Yandere Imouto ni Aisaresugite Kozukuri Kankin Seikatsu Chapter 15
Oct 25, 2018
Translator: shojouxx
Chapter 15 ～ The Truth
"'Dead'?", I asked him right back.
"Do you mean Ayaka's already dead?"
It was evident that he found it hard to answer.
"It's my fault that she's dead."
"No , master. It wasn't your fault!", Marie yelled out.
"She-, she is――"
"It's fine. I have to tell him the truth." , Ayaka's father answered Marie.
"I was the reason Ayaka took her own life. Listen, Shindou-kun."
A heavy feeling permeated throughout the entire room. I know that it's shameful to pry into one family's own business, but it just felt like I had to know the truth. Otherwise, I'd never know what Ayaka's true feelings are.
"Okay.", he answered with a faint smile as he crossed his arms, and started talking.
"I had two children. They were twins. The older one was named Renka, and the younger one was Ayaka. They were close with each other."
"Cough……"
Marie turned her head away, but it felt like Ayaka's father had no intention to stop the conversation.
"I am the director of a certain hospital, you see. Since childhood, they were forced to undergo strict education. Starting from grade school, they'd usually be buried in workbooks or reference books. They went to cram school, and whenever they couldn't get a perfect score on their tests, I'd get enraged and give them a spanking."
He frowned as he was reminiscing the past.
"When they started going to middle school, I'd shout at them even for the tiniest mistakes. Renka had a cheerful disposition, while Ayaka was the quiet one. But in addition to that, Ayaka got bullied."
"Was that the reason behind all of this……?"
He had difficulty finishing his cup of tea.
"It was cruel. She went to school in the city, but she wasn't ‘allowed' to have fun. Ayaka had been targeted, and she'd always be crying even at home. I only learned of these issues when it was too late. I totally felt like the worst parent."
"Ayaka committed suicide four months ago. I'd enrolled her into the prefecture's best prep school, which made things even worse。She left her last will, and then jumped to her death from the school's rooftop."
"Master only did those things for her own good――"
"Don't worry, Marie. I don't feel like she's dead. The same goes for Renka. As soon as Renka had heard about what happened to Ayaka, she fainted and was taken to the hospital. After waking up, she'd turned into ‘Ayaka'."
"Lady Renka became strikingly similar to Lady Ayaka。I could've sworn I thought Lady Ayaka was resurrected."
"Feeling she didn't save Ayaka, she blamed herself nonstop for not stopping the bullying. She thinks that as long as she believes it, Ayaka is still alive."
Marie muttered.
"I didn't know she felt that way. If only I'd noticed, I would have calmed her down……"
"Stop talking that way, Marie."
Marie couldn't answer back. Ayaka's father was doing his best to console her as she looked down in embarrassment. Should I have said something? Well, I chose not to. I had no right to.
"I apologise. Ayaka is no longer with us."
I asked her father because I felt something was a bit off.
"I'm sorry for opening up such a bad story."
"What did Ayaka write in her last will?"
My question silenced them a bit, but Ayaka's father was quick to respond.
"Do you want me to tell you?", was all he could answer.
To which I quickly replied, "If you may, please tell me."
"…… Just before Ayaka's death, it seemed like she met a boy on the street. She was on her way home from another day of getting bullied at school, and it rained as she reached the nearby park. She started to write everything right after meeting that boy. For a brief moment, it felt as if she wanted to live. In short, she'd fallen in love."
After talking, he looked straight at me.
"And that boy was you, Shindou Susumu."
"Huh…… Me?"
"You don't remember it, do you?"
He didn't look particularly disappointed at all, though.
"Well, I guess it couldn't be helped. She fell in love with a boy she barely knew, but it obviously meant a lot to her."
"So…… Ayaka met me……"
"I talked to Renka, as well. After reading a small portion of the will, that's when we felt convinced she was Ayaka."
He paused for a moment, and then he asked,
"Do you love Ayak…… Oh, I'm sorry. I meant Renka?"
I understood what he wanted to tell me.
"I'm still unsure."
"Hmm."
"The only thing I'm aware of is that she's hurting right now. Maybe I won't be of any help, but I'd at least want to help her return to who she really is."
He took an envelope right there and then, and placed it in front of me.
"Ayaka left this before she died. I think she wanted to entrust this to you."
Marie seemed momentarily stunned, but Ayaka's father didn't mind. I took the envelope. Just like a formal business document, it had the word ‘last will' written on the surface.
"She loved you. It's right for YOU to have it.", he said with a smile on his face.
I put the envelope inside my bag and then stood up.
"I have to go home now. Thank you for the tea."
"Really? Won't you stay a bit longer for her?"
"My family must be feeling worried now. Oh, and would you please let me tell you one more thing?" , I said as I turned around and faced him.
"You said it all happened because of what you did to them. Isn't that a convenient thing to say? You hurt someone, and yet you live as if you never did."
"…… Excuse me, but what do you mean?"
His facial expression turned stiff.
"You said everything that happened to Ayaka was your fault. You only did that so you wouldn't feel so bad, didn't you? If that were true, YOU were the one who should've helped her get back up."
"You're right. I caused my daughter so much pain, but what can I do about it now? I was the one behind all this."
It looked like he wanted to play the role of the ‘miserable father' up to the very end.
Or maybe he genuinely believed all of it; just like Renka did.
"For your own convenience, you believed it was true. You felt guilty and decided to dwell on it for the rest of your life. Did you do that for Ayaka's sake?"
I felt more heartbroken as I spoke, but I couldn't say much.
It's because―― Ayaka and Shirube are very much alike――.
"No matter how much you grieve, it won't erase all the things you've done. Nor will it erase the hatred you feel. That's just how people are, though. Everybody's selfish, but they can't reach a solution because they're too fixated on themselves. Do you understand what I'm saying, sir?"
He kept quiet and stared at me.
The gentle look on his face vanished.
"Let's call it a day. Please leave now."
"It'll be my pleasure. I don't want to stay here anymore."
"You made me realize something."
"It doesn't matter. It's just a pathetic game of make-believe anyway. And if that's the case, I suggest you put in this much effort in being happier."
"I…… I won't do that……", he said while shaking his head in disagreement.
"I already figured you'd say that."
I turned my back on him.
"You won't repay Ayaka or Renka if you keep on doing this. Please keep that in mind.", I left those remarks and made my way out of the mansion.
I let out a big sigh after exiting the gate.
I knew that the mansion was stifling.
"… But I have to properly tell Ayaka.", I mumbled as I looked up to the motionless sky.