Chapter 3
Translator: True Detective
003. Development
My head hurt.
It really hurt like it was going to break.
My stomach was churning, but I couldn't see anything.
Wow, really.
Is this the feeling of breaking down?
I never experienced this in my past life.
Because I died before I even had time to feel pain.
But I'm experiencing it here.
And it hurts.
Am I really dead?
But that doesn't seem to be the case.
"Ughh..."
Slowly.
Very slowly, my sense of hearing started to return.
And my vision corrected itself.
I thought it was a relief since I wasn't dead.
If I die, I won't be able to see Yuna... and I won't be able to tell Yuna the things I want to tell her.
'Yesterday was surprising.'
I was truly, genuinely surprised.
Out of nowhere, an eviction notice was slapped right on the front of my dormitory room door, so at first, I thought my things had been seized or something.
The door was also locked, so I couldn't go in.
While whining and turning the doorknob, I stood there blankly after hearing the friend in the room next door say, 'Be quiet at this hour, you retard.'
And then I fell with a thud.
My heart was completely on edge.
Calming my startled chest, I looked down to see that one of my legs was bent in a weird direction.
That leg I was dragging and limping on.
It was even swollen up extremely red, so I was really shocked.
Did it bend in a weird direction when I collapsed?
On top of that, my head spun, and I ended up losing consciousness.
I was a tiny bit scared.
It wasn't really that I was scared of dying, but tears welled up at the regret of not being able to see Yuna anymore.
Especially since I showed Yuna an unsightly appearance.
I just got her shoes dirty, too.
I absolutely have to apologize properly for that.
It's truly a relief that I'm not dead.
"Hehe."
When I opened my eyes, a familiar white ceiling spread out before me.
It's the academy infirmary.
Even without that, perhaps because it's a huge academy that's no less big than six regular universities combined, the infirmary is also really big.
Ah, you can't just underestimate it because it's an infirmary.
Because this game's worldview was a convenient one where you could cure anything with just magic power, except for wounds that required surgery.
I slowly raised my body.
And then I collapsed with a thud.
"Huh?"
It was a little strange.
A feeling of having no strength in my body?
I whined and tried to get up several times, and finally succeeded around the fourth try.
Phew.
It was then.
"...Are you awake?"
The school nurse greeted me with a languid expression.
With her hair tied back and wearing a white coat, she looked exactly like a school nurse.
"Aria Witri. Exactly how many times have I seen you like this?"
"Hmm, well. I don't really know. I can't remember."
"...Do you not remember what I told you before either?"
What was it again?
If it's not something related to Yuna, I can't remember it well. Should I say it gets easily forgotten?
"You, I mean your body... Hah, never mind. For now, please rest. I'll formally contact your family."
Flinch.
I grabbed the sleeve of the school nurse Lena.
"I can resolve it. Thank you for caring, Ms. Lena."
"...But."
"I'm fine, Ms."
Aria 'Witri'.
Actually, I shouldn't even use this surname, Witri.
It's true.
When I was expelled from the family, they strictly warned me.
They said if I went around using it as I pleased, next time they wouldn't just end it with an eye.
So I absolutely never spoke of it.
But even so, the Witri family is very eager to kill me.
The head of the family, who thought of me as his daughter, stepping forward directly, that is.
So I shouldn't use such a surname.
I shouldn't be involved with the family either.
'...Because then I'll die.'
From my perspective, wanting to watch over Yuna for as long as possible, it's the absolute worst option.
If I get caught and locked in the underground prison again, I won't be able to escape then.
For real.
"I'll be going now. I'm always thankful, Ms."
"W-wait a minute."
Just as I was about to get out of bed and was about to fall with a thud again.
Lena caught my swaying body.
I slightly curled up the corners of my mouth and smiled.
"Aria. Please. Won't you listen to me?"
I am listening right now.
But wait a minute.
The inner pocket of my upper garment was completely empty.
I always carry around a pendant.
Afraid it might be taken if I put it around my neck, I just hide it tightly in my inner pocket.
So absolutely no one can take it.
As for what's inside it...
It's a picture taken together with Yuna.
I dragged her away by force, threatening her as a form of bullying, and we took it together.
Hehehe. An item to cherish as a lifelong treasure.
The picture was quite expensive, but the family covered all the expenses back then, so it was fine.
The frowning Yuna in the picture was also incredibly pretty.
I look at it every day before I sleep.
"W-where is that?"
"Huh?"
"Where is the pendant? It's not here? Where did it go?"
Lena made an expression showing she couldn't understand the situation.
"D-don't joke around. I need to have that. I really need to have that..."
T-taking it again is a no.
Because pictures are expensive.
And Yuna won't take one with me ever again either.
Because she hates and despises me.
I can draw Yuna's face even with my eyes closed.
By tracing it on paper or something.
But that, a real picture is... vastly different from a drawing. That's a no.
I can't make that.
Ever again.
"H-huh?"
"Please find it. Please find Aria's pendant. Please find it. Th-th-that..."
"Aria. Please calm down for a second..."
