--After saying goodbye to his father, Subaru slowly walked home through the familiar streets, trying to sort out his thoughts.
As Subaru walks, a number of emotions well up in his heart.
Wandering around outside in the daylight like this was something he had never done in all the time since he had started skipping school. However, the reason the scenery he had walked through so many times looked different was probably not just because he was feeling the sunlight.
"Well, it's not like a school-refusing kid can really walk around in the sunshine."
It would be terrible if the rumor spread among the neighbors or if the police took you to jail.
Even though Subaru had a true desire, even if he didn't realize it, to be hated by both his father and mother, it seems that he didn't want to end up being hated by them because of a police matter.
There are memories everywhere, on the roads around my house.
Feeling them under my feet as if savouring them, as if to confirm them, I walked through the quiet - or rather, completely deserted residential area, and finally, just as I no longer minded the feeling of the dried tears running down my cheeks, I arrived in front of the gate of my house.
Take a breath and hold it.
The many emotions that rush through my mind as I close my eyes, swallowing them all down,
"--I'm home"
He opened the door and called out into the house.
Feeling a little nervous himself, he waited for a reply. However, the answer he was expecting never came. Frowning suspiciously at this, Subaru took off his shoes and went inside the house. He then looked around for his mother, who should have been there,
"...Good morning."
--Subaru's mother called out to him as he returned from standing in front of the refrigerator with mayonnaise in her mouth.
"...I'm home"
The tension from earlier had vanished somewhere―― Subaru's shoulders slumped and he somehow managed to reply with a wry smile.
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"I called out to you, "I'm home," but you didn't reply, so I thought something had happened and got worried."
"Something did happen. You see, Mom's mayonnaise was empty. So I was secretly sucking Dad's mayonnaise... Recently, I feel like Subaru and Dad's voices have started to sound similar. It's hard to tell them apart on the phone."
"I'm jumping ahead a bit, but you were hiding because you couldn't tell Dad from me. Well, if you were hiding, I wish you'd been a bit sneakier."
Facing his mother in the living room, who was sucking out the mayonnaise, Subaru inflates the dented mayonnaise container after its contents have been sucked out, and somehow manages to get it to stand on the table.
Looking at it, Naoko tilted her head and said,
"Don't tell your dad. When you suck on your dad's mayonnaise, you see? You get to taste your favorite mayonnaise and your dad's flavor at the same time, so it feels like a bargain, right?"
"I don't know how to respond to something like that testimony from a guy who licks a recorder! If you combine the things you like with the things you like, it becomes the strongest. Are you an elementary school kid?"
"So, what happened to your dad? Did he leave you behind? Subaru, when did you become so fast that you could leave your dad behind?"
"In the first place, there's no way I could win a race with Dad... No, that's not possible."
Subaru was about to immediately refute his mother's question, but he kept it to himself.
When was the last time he had a race with his father? At that time, Subaru must have watched his father walk away, childishly and without mercy, leaving him behind, with a sense of regret and a little admiration.
But many years have passed since then. If I were to compare my running speed with my father now, I'm sure I won't be left behind like that, and I'm sure I won't even lose to him.
Subaru's admiration for Kenichi grew so large that his presence in his life was too great. However, if he fails to see the truth, no one can be saved.
"In the end, I was half-hearted in everything I did."
As he spoke, Subaru creaked the back of the chair he was sitting in and stretched his body. Naoko, who had been watching him, put her hand over her mouth and laughed,
"What? Did something interesting happen?"
"I thought that your behavior was just like my father's. My father has always used to straighten his back like that on the chair back. Sometimes he gets too excited and ends up tipping over."
"Not only are their voices similar, but their mannerisms are similar as well. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I can't really judge right now."
"I think that's a good thing. --It is that person's child after all."
His chest thumped once, and Subaru fought to stop a loud groan from erupting from his throat. His expression stiffened and his eyes widened in response, and Nahoko blinked her sharp eyes, just like Subaru's. Breathing through her nose, she quickly calmed the pounding,
"If I stay too long, I'll end up with regrets..."
He said as he stood up from his seat. His mother looked up at him with a puzzled expression. Seeing her gaze, Subaru scratched his cheek with his finger,
"Hey, there's something I want to ask you."
"Yeah, listen."
Naoko, seemingly unaware of my hesitation and hesitation, keeps glancing at the mayonnaise with a nonchalant attitude. She is probably overcome with the same urge to shovel the mayonnaise down her throat as her son continues his story.
