Volume 2 - CH 6
Of course, we can’t have her walk around outside wearing an apron dress like that. Hence, Suzutsuki changed into her private clothes. She wore clothes with a large ribbon, and a long skirt below. For some reason, it seemed like she hated the idea of wearing that…
“I mean, going outside with maid clothing would have been a fresh feeling, right?”
“…Please, don’t. I don’t even want to imagine the misunderstanding people would have.”
You see a man walking around in the evening with a maid at this side. I’d be called a pervert, and probably arrested.
“Why are you this scared? You can just explain yourself even if someone saw us.”
“Meaning?”
“Something like ‘What problem do you have! I just put clothes on my dog and am taking it out on a walk!’, you know.”
“That’s even worse!”
“By the way, I’ll be screaming ‘Save me! If I don’t obey him, my family will be killed!’.”
“You traitor! You only want to save yourself!”
“So this is what it means to bite the hand that feeds you.”
“You’re not biting me, you’re ruining my life!”
“Gabu.”
“You actually bit meeeee!?”
Not to mention that she bit my ear. I was out of breath. Damn it, to think my body would be unable to retort properly. My legs were shaking even, making it tough to walk.
“…Also, where are we even going?” I asked, while looking down the dimly-lit path ahead of us.
We found ourselves on a bank going along with the large river that cut across our town. We’ve been walking on the asphalt path above it for about ten minutes now. I don’t remember their residence being this way if we’re actually going to meet that old man. Adding the ambient noise of the highway and the river, it’s hard to even have a proper conversation.
“You’ll understand it soon enough. More importantly, Subaru didn’t see us leaving, right?”
“No worries there. We escaped through the window of my room, so she won’t catch on this quickly.”
It’s been a while since I left through my room’s window. By the way, I went for a cool superhero landing, but because I was still feeling dizzy, I totally failed.
“That’s reassuring to know. Subaru will definitely get angry when she realizes that you snuck out. If she finds us here, she’ll lock you up in your room.”
That may be the case, but why is she smiling while saying that? I don’t think there’s anything funny here. She really is a sadist.
“Why would you even need my help? Isn’t it Konoe and her old man who are having a fight?”
“………” Suzutsuki briefly averted her gaze, like she was feeling awkward about it. “Of course I need your help. After all, this quarrel happened because of you.”
“Wha?”
What’s up with that? What did I do? I didn’t do anything, right?
“Last month, that incident at the leisure land happened, remember. When Nagare beat you to a pulp.”
“Yes, I still vividly remember. I was fighting that old man who acted as a kidnapper…Wait, don’t tell me.”
“Yes, exactly. After that incident, Subaru’s been in some sort of cold war with her father. This finally exploded, and they had a serious quarrel. Basically, everything that happened this Golden Week is the result of that incident in April.”
“……”
Hey now, are you kidding me. My injuries are all better, and I’m not even that angry towards that old fart anymore, and yet…she’s been fighting with her own father for my sake?
“You should know that both Subaru and Nagare are stubborn. This family quarrel is getting close to an all-out war.”
“All-out war…”
“That’s right. A great storm of a war that swallowed up everything around it…” Suzutsuki let out a deep sigh. “To think that even the entire Suzutsuki Family would be dragged into that pie throwing contest.”
“……”
A pie throwing contest? I thought they destroyed the entire residence or something.
“Yes, it was absolute hell. They destroyed half the building during that contest…”
“…And yet you sound like you had fun.”
What kind of pie throwing contest was that? I might have actually wanted to see that live.
“However, it must have been a big shock for Subaru to see a friend from school beaten up like that. In reality, we didn’t plan to go that far either, and Nagare just went with the flow…”
Hm, what’s that rare complicated expression for? Maybe she feels a bit guilty as the person who planned that entire incident…Alright, now that it’s come to this, I’ll have those two make up. Being the reason for this family quarrel doesn’t let me rest easy. Once that’s done, I’ll be getting rid of this cold and enjoy the rest of my Golden Week.
It’ll be a game-turning home run. Even Kureha wouldn’t go too far when I’m still sick. I don’t have much time left until the end of Golden Week, but this is my first and also final chance to get it back.
“We’re here. This is where Nagare is waiting.”
“Alright, then let’s hurry and…”
…Wait a second. Here? Really? After all…this is a bridge. I forgot its name, but it’s a pretty long bridge of like 50 meters crossing the river. Doesn’t look like some house in the residential area…
“Over here.”
Eh, over here? That’s beneath the bridge. Someone’s living here? In this darkness? In the corner stood an unfitting cardboard box. Sitting in the center of that was—
“Wah?”
I couldn’t suppress a shocked voice. Possessing a large and slender stature, he wore tight pants. I could make out a similar butler uniform like Konoe’s, but it was in tatters, and dirty. On top of that, his hair was a ruffled mess, with silver-lined glasses on his face. On his chin, I could see an untrimmed 5-o’clock shadow.
“…Kanade-ojousama?” A familiar husky voice reached my ears.
The shadow saw Suzutsuki standing next to me, and got up. That’s right, I’m looking at Konoe Nagare, Konoe’s father, who had apparently been living beneath a bridge inside a cardboard box.
×
“Hmpf. Just when I was wondering who that dirty glasses bastard next to you was, it’s that shitty brat.” The old fart finally noticed me, and clicked his tongue.
