Chapter 434 - Knocking on the Door
A knock echoed through the room.
I knew who was on the other side of the door, and I knew what they wanted, but my body wouldn't move.
It wasn't that my limbs felt heavy. On the contrary, they felt so weightless and hollow I wondered if I'd been completely scooped out from the inside. But still, I couldn't muster the will to move.
Eventually, I'd have to get up. I'd have to leave my room. I'd have to dive back into that world—and I'd have to face him.
Emotions and words were a raging flood inside my chest, yet there was no sign of them spilling over as tears. When was the last time I cried out of sadness? Out of pain? The meaningless thought drifted through my mind as I stared listlessly at the ceiling.
...I think I can speak. Okay, I'll try.
"...I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well."
I called out through the door to Itsuki, who was likely waiting on the other side. My voice came out a little strained from my position on the mechanical bed, but that worked in my favor.
"—Do you have an appetite?"
A pang of guilt struck me at her caring tone, and I let my silence be my answer. After a moment, I sensed her presence move away from the door.
I'll have to apologize later. Tomorrow.
With that thought, I dragged myself from the Arcadia machine to my actual bed. I pulled a pillow close and wrapped myself in a blanket—
"..."
I wasn't asleep, but my consciousness immediately sank into darkness.
I don't know how much time passed. When another knock echoed, I lifted my head to find the room completely consumed by darkness.
It had to be Itsuki again. I could sense her familiar presence even without seeing her, and besides, there was no one else in the house.
"—Sora."
The voice was just as I expected. She called my name and said nothing more... a signal that meant, I'm worried, so if you don't answer, I'm coming in.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to refuse, but ultimately swallowed my words.
The door opened slowly and quietly, and I felt her presence approach my bedside.
I regretted not lying down properly—I was just crouched on the bed, a sign of how muddled my thoughts were. But... what came next wasn't words, but a gentle, warm touch.
My heart ached as she stroked my hair. I wanted to say I was sorry, but I couldn't bring myself to add that she didn't need to worry, so I kept my mouth shut.
For a while, Itsuki just continued to stroke my head.
"...I know this is sudden," she said, "but your father is coming home. He has to leave again early tomorrow morning, so tonight is the only chance you'll have to see him."
"What will you do?" she asked, her voice gentle.
When was the last time Father came home? When did I last see him? I wondered, my mind still submerged in a fog.
"...I'll go see him," I mumbled, prioritizing my "family" above all else. Itsuki gave me an affectionate hug, then—
"In that case, you should change out of that wrinkled uniform. At the very least, you should wear something presentable for a man to see."
She must have been making an effort. Her return to her usual, blunt tone was a kindness I appreciated right now. I had to act normal to feel normal again.
"Are you hungry?"
"...I'll eat later." I managed a smile for the "sister" who always spoiled me. Itsuki hugged me one more time before leaving the room.
...Having received some warmth, my body feels like it might move, just a little.
I hadn't been sleeping, so I didn't need to fix my hair much. She'd said something about a man, but... it was just my father, after all.
Still, it was true that my wrinkled uniform looked awful. I slipped out from under the blanket and unbuttoned my jacket as I got off the bed. "—..." A self-deprecating sound escaped my lips as I pulled open the closet.
—And then, another knock.
I'd heard a car pull up, so I knew my father had arrived. I'd been about to head downstairs, but I tilted my head in confusion at the presence that had come to my door instead.
Two presences. Worried about my strange behavior, had Itsuki brought my father up to my room? Logically, there was no other possibility.
But something was wrong. The p-r-e-s-e-n-c-e felt different. The aura coming through the door was nothing like my father's.
And yet... "—...!" Sora's body, k-n-o-w-i-n-g what it was, trembled. Fear and confusion rooted her to the spot, making it impossible to step back.
The image of someone who shouldn't be there was already forming in my mind. I didn't know what expression they were wearing, but there was one thing I did know.
The knock came again, and the door opened slowly.
From beyond it, the person who appeared was—
"—Huh? H-Hey, wait!? You can't just open a maiden's door without—"
"Oh my, I'm still quite the maiden myself, you know?"
"What are you talking about? That's not the point— ...ah."
The one who appeared, engaged in a lively conversation with my familiar "sister," was the partner who never stopped moving forward. "Uh... um... H-Hey, Sora. Been a while."
And to Haru, who offered an awkward smile with an indescribable expression—
"...G-,"
"G-?"
"P L E A S E G O H O M E ! ! !"
Driven only by the explosion of confusion and shock, the girl screamed with all her might and slammed the door shut.
As I slumped to the floor, trying to calm my racing heart, I pressed my ear to the wall—
"I told you, didn't I? I said over and over that this wasn't the right atmosphere for a surprise! Didn't I?!"
"Oh, my... And here I was, simply taking Kasuga-san at his word after all those various bold proclamations he made. Could it be that I trusted you a little too much~?"
"This damn maid...!"
The clamor flying back and forth on the other side of my new wall was a commotion between two acquaintances who, at some point I couldn't fathom, had apparently gotten rather friendly.