Chapter 9: Family

We were a family.

Misaki, Hiyori, and me. For as long as I can remember, the three of us were always together. It wasn’t that we were naïve enough to think we could accomplish anything just by sticking together, but even so, not being alone gave us strength. With the three of us, we could do things we couldn’t do alone. With the three of us, we could survive—even here in Arius.

It didn’t take long for reality to teach me just how sheltered and clueless I really was.

"Let go of me!"

"Will you shut up already?"

"Pathetic. These brats don’t have anything on ’em."

We were overpowered instantly by upperclassmen far older than us. Every bit of food we had managed to gather was stolen, the shelter we finally found was torn apart, and we were beaten so badly we couldn’t defend ourselves.

"Ane-sa— guh!"

"Misaki!"

"Waaaah! We’re doomed! It’s all over!"

"Hey, quiet down. What if someone else shows up?"

All I could do was watch as my family was beaten.

But… what was that saying? “When one god abandons you, another saves you”? Something like that. She arrived at exactly that moment.

"What are you doing?"

"Hah? Can’t you see— what the—!?"

"Damn it! Do you even know who you’re messing with!?"

"Nope."

She took on the opponents we couldn’t even scratch—completely alone—and put them down in an instant. She used her gun like a blunt weapon to smash their faces, then kept firing into their bodies after they were down. Honestly, that part scared me, but the only word for it was overwhelming. She and I shouldn’t have been too far apart in age. And yet…

"...Phew. You okay?"

"Y-Yeah…"

That was how I met her—Fuyuharu Kou.

Kou was strong. She always insisted, "Not really," or "Beating up kids who don’t know how to fight doesn’t count," but to us back then, she was absolutely a hero. And unbelievably, she even offered to help us… to live with us. For us, who had lost our food, our home, and even our sense of strength, it was an impossibly generous offer.

At first, we suspected her. We thought she was trying to trick us, that she had some kind of plan. But the more time we spent living together, the more her kindness proved genuine, and we never found a hint of ulterior motive.

Kou was, apparently—according to her, “half-forced”—a member of the Student Council. She said her strength came from the training she received there.

The Student Council. In the slums of Arius, it was something people admired. They were often hated for maintaining order, but even people from the slums could join if they had talent. Once you got in, you received enough money and food to live. You gained power—like Kou had. It was the ultimate way to flip your life upside down.

For those of us barely surviving day to day, it was a dream job. But the barrier to entry was high.

Why someone like Kou—who had managed to enter the Student Council—would bother helping us… that became our only real worry. Why give us food? Why teach us how to fight? Why…

I didn’t understand anything. I didn’t know who Kou really was, and we had nothing to offer in return. So why did she help us?

So I asked.

"Eh? Well… I mean, being alone is… lonely, right?"

"…Is that all?"

"Yeah. I think that’s more than reason enough. Besides, you say you haven’t given me anything, but you have. Food tastes better when you eat it with others."

Kou ate her canned food with a satisfied "Mmm," looking genuinely happy.

"But… even so, we’re getting too much from you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. So isn’t there something—anything—we can do?"

"Wow, you’re really pushy about this."

Kou laughed it off, but I was serious.

I knew the truth. Kou always smiled around us, acting like she was having fun, but outside of that she was always expressionless… or looked like she was hurting. She wore a smile so we wouldn’t worry.

And I wasn’t shameless enough to give her nothing in return.

"I'm being serious!"

"Ugh… uh, hmm. Right. Then… when you all grow up, treat me to something tasty."

"Understood. Anything else?"

"Eh, huh? Th-then… maybe buy me a book or something?"

"Understood. Anything else?"

"M-Maybe… a shoulder massage…"

"Anything else."

"Hey! Seriously!?"

Thinking back, I must have really opened my heart to Kou. I would never tell her directly, but I relied on her. Even though she wasn’t much older than us, her back looked so much bigger. Being beside her made me feel safe. Even those terrifying nights felt different—because I was with her, I could notice how beautiful the stars were.

And I wanted her to rely on me too.

I thought of her as family.

The three of us who had always been one were now four. At least, that’s what I believed. The four of us would sit together at the table, the four of us would sleep together under the same blanket. That became normal. That became our everyday life.

And I thought it would go on forever.

Or so I believed.

"I'm being deployed to the front lines."

The moment she said that, it felt like my vision went black.

Front lines. Because I knew what organization she belonged to, I understood it would happen someday. But after spending so long together, without realizing it, I had shoved that reality into the back of my mind.

"Can we… come with you?"

"…"

"…I see."

Silent refusal.

I knew she was thinking of our safety. But at the same time, it felt like she was telling us we were useless, unneeded. A tight, painful feeling spread through my chest.

"…It’s fine. You’ll be okay. If the three of you work together, you can manage even without me."

"That’s not…!"

"It’s okay. I’m certain you three will be fine."

"But…"

"Do you not trust me?"

"…That’s not fair."

It wasn’t fair. Kou was far too unfair.

How could I refuse after she said something like that? I—I believed we were only whole as a group of four. That without you, Kou, we…

"…See you."

"Yeah. See you."

Believing those words, I watched her back as she slipped out of sight behind the door.

I believed she would come back. That she would knock on our tin door again and return home to us.

It was the next day.

The radio announced the collapse of the Student Council she belonged to.

"Ane-san (Sister)…"

"Kou-san…"

From that day on, she never knocked on that door again.

She—Fuyuharu Kou—betrayed us.