You have the guts to call me dirty!?—I wanted to retort, but I let that sink for now.
“Why are you here…”
His impression completely changed compared to before. I remember him as a dignified and confident butler.
“I felt like experiencing the life of a commoner for once. Been living the survival life for the past two days.”
“Stop lying. Only a small portion of commoners actually live such a life…”
…Huh? Two days ago…isn’t that the day Subaru was kicked out of the residence? So…he was as well?
“Nagare was forced to take responsibility as a participant of the quarrel, and was thrown out. It caused a big ruckus after all, and made my father furious.” Suzutsuki calmly explained.
When she says father, she’s talking about the head of the Suzutsuki Family, right. In a quarrel, both parties are to blame, as they say. I guess that judgement was correct.
“Well, rather than being angry, I feel like he was just enjoying himself.”
“What an odd father you have.”
This old man was supposed to be the butler of Suzutsuki’s father. Being chased out of the place you stay at just for the laughs sounds a bit too cruel if you ask me.
“He did say they were both allowed to come back after they made up. Yet, neither of them could stop being stubborn. That’s why we’re at this stalemate.”
“Sounds like you’ve been through a lot, huh.”
If it was me, I would stay out of this idiotic quarrel by any means. Well, I guess I’m already involved beyond that point. Should have gotten some disaster insurance.
“Huh, so you even had human emotions like sympathy within you. Then, why don’t you go die right now? My family was ruined because of you.”
“Don’t exaggerate to push the blame on me.”
“It’s the truth. As of late, Subaru won’t even call me ‘Papa’ anymore, and when I ask for a good morning kiss, I get the frying pan slammed into my face. Whose fault could this be if not for yours?”
“I feel like the problem is more with your way of approaching Konoe!”
I can totally see the cracks and fissures way before I entered the frame. I don’t want to meddle with other peoples’ family businesses, but you’re clearly just annoying her at this point.
“What? Are you saying that my direction of education is flawed?”
“Old man, she hit you with a frying pan.”
“Heh, this is how communication works in our family.”
“What a messed up relationship you have.”
Not like I could laugh about it. In my family, there’s people flying instead of frying pans.
“Hm, what do you understand? Worst of all is being ignored.”
“……”
“Ever since that incident last month, Subaru has been ignoring me without saying anything. Uu…even though she was such a good child…To think she would stray from the right path like that…” The old man wiped his tears.
Looks like he’s suffering from a terminal illness. As I thought, he really is a helicopter parent. Thinking about it, he didn’t even tell his own master about the fact that I learned of Konoe’s secret. He must be covering for her, just like Suzutsuki does. Caring for his daughter isn’t a bad thing for sure, but…
“Can’t you just make up already? You don’t want to stay here forever, do you. Would you like me to make an appointment at the child consultation center?”
“Urk…H-However…”
“It’s fine, I brought the victim of the case, Jirou-kun, with me. If he were to forgive you, the aggressor, then Subaru will surely calm down.”
Ahh, that’s what this is about. I get why she needs my help now.
“Urk…I want to make up with Subaru, but…apologizing to this shitty brat is also…”
“…Come on now. I don’t want to forgive you either, but it’s all so that Konoe leaves my place and goes home. I’ll help you out with that.”
That’s right, the most important goal right now is for Subaru to go home. If she stays at my place any longer, I’ll end up in the ICU. For that, I tried to convince that old man, but…
“—Hold on, shitty brat.” Suddenly, the old man’s tone of voice changed. “What do you mean by ‘leaves my place’, hm? I-Is Subaru…is my daughter currently staying at your home?”
“…Ah.”
Crap, he didn’t know where Konoe went. I bet Suzutsuki didn’t tell him either. No way he’d stay quiet otherwise.
“Y-You shitty braaaaat!”
As expected, he glared at me with the blood-shot eyes of a beast, and leaped at me.
“Y-You bastard! What did you do to my daughter!?”
“Y-You idiot! I didn’t do anything!”
“Stop lying! You have such an adorable girl with you, and you won’t do anything!? Such a chicken bastard doesn’t exist in this world!”
“Sorry for being a chicken, you damn old fart!” I grabbed the old man’s wrist, but it was too late.
His fingers already reached my neck.
“I’ll kill you! The demon who laid his hands on my daughter deserves to die a million gruesome deaths!”
Jesus christ, this old man is serious. He wants to wring the life out of me.
“…!” I barely managed to put strength into my fingers.
…Damn it, normally I’d be able to intercept this, but with the cold weighing me down…My consciousness is getting more and more hazy. At this rate, he might actually strangle me to death.
“Get away from Jirou!”
I heard a familiar alto voice. Immediately after, my body felt much lighter. It was a beautiful rider kick which kicked the old man away from me.
“Are you hurt anywhere?” Konoe Subaru asked me with her translucent eyes.
She wore the black and white butler uniform I was used to seeing on her.
“K-Konoe, why are you…” I asked, while trying to control my coughing fit.
Even if she realized that I wasn’t in my own room, I don’t understand how she could have found us this quickly.
“I figured that this might happen, so I set up a GPS function on your phone, Jirou. With that, I could perfectly track you all the way out here.” Konoe explained, and grabbed my arm. “We’re going home. Your fever will get worse at this rate.”
“H-Hold on a second, Konoe!” I screamed as she pulled me along.