Subaru was so taken aback by the fact that she hadn't changed at all, he let out a small chuckle and said,
"--Where did I put my school uniform?"
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
--I put on an ironed shirt and slipped into some neatly trimmed slacks. I fastened my belt and stood in front of the mirror, struggling to put on a dark green tie. Then I put on a navy blue blazer over it.
"Student Natsuki Subaru, finished... it's been roughly three months."
Checking his completed appearance in the mirror, Subaru sighed, as if he had completed a task.
Reflected in the full-length mirror was the school uniform that she hadn't worn in a long time. It was a blazer type, and every morning it was a pain to tie it, and she hated it because it felt like it took away a minute of her precious morning sleep.
Even though I had been tightening it every day for a little over two years, I hadn't made any progress, and it still looked somewhat awkward, so I had mixed feelings about the fact that this was my last chance.
"Should I do it perfectly since it's the last time, or should I do it the same as usual?"
That being said, the answer is already apparent to me.
Subaru lightly flicked the end of his loosely-fitting tie with his fingers, then, leaving it there awkwardly, turned his back to the mirror. He looked around the room and picked up his school bag.
No matter how you look at it, he looks like an exemplary high school student who is ready for school.
"Unfortunately, it's already time for third period, not homeroom. Coming out after the sun has fully risen is not exemplary or anything."
Scratching his head and smiling wryly, Subaru stretched on the spot before leaving the room - but just before he did, he suddenly looked back inside the room as if he had remembered something.
For Subaru, who had never moved in his entire life, this was the only place he could call his own room. It was the room he had been given when he entered middle school, and where he had spent nearly six years sleeping and waking up. --This would be the last time he would ever see such a place.
"――――"
Without a word, Subaru simply bowed his head quietly.
In that one gesture, he put everything he had learned from the past six years into it.
After a lengthy bow, Subaru looked up, turned around with a cheerful look on his face, and turned his back to the room. He then closed the door with a bang. He went down the stairs and returned to the first floor, where Naoko, who was waiting for him in the living room, opened her sharp eyes in surprise,
"Oh dear. When you asked me where my uniform and shirt were, I thought you might want to burn them, so I prepared a lot of things... but it was all for nothing."
"When my son asked where his uniform was, the idea that came to mind was something burning? Or rather, preparations that were made with the assumption of burning, like these potatoes and skewers of frankfurters...?"
Subaru is speechless at the sight of the food items laid out on the table, his mother's carefree attitude exceeding his expectations. Meanwhile, Naoko, unaware of Subaru's horror, looks him up and down after he has changed,
"Yes, yes, it suits you. If you dress like that and have a more mature feel to it, it offsets the look in your eyes and makes you look a little more calm."
"Right now, my mom is robbing me of my composure!"
"Why are you so crunchy? Are you licking mayonnaise to calm down?"
"That's not the mood right now..."
"That's right."
The mayonnaise she hands him - it has the letter "S" written on the lid, it is a named mayonnaise, indicating that it belongs to Subaru. However, when he pushes it away, saying that he doesn't feel like licking it right now, Naoko nods as if she knew what Subaru's reaction would be,
"But actually, Subaru, you don't really like mayonnaise that much."
"――――"
"You just licked me with your mom and dad because you love them so much."
Nahoko spoke as she placed the Subaru brand mayonnaise on the table and twirled it around. Subaru was so shocked that his throat closed in response. He gasped in panic, his lips trembling,
"Wh, what are you saying..."
"So, Subaru, which will you choose, the world or mayonnaise?"
"No, that's the world..."
"See?"
"You're bad at analogies! What are you trying to say with that smug look on your face? If you choose mayonnaise, it's not that you like mayonnaise, it's that you hate the world!"
Subaru retorted to Nahoko's rather off-point remark, breathing heavily and glaring at the mayonnaise on the table. He then snorted softly,
"Since when have you felt that way?"
"A long time ago. Mom and Dad would get depressed like it was the end of the world if they ran out of My Mayonnaise, but Subaru wasn't like that."
"I was in despair at how high the bar was being set for me."
Subaru was exhausted by his mother's words, but inside he was not at peace.
Subaru is an undisputed mayonnaise lover. There is no lie about that, and when it comes to seasonings, he always chooses mayonnaise over anything else. He goes without saying that he also eats fried chicken with mayonnaise. He is a die-hard mayonnaise lover who even spreads mayonnaise on mayonnaise-flavored snacks.
