Chapter 185: A Stray Girl

Before me stretched a scene so bizarre it was almost surreal.

How should I put it? I mean...

Please don't laugh?

"A world after the collapse of civilization... something like that?"

Yeah.

I know I'm the one saying it, but it really does fit perfectly.

Cars and trucks, their tires all missing, were piled up haphazardly, as if makeshift barricades had been hastily erected.

As if fearing some unknown threat coming from outside.

There was no doubt that something abnormal had occurred.

Even I, so dull-witted, couldn’t possibly miss such a large-scale construction happening right before my eyes.

I shivered violently, a chill running through me.

Glancing sideways, I saw someone next to me—and my confusion only deepened.

"…………uh"

Someone had broken through the partition wall separating the apartment building's units.

Now, there was nothing between my home and my neighbor Tanaka's—completely open, allowing free passage between the two.

Tanaka was my neighbor in this rundown apartment building—a cheerful, balding middle-aged man.

I knew he was a good person, but this… this was too much.

Cautiously, I peered into Tanaka's room from my balcony.

And there, I spotted a dark, smeared trail of blood, as if something had been dragged—

"Ah...………… ah...…………… ahh...!"

My heart pounded violently, and I retreated back to my room in a panic.

I collapsed onto the bed, pulled the futon over my head, and desperately tried to erase the image I’d just seen from my mind.

Something terrible had clearly happened. There was no doubt about that.

And for some reason, Tanaka had been injured.

Judging from the traces left in the room, that's the only conclusion I can reach.

Is he all right?

Lying wrapped in a blanket, I ponder deeply for several minutes.

After taking that much time,

"Police... I have to call the police...!"

Only then do I finally come to this obvious thought.

But what am I supposed to do now, when the phone isn't working?

Just then...

Dokkondokkondok!

And suddenly, the apartment door is knocked on roughly.

"Senpai!"

A voice unfamiliar to the ear.

Senpai! Let's play a game! I just stocked up on tons of board games from the Yodobashi in Ikebukuro! Let's play!

I tilted my head slightly and checked outside through the door peephole.

There was a short girl there, giving off a vaguely hamster-like impression.

A stranger—definitely not someone I recognized.

I answered cautiously, my voice trembling slightly, through the door peephole.

"……………Who are you?"

"It's me! Asada Rika!"

"Asada…-san?"

"?"

She looked completely at ease, as if her being there was the most natural thing in the world.

To me, that was utterly bizarre and unsettling.

"Um, you're a senior, right?"

"No, that's not correct."

Let's state this definitively.

I have never been called "senpai" by anyone in this world.

I've never joined any club or group like a sports team or a circle since I was born.

"But that voice..."

"Excuse me, are you possibly mistaken about the person?"

Honestly, my voice isn't particularly distinctive.

I once considered becoming a voice actor, but I gave up easily—mainly because of that.

You can't really change your voice quality no matter how hard you try.

The girl on the other side of the peephole made a rather sad face at my words.

"Um... did I maybe do something that bothered you...?"

"No, no. It's just a case of mistaken identity."

"No way. I wouldn't confuse your voice, senior. And the room—it's the one you mentioned, right?"

"Mistakes can easily pile up."

Perhaps she sensed some sincerity in my tone, which was clearly refusing the newspaper solicitation.

Miss Asada Rika seemed on the verge of tears, saying,

"Um... if I did something wrong, or said something hurtful, I'm sorry... Could you please open the door?"

"What would you do once the door is open?"

"I just wanted to see your face. That's all. I don't want anything more than that."

"Huh."

Even knowing I had messy hair from sleep, I cracked the door open just a little.

Of course, the chain was still on. Keeping it from opening too wide.

A girl I didn’t recognize peered inside.

"Ah, I knew it! You’re not a senior, are you? Why…?"

"I’m afraid I don’t recognize your face at all."

Then, the expression on Amaeda’s face—like a pet whose food had been taken—vanished completely,

"...Is that serious?"

His expression, somehow resolute—calm, even—shifted.

"Yes, well..."

"Are you absolutely certain... that you don't recognize my face at all?"

"Huh?...Have we met somewhere before?"

Of course, it wasn't impossible we'd passed each other somewhere on campus.

"...I'm going to talk to everyone at school about this."

"Huh..."

"Look, if this is some kind of joke, just say so right away."

"It's not a joke, nor a prank."

Who even is this?

Someone from school... maybe?

"……I understand."

Ama, accustomed to such dramatic scenes, simply said,

"I'll be back shortly. For now, please wait at home, senior."

"Um, just a moment..."

"...What is it?"

If it's not too much trouble, could you please call the police? My neighbor seems to be acting strangely.

"?"

When I peeked in a moment ago, I saw bloodstains... and the room seems to have been ransacked.

"Troubled...?"

She seemed to be asking, "What's so funny about that?"

Just to be safe, I'll add this.

My room seems to be without power, and the phone isn't working. So...

Then Asada smiles gently, as if fully understanding with those words.

"……Yes. Leave it to me."

Her words are like those of an older sister soothing a young child.

"My dad, he's a policeman."