Going home now would definitely be bad. This is probably our final chance for her and her old man to make up. That’s why I need to tell her…!
“Shut up! Don’t argue back!”
“…!”
…Crap, it seems like me running away without telling her really pissed her off.
“Why did you sneak out!? Do you know that you’re sick right now!?” She scolded me, and pulled on my arm even stronger.
I tried to resist, but couldn’t muster up enough strength to break free. As a result of that, I was taken back to the path next to the bridge, above the bank.
“Wait, Subaru!” A husky voice stopped us.
Turning around, the old man was out of breath, climbing up the bank. Is he trying to convince her in such a hellhole of a place!?
“…Alright.” I’ll leave this to you, old fart.
Everything rests on your shoulders. Be a man, and a dad, and make up with your daughter!
“…No.”
However, Konoe’s voice destroyed all hope I had. And, after taking a deep breath, she screamed.
“I absolutely hate you, Dad!”
Bang! The old man froze up like he was hit by lightning. Slowly, his body fell forwards onto the river bank…Friggin weak. Can’t you try a bit harder, old man…
“Let’s go, Jirou.” Konoe pulled on my arm yet again.
…Damn it. Now that it’s come to this, I have to be the one doing it. I need to convince her some way…and have her go home.
“—Konoe, this is enough, don’t you think?” I calmly called out to her, so as to not anger her in any way. “Just forgive him already. Your old man said he wanted to make up with you.”
“………”
“And, I’m already over him beating me to a pulp. My injuries are all healed now, and I don’t hate him at all.”
“…!” There, Konoe grabbed my arm even more fiercely.
A short silence followed, which Konoe broke herself.
“—No.” She announced, convinced. “I’m Jirou’s butler. Until your cold is better, I won’t go back to the residence.” Her voice sounded hurt, like she was about to cry. “Jirou…Why…why did you sneak out of the house? Do you…do you hate the idea of being nursed by me this much?”
“…No, that’s not…” I couldn’t find the right words.
That’s right. No matter what reason or explanation there may be, at the root of it all, she tried her best for me. She just simply wanted to help me during my cold…
“…Sorry. If my nursing only made it worse for you, then I’ll apologize. But…I was worried, okay?” With an anxious gaze, she looked at my face. “You might not know, but when you collapsed, Kureha-chan was crying a lot. When I saw that…it reminded me a long time ago, when Mom died. And, I was scared…”
“……”
“That’s why…when I realized that you might die as well…when I thought that I yet again would lose someone important to me…it terrified me. I can’t help but worry, okay…! Jirou…please, let’s go home?” With a voice about to break out in tears, she begged me.
Ahh, I see. She wasn’t exaggerating or anything. She really thought I might die from this, scared to bone. That’s why she was putting all her attention into nursing me back to health. I can tell how worried about me she is. After all, she’s close to breaking out in tears. Of course, I’m happy about that. I really am, but…
“……”
Am I really fine with this? Konoe is crying because of me. Because I collapsed, because I caught a cold. Because—I’m weak.
“…”
I can’t accept this. Didn’t I make up my mind at the end of April? Stand By Me. I promised my old man that I would uphold these words, that I would become stronger. So that she won’t ever have to cry again. I decided, and yet…Am I really fine with not doing anything? Even though she’s suffering this much…can I really just stand here, and let it all happen?
“Nii-san!”
Someone suddenly called out to me, pulling me back to reality. Looking ahead of me, I spotted Kureha. Did she chase after Konoe?
“Thank god…I was really worried when I heard you left…” She let out a relieved sigh.
In her arms, she had Kojirou. She must have been too worried to leave him alone at home, so she took her with him. However…
“Ah, calm down, Kojirou!”
Suddenly, Kojirou started to rampage in Kureha’s arms. She tried to calm him down, but her broken arm ended up being fatal. She couldn’t properly hold him, to which Kojirou jumped down on the floor. Following that, like he was attracted by something, he immediately ran the opposite of the river, down the bank—
“!”
Crap. The opposite side of the river bank…is a highway.
“Wait! No!” Kureha must have caught on to this, and started chasing after Kojirou, down the bank.
“—You idiot!” I reflexively shook off Konoe’s arm, and chased after her.
I feel like Konoe was screaming something, but I couldn’t properly pick it up. I was too focussed on the highway. In the corner of my view, I saw—a large truck. What awful timing is this…!
“Kojirou!” Kureha finally managed to catch up with Kojirou, and carried his small body in her arms.
And—at that exact same moment, she found herself in the middle of the traffic lane.
“Kureha!” While calling out to her, I grabbed her collar, and pulled her backwards.
At around the same time, a high-pitched car horn ran out through the darkness.
×
When I woke up, I was looking at the sky. Beneath my body, I felt the hard and cold asphalt. Huh? Why was I sleeping here?
“Don’t move! We still don’t know if you hit your head!” I heard Suzutsuki’s voice.
Wow, she actually sounds like she’s panicking. This is the first time I’ve seen Suzutsuki like this. I want to take a video on my phone, even.
“N-No…Nii-san! Nii-san!”
In the corner of my eyes, I saw Kureha…But, why is she crying this much?
“………”
Ahh, I see. I tried to save her, and was hit by a car. Hmm…I feel like I made it pretty high into the air. When I turned my eyes, I saw that truck just now, rammed into the bank. The driver must have tried to evade me. I hope they’re not hurt…
I heard the weeping of a dog close to my ears. Kojirou, huh. Oh yeah, this is your fault I ended up this way. Just you wait, once I’m home, I’ll throw out all your dog food.
