Volume 1 - CH 4.1

Chapter 4 - The Truth (Part 1)

[Hoshimiya's POV]

"Ah, one of my pants is missing. ...... Did the wind blow them away again?"

It happened after I came home from school. I noticed the laundry left on the balcon, and when I picked it up, I noticed that a pair of pants was missing. Besides, it was a pair of pants that I liked..."

"Hmmm, never mind."

If Kuromine-kun was here and heard that a stalker had appeared, he would definitely make a big fuss.

Imagining that, I chuckled, "Fufufu."

After picking up the laundry, I looked around the room where I was left alone.

A few days ago, there were boys' clothes scattered and disheveled. But now it was just an ordinary girl's room.

It's as normal as it was before ...... Kuromine-kun came.

It's a feeling of loneliness, like a cold wind passing through my heart.

"............"

Suddenly, my eyes shifted to the folded futon in the corner of the room. It was Kuromine-kun's futon.

With a little hesitation, I unfolded the mattress and put a pillow on it.

"............"

I lay down on Kuromine-kun's futon even though I hesitated for a while.

I put my head on the pillow and covered my head with the blanket. .......

"......Mpppshh, Kuromine-kun's smell............"

I feel like such a pervert ....... I can't stop thinking about it.

I thought I would get used to living alone soon, but after experiencing living with someone I love, I never really got used to it.

"......Kuromine-kun, I wonder if you're compatible with Harukaze-san."

You were together all the time in high school, weren't you?

Harukaze-san looked very happy while talking to Kuromine-kun.

But Kuromine-kun is worried about me.

Even though I told him that I hated him, but that was a bad thing to say... ....

"I'm the worst, I..."

I slowly closed my eyes, not fighting the sleepiness that was slowly creeping in.

Then I woke up with a start because I had unconsciously fallen asleep.

I checked the time on my phone and noticed that it was almost time for my part-time job.

If I don't leave now, I won't make it in time!

I have to hurry!

I run out of the house, locked the door, and went to my bike.

I got on my bike and was about to start riding when I felt a strange sensation in my bike tire.

"Ah! My tire is flat! No way!"

The rear wheel was flat. What a series of misfortunes.......

"I guess it's confirmed that I'm going to be late. ............Haha."

***

"Owner, excuse me."

"Oh, Ayana-chan, thank you for your hard work. It's already dark outside, will you be okay?"

The end of my part-time job. It was a little after 10 pm.

I finished changing my clothes and faced the owner who was standing at the cash register.

There were no customers in the store, as not many customers came in at that time of night.

"It's okay, owner. I'm not a kid."

"That's not what I meant. ...... You know, about the stalker. I wonder if Riku-chan will come today?"

"Kuromine-kun won't come anymore. That stalker only exists in my mind... ...."

"Yes. ....... I'm sure you have to go out today, right? It's not safe for a girl to be alone on such a dark mountain, you know."

"I'm fine! I'm running away in case I get attacked by strangers!"

I smiled brightly and said that even though I looked like that, I was confident in my athletic ability.

The owner didn't change his worried expression when he saw me.

"Ayana-chan. I'll take you with me."

"No, it's okay. I'm fine."

"Then ....... if anything happens, just run and call the police, okay?"

"You're overreacting, owner. I'm fine. Good night."

I bowed to the owner and walked out of the store.

The area around the store was still brightly lit by the light from inside the store.

But as I continued down the paved mountain road, the light from the convenience store soon faded and I was enveloped in darkness. I was instantly terrified.

Somehow, I looked over the guardrail right next to me and saw the steep slope and gulped.

"Hey, could it be that I ...... have somehow become sensitive?"

I decided to distract myself and pulled out my hand phone.

"Oh, Kana asked me out."

There were no streetlights and the moonlight was the only light on the mountain. My hand phone was the only thing that gave me peace of mind.

"Next Saturday, huh? I have a part-time job."

I regretfully declined Kana's invitation.

After that, I replied to my other friends and continued walking for about 10 minutes.

"......?"

Jariari....

I thought I heard the faint sound of someone else's footsteps behind me.

I slowly turned around, thinking it was impossible.

A little further, the faint outline of a person floated in the darkness.

From the atmosphere, was it ...... a man?

The moment I stopped, he stopped too.

"J-just happened to be ...... right?"

That man must be walking on this mountain path for a reason.

I said to myself and continued walking.

But it kept thundering and thundering and thundering.

The footsteps were clearly getting faster and closer.

I couldn't stand it anymore and turned around.

It was too dark to see his face or what he was wearing. But still, he was closer than ever...

"────!"

I felt a shiver run through my skin and the sound of my heartbeat spread throughout my body.

