Chapter 27: Since His Family Had Come to Pick Him Up, I Reluctantly Decide to Go Home

"Why… would you say that? I don’t even deserve kind words from you…"

Those were words I had longed for even in my dreams.

It made me happy.

It made me feel blessed.

—And that was exactly why they cut into my chest with such sharpness.

Haruto hadn’t escaped the scythe of death at all.

If anything, pushing himself had only drained his strength further.

And the reason for all of it—was me.

"Don’t… worry about that. I’d… rather see you cry than… see you like this. So just… keep looking forward like you always do… and smile for me…"

Haruto smiled as he wiped away my tears with a trembling hand.

An oddly refined gesture—one that didn’t suit his usual clumsiness.

Wanting to answer his feelings, even just a little, I forced a smile.

It was probably ugly. The sobs made it hard to even keep my expression steady.

But this guy still smiled back at me.

Like he was troubled.

But also like that was enough for him.

Before I knew it, the black sludge in my heart had vanished.

Even the whispers, like tinnitus, were gone.

It was as if the tide had receded.

And then, Haruto mustered the last of his strength to say—

"Youta… Forgive Akashi for me."

"Minami…?"

—Right.

I had spilled everything in front of Haruto.

The twisted, ugly, cursed emotions I’d kept bottled up for half a year.

I’d shown the one person I never wanted to see them the darkest parts of myself.

But I didn’t even have time to regret it.

Haruto’s body went limp.

"She… lost her memories… Sorry, I’m tired. I’m gonna… sleep…"

With those final words, Haruto closed his eyes and stopped moving.

N-no way…

"H-Haruto! Don’t you die on me!"

I frantically shook him, but it was no use.

His tightly shut eyes showed no sign of opening.

"Please… Don’t leave me behind…!"

I clutched his head, begging desperately.

I hugged him tightly, as if my body heat alone could somehow keep him here—but there was no response.

I couldn’t hold back the fear.

Tears streamed endlessly down onto his face.

And as if to mock me, the dark sludge I thought had settled began bubbling up again—zozozo—despite Haruto having risked his life to hold it back.

Even though he told me not to cry.

Even though he told me to smile.

—I’m weak.

Pathetically cowardly and pathetic.

Just as my heart began creaking again—

"Relax. He’s just asleep."

A composed woman’s voice cut in abruptly, and I looked up.

"W-who’s there?!"

This space should’ve only had me and Haruto.

The inverted world wasn’t a place ordinary people could enter.

I didn’t let go of Haruto, but I shifted into a protective stance.

Unfazed, the woman stepped forward.

Her striking golden hair matched her bold demeanor.

Her golden eyes, a perfect match for her hair, were her most distinctive feature.

She scoffed at my wariness and spoke.

"This guy won’t die easily—not unless it’s from cellular degradation. His lifespan is… well, his parents’ selfishness. Not out of love, but to make him a vessel in case of emergencies. Pretty messed up, don’t you think?"

Her tone was matter-of-fact.

An outrageous story, hard to believe at face value.

"You saw it once, didn’t you? When he took Savaros’ attack head-on. But in just a few days, he was back at school, perfectly fine as Haruto."

It was true—as Luna, I’d seen Haruto—Amrutat—brutalized by Savaros.

And yet, days later, he showed up at school without a single scar.

If that was really the case… then he’d be okay?

"Now, if his heart had been pierced, that’d be different… but it looks like it just barely missed the vital spot."

Relief flooded my chest, and I let out a breath.

Haruto was still alive.

Just knowing that made me feel a little stronger.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

Clutching the pendant Haruto had given me.

And when I opened them again, I put on the biggest smile I could manage.

Fulfilling Haruto’s wish one more time.

Even if he was already asleep, I didn’t want him to worry.

"But… why would you…?"

A new question inevitably surfaced.

How did this woman know so much about Haruto?

I wanted to cling to hope, but…

"Haa… You’re slow, aren’t you?"

At my reaction, she sighed in exasperation.

It kinda pissed me off a little.

"Don’t say it like that! Of course I’m confused! Hey, long time no see, girl!"

What hit me next was a voice loud enough to make me want to cover my ears.

It was a guy I recognized.

Same as last time, he was still wearing that trench coat. He tried slinging an arm around the woman familiarly, only for her to smack him away with a pechin!

"Uh… Kongou-san…? Then, this lady is—"

"I’m Reona. His stand-in big sister. Well, not that it’s really our first meeting with you."

……Even if she said that, I had zero memory of her.

I couldn’t help but make a suspicious face.

"Honestly, catch up already. If Haruto’s Amrutat—Leonya and Diamante. Ring any bells?"

Now that she mentioned it, there was something vaguely familiar about them.

—No, the moment I processed that, their appearances overlapped perfectly in my mind.

The same thing had happened when I realized Haruto was Amrutat.

But… my mental image of Leonya was…

"...The whip queen?"

"...Are you mocking me? More importantly, you’ve changed a lot. Last time we met, you were all ‘righteous heroine’ or whatever."

She leaned in aggressively, accentuating her cleavage right in my face.

Her tight suit barely contained those monstrous melons.

Meanwhile, I was just…

Ugh.

I froze, utterly speechless.

"Whatever. Point is, we’re taking Haruto back. You should go home too."

"W-wait, I’m coming with—!"

"Do you even know what time it is? Eight PM. You’ve got family stuff too, don’t you? Or are you the type to ignore them even if they’re out searching for you?"

"N-no, but—"

Her rapid-fire scolding deflated me instantly.

I just… wanted to stay with Haruto because I was worried, damn it.

"Sorry ‘bout her. Reona’s just worried, y’know? She wouldn’t nag otherwise."

"Kongou, shut it! Anyway, we’ve got plenty to discuss, so come by tomorrow. A wound this minor… Haruto’ll be awake by then."

Blushing slightly at Kongou’s defense, Reona added:

"T-then, please take care of Haruto."

"Good. Oh, and use the inverted world to get home. Wandering alone’s dangerous, and I’ll clean up that bloodstained mess with my magic."

……Now that she mentioned it, Reona was the meddling, worrywart type.

---

When I got home, Mom chewed me out hard.

Apparently, she’d been this close to calling the police.

Getting scolded sucked, of course. Guilt gnawed at me.

But knowing she’d been that worried… it reminded me—this was what family felt like.

—And I’d been ready to throw it all away in my rampage.

Faced with that warmth, I almost started crying again.

God, I’d been crying all day. But these tears… they felt different. Like even breaking my promise to Haruto would’ve been worth shedding them.

"So? Where were you this late? You didn’t even finish the errands, did you?"

"Uh… well…"

I floundered under her interrogation.

No way could I say I’d been fighting Haruto.

But dodging wasn’t an option.

Mom’s voice was sharp, but her eyes wavered.

Maybe the fabricated events from when I awakened as Luna—getting caught in the Legion Brigade’s attack—had left deeper scars on her than I realized.

As I panicked, the phone rang—way past normal hours.

The tension drained from Mom’s face the second she picked up.

Turns out, Reona had called, spinning a story about me happening to run into Haruto and staying over.

Not that it saved me from a lengthy lecture, but still…

"Mom, I’m sorry…"

"I was so worried, you hear me? You’re a girl—you have to be careful. Even if you’re staying with Haruto, you never skip calling me."

"Yes…"

Exhausted, I wolfed down a late dinner, took a bath, and passed out almost immediately.