“No, what should we do…Blood, so much blood…!”
Kureha, will you shut up. I always end up drenched with blood because you use me as a punching bag for your techniques, so why are you panicking now? Well, at least I know that Kureha is safe. She seems to be unharmed…Thank god. With this, I can sleep in peace. I wonder why. Maybe because I’ve been working on barely any sleep as of late, I feel like I could get a really good nap now. I bet I’d be asleep for two full days.
Alright, good night everyone…I thought, and closed my eyes.
“Jirou…” I heard a weeping alto voice.
I opened my eyes once again, and spotted Konoe looking down at my face. Large grains of tears ran down her cheeks.
“……”
Hey now, will you stop it? Come on, why…are you crying again?
“Urk…!”
Like I had just lived through radio gymnastics, I took a deep breath. It hurts…It feels like my body is going to slip just by breathing. Must have burst some organs. The inside of my mouth tastes like blood and iron. Damn, this might be the first time in my life where I’ve actually suffered from this much damage. But…you know, this much can’t keep me down on the ground for long.
“…Nii-san?”
When I pushed up my body despite the pain, Kureha let out a dumbfounded voice. Don’t you worry, I tried to tell her, but nothing except fragile groans came out of my throat. Damn, my organs are messed up for real.
“Nii-san! No…You can’t move just yet! You’ll die for real…!”
What are you talking about? Aren’t you always using me as a punching bag? But…this once, I’m actually grateful to you. If you and Mom hadn’t trained me…I probably would not have been able to get up there.
“Ugh…Ah…!” With quivering feet, I managed to achieve solid ground.
Alright, now that I’m standing, I’ll take a nap another time.
“Wait!”
Black hair filled my view. It’s Suzutsuki. She had both her arms opened, standing in front of me. Almost as if she wanted to block off my path.
“Don’t move! Are you even aware in what kind of situation you’re in—”
“…Move.”
Met with my surprisingly cold voice, Suzutsuki let out a baffled ‘Eh?’, and her expression froze up.
“Did you not hear me? I told you to move, Suzutsuki.” I didn’t even bother caring about how she must have felt.
I just used my wounded arms to push her aside, and moved towards. That’s right. Keep walking, me. Even if your legs give out, there’s something you have to do right now. The one thing I can do is…
“…K-Konoe.” I desperately tried to keep my breathing under control, and arrived at my butler, whose face was drenched with tears.
I reached for her cheeks—and wiped away those tears.
“J-Jirou…?” She called out my name, her voice quivering in uncertainty.
Now, it’s time. Sometimes I need to show her that I’m just some chicken. I’d be hella lame at this rate, right? I really…can’t make her cry again like this.
“Did…did you see that just now? I must have been blasted into the air, right…?” I somehow managed to line up a cohesive sentence with shaking lips, and forced out a dry laugh.
That alone had my entire body ache. An intense pain assaulted my cells. It feels like I’m being munched to pieces inside a giant beast’s mouth. But, not yet. I can’t collapse just yet.
“Well, I was dealing with a large truck, so I can’t blame my body for ending up in tatters like this. But, even so—” I spoke that far, when I couldn’t defeat the urge to cough.
Red liquid splattered on the floor. On top of that, both my legs were shaking. Almost like…I was a lamb that was just born.
“—”
No, this is just fine. Right now, I must resemble a sheep. After all, look how pathetic and in shambles I am. Even worse than some chicken bastard…I must look as weak as a newly-born lamb.
“But…even so, Konoe…” I used all my energy to convey my thoughts.
No matter how strong I may be, how much of a chicken or sheep I may be, there are things I can’t give up. I have my own stubbornness, as the weak.
“Listen, Konoe…listen to me…and look…” I glanced at Konoe. “—I’m not dead.” With clear words, my own lips, I conveyed these feelings to her. “You get it now, right? Probably because I was raised in that hellish family, you won’t get rid of me that easily. That’s why…” I tried to grin. “I won’t die from some illness, alright?”
That’s right. I won’t die. After all, I got hit by a truck, and yet I’m still standing here. Some weak illness won’t wring the life out of me. Like hell I would die because of that. I sadly wasn’t raised that weak to immediately die.
“So please…just go back home, okay? You don’t have to worry about me. You don’t have to cry either. You don’t have to be sad. Just relax, and go to the people who really need you.”
“…But, Jirou…” Her expression was still riddled in anxiety.
In an attempt to answer that, I let out a faint laugh. That’s right, she’s not allowed to cry.
“Ha…haha, don’t make such a face. Can’t you see that I’m as energetic as an old lady on her Sunday morning shopping trip?”
“……”
“It’s fine. I promise, I…won’t kick the bucket this easily.” I said, and flashed the best possible smile I could manage.
…I just hope this gives her a bit of relief. This is the best I can do right now. I might still be weak, but for her, I can give it my all. This is quite possibly the worst show-off she must have ever seen. But, who cares? Everything is better than making her cry again.
“……”
A silence filled the air. The sky was colored with the approaching night darkness. Konoe seemed to have been pondering on my words, but eventually wiped away her tears, and smiled as bright as she could.
“—Yes. I understand, dear master.” She deeply lowered her head.
Farewell, my butler.
