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<b>Chapter 22</b>
Ā
āOh, Azami-san, you can walk by yourself!ā
āDonāt move too much, itās not safe.ā
When I returned to the boyās changing room, I lifted Kaede in a so-called princess hug. Kaedeās face turned red and she protested, perhaps because of her fever or embarrassment, but I didnāt care, I carried her into the staff room and lowered her onto the bed.
āAzami-san, this isā¦.?ā
After I left the changing room, I went to the restroom as planned, and made some space in the staff room by pulling the office table and chairs in and out, and brought the bed for sale into the staff room. I thought if she slept in a slightly better environment, her body would be more rested.
āNow you have a good rest. I mean, at least I could have brought in a mattress or a futon.ā
āā¦.Thatās rightā¦..I couldnāt think of that.ā
However, after being chased by zombies and then having her mother turned into a zombie, she did not have the presence of mind to worry about the comfort of her bed. Iām sure Kaedeās father was the same way, he must have been even more frustrated than Kaede had seen him. And even more so now that his father was gone.
āNo, Iām sorry. Anyway, you need to rest and get better.ā
āā¦.Yes. But can I talk to you for a minute until you fall asleep?ā
Kaede nodded honestly and looked up at me standing beside her. All right, I said as I placed the office chair that had been pulled up against the wall by the bed and sat down on it.
āI didnāt know whether to ask or not, but I didnāt tell you in the endā¦.ā
āWhat is it?ā
It must have been before bedtime. As before, Kaedeās mouth puckered up and did not speak, but this time she opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.
Kaedeās eyes were trembling. I donāt know what she was thinking when she asked that question.
Did she just genuinely care about the safety of my parents? Or was it just that her own parents had died and she wanted to do something to comfort each other if they were in the same situation? Or maybe she just wanted to share her feelings with me. Maybe even Kaede herself doesnāt understand.
āUnfortunately, they passed away a long time ago. It was a car accident, and it was probably better than dying in this world. I havenāt had a family since then.ā
No siblings either, I added.
āI seeā¦.Iām sorry I asked you such a weird question.ā
Iām sure Kaede doesnāt know why she asked that question, and she apologized with mixed emotions on her face.
āI donāt mind. I told you, feel free to ask me anything.ā
I really meant it, and thatās why I tried to say it in a calm tone of voice so that Kaede wouldnāt feel guilty unnecessarily.
āā¦.You are very kind, Azami-san.ā
Kaede stared into my eyes. The way she was looking at me made my heart thump loudly in my chest.
Am I being kind?
My heart was beating wildly as he said something I had never thought of.
In the other world, I always doubted even my own kind, I left them to die, and I killed not a few of them with my own hands. And to top it all off, I had abandoned the few friends I had met in the world that I could trust and returned to Japan, so there was no way I could be kind.
After a few moments of silence in the room, I regained my composure and slowly opened my mouth.
āThatās a misunderstanding.ā
To be honest, I was beginning to think that the fact that I was in this situation so soon after my return was a punishment for my cruelty. If thatās the case, I want such punishment to be directed at me alone and not involve others.
I couldnāt look directly into Kaedeās eyes, so I looked away.
āThatās enough, now get some sleep.ā
I said bluntly and stood up from my chair.
Kaede almost reached for me for a moment, but quickly stopped her movement and opened her mouth instead.
āā¦.I understandā¦ā¦Azami-san is kind, youā re not going anywhere, right?ā
āā¦.is not kind.ā
I responded to Kaedeās words, who still seemed anxious to be alone, and I moved to the sofa to lie down.Ā
When Kaede saw this, she seemed to have a small smile on her face.