Chapter 22: Funeral (Part 1)

It had been about half a month since I returned to Japan when I found myself attending a funeral.
Not just any funeral—my own.

That said, legally, I—Kisaragi Ikuto—wouldn’t be considered deceased until six years after going missing. So this ceremony was more of a formality, a way for my family to make it known that they were treating me as dead—a moment of closure, so to speak.

It had been over a year since I fell from the ferry. Most people would have assumed I was long gone.
But my family had held out hope, clinging to the slim chance I might still be alive.
That chance vanished the moment I, now as Alice, showed up.

The funeral was held at home, with only close relatives invited—quiet and private.

The living room had been cleared out, and in its center stood an altar decorated with flowers.
At its heart was a photo of me, edited from one taken at my high school entrance ceremony last year.

In it, I wore a stiff expression that made me look overly serious, almost displeased with being put on display like this.

"My condolences."

An aunt I vaguely recognized but whose name I couldn't recall spoke to me.

"...Thank you."

"You must be Alice, the girl they mentioned in the letter. Ikuto-san told us about you."

The letters sent to relatives for this funeral included not only the notice of Ikuto's death but also a message that a girl named Alice, the daughter of an acquaintance who lost her family overseas, would be taken in by our household.

One of the reasons for holding this ceremony was to formally introduce Alice to the extended family.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Kisaragi Alice. I’ve been welcomed into the Kisaragi family as their adopted daughter. I look forward to getting to know you all."

"My, your Japanese is quite good... and you’re just like a little doll, so beautiful. I heard you've had quite a rough time too..."

"Yes... but my foster parents have shown me great kindness. I’m very fortunate to have found a place here."

"You’re such a composed little girl… Maybe it’s thanks to you that we’re able to come to terms with Ikuto-san’s passing like this."

She wasn’t wrong, though her interpretation of the situation probably differed from reality.
I gave a vague smile and didn’t say more.

"Auntie, it’s been a while."

Yuna appeared from the hallway and greeted her.

"Oh my, Yuna-chan. It really has been a while—you’ve become such a lovely young lady."

"Thank you. You’re just as beautiful as ever, Auntie. I really admire you."

Yuna naturally stepped over to me and took my hand in hers.

"Oh, you’re such a flatterer… But you two standing side by side really do look like sisters."

"I honestly think of Alice as my real little sister! From the moment we met, it never felt like she was a stranger."

"Onee-chan…"

Taking full advantage of the moment, Yuna put on a display of sisterly affection.

It was important that no rumors about tension in our household spread among the relatives now that Ikuto was gone and Alice had been adopted.

Yuna and I wore matching outfits: black, short-sleeved princess-line dresses and ankle-length white socks. It was a deliberate choice to make us look like sisters—and it seemed to be working.

…Even though it was the same dress, Yuna looked like a refined, graceful young lady, while I just looked like a kid trying to act grown-up. That stung a little.

By the way, since the day I came home, Yuna hasn’t dyed her hair again. She said she liked how we looked together—me with white hair, her with black. The contrast was striking.

Eventually, Mom came over and started chatting with Auntie, so Yuna and I slipped out of the living room.

And in the hallway, I came face-to-face with someone unexpected.

"Saeki-sensei…"

It was Saeki-sensei, who’d been my homeroom teacher last year. I’d heard he was Yuna’s homeroom teacher this year.

A young, single man in his thirties, he had always struck me as the cheerful, dependable older brother type. But today, he looked completely unlike his usual self—utterly deflated, weighed down with grief.

"...Huh? Do you know who I am?"

“U-Um… I heard about you from my sister…”

Yuna stepped out from behind me and greeted him.

“Hello, Sensei. She’s my little sister.”

“Oh… Kisaragi. I’m sorry. It was my negligence as your brother’s homeroom teacher that led to his death.”

“Sensei, we’ve talked about this so many times. The accident on the school trip was because of my brother’s carelessness. It wasn’t your fault…”

He had been so earnest and sincere. I’d heard that he had come to our house repeatedly after the accident to apologize, feeling personally responsible for what happened during the trip. But really, the whole thing had been entirely my—Ikuto’s—fault. I couldn’t have felt more ashamed.

“Please, you really don’t need to blame yourself. He went to the observation deck on his own, and he slipped up. It was his own carelessness. You have nothing to apologize for… I’m sorry.”

I knew how unnatural it must have sounded, but even so, I couldn’t stop myself from apologizing to him.

Because he had been one of the people I’d caused so much trouble for with my thoughtless actions.

What must it have been like, hearing an apology from a girl he’d never seen before, someone with no blood ties to the boy he used to teach?

I could feel how at a loss he was, unsure of how to respond.

“This is Alice. She’s my adoptive sister now. She’s thinking about transferring to our school starting in the second term, so when that happens, I hope you’ll look after her.”

Yuna, sensing the awkwardness, stepped in to help.

“...I-I see. Well, if that happens, don’t hesitate to rely on me for anything.”

He awkwardly scratched his neck and, looking uncomfortable, brushed past us into the living room.

Yuna elbowed me sharply, her cold stare practically shouting, “What the hell was that?”

“I’ve ended up causing trouble for so many people, haven’t I…”

“Of course you have… You’d better reflect properly.”

…Sensei, I really am sorry.