This person must have noticed my existence!

When I stopped, he stopped too... .......

No, no, no.

It hasn't been decided that he's a stalker. It could just be a coincidence, right?

It will take about 20 minutes to pass this mountain road. If I'm attacked, I won't be able to escape.

Fear made me quicken my pace, but I heard footsteps approaching from behind me.

Scary, scary!

Stalker, I thought I was imagining things.

Thinking back, strange things happened today.

My pants were missing, my bicycle tire was flat, and so on.

"Ah──"

I fell down with my legs caught. I quickly put my hands on the ground and felt pain in my palms.

"Ouch!"

Thundering footsteps approached.

I could see that the man was right behind me.

I was too scared to turn around.

Kuromine-kun.....

"Hoshimiya, are you okay?"

"............Eh?"

I turned around as the voice I wanted to hear the most came from behind me.

Obviously, it was him ....... Kuromine-kun, somehow.

***

"Well ...... Kuromine-kun, explain it properly!"

"I was just secretly following Hoshimiya. What are you complaining about?"

"Of course I have lots of complaints! It feels scary to be followed on a mountain road like that, you know!"

I went home with Kuromine-kun.

I made Kuramine-kun sit on his knees and gave him a stern lecture.

"Don't bother me anymore! You're annoying!"

"But why did you smile a little when you said that?"

"What?! I wasn't..."

I quickly covered my mouth with my hand to hide it.

I think I was smiling when I said that... ....

I know Kuromine-kun speaks in a strange way, but I think he's worried about me....

No, it was a very annoying way of doing things, but...!

"I heard from the owner and Mondo-san that you missed me."

"No, I'm not missing! I don't know what you heard, but aren't you supposed to hide things like that?"

"Do you think I'm the type to hide things?"

"......Don't think so! Kuromine-kun, you're the type who just says what you think, right?"

I was slightly filled with the desire to kill Kuromine-kun, who said with an indifferent face, "You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

Why did I fall in love with that chaotic boy?

Thinking back, ever since that night when he saved me from being robbed at the grocery store, all I could think about was Kuromine-kun. It really was a surprising meeting.

......Starting with a shocking encounter, listening to Kuromine-kun's past.

He was a bit annoying, but he also had a surprisingly sensitive side ...... and was kind enough to think of others. He really tries to protect me and I'm very lucky to have him in my life.

I like Kuromine-kun, so I want him to be happy with Harukaze-san.

I don't want him to spend his time with me.

"Kuromine-kun, please go home."

"............"

"You don't need to worry about me. You should stay by Harukaze-san's side."

"......Hoshimiya, you're having trouble with stalkers, aren't you?"

"I have no problems, the stalker only exists in my mind. In fact, Kuromine-kun is the stalker now."

"......Sorry."

Kuromine-kun nodded sadly. As usual, his emotions were easy to understand.... .......

"Next time you do something like that, I'll be very angry."

"...... For that, I'm sorry............"

Kuromine-kun stood up and slowly walked out of my house.

Being the only one in the room, an indescribable emptiness filled my heart.

"......I may have talked too much. But if not for Kuromine-kun..."

Kuromine-kun would always be worried about me and wouldn't be able to go out with Harukaze-san.

He has a strange sense of responsibility, or rather a sense of obligation....

"Oh, is it safe to send him home at this hour? I think I should let him stay at my house just for tonight...."

Just before I was about to go after Kuromine-kun, I suddenly saw a family photo on the table in my field of vision──and I thought, "What is this?"

The Murderer of ----- Kuromine's Parents.

"Ugh!"

I felt a pain in my head, so I quickly looked away.

An image of something flashed through my mind, but it quickly disappeared.

"Did I forget something?"

Just as I was trying to remember this forgotten something, an electronic beep sounded throughout the room. The intercom was ringing. It must be Kuromine-kun.

"It's late already. Sorry, Hoshimiya. Please let me stay here just for tonight," he must have asked with a weak expression on him face.

"Really, I can't help it, Kuromine-kun..."

Just for tonight, I'll say it and let you stay.

I hurried to the front door and opened it.

"Um, uh......?"

It wasn't Kuromine-kun who stood at the door.

It was a man in his 30s. He was wearing all black clothes. He had a chubby figure. He had shaggy hair and a chubby face.

"......Basic!"

"What's wrong, sir?"

"Ayana-chan, why are you ignoring me?"

Saying that, the man put his hand into his pants pocket and took out a pocket knife with the blade already out.

"Huh?"

The man took out the knife.

I recognized this as a fact, but I was stunned by the lack of reality.

I didn't even have time to recognize my feelings of fear.

