Chapter 61

I arrived home and opened the door—only to hear the sound of someone crying.

“!?”

Startled, I glanced around.

There, in the middle of the dim hallway with no lights on, was—

“Yuu!?”

I kicked off my shoes and rushed to her side.

She was sitting on the floor, hunched over, her shoulders trembling as she wept.

“Yuu! What happened—?”

“…Sniff… Shin…”

She lifted her face when I called out to her.

That face was twisted in pain, sorrow clouding her expression.

…And yet, despite the tears, there was a powerful sense of determination in her eyes.

Unlike the past few days, she wasn’t avoiding my gaze.

“…Shin, um…”

“Yuu…?”

Her trembling hand reached out and grasped mine.

Her skin was startlingly warm.

“…Sniff… There’s something… I need to tell you…”

“Something to tell me…?”

Yuu sniffled once, then spoke with unexpected firmness.

And so, she began to talk—a story that would take a while.

---

“…So I’ve been brainwashed…?”

“…Yeah…”

We’d moved to the living room. After sitting and listening to Yuu’s story, that was the first thing to come out of my mouth.

Brainwashed, huh…

Yuu had been explaining the mind control magic she allegedly used on me.

Honestly, I’m not sure I fully understood all of it.

But from what I could gather… it seemed I’d been brainwashed into believing I was Yuu’s “best friend.”

…What the hell am I supposed to do with that? It’s all too sudden—I can’t make sense of it.

Being told out of nowhere that you’re under some kind of spell—how do you even react to that?

I mean, I don’t feel anything strange.

Then again, according to Yuu, one of the spell’s effects is that it erases any sense of unnaturalness.

“…I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

“Yuu…”

…Even if I don’t feel it, the way she’s apologizing—there’s no doubt she’s serious.

She must really have brainwashed me.

So for now, I need to operate under the assumption that what she’s saying is true.

I need to think seriously about this. Yuu’s being serious. I should respond the same way.

“So, Yuu… You’re planning to undo the brainwashing, right?”

“…Yeah.”

She said that’s why she brought all this up—to prepare me before removing the spell.

It makes sense. If the brainwashing suddenly lifted without warning, it could be jarring. Knowing ahead of time is better… probably.

Though honestly, I’ve never been brainwashed before, so it’s not like I have anything to compare it to.

“…Um, Shin?”

“What is it?”

While I was lost in thought, Yuu looked up at me.

“I know it’s shameless of me after everything I’ve done… but I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

I didn’t know what she was going to say, but I couldn’t think of her as shameless.

Yuu’s my precious… well, “best friend.”

…No, wait. If what she says is true, then we’re not really “best friends,” are we?

This is getting confusing—I don’t even know what’s what anymore.

…But even if we aren’t “best friends,” the fact that she’s important to me doesn’t change. That much I’m sure of.

Yuu is precious to me. So no, I don’t think she’s shameless at all.

“The favor is…”

“Yeah?”

“...I… I don’t want you to hate me.”

“…Huh?”

I was stunned by the words—so unexpected I couldn’t process them.

She doesn’t want me to hate her?

Why would I ever hate Yuu?

I looked at her, thinking maybe she was joking—but she wasn’t.

If anything, her expression looked like she was on the verge of tears again. I was at a loss.

“I know it’s ridiculous. I know. But I’ll do anything. I’ll listen to anything you say… please… please don’t hate me.”

Her voice trembled as she spoke.

Not just her voice—her hands, her legs—they were shaking too.

Does she seriously think I’ll end up hating her?

…Then again, maybe it’s not such a far-fetched fear.

In stories or movies, once a character finds out they’ve been brainwashed, things usually spiral out of control. Hatred. Violence. Sometimes even worse.

Maybe that’s what Yuu was afraid of—that I’d hate her, or worse, once I knew the truth.

I looked at her—head bowed, body trembling.

Yeah… she’s probably convinced I’ll hate her.

“I could never hate you, Yuu.”

No matter what happens in fiction, no matter what’s expected—I would never hate her.

Absolutely never.

“…Thank you…”

She smiled faintly, a mix of relief and fragility on her face.

But her trembling hadn’t stopped.

…Does she not believe me?

I don’t know why, but she seems convinced I’ll reject her no matter what I say.

“…Then… I’ll start… removing it now…”

Her hand slowly reached out toward my head.

It was glowing softly with a pale light, and I somehow understood—when she touched me, the brainwashing would be undone.

