out his expression.

Isn't it senior...?

"Who is it!"

At the same time as I said those words.

The wind blew from under my feet.

「──Ahhh!?"

A sharp, cold sensation pierced my ankle.

Pain. Unable to hold it in, I lose my strength and fall to the ground.

It's not a mouse in my leg.

In the light of the pew lamp, I can clearly see the grayish blood oozing out and staining the floor.

The skin on the leg is ripped open like a joke, revealing the peachy color.

There's also a bit of bone white showing through.

"Ugh."

The pain doesn't go away.

Only the horror that surpasses it paralyzes your thinking, sealing your voice.

The heel──

My heel was beaten──

By whom──why──

The stench of iron stung my nose, my body temperature slowly dropped, and a chill ruled my entire body.

An unstoppable tremor spread to every nook and cranny, crackling and rattling my teeth.

Cautiously, I directed the light of the menorah forward.

What floated in the ring was a head of dark hair and .

Thin, long fingers.

Clutched there was a small carving knife.