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	<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/api.php?action=feedcontributions&amp;feedformat=atom&amp;user=Jsmi47</id>
	<title>Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]</title>
	<link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/api.php?action=feedcontributions&amp;feedformat=atom&amp;user=Jsmi47"/>
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	<updated>2026-05-02T04:53:25Z</updated>
	<subtitle>User contributions</subtitle>
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	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=452528</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=452528"/>
		<updated>2015-07-20T18:32:50Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Tenkyou no Alderamin|Tenkyou no Alderamin]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoneta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this&#039;ll take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=451928</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=451928"/>
		<updated>2015-07-18T05:07:53Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Tenkyou no Alderamin|Tenkyou no Alderamin]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoneta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see I tend to like minor light novels over mainstream ones. I guess you could call me a LN hipster. So yea, if you want a &#039;not so famous&#039; series you&#039;d like to get translated contact me with my email below. (This does not mean I will automatically prioritise your suggestions over my other works.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=388148</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=388148"/>
		<updated>2014-09-03T13:22:43Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Forum */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Guidelines|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Forum===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;You can share your thoughts on the series in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&amp;amp;t=4845 Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan Forum]&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you spot what you presume to be errors, please discuss in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&amp;amp;t=4845 Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan forum] before attempting to make changes in the meaning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;28-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 2 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Novel Illustrations]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4.5|Chapter 4, Clean Up: The Liberation]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:CBuHoKoT&amp;diff=388102</id>
		<title>User talk:CBuHoKoT</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:CBuHoKoT&amp;diff=388102"/>
		<updated>2014-09-03T06:36:39Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan */ new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;== Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi CBuHoKoT, thanks for reading my translation of Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan. Kaneko is indeed a boy. As I wrote in the project specific guideline on the wiki, the names in the story retain their narrative order. This means that Kaneko is a surname and not a given name. I hope that cleared up any misunderstandings. By the way, the next chapter is coming out tomorrow so feel free to check it out^^ [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] ([[User talk:jsmi47|talk]]) 10:45, 27 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, glad you enjoyed and thanks for fixing my typos^^ &lt;br /&gt;
About your concerns on &amp;quot;I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot;, it was indeed intentional. My intention was to make Mayu&#039;s speech childish in general, to obviously make her appear child-like, hence the badly constructed sentence. In the case that you have a better alternative(must still appear child-like), please contact me before you make the change.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Btw, if you&#039;re interested, would you like to be an official editor of my translated text? [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] ([[User talk:jsmi47|talk]]) 10:45, 27 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=387471</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=387471"/>
		<updated>2014-09-01T06:55:18Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis&amp;quot; */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis&amp;quot;==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot. The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outside. The door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, don&#039;t point it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared into mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from nowhere. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill yourself stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome home.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;Is this your home now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar, so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The Ninth Person &amp;quot;the pensive murder&amp;quot;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A murder is a bit like an excursion. Or maybe even travelling. What I mean is, the planning stage is when the heart flutters the most. That&#039;s why I choose to plan for every little detail before I actually burst into action. When I finally make my plan a reality, all I had to do was entrust my body to my subconscious for it to do the work. That way it was more stable. Yes, stability. As people repeat their behavioural patterns on a daily basis, it was only natural that they yearned for stability. When it came to the repetition of actions with considerable risk, stability is extremely important. For example, the buying of illegal goods, or stealing, or murder. I, too, am not an exception. I desire stability in my life. Because of that, I thirst for a partner. I hunger for a partner. To find a partner in which we could accept each other, where the urge to kill was almost as natural as breathing or blinking was my priority in life. For years, I continued to search in this country-side town. Without being unable to distinguish a suitable partner in this cramped world of common sense the search was difficult. And Naturally such a person did not appear in front of me. I was not looking for someone who would only kill their person of hate, only under the condition that they would not be found guilty. A person who would never regret a murder even if they were to be executed, or a person who would choose to kill or not to kill according to their moods were the types of people I yearned for. People who had a set of rules within themselves that they followed. People who lacked or had extra emotions. I desperately wanted to meet someone like that, and talk with them, or maybe even kill each other over something trivial. So I decided to change my tactics when I had come here. I deeded to commit murder. Hoping for people similar to me to wander like moths attracted to the flame. The result was disastrous. i had become the main provider for material for the media. I was no different from a dog that could walk on two feet or a beached whale. If someone were to mock me and call me a dumb animal, I would gladly accept that. I would perform on two feet and lie across a bed of sand. Unfortunately though, this neighbourhood didn&#039;t have any beaches. Although there&#039;s an excess of rivers. But let&#039;s return to the main subject. The man next to me is smiling to himself as he reads a porn magazine and is being extremely creepy. Seriously, back to the main topic for reals this time. I wonder how long I have left. From what I observed of the police, it seemed that if this was a three minute match, then I would still have more than two minutes left. Now, I wonder if a fateful meeting would befall me before my time is up. I placed the magazine I was reading back in to the shelf and walked towards the shelf with the freshly arrived bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=387451</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=387451"/>
		<updated>2014-09-01T05:34:54Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis&amp;quot;==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot. The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome home.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;Is this your home now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar, so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The Ninth Person &amp;quot;the pensive murder&amp;quot;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A murder is a bit like an excursion. Or maybe even travelling. What I mean is, the planning stage is when the heart flutters the most. That&#039;s why I choose to plan for every little detail before I actually burst into action. When I finally make my plan a reality, all I had to do was entrust my body to my subconscious for it to do the work. That way it was more stable. Yes, stability. As people repeat their behavioural patterns on a daily basis, it was only natural that they yearned for stability. When it came to the repetition of actions with considerable risk, stability is extremely important. For example, the buying of illegal goods, or stealing, or murder. I, too, am not an exception. I desire stability in my life. Because of that, I thirst for a partner. I hunger for a partner. To find a partner in which we could accept each other, where the urge to kill was almost as natural as breathing or blinking was my priority in life. For years, I continued to search in this country-side town. Without being unable to distinguish a suitable partner in this cramped world of common sense the search was difficult. And Naturally such a person did not appear in front of me. I was not looking for someone who would only kill their person of hate, only under the condition that they would not be found guilty. A person who would never regret a murder even if they were to be executed, or a person who would choose to kill or not to kill according to their moods were the types of people I yearned for. People who had a set of rules within themselves that they followed. People who lacked or had extra emotions. I desperately wanted to meet someone like that, and talk with them, or maybe even kill each other over something trivial. So I decided to change my tactics when I had come here. I deeded to commit murder. Hoping for people similar to me to wander like moths attracted to the flame. The result was disastrous. i had become the main provider for material for the media. I was no different from a dog that could walk on two feet or a beached whale. If someone were to mock me and call me a dumb animal, I would gladly accept that. I would perform on two feet and lie across a bed of sand. Unfortunately though, this neighbourhood didn&#039;t have any beaches. Although there&#039;s an excess of rivers. But let&#039;s return to the main subject. The man next to me is smiling to himself as he reads a porn magazine and is being extremely creepy. Seriously, back to the main topic for reals this time. I wonder how long I have left. From what I observed of the police, it seemed that if this was a three minute match, then I would still have more than two minutes left. Now, I wonder if a fateful meeting would befall me before my time is up. I placed the magazine I was reading back in to the shelf and walked towards the shelf with the freshly arrived bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=387444</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=387444"/>
		<updated>2014-09-01T05:19:23Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis&amp;quot;==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot. The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome home.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;Is this your home now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well if Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The Ninth Person &amp;quot;the pensive murder&amp;quot;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A murder is a bit like an excursion. Or maybe even travelling. What I mean is, the planning stage is when the heart flutters the most. That&#039;s why I choose to plan for every little detail before I actually burst into action. When I finally make my plan a reality, all I had to do was entrust my body to my subconscious for it to do the work. That way it was more stable. Yes, stability. As people repeat their behavioural patterns on a daily basis, it was only natural that they yearned for stability. When it came to the repetition of actions with considerable risk, stability is extremely important. For example, the buying of illegal goods, or stealing, or murder. I, too, am not an exception. I desire stability in my life. Because of that, I thirst for a partner. I hunger for a partner. To find a partner in which we could accept each other, where the urge to kill was almost as natural as breathing or blinking was my priority in life. For years, I continued to search in this country-side town. Without being unable to distinguish a suitable partner in this cramped world of common sense the search was difficult. And Naturally such a person did not appear in front of me. I was not looking for someone who would only kill their person of hate, only under the condition that they would not be found guilty. A person who would never regret a murder even if they were to be executed, or a person who would choose to kill or not to kill according to their moods were the types of people I yearned for. People who had a set of rules within themselves that they followed. People who lacked or had extra emotions. I desperately wanted to meet someone like that, and talk with them, or maybe even kill each other over something trivial. So I decided to change my tactics when I had come here. I deeded to commit murder. Hoping for people similar to me to wander like moths attracted to the flame. The result was disastrous. i had become the main provider for material for the media. I was no different from a dog that could walk on two feet or a beached whale. If someone were to mock me and call me a dumb animal, I would gladly accept that. I would perform on two feet and lie across a bed of sand. Unfortunately though, this neighbourhood didn&#039;t have any beaches. Although there&#039;s an excess of rivers. But let&#039;s return to the main subject. The man next to me is smiling to himself as he reads a porn magazine and is being extremely creepy. Seriously, back to the main topic for reals this time. I wonder how long I have left. From what I observed of the police, it seemed that if this was a three minute match, then I would still have more than two minutes left. Now, I wonder if a fateful meeting would befall me before my time is up. I placed the magazine I was reading back in to the shelf and walked towards the shelf with the freshly arrived bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=387443</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=387443"/>
		<updated>2014-09-01T05:17:45Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis&amp;quot;==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot., The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome home.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;Is this your home now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well if Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The Ninth Person &amp;quot;the pensive murder&amp;quot;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A murder is a bit like an excursion. Or maybe even travelling. What I mean is, the planning stage is when the heart flutters the most. That&#039;s why I choose to plan for every little detail before I actually burst into action. When I finally make my plan a reality, all I had to do was entrust my body to my subconscious for it to do the work. That way it was more stable. Yes, stability. As people repeat their behavioural patterns on a daily basis, it was only natural that they yearned for stability. When it came to the repetition of actions with considerable risk, stability is extremely important. For example, the buying of illegal goods, or stealing, or murder. I, too, am not an exception. I desire stability in my life. Because of that, I thirst for a partner. I hunger for a partner. To find a partner in which we could accept each other, where the urge to kill was almost as natural as breathing or blinking was my priority in life. For years, I continued to search in this country-side town. Without being unable to distinguish a suitable partner in this cramped world of common sense the search was difficult. And Naturally such a person did not appear in front of me. I was not looking for someone who would only kill their person of hate, only under the condition that they would not be found guilty. A person who would never regret a murder even if they were to be executed, or a person who would choose to kill or not to kill according to their moods were the types of people I yearned for. People who had a set of rules within themselves that they followed. People who lacked or had extra emotions. I desperately wanted to meet someone like that, and talk with them, or maybe even kill each other over something trivial. So I decided to change my tactics when I had come here. I deeded to commit murder. Hoping for people similar to me to wander like moths attracted to the flame. The result was disastrous. i had become the main provider for material for the media. I was no different from a dog that could walk on two feet or a beached whale. If someone were to mock me and call me a dumb animal, I would gladly accept that. I would perform on two feet and lie across a bed of sand. Unfortunately though, this neighbourhood didn&#039;t have any beaches. Although there&#039;s an excess of rivers. But let&#039;s return to the main subject. The man next to me is smiling to himself as he reads a porn magazine and is being extremely creepy. Seriously, back to the main topic for reals this time. I wonder how long I have left. From what I observed of the police, it seemed that if this was a three minute match, then I would still have more than two minutes left. Now, I wonder if a fateful meeting would befall me before my time is up. I placed the magazine I was reading back in to the shelf and walked towards the shelf with the freshly arrived bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386552</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386552"/>
		<updated>2014-08-29T08:29:41Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Forum */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Guidelines|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Forum===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;You can share your thoughts on the series in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&amp;amp;t=4845 Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan Forum]&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you spot what you presume to be errors, please discuss in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&amp;amp;t=5767 forum] before attempting to make changes in the meaning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;28-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 2 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Novel Illustrations]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4.5|Chapter 4, Clean Up: The Liberation]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386551</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386551"/>
		<updated>2014-08-29T08:29:11Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Forum */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Guidelines|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Forum===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;You can share your thoughts on the series in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&amp;amp;t=4845 Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan Forum]?&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you spot what you presume to be errors, please discuss in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&amp;amp;t=5767 forum] before attempting to make changes in the meaning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;28-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 2 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Novel Illustrations]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4.5|Chapter 4, Clean Up: The Liberation]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386545</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386545"/>
		<updated>2014-08-29T07:06:36Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis&amp;quot;==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot., The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome back.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;You sound like you live here now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well if Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The Ninth Person &amp;quot;the pensive murder&amp;quot;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A murder is a bit like an excursion. Or maybe even travelling. What I mean is, the planning stage is when the heart flutters the most. That&#039;s why I choose to plan for every little detail before I actually burst into action. When I finally make my plan a reality, all I had to do was entrust my body to my subconscious for it to do the work. That way it was more stable. Yes, stability. As people repeat their behavioural patterns on a daily basis, it was only natural that they yearned for stability. When it came to the repetition of actions with considerable risk, stability is extremely important. For example, the buying of illegal goods, or stealing, or murder. I, too, am not an exception. I desire stability in my life. Because of that, I thirst for a partner. I hunger for a partner. To find a partner in which we could accept each other, where the urge to kill was almost as natural as breathing or blinking was my priority in life. For years, I continued to search in this country-side town. Without being unable to distinguish a suitable partner in this cramped world of common sense the search was difficult. And Naturally such a person did not appear in front of me. I was not looking for someone who would only kill their person of hate, only under the condition that they would not be found guilty. A person who would never regret a murder even if they were to be executed, or a person who would choose to kill or not to kill according to their moods were the types of people I yearned for. People who had a set of rules within themselves that they followed. People who lacked or had extra emotions. I desperately wanted to meet someone like that, and talk with them, or maybe even kill each other over something trivial. So I decided to change my tactics when I had come here. I deeded to commit murder. Hoping for people similar to me to wander like moths attracted to the flame. The result was disastrous. i had become the main provider for material for the media. I was no different from a dog that could walk on two feet or a beached whale. If someone were to mock me and call me a dumb animal, I would gladly accept that. I would perform on two feet and lie across a bed of sand. Unfortunately though, this neighbourhood didn&#039;t have any beaches. Although there&#039;s an excess of rivers. But let&#039;s return to the main subject. The man next to me is smiling to himself as he reads a porn magazine and is being extremely creepy. Seriously, back to the main topic for reals this time. I wonder how long I have left. From what I observed of the police, it seemed that if this was a three minute match, then I would still have more than two minutes left. Now, I wonder if a fateful meeting would befall me before my time is up. I placed the magazine I was reading back in to the shelf and walked towards the shelf with the freshly arrived bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386532</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386532"/>
		<updated>2014-08-29T05:44:30Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Forum */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Guidelines|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Forum===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;You can share your thoughts on the series in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&amp;amp;t=4845 Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan Forum]?&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
If you spot what you presume to be errors, please discuss in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&amp;amp;t=5767 forum] before attempting to make changes in the meaning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;28-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 2 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Novel Illustrations]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4.5|Chapter 4, Clean Up: The Liberation]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386531</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386531"/>
		<updated>2014-08-29T05:40:06Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan series by Hitoma Iruma */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Guidelines|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Forum===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;If you enjoyed the series, why don&#039;t you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&amp;amp;t=4845 Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan Forum]?&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;28-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 2 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Novel Illustrations]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4.5|Chapter 4, Clean Up: The Liberation]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386530</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386530"/>
		<updated>2014-08-29T05:38:46Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Forum */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Guidelines|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Forum===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;If you enjoyed the series, why don&#039;t you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&amp;amp;t=4845 Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan Forum]?&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;28-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 2 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Gallery (Spoilers)]]&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Color Pages]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4.5|Chapter 4, Clean Up: The Liberation]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386528</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386528"/>
		<updated>2014-08-29T05:36:53Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Translation */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Guidelines|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Forum===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;If you enjoyed the series, why don&#039;t you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&amp;amp;t=4845]?&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;28-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 2 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Gallery (Spoilers)]]&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Color Pages]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4.5|Chapter 4, Clean Up: The Liberation]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Registration_Page&amp;diff=386526</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Registration_Page&amp;diff=386526"/>
		<updated>2014-08-29T05:33:38Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Volume 1 */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;To re-iterate the registration procedure:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*You are required to register which chapters you wish to work on. One portion of text per translator, please.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Registration is on a &amp;quot;First Come, First Served&amp;quot; basis. Please register your intended chapters on the project&#039;s registration page.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Maximum number of translators per volume is two, unless the volume is a collection of smaller stories. Another way to interpret this is no more than two translators should be working on the same &amp;quot;story arc&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Translators may only register for portions of one volume at a time within each project. This is to prevent &amp;quot;biting off more than you can chew&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*The Registration page is not a binding contract, and translators are encouraged to negotiate between themselves which portions to register for.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Anonymous Translated Contributions are required to inform [[User:Thelastguardian|thelastguardian]] and the designated Project Supervisor of the intend Chapters as shown on the corresponding Registration page before any major contribution.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Portions that are not updated for a significant time may be taken over by another translator after getting permission from the Project Supervisor. The new translator is encouraged to start over to maintain consistency, but the old translation will not be deleted at least until the new translation is finished (and probably not for some time after that).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 1 - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] - &#039;&#039;&#039;Completed&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 2 - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] - &#039;&#039;&#039;Completed&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 3 - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 4 - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 4.5- [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*Afterword - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Registration_Page&amp;diff=386525</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Registration_Page&amp;diff=386525"/>
