kscans

Chapter 434 - Knocking on the Door

—A knock echoes.

I know who's on the other side of the door, and I know what they want, but my body won't move.

It doesn't feel heavy. In fact, it feels so light and empty that I suspect its contents have been completely scooped out, yet I can't muster the will to move.

Eventually, I'll have to get up. I'll have to leave this room. I'll have to dive back into that virtual world—and I'll have to face him.

My emotions and words are a raging flood inside my chest, but they show no signs of manifesting as tears. When was the last time I cried from sadness? When was the last time I cried from pain? I floated meaningless thoughts as I stared listlessly at the ceiling.

…I think I can speak. So, I'll try.

"…………I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well."

I call out to Itsuki, who is likely waiting on the other side of the door. I'm still lying in the mechanical bed, and my voice comes out a little strained, but that's convenient.

"—Do you have an appetite?"

I feel a pang of guilt at her concerned tone, but I convey my answer with silence. After a while, her presence moves away from the room.

Later, tomorrow, I have to apologize.

With that thought, I drag my body from the Arcadia machine to my bed. I pull a pillow close and wrap a blanket around myself—

"…………"

Though I'm not asleep, my consciousness quickly sinks into darkness.

And then, after who knows how much time has passed, another knock echoes. I lift my head to find the room completely filled with darkness.

It must be Itsuki at the door again. I can sense her familiar presence even without seeing her, and besides, there's no one else in the house.

"—Sora."

Her voice is just as I expected. She calls my name, and says nothing more… a signal that means, 'I'm worried, so if you don't answer, I'm coming in.'

I hesitate for a moment, wondering whether to refuse, but in the end, I swallow my words.

The door opens slowly and quietly, and her presence approaches the side of my bed.

I regret that I'm not lying down but curled up, a failure on my part because my mind wasn't working properly… but instead of words, a gentle warmth descends upon me.

She strokes my hair, and my heart aches. I want to say I'm sorry, but I don't think I can say not to worry, so I keep my mouth shut.

For a while, Itsuki continues to stroke Sora's head, and then,

"…This is sudden, but the master is coming home. He's leaving again early tomorrow morning, so tonight is the only time you can see him."

What will you do?—she asks.

When was the last time my father came home? When was the last time I saw him? My mind, still fuzzy and submerged, tries to think.

"…………I'll go greet him."

Putting her 'family' above all else, Sora murmured softly. Itsuki gave the girl one loving hug—

"In that case, you should change out of that wrinkled uniform. At the very least, please wear something you wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen in by a man."

It must have been an effort, but Itsuki's return to her usual blunt tone is a relief right now. I need to act normal, to get back to normal.

"Are you hungry?"

"…I'll eat later."

I manage a smile for my 'sister,' who spoils me endlessly. Itsuki hugs Sora one more time before leaving the room.

…My body, having received her warmth, feels like it can move, at least a little.

I wasn't sleeping, so I probably don't need to fix my hair too much. She mentioned something about a man, but… it's just my father, after all.

Still, it's true that my wrinkled uniform is a mess. I slip out from under the blanket and, unbuttoning my blouse as I get out of bed,

"—…………"

With a self-deprecating sound escaping my lips, I open the closet.

—And then, another knock.

I had heard the car, so I knew my father had returned. I was about to go downstairs, but I tilted my head in confusion at the presence that had come to my door first.

Two presences. Had Itsuki, worried about my strange behavior, brought my father to my room?—That was the only logical possibility.

But something was strange. The presence was wrong. The atmosphere coming through the door was nothing like my father's.

However,

"————Hh…"

Sora's body, knowing that presence, trembled. Fear and confusion rooted her feet to the floor, making it impossible to step back even if she wanted to.

The image of someone who shouldn't be there was already drawn in her mind beyond the door. She didn't know what his face would look like—but there was one thing she did know.

The knock sounds again, and the door slowly opens.

From beyond it, what appears is,

"—Huh? Hey, wait a minute!? 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……………… ahh."

Entering while carrying on a lively conversation with my familiar sister, was,

"Uh, um… you know………… h-hey Sora, long time no see."

Sora's partner, who never stops moving forward.

And to Haru, who offered an awkward smile with an indescribable expression—

"…………………………………………G-…"

"G?"

"　G O　 H O M E ! ! !　"

Following only her bursting confusion and shock, the girl screamed at the top of her lungs and slammed the door shut.

As she slumped to the floor, trying to calm her racing heart, she pressed her ear to the wall—

"I told you, didn't I? I told you multiple times that this wasn't the right atmosphere for a surprise event!"

"Oh my, my~… and here I was, simply trusting the words of Kasuga-san, who made such grand and boastful claims. Was my faith in him misplaced, I wonder~?"

"This maid…!!"

On the other side of the wall she'd erected, a clamor erupted between two acquaintances who, she had no idea when, had apparently become fast friends.