Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139838626691253/episodes/822139838627036405
“Hey, Ren? Where are you going? Aren’t you changing?”
I stood up and followed the Grim Reaper out of the classroom.
I might be able to figure out who the Grim Reaper was attached to.
The girls chatted cheerfully as they headed toward the changing room.
Because the girls were moving as a tight group, it was hard to tell exactly who the Grim Reaper was attached to.
“Hm…?”
Suddenly, the grim reaper stopped in its tracks.
As the group of girls grew farther and farther away, the grim reaper spun around and started climbing the stairs.
I shifted my gaze to where the grim reaper was heading.
At the top of the stairs, I saw the figure of a female student.
“Nanase…?”
The one climbing the stairs was a female student named Nanase Misora.
She wore glasses and had a bob haircut—a plain-looking student, if I may say so.
Her voice was always very soft when called on by the teacher, and she seemed to be teased about it often.
“Could it be Nanase…?”
As the group of girls grew farther and farther away, only Nanase remained, climbing the stairs alone.
And the Grim Reaper followed her up the stairs as if chasing her.
I climbed the stairs after Nanase.
Once Nanase reached the top of the stairs, she started climbing the stairs leading to the third floor.
Where on earth was she going?
I had a bad feeling about this.
Just as I reached the third floor, I heard a screeching sound of a door opening above me.
“The rooftop…!”
That was the sound of the rooftop door opening.
Technically, the roof was off-limits, but it was well-known that the door wasn’t locked, and anyone could easily come and go.
Why did Nanase go up to the roof?
I had a bad feeling.
I ran up the stairs and threw open the roof door.
“Wait…! Nanase…!!”
The sight that met my eyes the moment I stepped onto the roof shocked me.
Nanase was on the other side of the fence, looking down below.
The Grim Reaper stared intently at Nanase, who was being blown by the wind, as if expecting something.
I rushed over and called out Nanase’s name.
“What are you doing, Nanase!! It’s dangerous!!”
“Ku, Kurose-kun!?”
Nanase’s expression showed she had seen me.
She looked down, then closed her eyes as if steeled for something, and let go of the fence she’d been holding onto.
“…!”
I instinctively reached through the fence slats and grabbed Nanase’s arm.
“Whoa!”
I barely managed to catch her at the last second.
Her uniform flapped wildly in the wind.
Summoning all my strength, I pulled her body back.
“L-Let go, Kurose-kun!”
“What the hell are you doing, Nanase?! Are you trying to kill yourself?!”
“Yes! I want to die! Please, let me die!!”
“Why?! Don’t you dare commit suicide!!”
“I don’t want to live anymore!! There’s no point in someone like me, who nobody needs, staying alive!!!”
“What!?”
“Please, let go of me!!”
“No!!”
“Why!?”
“Because I don’t want you to die!!”
Nanase’s eyes widened.
“Why won’t you let me die?”
“You can’t die, Nanase! Don’t commit suicide!”
“Why…? I have no value in living.”
“Of course you do! Do you have any idea how many people would grieve if you died?!”
“No one would grieve.”
Nanase’s expression twisted.
It was a look mixed with loneliness and resignation.
“I don’t have any friends. Probably everyone in class hates me too.”
“You have your parents!”
“My parents wouldn’t be sad if I died either. My mom, my stepdad… they treat me like I’m in the way. It’d be better if I wasn’t here.”
Nanase looked like a puppy that had been abandoned.
“I… I’d be sad…!”
“Huh…?”
Nanase lifted her face.
I scrambled to find words to get through this moment.
“I’d be sad if you died!”
“Kurose-kun… ? Why…?”
“W-well…”
My mind went blank for a second.
Nanase stared intently at me.
In a fit of desperation, I shouted.
“Because I like you!”
“…!?”
“I liked you! All along! So don’t die!!”
“Ku, Kurose-kun likes me…? Why…?”
“There’s no reason!! You can’t help liking what you like!!”
Unable to think of anything else, I lashed out in a fit of rage, trying to cover it up.
Nanase looked at me with an expression full of hope.
“R-Really… you like me…?”
“Yeah, I do!”
“Y-You’re not lying… right…?”
“Yeah, it’s true! So don’t you dare die, Nanase!!”
“…”
Nanase swallowed hard.
She looked down, then looked at me again.
“D-Do you… Kurose-kun… would you be sad if I died?”
“Yeah! I’d be sad!”
“D-Does that mean… you need me…?”
“Yeah. I need you!”
“O-Okay.”
Nanase nodded.
She swung her leg over the fence and came back to this side.
“I’ll… try living a little longer.”
“Phew…”
I exhaled in relief.
Looking up, I saw the Grim Reaper walking away, looking disappointed.
It seemed I’d managed to prevent Nanase’s death.
“I… I never thought… someone would need me… I’m happy…”
Nanase smiled.
It was hard to believe this was the expression of someone who had been trying to die just moments ago.
“Being needed by someone… This might be the first time…”
“…”
“I, I think… I might start liking you too, Kurose-kun. Would that be… okay…?”
“W-well, I guess it’s fine…?”
This is bad.
I blurted that out on impulse, but what do I do now?
I can’t exactly say it was all a lie now.
I was at a loss, staring at Nanase, who was blushing and glancing nervously at me.
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Bro gonna get in soul society’s hitlist