Chapter 25: Omen

Omen

The day after I handed over my song to Tendouji-san, Yuna started coming to see me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

She looked a little worn out, but otherwise, she acted no differently, as if nothing had happened.

As for me, I only treated her with the same superficial politeness I showed everyone else, but since those around us assumed we had broken up, I often found myself struggling to explain the situation.

Seeing my predicament, Yuna herself subtly spread the word that we had broken up because of her and had gone back to being childhood friends. That, in turn, sparked various rumors about the reason for our breakup.

But as people watched Yuna continue to interact with me as usual, they seemed to misunderstand, thinking we had parted on good terms. Eventually, the rumors died down.

At school, Yuna behaved not as she had when we were dating, but rather as she had before we got together. The excessive physical closeness from our time as a couple had vanished, and now she maintained a certain distance when interacting with me.

Outside of school, we had no contact, and of course, we exchanged no messages.

However, her once radiant, sun-like smile now felt somehow artificial, like a mere imitation of what it used to be.

While I was still grappling with these subtle changes in Yuna, a gag order was suddenly enforced at school.

It was about the high school couple’s double su_ic_ide that had been making headlines on morning news programs.

Apparently, word had leaked that the male student in that couple was from our school.

“Seriously. That woman went ahead and made the worst possible choice among the ones I’d predicted.”

“Nee-san, did you anticipate this would happen?”

“I considered it a possibility. Though I hated myself for even thinking it.”

“I see… I honestly didn’t expect things to go this far.”

I truly had no idea what lay at the end of such unbridled passion. That’s why I had wanted to see where Tendouji-san’s path would lead.

“Well, I suppose that woman had her back against the wall in a way.”

“…What do you mean?”

“According to recently leaked information, her engagement had already been settled, and the marriage was confirmed. A classic case of an upper-class political marriage.”

“Huh, I didn’t know those kinds of things still happened nowadays.”

I couldn’t understand it, but it seemed that even someone like her, who appeared to have complete control over everything, had her own constraints.

“Yeah, that alone wouldn’t be so bad, but what really makes me angry is the people leaking this information to the media. It’s probably someone under that woman’s influence, trying to frame this obsessive, one-sided love as a tragic romance.”

“Was Tendouji-san aiming for that all along?”

“Probably… Just thinking about it makes me sick. If this delusion is glorified as true love and immortalized in print, it’ll play right into her plan. Her death will be twisted into proof of their love, and she’ll be remembered as a tragic heroine.”

If she really calculated everything to this extent, it was incredible. Not just ending it with death, but using death itself to prove love and leave behind an undeniable mark—such conviction was beyond me.

“That’s incredible. I can’t wrap my head around it, though.”

“Yuki, you shouldn’t try to understand it. If anyone actually investigated, they’d see it for what it really is—just a plain murder case where Tendouji Yukari killed that trash.”

For once, my sister openly showed her anger, rejecting Tendouji-san’s actions outright.

“It’s going to be a hassle at school, too. I’m sure you already know this, but under no circumstances can anyone find out that you were acquainted with Kashiwagi.”

“I’ll be fine. I never cared about Kashiwagi-senpai in the first place.”

If I still had lingering feelings for Yuna, I might have felt something, but even after learning of his death, I felt nothing at all.

Being asked about someone I had no interest in left me with nothing to say—I simply didn’t know anything about him.

“Yeah, Yuki should be fine… It’s Yuna-chan I’m worried about.”

My sister tapped her temple lightly, her usual gesture when deep in thought.

“Yeah, something’s off about Yuna. She acts normal at school, but only at school. I talk to her a little since I have to keep up appearances, but I have no idea what’s going through her head.”

Hearing my report, my sister’s eyes widened in surprise, and she hurriedly started operating her phone.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“She only interacts with me at school. Outside, she doesn’t come near me at all. Maybe she’s just acting weird because of what happened to Kashiwagi-senpai?”

“…Maybe.”

My sister’s expression grew even more serious as she continued thinking.

“Got it. You and Yuna-chan will just keep going in circles if you talk. I’ll handle it myself… It seems she wanted to talk to me anyway.”

“Thanks. She doesn’t bother me much at school, so I just treat her like anyone else.”

As far as I was concerned, as long as I didn’t get involved, that was enough. But why was Yuna trying to reconnect with me?

Maybe it was because of what happened to Kashiwagi-senpai. But Yuna’s attitude had changed even before the news broke.

On the other hand, I had never been the type to cling to something I’d let go of. I couldn’t understand why she was so determined to repair something that had already ended.

Even if something is pieced back together, water will always seep through the cracks of a patched-up vessel.

Once doubt has taken root, it’s difficult to weed out. Starting over from scratch would be far easier.

Yuna would be better off finding someone more “normal” rather than clinging to someone as twisted as me.

Well, to avoid unnecessary trouble at school, I would continue treating her with the same politeness I showed everyone else.

However, what did catch my attention was the faintly dark glimmer in Yuna’s eyes—one that now eerily resembled Tendouji-san’s.