Episode 36 – I Want to Save Akamura Riko

“Onii chan, I got a letter for you.”

“Really? Give it to me.”

As I was lounging around the house, Hikari handed me a letter.

It was in a brown envelope with the words [To Sada Kento sama] written on it.

I went back to my room and read the contents of the letter……

“Please come to the roof of the school at 18:00 today…..from Riko.”

Since there are club activities, it would be easy to sneak into the school, but the last hour of school is 18:00, as I recall.

Worst case scenario, there is a risk of being discovered by security guards.

Therefore, the right choice would be not to go to the school, but the last part of the letter said–

“If you don’t come, I’m sure you’ll regret it, senpai……”

Would you normally write that after [From Riko]? I can’t help but get caught up in the sentence [You will definitely regret it].

It is quite possible that it is just a threat, but…..

“Let’s go……..”

==================================

5:45 pm.

Students leaving school were hanging out at the main gate, so I climbed the fence to the unpopular back of the school building and broke in.

This school is a public high school, so there are not many surveillance cameras.

There were none in the back of the school building, and none in the school building.

I felt that the security awareness was too low, but it was convenient for me at the moment.

“I’ve finally arrived…….”

I spent a lot of time being overly cautious of the guards, but I managed to get to the door in front of the rooftop.

I opened the door to the rooftop, which was still making an unpleasant squeaking sound.

“Ah, senpai ! Good evening !”

There was Riko, sitting on the edge of the rooftop, just outside the fence.

“…..Hey ! It’s dangerous !”

“It’s fine, it’s not dangerous.”

“It’s not fine !”

“Senpai, do you still not get it?”

“What do you mean–“

“I’m going to jump.”

She told me with a smile on her face, as if she was really enjoying herself.

“…..Huh? H-hey. Don’t be hasty……”

Are you sure you want to jump off?

“Senpai, you’re so panicky〜”

Riko pointed out to me in an agitated manner with a wry smile.

From the outside, she’s just an innocent girl, but given the circumstances, it’s not funny at all.

“Stop ! You’re really going to die !”

“Of course. I’m jumping to die.”

I was certainly horrified by Riko, who seemed to take it for granted.

Even in the midst of all this, my mind was guessing why she would do this.

……Is it because I’ve cornered Riko?

…No matter how much my own sister was bullied, was it because I disregarded her?

I don’t know. It could be both.

……But at least I was probably the reason she was driven to suicide.

“……Hold on a second.”

Then I have to take responsibility.

I have to take responsibility and stop her suicide, even if it means putting my body on the line.

“Riko. If you die, I die.”

I sat down right next to Riko.

……Damn, I’m so scared. Just looking down sends chills down my spine.

“……………..Eh?”

“Like I said, if you’re going to die, I’m going to die.”

I grabbed Riko’s right hand.

“Hahhh……”

Are you embarrassed even in this situation? You’re too nervous.

“I’m not going to let go of this hand. If you want to die, you’re going to have to jump off the roof with your hand still in mine.”

I took this opportunity to strongly hold Riko’s hand.

Well, if she could actually jump off here, it would be the end of the part.

“It’s not so bad to commit suicide with Senpai…”

I’m done.

“But I can’t let Senpai go with me after all. I’m the only one who will die.”

“……I see.”

“…..So please take your hands off me.”

“I told you before. If you die, I’ll die too.”

==================================

“Riko. I’m hungry, let’s go home soon.”

“As soon as you take your hands off me, we can go home.”

That’s the only thing I can’t listen to.

After all, the stalemate has continued since then.

Since I’m on the edge of the roof, I’m constantly chilling, so the hand I’m holding with Riko is drenched in sweat.

However, there is no other option but to endure this discomfort, since letting go of her hand will directly lead to Riko’s death.

Suddenly, I got fed up with this situation and decided to ask Riko a question.

“Hey……was being rejected by me so hard for you that you decided to kill yourself?”

Riko’s decision to commit suicide was surely due to my rejection.

Rejection from someone you love is certainly an unbearable pain.

But is it enough to make you decide to commit suicide?

“Do you remember, Senpai…..the first time you met me?”

Riko said something out of the blue.

Riko said something out of the blue. However, since there was no joking atmosphere, I decided to answer the questions honestly.

“Ah…I think it was when you were being teased about your appearance.”

She is now the idol of the school year, but when she first entered the school, she was a little dull-looking girl with round glasses and shaggy hair.