		<updated>2014-08-29T05:32:49Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Volume 1 */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;To re-iterate the registration procedure:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*You are required to register which chapters you wish to work on. One portion of text per translator, please.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Registration is on a &amp;quot;First Come, First Served&amp;quot; basis. Please register your intended chapters on the project&#039;s registration page.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Maximum number of translators per volume is two, unless the volume is a collection of smaller stories. Another way to interpret this is no more than two translators should be working on the same &amp;quot;story arc&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Translators may only register for portions of one volume at a time within each project. This is to prevent &amp;quot;biting off more than you can chew&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*The Registration page is not a binding contract, and translators are encouraged to negotiate between themselves which portions to register for.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Anonymous Translated Contributions are required to inform [[User:Thelastguardian|thelastguardian]] and the designated Project Supervisor of the intend Chapters as shown on the corresponding Registration page before any major contribution.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Portions that are not updated for a significant time may be taken over by another translator after getting permission from the Project Supervisor. The new translator is encouraged to start over to maintain consistency, but the old translation will not be deleted at least until the new translation is finished (and probably not for some time after that).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 1 - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] - &#039;&#039;&#039;Completed&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 2 - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] - &#039;&#039;&#039;Completed&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 3 - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 4 - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*Epilogue - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*Afterword - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=386379</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=386379"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T15:16:25Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Tenkyou no Alderamin|Tenkyou no Alderamin]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoneta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see I tend to like minor light novels over mainstream ones. I guess you could call me a LN hipster. So yea, if you want a &#039;not so famous&#039; series you&#039;d like to get translated contact me with my email below. (This does not mean I will automatically prioritise your suggestions over my other works.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=386378</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=386378"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T15:14:08Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Tenkyou no Alderamin|Tenkyou no Alderamin]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoneta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see I tend to like minor light novels over mainstream ones. I guess you could call me a LN hipster. So yea, if you want a &#039;not so famous&#039; series you&#039;d like to get translated contact me with my email below. (This does not mean I will automatically prioritise your suggestions over my other works.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386377</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386377"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T15:07:55Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Updates */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Guidelines|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;28-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 2 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Gallery (Spoilers)]]&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Color Pages]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4.5|Chapter 4, Clean Up: The Liberation]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386376</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386376"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T15:07:21Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Updates */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Guidelines|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&amp;quot;28-Aug-2014&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 2 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Gallery (Spoilers)]]&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Color Pages]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4.5|Chapter 4, Clean Up: The Liberation]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386375</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=386375"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T15:04:19Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Guidelines|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Gallery (Spoilers)]]&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Color Pages]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4.5|Chapter 4, Clean Up: The Liberation]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386367</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386367"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T14:04:49Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot., The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome back.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;You sound like you live here now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well if Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The Ninth Person &amp;quot;the pensive murder&amp;quot;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A murder is a bit like an excursion. Or maybe even travelling. What I mean is, the planning stage is when the heart flutters the most. That&#039;s why I choose to plan for every little detail before I actually burst into action. When I finally make my plan a reality, all I had to do was entrust my body to my subconscious for it to do the work. That way it was more stable. Yes, stability. As people repeat their behavioural patterns on a daily basis, it was only natural that they yearned for stability. When it came to the repetition of actions with considerable risk, stability is extremely important. For example, the buying of illegal goods, or stealing, or murder. I, too, am not an exception. I desire stability in my life. Because of that, I thirst for a partner. I hunger for a partner. To find a partner in which we could accept each other, where the urge to kill was almost as natural as breathing or blinking was my priority in life. For years, I continued to search in this country-side town. Without being unable to distinguish a suitable partner in this cramped world of common sense the search was difficult. And Naturally such a person did not appear in front of me. I was not looking for someone who would only kill their person of hate, only under the condition that they would not be found guilty. A person who would never regret a murder even if they were to be executed, or a person who would choose to kill or not to kill according to their moods were the types of people I yearned for. People who had a set of rules within themselves that they followed. People who lacked or had extra emotions. I desperately wanted to meet someone like that, and talk with them, or maybe even kill each other over something trivial. So I decided to change my tactics when I had come here. I deeded to commit murder. Hoping for people similar to me to wander like moths attracted to the flame. The result was disastrous. i had become the main provider for material for the media. I was no different from a dog that could walk on two feet or a beached whale. If someone were to mock me and call me a dumb animal, I would gladly accept that. I would perform on two feet and lie across a bed of sand. Unfortunately though, this neighbourhood didn&#039;t have any beaches. Although there&#039;s an excess of rivers. But let&#039;s return to the main subject. The man next to me is smiling to himself as he reads a porn magazine and is being extremely creepy. Seriously, back to the main topic for reals this time. I wonder how long I have left. From what I observed of the police, it seemed that if this was a three minute match, then I would still have more than two minutes left. Now, I wonder if a fateful meeting would befall me before my time is up. I placed the magazine I was reading back in to the shelf and walked towards the shelf with the freshly arrived bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386366</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386366"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T14:04:19Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot., The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome back.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;You sound like you live here now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well if Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The Ninth Person &amp;quot;the pensive murder&amp;quot;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A murder is a bit like an excursion. Or maybe even travelling. What I mean is, the planning stage is when the heart flutters the most. That&#039;s why I choose to plan for every little detail before I actually burst into action. When I finally make my plan a reality, all I had to do was entrust my body to my subconscious for it to do the work. That way it was more stable. Yes, stability. As people repeat their behavioural patterns on a daily basis, it was only natural that they yearned for stability. When it came to the repetition of actions with considerable risk, stability is extremely important. For example, the buying of illegal goods, or stealing, or murder. I, too, am not an exception. I desire stability in my life. Because of that, I thirst for a partner. I hunger for a partner. To find a partner in which we could accept each other, where the urge to kill was almost as natural as breathing or blinking was my priority in life. For years, I continued to search in this country-side town. Without being unable to distinguish a suitable partner in this cramped world of common sense the search was difficult. And Naturally such a person did not appear in front of me. I was not looking for someone who would only kill their person of hate, only under the condition that they would not be found guilty. A person who would never regret a murder even if they were to be executed, or a person who would choose to kill or not to kill according to their moods were the types of people I yearned for. People who had a set of rules within themselves that they followed. People who lacked or had extra emotions. I desperately wanted to meet someone like that, and talk with them, or maybe even kill each other over something trivial. So I decided to change my tactics when I had come here. I deeded to commit murder. Hoping for people similar to me to wander like moths attracted to the flame. The result was disastrous. i had become the main provider for material for the media. I was no different from a dog that could walk on two feet or a beached whale. If someone were to mock me and call me a dumb animal, I would gladly accept that. I would perform on two feet and lie across a bed of sand. Unfortunately though, this neighbourhood didn&#039;t have any beaches. Although there&#039;s an excess of rivers. But let&#039;s return to the main subject. The man next to me is smiling to himself as he reads a porn magazine and is being extremely creepy. Seriously, back to the main topic for reals this time. I wonder how long I have left. From what I observed of the police, it seemed that if this was a three minute match, then I would still have more than two minutes left. Now, I wonder if a fateful meeting would befall me before my time is up. I placed the magazine I was reading back in to the shelf and walked towards the shelf with the freshly arrived bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386365</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386365"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T14:03:31Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot., The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome back.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;You sound like you live here now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well if Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The Ninth Person &amp;quot;the pensive murder&amp;quot;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A murder is a bit like an excursion. Or maybe even travelling. What I mean is, the planning stage is when the heart flutters the most. That&#039;s why I choose to plan for every little detail before I actually burst into action. When I finally make my plan a reality, all I had to do was entrust my body to my subconscious for it to do the work. That way it was more stable. Yes, stability. As people repeat their behavioural patterns on a daily basis, it was only natural that they yearned for stability. When it came to the repetition of actions with considerable risk, stability is extremely important. For example, the buying of illegal goods, or stealing, or murder. I, too, am not an exception. I desire stability in my life. Because of that, I thirst for a partner. I hunger for a partner. To find a partner in which we could accept each other, where the urge to kill was almost as natural as breathing or blinking was my priority in life. For years, I continued to search in this country-side town. Without being unable to distinguish a suitable partner in this cramped world of common sense the search was difficult. And Naturally such a person did not appear in front of me. I was not looking for someone who would only kill their person of hate, only under the condition that they would not be found guilty. A person who would never regret a murder even if they were to be executed, or a person who would choose to kill or not to kill according to their moods were the types of people I yearned for. People who had a set of rules within themselves that they followed. People who lacked or had extra emotions. I desperately wanted to meet someone like that, and talk with them, or maybe even kill each other over something trivial. So I decided to change my tactics when I had come here. I deeded to commit murder. Hoping for people similar to me to wander like moths attracted to the flame. The result was disastrous. i had become the main provider for material for the media. I was no different from a dog that could walk on two feet or a beached whale. If someone were to mock me and call me a dumb animal, I would gladly accept that. I would perform on two feet and lie across a bed of sand. Unfortunately though, this neighbourhood didn&#039;t have any beaches. Although there&#039;s an excess of rivers. But let&#039;s return to the main subject. The man next to me is smiling to himself as he reads a porn magazine and is being extremely creepy. Seriously, back to the main topic for reals this time. I wonder how long I have left. From what I observed of the police, it seemed that if this was a three minute match, then I would still have more than two minutes left. Now, I wonder if a fateful meeting would befall me before my time is up. I placed the magazine I was reading back in to the shelf and walked towards the shelf with the freshly arrived bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386359</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386359"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T13:31:18Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot., The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome back.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;You sound like you live here now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well if Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The Ninth Person &amp;quot;the pensive murder&amp;quot;===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
NOTE:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
THIS CHAPTER IS NOT FULLY COMPLETED. I WILL HAVE IT READY IN AN HOUR OR SO&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386358</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386358"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T13:30:54Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot., The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome back.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;You sound like you live here now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well if Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The Ninth Person &amp;quot;the pensive murder===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
NOTE:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
THIS CHAPTER IS NOT FULLY COMPLETED. I WILL HAVE IT READY IN AN HOUR OR SO&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386346</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386346"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T13:13:31Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot., The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome back.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;You sound like you live here now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well if Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===NOTE===&lt;br /&gt;
THIS CHAPTER IS NOT FULLY COMPLETED. I WILL HAVE IT READY IN AN HOUR OR SO&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386344</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386344"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T13:10:42Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot., The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome back.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;You sound like you live here now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well if Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
*[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
*[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
*[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
*[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
**If you want to know more about these then wikipedia has more information on these.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386343</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Volume_1_Chapter_2&amp;diff=386343"/>
		<updated>2014-08-28T13:08:43Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: Created page with &amp;quot;thumb ==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis==   &amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Who&amp;#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;...&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[Image:Mb577_056.jpg|thumb]]&lt;br /&gt;
==Chapter 2 &amp;quot;The Parents and the Diagnosis==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder what everyone else is doing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who&#039;s everyone?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Like Nagase-san and Kawataki-san.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;School friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then they&#039;re probably going to school like normal.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if they&#039;re worried about us?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;m sure they are.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But somewhere in my heart I knew they probably weren&#039;t.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How about mum and dad?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I&#039;m sure they are too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There, our conversation stopped. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And as if to forget what we had just spoken about, we both fell asleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I woke up at seven in the morning, when the morning rays are at the brightest. I walked past the school gates at a time way too early for attending school, and continued to walk on to Mayu&#039;s apartment. It was in order to start living together from today. Due to that excitement, I woke up as early as an adult waking up for the release date of a game he had waited twelve years for since his childhood. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was just that I did not want to come across my night-loving auntie who worked as a nurse. Last night, I involved myself in a large fight with her as soon as I came home. She threw words that denied my right to live along with the threat to oppress my basic human rights. Before the fight evolved in to torn flesh and broken bones though, my understanding uncle who worked as a doctor gave in, permitting my leaving with the conditions that I come to show my face every month. Auntie was against it the entire time. She was a bit over protective, but she wasn&#039;t a person as bad as me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder if I&#039;m too early…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got on the elevator and went all the way up to the third floor. There I stood in front of the door and thought for a while. Mayu was a girl who slept a lot., The only activities she dedicated herself to at school was sleeping with her head on the desk, and coming more than an hour late to class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I did promise her I&#039;d come and pick her up but I wonder if she can wake up…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pressed the door bell with no expectations of her answering. If she doesn&#039;t answer the door I can just wait outsidThe door opened and slammed in to my face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Huh, wha, ow!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The emotion that failed to turn in to words flowed out of my noise as a red liquid instead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hi! Mii-kun!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I held my nose while Mayu greeted enthusiastically. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hellooo?&amp;quot; Mayu looked in to my face while retaining her smile. Then started forcefully wiping the nose bleed flowing between my fingers with the sleeves of her pyjamas. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. It&#039;ll get dirty.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t worry. Mii-kun&#039;s is clean.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her blue and white striped pyjamas added a third party of colours to its patterns. Upon seeing this, Mayu smiled with trance-like eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Since when have you been waiting in the entrance way?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With goosebumps and patches of cold sweat peppered across my back, I hesitantly confirmed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Since yesterday.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………….yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yesterday.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Since when on yesterday?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;After Mii-kun escaped and I had a bath.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The time in which I left the room was seven at night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were waiting in front of the door?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Doing what?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sleeping.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I guess our relationship will depend on whether I tear up from her praiseworthy loyalty or shiver in the corner of the corridor from her excessive loyalty. But without even pondering the question, like the sourpuss I am, I decided on neither.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess I should&#039;ve come earlier. Sorry.&amp;quot; I said with a fence-sitting apology. Mayu said don&#039;t worry with a frank attitude and then jumped on me and embraced me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu said in a fawning tone as she buried her face in my chest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……Wait? I had something I wanted to ask this overly affectionate coinhabitor…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn? I smell the aroma of soap on you.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu smelt sweet too. Because of the smell, I abandoned my reminder to question her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I like morning baths.&amp;quot; I replied. Although it was my first time ever. I didn&#039;t have time to have a bath last night.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With Mayu still stuck on me, I walked inside. Mayu didn&#039;t bother to check whether or not I could move in with her. I guess there was no point in asking. And no point in telling her either, so I guess she was right in not asking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked in to the same living room as yesterday and placed my school bag and my sports bag with my change in it on the floor. I glanced over to the Japanese style room and found that the fusuma door was sealed shut. I was impressed at how the children had not gone insane from living in there all day. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Breakfast?&amp;quot; Mayu asked while still clinging on to my arm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I haven&#039;t had any today.&amp;quot; I replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, I meant would you like bread or rice?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, so it seems it was already decided in her mind that I was having breakfast here. If you don&#039;t eat it I&#039;ll eat you with chopsticks like I did last night, I imagined Mayu saying. I guess these thoughts of mine makes me a crazy person, dot point &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then I&#039;ll have bread. Since we&#039;re in western style rooms.&amp;quot; I told her with a flawed and senseless logic. Despite Mayu replying ok, she continued to stick to my arm and not show any movement. From her satisfied looking face, I guess I passed as a hug pillow. We both fell in to the sofa and turned the thirty two inch television on.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s my first time watching TV in the morning.&amp;quot; Mayu said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not unusual, nor long time since, but instead it was her first time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The screen displayed a familiar scenery. It was the town we lived in. On screen a title in large letters appeared &#039;Mass Murderer Yet to be Caught&#039;, a title greatly lacking in originality. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Someone got killed last night too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, I admit it&#039;s dangerous but people die everyday. They don&#039;t have to make such a big fuss of it.&amp;quot; I said. This was something I knew about since yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The man who was murdered was the president of the resident&#039;s association who was out on a patrol. After his patrol, he was killed in the five minutes during the time he was waiting to switch duties with the next person. The cause of death was an orthodox death by stab wounds. One side of his head, however, was found with a large hole in it. The time of the crime was around eight o&#039;clock at night, the location was near the elementary school. And there were no witnesses. Some people had begun to think that this was a crime without a criminal, and that the cause was something supernatural. This was probably because this was a town that had barely ever been involved in murders. Well, up until half year ago anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It seriously is scary though, isn&#039;t it... Mayu?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu showed no reaction to my flimsy opinion. Instead she stared intently at what the cathode ray tube displayed, wiping both her smile off her face and light from her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s been a while.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She mumbled to her self while soaking herself in nostalgia. Which was something more repulsive than imagining sticking your bare leg into a bucket of maggots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; Mayu suddenly looked up at me. Her dead eyes stared in to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Was that done by Mii-kun?&amp;quot; She continued. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a question that came from no where. No reason nor rhyme. Despite that, having a question mark in that statement was almost meaningless. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No.&amp;quot; I lied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maa-chan, you despise murderers the most in the world right?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, I hate them.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s mouth formed a smile again.  Then she proceeded to sit on my lap like she was protecting them from something. She put her cheek on mine and rubbed it together.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I l××e Mii-kun the most in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Cheers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Naturally, I wouldn&#039;t feel embarrassed from just that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, lookie. Mii-kun&#039;s cheeks are getting hot. Oh and you&#039;re getting goosebumps.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it was a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;L, let&#039;s eat already. I&#039;m in the mood to ingest wheat.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was flustered beyond belief. Mayu, with a triumphant expression, patted my head while saying &amp;quot;Yes I&#039;m sure.&amp;quot;. It was humiliating to be treated like a child by a child. Even though I have a resistance against the word &#039;like&#039; or any physical contact, the word which would be translated to &#039;Ai&#039; in Chinese was my Achilles&#039; heel. I forced a scowl on to my face and avoided embarrassing myself further. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu parted from me and walked off to the kitchen. Mayu was walking as if she was sleepwalking. It seemed she had settled down more than yesterday, as she didn&#039;t run to the kitchen. I called out to her back.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s say that if… if I was the criminal, what would you do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu turned around and looked at me all puzzled. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you mean what will I do?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like I don&#039;t know. Maybe take me to the cops, or think &#039;you&#039;re perverted and gross&#039;, or &#039;go kill your self stupid&#039; or….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My own repertoire of expressions or lack of it made me pity myself. They were just insults. And ones at the level of elementary school kids at that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm……. I dun know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu said in poor Japanese and walked off. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;For example, what&#039;ll Mii-kun do if I dropped dead right now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice reached me all the way from the kitchen. Despite the words not being very loud, it resonated loudly in my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I would never think about things like that so I wouldn&#039;t know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep! It&#039;s the same for me!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Oh, I totally understand now!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had no clue what her words meant but I was affected by Mayu&#039;s overflowing confidence and decided to understand. It wasn&#039;t like I meant anything by the question and so it was fine this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got bored while waiting for Mayu to finish making breakfast, and so I went and slid open the doors to the Japanese style room. Just like my expectations, the dark room emitted a smell that not one person in the world could like. I covered my nose with my hand, then realised that my nose had stopped bleeding. I walked in to the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Inside, the two were sleeping side by side in the corner. Kouta-kun covered Anzu-chan as if he was protecting her, and Anzu-chan had rolled in to a ball like a cat in sunlight. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Hm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an adorable sight. Yet the muscles on my face refused to budge. It only moved for specific things. By that I obviously meant fun things. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out, then headed to what I figured was Mayu&#039;s room that I had yet to see. After walking across the corridor and opening the door, the sight before me made me want to cover my eyes instead of my nose. Textbooks covered the floor and the bed sheets were bundled up and left in the corner. On top of the desk were fancy and funky gadgets that formed a pyramid on the desk, forbidden from performing tasks they were made to do. However, because Mayu didn&#039;t read, there were no books or magazines in the room, let alone a book shelf.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hopped over the pile of textbooks and opened the closet as I let out a sigh. The clothes inside were also roughly bundled on top of each other, as if to not care about any wrinkles they could form. I dug through Mayu&#039;s clothes and obtained a shabby blanket. After brushing off the small layer of dust that had formed on it, I walked out the room carrying the blanket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So the reason the living room isn&#039;t messy was because she wasn&#039;t using it, huh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I headed in to the Japanese style room again while thinking how useless the living room was if no one lived in it. I opened up the blanket and as I tried to lay it on the two, Anzu-chan&#039;s fox like eyes reacted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; A sleepy Anzu-chan looked up at me with her eyes half shut.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the almsgiving of a kidnapper…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Congratulations for knowing such difficult words like &#039;almsgiving&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike the dinner from last night, due to her not having any physiological desires, she displayed a will of rejection. However.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s unfortunate but the only almsgiving you&#039;re going to get for now is from kidnappers so you should just choose to receive it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put the blanket over them. Anzu-chan objected in a muffled voice across the blanket. &amp;quot;I told you I don&#039;t need it.&amp;quot; She said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If I accepted your opinion, then as a consequence you&#039;re brother might catch a cold. Is that okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan clammed her mouth shut, made her eyes wander, then crawled under the blankets. I took that as a passive affirmation and turned around to leave the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks…&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a voice quieter than the hum of an insect. Maybe the mumble was not meant to have an audience. However, in the silence the mornings of the country side provided, it may have been better not to say it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It&#039;s for yesterday. Kouta told me to say it ok….&amp;quot; She added as if to explain herself. &amp;quot;My pleasure.&amp;quot; I mumbled in my mouth and left the room. I had completely forgotten how fulfilling acting like a hypocrite was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After feeding each other breakfast by &#039;saying ahh&#039; and the entire charade of playing the stupid couple, we left the room. Mayu had sealed her childish side up like yesterday. No words, nor emotion showed on her face as she walked beside me with a cold attitude. I wondered if walking out of a hotel as a couple committing adultery would act like this. I accepted that this was Mayu&#039;s method of defence against the world and I too worked at walking to school in silence. At the stairs of the school, I lent her my hand instead of the handrails when going up. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we arrived at the classroom, Mayu headed straight for her desk and hung her bag on the hook on the side. She then bent over her desk, and almost as if she was kissing it, went to sleep. The other half of the stupid couple thought to himself that the way she slept wasted her elegant looks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Nobody dared to talk to her. Mayu&#039;s sleep never got interrupted until after school. With the class tutor Kaminuma Sensei as the head of the pack, the entire cohort of teachers pretend to not see her sleeping. As a result, Mayu never been told off for bad behaviour in class.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should I wake her up at lunch break? Was I allowed to accompany her on the way out of school? I pondered as I rested my head on my elbow and gazed at Mayu sleeping in the shape of a C. In the end though, I decided to pretend she didn&#039;t exist, just like the teachers here.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For the entire day, Mayu slept and did not budge once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And with nothing worthy of mention occurring, school had ended.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the two handouts that we were given. One was a notice from the student council and the other was a pamphlet regarding the upcoming school trip. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The student council notice was full of announcements from the people with ill hearts that run this amazing school. It was exactly as it sounds. The contents included one line as a warning on the mass murder that is shaking up the entirety of japan. It wrote &#039;If you encounter someone holding something dangerous, please be careful&#039;. The phrase made me want to preach to them that what was really in danger was their brains. The rest was filled to the brim with the opinions, style and their respective heroic story of each member of the student council in different columns (the columns were ordered according to the hierarchy of the student council). As in the notice was carpeted with &#039;look at me, I&#039;m amazing&#039; articles. Since they were an organisation like that, I wouldn&#039;t want to fight them even if I were a mysterious transfer student. I folded the paper into an airplane and threw it in to the bin. Score.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The other hand out, the pamphlet for the school trip, included destinations, suggested amount of money to bring and phone numbers, and was targeted at parents. After flicking through it, I folded it then put it away.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Three weeks from now, the plan was for us students to go on a trip. The destinations was Kyushu. About a month ago, Kaminuma Sensei explained negligently that over three nights and four days we were to travel across the entirety of Kyushu. When I had heard this, I thought to myself about how about much Sugawara Michizane would be made fun of at Dazaifu Tenmangu[1].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Now, the Mayu that usually automatically revived herself after school seemed to not show any signs of coming back to life. I hesitated slightly on my next action. But I placed that thought and the potential retaliation I would get if I left without her, on the two sides of a scale and took the lighter option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked towards Mayu&#039;s desk through the back of the classroom to avoid attracting any attention, then shook her shoulders lightly. It was the first time anyone had done so and naturally the few gazes on me were unavoidable. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu mumbled some incomprehensible noises as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. And as she slurped up her drool, she slowly recognised me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Mii-kun?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah, let&#039;s go home, wha?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Woohoo.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
