Part 148

Music: Play Track 2

----And then, I jump up from my bed.

"Ahh---ah, ha----"
I suck in air.
That, was just, a dream.
"*pant*---*pant*, *pant*........."
Hugging myself, I try to control my breathing.
...... My body is still all here; there are no burn marks on my skin.
I feel my back with my fingers. It's wet.

"...... All this...... sweat......"
I speak as if it is happening to someone else.
My entire body is drenched in sweat, as if someone covered me in water.
That dream----even after I woke up from it, sweat pours from my forehead.
"...... I feel...... terrible."

I don't think anybody would feel too great upon waking from vivid, future-vision dreams of being brutally murdered by their sister.

I get up from bed and suppress the urge to vomit.
Walking towards the window, the wind calms me down a little bit.

---But.
Yesterday morning, what did I do?
Didn't I take my hands drenched in red paint,

while trying not to let anyone see them,

and wash them clean?

If he didn't point it out, I would've.

----You and I are the same, Shiki-kun.

That's what she said.

...... I can't remember that well.
Tohno Shiki was bit by her.

...... I can't remember that well.
If there is a habit of drinking blood.

...... I can't think well.
It spreads by being bitten.

"------No......!!"
I sweep away the dark passions in my brain.
But that dream doesn't disappear.
There was a me that killed someone.
There's the problem.
Even though it's in my dreams, I killed someone and didn't feel any guilt.
All I did was kill naturally, and watch.

"-----No."
...... And, the Akiha that came to punish me.
It might be a dream.
But for some reason, I feel like it's a glimpse of the future, and start to get nauseous.

I hear a knock at the door.

"Excuse me. ...... Shiki-sama? Are you already awake?"
"Yeah I just had a bad dream, so I just woke up...... Thank goodness. I sweated a lot, so I wanted to change quickly."
As usual, Hisui has prepared my uniform.
I draw nearer to her to get them, and,

I get real dizzy.

"Dammit, Hisui, did you drench my uniform in chloroform again? I told you, if you want to have sex, just ask me like a normal person!"

"Shiki-sama!?"
...... I can hear her voice. I sense her coming closer, and raise my hand to stop her.
"Ah----I'm fine. I just was a little dizzy, I'll be fine in a bit."
Taking a deep breath, I focus on my heart's rhythm.
I wait for the blood to stop pounding in my head.

"...... Shiki-sama. Please do not overexert yourself. Smiling with a face like that troubles me."
Hisui says this with a pained expression.
"Eh----"
I think this is the first time I've seen her show emotion like this.
...... No, that's not true.
If I recall in detail, Hisui just looks expressionless, but you can see her emotions if you study her face.
I think she shows her feelings too much, so that when I compare her to that girl standing by the window, I feel a big contradiction.



"...... Shiki-sama? Are you feeling bad after all---"
"No, that's not it, Hisui. I just found it surprising. You've changed a lot since back then. I think you're more cheerful than the time when you were just watching us."

"-----Is, that so? I think your memory is mistaken."
Hisui averts her gaze.
...... Yeah, she's different from the quiet, doll-like Hisui from my memory.

Funny how that works

"What's this? You're saying the same thing as Kohaku-san. You sound like it would've been better if I never came back."
I meant that as a joke.

"Yes. Nee-san and I share the same view."

"Baby, why you always gotta make me hit you?" "Because, Shiki-sama, I know it turns you on."

"Wha-------"
For an instant, my vision flickers.

"--------"
I can't even speak.
I came back to fulfill the promise.
But that.
The one who gave the ribbon disagrees.

That's because you're not an integral part of her psychotic plot for vengeance.

"...... Hisui. You say that? Who do you think I came to the mansion for---"

"You came back for Nee-san, but you're just too stupid to realize it."

"...... No. Shiki-sama, you came back here for your own sake.
Therefore---there is no need to be bound by any promise from the past. ...... There is still time. You decided yourself to come here.

So you can decide on your own to become free at any time."

Hisui places my uniform on the desk and walks away.

-----There is no need to be bound by a promise from the past.

The promise Hisui doesn't seem to care about.
The promise that was very important to me.
Even when she tells me directly this difference, I feel no anger.
The reason is obvious.
"...... Hisui. Why did you look like you were going to cry?"
Because of that, I could not blame her.

There isn't anyone in the sitting room.
Neither Akiha, who usually has already finished eating by now, nor Hisui, who usually stands like a statue by the wall, are there.