But, the reason why he is so obsessed with mayonnaise is--
"The two of them were enjoying it so deliciously, and I wanted to enjoy it just like them. I really was a daddy's boy, a mama's boy, and a Famicom fan..."
"Should I add a super?"
"Super Family Complex, shortened to Super Famicom, is annoying."
After the pointless conversation, Subaru shook his head and took a long breath. Then, he picked up the mayonnaise on the table and put it in his hand.
"a"
"--Ahh. Yes, it's delicious! It's been a while since I've had real mayonnaise, but it really is different! The mayonnaise over there that makes the most of the ingredients is good, but the real thing is the unhealthy mayonnaise that uses a ton of synthetic colorings! That one over there is just mayonnaise."
Squeezing his mouth, he gulped down the nearly full bottle of mayonnaise in one gulp. A sour taste passed over his tongue, and a burning heat ran through his throat and chest.
This is the mayonnaise that mayonnaise addicts love.
Subaru wiped the white stains off her mouth with the back of his hand, and when he saw Nahoko's shocked expression, he lifted his cheeks.
"I may not be as passionate about mayonnaise as you two, but I'm definitely a mayonnaise lover. I swear on every mayonnaise cap I've ever licked."
Incidentally, in the closet in his room, there was a storage room for all the mayonnaise caps that Subaru had personally used up. The total number had ballooned to an extraordinary 776. This one, which had just been emptied, was the 777th.
"It's three sevens. Put it in my closet for later."
"Oh, three sevens is such a happy thing. The other day, Dad was so happy when he got four sevens."
"The love was literally on another level!"
His mother happily accepted the mayonnaise. Subaru looked dissatisfied, as his sense of accomplishment had been ruined, but he quickly managed to fix his expression,
"Well then... I guess it's time to go."
"Oh, if you're going to the convenience store, I want to eat some cream puffs, so please buy me some."
"Please take a look at my outfit and use your imagination before commenting!?"
He spread his arms wide to show off his figure. Naoko laughed at Subaru and said, "Just kidding, just kidding."
"Are you going to school now? Mom will be happy, but... won't you stand out in a bad light? Why don't you do tomorrow what you can tomorrow?"
"Let's stop trying to discourage our son. I've already got a habit of being strict with others and lenient with myself."
"If Subaru was really like that, his mother wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble."
Subaru throws in some self-deprecating jokes, but Naoko responds with the same nonchalant replies as always. Then, in front of Subaru, who narrows his eyes, his mother stands up saying, "Yoishotto," and says,
"Okay then, mommy's going to get your jacket so just wait a minute."
"Wait for me... You mean you're following me? Leaving your isolation behind and coming to school with your parents is not a punishment game!"
"I won't go to school. I'm just going to the convenience store nearby to buy some mayonnaise and cream puffs. You shouldn't be so dependent on me."
"What?! It looks like I asked you to come with me?"
Subaru yells at the situation, not understanding what's going on, and his mother gives a perfunctory "Yes, yes" and heads to her room. Before long, she accompanies him part of the way to school.
"Oh no... give me a break. Seriously."
As he said this, Subaru's cheeks relaxed in relief.
--Subaru was aware, facing his own weakness, that the time to say goodbye to his mother had been postponed even just a little.
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"It's been a while since I walked side by side with Subaru like this."
"I guess so. At night, I feel like we often go shopping together."
"Hmm. Well, if we're going with the flow of the conversation now, it's obviously going to be about lunch. I need to think carefully about the hidden meanings behind my words."
"I don't agree with what my mother says about the merits of that kind of inference!"
Natsuki and Naoko's intuition is second to none, they're literally among the best in the world.
That is the shared view shared between Subaru and Kenichi in the Natsuki household, and in fact when talking to Nahoko, analogies or humorous conversations are almost always incomprehensible without explanation.
However, he is not aware of this himself, and has no understanding of how eccentric and natural he is, so talking to him can be extremely stressful.
Even knowing that, Subaru still liked talking to his mother.
"It's nice and warm today. What were you talking about with your dad?"
"Oops, here comes the "Beginner level conversation with mom - there's no connection between the first and second halves". I wasn't aiming for that, so it's a bit off, um..."
As they walked side by side on the way to school, Subaru was puzzled by his mother's question.
If Subaru were to explain in detail about his conversation with Kenichi, he would have to reveal his embarrassing inner thoughts, his complexes, and the times he'd cried.