With a celebratory cry, Mayu jumped at me. I caught Mayu with my entire body, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
then Mayu and I smooched.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was very surprised, exclamation mark.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All the sound within the space called the classroom disappeared. The only sound echoed from inside of me. The movement of muscles, the creaking of the bones and the scraping of the joints. The beating of my heart. And the sound of Mayu&#039;s tongue squirming as if to collect all the saliva in my mouth. She caressed every inch of my mouth with her tongue, and slurped the saliva she had collected with an indecent sound. Around about there, she seemed to have woken up. She immediately stepped away from me in a flury.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..I made a mistake.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu wiped the drool that was leaking out from the side of her mouth with her fingers. Employing a poker face, she looked up at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………..Say good morning to the new situation, I guess…………&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m afraid I just built walls between me and my classmates. C&#039;mon guys, there&#039;s couples like this everywhere, I thought of saying out loud but I decided against it since I felt that that would be digging my own grave. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With prompt movements, Mayu roughly grabbed the handouts at its centre, and without a second look, threw them in to her bag. And then immediately stood up. This was no longer our place to be. Despite the fact that I never intended for this place to be where I belonged, I was now rejected entry on top of that. Although I didn&#039;t ever expect for things such as friendship with a bunch of local students that knew about the kidnapping anyway.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I walked out to the corridor together with Mayu. Mayu showed no reaction regarding her mishap in the classroom. She was fixing her unkempt clothes and acted calm almost as if nothing had happened.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I gathered from her attitude that she only showed her childish side to me. I was the exception. If I were asked if that made me happy… well let&#039;s say yes for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On another note though,  I observed something strange about Mayu&#039;s bag in the classroom. I asked her to show me what was inside once we got out in to the corridor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Sure?&amp;quot; She said as she handed me her bag. The bag she placed in my hands was feather weight. Inside, the bag was covered with discoloured handouts. Her textbooks and notebooks seemed to have made a mysterious disappearance and they were no where in sight. No wait, it&#039;s probably still left at home warming the floorboards of her room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my hand in and scooped out all the handouts. I observed within the pile the leaflet for the entrance ceremony, indicating that she had them stored in her bag since her first year. I decided to scrunch it into a ball and throw it out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I heard a voice reach out from the classroom and so I turned around. There Kaneko stood leaning on the door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What do you want, class rep.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko gave a vague smile in return to my frigid tone, and walked over to us. He kept his hands busy scratching his cheeks and putting it on his hips. Well if you&#039;re so busy don&#039;t bother us, I thought in my head.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not you. I&#039;m talking to Misono-san.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What do you want?&amp;quot; Mayu reacted instantly after hearing her name. She was not as hostile as she was yesterday, yet the cold attitude she masked herself with yesterday left an impression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, I was going to ask you yesterday, but what are some good features of our school?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu glanced at me for a moment, then simply replied &amp;quot;There aren&#039;t any&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uhhh….. So there aren&#039;t. Yeah, okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Due to the unsubstantial conversation consisting mostly of air, Kaneko pulled a pitiful expression. His drooping eyes stared hollowly right through Mayu and at me who was spectating the situation. It was a SOS signal sent from Kaneko. Along with the signal, however, was his lowly curiosity for the situation before. I pretended not to notice. When everything could end with a &#039;bye&#039;, I wondered why he couldn&#039;t say that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, um, you&#039;re going to leave me in a tight spot if there&#039;s nothing. I need an opinion from everyone.&amp;quot; He managed to squeeze out a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A free school attitude. Beautiful scenery. The satisfactory infrastructure. Are you satisfied now?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…Yeah. Sure.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s expression did just it&#039;s job, fully conveying his regret in asking. However, he added &amp;quot;Then let me ask one more thing.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you guys… Uh, dating?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kaneko&#039;s face lit up with a sense of accomplishment, as if it was his main goal to ask that question. Yet, Mayu&#039;s answer remained just as frank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And what good would that do me if I answer that.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….Uhhm.&amp;quot; Kaneko mumbled, as he reached his limit.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, if you&#039;ve got time to be hitting on girls, then go and work up a sweat swinging a bamboo sword.&amp;quot; A student walked out of the classroom next door and spoke in a joking manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He was the student council president and the kendo[2] club president as well as multiple other titles. His name was Sugawara Michizane, the man with many titles and just as many boastful talks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He wore the word omnipotent like a badge. It was hard for me to believe that he was human, just like I was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the unexpected help, Kaneko&#039;s face relaxed. However,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s not what we were talking about. Can you please not relate it to such senseless things.&amp;quot; Mayu seemed to not have the ability to recognise jokes. Without a thought for others, Mayu replied in an attacking tone. The student council president flashed a face of surpass for a moment, then quickly brushed her off with a &amp;quot;Well then, sorry for that&amp;quot;. He sent a sharp glance towards Kaneko, questioning what he was doing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Collecting ideas for the leaflet. Aren&#039;t these meant to be things that the club president takes the initiative and does?&amp;quot; Kaneko replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Just write that they can see me along with a picture, and problem solved.&amp;quot; Sugawara said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Haven&#039;t you ever heard of the &#039;customer attraction effect&#039;?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Despite his dumbfounded face from Sugawara Michizane&#039;s statement, Kaneko started a friendly conversation with him. A thin wall was put up. Through the obvious display of human relations, he prevented us from entering his conversation. With no longer any need for us stay here, I looked over to Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go home.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu simply replied &amp;quot;Let&#039;s&amp;quot; and held my hand. Even after we had finished climbing down the stairs, our hands were placed over each others until we arrived at the shoe lockers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As soon as we got home, Mayu happily announced &amp;quot;Let&#039;s do something naughty&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
But the Mayu who had enthusiastically jumped on to the sofa had already gone to dream land by the time I finished pulling my change of clothes out of my bag. She was sleeping on her face. Worried about her getting a crick while asleep, I carried her to her bed room and laid her rather small body on to the bed. With not even a hint of desire to do something erotic, I pulled the blanket over her and left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder when she&#039;s going to wake up….&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though embarrassing to admit, I had no ability to cook. I had to ready the two children their meals, even if I had to endure having none. After getting changed out of my school uniform, I slid open the fusuma door.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh, welcome back.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A voice called out. I stopped myself from replying &#039;You sound like you live here now&#039;. Instead I said &amp;quot;Yeah I&#039;m back&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two were still nestled together, just like yesterday. The only noticeable difference was that they now had a blanket across their laps, and that there was an empty plate which used to have breakfast on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, thank you for this.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said while swinging his fringe up and down as he bowed. He shyly pinched the blanket up with two fingers and smiled. Anzu-chan was facing her best friend, the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, say thank you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The older brother pulled on the sleeve of the younger sister. The younger sister scowled in discontent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Kouta are you stupid? This guy is a kidnapper. Why should we have to thank him?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was fair enough. Her statement was both simple yet logical.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan wasn&#039;t the one who kidnapped us.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This too was also true. Yet, it was not an argument I could ignore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wait a second, I want you think of me as the one who kidnapped you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two both put on a puzzled expression. It was only natural though. Common sense said both Mayu and I would be guilty. Despite my kind façade, because of my tacit approval of the kidnapping, the blatant truth was that I was an accomplice in crime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I don&#039;t need her to thank me. She already did this morning.&amp;quot; I added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan&#039;s mouth and eyes flapped open and shut. It was impressive how she could synchronise the movements of the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, as if to hide from Kouta-kun&#039;s gaze, escaped to the corner of the room. Maybe she had yielded to self-hatred, for her cheeks and ears were bright pink.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are probably hungry, right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun honestly nodded. His fear must&#039;ve lessened, as his head shaking movements had become less rapid. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Could you wait a bit. Oneesan&#039;s asleep at the moment. If she doesn&#039;t wake up soon then I&#039;ll go buy some bentos[3].&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In my head, I was fussing between going to the convenience store with normal priced and normal tasting bentos thirty minutes away, or to the local supermarket with horrible tasting and expensive bentos.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That oneesan sleeps a lot, doesn&#039;t she?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun made a wry smile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Last weekend, she went to sleep on Saturday and finally woke up on Monday morning.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
……I wondered if it could be called living if she spent more time asleep than awake.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well that was unfortunate. But it should be fine this week since I&#039;m here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you going to live here, Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess so. I&#039;m a new comer but please take good care of me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I stuck my arm out for a handshake in a joking manner. Kouta-kun&#039;s arm hesitantly reached out and his hand touched mine. It was slightly slimy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Grime huh…… A bath would be… difficult. I would like to let you but I can&#039;t let you roam too freely……&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If I took their fetters off and they bolted because of that, that would make me the epitome of fools. However, that left me with no options, no plans nor a flash of genius.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kuns hesitant voice invaded my train of thought.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is Oniisan, Oneesan&#039;s friend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not even close-la.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I pretended to be fluent in Singlish, but failed miserably. I continued on pretending that that didn&#039;t happen.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve never felt friendship for Mayu, and I&#039;m sure neither has Mayu for me. She&#039;s just someone important to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….You&#039;re saying some embarrassing things.&amp;quot; Anzu-chan mumbled. It must&#039;ve been a statement that was categorised as embarrassing from society&#039;s point of view. My English translations were much more embarrassing to mouth than this though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So it&#039;s probably just like your relationship.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We&#039;re not like that!&amp;quot; Anzu-chan snapped, instantly destroying Kouta-kun&#039;s face of happiness from being able to relate to me. Kouta-kun attempted to hide his loneliness as he forced a smile and agreed with Anzu-chan with a &amp;quot;You&#039;re right&amp;quot;. Due to the fact that Kouta-kun was saddened more than expected, Anzu-chan awkwardly looked down and went back to facing the wall.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, yeah…….. It&#039;s actually a lie. Yes, a lie. Mayu and I are just like a middle-aged couple. We&#039;re different from you guys who have only lived one digit worth of years. You&#039;re just like cicada larvae which had just crawled out of the dirt, while we&#039;re like bell crickets. You can&#039;t even compare to us. But male bell crickets get eaten by females in the end.&amp;quot; Feeling responsible for the mood, I attempted to patch things up for the moment. Naturally, it had an adverse effect. I received only a small laugh out of pity from Kouta-kun, while Anzu-chan angrily glared at me. I didn&#039;t have the talents of a class rep, because I was on the clean up commitee. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well well. And did you just want to confirm that Mayu and I were friends?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, uh, um.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you like Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Falling for a kidnapper huh. Probably stockholm syndrome.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no that&#039;s not it! That&#039;ll never happen!&amp;quot; Kouta-kun frantically shook his hands and head sideways, almost as if to rip them off, to display his denial. Hmm, how suspicious. Maybe he liked me. Although it&#039;s impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun looked down with his bright pink face which was pink even to the tip of his ears. I wondered what he thought of Anzu-chan&#039;s cold glare. Kouta-kun mumbled &amp;quot;It&#039;s not like that&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s too scary.&amp;quot; He continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There he paused for a moment.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Falling for her is a bit……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What? Then what about me!? I considered reacting in such hysteric manner.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her screaming is also questionable……&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm? …….Screaming?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I reacted to Kouta-kun&#039;s casual comment. Kouta-kun nervously nodded twice. Anzu-chan too, dipped her chin.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How do I say this, she screams really loudly in the middle of the night. But…. uh, it&#039;s not everyday.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Hmm.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my hand on my chin and pretended to be troubled. But without even having to think, it was clearly what society would call the illness of the heart.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s probably a type of PTSD…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wondered if the doctor knew of this. Mayu never went to her periodic appointments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess the conclusion easiest to deal with would be that she was saying things while half asleep…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, that was impossible. Mayu didn&#039;t have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night. And even though she went to sleep easy, she was also a poor riser. She never had enough energy to talk, let alone scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Didn&#039;t you know?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked in a surprised tone. But there was nothing surprising about it at all. After all, I knew nothing about Misono Mayu. All I knew was her name, nickname and pen name. Although obviously one is a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well I didn&#039;t want to know.&amp;quot; I answered Kouta-kun. I myself didn&#039;t know how much of that was a lie. The two just made some flat sounds of acknowledgement.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I lifted my body to go over to Mayu. But before that I decided to give the two another look. After observing the two from their hair whorl to the tip of their toe nails, I came to a decision to put my idea in to action.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it is a bit like a drop of water on to parched ground, or a drop of wine in barrel of polluted water….. Take your clothes off. I&#039;ll go give it a wash.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even though it would be much simpler if I gave them a dip in a bath, there was no way I could do that. The two widened their eyes, blinked multiple times, then finally reacted to my proposal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that really okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why? Is it not okay with you?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it really that surprising for me to do a good deed, you brat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, it is okay with me………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I seemed to have frightened him a little. I reflected on my actions. Like the international theme park, the land of dreams and happiness, I made the resolve to act politely to the customers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well, please take off your clothes for me.&amp;quot; I said in a soft tone as I reached out to them with my right hand. From Kouta-kun, I received his shirt, pants, and his undies which he took off with an embarrassed face. I moved my gaze towards Anzu-chan. She wriggled uncomfortably under the cover of the blanket. Then, she stuck out a bundle of clothes from underneath the blanket. I took the bundle then left the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the ball of horrible smells in my arms I arrived at the bathroom. I threw them in to the washing machine. The water had turned black as soon as I poured it in, before I had even put the detergent in. The filth was cringe worthy. Reluctantly, I fished the clothes out and washed them there by hand. With the filth scrubbed off the surface of the clothes, I then rinsed them, then shoved them back into the machine along with detergent and had it start it&#039;s job. After watching over it for a little while, I move on to my next task. I headed to the bathroom. Then washed my hands of the grime. After that, I readied a tub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I soaked a couple of towels in the tub of water, then carried it to their room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, wipe your bodies with this.&amp;quot; I said as I walked in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It must&#039;ve been quite a surprise, for their mouths were agape. As I had thought, good deeds don&#039;t suit me. Although I wasn&#039;t talented enough to do bad deeds either. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Thanks you so, so much.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun thanked me sincerely, almost as if he had forgotten our positions. Hm.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s most gracious of me, isn&#039;t it?&amp;quot; I joked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re right.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wait, you weren&#039;t supposed to agree.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun also crawled in to the blanket, then begun to wipe Anzu-chan&#039;s body. His over bearing behaviour was apparently the norm here. By the time the towel came out from underneath the blanket, it had discoloured itself to become ocherous. Kouta-kun dipped the towel back in to the hot water, then went back to wiping Anzu-chan. I couldn&#039;t see the efficiency of his work, however, I could tell that he was cleaning every inch of her body with care, just like he would an artwork. His gratis devotion reminded me of mandarine peeling. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I too had a younger sister. It was impossible for us to have such a good relationship, and we only shared half of the same blood. My selfish sister loved mandarines, and made it her main diet for the entire year. She had so much that her skin turned yellow. The peeling of the mandarines and the picking of the pith was my job. Although I never received a word of gratitude, I felt only nostalgia and no distaste for it now. Probably because I had no reason to hate her. It wasn&#039;t that I liked my sister though.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun crawled out of the blanket, indicating that he had finished polishing Anzu-chan. Anzu-chan too stuck her no longer filthy head out from underneath the blanket. I asked Anzu-chan, who now looked like a teruteru-bouzu[4], how she felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ikeda-san, are you feeling better?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, still gave a nod. Then she mumbled a word of forgiveness to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……..Anzu is fine.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu? Oh, you mean how I call you. Is that okay?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…………………………&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t make me say it twice, Anzu-chan&#039;s eyes said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, Anzu-chan.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t need the chan!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I shrugged from her remark opposite to that of Mayu&#039;s. It seemed that I had gained enough social link points to elevate me from negative two to the origin on the cartesian plane. In the next episode, I attempt to become a positive point on the graph.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stay tuned.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I waved my hand to the older brother, indicating that it was nothing. Speaking of which, I had never heard Kouta-kun being addressed as an older brother. I wondered if they do that when they&#039;re alone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After, flipping the towel over, Kouta-kun wrung the dirty water out and begun to wipe his own body. Unlike with Anzu-chan, he roughly went over his body, and finished faster than a lick and a promise.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That was refreshing.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said lighting up with a smile on his already bright face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Glad you liked it.&amp;quot; I said carelessly, as I went back to studying Kouta-kun&#039;s body. His skin was also pale blue, but something else had caught my eye.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was something that usually hid itself under their clothes. Bruises dotted his body. They were discoloured and looked like colonies of bacteria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……I&#039;ll bring you your clothes when they&#039;re dry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I snatched up the tub, then stood up. Their faces had a puzzled look, but I ignored it and hastily walked out. After closing the fusuma door, I walked as quietly as possible across the floor, poured the dirty water down the sink and rinsed the towel with cold water, wrung the towel, then finally mumbled to myself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What can I say…….&amp;quot; You brought some pretty troublesome kids, Maa-chan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although it&#039;s definitely not my hobby to stick my nose in to other people&#039;s business, I can&#039;t deny the possibility of getting too involved over the piling up of trifling observations such as this. And that&#039;s dangerous. Despite how I seem, I&#039;m a man of humanity. Or more like I can barely be called humane. Although they&#039;re both lies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They&#039;re probably not wounds that Mayu gave them…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From what had happened last night, it&#039;s hard for me to claim her innocence for such a nauseating reason as &#039;I like her&#039;. However, it was also hard to believe that Mayu would do such rational violence. To strike in areas which were usually not visible was not something I believed Mayu, with an int. of 19 points, could do. For example, if Anzu-chan showed signs of resistance, she would lift her feet and kick her across the face in a flash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……It really is a kidnapping that doesn&#039;t make sense.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In terms of the actual kidnapper, her only person of interest currently seemed to be me. I mean why did she even kidnap those children. Wait wait, that&#039;s it. I must get an exclusive coverage on this matter if I remember to by the time Mayu wakes up. It&#039;s not something I need to know, but just in case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spent a while listening to the whirl of the washing machine and staring at the ceiling. There weren&#039;t any stains that looked like a face. It was a clean and spotless scenery, but it was perfect for kick-starting my brain. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu&#039;s sleeping face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her face, like a sculpture with no expressions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I imagined Mayu asleep.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She laid there as if she had stopped breathing. Her body, she leaves entrusted to the land of dreams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For her, who was only filled with silence, to shriek in the middle of the night was all but,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
true. For I was to see it three days later.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a sound indescribable with words. The sharp-edged screech that seemed to slice through even the atmosphere, was similar to the howl of a beast. The outline of the room seemed to disfigurer itself under Mayu&#039;s scream.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu? Hey, Mayu!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I rushed to Mayu&#039;s bedroom, leaving the midnight infomercial on the television as it was, and pulled the light switch. Mayu was screaming as she laid across the bed with opaque eyes. I ran over and shook her shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She endlessly mouthed her curses. I sat her straight, and as if in response to it, Mayu held her own head and begun to tear at her scalp.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey, stop that!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS, MY HEAD HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well of course it hurts!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her blood shot eyes she stared at no where, and from her clenched teeth she spat out white foam. The thin arms, with the bones, strings of muscles and veins clearly defined, tried to fling me away. She whipped her hair back and forwards, and rampaged about in a chaotic manner. Mayu&#039;s hand hit me on the cheek and her nails tore at my skin leaving a fissure of heat in its stead. Blood trickled down from the cracks in my welt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTSSSS!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I get it, I get it! So calm down!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