These were my final words, before I dove down into the blood-red asphalt in front of me.
“I mean, going outside with maid clothing would have been a fresh feeling, right?”
“…Please, don’t. I don’t even want to imagine the misunderstanding people would have.”
You see a man walking around in the evening with a maid at this side. I’d be called a pervert, and probably arrested.
“Why are you this scared? You can just explain yourself even if someone saw us.”
“Meaning?”
“Something like ‘What problem do you have! I just put clothes on my dog and am taking it out on a walk!’, you know.”
“That’s even worse!”
“By the way, I’ll be screaming ‘Save me! If I don’t obey him, my family will be killed!’.”
“You traitor! You only want to save yourself!”
“So this is what it means to bite the hand that feeds you.”
“You’re not biting me, you’re ruining my life!”
“Gabu.”
“You actually bit meeeee!?”
Not to mention that she bit my ear. I was out of breath. Damn it, to think my body would be unable to retort properly. My legs were shaking even, making it tough to walk.
“…Also, where are we even going?” I asked, while looking down the dimly-lit path ahead of us.
We found ourselves on a bank going along with the large river that cut across our town. We’ve been walking on the asphalt path above it for about ten minutes now. I don’t remember their residence being this way if we’re actually going to meet that old man. Adding the ambient noise of the highway and the river, it’s hard to even have a proper conversation.
“You’ll understand it soon enough. More importantly, Subaru didn’t see us leaving, right?”
“No worries there. We escaped through the window of my room, so she won’t catch on this quickly.”
It’s been a while since I left through my room’s window. By the way, I went for a cool superhero landing, but because I was still feeling dizzy, I totally failed.
“That’s reassuring to know. Subaru will definitely get angry when she realizes that you snuck out. If she finds us here, she’ll lock you up in your room.”
That may be the case, but why is she smiling while saying that? I don’t think there’s anything funny here. She really is a sadist.
“Why would you even need my help? Isn’t it Konoe and her old man who are having a fight?”
“………” Suzutsuki briefly averted her gaze, like she was feeling awkward about it. “Of course I need your help. After all, this quarrel happened because of you.”
“Wha?”
What’s up with that? What did I do? I didn’t do anything, right?
“Last month, that incident at the leisure land happened, remember. When Nagare beat you to a pulp.”
“Yes, I still vividly remember. I was fighting that old man who acted as a kidnapper…Wait, don’t tell me.”
“Yes, exactly. After that incident, Subaru’s been in some sort of cold war with her father. This finally exploded, and they had a serious quarrel. Basically, everything that happened this Golden Week is the result of that incident in April.”
“……”
Hey now, are you kidding me. My injuries are all better, and I’m not even that angry towards that old fart anymore, and yet…she’s been fighting with her own father for my sake?
“You should know that both Subaru and Nagare are stubborn. This family quarrel is getting close to an all-out war.”
“All-out war…”
“That’s right. A great storm of a war that swallowed up everything around it…” Suzutsuki let out a deep sigh. “To think that even the entire Suzutsuki Family would be dragged into that pie throwing contest.”
“……”
A pie throwing contest? I thought they destroyed the entire residence or something.
“Yes, it was absolute hell. They destroyed half the building during that contest…”
“…And yet you sound like you had fun.”
What kind of pie throwing contest was that? I might have actually wanted to see that live.
“However, it must have been a big shock for Subaru to see a friend from school beaten up like that. In reality, we didn’t plan to go that far either, and Nagare just went with the flow…”
Hm, what’s that rare complicated expression for? Maybe she feels a bit guilty as the person who planned that entire incident…Alright, now that it’s come to this, I’ll have those two make up. Being the reason for this family quarrel doesn’t let me rest easy. Once that’s done, I’ll be getting rid of this cold and enjoy the rest of my Golden Week.
It’ll be a game-turning home run. Even Kureha wouldn’t go too far when I’m still sick. I don’t have much time left until the end of Golden Week, but this is my first and also final chance to get it back.
“We’re here. This is where Nagare is waiting.”
“Alright, then let’s hurry and…”
…Wait a second. Here? Really? After all…this is a bridge. I forgot its name, but it’s a pretty long bridge of like 50 meters crossing the river. Doesn’t look like some house in the residential area…
“Over here.”
Eh, over here? That’s beneath the bridge. Someone’s living here? In this darkness? In the corner stood an unfitting cardboard box. Sitting in the center of that was—
“Wah?”
I couldn’t suppress a shocked voice. Possessing a large and slender stature, he wore tight pants. I could make out a similar butler uniform like Konoe’s, but it was in tatters, and dirty. On top of that, his hair was a ruffled mess, with silver-lined glasses on his face. On his chin, I could see an untrimmed 5-o’clock shadow.
“…Kanade-ojousama?” A familiar husky voice reached my ears.
The shadow saw Suzutsuki standing next to me, and got up. That’s right, I’m looking at Konoe Nagare, Konoe’s father, who had apparently been living beneath a bridge inside a cardboard box.
×
“Hmpf. Just when I was wondering who that dirty glasses bastard next to you was, it’s that shitty brat.” The old fart finally noticed me, and clicked his tongue.
You have the guts to call me dirty!?—I wanted to retort, but I let that sink for now.
“Why are you here…”
His impression completely changed compared to before. I remember him as a dignified and confident butler.
