World Record Chapter 87

87. December 11

December 11.
A certain day in winter.

「Please don’t be so reckless. Anyway, the total of the hospitalization and doctor’s fee–is a little high. 480000 yen for hospitalization and 6000 yen for the doctor’s fee. Do you want a receipt?」
「It’s okay because I’m paying it myself」

Iwato said so while pointing the status application on his arm towards the device, and the payment is completed.
An unexpected lump-sum payment. Even the receptionist was surprised.

「Nagumo-san is……um, I heard that you are the blood relative of the prime minister and the Minister of Defense, but–」
「Why I don’t use the money I received from my parents? I don’t receive money from my parents anymore. I’m independent」

Iwato said that, and started to turn around and walk.
–Independent.
Even if it’s a mistake, it’s not a word a high school student will use, and his back figure doesn’t look like a kid.

Iwato gets out of the hospital.
Snow is lightly piled up around, and when he steps forward, he can feel that he’s stepping on snow.

「……Winter, huh?」

Iwato who muttered in lonesome, looked up at the sky.
The sky looks the same as the cloudy sky 4 years ago, and tiny snow rained down.
There’s no good memories in winter.

The memory of killing people.
The memory of stealing a father from a daughter.
The memory of making a girl cry.
The memory of myself crying.
The memory of parting with parents.
The memory of gaining resolution.

And–the memory of erasing my superpower.

He leaked a sigh, and he frowned to the 3 years–no, 4 years ago past.
No matter how long time has pa.s.sed, no matter who I met, no matter what happened, the past will never fade.

「……I guess I should head back」

He looked at his white breath while muttering so, and operated his status application.

Panpanpaan!

The moment Iwato opens the door, the sound of crackers resounded.
Iwato was surprised by that, and Tomomi who sent Iwato back home, grinned at the back.
There are three people who’re wearing some kind of costume(?) in front of Iwato. Tsumugu wearing a black and short mustache, Karen in a Santa Claus appearance, and Ayame in a witch appearance. The three of them match their voices, and

「「「Congrats on leaving the hospital!」」」

Just like that, applauses resounded, and by the overwhelmed situation, Iwato placed his hand on his forehead while sighing.

「……I don’t mind even if you don’t do this kind of thing」
「What are you saying!? It’s to celebrate your discharge! It’s a waste to not do it!」

Karen who said that and embraced Iwato’s arm, pulled him into the house.
By the sudden action, Iwato quickly took off his shoes and was dragged into the living room–and he opened his eyes wide upon seeing the living room.

「T-This is……」

There’s the living room that’s decorated gorgeously. On top of the table, there’s a strange-looking rice ball, a suspicious-looking object X, and also a large amount of melon sodas. Iwato was forced to sit on the sofa.

「Oh, I wondered why you guys say that you want to cook suddenly even though you left all the housework to me usually……So this is why it is」

Saying that, Tomomi took off her black coat and entered. Tsumugu, Karen, and Ayame sat down around the table.
She–Tomomi stayed in this house to take care of the three girls while Iwato was not around, but they surrender cooking to her today no matter what.
The three of them who had their secret exposed, blushed and averted their eyes from Iwato.

「I-It’s that. Isn’t Tsumu-san’s birthday tomorrow? That’s why, I thought of cooking once in a while……」
「T-That’s right! It’s not that I read a cooking book just for Master, okay!?」

Iwato thought 「These girls are easy to understand……」 in his mind, and he felt a little shaken by Ayame’s words.

「……Now that you mention it, it’s her birthday」

He said that, and looked at Tsumugu who’s sitting on the right side.
Although her face is not facing him, her ears are dyed in red.
Upon seeing her cute appearance, Iwato reaches out to her head like usual–

『I’ll absolutely…kill you…even if I have to die』

–However, his hand didn’t reach her.

「……Nii…san?」

Tsumugu who felt strange upon seeing the unusual Iwato, looked up at Iwato–and she realized that his hand is trembling.
Those words that he has never forgot.
Even now, he remembers it clearly as if it was engraved in his earlobes.
He remembers the incident that happened 4 years ago as if it’s something that happened yesterday.
Before he knew it, his tremble became a little abnormal, and upon seeing that, Karen and Ayame frowned in uneasiness while Tsumugu looked at him with wide opened eyes.
In such situation–

「Idiot…… Hey you, come here」

Tomomi who said that and stood up, made Iwato stand by force and dragged him out of the living room.
In this occasion, she said this–

「It’s a good opportunity, so let your sister tell them the whole thing」

–If they know everything, will things stay unchanged.

Upon hearing that, Tsumugu casted her eyes down.

「Here」

Saying that, the thing presented to me was a canned coffee.
The one who gave me the canned coffee was Nakajima-sensei.
I breathed out lightly, and accepted the canned coffee.

「Thank…you」
「……Yeah」

She said that and sat next to me.
Our current location is at the corridor facing the garden at the Nagumo house.
The window is left open, and we sat on the corridor.
……It was also like this 4 years ago.
I recall about the thing happened 4 years ago.

「Nothing changed even after 4 years……」

I felt surprised by those words.
When I look to the side, I can see Nakajima-sensei looking up at the full moon while laughing.

「But still, I miss those days. 4 years ago, your hair was white, right?」
「……And, you were a fool who act without thinking」
「Though you’re still a fool now because you’re causing the girls to worry about you」

She said that in a trivial tone, but her words are on point as usual. There’s nothing better than this.
If I’m not mistaken, I also caused Tsumugu to worry.
Karen and Ayame too.
And, above all–

「Sorry for making you worry……」
「Hey, why are you acting like a good kid? Have you finally noticed my values?」

I trembled my shoulders upon hearing that, and I looked at the full moon just like her.
Kachi.
I pull the canned coffee’s tab, and at the same time, white steam clouds my vision.
I drink the coffee, and–

「I’ve known your values since the past」

I said that, and recalls the story–

At the same time, Tsumgu breathed out while facing Karen and Ayame.

「Looks like…I’m……prepared」

In front of her, there are two girls looking at her, and upon seeing that, she prepared herself to tell them about the past.

「……This was…the incident that happened…exactly 4 years ago」

Tsumugu said.

「When I was still the King of Black Coffin」

Iwato muttered while facing the sky.

「When I was still…an Unknown」

Tsumugu muttered to them.
Even if those two are in a different place, what they say are the same.

「There’s nothing fun about it」
「There’re too much blood and tears…to be able to call it as a memory」

「Such…blood, tears, hatred, and grudge」
「Mixed in it and became pitch black–the dark history」

「That’s…the dark history that’s smeared with sins.」
Everyone who was involved in that, carried 『sins』, and as a result, no one gets repaid. The boy who worked the hardest–was not saved.

Both of them who said that, breathe out at the same time.

「「Such…story of a s.h.i.+thead」」

And said that plainly.