I couldn't speak for a while, not wanting her to notice my trembling voice.

She probably didn't want to talk to me either, just silently tilting her glass.

After several minutes of silence, a soft electronic chime sounded.

It seemed to come from the landline phone in the room where my mother was.

"Ah～, annoying, annoying. I came all the way here without my phone, and now this? What's so important?"

Saying that, she lifted the receiver and left it hanging.

She'd always disliked phone calls, and now that aversion had only intensified.

...No, actually, wasn't she always like this when she was drinking?

Could it be something important?

The fact that she'd left her smartphone behind probably meant she'd left it at home.

Since the tablet is visible at the edge of the screen, I guess having that is enough. Mother had already become a tablet user at an early stage, influenced by her younger sisters.

"What about Dad?"

"Don't even mention that idiot. He's been obsessively going to the casino just because there was a dealer with a big chest. I can't handle it anymore."

So Dad's still the same, it seems.

Being connected with Mother is the worst kind of worst, my mood's at rock bottom, but even so, I can't hang up the phone.

"…………Mom, I need to ask you something. I really have to know."

"What is it? I don't understand complicated things. Ask Serika-chan."

"It's not complicated... Nanami... she died, right... Uncle and Aunt too... And I'm still the one blamed for it...?"

Considering the number of viewers, I still can't be sure.

But it's certainly possible that's not the case.

As for me, unable to open the message... no, even if I could, I wouldn't know the truth.

I can't read Earth's newspapers, nor watch television.

The only connection we have with Earth is that single message, the origin of which we can't even determine.

"Ah, that thing. It was really something that you were the culprit. I ended up getting complaints from some stranger, and it was a relief that Serika-chan helped me with the paperwork for moving overseas, but back in Japan, no matter where I went, TV crews and all sorts of people would follow me—it was the worst!"

"That... was my fault. I'm sorry."

"Well, once we get to America, nobody knows us, and Serika-chan can just spend her allowance and have fun, so it’s like joining the ranks of the elite, isn’t it? Oh, right— we also got a new car. An Aston Martin. We took a drive down the West Coast, and it was absolutely amazing. The sunset in Santa Barbara— the sky turned such a deep red—"

My mother starts chatting away smoothly and effortlessly.

In the end, this person just talks however they want, never really listening to others.

Even if it's their son, suddenly transported to another world, never to meet face to face again.

So interrupting her would only make her annoyed, and she’d be unlikely to give the answer I’m seeking. But this time, no matter what, I had to ask.

"Mom, I don't have time. Just tell me whether the suspect's been caught."

Logically speaking, I don't think there's much chance the culprit hasn't been caught.

After all, they must have been drenched in blood and left fingerprints behind.

Naturally, I'd have been on the suspect list too, but surely they wouldn't have stopped investigating just because of that... right?

And if they did investigate, wouldn't the culprit have been found right away? Or is it too difficult to find them without more concrete evidence?

Of course, if I could unravel this sealed-off room of a message box, maybe I'd find some clue somewhere.

But I have no way to verify its truth.

In a world where everyone hates me, if someone sends me a mocking lie, I'd be jumping for joy or despairing—completely manipulated.

Anyway, a mother wouldn't deliberately lie about something like that.

But my mother's answer was disappointing.

"I don't know. I don't watch the news, and that ship left right after you disappeared, so I think they hadn't caught them yet—don't you think they're still at large?"

"I see... Thanks."

There was resignation in my voice, as if I'd expected nothing else.

Somehow, the truth sank into my chest with a sudden weight.

It was disappointing, but I'd already factored it in.

I'd just have to live my life forever treated as a criminal.

Still, something had been bothering me.

"…Mom, did you really believe I wasn't the culprit?"

If the culprit had managed to escape neatly from the scene, it should have been a situation where I was the only one who could be considered the perpetrator.

In fact, there was no evidence suggesting I wasn't the criminal—circumstantial evidence had clearly pointed to "Kurosé Hikaru" as the culprit.