“When I was being teased about my round glasses, Senpai happened to walk by and said, [I like you because you’re cute.]”

I’m embarrassed to death when I hear that line again.

“I remembered.”

I replied in a nonchalant manner so as not to let her know that I was writhing in agony over a line I had said in the past.

“I was really happy. ……Well, for Senpai, it’s just ironic that when he saved a girl who was being bullied, his own sister was bullied by that girl…….”

Riko spat out as if she was mocking herself.

I could feel that there was regret in her voice.

“Then, I started to get interested in Senpai, and we went to school together a few times, and even though I thought he was a bit simple….I started to like him. I stopped doing my shaggy hair, studied makeup, changed to contacts, and polished myself up just to get Senpai to look at me again.”

When Riko, with her shaggy hair and round glasses, suddenly came to school as a super-beautiful girl, it was a rough time for me. I was also shocked to see her.

“………But my senpai didn’t look back at me.He started dating Maki san. ………I seriously hated Maki san. I wanted to kill her every day. And before I knew it,……my uncontrollable anger was also directed at Senpai’s sister, Hikari chan. ….I was so angry at Hikari chan, who was loved so much by Senpai even though she was your younger sister……”

“……”

“At first, it was really a trivial tease. But as we went over it more and more often, before I knew it, the teasing had turned into bullying.”

“……”

“I realized when Senpai declared that he was insulating me. I came to my senses and finally realized the magnitude of what I had done.”

That is truly repentance. Riko was so depressed that it made me think that if I was careless, she might just jump off.

“At the same time, I was told that I would never be able to stand next to Senpai again, and that I didn’t deserve it because I bullied his sister out of jealousy….”

“That’s why you’re going to die?”

“……Yes. Was it really that hard to be rejected by me? That’s what Senpai asked me, but it’s really painful. I love you so much that I can’t help it, so it’s even more painful.”

Suddenly, my eyes met hers.

Perhaps because it was night, her eyes were like an abyss that no light could pass through.

“But I didn’t want you to forget about me, so I called you today. If you saw me kill myself, you’ll never be able to forget me, will you?”

“That’s for sure.”

You don’t care about the emotional damage I would suffer in that case. ……Well, I’m glad that you called me here. Because I wouldn’t have been able to stop you from killing yourself if you hadn’t called me here.

[ [……] ]

“……I want to be your wife in the next life.”

A future that can never be fulfilled in this life. What a grand story to bet on in the next life.

…Anyway, I understand Riko’s point.

But it seems that she is making a big mistake.

“You’ve got it all wrong.”

“…………………Eh?”

“At least I don’t think that Riko doesn’t have the right to stand next to me.”

For a moment, I thought time had stopped.

Wondering what was going on, I looked at Riko, but her eyes widened and she froze.

“Lie………”

“It’s true. …Well, humans are creatures that make mistakes, but they are also creatures that regret their mistakes. If Riko truly regrets what happened then, she should make a sincere apology to Hikari. That would be a good place to start.”

“But Senpai……you said you don’t want me to get involved with Hikari chan at all….”

“Ah,…..that is invalid. I’m not supposed to even take away your chance to apologize.

“……”

“……I’m still fiercely angry at Riko and I haven’t forgiven her. Hikari still can’t go to school because of that incident.”

I just want her to remember this fact.

“Yes……”

But, I continue.

“If you apologize sincerely to Hikari and if she forgives you, I will forgive Riko too. After all, Hikari is the victim this time, not me. It’s strange that the victim forgives, but the others doesn’t.”

“……”

“If both Hikari and I forgive you, doesn’t that give you the right to stand next to me, as you say?”

“……”

“There’s still more to do in this life than to gamble on an afterlife that we don’t even know exists, right? It’s a little early to die, don’t you think?”

“Senpai……will you like me……?”

“……It’s up to you from now on, Riko.”

“……Can I make an effort……to stand next to you…….after what I did to you…….?”

“Yes.”

“I…..don’t have to die……yet……is that okay?”

“Yeah. Live.”

“Ugh……hiks……”

“…….Even if you get rejected over and over again, try apologizing to the point where it’s annoying. I’ll support you.”

“………Yes……..yes !”

In order to stop Riko from committing suicide, I suddenly allowed her to apologize to Hikati, but I don’t know if this was the best choice as Hikari’s older brother. There’s also a chance that Hikari’s mental health could be at risk.

“……I’ll have to see how things turn out.”

I’ll have to keep a close eye on the two of them.

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