My voice failed to reach her. If anything, it drove her further in to madness. Somewhere in my mind though, I understood that this was how our relationship was. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu reached up to her face and dug in to the skin around her eyes with her nails. With strength that could overpower someone her own age, she attempted to tear her own face apart. I grabbed her wrists with almost enough power to crush it, and tried to hold her down. It was for the best, even if I had snapped her arms, but thankfully it didn&#039;t come to that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Uh, ooh, oooooooh.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu&#039;s body suddenly gave way. Her body remained stiff, yet it was now directed at holding down the thing driving her insane. She growled, urging her own body to perspire.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I let go of Mayu&#039;s body, almost subconsciously. And as if that was the trigger, Mayu threw up on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With her limbs twitching, she sprayed out her gastric juices and insides on to the bed, accompanied by a horrendous sound. It rained even on my legs and knees, and enveloped the room with an acidic smell. Without being unable to move, let alone go and rub Mayu&#039;s back, I watched on as Mayu continued to throw up with tears streaming down her face. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After choking numerous times, Mayu went back to vomiting. Her insides escaped even from her nose, and Mayu rolled her eyes back and wheezed from being unable to breath. Despite that, she continued to lean forwards and puke. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A while later, Mayu finally stopped throwing up. Without even lifting her face once, she collapsed face first into the acid stained sheets. There, I finally went over to her. I sat her up, wiped her worn out face and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot; I spoke meaningless words to Mayu as she still struggled to breath.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;There&#039;s only you and me here. The people who are cruel to you aren&#039;t going to come. They&#039;ll never come. So it&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I rubbed her back, Mayu threw up a little again. The lukewarm liquid that ran down my neck gave me goose bumps. Yet, it didn&#039;t make me feel uncomfortable, and it didn&#039;t make me want to let her go either.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly, Mayu grabbed my wrist. Her unkempt nails dug in to my artery, almost penetrating inside.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop it.&amp;quot; Mayu said to someone. A few people she could&#039;ve said it to came to mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu saw.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What Mayu felt.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those were things that I too shared.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We stayed in that position for at least an hour. Mayu was still being tormented by her shaking, and held my wrist for the entire time. The hand was already congested with blood, and was producing a black colour from deep within the hand, coming extremely close to it becoming necrotic, or so I feared. But if that was what it took for Mayu  to calm down, then there was no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun…….&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s okay now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I wiped the sweat on her brows, the empty words I must&#039;ve repeated a hundred times left my lips again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Your cheek, its scratched. What happened? You&#039;re bleeding. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu pointed out my burning cheek as she squeezed some words out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;This? I just scratched it on a tree branch.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, I see. Does it hurt?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She stroked the wound with her finger tips. I decided that it was time to kill this topic and move on to the next.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Rather than that Maa-chan. Do you have the medicine you got from the doctor?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I spoke to her like a mother to her child. Mayu shook her head sideways a little.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why don&#039;t you go to the doctors?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Bu, but but, I don&#039;t like her. She always lies to me so I don&#039;t like her.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So you must hate me too Maa-chan. Well that&#039;s beside the point. I decided to give her the medicine I always carried around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ll go get my medicine so stay pu…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;N, no no no. I wan to go with Mii-kun too.&amp;quot; She pleaded as she hung on to my hips. I gave her a pat on the head and took it in. I got off the bed, carrying Mayu. Like holding the hands of a child, I wrapped her hands in mine and calmed her down by constantly repeating &#039;it&#039;s okay&#039;. I should&#039;ve practiced making smiles, I regretted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We headed to the living room, and pulled out the paper bag with the medicine in it out of the back pocket of my bag. I carried the paper bag in my mouth and walked towards the kitchen. After making Mayu, who looked uneasy, stand on her own feet, I pulled the glass cup out from within the shelf and filled it with water. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Here, you&#039;ll feel better after taking this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It wasn&#039;t some dangerous medicine. I took out two tablets and placed them on Mayu&#039;s hands. I attempted to hand over the glass of water to Mayu who was still shaking.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Ah!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu accidentally flicked the cup out of my hands. The cup hurtled downwards, hitting the chair on the way and colliding with the floor. The glass tube made a dull thud as its final scream, and shattered into large pieces.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I, i i, i, i&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry I&#039;m sorry.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu desperately pleaded for forgiveness from someone. She bent down in a fluster, rushing to clean the fragments littered across the floor. I stopped her from doing so and embraced her as I rubbed her back. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine, it&#039;s okay. No one&#039;s going to get angry at you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spilt water slid itself in between my toes. I stepped away in order to avoid stepping on the fragments, and patted Mayu&#039;s seemingly fragile shoulders. I brought out two new tablets, neglecting the ones littered on the floor, and placed them in her hands. Then I grabbed a new cup, filling that with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Put the medicine in your mouth.&amp;quot; I told Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Guiding her hands with my own, I made her thin lips part and placed the medicine on top of her pale peach coloured tongue. Then I placed Mayu&#039;s hand on my own this time, and slowly tilted the glass of water into her mouth. Her lips that were pushed up against the glass shook a little as the water ran down her throat. After watching her swallow it with a gulp, I let the glass go from her mouth. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn, good job.&amp;quot; I said as I lightly patted her head. Mayu clung to my body and buried her face in to my chest. After pouring out the remaining water back into the sink, I placed the cup down. Then I dragged Mayu to the L of the 3LDK, and caressed her on the sofa.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Do you want to watch some TV? I&#039;ll stay up until you fall asleep, Maa-chan.&amp;quot; I said softly. On the screen, the program had moved on from introducing the onion slicer to the advertising of a golden pearl.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun, Mii-kun.&amp;quot; Mayu called out. Her voice contained not even a trace of carefreeness, only desperation. I stroked her hair in the stead of a reply.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will never bully me right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I won&#039;t. I&#039;ll always be your ally.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s right, Mii-kun is an ally. Mii-kun is an ally…..&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu repeated the words as if she was sleep talking. As if she was trying to imprint it into her memory. I didn&#039;t say a word to avoid disrupting her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mii-kun will help me. In kindergarten he helped me from the bee. In elementary school he helped me from that mean teacher. He has always helped me. He will always, always be my ally. That&#039;s why Mii-kun won&#039;t bully me he will stay with me he will stay with me never betray me never lie to me.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……There there.&amp;quot; I said in an attempt to evade the topic. Because, you know, the last one was a bit….&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let&#039;s go the doctors tomorrow.&amp;quot; I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu shook her head sideways like a small animal. She looked like a chihuahua and it made me impressed how attractive people can look good in any situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s fine. I&#039;ll go with you. Then we can go on a date afterwards.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was like convincing a child who disliked syringes. Mayu extracted one word from the sentence and ruminated it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yes, a date. You don&#039;t want to go out with me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Again she chihuahua-ed her head and accepted my invite. The shake of the head was more exaggerated this time around.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to go play with Mii-kun.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep. Let&#039;s go to where you want to go and we can play.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although the only thing in the neighbourhood was a park. The sad thing about living in the country was that there weren&#039;t many options.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So we&#039;re going to the doctors right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since the two things were irrelevant, using &#039;so&#039; didn&#039;t even make sense. Yet Mayu nodded up and down. She got hooked on my bait easier than a goby.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay, I&#039;ll endure it. I&#039;ll go see that liar. Mii-kun&#039;s coming too right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Of course&amp;quot; I replied. Then, as if she had finally calmed down, Mayu relaxed her body on to the sofa like a plant that was given too much water. She watched as the television screen introduced an exercise machine that burned twice as much calories as a normal one, then finally closed her eyelids. With silent breaths, Mayu stopped her movements like someone had flicked her switch off.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and flicked the television switch off as well. While leaving Mayu asleep on the sofa, I headed to her bed room. I pulled the dirty sheets off and bundled it up like how I had found it in the beginning. Then I brought out my blankets, which were free of vomit, and returned the room back to the embrace of the darkness and headed back to Mayu. I placed the blankets over Mayu, and after gazing at her sleeping face for a while I whispered good night to her like usual. And just like usual, there was no reply from Mayu. Then I turned the light off in the room.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
….I&#039;m sure it&#039;s needless to say, but Mayu and I shared a bed. Naturally, all we do in the bed was sleep. A very healthy relationship. Our relationship was far from a R rating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The cold air made me shiver a little. The coldness of the floor was like that of the shadow of winter. I quickly chose to escape in to sleep, and pondered on where I could sleep. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Umm…&amp;quot; Kouta-kun&#039;s hesitant voice was transmitted to me from through the fusuma door. I turned around, opened the fusuma door and stepped on to the tatami mats. I pulled the string hanging from the low ceiling and turned on the fluorescent lights.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two sat huddled together under the cover of the blanket. However, their expressions were sleepy and they constantly scratched their eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You have a stain on your shirt.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I was on a merry-go-round all night with a hangover. But rather than that, did I wake you up?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh it&#039;s fine. We&#039;re used to it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Used to it?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange thing to say. It must&#039;ve been a slip of the tongue for those two though, for Anzu-chan mumbled &amp;quot;You idiot, Kouta.&amp;quot; and pinched his belly. Kouta-kun tried to quietly laugh his way out of being questioned. Again. Again, I was overcome by the feeling of something piling up. Actually, I was ninety percent sure what the disaster these two were going through was at this point. Even though I am a person who doesn&#039;t like to get involved, I wished that they stopped dropping so many hints. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had to change the topic. I had to create an offset to deviate myself from where I was headed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But it really is surprising, how we don&#039;t get an eviction warning when we made so much noise……..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suddenly it clicked. So much so that I wanted to strap a light bulb on to my head and express it to the world.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oniisan?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I finally realised the reason for my sense of discomfort. Their situation didn&#039;t overlap with mine, and so I was unable to see through it despite it being right in front of my face. That was a measure that we too didn&#039;t have to go through, but only because it was unnecessary in our situation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why is that?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To my question directed at nobody, Kouta-kun looked up with a dubious face. Anzu-chan made no reaction at all.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was something so simple. I was having a conversation with these children. That meant that they&#039;re mouthes weren&#039;t gagged nor blocked in any way. If Mayu&#039;s rampage hadn&#039;t been reported then it would mean that the walls had decent sound proofing. However, it was also a fact that the children had their limbs free. If they slammed on the walls and screamed at the top of their lungs, it was most likely that it would reach the room next door. And if this room was checked even once, the fetters would ironically become immovable proof that we were guilty, and their cuffs on their wrists would be transferred over to our wrists.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s so full of holes.&amp;quot; I voiced my surprise. This kidnapping was poorly planned and poorly carried out. Just like Mayu from moments back, I felt like tearing out my hair. I didn&#039;t want to see the reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Um, you guys….&amp;quot; I paused my sentence midday. Um, you guys, why are you even here. I felt like asking. But at the same time, I felt that the moment I asked would be the moment my suspicions became reality.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Kouta-kun had his eyes widened in surprise from my overly suspicious behaviour. Maybe he was faithfully waiting for me to say something. On the other hand, Anzu-chan didn&#039;t have her usual frown on her face, and instead had a sleepy expression.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey.&amp;quot; She mumbled lazily.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That woman.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She&#039;s not &#039;that woman&#039;, call her Oneechan.&amp;quot; I urged in a slightly threatening tone. How dare she call her &#039;that woman&#039;. &#039;That woman&#039; is my woman. Although it&#039;s a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anzu-chan complied without objection, possibly due to her being overwhelmed or maybe because she was sleepy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that Oneechan funny in the head?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was an extremely straight forward and true statement. I had absolutely no intention of yelling &#039;Watch your tongue you brat&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Anzu, you can&#039;t just say that.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun warned her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However although you couldn&#039;t just say that, it was also the most accurate description of Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;No, it&#039;s fine. If someone asked me if that was a karaoke competition, then they would also belong in the same category as Mayu. ……Although I&#039;m pretty sure the screws in her head were tight enough.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I acknowledged Anzu-chan&#039;s words. But it wasn&#039;t that I had negative opinions on Mayu however. The fact was that I had felt a certain amount of attraction to those elements of her. Mayu lacked control over her emotions, but because of that it was possible for her to give birth to a sensibility different to normal people. Although the difference between unique brilliance and something insane was paper thin. And so it was difficult for me to decide which category to place Mayu in.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If these children get to know her better, they would probably understand too…… But, before that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;….She has enough screws but she failed in the construction phase. Someone interfered you see.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though I didn&#039;t make a hobby out of telling people&#039;s past.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For some reason I couldn&#039;t help but explain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And so I exposed the past to these outsiders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu&#039;s parents were killed right in front of our eyes.&amp;quot; I spoke with no emotion in my voice. Actually I couldn&#039;t. I was unsure of which emotion to use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I guess it was at that moment that both Mayu and my screws came a bit loose. Mayu&#039;s loose enough to tell at a glance. ……But mine too are a bit…..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I don&#039;t find the faults in Mayu&#039;s actions, nor do I feel guilt. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I put my heart to sleep, so that I could stay this way.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I observed the two&#039;s expressions. Kouta-kun looked slightly frightened, while Anzu-chan showed no reaction at all. Since they were pretty casual reactions, I decided to conclude casually as well.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, if you ever speak ill of her, I would rather you abuse me in her stead. I don&#039;t mean it in a perverted way. It&#039;s just that me being bad-mouthed is more bearable. Yeah that&#039;s it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I concluded quickly towards the end. I was embarrassed enough to dig myself a hole and hide in it. I can&#039;t believe I said &#039;abuse me&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the story time over, I had no intention to head into question time, however the slightly awake Anzu-chan threw a simple question at me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Why do you protect that Oneechan to that extent?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Because I like her so, so, so much, and I l××e her. Although it&#039;s a lie, maybe.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s because she&#039;s important to him, Anzu.&amp;quot; Kouta-kun replied instead of me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sensing that the conversation was heading in a direction I preferred not to go down, I decided to change the topic. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;A while back, someone was asked a similar question.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……? Who was?&amp;quot; Kouta-kun asked. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without using a specific name I gave an answer.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Somebody&#039;s mum. She was killed protecting her child. She, despite being frightened to the point of shaking, didn&#039;t hesitate to say this.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused for a moment, then repeated the words I had once heard word for word.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Because I&#039;m her mum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The two frowned a little. Maybe they thought it was a made up story.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But this wasn&#039;t a lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I could remember her mum say that like it was yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That was one of the few memories I could never lie to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And that was my biggest reason as to why I protected Mayu.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The heavy metal blasting at full volume pierced through the doors and into my ears.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The only person scowling at the back ground music unfit for the peaceful daytime scenery outside the waiting room windows was me. It was because I was the sole person in the vicinity. The building, which stood at the base of an uninhabited mountain and a fair distance away from the barely populated town, didn&#039;t smell too much of disinfectant. This was because this was a hospital for the heart. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The white door with faded paint opened. Mayu shut the door loudly behind her with discontent written all over her face. She collapsed in to the chair next to mine.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hey. How was it?&amp;quot; I spoke to her raising my voice a little. If I didn&#039;t do so, my voice would&#039;ve been drowned out by another sound.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;i&#039;m never coming again. I hate that liar.&amp;quot; Without bothering to hide her own childish behaviour, Mayu spat out her disapproval. Today, Mayu was wearing her Sunday&#039;s best that I washed for her, while wearing her beret over her eyes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;What did she lie about?&amp;quot; I asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I don&#039;t know. A liar&#039;s words aren&#039;t worth remembering.&amp;quot; She replied.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But for some reason you remember mine. And I can&#039;t understand why.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After fixing the position of Mayu&#039;s hat that tilted a little when she had sat down, I stood up from my seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can you wait while I&#039;m gone? It&#039;s my turn next.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Definitely not.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mayu kicked like a child throwing a tantrum. In that instant, her skirt flicked up a little and I caught sight of the distinct outline of a long and thin scar on the insides of her thighs. So, I see you&#039;ve been well. It&#039;s good to see you again… not.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You said we&#039;re going to go on a date. There&#039;s no point in staying here.&amp;quot; Mayu complained.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her brown boots repeatedly hit the floor and the sound echoed through the corridors. However, that too was overwritten by the sounds of music. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Today&#039;s my appointment too. Please be patient for a bit.&amp;quot; I pleaded with my hands clasped together like a prayer. Straight away, my prayer was answered as Mayu reluctantly nodded with her face still brimming with discontent. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Date tomorrow too.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And the day after as well.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;If you&#039;re fine with it being at the school labs or in the gymnasium.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just like that, I received permission to enter the room from the girl who didn&#039;t own the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I opened the creaky doors. In the room was a woman with a ponytail sitting beside the window. She moved her gaze to me as I walked in. She wore a spotless white coat with a blue miniskirt. Her slippers were littered on the floor, and her legs were placed on the desk.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She hash&#039;t changed a bit, has she.&amp;quot; That was the first thing she mouthed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Really hasn&#039;t changed at all since she was a child. Oh but I guess the &#039;where&#039;s Mii-kun&#039; changed in to a &#039;Mii-kun&#039;s here&#039;. Although that&#039;s not a change for the better.&amp;quot; She continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She yawned as she carelessly threw Mayu&#039;s medical records on to her desk. I wondered why this no-good doctor relaxed every time I walked in. Was she confusing me as some drinking buddy of hers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So I wonder what you want by bringing back the selfish girl that forcefully discharged herself from this hospital, &#039;Mii-kun&#039;?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That name is for exclusive use by Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yeah yeah, you stupid couple.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She scratched her eyes and turned around on her creaky chair, finally facing me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Sakashita Koibi. A psychiatrist who became thirty just recently, but still was single. The only reading she ever did was manga. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;And I wonder what came over you. Revealing yourself to Misono.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe like she was appraising an art work. It was a gesture that suited her intelligent and beautiful looks. If only she wasn&#039;t bear feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Can I choose to only answer your first query?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Whatever. You only lie anyway.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She could see right through me. Due to our relationship dating back to my days in elementary school, she seemed to know my personality inside out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mayu became a girl with a hurting head in the middle of the night. I was worried so I came to see you so you could diagnose it. That&#039;s all.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the middle of the night….. Are you living together?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi narrowed her eyes in reaction to my statement as she questioned me in an interrogating tone. If you&#039;re a psychiatrist, shouldn&#039;t you at least react a little to the word &#039;head&#039;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;We just eat and sleep under the same roof&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is called living together.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi finished my sentence.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;In the limited space we have on planet earth and living as a Japanese citizen on this small island, in the spirit of the efficient use of land we decided to share the same living space for effective practical use of the land&amp;quot; &amp;quot;which is why you&#039;re living together. I get it okay.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…..Are you angry?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Very.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She tapped her temple with her fingertips in time with the music, while rhythmically tapping the floor with her toes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Although it&#039;s a lie.&amp;quot; She said, copying my usual line. But with such anger in her voice, it was most likely that her lie itself was a lie. Dr. Koibi had her eyes closed for a few moments, then shook her head putting an end to her internal discord.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I thought this might happen when you and Misono came in here side by side.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Did we look like the perfect couple?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Are you stupid?&amp;quot; She scorned at me. Then she sighed as pushed her fingers up against her forehead.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I feel like I just had my pet dog stolen by a stray cat.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s some dramatic situation.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You were so adorable when we first met. Instead of Dr. Koibi, you used to say &#039;doctorr&#039; and you followed me around everywhere….. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a teenaged kid.&amp;quot; She complained in a lamenting tone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well your life isn&#039;t mine to control so theres nothing I can say, I guess. Even if you were to fester or rot. But I do have to question if it&#039;ll be helpful to Misono&#039;s conditions.&amp;quot; She continued, saying the first doctor like thing today.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The fact that you&#039;re there for her isn&#039;t necessarily full of positives. If anything it&#039;s just the opposite. If you give it too much fertiliser then it&#039;ll kill it you know.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But our relationship is brimming with l××e. And l××e is the most precious emotion.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Correct.&amp;quot; Not even for a second did I really believe what I said. The doctor made an expression that looked like a mix of slight disgust and wryness. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;ve made a habit of lying. Almost beyond repair. At least try and abstain from it a little.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;But Dr. Koibi, asking a person not to lie is like asking a soccer player not to kick something or to tell a mountaineer not to climb mountains because it&#039;s dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re perfectly right, I&#039;ll agree with that. But that doesn&#039;t apply for you. A soccer lover or a mountain maniac have something that makes them a little different from you. A soccer player would choose what to kick. Mostly soccer balls, and maybe some people and vending machines. But that&#039;s about it. Even a mountaineer wouldn&#039;t try and conquer a mountain of food. What I&#039;m saying is, it&#039;s controlled. That&#039;s the difference between them and you. For someone like you whose existence itself is a lie, this theory that only applies to normal humans obviously can&#039;t be applied to you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