“…Ah…”

But just before her hand made contact, she froze.

The glow faded, and all that remained was her shaking hand.

“…Ngh… nghhh…”

She stood so close—close enough to feel each other’s warmth—and yet she was crying again.

The hand she’d reached out with dropped limply, brushing against my shoulder.

“I can’t… I can’t do it… I don’t want to be hated…”

“Yuu…”

Yeah, she really thinks I’ll end up hating her.

Seeing her cry like this, knowing she’s that scared of losing me—it hurts, but at the same time, it’s… kind of touching.

But more than anything, I just don’t want to see her like this.

I want to help her.

Because hating Yuu? That’s impossible.

She means more to me than anything else in the world.

So how… how can I get her to believe that?

“……”

Just telling her I wouldn’t hate her… wasn’t enough.

So now I’m thinking—how else can I make it clear to Yuu? In a way she can really understand.

“Um, Yuu.”

“…Shin?”

But the more I think about it… proving I won’t ever hate her feels like trying to prove a negative. Like some kind of paradox. It’s nearly impossible.

At least, it feels that way to me.

So instead—I’ll do the only thing I can do.

I’ll tell her just how much she means to me.

“We’ve gone to so many places together, haven’t we? To the department store, on trips…”

“…Y-Yeah.”

One by one, I bring those memories to mind.

Every moment I’ve spent with Yuu is precious, happy—nothing but good.

“Remember that time we went to the department store? I got so nervous, I ended up being a burden on you.”

Back then, I’d never really gone out with someone before. I didn’t know how to talk, or what to say. It was overwhelming.

If it had gone on like that, I might’ve shut down completely and run away from it all.

“But then… you gave me that tea. Helped me calm down.

…That meant so much to me, Yuu.”

If it hadn’t been Yuu with me that day… I probably would’ve panicked and sworn off outings for good.

“Thank you, Yuu. Because of that, I stopped being afraid of going out with people—with you. And I started thinking… I want to go out together again.”

“…Shin…”

The reason I even want to go out and have fun… is because of Yuu.

So yeah, I really am grateful to her.

“And remember when we went to buy a phone?”

“…Yeah, I do.”

She nodded gently. She was still looking down, but her trembling had stopped.

“I wanted to buy you a phone, so I dragged you to the store.”

That was the first time I really stood my ground about something.

Even though you looked unsure, I pulled you along.

“And then you said I’d changed… and that it was a good thing.”

I was so happy you said I should express myself more.

If you hadn’t, I might’ve gone back to being that quiet kid who never spoke up.

“Because you accepted me… I felt like it was okay to speak my mind. After that, talking with you became so much more fun.”

Meeting Yuu showed me that talking to someone outside my family… could be enjoyable.

So now, I want to talk with her even more.

“…Yuu, being with you makes me truly happy.”

“…Yeah.”

These past six months… every single day has been fun—because of her.

I honestly can’t remember what made me happy before I met Yuu.

“I used to feel so lonely on my own. That’s why… I want to stay with you.”

“…Yeah.”

I don’t want to eat alone anymore.

Even if the food is the fanciest in the world—if I’m eating it by myself, it just doesn’t taste good.

“And you know, there’s still so much ahead of us.

Christmas is coming… then New Year’s, and after that, Valentine’s Day.

…To be honest, I was kind of hoping… that maybe, this year, I’d get chocolate for the first time.”

“…Yeah.”

It’s embarrassing, but I’ve never gotten chocolate before.

Even if it’s just obligatory chocolate… I thought maybe, just maybe, I could get some from Yuu.

“But if you weren’t here… all of that would disappear.

…And I don’t want that.”

The times we’ve shared have been wonderful. But I believe the times ahead can be even better.

If you’re still with me.

“That’s why… I treasure you, Yuu. More than anything else in the world.”

“…Sniff…”

I want to keep being with her, always.

Hating her? That’s just not possible.

Please, Yuu… believe that.

“…Shin.”

She lifted her face.

Tears were still running down her cheeks—but she was smiling.

“…Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that.”

If anything, I’m the one who should be thanking her.

For staying by my side.

“I love you too, Shin. More than anything else.”

“…”

I wanted to think about what she just said—really take it in—but something was off.

Something… strange.

She looked at me—my stunned silence—and gave a soft, bittersweet smile.

“Well then… I’ll go ahead and undo the brainwashing now, okay?”

Yuu’s hands began to glow with white light.

They gently moved toward my head…

And then—my consciousness faded to black.