“I felt like experiencing the life of a commoner for once. Been living the survival life for the past two days.”
“Stop lying. Only a small portion of commoners actually live such a life…”
…Huh? Two days ago…isn’t that the day Subaru was kicked out of the residence? So…he was as well?
“Nagare was forced to take responsibility as a participant of the quarrel, and was thrown out. It caused a big ruckus after all, and made my father furious.” Suzutsuki calmly explained.
When she says father, she’s talking about the head of the Suzutsuki Family, right. In a quarrel, both parties are to blame, as they say. I guess that judgement was correct.
“Well, rather than being angry, I feel like he was just enjoying himself.”
“What an odd father you have.”
This old man was supposed to be the butler of Suzutsuki’s father. Being chased out of the place you stay at just for the laughs sounds a bit too cruel if you ask me.
“He did say they were both allowed to come back after they made up. Yet, neither of them could stop being stubborn. That’s why we’re at this stalemate.”
“Sounds like you’ve been through a lot, huh.”
If it was me, I would stay out of this idiotic quarrel by any means. Well, I guess I’m already involved beyond that point. Should have gotten some disaster insurance.
“Huh, so you even had human emotions like sympathy within you. Then, why don’t you go die right now? My family was ruined because of you.”
“Don’t exaggerate to push the blame on me.”
“It’s the truth. As of late, Subaru won’t even call me ‘Papa’ anymore, and when I ask for a good morning kiss, I get the frying pan slammed into my face. Whose fault could this be if not for yours?”
“I feel like the problem is more with your way of approaching Konoe!”
I can totally see the cracks and fissures way before I entered the frame. I don’t want to meddle with other peoples’ family businesses, but you’re clearly just annoying her at this point.
“What? Are you saying that my direction of education is flawed?”
“Old man, she hit you with a frying pan.”
“Heh, this is how communication works in our family.”
“What a messed up relationship you have.”
Not like I could laugh about it. In my family, there’s people flying instead of frying pans.
“Hm, what do you understand? Worst of all is being ignored.”
“……”
“Ever since that incident last month, Subaru has been ignoring me without saying anything. Uu…even though she was such a good child…To think she would stray from the right path like that…” The old man wiped his tears.
Looks like he’s suffering from a terminal illness. As I thought, he really is a helicopter parent. Thinking about it, he didn’t even tell his own master about the fact that I learned of Konoe’s secret. He must be covering for her, just like Suzutsuki does. Caring for his daughter isn’t a bad thing for sure, but…
“Can’t you just make up already? You don’t want to stay here forever, do you. Would you like me to make an appointment at the child consultation center?”
“Urk…H-However…”
“It’s fine, I brought the victim of the case, Jirou-kun, with me. If he were to forgive you, the aggressor, then Subaru will surely calm down.”
Ahh, that’s what this is about. I get why she needs my help now.
“Urk…I want to make up with Subaru, but…apologizing to this shitty brat is also…”
“…Come on now. I don’t want to forgive you either, but it’s all so that Konoe leaves my place and goes home. I’ll help you out with that.”
That’s right, the most important goal right now is for Subaru to go home. If she stays at my place any longer, I’ll end up in the ICU. For that, I tried to convince that old man, but…
“—Hold on, shitty brat.” Suddenly, the old man’s tone of voice changed. “What do you mean by ‘leaves my place’, hm? I-Is Subaru…is my daughter currently staying at your home?”
“…Ah.”
Crap, he didn’t know where Konoe went. I bet Suzutsuki didn’t tell him either. No way he’d stay quiet otherwise.
“Y-You shitty braaaaat!”
As expected, he glared at me with the blood-shot eyes of a beast, and leaped at me.
“Y-You bastard! What did you do to my daughter!?”
“Y-You idiot! I didn’t do anything!”
“Stop lying! You have such an adorable girl with you, and you won’t do anything!? Such a chicken bastard doesn’t exist in this world!”
“Sorry for being a chicken, you damn old fart!” I grabbed the old man’s wrist, but it was too late.
His fingers already reached my neck.
“I’ll kill you! The demon who laid his hands on my daughter deserves to die a million gruesome deaths!”
Jesus christ, this old man is serious. He wants to wring the life out of me.
“…!” I barely managed to put strength into my fingers.
…Damn it, normally I’d be able to intercept this, but with the cold weighing me down…My consciousness is getting more and more hazy. At this rate, he might actually strangle me to death.
“Get away from Jirou!”
I heard a familiar alto voice. Immediately after, my body felt much lighter. It was a beautiful rider kick which kicked the old man away from me.
“Are you hurt anywhere?” Konoe Subaru asked me with her translucent eyes.
She wore the black and white butler uniform I was used to seeing on her.
“K-Konoe, why are you…” I asked, while trying to control my coughing fit.
Even if she realized that I wasn’t in my own room, I don’t understand how she could have found us this quickly.
“I figured that this might happen, so I set up a GPS function on your phone, Jirou. With that, I could perfectly track you all the way out here.” Konoe explained, and grabbed my arm. “We’re going home. Your fever will get worse at this rate.”
“H-Hold on a second, Konoe!” I screamed as she pulled me along.
Going home now would definitely be bad. This is probably our final chance for her and her old man to make up. That’s why I need to tell her…!
“Shut up! Don’t argue back!”
“…!”
…Crap, it seems like me running away without telling her really pissed her off.