She just casually said I&#039;m not a human. Was that an insult. It was hard to decide. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Choosing to leave that issue until later, I decided to get back to the main topic of this conversation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So, about Mayu.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Her hips were damaged. Keep the rough hanky panky to a minimum.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Stop making things up. We&#039;ve only kissed in public.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s more of a public nuisance to the good citizen then what I said.&amp;quot; She teased with a smug look. In response I replied in a more stern tone in an attempt to get on with the main issue.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I want to talk about Mayu&#039;s mental condition, Dr. Sakashita Koibi.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi glared at me with scornful eyes, then spoke in a cold tone&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;People are all liars. Especially me. Mii-kun is the only truth.&amp;quot; She spat out the cluster of words which hadn&#039;t changed one bit from a long time ago, and voiced her surrender.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s impossible for me to treat that girl. I&#039;ll prescribe you some medicine, so make sure you feed her them everyday. And when you put Mayu to bed, make sure to turn off the lights. That should hopefully stop her compulsive rampages.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From the solution the doctor gave me, I sensed one thing. Mayu&#039;s rampage was compulsive. Yet, it didn&#039;t happen during the day at school. The reason it was limited to night was probably because she had a trauma concerning darkness.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I see. I could relate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Misono isn&#039;t conscious of her own scars from her past. That&#039;s why she goes to bed with the light off. I&#039;ve only prescribed her medicine twice in the past as well. I wonder how long she&#039;s been suffering.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Her voice insinuated that she didn&#039;t really care. Well if Mayu kept telling her to shut up and constantly called her a liar so I guess it&#039;s reasonable that she didn&#039;t feel too happy about her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Even if you tell me it&#039;s impossible….. This doesn&#039;t mean that other doctors could heal her right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi lifted the corner of her mouth in the shape of a smirk. But she was in no way smiling.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I wonder how low you think of me as a doctor, I should interrogate it out of you one day. Well, leaving that aside for now, Misono&#039;s treatment huh….. Hey, I wonder what &#039;to treat&#039; means.&amp;quot; Dr. Koibi returned a question to my question. It didn&#039;t sound like a teacher-like question, but instead sounded as if she was asking a high school friend something that just popped in to her mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Wouldn&#039;t it just be to heal a wound through a medical cure?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Yep, one hundred points for you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But despite that she still let out a sigh. She never said full marks so maybe the upper limit was two hundred points.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;So all that needs to be done is to heal the wound right?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I believe so.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Then if the treatment to cure the wound killed the patient in the process, would he still be &#039;treated&#039; if the wound closed as a result?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….No, I think that&#039;s wrong.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without reacting to my words, she changed her position in her chair and fell in to deep thought. Her fingertips incessantly tapped at her crossed knees, and with her other hand she leant on her elbow. It was a habit of hers to tap at things with her fingers and feet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Wiping my existence from her consciousness, she stayed absorbed in her thoughts. Well there was no need for her to treat me as a patient today so I guess I couldn&#039;t complain.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;……Um, I think I&#039;ll leave for today.&amp;quot; I said as I prepared to stand up. There, Dr. Koibi spoke to me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Let me tell you a something.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was a strange way to start a conversation. With her posture unchanged, she directed her melancholic eyes to me. I sat my half-raised bum back in to the seat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a casual tone, she spoke.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You guys are being suspected as murderers.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I nearly spurted something out but I managed to suppress it along with the shaking of my fingers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Recently it seems theres been some cases of murder around here.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi, the uncivilised member of society who only used the television as a mirror and the news paper as an insect killing weapon, proudly said so as if she was leaking top secret information. Was I meant to point out to her that she lived under a rock?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You watch out too if you encounter someone holding something dangerous.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;…….Were you ever in the student council?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I never did anything other than the clean up committee.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well that&#039;s strange. ……But back on topic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Who may suspect someone as innocent as me?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Obviously a detective or a police officer. Only psychoes like them can be happily chatting with someone while suspecting them to be a murderer.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;That&#039;s true. And, so who&#039;s that person spreading such fanatic lies.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The easy-chair police.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That just sounded like a neglect of duty.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Were you friendly with the police?&amp;quot; I asked. I was pretty sure I remembered her abusing them to no end when she had been caught speeding last time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Hm. I wish you wouldn&#039;t ask this psychometric mind assassin such foolish questions.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What was this liar even talking about. The doctor continued to talk without a care to my reactions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;My high school friend is a female cop that&#039;s not a sukeban[5]. She asked me quite a bit about you guys. She&#039;d always been a strange one. In her writing piece in elementary school she wrote that she wanted to be a detective.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without sounding nostalgic at all, she stated bluntly. Maybe for her, the memories she had of high school were as fresh as yesterday, disregarding her age.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;She did say that she was the only one that suspected you though. I guess you&#039;re suspect candidates now.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Suspect candidates huh. That sounds a little redundant.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh dear.&amp;quot; I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;They must really be having trouble with their investigation if their suspecting such modest law-abiding citizens like us.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Theres a lot of reasons to suspect you, you know. People who had been involved in a crime in the past are likelier to become a criminal themselves. You&#039;re also close to a psychiatrist. You have no social life. You&#039;re the animal caretaker at school. Although one of them is a lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Are you sure that&#039;s one. And how are you copying my catchphrase so accurately.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well if you ask me, personally I wouldn&#039;t be too surprised if Misono&#039;s suspected.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;How could anyone suspect someone as innocent, childish and slow at running away as Mayu?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You&#039;re not doing a very good job of protecting her. What with all your low opinions of her. Anyway, she said she&#039;d like to talk to you guys about it.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not in the interrogation rooms, I hope.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Maybe it&#039;ll be in the cells.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A joke that&#039;s not funny can&#039;t be called a joke. Instead it&#039;s called the truth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;As the potential victim, I would rather not meet her whether it be for private or business purposes.&amp;quot; Although it was a subtle lie.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Well thats up to you so you can reject it if you&#039;d like. She&#039;s an interesting person though. She&#039;s a little like you.&amp;quot; She smiled softly as she said so.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Someone a little like me huh. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
…….She must be some twisted person then.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;The only difference is that you&#039;re just a liar, but she mixes the truth and lies as she speaks.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Oh great.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I can bet on it. She&#039;s twisted.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With the music blaring its climax, I lifted my self from the chair. There, I asked her a question that just popped in to my mind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Don&#039;t you get complaints?&amp;quot; I asked as I pointed the audio system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dr. Koibi just lazily replied &amp;quot;Nah&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;It&#039;s popular with the death metal lady.&amp;quot; She added.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s great that its popular but try not let the death get to her.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I play the music requested by the patients so it&#039;s generally welcomed. Although, when there aren&#039;t any requests, I either don&#039;t play anything or I play what I want.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Is that so. Strange how I&#039;ve never been asked. Not even once. Anyway, I think I&#039;ll go now. I&#039;ve got a date.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Lucky you. Want to trade with my weekend?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Not one bit.&amp;quot; I rejected straight away. I had no desire to sit in a manga cafe all day. I bowed down further than usual, then quickly raised my head. I turned around, nearly tripping on my own foot, then I hurriedly headed to the exit. I placed my hand on the door knob, then paused.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Dr. Koibi.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;Mmn?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I&#039;ve killed a person before.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The reply didn&#039;t come for a while. Maybe she didn&#039;t hear me. But that was fine too. I twisted the door knob and pushed the door open. Once I was out on to the corridor a voice reached me from behind.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;You lie.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Without saying &#039;correct&#039;, I headed away from the room. In the corridor seats sat the death metal lady, humming to the music despite turning blue from the lack of oxygen. If she were to introduce herself as a ghost it wouldn&#039;t have caught me by surprise. Mayu was asleep on the seats, detached from all of the racket.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;………………………..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I went and picked up the prescribed medicine, then piggybacked her back to her apartment. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And I sat beside her, pondering which lies to tell her for when she woke up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[1]Dazaifu Tenmangu - A shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.&lt;br /&gt;
[2]kendo - A modern Japanese martial art involving sword fighting&lt;br /&gt;
[3]bento - A Japanese lunchbox&lt;br /&gt;
[4]teruteru-bouzu - A white doll that&#039;s thought to bring good weather&lt;br /&gt;
[5]sukeban - A female delinquent. Also a reference to the manga Sukeban Deka (Female delinquent cop)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Back to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
| Forward to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chani:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:Jsmi47&amp;diff=386088</id>
		<title>User talk:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:Jsmi47&amp;diff=386088"/>
		<updated>2014-08-27T13:11:00Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;==Joining projects and starting new ones==&lt;br /&gt;
Hello, I think I can help you with some of the questions you&#039;ve asked Onizuka-gto.  General guidelines on joining new projects can be found &#039;&#039;&#039;[[Help:Getting_Started#Joining_an_Active_Project|here]]&#039;&#039;&#039;.  I see you&#039;re already familiar with registration pages, so for Alderamin, the other thing in there I&#039;d suggest is contacting Veracitea at his/her &#039;&#039;&#039;[[User_talk:Veracitea|talk page]]&#039;&#039;&#039;; since he/she is an active translator, you two can discuss what parts you&#039;d each like to translate (ie some translators like to complete a whole volume themselves).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For starting a new project, the guidelines can be found &#039;&#039;&#039;[[Help:New_Project_Startup_Guidelines|here]]&#039;&#039;&#039;.  But if you don&#039;t think you&#039;re up for creating the teaser project page (&amp;quot;project overview page&amp;quot;) yourself, you can either post your translation or ask for help creating the page in Usotsuki Mi-kun to Kowareta Ma-chan&#039;s &#039;&#039;&#039;[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&amp;amp;t=4845 future project suggestion thread]&#039;&#039;&#039; in the forums. (Though the forums have been having some difficulties recently, so you it&#039;s possible you&#039;d have trouble logging on.) --[[User:Cthaeh|Cthaeh]] ([[User talk:Cthaeh|talk]]) 06:16, 14 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Alderamin on the Sky ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I appreciate the offer to help me translate, but I was hoping for this to be a personal project &amp;gt;.&amp;lt;  (maybe I&#039;ll update the page to reflect that soon) it seems that you have a lot of novels you&#039;d like to translate, so I wish you good luck with those :)  [[User:Veracitea|Veracitea]] ([[User talk:Veracitea|talk]]) 14:50, 14 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Tenkyou no Alderamin ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dear Jsmi47,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The project mentioned is a teaser that lack both a administrator or manager, therefore welcomes any potential translators as it can get.&lt;br /&gt;
However reading the discussion of the lead translator of that project,it does seem s/he express the desire to translate the entire volume (vol.1), as a lead translator s/he has now been assigned as the project Manager.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While the Baka-Tsuki policy allows freedom to contribute and deny exclusivity of any project to any one person that rely on a &amp;quot;first serve, first come&amp;quot; registration process, it is however highly encourage that you open a dialogue with the existing translator to avoid conflict.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As mentioned before, you have a vast number of projects here that you seem to be interested in and who would more then welcome you and i highly recommend that you take your time to check out the other projects before committing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Whatever you decide, i look forward to seeing your contribution on Baka-Tsuki and thank you for the desire to help bring more light novels to the english speaking community.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
And finally, may you have fun translating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Best Regards,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka-GTO 21:19, 14 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Options other than Alderamin==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hmm, things may change later and they almost always do. Only a handful of people finish entire series (and I really mean A handful ^_^; ). But I think the stuff on your user page is enough to keep you busy for at least half a decade if not more. ^_^;  I solicited Veracitea&#039;s help in Alderamin when she tried to join a project of mine and it seems she has taken an intense liking to the series ^_^; If you are looking for a challenge or some other really great stuff that has yet been turned to English, feel free to ask me or the other veteran translators and readers on BT. Most of them are (or are lurking) in the forum (except me  ^_-; ) There are actually gazillions of good stuff that don&#039;t even have teasers yet. Or better yet, wait for the upcoming &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2015&amp;quot; (in Nov) and you can see what stuff are being missed for the year. Cheers --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] ([[User talk:Larethian|talk]]) 04:43, 15 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== New Series ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dear Jsmi47,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To start a new page on baka-Tsuki, you have only you to grab out url:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;nowiki&amp;gt;http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=&amp;quot;name of new project&amp;quot;&amp;lt;/nowiki&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Where you fill in the &amp;quot;name of new project&amp;quot; part, but without the quotes &amp;quot;&amp;quot; marks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To create the layout, the easiest way is to simply copy one of the teasers or full projects and change it accordingly.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please be aware you must tag your new projects as a teaser, as you need at least one volume worth of scripts to be formally approved by Baka-Tsuki, so to prevent deletion by staff, just tag it as a teaser.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you want more details, here are additional help pages:&lt;br /&gt;
[[Help:New_Project_Startup_Guidelines|Project Startup Guidelines]]&lt;br /&gt;
and&lt;br /&gt;
[[Baka-Tsuki:Project_Overview_Page_Conventions|Project Overview Page Conventions]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hope this answers your question, feel free to ask again if you have any more.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thank you for helping bring more light novels to the community and i look forward to your activities on the wiki.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Best Regards,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka-GTO 08:02, 19 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, I see you have started a new project. If you created a feedback/discussion thread in the forums it might be beneficial for people to discuss and/or for you to recruit staff to help along.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please feel free to approach any of the forum staff to help you if you need assistance--[[User:Hayashi s|Hayashi s]] ([[User talk:Hayashi s|talk]]) 14:10, 19 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello. Firstly, big thanks for translation of Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan. And I just wanted to confirm, is class rep really a boy? Maybe I&#039;m wrong, but AFAIK Kaneko (金子) is a girl&#039;s name.&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:CBuHoKoT&amp;diff=386084</id>
		<title>User talk:CBuHoKoT</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:CBuHoKoT&amp;diff=386084"/>
		<updated>2014-08-27T12:47:16Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;== Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi CBuHoKoT, thanks for reading my translation of Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan. Kaneko is indeed a boy. As I wrote in the project specific guideline on the wiki, the names in the story retain their narrative order. This means that Kaneko is a surname and not a given name. I hope that cleared up any misunderstandings. By the way, the next chapter is coming out tomorrow so feel free to check it out^^ [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] ([[User talk:jsmi47|talk]]) 10:45, 27 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:CBuHoKoT&amp;diff=386083</id>
		<title>User talk:CBuHoKoT</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:CBuHoKoT&amp;diff=386083"/>
		<updated>2014-08-27T12:46:01Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan */ new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;== Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi CBuHoKoT, thanks for reading my translation of Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan. Kaneko is indeed a boy. As I wrote in the project specific guideline on the wiki, the names in the story retain their narrative order. This means that Kaneko is a surname and not a given name. I hope that cleared up any misunderstandings. By the way, the next chapter is coming out tomorrow so feel free to check it out^^&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=385762</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=385762"/>
		<updated>2014-08-26T14:03:54Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*Alderamin on the sky&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoneta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see I tend to like minor light novels over mainstream ones. I guess you could call me a LN hipster. So yea, if you want a &#039;not so famous&#039; series you&#039;d like to get translated contact me with my email below. (This does not mean I will automatically prioritise your suggestions over my other works.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=385760</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=385760"/>
		<updated>2014-08-26T14:01:30Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*Alderamin on the sky&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoneta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see I tend to like minor light novels over mainstream ones. I guess you could call me a LN hipster. So yea, if you want a &#039;not so famous&#039; series you&#039;d like to get translated contact me with my email below. (This does not mean I will automatically prioritise your suggestions over my other works.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Mercury|jsmi47]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=385759</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=385759"/>
		<updated>2014-08-26T14:01:11Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*Alderamin on the sky&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoneta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see I tend to like minor light novels over mainstream ones. I guess you could call me a LN hipster. So yea, if you want a &#039;not so famous&#039; series you&#039;d like to get translated contact me with my email below. (This does not mean I will automatically prioritise your suggestions over my other works.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Mercury|Mercury]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=384852</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=384852"/>
		<updated>2014-08-23T15:41:41Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*Alderamin on the sky&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoneta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see I tend to like minor light novels over mainstream ones. I guess you could call me a LN hipster. So yea, if you want a &#039;not so famous&#039; series you&#039;d like to get translated contact me with my email below. (This does not mean I will automatically prioritise your suggestions over my other works.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=384844</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=384844"/>
		<updated>2014-08-23T15:12:04Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*Alderamin on the sky&lt;br /&gt;
*Eromanga-sensei&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoneta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see I tend to like minor light novels over mainstream ones. I guess you could call me a LN hipster. So yea, if you want a &#039;not so famous&#039; series you&#039;d like to get translated contact me with my email below. (This does not mean I will automatically prioritise your suggestions over my other works.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=384843</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=384843"/>
		<updated>2014-08-23T15:11:23Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a noob translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*Alderamin on the sky&lt;br /&gt;
*Eromanga-sensei&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoeta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see I tend to like minor light novels over mainstream ones. I guess you could call me a LN hipster. So yea, if you want a &#039;not so famous&#039; series you&#039;d like to get translated contact me with my email below. (This does not mean I will automatically prioritise your suggestions over my other works.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=383611</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=383611"/>
		<updated>2014-08-19T15:51:49Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Guidelines|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Gallery (Spoilers)]]&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Color Pages]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Epilogue|Epilogue]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Registration_Page&amp;diff=383608</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Registration Page</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan:Registration_Page&amp;diff=383608"/>
		<updated>2014-08-19T15:41:01Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: Created page with &amp;quot;To re-iterate the registration procedure:  *You are required to register which chapters you wish to work on. One portion of text per translator, please.  *Registration is on a...&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;To re-iterate the registration procedure:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*You are required to register which chapters you wish to work on. One portion of text per translator, please.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Registration is on a &amp;quot;First Come, First Served&amp;quot; basis. Please register your intended chapters on the project&#039;s registration page.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Maximum number of translators per volume is two, unless the volume is a collection of smaller stories. Another way to interpret this is no more than two translators should be working on the same &amp;quot;story arc&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Translators may only register for portions of one volume at a time within each project. This is to prevent &amp;quot;biting off more than you can chew&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*The Registration page is not a binding contract, and translators are encouraged to negotiate between themselves which portions to register for.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Anonymous Translated Contributions are required to inform [[User:Thelastguardian|thelastguardian]] and the designated Project Supervisor of the intend Chapters as shown on the corresponding Registration page before any major contribution.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Portions that are not updated for a significant time may be taken over by another translator after getting permission from the Project Supervisor. The new translator is encouraged to start over to maintain consistency, but the old translation will not be deleted at least until the new translation is finished (and probably not for some time after that).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 1 - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] - &#039;&#039;&#039;Completed&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 2 - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 3 - [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*Chapter 4&lt;br /&gt;
::*Epilogue&lt;br /&gt;
::*Afterword&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| border=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; cellpadding=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot; cellspacing=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| Return to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Main Page]]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=383606</id>
		<title>Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Usotsuki_Mii-kun_to_Kowareta_Maa-chan&amp;diff=383606"/>
		<updated>2014-08-19T15:27:52Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: Created page with &amp;quot;{{Teaser|English}}  Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan &amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたま...&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Teaser|English}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Mi-Ma-_cover.png|200px|thumb|Cover for Mii-kun and Maa-chan]]&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039; (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma (人間入間), with illustrations by Hidari (左), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The series took the 7th spot in &amp;quot;This Light Novel is Amazing 2010&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Story Synopsis==&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
The setting is a rural city in which a kidnapping and a series of murders are happening simultaneously, where there was also a kidnapping 8 years ago. The victims, the compulsive liar &amp;quot;Mii-kun&amp;quot; (the narrator), and &amp;quot;Maa-chan&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Misono Mayu) reunite and start living together, despite of the fact that the kidnapped children were in Mayu&#039;s apartment...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Editors ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Registration]] ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Translators are asked to [[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|register]] for chapters they want to work on&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Format Standards===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Project Specific Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Updates==&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Story Synopsis completed&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;19-Aug-2014&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
**Chapter 1 completed&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan&#039;&#039; series by Hitoma Iruma==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan|Gallery (Spoilers)]]&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Volume 1===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Color Pages|Color Pages]]&lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: The Delight and the Reunion]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: The Parents and the Diagnosis]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: The Lie and the Lie]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: The Collapse]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Epilogue|Epilogue]] &lt;br /&gt;
::*[[Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Project Staff==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Supervisor:&lt;br /&gt;
*Project Manager: [[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Translators===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;ACTIVE&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:*[[user:jsmi47|jsmi47]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Editors===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Series Overview==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*01	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan Shiawase no Haikei wa Fukō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん 幸せの背景は不幸)	June 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3879-3&lt;br /&gt;
*02	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 2 Gen&#039;i no Shishin wa Akui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん2 善意の指針は悪意)	September 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-3972-1&lt;br /&gt;
*03	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 3 Shi no Ishizue wa Nama (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん3 死の礎は生)	December 10, 2007	ISBN 978-4-8402-4125-0&lt;br /&gt;
*04	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 4 Kizuna no Shichū wa Yokubō (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん4 絆の支柱は欲望)	April 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867012-8&lt;br /&gt;
*05	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 5 Yokubō no Shuchū wa Kizuna (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん5 欲望の主柱は絆)	May 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867059-3&lt;br /&gt;
*06	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 6 Uso no Kachi wa Shinjitsu (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん6 嘘の価値は真実)	September 10, 2008	ISBN 978-4-04-867212-2&lt;br /&gt;
*07	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 7 Shigo no Eikyō wa Seizen (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん7 死後の影響は生前)	April 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867759-2&lt;br /&gt;
*i	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; Kioku no Keisei wa Sakui (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん『i』 記憶の形成は作為)	June 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-867844-5&lt;br /&gt;
*08	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 8 Nichijō no Kachi wa Hibon (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん8 日常の価値は非凡)	September 10, 2009	ISBN 978-4-04-868008-0&lt;br /&gt;
*09	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 9 Hajimari no Mirai wa Owari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん9 始まりの未来は終わり)	January 10, 2010	ISBN 978-4-04-868272-5&lt;br /&gt;
*10	Usotsuki Mī-kun to Kowareta Mā-chan 10 Owari no Owari wa Hajimari (嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん10 終わりの終わりは始まり)	January 6, 2011	ISBN 978-4-04-870230-0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:Mb577_056.jpg&amp;diff=383561</id>
		<title>File:Mb577 056.jpg</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:Mb577_056.jpg&amp;diff=383561"/>
		<updated>2014-08-19T13:49:14Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:Onizuka-gto&amp;diff=383515</id>
		<title>User talk:Onizuka-gto</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:Onizuka-gto&amp;diff=383515"/>
		<updated>2014-08-19T12:36:00Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* New series */ new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;==Mushoku Tensei Web Novel Chapters 128/129==&lt;br /&gt;
Permission was given by the translator to upload the translations. Previously registered translator had registered multiple chapters, which is against the guidelines, and still had yet to upload previous chapters. Request a reverse of the wipes. (Am I using this talk thing correctly?)&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Deadgye|Deadgye]] ([[User talk:Deadgye|talk]]) 11:33PM, 18 August 2014 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is not against the rules to register multiple chapters, it is suggested that you don&#039;t register more than half a volume but it doesn&#039;t mean you are not allowed to. Dark Kaito and Vanant are treated as a group called Kanant Vaito, Skuizaan is also working on volume 13 which means that the chapter already has a max number of 2 translators. According to the registration page, Vanant has already completed his previously registered chapters, so I can&#039;t see which previously registered chapters he hasn&#039;t uploaded yet. Lastly chapters are registered by &#039;First Come, First Serve&#039;, at the very least you should ask if you can upload a chapter that has already been registered by someone else. [[User:SilentNumber|SilentNumber]] ([[User talk:SilentNumber|talk]]) 22:57, 18 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Finally found the rules in the registration page: &amp;quot;Maximum number of volumes you may be active on is one&amp;quot;. Vanant was registered as active on both v13 and v14. There were already three active translators registered for v13, one over the supposed &amp;quot;max&amp;quot; of 2. Regardless, Vanant has removed his name from the registration for 128/129. If he wants to put his name back on them and put his translations there, I doubt anyone would object. But at this point in time I believe all the criteria should be met for those chapters to be listed there. Correct me if I&#039;m wrong. --[[User:Deadgye|Deadgye]] ([[User talk:Deadgye|talk]]) 12:53AM, 19 August 2014 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==ZnT translator==&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, I&#039;m new and would like to register as a translator for the project &amp;quot;Zero No Tsukaima&amp;quot;. Is there anything I should take note of before proceeding?&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]] ([[User talk:Shadowys|talk]]) 04:05, 2 January 2013 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Changing Nickname ==&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, i&#039;m italian and new on bakatsuki, im translatin SAO into my language. I am changing nickname from &amp;quot;Negiamerica&amp;quot; to &amp;quot;K i r i t o&amp;quot; in every site i frequent. Can you change my nick, like wikipedia does? Indipendently on your answer, i thanks ya.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Hi Onizuka-gto. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;ve been trying to raise a suggestion regarding the English translation of Volume 4 but since the &amp;quot;system&amp;quot; never recognised any change log if all I simply edited was the comment in the summary box at the bottom, my suggestion never went through.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anyhow, the title of volume 4 currently stands as the &#039;&#039;&#039;The Vanishing of Suzumiya Haruhi&#039;&#039;&#039; and the first thing that has always come to my mind in the past is that it just doesn&#039;t read well.&lt;br /&gt;