"Kohaku-san. Has Akiha recovered since then?"
"Yes. She's healthy now, so there is nothing to worry about. But she is still feeling a bit tired, so she will be resting today."
"...... I see. Thank goodness it was nothing too bad."
"Yes. Maybe you should go see her? She probably wouldn't want you to see her when she just woke up, so she'll probably throw a pillow at you."
Kohaku-san tells me indirectly to go have a fight with Akiha.
Certainly, seeing Akiha panic so much that she would throw a pillow at me sounds fun.

"I'M NOT HORNY RIGHT AFTER WAKING UP, COME BACK FOR INCEST LATER!"

"------Ah."
But, after seeing that dream, I just don't think I can face her.

"...... No, I don't think I will. I don't feel good today, so I don't have the strength to fight her."

"I see. Akiha-sama also said you don't have to worry too much about her, so you go to school as usual.
Oh, Shiki-san? Did you do something to Hisui-chan?"
She stares.
With a smile, Kohaku-san asks such a thing.

"Hey, she was the one that tried to drug me with chloroform." "Oh, wonderful! So she did give you the uniform I prepared for you!"

"Hisui-chan said she could not possibly see you today, so she locked herself up in her room.
Something must have really happened in order to make her skip work like that, Shiki-san."
Hehehe, Kohaku-san laughs with a frightening smile.
...... Without a doubt, she must think I did something horrible to Hisui.

"---Wha, what? I didn't do anything......! If anything, she's the one that scolded me."

"Hisui-chan scolded you?"
"Ah---no, well, that's not it, it's just...... she told me I shouldn't be too persistent over small things."

"Hmmm...... Hisui-chan is doing some weird things.
But, I'm relieved. I was worried that you were going to be like Makihisa-sama."

"Happy birthday, Hisui! I got you a present, please come into my room for... oh, about thirty minutes."

"...... Yeah, well, I guess he was like that. He was very kind when he was kind, but he would get extremely angry over little things when he was in a bad mood."

"Yes. But it was still alright when you were here. But after you were adopted by the Arima family, his condition grew a lot worse.
He would yell at Akiha-sama for no reason and often abuse Hisui-chan."
"Wha----wait a minute. I know my old man was strict, but he would never do such a---"

"...... Like I said, this is after you left, Shiki-san.
Day by day, Makihisa-sama's manic depression worsened. It was so bad it was more like having two different personalities rather than having manic depression.
He would be set off by the littlest things, but after he calmed down, he wouldn't even remember what he did.
During that time, I was taking care of him, and Makihisa-sama told me."

'taking care of him'

---I have a violent me within myself.

I cannot suppress it with my normal self, and when it appears, I go to sleep.
Without reason, I want to destroy everything I see.
Back then, it felt like I was watching a bad dream.

"...... Makihisa-sama passed away from illness, but the illness was worsened by the illness in his mind.
...... Mental illnesses are a very difficult thing.
So I worried, thinking that you might have inherited some of that characteristic. It seems that everyone in the Tohno family has some sort of illness.
But, I guess I was worrying for no reason in your case. Because your illness is anemia, right? It's not like you can't control yourself like Makihisa-sama."

Last night's dream.
My lust over Akiha.
Watching a dream of killing people as if it was natural, the insane Tohno Shiki.

Kohaku is kind of scary. "Hmm, well, I have been drugging him at night... I suppose I can use this slip up to my advantage."

"Ah, it's already this late. I'll go prepare breakfast now."

Kohaku-san disappears towards the dining room.
I can only stare at her in shock.

"Ah, now that's more like the normal Shiki-san. Yes, I can relax now."
...... That's odd.
Seeing that smile, I really do feel better.

"Goodbye, Shiki-san. I'll be waiting for your return."
Kohaku-san bows.
With that, all of my worries seem to disappear.

"--Thanks, Kohaku-san. I feel better already."
"Yes. A bright face suits you better, Shiki-san."
"...... Thanks. Well, then, I'm off, Kohaku-san."

Thanking her from the bottom of my heart, I run down the road to school.

"Kohaku... thank you. For drugging me while I sleep, forcing me to have hallucinogenic nightmares where I kill people, and then convincing me that they aren't just dreams after all. What would I ever do without you?" "Oh, Shiki-san, I've been waiting for you to notice!"

Music: Stop

"When Arihiko is here, I always get those really awkward boners before class and everybody makes fun of me."

That's just how these things are when you're in love

"Was my old man---really that crazy?"
I do have a vague memory like that, but I can't say for sure.
I understand that it's stupid of me to even be troubled by it.
But, still---I should probably know about the Tohno family.

A choice! This is fully half of the choices you get to vote on during this path, so make your vote count!