I believe it was necessary, but I was only able to let out all the emotions I felt because I thought it would be a one-off, and I wonder if it's appropriate to let them out again here.
So,
"Nothing important...stories about Ikeda-san and some old tales."
"Yes, Ikeda-kun. He won a million yen on the horse race, moved to Thailand, got cheated by his young local wife, got stripped of all his belongings, and now he's devoting himself to manual labor while tanning black."
"This is the first time I've heard about the tragic events that followed in the second half!"
"Ill-gotten gains never end. I received a letter from him saying that although his body is suffering now, his mind is fulfilled."
"You've grown a lot through your experience in an unknown place, Ikeda-san... this is not just someone else's problem!"
The only difference between them is that Ikeda-san's circumstances are not that different from Subaru's, being in a different world or a foreign country. Feeling that he has found a comrade in an unexpected place, Subaru casually wishes him the best of luck.
Subaru's mother tilted her head and said, "Hmm."
"So, did talking about old times make you want to go to school?"
"Oh, well, to put it simply, something happened that made me realize I had been thinking about all sorts of crazy things. And then..."
"So you've stopped trying to do everything like your dad."
"――――"
Nahoko relentlessly corners Subaru, who tries to dodge with vague answers.
The smile on her face remained unchanged, and there was no change in her sharp yet gentle gaze. So, perhaps there was no intention behind her words. But still, it felt like Subaru had been preempted.
In front of the silent Subaru, Naoko walked forward waving her hands widely,
"Subaru was a hard worker, and he was able to do a lot of things. His father had a lot of hobbies, so he had a lot of opportunities… but it was exhausting."
"M-Mom... just how far will you take me..."
"You know, Subaru."
Subaru was speechless when his mother spoke as if she had known all along what he was really thinking, a truth he had been hiding even from himself.
Hearing his name being called, he looked up. His mother came around in front of him, stopped, and looked straight at Subaru.
"They say that children look up to their parents more than their parents realize."
"..."
"But the opposite is also true. Parents pay a lot more attention to their children than their children realize. Subaru's mother pays a lot more attention to him than he realizes, you know?"
One can only be stunned and dumbfounded.
The feeling of futility that I had believed I had managed to keep my secret all this time, when in fact it had been a complete waste of time. And above all, the shallowness of my own reclusive state, pretending to be aloof and thinking that no one could possibly understand my suffering.
"When you were little, I even put suppositories in you, so I've even seen your anus. The only parts of your body that I haven't seen are your internal organs."
"Excuse me. We were on a good track right now so we didn't need to be so naive."
Besides, it's not often that you get the chance to see internal organs, let alone those of your parents or siblings. By coincidence, Subaru was blessed with a slightly similar opportunity, so he did see one.
Anyway,
"About mayonnaise, and about the reason why I became a recluse..."
"If there was anything Mom could have done to help, she would have done so. But whatever Mom did, it seemed like it would have been ruined. But..."
His mother laughed softly before continuing, gazing intently into Subaru's dark eyes,
"Someone, not my mom or dad, did something about it. I thought that was really nice. I have to thank that person."
"...Yeah, that's right. That person told me that I, a hopeless person, wasn't hopeless. And that's why I'm able to walk now."
Having been made aware of his own foolishness, and having had himself accepted as such, Subaru was now able to stand here and face his past - his father and mother.
Oh, absolutely.
"They're such good kids. I feel too good for them."
"But you're not going to give it to anyone, are you?"
"Of course. It's not a question of whether I'm worthy or not. Rather than giving it to someone else, I'll make it mine even if I'm not worthy. Then I'll build up my value."
"Yes, yes -- it's definitely his child."
Just how much did those words mean to Subaru?
His mother knew what Subaru was thinking, something he had never told anyone, and she knew it. If she knew and was saying this to him,
"Am I doing that properly? Am I doing a good job as that person's child?"
"It'll be fine. After all, Subaru is half your mother. If you become half as good looking as your father, you won't have met your quota."
"Are you aware that the genes that make up my body are inferior?"
"Why not become half as cool as your dad... and the other half be Subaru?"
Unfazed by Subaru's growling, Nahoko replied,
Hearing those words, Subaru was stunned and dumbfounded.
"You won't become like your father in every way. If you were to become like your father in every way, you'd end up with two fathers and your mother would be unsteady."
"A woman's heart torn between her husband and her son - is this an erotic novel?"