To check out the translation of the Japanese word, I looked up 消失 (which is pronounced something along the lines of &amp;quot;shiyoushitsu&amp;quot; I think) and what it accurately translates to is &#039;disappearance&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
This translation of the kanji is ideal as not only it is accurate (disappear is synonymous with vanish) and the substitution of &amp;quot;vanishing&amp;quot; with &amp;quot;disappearance&amp;quot; is grammatically correct.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hence I would suggest the title of Volume 4 be changed to: &#039;&#039;&#039;The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Regards,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Da~Mike|Da~Mike]] 22:32, 6 May 2006 (GMT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Hi again. ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;ve read your message. Oh and thanks for the advice.&lt;br /&gt;
So yes, I shall proceed to raise this point in the format/style guideline tomorrow.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cheers.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Da~Mike|Da~Mike]] 05:15, 7 May 2006 (GMT) [why the heck am I still awake?...]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== New Images ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Yeah, these images are definitely from the novels. Personally, I&#039;d like to see someone come up with a better scan of volume 8.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
-- [[User:Velocity7|velocity7]], 8 May 2006, 12:13 EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== New editor? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I just sent you a reply in a PM on the forums.  Sorry about the surpise!  Anyway, time for me to watch Ep 9 (and actually understand the dialogue)!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:BlckKnght|BlckKnght]] 15:45, 30 May 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Regarding recent IP ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;The original Japanese word is &amp;quot;バッタ(batta)&amp;quot;, so &amp;quot;grasshopper&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;locust&amp;quot; is correct. Because &amp;quot;locust&amp;quot; is confused with &amp;quot;cicada&amp;quot; in USA, I think &amp;quot;grasshopper&amp;quot; is appropriate.&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So was his comment. I also think the erasure was a mistake?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Velocity7|velocity7]], Jul 17 2006 18:52 EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Should you take back the Yellow then?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Velocity7|velocity7]], Jul 18 2006 12:37 EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I just realized... there is a good possibility that they intended the edit but something screwed up their connection and they lost it for 18 seconds, and the wiki database might have accidentally picked up the incomplete send or something? During that time, the person might have changed IPs (dynamic IP).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Velocity7|velocity7]], Jul 19 2006 19:07 EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Yellow? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
You forgot about 64.93.73.62. Anyways, if you&#039;re not around am I able to issue Yellows?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Velocity7|velocity7]], Jul 20 2006 13:33 EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==IP spamming : a solution ==&lt;br /&gt;
Hello there&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
well, sorry to read you hate cats :)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Down to the point, I&#039;ve seen quite more and more spam by bots theses last few weeks, so I think you&#039;ll be interested in this ; Well, I&#039;m not too sure you&#039;re the one having server access, so if I&#039;m wrong please forward to the right person.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/SpamBlacklist_extension mediawiki spamBlackList extension] prevents any save containing known spam adresses. All explanations about installing it should be on [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/SpamBlacklist_Documentation there].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I also suggest using the current [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Spam_blacklist wikimedia spam list] here for starting, since that should cover most spams.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 11:08, 24 July 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:meow =_=&lt;br /&gt;
:seeing that the extension has been installed, I did some minor edits to simplify it (a few more badwords, less url) some hours ago, but it seems to has gone mad  -- filter blocking edit on the spamlist page itself, and blocking badwords even outside url on the wiki... (althought, I&#039;m not sure whereas it was already doing that before my edit or not)&lt;br /&gt;
:I tried to blank the page so I could restore the original list afterward, but... it&#039;s still bocking at saving : internal list seems not to have been refreshed with the page content, althought in should do so [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/SpamBlacklist_Documentation#Obtaining_or_making_blacklistsevery 10/15 minutes], and it&#039;s been almost hald an hour now.&lt;br /&gt;
:So, well, sorry for the mess ; I don&#039;t know exactly what kind of bug is currently happening&lt;br /&gt;
:Could you please try to restore the old version ([http://project.baka-tsuki.net/index.php?title=Spam_blacklist&amp;amp;action=edit&amp;amp;oldid=5070]) to see if it correct the problem ? If that don&#039;t work, someone on IRC/#wikimedia-tech also suggested to delete completly the page and restore it a few moment later with the right version.&lt;br /&gt;
:I&#039;ll continue asking on the mediawiki tech chan for now, hopefully someone will wake up andknow exactly what the problem is :)&lt;br /&gt;
:[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 04:21, 30 July 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::I somehow managed to restore it ^^, I just had to remove a few word so it accept saving the pageagain (s.tikipad, p.hentermine, a.dipex -- still active so I can&#039;t type them directly right now)&lt;br /&gt;
::I&#039;ll do some more tests to try to re-add them again (when the setting are auto-refreshed from the page) and not break anything ^^;&lt;br /&gt;
::[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 06:05, 30 July 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Hmmm, it seems that the changes made in the page are never refreshed to the actual script list (at least, even after 5 days)... I wonder why ^^;&lt;br /&gt;
:[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 04:07, 4 August 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
You can ban [[User:Testuser]]&#039;s IP as well. Browse through his edits, compare them to the spam added afterwards, make your decision.&lt;br /&gt;
Though that is not going to be a great help most likely.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Earwin|Earwin]]&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;([[User_Talk:Earwin|talk]])&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==wiki, ZnT==&lt;br /&gt;
Meow :)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
about the ZnT editorial team, it&#039;s unlikely : english is not my native language (I&#039;m french), so apart from a few typo I can&#039;t correct anything :/ But once it&#039;s moved on wiki, I think I can do most maintenance related things (navigation bar, etc.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m not sure it&#039;s possible to read-protect mediaWiki pages (more if it&#039;s only some pages and not all pages), but I&#039;ll search about it and come back to you in a few moments/hours, hopefully with an answer :)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 09:08, 12 August 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:Well actually, when I say I&#039;m experimented of wikis, it&#039;s from an &amp;quot;user&amp;quot; point of view : I&#039;m sysop/bureaucrat on the [http://fr.wikipedia.org french wikipedia], but I&#039;ve never installed a wiki myself :)&lt;br /&gt;
:I&#039;m not sure what the last guardian tried, but I found that :&lt;br /&gt;
:Well, preventing access for every page of wiki is not the goal so the &amp;quot;simple&amp;quot; access right by group won&#039;t do... but if you create [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Custom_namespaces Custom namespaces] (the namespace is what&#039;s before the &amp;quot;:&amp;quot;, like in &amp;quot;&#039;&#039;&#039;User talk:&#039;&#039;&#039;Onizuka-gto&amp;quot;), you can [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/NamespacePermissions_Extension affect special permissions] to each namespace independantly.&lt;br /&gt;
:In our case, the namespace &#039;&#039;&#039;Zero_no_tsukaima:&#039;&#039;&#039; (and &#039;&#039;Zero_no_tsukaima talk:&#039;&#039;) could be created for this project, with &amp;quot;no permission for anything&amp;quot; by default , the people participing in it would be added to the special project group, and only that group would have access to the page.&lt;br /&gt;
:I&#039;ve no local wiki to test it myself, but apart from the installation, the settings should be something like :&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;pre&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
//creation of the 2 custom namespaces&lt;br /&gt;
//the first custom namespace start at 100 on every wikipedia, there must be a good reason so please do the same :)&lt;br /&gt;
$wgExtraNamespaces = array( 100 =&amp;gt; &amp;quot;Zero_no_tsukaima:&amp;quot;, 101 =&amp;gt; &amp;quot;Zero_no_tsukaima_talk:&amp;quot;);&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
//if the permissions are &amp;quot;false&amp;quot; by default, don&#039;t mind theses following lines&lt;br /&gt;
$wgGroupPermissions[&#039;*&#039;][&#039;ns100_read&#039;] = false;&lt;br /&gt;
$wgGroupPermissions[&#039;*&#039;][&#039;ns100_edit&#039;] = false;&lt;br /&gt;
$wgGroupPermissions[&#039;*&#039;][&#039;ns100_create&#039;] = false;&lt;br /&gt;
$wgGroupPermissions[&#039;*&#039;][&#039;ns100_move&#039;] = false;&lt;br /&gt;
$wgGroupPermissions[&#039;user&#039;][&#039;ns100_read&#039;] = false;&lt;br /&gt;
$wgGroupPermissions[&#039;user&#039;][&#039;ns100_edit&#039;] = false;&lt;br /&gt;
$wgGroupPermissions[&#039;user&#039;][&#039;ns100_create&#039;] = false;&lt;br /&gt;
$wgGroupPermissions[&#039;user&#039;][&#039;ns100_move&#039;] = false;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/pre&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
:At least, according to the help pages&lt;br /&gt;
:and the ZeroProject user should be added to the &#039;&#039;&amp;quot;NamespacePermissions Extension&amp;quot;&#039;&#039;-created &#039;&#039;&amp;quot;nsZero_no_tsukaimaRW&amp;quot;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&amp;quot;nsZero_no_tsukaima_talkRW&amp;quot;&#039;&#039;  groups&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Voila, hope I helped :)&lt;br /&gt;
:[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 10:52, 12 August 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
::hmmm²&lt;br /&gt;
::after further search, I found http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Preventing_Access#Setting_permissions_for_a_Group_on_a_whole_new_Namespace that should explain things better than I did ^^;&lt;br /&gt;
::[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 11:01, 12 August 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
:I guess it won&#039;t hurt to warn about this : don&#039;t create &#039;&#039;zero_no_tsukaima:smth&#039;&#039; (or other futures custom namespaces) page before the namespace is software-ly created, or it may cause problems&lt;br /&gt;
:For that extension, the pages indicated &amp;quot;1.5 or higher&amp;quot; so there should be no problems... I hope ^^;&lt;br /&gt;
:About the communist thing, I don&#039;t really agree : it IS implemented that you can prevent non-identified people from reading a wiki... the problem that is, basically, it&#039;s either for all pages or none. But well, maybe the &amp;quot;access-by-namespace&amp;quot; feature we&#039;re needing will be fully integrated in the 1.8 version, we can hope :).&lt;br /&gt;
:[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 15:55, 12 August 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;Er...&amp;quot;Software-ly&amp;quot; created?&#039;&#039; : about this, I meant creating it forehand with the administration thing (I read it can be added directly here with the 1.7 version), so it appears in the namespace list [http://project.baka-tsuki.net/index.php?title=Special%3AAllpages&amp;amp;from=&amp;amp;namespace=0 here]. The main problem to add pages with a &amp;quot;fake namespace&amp;quot; before the creation, is it&#039;ll be counted as being in the &amp;quot;main&amp;quot; namespace instead of the real one (like &#039;&#039;Zero no Tsukaima:teaser&#039;&#039; is currently)  -- well maybe there are other problemes, but I never heard about them :)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I don&#039;t really like the idea of putting an email on a public wiki (spam bot collecting adresses and all), mail send doesn&#039;t work on this wiki &amp;gt;_&amp;lt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 04:14, 13 August 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Navigation template==&lt;br /&gt;
Meow :)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
First, I had some problem with my mails, you could you please confirm wether you received the one I sent you a few days ago ?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
to the main topic, I&#039;m working on a template to replace the current &amp;quot;navigation bar&amp;quot; code at the bottom of each chapter.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;(here was some code)&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is one little flaw : the parameter is the same for the adress and for the display (that&#039;s explains why &amp;quot;Chapter1&amp;quot; is displayed instead of &amp;quot;Chapter 1&amp;quot;)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We can either rename the pages so there is a space, or add 2 separate parameters for the display (which IMO, complicate it quite a bit compared to the simplicity the template is supposed to offer)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Which one would you (or big boss) prefer ?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 13:50, 15 August 2006 (PDT) &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;NB: please note that I won&#039;t have access to internet starting friday evening until the end of august&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Nav-same ==&lt;br /&gt;
:Meow :)&lt;br /&gt;
:About the template, [http://project.baka-tsuki.net/index.php?title=Suzumiya_Haruhi%3AVolume4_Chapter2&amp;amp;diff=5517&amp;amp;oldid=5510 this diff comment] gave me the idea, and also, I saw an (aborted) attempt of doing so in the [http://project.baka-tsuki.net/index.php?title=Special%3AAllpages&amp;amp;from=&amp;amp;namespace=10 templates pages]&lt;br /&gt;
:The 2 box are the same, it&#039;s on purpose :) The advantage of having a template, well, it&#039;s just taht the day you wants to change the navigation appareance, you just change the template and not all the page... but appart from that, you&#039;re right about the fact it doesn&#039;t hold much interest (plus there is not that many pages to change)&lt;br /&gt;
:&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
:About the search bar, the one currently appearing is broken : I suppose theLastGuardian changed the link directly in the code or something (but [[Special:Search]] is still available if typed directly).&lt;br /&gt;
:Also, I wondered for some times why the spamlist didn&#039;t update, but I surprisedly had an edit blocked yesterday because the page contained &amp;quot;display:&amp;lt;!-- random text here so the spam filter doesn&#039;t catch... --&amp;gt;none;&amp;quot;.. I didn&#039;t quite understand ^^; could you please ask him about this ? (you&#039;ll need that code to make the search bar disappear anyway)&lt;br /&gt;
:[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 16:05, 16 August 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Fixed==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
You have to add your account to the nszeroNTRW group.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anyway I added you for you now. It should work now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Thelastguardian|Thelastguardian]] 21:57, 16 August 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Zero no tsukaima==&lt;br /&gt;
I happend to have the 8 volumes of the novel scanned (found hazardously on the net, I thought it was the manga &amp;lt;_&amp;lt;), including the illustrations. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
May that be of any use ?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 08:25, 2 September 2006 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==editor==&lt;br /&gt;
Thanks for your trust ^^ I&#039;ll put these new &amp;quot;tools&amp;quot; at good use.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 18:00, 19 November 2006 (PST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Hello&lt;br /&gt;
:Since we&#039;re beginning to have vandalism issue, I was wondering if I could be given the block and protect rights too, in order to counter it... no later than yesterday, I was reverting on [[Suzumiya Haruhi:Timeline]]‎ but could not do anything to stop the vandal, that&#039;s very frustrating :/ and nobody on the IRC chan that was awake at that late hour could help me on that either (well actuelly, only bakafish was awake ^^;)&lt;br /&gt;
:[[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 20:25, 11 December 2006 (PST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Bracket Comments ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Er Oni, just read your message, but isn&#039;t it supposed to be for BaKaFiSh? I&#039;ve never used brackets before O.o And I didn&#039;t do chapter 2 @.@&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:HolyCow|HolyCow]] 02:17, 12 January 2007 (PST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Clannad CSS ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hey Onizuka-GTO,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Darkoneko&#039;s given the okay for the CSS, looks good. Could you load it into the Monobook.css? Thanks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
P.S. The amount of definitions made has substantially reduced.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Velocity7|velocity7]], 29 January 2007 12:06 PM EST&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Kara no Kyoukai ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Can Kara no kyoukai be included in the list of current projects? Its currently not linked from the main page or anywhere, making it impossible to get to the project page unless one is given a direct link or knows what to search for. -- Question&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Yuki wiki? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User_talk:Darkoneko#yuki_wiki.3F|answered here]]. [[User:Darkoneko|DarkoNeko]] &amp;lt;small&amp;gt;[[User_Talk:Darkoneko|talk]]&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; 09:01, 25 June 2007 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Fate/stay night rename proposal ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
...is located [http://www.baka-tsuki.net/project/index.php?title=Talk:Fate-Stay_Night here]. I&#039;ve prepared everything to be moved from &amp;quot;Fate-Stay Night*&amp;quot; to &amp;quot;Fate/stay night*&amp;quot; (original name), and (if no complaints are received) I&#039;d like old pages to be deleted. Thanks beforehand.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Upd.: ...and yes, index page is now duplicated under new name [[Fate/stay night]] as well. Feel free to proceed with deletion of old pages - there&#039;s nothing valuable left that wasn&#039;t copied to new pages. - [[User:Const2k|Const2k]] 15:47, 4 May 2008 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, now almost everything is as I wanted it to be. Thanks, oni. Just a couple of actions more, to finish this matter:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Судьба-Ночь Схватки:Пролог День3]] is still online, though it is copied byte-to-byte to [[Судьба/Ночь схватки:Пролог День3]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Main Page|Main page]] still has &#039;[[Fate/stay night|Fate/Stay Night]]&#039; in &#039;Interactive/Visual Novels&#039; subsection of &#039;Active Projects&#039;. Shouldn&#039;t it be &#039;[[Fate/stay night]]&#039; instead?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Talk page of now defunct article [[Fate-Stay Night]] is still online: [[Talk:Fate-Stay Night]] - [[User:Const2k|Const2k]] 22:44, 4 May 2008 (PDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Spice and Wolf (Indonesian) ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Onizuka-sensei&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Can I translate the Spice and Wolf into Indonesian?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
11-Oct-2008 12.37 am&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka-sensei, I already done with my prologue.&lt;br /&gt;
After that, what I need to do again?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== sorry, I&#039;m a noob! ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
straight to the point: I read PuiPui manga at onemnaga.com and the first chapter had credits from baka-tsuki (if you dont believe me, go check for yourself), but I can&#039;t find it on baka-tsuki! please tell me how to!&lt;br /&gt;
please mail me &#039;bout it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
haidbz&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Dear Haidbz, for information about puipui manga, please visit the pupipui novel forum here: http://www.baka-tsuki.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=56 which should have some information about the manga translation. best regards,[[User:Onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]] 02:20, 19 January 2009 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Permission for my post ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Midishero|Midishero]] 10:21, 6 August 2009 (UTC) I come from vnsharing.net&lt;br /&gt;
and I want to post vietnamese CLANNAD page. May I have your permission?&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;Nanaya&#039; of F/Z Project introduced you to me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Midishero|Midishero]] 12:58, 6 August 2009 (UTC) Thank you very much. But I have to tell you the truth, I translate CLANNAD from partial English Patch of CLANNAD project of Velocity7 and I translated some SEEN files. You try to see rate of progress [http://vnsharing.net/forum/showpost.php?p=2373848&amp;amp;postcount=1]. By the way, I&#039;ve already contact Velocity7.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Bakemonogatari ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hey, get on IRC! Also, I thought I was a supervisor too, so I think I can decide whether to approve my own project? :p --[[User:Velocity7|Velocity7]] 13:46, 7 August 2009 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== SHnY and other Vietnamese PJs ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I noticed that you&#039;ve added Chapter 1 Vol.2 for SHnY and created temp. links for the Vietnamese PJs.&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m sure it&#039;s a great help since recently I have some problems when connecting to B-T by my PC, the link will stupidly change to &#039;&#039;http://project/XxX&#039;&#039; with no reason ~.~&lt;br /&gt;
About SHnY and ZnT PJ, their leaders still editing some typing &amp;amp; grammatical mistakes (to tell the truth there&#039;s a lot of them :p) , so maybe it would take some more time to post the translation here, especially when I&#039;m the only one who can update the wiki page for them T_T&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Nanaya|Nanaya]] 04:06, 13 August 2009 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Asking permission for Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Vietnamese ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi,&lt;br /&gt;
I came across the light novel named Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu after Suzumiya Haruhi was down. I find Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu really interesting. I would like to translate it into Vietnamese using the translation on baka-tsuki. Would you mind if I use it as source? Since I intend to post it on vnsharing.net, I&#039;ll update my translation on baka-tsuki too.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thank you for reading&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
ps: I have completed 2 chapters already. It will take sometime before I can get acquainted with posting translation on baka-tsuki. Sorry in advanced if the translation is not on-date.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Vietnamese  ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sorry for the late reply and thank you for your attention.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;ve been working on chapter 9 of volume 1 which has 10 chapters in total. Ironically, it seems that the english BTS project hasn&#039;t been updated for months. I wonder if the translators were doing fine or they&#039;ve posted it somewhere else? I would like to continue this project, but by the time I finish volume 1 and there is no new update (*sob)(*crying), I guess I&#039;ll switch to another project like Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m very, very appreciate all you guys&#039; work.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
ps: by the way, I don&#039;t know how to deal with posting my translation on baka-tsuki. Really.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== thx for the info ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
thx for the info. now, i&#039;m re-update the vietnamese index of baka to test to shoukanjuu&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== favor: ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka, could you possibly undelete the pages of shakugan that were translated before the project was abandoned?  (excluding volumes 1-4)? it would save translators alot of work, and help attract readers to the project: currently it doesn&#039;t have even a teaser :( Thank You! --[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] 20:39, 25 February 2011 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Edit: Kira uploaded saved copies, so we don&#039;t it&#039;s probably not needed, but if if things get missed feel free to undelete  --[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] 22:28, 25 February 2011 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hell, posting this at 4:20 in the morning, but clad you&#039;re back Oni. I forgot to ask: Can the tsukuru link on the main page be replaced? I heard that it doesn&#039;t work anymore. [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] ([[User_talk:Kira0802|Talk]]) 03:22, 15 August 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Edit: Oh, and can the &amp;quot;pending status&amp;quot; be removed from Sayonara Piano Sonata&#039;s page, since it is kinda like a hosted project, but put links to the website instead? Also, there are some sidebar redirects when you click on a project, so is it possible to fix them? [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] ([[User_talk:Kira0802|Talk]]) 03:35, 15 August 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== CSR registration page ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
um, you deleted the registration page for the english version of Chrome Shelled Regios. I think you meant to get the polish version. could we get it back, please... --[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] 17:00, 6 March 2011 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Alternate language categories==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dont you think too that the special language categories should get a different introduction as the generic [[:Category:Alternative Languages]] since its not true for the specific language category (since there are only their language projects listend and not all language projects) --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 21:49, 8 March 2011 (UTC)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==&#039;&#039;Toshokan Sensou&#039;&#039; Novel Translation==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hey, this is Melithiel from LiveJournal.  You messaged me about sharing my translation of &#039;&#039;Toshokan Sensou&#039;&#039; on Baka-Tsuki.  Sorry I didn&#039;t get back to you sooner--I tried the Hotmail address on your profile, but the mail bounced back to me, and this was the only way I could think of to contact you.  I&#039;m definitely interested, but I&#039;m not sure what form this sharing should take.  Were you thinking of just posting links to my translation, or copying the whole thing into the wiki format you have on B-T?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Dear Meth, I think i&#039;m in exactly the same situation that you mentioned, I still haven&#039;t figured out how to send messages on livejournal! So i apologise if you receive this message twice from....two different places. Also i&#039;m confused that my link didn&#039;t work, but i have a solution! We have a Baka-Tsuki Forum: [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/ Baka-Tsuki Forums]. Specifically there is a topic regarding this matter here:[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&amp;amp;t=4238 Toshokan Sensou Topic] &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:My personal email is: onizuka.gto.uk (at) gmail (dot) com&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Hopefully we can have a more detailed conversation with some solid contact, but to answer your question briefly, the solution we usually pursue is the latter method that you mentioned on my Wiki Talk Page. That is, I would like to take a copy of your script on Livejournal and &amp;quot;reconstruct&amp;quot; the pages together into clear divided Chapters as it was intended to. It will be quite a task i imagine, but if you have a copy of your previous script in one text file, that would be very helpful. Usually at Baka-Tsuki.org we allow scripts to be edited by volunteers, to catch out the little grammar &amp;amp; Spelling mistakes, however as the single translator to the project we can lock the scripts as well for your peace of mind&amp;gt; Hopefully you will receive this message and we can somewhat be able to communicate on one single method. :P&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Best regards,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]] 01:08, 14 March 2011 (EDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Alt. Project ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Since I didn&#039;t got replies in the BT forum, I thought that I could post a message here. I just wanted to say that I started a Hidan no Aria French translation, and already finished the prologue. I would like to ask if I need another chapter to make this good as an alt. language project. If so, than I&#039;ll probably start the translation now. If not, than I&#039;d like to know if I have the green light. [[User:Kira0802|Kira0802]] 01:10, 5 May 2011 (UCT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I just finished the chapter 1. Is it fine? Also, I need an administrator and a supervisor, if it is.[[User:Kira0802|Kira]] 03:09, 25 June 2011 (UCT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Golden Time==&lt;br /&gt;
Isnt it time that this project gets its entry into the sidebar? --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 16:00, 14 June 2011 (UCT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Collapsibility Upgrade ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Umm. If it&#039;s not too much trouble could you take a look at [[MediaWiki_talk:Common.js|this]]. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] -  18:06, 29 June 2011 (UCT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nav Templates ===&lt;br /&gt;
If there are any projects that you would like nav templates for please tell me. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] -  04:47, 25 August 2011 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Zero no Tsukaima (Spanish) ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, i&#039;m from Peru and i have the chapter 1 &amp;amp; 2 from de vol 11 already translated 4 me :D, but i have no idea how to upload here (ops, 1st of all, it&#039;s such a great work all of u r making with this webside!!!), so if you can talk to the editors of the spanish version of what i made (cause i have no answer fron they), it would be great to help and be part of this work. My user is [[user:CagedEmperor|CagedEmperor]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Forgot Password in Forum ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dear Onizuka-GTO, I just forgot my password in the forum and then I use the  forgot password features but the new password has not been sent in my email, could you help me about this? my email is shadow_react@yahoo.co.id --[[User:LiTTleDRAgo|LiTTleDRAgo]] 10:41, 17 September 2011 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Likewise, I have been having the same problem. Is there perhaps a bug in the system or something? -[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 18:41, 17 September 2011 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