“Why did you sneak out!? Do you know that you’re sick right now!?” She scolded me, and pulled on my arm even stronger.
I tried to resist, but couldn’t muster up enough strength to break free. As a result of that, I was taken back to the path next to the bridge, above the bank.
“Wait, Subaru!” A husky voice stopped us.
Turning around, the old man was out of breath, climbing up the bank. Is he trying to convince her in such a hellhole of a place!?
“…Alright.” I’ll leave this to you, old fart.
Everything rests on your shoulders. Be a man, and a dad, and make up with your daughter!
“…No.”
However, Konoe’s voice destroyed all hope I had. And, after taking a deep breath, she screamed.
“I absolutely hate you, Dad!”
Bang! The old man froze up like he was hit by lightning. Slowly, his body fell forwards onto the river bank…Friggin weak. Can’t you try a bit harder, old man…
“Let’s go, Jirou.” Konoe pulled on my arm yet again.
…Damn it. Now that it’s come to this, I have to be the one doing it. I need to convince her some way…and have her go home.
“—Konoe, this is enough, don’t you think?” I calmly called out to her, so as to not anger her in any way. “Just forgive him already. Your old man said he wanted to make up with you.”
“………”
“And, I’m already over him beating me to a pulp. My injuries are all healed now, and I don’t hate him at all.”
“…!” There, Konoe grabbed my arm even more fiercely.
A short silence followed, which Konoe broke herself.
“—No.” She announced, convinced. “I’m Jirou’s butler. Until your cold is better, I won’t go back to the residence.” Her voice sounded hurt, like she was about to cry. “Jirou…Why…why did you sneak out of the house? Do you…do you hate the idea of being nursed by me this much?”
“…No, that’s not…” I couldn’t find the right words.
That’s right. No matter what reason or explanation there may be, at the root of it all, she tried her best for me. She just simply wanted to help me during my cold…
“…Sorry. If my nursing only made it worse for you, then I’ll apologize. But…I was worried, okay?” With an anxious gaze, she looked at my face. “You might not know, but when you collapsed, Kureha-chan was crying a lot. When I saw that…it reminded me a long time ago, when Mom died. And, I was scared…”
“……”
“That’s why…when I realized that you might die as well…when I thought that I yet again would lose someone important to me…it terrified me. I can’t help but worry, okay…! Jirou…please, let’s go home?” With a voice about to break out in tears, she begged me.
Ahh, I see. She wasn’t exaggerating or anything. She really thought I might die from this, scared to bone. That’s why she was putting all her attention into nursing me back to health. I can tell how worried about me she is. After all, she’s close to breaking out in tears. Of course, I’m happy about that. I really am, but…
“……”
Am I really fine with this? Konoe is crying because of me. Because I collapsed, because I caught a cold. Because—I’m weak.
“…”
I can’t accept this. Didn’t I make up my mind at the end of April? Stand By Me. I promised my old man that I would uphold these words, that I would become stronger. So that she won’t ever have to cry again. I decided, and yet…Am I really fine with not doing anything? Even though she’s suffering this much…can I really just stand here, and let it all happen?
“Nii-san!”
Someone suddenly called out to me, pulling me back to reality. Looking ahead of me, I spotted Kureha. Did she chase after Konoe?
“Thank god…I was really worried when I heard you left…” She let out a relieved sigh.
In her arms, she had Kojirou. She must have been too worried to leave him alone at home, so she took her with him. However…
“Ah, calm down, Kojirou!”
Suddenly, Kojirou started to rampage in Kureha’s arms. She tried to calm him down, but her broken arm ended up being fatal. She couldn’t properly hold him, to which Kojirou jumped down on the floor. Following that, like he was attracted by something, he immediately ran the opposite of the river, down the bank—
“!”
Crap. The opposite side of the river bank…is a highway.
“Wait! No!” Kureha must have caught on to this, and started chasing after Kojirou, down the bank.
“—You idiot!” I reflexively shook off Konoe’s arm, and chased after her.
I feel like Konoe was screaming something, but I couldn’t properly pick it up. I was too focussed on the highway. In the corner of my view, I saw—a large truck. What awful timing is this…!
“Kojirou!” Kureha finally managed to catch up with Kojirou, and carried his small body in her arms.
And—at that exact same moment, she found herself in the middle of the traffic lane.
“Kureha!” While calling out to her, I grabbed her collar, and pulled her backwards.
At around the same time, a high-pitched car horn ran out through the darkness.
×
When I woke up, I was looking at the sky. Beneath my body, I felt the hard and cold asphalt. Huh? Why was I sleeping here?
“Don’t move! We still don’t know if you hit your head!” I heard Suzutsuki’s voice.
Wow, she actually sounds like she’s panicking. This is the first time I’ve seen Suzutsuki like this. I want to take a video on my phone, even.
“N-No…Nii-san! Nii-san!”
In the corner of my eyes, I saw Kureha…But, why is she crying this much?
“………”
Ahh, I see. I tried to save her, and was hit by a car. Hmm…I feel like I made it pretty high into the air. When I turned my eyes, I saw that truck just now, rammed into the bank. The driver must have tried to evade me. I hope they’re not hurt…
I heard the weeping of a dog close to my ears. Kojirou, huh. Oh yeah, this is your fault I ended up this way. Just you wait, once I’m home, I’ll throw out all your dog food.
“No, what should we do…Blood, so much blood…!”