"───!"

The man shoved my shoulder hard.

Unable to withstand the impact, I fell backwards and hit my hip.

A dull pain shot up from my butt.

"You've got to be kidding me. ....... Shit."

"Ouch!"

A man walked through the door and locked it.

Watching him, I finally saw the reality in front of me.

He was the bad guy!

I quickly got up and tried to run to my room, but he yelled angrily, "Where are you going?" I was yelled at and grabbed by the back of my hair.

"Agh!"

"Oh, you were making out with that creepy guy?"

"What do you mean?"

I couldn't get the words out until the end. I collapsed on the floor with a weight on my back.

A weight I had never experienced before was on my body.

"......K-Kuro......"

"Oh, it's your fault, Ayana......! For making out with that bastard to make me jealous...."

"No, no, no!"

"No, I won't let you. I won't let you do it, I won't let you do it...."

The man, panting heavily, grabbed my shoulders and pulled me toward him with great force.

He turned my body around and laid me down.

"I've liked ...... Ayana-chan for a long time, but ......! I was the one who noticed Ayana-chan first, but .....!"

"............!"

I had to stare at the man's face with unimaginable horror.

As he looked at me, the man was riding me and completely robbing me of my freedom.

"Ho, I actually wanted to call Ayana-chan on the mountain road ......, but my bike tire got flat. But that guy showed up there instead, so ........ hehe."

".....!"

The look of lust on the man's face was enough to send shivers down my spine.

"Fancy clothes are good, but plain clothes are good too ....... I mean, the simple ones are the real Ayana-chan, right? I like observing people, so I ...... understand that kind of thing."

"Oooh ...... aaaah......!"

When I resisted by flapping my arms and legs that weren't moving well due to fear, the man said, "If you run, I'll stab you!" showing his knife while threatening me. I was so scared that the back of my head froze and I couldn't think of anything.

"Oh, you already fucked that ...... bastard?"

"I did what ......?"

"What, not yet? Heh, seriously?"

The man was excited. I could feel the overwhelming desire he had for me, and I knew my face was turning blue.

"If you run away, I'll stab you..."

"Ah, no, no ...... no!"

The man grabbed both my shoulders and pressed me down.

The man shouted angrily, not hiding his annoyance when I showed my resistance by shaking my body.

"Ugh, damn it! Shut up! I'll stab you!"

"Hiiieekk."

"Hey, I'll be good to you. I like you, Ayana-chan ....... I'm sure you'll accept my feelings, right?"

"Oh my God, I really don't want ...... to stop. ...... gusu ...... gusu ...... gusu!"

Finally, tears came to my eyes.

Unbearable fear overwhelmed my rationality, and all I could do was tremble and beg for forgiveness.

"No, please don't do this. ......Please don't do this. ......Forgive me. ......God."

"Hey, Ayana-chan's crying is cute too. Hehe."

"Sorry ...... sorry ...... forgive me ......"

"I'm the kind of guy who can't forgive ...... people who cheat on me. I can't forgive someone who cheats on me with a guy who's not as good as me...!"

The man, shaking with anger, put his hands on my shirt and tried to roll it up.

Realizing what he was about to do, I screamed and struggled to get his hands off me.

"Ah, no! I really don't want to!"

"Shut up! It's all your fault, Ayana-chan! Oh, Ayana-chan is mine!"

"Ah no, no, no, no ...... no ....... someone help me ......Kuromine-kun......!"

I wonder if this is a blessing in disguise?

Heaven's punishment for keeping Kuromine-kun, who cares about me so much, away from me... .... .......

I couldn't help but stare at the man who was carrying me.

Such a disgusting and dirty expression....

If I resisted, I would be stabbed with a knife.

If I knew this was going to happen, I should have been more honest with Kuromine-kun............

"Hehe, Ayana-chan, you've grown up. You finally accepted me."

"............."

The happy man tried to roll up my shirt.

I felt my heart sink into the depths of darkness with him.

This is the heavenly punishment for rejecting Kuromine-kun:

Ah....

...... At the very least, I want to tell Kuromine-kun that I love him.

"Hey, why don't you let me join you?"

Huh?

The man turned around and said, "What?" and as he turned around, a fist was released with a sharp force, and it pierced the man's face...!

"Gah!"

It was so powerful that the man was easily thrown and slipped off me.

The man dropped the knife and held his face with both hands, looking in pain.

I didn't know what had happened.

But I still had high hopes that it was him.

I slowly raised my body and looked at the person standing in front of me.

It was him - indeed, it was Kuromine-kun!

"Hoshimiya. I came to return the duplicate key. ...... Could this person be the stalker?"