Chapter1(part 2)
But then... Miharu disappeared from Haruto's sight. She was
absent for a few days after the entrance ceremony before suddenly
dropping out of school completely.
There were several other students who dropped out in a similar
fashion to Miharu, which caused quite a bit of a commotion amongst
the students. But the school never disclosed any details, citing the
protection of personal information. As he was but a helpless high
school student at the time, Haruto could only watch as time passed by
with no further hints or leads. He came to resent himself.
Why didn't he speak to Miharu on the day of the entrance
ceremony?
If he had spoken to Miharu that day, at that moment, the future
might have turned out differently. He had no proof, but he couldn't
help believing that. With nothing left in him but regret, Haruto's
feelings for Miharu intensified and grew twisted.
He couldn't give up. He didn't want to give up.
A silent scream of agony reverberated through his body. He'd
received romantic confessions from girls before, but the thought of a
future with a woman other than Miharu left him with an indescribable
sense of panic and guilt. And yet... despite his strong feelings, there
wasn't a thing he could do to find Miharu. With no path to follow,
Haruto became more and more detached from the world around him.
◇◇◇
Four years passed since Miharu's disappearance.
Now, in the present day, Haruto was a 20-year-old sophomore
attending a university in the city. But time had stopped for the young
man. He might have been attending university, but he didn't put effort
into his studies and had nothing he wanted to do, other than a parttime job at a tidy little cafe. He woke up in the morning, went to
university, went to work, and came home — every day was an
unchanging, fixed routine. To an onlooker, it might have seemed
normal for a university student. But that's all it was. Haruto was
wandering aimlessly with no goal, and time continued to pass in the
world — until that dayIt was in the middle of summer; just like that summer day when he
parted with Miharu, the sun hovered in the clear blue sky and shone
down brightly on the asphalt-covered ground. But contrary to the
summer weather, Haruto's expression was cold as he boarded the bus
near his university campus. As it was still early in the afternoon, there
weren't many passengers on board yet. After a few of them had gotten
on, then off, there were only three passengers left on board: Haruto, a
female student probably on her way home from extracurricular
activities at the high school associated with Haruto's university, and a
primary-school-aged girl. Other than the occasional announcement
from the bus' PA system, the rumble of the engine was the only sound
that could be heard as Haruto stared out the window at the passing
scenery.
...Hm?
Haruto suddenly felt someone's eyes fixed on him. At the other
end of the gaze was the primary-school-aged little girl.
She's... Endo Suzune-chan, if I recall correctly.
It just so happened that Haruto knew this girl. One time, she'd
fallen asleep on her way home and missed her stop. She burst into
tears when she realized how lost she was, and Haruto had helped her
back to her house. Every now and then they'd end up on the same bus
again, with Suzune looking his way. It made an impression on him.
This time, Haruto returned her gaze and watched as she panicked and
looked away.
...Did I do something wrong...?
Nothing came to mind, obviously. The only time he'd ever spoken
to her was the time he'd saved her. He'd taken her to her house and
was thanked by her mother, so it was hard to think of any issues.
Was he just imagining it...? He considered asking her directly, but
didn't want to be mistaken and end up coming off like a creep. After
all, people were extremely wary of child predators nowadays.
No matter how you look at it, only a creep would talk to a little girl
they barely know on the bus, right?
Yeah, better not. It was a little bothersome, but Haruto gave up
with a small sigh and forced Suzune's gaze out of his mind." —!"The bus gave a sudden, lurching jerk. Haruto felt a soaring
sensation before intense pain rippled throughout his body — he was
launched through the air and slammed into the roof.
"Gah... hah..."
Everything hurt. He couldn't breathe.
His body felt hot, like it had been doused in boiling water. The
horribly crushed interior of the bus reflected in his darkening vision as
his consciousness rapidly slipped away.
D-Did we... crash...?
Despite his extremely hazy mind, Haruto somehow managed to
process that thought. He was aware of his probable death. Everything
should have been in pain, yet he was slowly losing feeling in his body
instead. He could tell he was on death's doorstep. With that thought,
he was suddenly wracked with fear.
"Nnnh... gah..."
He mustered the last bit of strength he had to open his mouth, but
all that escaped was a cough filled with blood.
Mii... cha...
As his heart called out Miharu's former nickname, a single teartop
fell from his eye and mixed with blood. But just as Haruto was about
to lose consciousness...
Haru...
A melodic voice echoed in Haruto's head. At the same time, a
huge, circular, geometric pattern started to rise from the ground,
emitting a glowing light.
"And now, the news. A truck collided with a bus in the Tokyo
metropolitan area at 3:23pm today. Three passengers on board the bus
have been confirmed dead, while the drivers of both vehicles are
critically injured but miraculously alive. The cause of the accident
was determined to be the driver of the truck falling asleep at the
wheel..."