My mother was the type who loved gossip, and I could easily imagine her spreading wild tales on television, portraying my childhood friend's murder as a dramatic transfer to another world. It was strange, then, that she didn't believe it.

"At first, I thought it was you."

Just as my mother was about to explain her reasoning,

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

A sound of something being knocked from a distance.

Then came a voice speaking in English.

"Ah, someone's coming. What now? Heave-ho."

She rose sluggishly, swaying as she walked.

The video phone seems to stick right onto the person you're talking to, the screen following along as well.

Mother peeking through the peephole to check outside the door.

Though it's hard to tell from this room alone, she mentioned traveling around the world, so this must be a cabin aboard a cruise ship.

Just by looking at the background, it's clearly quite luxurious.

Supposedly Serika gave this as a gift, and judging by the price, it probably costs several million yen, maybe even up to ten million if they're being extravagant.

"……Hey, there's some high-and-mighty-looking guy—hotel staff, or maybe the manager? He's standing over there. Did he do something? Like cheating at the casino or something…?"

"He" refers to her father.

My parents are a couple whose relationship is hard to judge—whether good or bad—but my mother has always forgiven my father's infidelity and reckless spending, so even though they're quite different from typical families, one might say they're actually quite close.

"Shouldn't you go out?"

"No way. I might get dragged into some joint liability or something... What if the mafia comes after us? You know how that guy is—he's a real idiot, don't you?"

My father was the son of a yakuza member, a man who did such foolish things he was disowned.

I can't really recall him doing anything remotely fatherly, but he was probably a little better than my mother.

Surely he wouldn't pull some scam here, would he...?

Someone's speaking English from the other side of the door.

I do understand English a little bit… but… a phone call from my daughter?

"Mom, I think it's a call from Serika. Please answer it. I want to talk to her too."

"Ohhh… really? Well, I guess I have no choice…"

When Mom opened the door, the manager calmly asked if anything was wrong, clearly concerned. He said something like, "Your daughter called urgently," and handed the receiver to Mom.

Naturally, I can't speak directly, so I have to talk through Mom.

But if it's Serika, she should know the answer I'm looking for—

"Oh, Serika-chan? What's up? Yeah, yeah. I'm talking to your older brother. Hehehe. Hmm?"

I must have been told to relay something from Serika.

Mom's gaze turned toward me, and just as she opened her mouth—

Suddenly, the connection to Earth was severed, and I was pulled back to just a status screen.

Probably because twenty minutes had passed.

(Time's up...?)

It felt like I'd been abruptly dragged back to reality.

What had Serika been trying to say? Had I been about to say something in response? Or something else entirely?

I didn’t care anymore.

　

The answer was already clear the moment I realized my mother hadn’t known about the arrest.

If Serika was getting regular updates from me, she couldn’t possibly be unaware of the arrest. After all, it’s family—she’d definitely have been told if someone had been caught.

So that was it… that was the truth.

　

(…Still, I hope everyone’s doing okay.)

(…I’m glad Serika and Karen seem to be doing fine.)

The world keeps turning, even without me.

Each person has their own life, and that won't change no matter where I am—no matter if I'm in another world or if I were to die.

Collapsing forward, almost on impulse, I jumped into the sea from the dock.

The seawater felt unusually warm, wrapping around my body.

I moved my heavy limbs and swam out toward the open water.

　

—I'm so glad it was you who was chosen.

—Just thinking about it being Serika or Karen makes me shudder.

My mother's words echoed through my mind.

　

I didn't want to think about anything.

I couldn't think about anything.

To viewers, scenes where I was hurt by my parents' words would probably be the ultimate entertainment.

I didn't want anyone to see me like that.

"Uwaaahhh!"

I swam without knowing where I was going, just moving forward.

The body honed through dungeon exploration didn't tire from swimming, as if it could swim forever.

So, he swam.

　

To hide his tears, his despair, from being seen.