"Please find it! Find it! Aria's pendant!!!"
There was no way I could calm down.
I thrashed my body around and searched the bed.
Even so, the pendant didn't turn up.
It's really completely lost, or someone has hidden it tightly.
I took off my dirty school uniform layer by layer and threw it.
Because it might be inside my body.
But even when only my underwear was left, nothing came out.
"Ah, ugh, ughh..."
I am originally someone who truly has no tears. But for some unknown reason, tears kept flowing.
"...Is that pendant that precious?"
"I-it's incredibly precious... if it's not here... it won't do..."
Lena let out a sigh once and hugged me.
I don't have time for this. I need to find the pendant...
"I'll find it for you, so for now... shall we calm down and stop crying first?"
"Y-yes..."
Still, Lena's words were trustworthy.
Because it wasn't just once or twice that I was indebted to her.
Everyone hates and despises me now that I'm in this state, but this person is different. Why is that, really?
As she began to sweep my forehead with her white hand, I felt my heart calm down a bit.
Should I say I feel reassured?
"I'll take responsibility and find it for you. So, for now, will you listen to what I have to say?"
"...Yes."
"So, Aria Witri. You... have a very serious disease taking root."
Lena pointed to my chest with her white, slender finger.
"Right here."
"So?"
"So you have to get treated."
Whine.
But then I won't be able to meet Yuna while getting treated.
It means I won't be able to protect Yuna, and it means Yuna will end up experiencing all sorts of irrationality and absurdity with her whole body.
But I hate that.
I really hate it.
I hated it more than not getting treated.
"What if I don't get treated?"
Lena suddenly became speechless.
And with a serious face, she said this.
"You'll die. It's an illness where you'll die soon if you don't get treated. That is."
"Is that so?"
It seems the underlying illness I had since birth has gotten somewhat worse.
But there was something more important remaining than that.
"When will you find my pendant? You said you would find it."
"Y-yeah... Do you happen to have any clues or something?"
"It's an old circular pendant plated in gold. In the center, there's a delicate heart-shaped emerald decoration. Y-you must not open it. It's a strict promise, got it?"
"Yeah, got it. Where did you lose it?"
I slowly rattled off the places that came to mind.
"Hah, understood. Please lie down here while I go find the pendant. Got it? And promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"When I bring the pendant, Aria will receive treatment just as I say. Therefore, to the Witri family..."
"Please absolutely do not inform them."
"Yeah. I'll think of a separate method... let's talk about that when the time comes."
Saying so, Lena left the spot.
And, less than a minute had passed.
I was thinking of Yuna with both eyes squeezed shut.
"Hey."
Yuna's voice came from somewhere.
Wow.
Amazing auditory hallucination.
I want to hear it every day.
"Hey! I know you're not sleeping."
But the auditory hallucination got louder and I could hear more of it. Is this heaven?
"Open your eyes!"
"Huh?"
It wasn't an auditory hallucination.
Yuna was right in front of my eyes!
"Why did you take your clothes off so messily... Hah, never mind. Hey, you said you were looking for a pendant, right? Is that, is that precious to you?"
For some reason, Yuna was avoiding my gaze.
It's an extremely awkward expression, but an expression like that is also incredibly pretty.
Hehehe.
It would be great if I could see Yuna's face like this every day.
I really like it.
"Did you, eavesdrop on the conversation?"
"Never mind that. I know where your pendant is. Let's make a deal. What you're going to tell me is..."
Yuna trailed off. What in the world could it be?
"Why does she carry around this kind of crap? Hah..."
A dirty, worn-out gold pendant.
Yuna kicked it hard and pushed it into the sewer.
Because it was a pendant that perfectly suited that place.
'Setting that aside.'
Aria should be waking up soon, so let's head to the infirmary.
Thinking so, Yuna hurried her steps.
And unexpectedly ended up eavesdropping on the conversation.
"You'll die. It's an illness where you'll die soon if you don't get treated. That is."
...Dying?
Is it a disease that serious?
Yuna couldn't hide her bewilderment.
Aria had lost everything, and her personality had completely changed 180 degrees.
Her emotional expression became practically nonexistent, and emotions slowly began to show on her cold and ruthless face.
She felt like her speech had also become a bit slurred.
Because of that, the academy students despised Aria.
Because they thought her true colors and true nature had been fully revealed.
Only Yuna was different.
She surely felt like that was her true self.
The feeling that until now she had been acting while wearing an awkward mask that didn't even suit her.
However.
"Well, whatever."
Yuna eavesdropped on the conversation between Aria and Lena.
And she entered the infirmary taking advantage of the gap when Lena disappeared.
In order to find out the identity of 'that person'.
"So I'll make a proposal. I'll tell you the location of your pendant, so you tell me who 'that person' is."
"Y-yeah!"
Having nothing to lose, Aria nodded her head gladly.
'...Th-that person doesn't actually exist. I'll just find the pendant first and escape the crisis with a white lie, right?'
Without knowing what kind of catastrophe it would bring about.