"No, stop it, already!"
"Goo-pan?!"
To hide his embarrassment at Subaru's remark, he punches him.
Subaru stumbles after receiving a surprisingly good right punch to the face. His jaw is in pain and he is crying. Naoko turns around to face away from him.
"That's why I think Subaru should just do his best and be himself."
"It looks nicely put together, but there's a bit of blood coming out."
"Speaking of blood, if you lick an iron pipe, doesn't it taste like blood?"
"Such an extreme situation isn't common... Damn, I was having an intermediate level conversation with my mother when suddenly a question popped up that completely lost its meaning."
There's no point in carefully explaining that it's because the iron in blood is similar to the material that makes up iron pipes. If you answer this kind of question seriously, you'll end up getting scolded and asked, "Why are you saying something different?", which is unreasonable.
So, ignoring the context in between,
"I'll just be myself, huh?"
"That's right. You want to be like your dad, but you become Subaru."
Naoko seemed satisfied with the conclusion she had reached. Then, all of a sudden, the person walking in front of her stopped, turned around, and pointed to the right where the road split into two.
"Well, mom, the convenience store is this way so I'll just come this far... will you be okay alone?"
"You must have been so worried... Your injuries were serious, huh?"
Nahoko's worries were not excessive.
Subaru was so disheartened that he must have looked so pathetic in his mother's eyes. So, to reassure his mother, Subaru said,
"It's okay. The things I have to do and the things I want to do are all aligned perfectly. There's no reason for me to shut myself in anymore."
"I see. That's good to hear. Well then, good luck."
Naoko nods in relief at Subaru's answer, then takes a spring in her step and heads right at the fork in the road. Subaru goes left, and this is where he says goodbye to his mother.
It will be a separation. And it will probably last much longer than my mother thinks.
"mother--!"
Unable to bear watching her leave, Subaru called out to his mother.
My mother, who was skipping around in search of mayonnaise, stopped and turned towards me. I burned the image of my mother, unchanged as always, into my memory.
"a..."
Subaru hesitated as he tried to say goodbye.
If he doesn't say goodbye here and now, his mother will never know just how long their separation will be. Subaru, too, will miss the chance to see his mother, whom he will never meet again, break down in tears. If he doesn't want to see his mother in tears for the last time, perhaps it would be better for him to keep his mouth shut.
Such deception disguised as caring for oneself and others,
"---There are things I need to do. So this will be a long goodbye."
Natsuki Subaru's heart would not forgive.
Naoko was silent at his words. Before she could respond, Subaru pressed on.
"It's a bit far away, so I don't think I'll be able to contact her. I'm afraid I'll end up worrying her. I can't say for sure that she won't do anything dangerous. If anything, I'll have to rescue a dangerous child from a place that's full of danger."
I start speaking fast. I start listing information. The words I want to say just come pouring out.
"I think I'll make Mom and Dad worry again. Unlike yesterday when I was within sight of them, this time I'll be out of their reach. But no matter where I am, I'll be thinking of you two, and I won't forget you…"
"Subaru"
Subaru: "I don't want to be their child anymore, and I don't want to do anything that would make me hate myself. I know I can't say that you can see them off in peace, but…"
"Subaru"
Just as Subaru was beginning to lose track of what he was saying, his mother's voice called out to him, having returned.
When I looked up, my mother was standing right in front of me.
"Subaru. --It's okay."
"...It's okay."
"Because I know exactly what you want to say, Subaru. So you don't have to try so hard to find the words."
"I know that... but why..."
"Because you're Subaru's mother."
--That is a reason that has absolutely no logic whatsoever, and yet is absolutely impossible to go against.
The back of my eyes burned, a sensation I had only experienced a short hour ago.
Just how many times should Subaru wail like a child? How many times should he shed tears like this before he could obtain a heart of steel that would not be shaken by anything?
"Th-This is... childish... so lame..."
"If it's uncool to cry when you feel like it, then all babies born will be uncool."
"That's what I mean..."
"Yes, yes, I know that. No matter how old you get, you're always a child in front of Mom and Dad… so when you feel like crying, it's okay to cry."
The world becomes blurry. Tears overflow. Subaru wipes them away with his sleeve and hides his face, refusing to show it to his mother. Nahoko, respecting Subaru's stubbornness, also doesn't look in on him.
However, slowly, she stretched out and stroked Subaru's short-haired head,
"...I'm sorry, Mom. In the end, I wasn't able to do anything for the two of you..."