***&lt;br /&gt;
Thanks, now I can login to the forum ^^ --[[User:LiTTleDRAgo|LiTTleDRAgo]] 09:15, 28 September 2011 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
***&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have also been having the same issue for the past month and even today i have done the forgot password and still no email addy is &amp;gt; #####&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Wolfpup|Wolfpup]] 22:35, 28 September 2011 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Thank you, now i have a lot of reading in the forum to catch up on! but at least now i can get back in there. [[User:Wolfpup|Wolfpup]] 11:28, 29 September 2011 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
1. I believe it was mid-July when I noticed the problem, I rarely use the forums except in special cases.&lt;br /&gt;
2. Yes, I believe so.&lt;br /&gt;
3. Actually I used a gmail account to register. &lt;br /&gt;
4. Nope not yet, I remember clicking on lost password...and receiving a message that they will send it to my email.&lt;br /&gt;
-Sorry for the late reply.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 02:54, 30 September 2011 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Asking for permission to contribute ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi there, I want to contribute to SAO Indonesian translation. I read in the 1st page that i need to ask permission from the supervisor and register which part i want to translate but i don`t know how (kinda noob here XD), can you wxplain to me the steps, please? Thanks --Bleu&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:Dear Bleu, it&#039;s very simple, please register on the wiki, it&#039;s free. &lt;br /&gt;
Now simple edit the registration page to add your registered wiki username to the corresponding chapters you wish to help. From there you can begin translating! Just create a new wiki page and remember to link it to the index page of the project. &lt;br /&gt;
If are having difficulty using Baka-Tsuki wiki format, please read the [[Format_guideline|project presentation]] page. &lt;br /&gt;
If you require more help, you can visit our [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/ official forum here] for additional help. Regards, [[User:Onizuka-gto|Onizuka-GTO]] 06:27, 31 October 2011 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, I read in the first page that I need to email all admins if I wanted to start translating a new project. I have started and I believed all steps are fulfilled except the emailing admins part. I am a new member so how do I inform all the admins? from here or forum? Do I have to send you the prologue to check my translation? Sorry for bombing you with question but I am really new to all this. Thanks. Cheers~ --[[User:Kanziel|Kanziel]] ([[User talk:Kanziel|talk]]) 10:16, 2 October 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Problem with confirmation email ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I don&#039;t know who to ask, but when I try to send a confirmation email so that I can post on the forum and get my preferences updated, i keep on getting this message:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Baka-Tsuki could not send your confirmation mail. Please check your e-mail address for invalid characters.&lt;br /&gt;
Mailer returned: authentication failure [SMTP: Invalid response code received from server (code: 535, response: 5.7.1 Username and Password not accepted. Learn more at 5.7.1 http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=14257 v5sm23771828anf.3)]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(kyo_asakura_apc@yahoo.com; katiek9160@gmail.com)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I tried it with all my different email addresses from yahoo to gmail as well as a couple of friends&#039; school email addresses to see if it the problem was my just email address, but it still gives me the same error.&lt;br /&gt;
Is there anything I need/can do to fix this?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thank you,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
MeltyBagel&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Pui Pui ==&lt;br /&gt;
This may be quite late... very late, since I have been adding things since yesterday, I want to report to you, supervisor, that I&#039;ll try to resume Pui Pui, starting v2c2.&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Superduperelectromagnetictops|Superduperelectromagnetictops]] 23:02, 17 November 2011 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Language Question ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Totally unrelated to Pui Pui: is there a way to disable non-english language from listing in recent changes? swimming through all those changes is tough enough-&lt;br /&gt;
Anyone who can answer, aside from Oniz, may do so. Thanks.&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Superduperelectromagnetictops|Superduperelectromagnetictops]] 05:52, 4 December 2011 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Request for translator right ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello. I want to ask you give me the translator right. I am the leader of [[Clannad VN]] groups, this right is essential for my work.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In addition, to demonstrate my personality, I am admin of Wikipedia (see [http://vi.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%C4%90%E1%BA%B7c_bi%E1%BB%87t:Danh_s%C3%A1ch_th%C3%A0nh_vi%C3%AAn&amp;amp;limit=1&amp;amp;username=Tr%E1%BA%A7n+Nguy%E1%BB%85n+Minh+Huy], minhhuywiki = Trần Nguyễn Minh Huy‏). Thanks. --[[User:minhhuywiki|&amp;lt;font color=&amp;quot;green&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&#039;&#039;&#039;minhhuy&#039;&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;/font&amp;gt;]] &amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;([[User talk:Trần Nguyễn Minh Huy|talk]])&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; 07:01, 31 December 2011 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Amendment to Japanese sentence in main page ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Oni, long-time-no-see. Hope you are doing well. By the way, I noticed the Japanese message you posted on the main page which seems (suspiciously) like a sentence from google translate? I don&#039;t claim to be an expert at Japanese, but I think that sentence can be improved. How about something along this line: 仲間の皆さん及び始めて御覧になる方、ありがとうございました、そして明けましておめでとうございます。 ( [To] my fellow members and first time visitors, thank you and happy new year.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] 15:39, 7 January 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:* No worres Oni ^^ So you did know about it haha! Since that sentence is in our first page, I thought it&#039;s rather embarrassing, espcially if the reader knows some Japanese. By the way u missed out the &amp;quot;仲間の皆&amp;quot; part of the sentence. I&#039;ve been studying Japanese quite intensely, might drop by again as a translator if there are any projects which interest me. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] 14:22, 9 January 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Iris on Rainy Days ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello, Oni. Please, move Iris from teasers to active projects since it&#039;s already completed translation. --[[User:Rock96|Rock96]] 05:20, 14 January 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Seconded. Please do asap. --[[User:Novium|Novium]] 18:47, 14 January 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Monogatari Series sidebar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Bakemonogatari got regrouped under the Monogatari series. However, the sidebar carries the old link to the old page which is a redirect. This makes Monogatari series not in correct alphabetical order on the sidebar, which can be a little strange. :D --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] 10:06, 20 January 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== New alt. language project ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
hello. you didn&#039;t respond on the forum, so i&#039;m writing here. i created a russian page for Haganai and will be translating it.(25% of one ch. uploaded)&lt;br /&gt;
it&#039;s written in the guidelines that i should contact someone from the administration,&lt;br /&gt;
so here i am...)) if i&#039;m correct, all i have to do now is finish TL&#039;ing one chapter...if there happens to be anything else, just name it. &amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
hеre is the link to the project http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Boku_wa_Tomodachi_ga_Sukunai_%D0%A0%D1%83%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9   &lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 07:31, 22 January 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So i can remove the &amp;quot;pending authorization&amp;quot; thingy off the project page?--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 10:00, 28 January 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Asura cryin&#039; ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Saw that you moved the project to active a while back. Mind giving that a second thought? &lt;br /&gt;
We as a community haven&#039;t translated any of the chapters, it lacks translators and a project supervisor. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hoped someone would pick it up, but the grace period seems to have passed. Toss it back into the pit I say. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cheers --[[User:Novium|Novium]] 20:17, 30 January 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&#039;t, there is no reason for that - its a hosted project. If it doesnt have any translation activity in the next 6 to 12  month it&#039;ll just get the stalled tag. --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 01:11, 31 January 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Welcome to N.H.K! ~Lithuanian~ ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello, I&#039;m Soryusu, currently translator of Haruhi in Lithuanian. The thing is, I&#039;m a bit tired of this project (I&#039;m mean, it&#039;s Haruhi, the girl sometimes gets on your nerves) and want to try out something new. So I got an idea about &amp;quot;Welcome to NHK!&amp;quot; light novel but since it&#039;s already been released in English, Baka-Tsuki has no project for it. I know people here try not to piss off copyright inquisitors, especially nowadays, but nevertheless is there any way for such project to exist? It&#039;s more like a hypothetical question though, because I have entrance exams coming up and wouldn&#039;t be working on the project now anyway (sucks to be me), however I would still like to upload 9 or so pages I&#039;ve already done (that&#039;s like prologue + one and a half chapter).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anyway, please let me know what you think. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chenquieh, --[[User:Soryusu|Soryusu]] 12:03, 2 February 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Well, I&#039;m more or less done: &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Welcome_to_the_N.H.K!]] I looks kinda short, but I don&#039;t know what else I should put.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Welcome_to_the_N.H.K!_~Lithuanian~]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Welcome_to_the_N.H.K!_~Lithuanian~:Registracijos_puslapis]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anyway, I have some stuff to ask. As I mentioned before, I will be having entrance exams soon, and most likely won&#039;t be active. So I need an administrator to look after the project. This applies to my Haruhi project too, because it doesn&#039;t have one either. I never really had a chance to know people here, so could you be one? If yes, please put your name by the &amp;quot;Projekto Administratorius&amp;quot;. I would really appreciate that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Also, I&#039;ve been lurking a bit and found that in the Spanish category there is this sole Golden Time prologue without any actual project for it. So I would like to ask is it OK to upload chapters like that? Before I decided to start NHK project I translated some other stuff (prologues of Tomodachi, Spice and Wolf, Shana), and I kinda think it would be a waste not to put them here (aside from satisfying my massive vanity) but don&#039;t really want to create separate projects for each of them, because they would be very much dead like that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Soryusu|Soryusu]] 15:14, 4 February 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, I put the chapter list you asked, you can do your magic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Regarding supervising, I think you know yourself that it&#039;s hard finding volunteers. After all, even most of the English projects are struggling with that, not to talk about languages witch have like one or two projects here. A person with all that dark and mysterious administrator power of doom will surely do for now.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Teaser tags sounds good. Actually, I don&#039;t really want to mess around with other people projects much. Also, everything could be found on the alt. language list in the Main Page or Teaser Projects list on the left, so no problem.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Anyway, thank you for your help.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Soryusu|Soryusu]] 06:26, 5 February 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Forums new sub-group ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As Hikari pointed out, the &amp;quot;has&amp;quot; in the description of the new BT Forums completed section should be &amp;quot;have&amp;quot;. [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] ([[User_talk:Kira0802|Talk]]) 12:42, 4 February 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Forum PM ==&lt;br /&gt;
Is your PM inbox again to full? Or didnt you visit the forum too? --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 02:52, 17 February 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Papa no Iu Koto o Kikinasai! ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it alright if I create a project specific guidelines page for Papa no Iu Koto o Kikinasai!? Sooner or later, we might have to create one for names and terms as more volumes are translated. -[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 17:44, 22 February 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Legend of the sun knight ~ Russian==&lt;br /&gt;
so i created the russian page [[Legend of the sun knight Русский| here]]&lt;br /&gt;
it has 3 uploaded chapter already.&lt;br /&gt;
do i need to create an English page? if so, how much info should there be on it?&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 08:21, 27 February 2012 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*what did u mean by index page? only the list of volumes and chapters? i&#039;ll do this later, don&#039;t have much time lately + LoSK is effectively stalled... but: there is a project that can be approved right away - [[Sayonara piano sonata ~Русский|  Sayonara piano sonata ~Русский]]. that pending athourization banner has been there too long)))--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 04:02, 15 May 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
i did leave a signature though ^^. thanks for approving the projects, i&#039;ll get to creating the english page for Legend of the sun knight as soon as i can...--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] ([[User talk:Idiffer|talk]]) 12:35, 27 August 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Zero No Tsukaima PDF ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
hey i wanted to ask if you could suggest the ZNT - Team to make a PDF? :D&lt;br /&gt;
That would be really usefull.&lt;br /&gt;
Thank you very much :D&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== STNBD ==&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Onizuka-senpai! Can you please protect [[Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance Indonesia|this page]]? Thx a lot - [[User:SATRIA|SATRIA]] 20 July 2012&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Maru-MA==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, thank you for approving Maru-MA project :) but now it isn&#039;t on the teaser project&#039;s page nor in the sidebar :/ [[User:ClavelSangrante|ClavelSangrante]] ([[User talk:ClavelSangrante|talk]]) 21:09, 15 August 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==[[Sayonara Piano Sonata]]==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Uhm, why did you add the ATP tag to this teaser project? - Its only a teaser project - without a own translator so it wont even need a registration page or a staff section... and I fear that it will remain only as a teaser as long as we dont get a own translator for this series... --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] ([[User talk:Darklor|talk]]) 03:58, 17 August 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu (Russian)==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello! The second question has been [[Baka_to_Test_to_Shoukanjuu_(Russian):Volume1_The_Second_Question|translated]]. I suppose, it&#039;s enough for the project to be approved?&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Gamer|Gamer]] ([[User talk:Gamer|talk]]) 16:22, 19 August 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
P.S. Hello! Thank you for approving! [[User:Gamer|Gamer]] ([[User talk:Gamer|talk]]) 06:35, 28 August 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Sword Art Online Saling Tagalog ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Sword Art Online:Tomo 1 Prologo|Sword Art Online Saling Tagalog: Tomo 1 Prologue]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
is that okay for the requirement?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
thanks :D&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Rukito|Rukito]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
here&#039;s another&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Sword Art Online:Tomo 1 Kabanata 1|Sword Art Online Saling Tagalog Kabanata 1]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Rukito|Rukito~~]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Maburaho ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Requesting permission for Maburaho project, albeit a very slow work tho, since this is me doing this.&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Superduperelectromagnetictops|Superduperelectro]] ([[User talk:Superduperelectromagnetictops|talk]]) 15:58, 4 September 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
PS: It&#039;s impossible to finish the long chapter 1 in 1 week, so please throw this in the teaser projects, if possible. --[[User:Superduperelectromagnetictops|Superduperelectro]] ([[User talk:Superduperelectromagnetictops|talk]]) 07:49, 5 September 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Hidan No Aria ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello~.. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I want request permission for hidan no aria project, since i am new so i dont know much how translation project work, &lt;br /&gt;
I think my english is B grade, and my japanese is C grade.  so i want to participate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
could you pick which chapter i must work?? for start i think 1 chapter is enough.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Regard&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Fronttide&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
- Hello, I was wondering if I would be able to register as a translator? I would like to start trying to translate the Hidan no Aria volumes that no one has decided to work on yet. I have 2 years of Japanese in school, 5 months of living there on exchange, and god only knows how many hours of anime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thanks,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
0Starkiller0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Campione- german language ==&lt;br /&gt;
Hi i would like to translate Campione into the german language. i would be happy if i could get a response :)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Kyoukou|Kyoukou]] 14:44, 20 September 2012&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Wrong translation ? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hey, my name&#039;s julio, im brazilian.&lt;br /&gt;
after read vol 5 chapter 4, i saw this line &amp;quot;Sim vamos meninas isca. (Aah. I&#039;ll treat you very well, cute ojou-chans.)&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
the thing is, &amp;quot;sim vamos meninas iscas&amp;quot; dont translate to &amp;quot;i&#039;ll treat you very well, cute...&amp;quot; ... idk if this is what you wanted or was wrong translated, but &amp;quot;sim vamos meninas isca&amp;quot;, translate like &amp;quot;lets go, bait girls&amp;quot;, well that didnt made sense. &amp;quot;isca&amp;quot; means &amp;quot;bait&amp;quot; so im just tring to help.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
PS. Sry my bad English.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Private message ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I sent a private message to you a few days ago. Have you received it yet? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] -  10:00, 2 November 2012 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Please Delete This Account  ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I had a previous account that I was using, but I made this one instead. So could you please delete this one? The nick that I had (and will be using from now on) is Junnynam. Sorry for the trouble--[[User:Monkeii12|Monkeii12]] ([[User talk:Monkeii12|talk]]) 21:07, 4 January 2013 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== To Aru Majutsu No Index for Filipino (tagalog) translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello. I want to translate Toaru majutsu mo index in FIlipin (tagalog). I&#039;m very hyped about this. Please allow me. Thank you. :)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== New translator for Muv Luv Alternative: Schwarzesmarken ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, I will be taking over from MisterV since he has told me he is too busy with real life issues for the foreseeable future, and will be working with the translator who is doing the Russian version to translate the chapters. Can I request access to the page to upload the first few pages of the second chapter? --[[User:Gabgrave|Gabgrave]] ([[User talk:Gabgrave|talk]]) 23:02, 25 April 2013 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== translating an existing English project to an alternative language ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m not sure I contacted the right person...*don&#039;t get mad at me*.&lt;br /&gt;
I would like to translate an existing English project to Hebrew. I want to translate Fate/Zero or Baccano! I have perfect understanding of the two languages. please approve it ^_^&lt;br /&gt;
thank you &lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;ve also already translated the &amp;quot;8 years ago prologue&amp;quot; of Fate/Zero, and the whole &amp;quot;1930: The Rolling Bootlegs&amp;quot; of Baccano!, I just don&#039;t know how to attach a file here so you can approve it...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Yahari Ore~Brazilian Portuguese~ ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka-Dono&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;m very sorry because my english is very poor(I can at least translate to portuguese), but as you can see this page has the title with BRASILIAN ( [[Yahari Ore no Seishun Rabu Kome wa Matigateiru ~Brasilian Portuguese~|Yahari Ore ~Português Brasileiro~]] ), I made this mistake, and I dont know how to correct it o/ so I made a new page, with Brazilian Portuguese. I&#039;m very sorry for this, but I&#039;d like to exclude this page, and if you understand my problem I would be happy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== fake new users outbreak ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
can&#039;t we do something about it...? other than just block everytime it appear..? --[[User:Tony Yon|Tony Yon]] ([[User talk:Tony Yon|talk]]) 23:07, 16 May 2013 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
...Actually, it&#039;s kind of a yearly thing that happens every year at this time or so...--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] ([[User talk:Teh Ping|talk]]) 23:11, 16 May 2013 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
eh..really..? Eww..i never know XD [[User:Tony Yon|Tony Yon]] ([[User talk:Tony Yon|talk]]) 23:49, 16 May 2013 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Forgive me for butting in, but I was kinda wondering why this wiki didn&#039;t have the [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Abusefilter Abusefilter] extension installed which, while it certainly won&#039;t stop every fake account, can at least stop the obvious ones. -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 22:54, 22 May 2013 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Excuse me and I&#039;m sorry for disturbing/bothering. I don&#039;t know if this is related to the current topic(fake new users outbreak). Well, I have asked [[User talk:Arczyx|Arczyx-san]] about this before, and [[User talk:Arczyx|Arczyx-san]] suggested that I should ask Onizuka-gto-san instead. I was just wondering about how long for a project(writings) able to be edited by unregistered people(anonymous editor?). Is there a fixed amount of time before the writings being protected? And about userpage, is it not possible that the only one able to edit it besides admins are the ones who own the account?--[[User:Mada|Mada]] ([[User talk:Mada|talk]]) 10:01, 8 June 2013 (CDT) Thanks so much for the guidance.--[[User:Mada|Mada]] ([[User talk:Mada|talk]]) 01:52, 14 June 2013 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== PapaKiki LN Translation Continuation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just wondering, is the translation for this LN is still continued? Since the last update I saw is on Sept 2012, and no further updates done ever since. I don&#039;t mean to push anyone to continue translating, but I just hope that the rest volumes is translated soon, since I loved this series (I loved Miu more, actually).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Pygmalion|Pygmalion]] ([[User talk:Pygmalion|talk]]) 14:11, 11 July 2013 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Hello, nice to meet you! ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi I am JACK, I have been reading from this website for quite a long time and I wish  to translate hidan no aria light novels because to me it is one of the best series, please give me a chance and allow me join&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:JACK ShadowHunter|JACK ShadowHunter]] ([[User talk:JACK ShadowHunter|talk]]) 16:59, 30 July 2013 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Date A Live Vietnamese==&lt;br /&gt;
Please add Date A Live Vietnamese to the category.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:My2ndAngelic|I&amp;amp;#39;m a Mapler, an Otaku &amp;amp;#38; a Student.]] ([[User talk:My2ndAngelic|talk]]) 23:20, 16 August 2013 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Changing Series&#039; name on Main Page Index ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Oni, can you please change the series name &#039;Altina the Sword Princess&#039; to &#039;Haken no Kouki Altina&#039;‎ on the Main Page Index? --[[User:Chancs|Chancs]] ([[User talk:Chancs|talk]]) 00:32, 24 August 2013 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== WHY??? ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Why is Hidan no Aria abandoned??? It is such a great story&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Okay, taking the space to answer here, you should want to take a look a [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=64&amp;amp;t=6042 this] topic at forum, it should be explained why the project was taged as abandoned(It&#039;s because license of course) --[[User:Nura rihan|Nura rihan]] ([[User talk:Nura rihan|talk]]) 20:44, 5 September 2013 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Moving a section ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi. I made a mistake when making a page. Could you please move [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 2 Author%27s notes]] to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 2 Author Notes]]? Thanks--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 12:31, 23 December 2013 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Permission for  &amp;quot;Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (French)&amp;quot; ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like it&#039;s said in the title, I made a post to know if I can make the French translated page of this Light novel. Well, I have to confesse that I&#039;ve read the rules only after doing the main page, so I think i did it without permission. That&#039;s why I&#039;m asking now, with the hope that my project will be kept &amp;gt;&amp;lt;&lt;br /&gt;
The page I made is here http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria_%28French%29&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Mondaiji Italian version ==&lt;br /&gt;
Hello! I found an ATP warning on the registration page, not on the project. So I would like to know better what it means. &lt;br /&gt;
The majior points it&#039;s &amp;quot;Special Circumstances that require direct Authorisation from an Administrator&amp;quot;, can you tell me more?&lt;br /&gt;
And also can I have more time to translate? I only have 2 free hours to do houseworks and translation, other than that I&#039;m working and sleeping (and also eating XD). &lt;br /&gt;
I&#039;ve already finished the first part and half-way at the second part.&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:NiwaKonzen|NiwaKonzen]] 10 February 2014 22.22 UTC&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Wiki Help Page Creation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello Oni~! I&#039;ve been setting a lot of things on fire lately... *sniff* q___q Anyways, could I ask  you to take a look at the new under-construction Help Pages that are being made on the Wiki? You can reach them by clicking on [[Baka-Tsuki:About]]. Here is the forum thread, also: [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&amp;amp;t=8726 click here].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In particular, I wanted to invite you to this discussion about &#039;&#039;&#039;New Project Startup Guidelines&#039;&#039;&#039;: [[Help_talk:New_Project_Startup_Guidelines]]. Take a look at the Wiki page summary, and your opinion would be very much appreciated! Thanks! --[[User:Cloudii|Cloudii]] ([[User talk:Cloudii|talk]]) 00:10, 12 February 2014 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
One of the pages for the Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha series is a bit off,&lt;br /&gt;
it&#039;s put as:&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha:Volume 2 Chapter1&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
when it should be:&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha:Volume 2 Chapter 1&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
basically, whoever did that page, forgot to put a space between &#039;&#039;&#039;&amp;quot;Chapter&amp;quot;&#039;&#039;&#039; &amp;amp; &#039;&#039;&#039;&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&#039;&#039;&#039; &amp;amp; it&#039;s not even with the other pages&lt;br /&gt;
that&#039;s all, could you please fix it?--Deathmailrock 00:17, 3 March 2014 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Several New Projects to be Approved (and added to sidebar) ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Oni, could you approve these projects and add them to the sidebar? [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&amp;amp;t=9370&amp;amp;p=226797 linklink] --[[User:Cloudii|Cloudii]] ([[User talk:Cloudii|talk]]) 01:59, 4 March 2014 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== The Order of Supervisor! To Serve &amp;amp; Protect the illiterate and smite the Vandals ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Oni, not sure if you can fix it, but ever since the server upgrade, the supervisor group&#039;s power to edit and protect pages has been reduced. Specifically, we are only able to protect pages from anonymous edits (for example, we&#039;ve currently lost the ability to do &amp;quot;admin level page locking&amp;quot;) and we can no longer edit the content or change the protection levels for supervisor/admin locked pages.  Please look into the issue when you have time so that we can be empowered once more.  Thanks! --[[User:Zzhk|Zzhk]] ([[User talk:Zzhk|talk]]) 00:20, 13 March 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Strike The Blood ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello Oni, can you kindly change the project status to active? Will be doing translation works on STB. Thanks。 [[User:JinXiang|JinXiang]] ([[User talk:JinXiang|talk]]) 08:40, 28 June 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Project Guidelines Convention / Android Compatibility ==&lt;br /&gt;
Hello Oni. I did some work to fit Daybreak&#039;s project page to the guidelines standards per your recommendation. Don&#039;t have the means to check it out though... does it work right now? Thanks [[User:Aorii|Aorii]] ([[User talk:Aorii|talk]]) 09:59, 14 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Mother of Learning==&lt;br /&gt;
