Chapter 3

Comin’ in~

C’mon, Anija. We’re at the nurse’s office. Walk on your own two feet already—Seriously, why are you this big anyway? You’re so hard to carry…

Don’t make your little brother take care of you. I’ll start charging you.

Sobsob. You’re so cruel; who do you suppose is to blame for my worn-down state?

I’d dare say it was the certain someone who brandished a lethal weapon and fired it so recklessly.

You avoided, or at least blocked, all the really dangerous stuff. Which is so annoying, by the way. I wanted to hurt you and watch you suffer more.

Fufufu. The words you say are so scathing, and yet you carry me with such care as to avoid shaking me. I love you, Ritsu… ♪

Even when we were in the underground archive, it seemed as if you’d positioned that coffin in such a way that I could use it as a shield.

That’s what we heard being dragged around beforehand, wasn’t it?

How considerate of you—You didn’t want Onii-chan to get hurt. I’m so happy ♪

You are a kind, gentle child after all, Ritsu~! And of course, I love you more dearly than anything else this universe has to offer ♪

I’ll kill you. C’mon, the bed’s empty, so you can sleep in it.

Wawah—Don’t be so rough!

Oh, I understand now. Are you trying to hide your embarrassment? You really love your onii-chan, but you just can’t bring yourself to be upfront about it, is it?

When I think about it like that, I can forgive such evil deeds as grabbing me by the scruff of my neck and throwing me onto the bed!

Rather, I’d even go as far to say it’s endearing… ♪

Ritsu~ Dear, precious Ritsu ♪ Sleep here, with me, just as you did when you were small… ☆

……

Ah—No, no. I said “sleep here with me,” not “step here on me.” Are you losing your hearing, too?

Ow, ow—It hurts, really…! Have pity on these old bones~!

You’ve been getting way too carried away lately, y’know. I hate to use Secchan’s catchphrase, but you are seriously sooo annoying!

You two, quit making so much noise in the nurse’s office.

Oh, Hasumi-kun. …We were able to meet in the infirmary, just as planned ♪

Hinata-kun stayed with me the whole time, so I couldn’t find a moment to slip away…

But thanks to Ritsu’s skillful work, I was able to make it here.

Hmph… You’ve got quite the soft spot for your kouhai—You can’t seem to shake them off once they cling to you. Well, it’s not like I have room to speak.

Anyway, you two can move around freely, but I’m not so lucky. I received a cry for help from Isara, so I’ll need to give him a hand.

…Based on how he sounded on the phone, he’s probably caught on to your schemes. It’s not clear how far he’s been able to read into things, though.

However… I don’t think even he would suspect that there’s a connection between you and me.

I’ve done everything in my power to erase every piece of information about DEADMANZ from existence.

We were only active for a brief period, and we have no ostensible achievements. At this point, I can’t imagine anyone would remember us anyway.

That isn’t like you, Hasumi-kun. You may be able to erase records of the past, but you cannot erase the memories.

I know that. But if it came to light that I, someone who branded you as one of the Five Oddballs and oppressed you, was once one of your own, I’d be in a world of trouble.

That was nothing more than a short-lived dream: to join hands with someone I’d known since before school and stand as the leaders of the revolution in Yumenosaki…

And then, due to various reasons, that future was destroyed.

Also, I’d just like to forget about DEADMANZ, period. It’s embarrassing.

Well, an uncountable number of units sprung up like mushrooms during that time.

The name DEADMANZ has surely been consigned to the darkness with the others.

There’s also the possibility that even one of our own members—our little doggie—doesn’t remember, himself.

He’s like a wild animal, always living in the present and looking to the future. I envy that.

I imagine that part of him is what saved you, isn’t it?

Kukuku. But as for Isara-kun, you aren’t in a position where you can just say you forgot, or that you didn’t know about it—correct?

I get it. I’ll tell him about it someday. We’re standing atop layers of the past—

If we pretend like nothing ever happened, we won’t be able to keep walking forward.

But that time hasn’t come yet. Isara is still a child who can barely walk. If I put too much on his shoulders all at once, he’ll be crushed under the weight.

It hurts, because I feel like I’m pulling the wool over his eyes when he’s so pure-hearted—no, because I’m afraid he might come to hate me.

But in the end, such detestable roles are still crucial. This is just another investment for the future. Hatred, frustration, and feelings of inferiority can all be used to propel us onward.

Sometimes it’s just not enough to drive the demons out, to keep your negative emotions at bay.

Kukuku. I’m sure Isara-kun would never bear a grudge against you. He’s straight-laced, just like the rays of the sun… ♪

And what do you know about Isara?

And what do you know about Maa~kun?

Oh my—I’m being attacked from all sides… You are quite the popular man, Isara-kun.

Of course he is. He’s next in line to be the student council president, after all. A politician needs that kind of unifying power.

If he loses the people’s trust, he’ll have to resort to violence and force them into submission, and that can easily give rise to a dictatorship.

I don’t want to bring him down the same hellish path we once took. They say history repeats itself—but the first time as tragedy, and the second as farce.¹

He is the protagonist of that farce. I want him to enjoy this slapstick comedy called youth; I want him to lead a peaceful, ordinary life.

This Setsubun Festival will be a memorable opening act to that.

…Can I go help out Maa~kun now? He’s still new at this, so he needs a helping hand.

He’s a pretty handy guy, but he’s still like a child. Someone has to look after him ♪

Do as you please. As for myself, I’ll take a short nap and then begin preparations for the final act of Setsubun Festival with Hasumi-kun.

Let us pour in effort for our loved ones, but not so much as to cause a tiff.

Now then, what will be the luck of the draw: a demon, or a snake…? It’s Setsubun—I would so love to be blessed with fortune ♪²