"You didn't give birth to me because you wanted me to do something for you. You gave birth to me because you wanted to give me something. You gave birth to me because you wanted to love me."
--If that was what love literally meant, then Subaru had already received it countless times.
"If you want your mom and dad to do something for you, then give those feelings to someone else. If that person happens to be someone you like, and you end up having a child that you want to love back then…wouldn't that be the best?"
"...Ah, this is great."
"Of course. There's not much wrong with what your mother says."
Smiling with satisfaction, Nahoko tickles Subaru's bangs with her fingers.
Then he pushed Subaru's chest, making him take a step back, and looked up at him from below,
"When you cry and your face gets all messed up, you look even more like your mother and your face becomes even more weird."
"...How dare you say that, using your own face as an example."
"I'm confident that I'm the face that Daddy likes. So, just as you're confident, you should be confident that Daddy loves you too."
"I'm talking about the face part though!"
I wiped my face with my sleeve as hard as I could, and though my eyes were red, I managed to stop the tears.
I found it funny that I felt so relieved after crying, revealing my true feelings, and being comforted.
"Oh my, all you do is cry, it's so pathetic."
"It's okay to cry. Subaru, you cried a lot when you were born. Everyone cries a lot at first, even if it's embarrassing. There are a lot of different things that make people cry."
"――――"
"If you cry a lot and can laugh at the end, then everything will be okay. What's important is not the beginning or the middle, but the end."
"So, as long as the results are good, it's all good?"
"That's not how I intended to interpret it. This is homework from your mother."
There will probably never be an opportunity to find out the answer.
The homework that was handed to him was a farewell farewell. Subaru accepted it and kept it in his heart. Perhaps one day, when he finally found the answer, it would become clear to him.
It's a farewell scene that is neither dashing nor clean.
Even though their son has withdrawn into himself and disappeared to nowhere, his mother and father have never expressed any resentment, instead sending him off with a smile.
Truly, my parents and the environment were too good for me, and it was a place I loved.
"--Well then, let's go."
"Yeah, let's do that."
I shook my head and finally forced my cheeks into a smile.
Leaving that awkward smile on his mother's face, Subaru turned his back and walked away.
The journey to school is almost complete; all I have to do is follow this fork in the road to the end, go up the hill and the school building will be waiting for me.
"Oh, that's right. Subaru, Subaru, I forgot."
And yet, despite all the enthusiasm I had put into the situation, I heard a fuzzy voice call from behind me.
Nearly tripping over, Subaru turned around, unable to hide his disappointment.
Subaru was worried about what to do at the last moment, and his mother raised her hand,
"--Take care"
Then she gave me a small wave and smiled.
--The last night before being summoned to another world. When Subaru was leaving for the convenience store, his mother must have called out to him in the same way. But that time, perhaps because he was in a bad mood, Subaru pushed the door open in silence,
"――――"
So this is my last chance to wipe away the regrets from that day.
Advanced conversations with your mother - No matter how many detours you take, you will always arrive at the correct answer in the end.
The moment I thought of that, a genuine smile appeared on my cheeks,
"--I'm off!"
Subaru's voice resounded loudly through the school route.
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The school building was deserted. Subaru headed from the entrance to the shoe locker and opened the poorly fitted door that seemed like it hadn't been opened or closed for ages. After changing his indoor and outdoor shoes and tapping his toes on the floor to fit them, Subaru took a breath and headed out into the corridor.
Subaru is in his third year, and is in the sixth of eight classes. He is in class six, third year, and his attendance number is twenty-two, a mixed-gender group.
The classrooms for the third year students, the highest grade, are on the first floor, so I walk down the hallway, glancing past the stairs.
Subaru walked down the silent corridor, the only sound echoing being the sound of his footsteps hitting the linoleum floor, and he continued on his way to his classroom.
And before long, I arrived at my destination. I stood in front of the door and took a deep breath.
"――――"
He put his hand on the door and slid it open to the side.
Immediately, accusing gazes were focused on Subaru, who had arrived at school quite late――,
"That was a lot quicker than I thought."
That didn't happen.
The doors were wide open, and inside the classroom there were empty seats as far as the eye could see, with only one seat being occupied, in the center of the classroom.
The person sitting there turned his chair around to face Subaru as he entered,
"Welcome. What has this time spent facing your past brought you?"
"So," asked the white-haired "Witch of Greed," eyes brimming with curiosity.