Kureha, will you shut up. I always end up drenched with blood because you use me as a punching bag for your techniques, so why are you panicking now? Well, at least I know that Kureha is safe. She seems to be unharmed…Thank god. With this, I can sleep in peace. I wonder why. Maybe because I’ve been working on barely any sleep as of late, I feel like I could get a really good nap now. I bet I’d be asleep for two full days.
Alright, good night everyone…I thought, and closed my eyes.
“Jirou…” I heard a weeping alto voice.
I opened my eyes once again, and spotted Konoe looking down at my face. Large grains of tears ran down her cheeks.
“……”
Hey now, will you stop it? Come on, why…are you crying again?
“Urk…!”
Like I had just lived through radio gymnastics, I took a deep breath. It hurts…It feels like my body is going to slip just by breathing. Must have burst some organs. The inside of my mouth tastes like blood and iron. Damn, this might be the first time in my life where I’ve actually suffered from this much damage. But…you know, this much can’t keep me down on the ground for long.
“…Nii-san?”
When I pushed up my body despite the pain, Kureha let out a dumbfounded voice. Don’t you worry, I tried to tell her, but nothing except fragile groans came out of my throat. Damn, my organs are messed up for real.
“Nii-san! No…You can’t move just yet! You’ll die for real…!”
What are you talking about? Aren’t you always using me as a punching bag? But…this once, I’m actually grateful to you. If you and Mom hadn’t trained me…I probably would not have been able to get up there.
“Ugh…Ah…!” With quivering feet, I managed to achieve solid ground.
Alright, now that I’m standing, I’ll take a nap another time.
“Wait!”
Black hair filled my view. It’s Suzutsuki. She had both her arms opened, standing in front of me. Almost as if she wanted to block off my path.
“Don’t move! Are you even aware in what kind of situation you’re in—”
“…Move.”
Met with my surprisingly cold voice, Suzutsuki let out a baffled ‘Eh?’, and her expression froze up.
“Did you not hear me? I told you to move, Suzutsuki.” I didn’t even bother caring about how she must have felt.
I just used my wounded arms to push her aside, and moved towards. That’s right. Keep walking, me. Even if your legs give out, there’s something you have to do right now. The one thing I can do is…
“…K-Konoe.” I desperately tried to keep my breathing under control, and arrived at my butler, whose face was drenched with tears.
I reached for her cheeks—and wiped away those tears.
“J-Jirou…?” She called out my name, her voice quivering in uncertainty.
Now, it’s time. Sometimes I need to show her that I’m just some chicken. I’d be hella lame at this rate, right? I really…can’t make her cry again like this.
“Did…did you see that just now? I must have been blasted into the air, right…?” I somehow managed to line up a cohesive sentence with shaking lips, and forced out a dry laugh.
That alone had my entire body ache. An intense pain assaulted my cells. It feels like I’m being munched to pieces inside a giant beast’s mouth. But, not yet. I can’t collapse just yet.
“Well, I was dealing with a large truck, so I can’t blame my body for ending up in tatters like this. But, even so—” I spoke that far, when I couldn’t defeat the urge to cough.
Red liquid splattered on the floor. On top of that, both my legs were shaking. Almost like…I was a lamb that was just born.
“—”
No, this is just fine. Right now, I must resemble a sheep. After all, look how pathetic and in shambles I am. Even worse than some chicken bastard…I must look as weak as a newly-born lamb.
“But…even so, Konoe…” I used all my energy to convey my thoughts.
No matter how strong I may be, how much of a chicken or sheep I may be, there are things I can’t give up. I have my own stubbornness, as the weak.
“Listen, Konoe…listen to me…and look…” I glanced at Konoe. “—I’m not dead.” With clear words, my own lips, I conveyed these feelings to her. “You get it now, right? Probably because I was raised in that hellish family, you won’t get rid of me that easily. That’s why…” I tried to grin. “I won’t die from some illness, alright?”
That’s right. I won’t die. After all, I got hit by a truck, and yet I’m still standing here. Some weak illness won’t wring the life out of me. Like hell I would die because of that. I sadly wasn’t raised that weak to immediately die.
“So please…just go back home, okay? You don’t have to worry about me. You don’t have to cry either. You don’t have to be sad. Just relax, and go to the people who really need you.”
“…But, Jirou…” Her expression was still riddled in anxiety.
In an attempt to answer that, I let out a faint laugh. That’s right, she’s not allowed to cry.
“Ha…haha, don’t make such a face. Can’t you see that I’m as energetic as an old lady on her Sunday morning shopping trip?”
“……”
“It’s fine. I promise, I…won’t kick the bucket this easily.” I said, and flashed the best possible smile I could manage.
…I just hope this gives her a bit of relief. This is the best I can do right now. I might still be weak, but for her, I can give it my all. This is quite possibly the worst show-off she must have ever seen. But, who cares? Everything is better than making her cry again.
“……”
A silence filled the air. The sky was colored with the approaching night darkness. Konoe seemed to have been pondering on my words, but eventually wiped away her tears, and smiled as bright as she could.
“—Yes. I understand, dear master.” She deeply lowered her head.
Farewell, my butler.
These were my final words, before I dove down into the blood-red asphalt in front of me.
RECENTLY UPDATES
Xianxia
Action
Contemporary Romance
Action
Fantasy
Action
Drama
Romantic