Moved note... I thought of a better place for it... [[User:Starwarscards|Starwarscards]] ([[User talk:Starwarscards|talk]]) 19:03, 14 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I will e-mail you the changes after I am done with the chapter for the day. By the way all the things I am not sure about I am putting in the discussion section of each chapter. [[User:Starwarscards|Starwarscards]] ([[User talk:Starwarscards|talk]]) 21:38, 15 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Mushoku Tensei==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please view the website. There seems to be a troll on the site. :( --[[User:Tasear|Tasear]] ([[User talk:Tasear|talk]]) 23:40, 29 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I to wanted to tell you that some trolls are doing whatever they want with mushoku tensei chapters, specially in volume 12, from what i can see in the history there are at least 3 troll users putting comments on chapters names like &amp;quot;google translate is a god&amp;quot;(maybe its the same user with differents accounts), since they arent part of the bakatsuki staff, they are not part of the translators nor editors team. Also 2 new translators seemed to have added themselfs without asking. [[User:Trejon|Trejon]] ([[User talk:Trejon|talk]]) 2:05, 30 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Oni, the question i asked before i already found the answer =P so i removed what i asked. Now about putting differents sections, is it possible to remove the show/hide in the original web novel? or im being selfish?. [[User:Trejon|Trejon]] ([[User talk:Trejon|talk]]) 11:34, 27 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
==== Editor Request ====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Oni, would like to register as a editor for the project don&#039;t speak Japanese but speak fluent English. Thanks! --[[User:Striderman34|Striderman34]] ([[User talk:Striderman34|talk]]) 5:52, 08 July 24 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Oni, I recently joined the site after reading Mushoku Tensei and want to help. My question is would I be able to register as an editor for the project? I see Volume 7 is in need of editors. Although I don&#039;t speak Japanese, I know English and recently graduated from a university. Thanks, I appreciate it! --[[User:John Woodward|John Woodward]] ([[User talk:John Woodward|talk]]) 3:23, 23 July, 2014 (EST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Oni, I would also like to register as an editor for Mushoku Tensei. Thanks! [[User:DaiZzed|DaiZzed]] ([[User talk:DaiZzed|talk]]) 16:40, 25 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hey Oni. I&#039;ve been editing a few of the chapters lately and got really interested in doing it. Do you mind adding me as another editor for this series? Thanks!&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Sarnik|Sarnik]] ([[User talk:Sarnik|talk]]) 16:19, 27 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Oni, recently i have taken a real liking to this novel and i have been helping out here and there fixing erros i find, so i did like to register as an editor for this novel. Also i want to tell you that some user called COTHER, uploaded the complete volume 9 done with a machine translation without previously registering. Per the rules i believe that his edition should be undo since vanant and dark kaito are working on it. [[User:Trejon|Trejon]] ([[User talk:Trejon|talk]]) 20:06, 27 July 2014&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Oni,&lt;br /&gt;
Thanks for registering me previously- I appreciate it. Today I noticed I was removed from the list. What happened?&lt;br /&gt;
Best regards&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:John Woodward|John Woodward]] ([[User talk:John Woodward|talk]])&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello. I am currently working to keep the names and terminology between different translators consistent. I&#039;m not sure if what i do merits being on the editor list, but i think that i should let you know.&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Trev lite|Trev lite]] ([[User talk:Trev lite|talk]]) 01:13, 3 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello, I would like register for this project. I way into this story so I would love to officially commit to it. --[[User:Tasear|Tasear]] ([[User talk:Tasear|talk]]) 22:54, 3 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Um, since my edits for the first 7 chapters of Mushoku Tensei hasn&#039;t been rolled back, is it safe to assume that I can add myself as an editor for the project? Thanks~--[[User:Sarnik|Sarnik]] ([[User talk:Sarnik|talk]]) 21:39, 4 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Translators Request ====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi! Would it be okay if I joined Mushoku Tensei as an editor? [[User:Vanant|Vanant]] ([[User talk:Vanant|talk]]) 09:44, 9 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just to clarify, silentwolfie&#039;s TL notes are occasionally his little comments to the readers, and not do to with trouble translating or trouble for editors. In that case should I use the ref tag or the hide tag?&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Vanant|Vanant]] ([[User talk:Vanant|talk]]) 10:18, 9 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hiiii, this is a bit awkward. Various circumstances have changed, and because Kaito has agreed to TLC for me, I was wondering if I could register for translating v8 of Mushoku Tensei. I had originally signed up as an editor because I was translating the same chapters as Kaito independently and could help look for mistakes he had made (or alternate ways of translating stuff he had problem wording), but that&#039;s no longer the case so... [[User:Vanant|Vanant]] ([[User talk:Vanant|talk]]) 07:02, 19 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello Onizuka-gto, I&#039;d like to register as a Translator for the Mushoku Tensei project if there&#039;s still available room. Thanks! [[User:skuizaan|skuizaan]] ([[User talk:skuizaan|talk]])&lt;br /&gt;
Hi there, &lt;br /&gt;
My friend and I (we function as one translator though ^^) would like to contribute to the light novel Mushoku Tensei,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
we have a lot of free time on our hands now and can finish about 3 ~~ 4 chapters a week.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unfortunately we have already done a chapter or two which were claimed by other active translators, (we didn&#039;t really know anything about the BT guidelines)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But we&#039;ll contact other active translators and see if we can work something out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I thought it would be a good idea to drop here first and ask if you could list us as active translators.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Do you think that there is anything else we should know?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sincerly, &lt;br /&gt;
[[user:Tensaizz|Tensaizz]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Oni, I would like to help in translating for the Mushoku Tensei project. Thanks! --[[User:Ren|Ren]] ([[User talk:Ren|talk]])&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi! Would it be okay if I joined Mushoku Tensei as a translator? I&#039;ll be using Google Translate But I&#039;ll do a lot more than just editing that. [though I am sorry for registering chapter 94 before posting here] [[User:Kazeboy|Kazeboy]] ([[User talk:Kazeboy|talk]]) 15:00, 27 July 2014 (GMT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
hi feel free to do what seem correct to you im not traying to cause trouble for any registered translators and i thanks them for the hard work i will tri to not get in the way →[[User:COTHER|COTHER]] ([[User talk:COTHER|talk]]) 21:11, 27 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
hi Onizuka, i will take Mushoku Tensei volume 11 ch 1 to ch 6 as in the rule .I have no porobleme for anyone how remplace,edite or delet my script so no hard feeling feel free to give me advice to amprouve my translating skil or chould i call it editing a machine translation and im not using google traduction alone but 6 diferent machine translation comparing and finaly editing i cant read japan yet→[[User:COTHER|COTHER]] ([[User talk:COTHER|talk]]) 21:32, 27 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi , It&#039;s me , I did finished the chapter I resisted http://pastebin.com/kcd3BptJ but as I see it the preview page is protected and I can&#039;t put my script there , was wondering if you can help me with that. [[User:Kazeboy|Kazeboy]] ([[User talk:Kazeboy|talk]]) 28 July 2014 16:00 (GMT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Onizuka, i would like to register as a Translator for Mushoku Tensei.&lt;br /&gt;
Can i register for Volume 14 chapter 2? [[User:Phiseca|Phiseca]] ([[User talk:Phiseca|talk]]) 17:23, 15 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Project Growth====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka-gto, thanks for taking the time to supervise this project which doesn&#039;t have a manager, amid the incredible growth it&#039;s experienced in the past month and all the confusion that&#039;s arisen from that.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I know that preview translations are allowed (I&#039;ve read what you wrote at http://www.baka-tsuki.org:8080/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&amp;amp;t=1705). But is it possible to limit them in some way? It feels like the presence of machine translations encourages readers to lose their patience, and therefore might discourage active translators because they feel like readers don&#039;t care that they put in the extra effort to be accurate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
What if you did this? Suppose that all machine translations need to follow two of your guidelines:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;pre&amp;gt;2) Script need to be consulted with a Human translator who can conduct a general proofing with the original raws used for it. (in the same language used, if possible )&lt;br /&gt;
3) All machine script need an approve by a Baka-Tsuki Staff before publishing on the wiki.&amp;lt;/pre&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Basically, all previews would have to be proofread before posting--to make sure sentences are distinct (capitalized at start, punctuated at end) and above all that they don&#039;t really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To enforce this, you might have to pull some of the current previews and leave notes on the translators&#039; pages about the policy. But I think that could be an efficient and fair way to apply existing policies and address the problems some editors have dealing with the large number of unproofed previews.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I know you&#039;re the one who comes up with policies for Baka-Tsuki, so just decide whatever you think is best. This is just an idea I came up with.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Myopius|Myopius]] ([[User talk:Myopius|talk]]) 04:53, 30 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thanks a lot for the thoughtful response, and wow, I had no idea Baka-Tsuki had a change like that this year. I&#039;ll be sure to keep an eye on the forum in case there&#039;s some way that I can contribute to the discussion. --[[User:Myopius|Myopius]] ([[User talk:Myopius|talk]]) 23:02, 30 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Hi Onizuka-gto-san ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
sorry about my english as you could see the probleme is not about how to read or Write but how i did learn english in the first palace using a self study (movies and some books) i did not have a teatcher so that was the only way a did have but i will take care of orthography probleme next time sorry it caused you probleme →[[User:COTHER|COTHER]] ([[User talk:COTHER|talk]]) 05:37, 29 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== audio reading sign up ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello Onizuka-gto I was wondering how I sign up for the audio book readings, this is my first time on a wiki and I don&#039;t know what to do. Thank you very much for reading.&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Cromo|Cromo]] ([[User talk:Cromo|talk]]) 19:45, 29 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==cother NEED HELP==&lt;br /&gt;
WERE I CAN LEARN JAPEN EASLY using the net mean &#039;self study&#039; if you have anybook that can help please advice &lt;br /&gt;
it to me i dont whant to rely on machine translation but my one reading of the story even i want to do some proper translation--[[User:COTHER|COTHER]] ([[User talk:COTHER|talk]]) 18:23, 30 July 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==cother&#039;s first real TL ==&lt;br /&gt;
need some advice just if the [Web Novel 155] Chapter 1: Diary - First Part (PREVIEW) is word using in official translation page and thanks for the translation advice it was very handy (^_^)--[[User:COTHER|COTHER]] ([[User talk:COTHER|talk]]) 06:20, 1 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Had to change the title- it was driving me crazy --[[User:DaiZzed|DaiZzed]] ([[User talk:DaiZzed|talk]]) 01:41, 2 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Mushoku Tensei  ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi , I&#039;d like to join the Mushoku Tensei project as editor\translator , though i will be translating from the chinese version( the accuracy might be lower ).&lt;br /&gt;
I know that there are already a lot of translators which are far better than me , that&#039;s why i was planning to re-translate/edit just the machine translated chapters.&lt;br /&gt;
AS for which chapter to translate i will ask the current translators and of course i won&#039;t translate\edit anything without their permission.&lt;br /&gt;
I don&#039;t know how well i will do since english is not my first language(I&#039;m chinese), but will do my best to help.&lt;br /&gt;
giorgio wu&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
- Dear Giorgio Wu, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thank you for your interest in Mushoku Tensei, the first step is to register on the Baka-Tsuki Wiki, which is free and painless, from there you can head to the the Mushoku Tensei Registration page here:&lt;br /&gt;
[[Mushoku_Tensei:Registration_Page|Mushoku Tensei Translators Registration]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
You are welcome to join, however i was not aware that there was a chinese translation of Mushoku Tensei.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is it possible if you can send me a link to have a look? &lt;br /&gt;
my Chinese is wholefully poor but i would just like to see how far the chinese translation have gone. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Best Regards,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka-GTO 21:32, 1 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
Link of the Chinese version :&lt;br /&gt;
http://q.dmzj.com/1602/index.shtml&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Onizuka-GTO,&lt;br /&gt;
Thanks for your help. I&#039;m curious about a chapter Vanato translated and I edited. When I was going to edit again as Vanato was stressed out about it, it was deleted. What happened?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I copy and pasted what I saw:&lt;br /&gt;
12:21, August 17, 2014 Onizuka-gto (Talk | contribs) deleted page Mushoku Tensei:Web Chapter 132.5 (content before blanking was: &amp;quot;==Side Story - Is the Mad Dog&#039;s Sword Heavy, or Sharpʔ==   ===Part 1===    The western edge of the Northern Lands.  The Holy Land of Swords.  This land had seen battle.  This place, that was presently the headquarters of...&amp;quot;)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Warm regards,&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:John Woodward|John Woodward]] ([[User talk:John Woodward|talk]]) 02:13, 18 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Oni oni-chan o/ ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, I&#039;m new and would like to register as a chinese translator for the project Mushoku no Tensei&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hello anonymous, &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thank you for your interest in Mushoku Tensei, in order to register as a translator you will have to register on the Baka-Tsuki wiki, please follow the advice above and where to register.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I would also like to ask if you can give me a link to where this surprising chinese translated version of Mushoku Tensei, i am now very curious. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It would be interesting to see how it differs from the Japanese Web Novel version. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Best Regards,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka-GTO 21:37, 1 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Onii p/&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
the link Giorgio Wu is showing you is the same link i am getting raws from.&lt;br /&gt;
but i also have raws for volume 14 which is not currently up yet.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Regards&lt;br /&gt;
Banisher&lt;br /&gt;
==cother need of advice==&lt;br /&gt;
up to now is my translation Mushoku Tensei web novel ch 155  good or hopeless ?----[[User:COTHER|COTHER]] ([[User talk:COTHER|talk]]) 19:49, 2 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
Hi COTHER&lt;br /&gt;
it should be alright. But I hope you can rephrase the sentences properly for better understanding of the story.&lt;br /&gt;
Regards&lt;br /&gt;
[[Banisher]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Mushoku Tensei Translation ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Onizuka,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I don&#039;t know if I would be allowed to or if there is room, but I am considering helping translating Mushoku Tensei. However, I am not very good at kanji so I will be relying heavily on rikaichan and jisho.org for the kanji and vocabulary. This would help me further my studies in Japanese and contribute to the community simultaneously. I don&#039;t know how good my translations would be or  my Japanese skills, so I am hesitant to even consider translating.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thanks,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:Doomr|Doomr]] ([[User talk:Doomr|talk]]) 03:24, 3 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Registration==&lt;br /&gt;
Hi, I&#039;m Replay or rather named Replay can i register as a translator in Mushoku Tensei gonna try one chapter. please?&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:Replay|Replay]] ([[User talk:Replay|talk]]) 07:09, 3 august 2014 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To Onizuka,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I want to tell you that I like to &#039;&#039;&#039;Attempting&#039;&#039;&#039; to Translate Mushoku Tensei Vol 16 Chapter 10,this chapter will be a novice translation/first attempted translating. - try to register in registration pages as anoymous but has been block from it so i post it here (Already has an account but will only reveal my name if the chapter complete, if not.. anyone can pick it)- [[Special:Contributions/203.106.148.182|203.106.148.182]] 21:27, 3 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dear Anonymous, &lt;br /&gt;
I think if you wish to attempt to translate a chapter, then there is no benefit to stay anonymous, &amp;quot;there is no try....only do or do not&amp;quot; as one wise green alien master once said. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So, if you are committed then i suggest you login and register for that chapter.&lt;br /&gt;
However, i am aware how much pressure there might be and that all new learner are so what afraid of the peer-review nature of Baka-Tsuki, that is, the judgement from your fellow translators and editors. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So perhaps there is a compromise? As you can see, we have &amp;quot;Previews&amp;quot; for some chapters. They are a method for new learners to take a chance and translate. &lt;br /&gt;
Not only will you be announcing to readers and your fellow translators and editors that you are new but to also understand that you are still learning.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although i cannot say this will stop you from being criticised from both readers and peers, but on the other hand, there is less pressure on you, or until you feel you have the confidence to be able to produce a translated script.&lt;br /&gt;
There is also no honour lost, as we will still give you credit as a preview author for your effort.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
So what do you say? No pain, no gained. &lt;br /&gt;
We can give you the opportunity but in return all we ask is your willingness to put your name where you mouth is (or fingers type?).&lt;br /&gt;
   &lt;br /&gt;
whatever you decided, i thank you for the interest in Mushoku Tensei and i look forward to seeing more contribution from you.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Best Regards,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka-GTO 21:43, 3 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Mushoku Tensei Translator ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hey there Onizuka, Fighter747 registering as a regular (not machine) translator for Mushoku Tensei.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Mushoku Tensei Editor ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hey there. Laclongquan would like to be an editor for MT. &lt;br /&gt;
As Vanant and Kaito can attest, I can be a pest in regarding to context and obscure jokes that MT author like to indulge himself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== ALderamin of the sky ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi I&#039;m(jsmi47) new here and i&#039;d like to join the existing project as a translator for the light novel series, Alderamin of the sky. Is there anything i should take note before i get the go sign? thanks&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
PS. Ive already got a translated chapter for &amp;quot;Usotsuki Mi-kun to Kowareta Ma-chan&amp;quot; that i did for a mate. However, there is no existing project for this. Please advise me on starting a new project. :)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Tsurugi no Joou to Rakuin no Ko ==&lt;br /&gt;
Hey GTO , there has been no translation for this , and no project supervisor , so thought I&#039;d ask you whether it&#039;s okay if I work on this or not , it&#039;s one of my favorite and I bough the Jap light novel already :) [[User:Kazeboy|Kazeboy]] ([[User talk:Kazeboy|talk]]) 08:18, 14 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Monogatari Series Editor ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Onizuka-gto,&lt;br /&gt;
I was wondering if I could join the Monogatari series team as an editor. I am willing to contribute daily and have advanced English skills.&lt;br /&gt;
Thanks!&lt;br /&gt;
[[User:mikawa|mikawa]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== New series ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi again Onizuka^^ I&#039;ve decided that I would like to upload my translation of Mi-kun and Ma-chan. I was hoping to receive the go signal. However, this has no existing project and so I&#039;d like to start one a new. I was told to make a registration page and a project page? Ive looked at the new project startup guideline but im not sure how I could do that. Please advise.&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:Veracitea&amp;diff=381987</id>
		<title>User talk:Veracitea</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:Veracitea&amp;diff=381987"/>
		<updated>2014-08-15T04:36:39Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Alderamin of the sky */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;== Synopsis ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Veracitea, I think the synopsis needs to be rewritten with proper English ^_^; --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] ([[User talk:Larethian|talk]]) 01:20, 2 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ah right &amp;gt;.&amp;lt;  the original synopsis wasn&#039;t written using proper japanese grammar (hardly any verbs at all), and I was trying to keep it accurate, but I can change it if necessary, although I won&#039;t be able to get to it until this evening :/  [[User:Veracitea|Veracitea]] ([[User talk:Veracitea#top|talk]]) 05:56, 2 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Alderamin of the sky ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Veracitea. I&#039;m a new translator looking to translate Alderamin of the sky. Please contact me and we can talk about how to split the work. I love the novel and I&#039;ll gladly dedicate a lot of my time into it so I hope I&#039;ll be of some help. :)&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] ([[User talk:jsmi47|talk]]) 09:28, 14 august 2014 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Tenkyou no Alderamin ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dear Veracitea,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have assigned you as the manager of the TnA Project, as you have expressed the desire to work on this exclusively. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However as a reminder, that of the 2014 Baka-Tsuki contributor agreement, we cannot exclusively restrict any such projects to any one person and we work on a unreserved &amp;quot;first come, first serve&amp;quot; registration policy. But that does not mean you cannot reach a personal agreement with other potential translators or restrict you from registering all available chapters within a volume.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wish you the best of fun translating this project and that if you have any other enquires, please don&#039;t hesitate to contact me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Best Regards,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka-GTO 21:10, 14 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Alderamin of the sky ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
No problem Veracitea. Good luck on translating it then^^ &lt;br /&gt;
However, this was kinda my first preference so if you ever feel that translating all 5 volumes + yet to come volumes will be tough, feel free to give me a yell. Thanks. [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] ([[User talk:jsmi47|talk]]) 2:30, 15 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=381986</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=381986"/>
		<updated>2014-08-15T04:34:26Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a noob translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*Alderamin on the sky&lt;br /&gt;
*Eromanga-sensei&lt;br /&gt;
*Usotsuki Mi-kun to kowareta Ma-chan&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoeta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see I tend to like minor light novels over mainstream ones. I guess you could call me a LN hipster. So yea, if you want a &#039;not so famous&#039; series you&#039;d like to get translated contact me with my email below. (This does not mean I will automatically prioritise your suggestions over my other works.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:Veracitea&amp;diff=381985</id>
		<title>User talk:Veracitea</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:Veracitea&amp;diff=381985"/>
		<updated>2014-08-15T04:33:02Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Alderamin of the sky */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;== Synopsis ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Veracitea, I think the synopsis needs to be rewritten with proper English ^_^; --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] ([[User talk:Larethian|talk]]) 01:20, 2 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ah right &amp;gt;.&amp;lt;  the original synopsis wasn&#039;t written using proper japanese grammar (hardly any verbs at all), and I was trying to keep it accurate, but I can change it if necessary, although I won&#039;t be able to get to it until this evening :/  [[User:Veracitea|Veracitea]] ([[User talk:Veracitea#top|talk]]) 05:56, 2 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Alderamin of the sky ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Veracitea. I&#039;m a new translator looking to translate Alderamin of the sky. Please contact me and we can talk about how to split the work. I love the novel and I&#039;ll gladly dedicate a lot of my time into it so I hope I&#039;ll be of some help. :)&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] ([[User talk:jsmi47|talk]]) 09:28, 14 august 2014 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Tenkyou no Alderamin ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dear Veracitea,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have assigned you as the manager of the TnA Project, as you have expressed the desire to work on this exclusively. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However as a reminder, that of the 2014 Baka-Tsuki contributor agreement, we cannot exclusively restrict any such projects to any one person and we work on a unreserved &amp;quot;first come, first serve&amp;quot; registration policy. But that does not mean you cannot reach a personal agreement with other potential translators or restrict you from registering all available chapters within a volume.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wish you the best of fun translating this project and that if you have any other enquires, please don&#039;t hesitate to contact me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Best Regards,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka-GTO 21:10, 14 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Alderamin of the sky ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
No problem Veracitea. Good luck on translating it then^^ [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] ([[User talk:jsmi47|talk]]) 2:30, 15 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:Veracitea&amp;diff=381984</id>
		<title>User talk:Veracitea</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:Veracitea&amp;diff=381984"/>
		<updated>2014-08-15T04:32:41Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: /* Alderamin of the sky */ new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;== Synopsis ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Veracitea, I think the synopsis needs to be rewritten with proper English ^_^; --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] ([[User talk:Larethian|talk]]) 01:20, 2 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Ah right &amp;gt;.&amp;lt;  the original synopsis wasn&#039;t written using proper japanese grammar (hardly any verbs at all), and I was trying to keep it accurate, but I can change it if necessary, although I won&#039;t be able to get to it until this evening :/  [[User:Veracitea|Veracitea]] ([[User talk:Veracitea#top|talk]]) 05:56, 2 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Alderamin of the sky ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hi Veracitea. I&#039;m a new translator looking to translate Alderamin of the sky. Please contact me and we can talk about how to split the work. I love the novel and I&#039;ll gladly dedicate a lot of my time into it so I hope I&#039;ll be of some help. :)&lt;br /&gt;
--[[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] ([[User talk:jsmi47|talk]]) 09:28, 14 august 2014 (CST)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Tenkyou no Alderamin ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dear Veracitea,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I have assigned you as the manager of the TnA Project, as you have expressed the desire to work on this exclusively. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However as a reminder, that of the 2014 Baka-Tsuki contributor agreement, we cannot exclusively restrict any such projects to any one person and we work on a unreserved &amp;quot;first come, first serve&amp;quot; registration policy. But that does not mean you cannot reach a personal agreement with other potential translators or restrict you from registering all available chapters within a volume.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I wish you the best of fun translating this project and that if you have any other enquires, please don&#039;t hesitate to contact me.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Best Regards,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Onizuka-GTO 21:10, 14 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Alderamin of the sky ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
No problem Veracitea. Good luck on translating it then^^&lt;br /&gt;
 [[User:jsmi47|jsmi47]] ([[User talk:jsmi47|talk]]) 2:30, 15 August 2014 (CDT)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=381701</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=381701"/>
		<updated>2014-08-14T15:00:35Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a noob translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*Alderamin of the sky&lt;br /&gt;
*Eromanga-sensei&lt;br /&gt;
*Usotsuki Mi-kun to kowareta Ma-chan&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoeta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As you can see I tend to like minor light novels over mainstream ones. I guess you could call me a LN hipster. So yea, if you want a &#039;not so famous&#039; series you&#039;d like to get translated contact me with my email below. (This does not mean I will automatically prioritise your suggestions over my other works.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=381683</id>
		<title>User:Jsmi47</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Jsmi47&amp;diff=381683"/>
		<updated>2014-08-14T13:29:41Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Jsmi47: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hi, I&#039;m a noob translator here at bakatsuki. I&#039;m a little confident in my abilities, in both Japanese and English, as i&#039;m half australian and half japanese.&lt;br /&gt;
I have had the privilege of being nose-deep in both the languages and the cultures of both nations. Anyways, wish me luck or something.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Projects I&#039;m interested in translating in the near(far) future(or translating atm):&lt;br /&gt;
*Alderamin of the sky&lt;br /&gt;
*Usotsuki Mi-kun to kowareta Ma-chan&lt;br /&gt;
*Escape Speed&lt;br /&gt;
*Bento&lt;br /&gt;
*Motemote na boku ha sekai made sukucchaundaze (naki)&lt;br /&gt;
*Shimoeta toiu gainen ga sonzai shinai taikutsu na sekai&lt;br /&gt;
*Ochitekita naga to horobiyuku majo no kuni&lt;br /&gt;
(Man.... this is gonna take me years haha)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you need me urgently for some reason, flick me an email at:&lt;br /&gt;
fmghanabi1030@icloud.com&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Jsmi47</name></author>
	</entry>
</feed>