Chapter 15: Will You Run Away...?
“Of course, the wish is just the wish itself. Is there any other meaning? If there’s anything you want, I’ll grant it all. Anything at all!”
“G-Good…”
“Of course. I’m not the type to say one thing and mean another, noona.”
.... Anything at all...
It seemed like ‘wish’ held a great meaning for her. I should add that to the precautions too. I didn’t know when I would grant her wish.
“... You’ll grant anything?”
“Yes, noona.”
The words “grant anything” weren’t a lie. After all, she had never lied to me. The sense of unfamiliarity I often felt during our conversations wasn’t because she was lying, but because she truly believed in falsehood as fact.
It was probably the fault of the person who educated her...
“... So I can use the wish later, right?”
“Of course, noona. You can delay it and delay it until you forget about it.”
“... That won’t happen…”
I had decided not to use the wish for now. She had boasted that I would grant any wish with my own mouth, but I couldn’t grant wishes like ‘Then let me out of here.’ or ‘Give me freedom.’
I didn’t want to ruin this good mood by saying my honest wish.
Since it was possible to extend it indefinitely, it seemed better to use the wish after getting to know her a bit more.
.... Still, since the mood was good, poking her a little might not be a bad idea...
“Um... Heejin-ah...”
“Yes, noona. Shall I use the wish power?”
I took a light breath and answered.
“...Um... Could you perhaps buy me something like a phone with the wish power...?”
“.............”
It was a line I thought crossed the boundary even for me, so I couldn’t bring myself to say it while looking at her. Since she didn’t respond, I felt my mind go hazy again, and dizziness as my vision darkened.
Idiot. Stupid woman. Just stay quiet...
“... Noona.”
Her voice was naturally cold. It felt like the surrounding temperature had dropped several degrees.
“S-Sorry. Heejin-ah, sorry. Ah, you don’t have to grant it...”
“Are you out of your mind right now? Look at me straight.”
I tried to fix the situation belatedly, but she seemed not to hear my words as she was already angry. She grabbed my hair and forced my gaze to meet hers. It hurt, twisting my neck painfully. Her eyes were empty like a dark night without stars. Just looking at them made my breathing quicken and fear rise.
“... I clearly told you last year, noona.”
Last year. I obviously didn’t know about that incident.
“U-Um. Yeah. S-Sorry... I was wrong. Sorry...”
But I nodded along with her words. I had that much sense. Her current appearance was similar to that day when she broke my ankle. My careless words had triggered her outburst.
“... Noona... Did you not remember...?”
Was my answer too vague? Or was it my greed to deceive her sharp-eyed girl? She asked, her eyes sharpening.
“R-Remember...”
“What did I say...?”
“T-That...”
This was serious. The thing I feared most was happening now. An event caused by my past. In this situation, there was nothing I could do. What could I fix without knowing what happened? It would be fortunate if I didn’t cause more trouble.
“... If you don’t remember well... Shall I give you a hint?”
“....U-Um...”
It was a cold atmosphere where I had to listen but didn’t want to.
In this indecisive situation, she reached out and grabbed my wrist. It was a slow movement, but somehow I couldn’t move at all.
“K-Kuh... R-Remember... Aaaah! S-Stop! T-That... Kyaaah!”
Pain like bones grinding started from the wrist she held.
It was a truly decisive hint. My head spun at high speed to protect my arm, and I quickly got the answer.
It seemed that the previous owner of this body had been threatened with having her arms broken if she asked for a phone again.
“... I clearly warned you, noona. If you keep showing interest in useless things like a phone again, I’ll break both your hands. Is my word a joke?”
How could it be a joke? Her ankle that was broken still showed no sign of healing, and the pain seemed to be worsening.
“I-I did something wrong... Haa... Heejin-ah... K-Kuh...”
I figured out the answer, but it was too late.
More strength was put into the arm that seemed like it would shatter. It felt like the bones would turn to dust. I raised my hand not held by her and hit her chest hard with all my might. I writhed in agony to escape her grip.
Her expression started to distort, but I felt her anger growing stronger. Now, it didn’t matter. I had to save my wrist now. If she put in a little more strength, my bones would really break. It was a precarious, dangerous pain. Terrifying pain like walking on a blade.
“Let go... Let go! D-Don’t let go... K-Kuh...”
My resistance didn’t last long. Because the situation didn’t require resistance.
Crack. A bone-chilling sound rang out clearly.
“...Eh?”
And then the terrifying pain. Pain as if someone was reaching into my head and turning my brain to mush.
“A... It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! H-Haa... A-It hurts! H-Haa. It hurts...”
After breaking my wrist, she let go of my hand, but I couldn’t do anything after that. I didn’t have the courage to look at my obviously twisted wrist, and I couldn’t treat my painful wrist alone even if I touched it a little.
Instead, I had to beg her, who broke my hand, to be pitiful. Please treat my wrist, even if I can’t fix it properly, at least make it usable.
I begged her desperately, sobbing. Call a doctor. Didn’t I pay enough for my selfish request? I thought further punishment was excessive.
“... Even in this situation, another woman is in your head, noona?”
Until I heard that one word from her that still had no poison left.
Her hand grabbed my hair again. I exchanged gazes with her empty eyes. My whole body went cold.
“... Noona. My noona. My lovely noona... Why do I keep feeling like you’re trying to escape from me... Is it my misunderstanding...?”
“Y-Yeah. M-Misunderstanding. Haa... Uu... Haa... Uck.”
Her hand moved to my left ankle, which was still good. My answer didn’t dispel her suspicion, and now pain started rising even from the only good ankle.
“K-Kuh... S-Sorry... Sorry. A-No, I’m sorry. P-Please, forgive me just this once... H-Haa... N-Never again will I think of escaping... It hurts too much. S-Scary. P-Please...”
Thinking I might never walk again, I begged her desperately, shedding tears and snot. I didn’t add even a little lie to convey my sincerity.
At some point, my forehead was stuck to the floor. I saw a tingling pain from my scalp, and despite her holding my hair, I was bowing down begging for forgiveness. My hair seemed to be torn out from the force.
It was true that I wouldn’t think of escaping. If she forgave me just this once, I wouldn’t think of escaping like that. Living as a disabled person for life was worse than death.
She seemed to sense my sincerity.
“... Can I really believe this one last time?”
She said to me in a still low voice. Her mood was still cold, but I could feel her anger easing a bit. I nodded madly at her words. Believe me, just this one last time.
Her gaze was still not kind as she looked at me suspiciously, but eventually she forgave me.
“... This time, I’ll let it go. If this happens again, I really won’t forgive you...”
With those words, I really cried for a long time. No, the expression would be that I wailed. I had never cried this much in my life.
I burst into tears to the point that my body shook and my stomach churned. She approached me and hugged me warmly. However, her following words were not warm at all, unlike her embrace.
“... Poor noona... My poor noona with no place on her wrist or ankle that’s fine... Our foolish noona who thinks she can live a better life if she escapes from here... Please... Stop having useless thoughts and quietly lock yourself in the house...”
Unlike her cold and cruel words, her embrace was really warm and cozy, so I cried in her arms for a long time.
While firmly noting in the precautions that her only weakness was my escape.