*Kei Machida's POV*
//July 16, 2040//Monday//
"I didn't know you liked reading manga, Kei."
I know that you were not aware of what you said, Kiyoko. But, when you told me that, a lot of memories flashed inside my head.
Really bad memories…
"NO!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!"
Kiyoko has been sleeping for three hours already, and I am surprised when she suddenly woke up.
"MOM! DAD! DON'T LEAVE ME DON'T LEAVE ME!!!"
Kiyoko was screaming her lungs out, and she was panicking. This was the first time I have ever witnessed her in this state. She felt helpless.
"Kiyoko!"
I immediately hugged Kiyoko to calm her down out of impulse. Her whole body was shaking, and she was sweating a lot. I can feel her heart beating quickly, and her heavy breathing on my chest.
"It's okay, Kiyoko. It's just a nightmare."
"K-Kei… My parents…"
Did she have a bad dream about her parents? From what I know, Kiyoko's parents died in a car crash, and she has been living by herself since she was a child.
"It's okay, Kiyoko. Calm down…"
I hugged her tightly, and I can feel that she is trying to calm down. I am not the kind of person who comforts others when they are in need of help. But, Kiyoko is different...
She is my partner.
A few minutes have passed since Kiyoko woke up from his sleep. It was already midnight, and my eyes were also falling off. I was sleepy, and I couldn't sleep after what happened to Kiyoko.
"I'm sorry…"
Kiyoko was still hugging me after what happened. I do not know how to comfort someone, but what is in my head right now is that all I want is some sleep.
"It's fine."
But for some reason, I am acting differently from what I am supposed to be. I know that Kiyoko was the reason that I could not take a rest.
No, it's not her fault, it was my decision to be awake while Kiyoko was calming herself down.
"Kei, I'm fine now. You can sleep, and I'll watch over you."
My body was screaming with joy when Kiyoko told me to take a rest. But, there is a part of me that wants to know what was going on when she was still sleeping.
I didn't stop hugging her, and I asked a question right away.
"What was that all about?"
I looked at Kiyoko, and she couldn't look me in the eyes. She was just bowing his head down, and there was a slight shaking on her body. I gave a long sigh and stared at the ceiling of the elevator.
"It's okay if you don't want to. But, I'm going to stay up all night with you."
I felt Kiyoko's head nodding in agreement with what I said. Kind to think of it, Kiyoko usually shows a strong character in front of others.
This is the second time I saw Kiyoko look this bad. The first time I saw her like this was when I first showed up to these people. Well, people are not perfect after all. To begin with, all of us are fragile human beings.
"Kei, Is it wrong that I am born like this?"
I looked at her once again from below, and I could somehow see Kiyoko's face. I'm not like Kiyoko who can see what others feel with just a glance, but it was really obvious that she was melancholic.
"Why would you ask that?"
"I feel like the whole world is against me because of who I am. Sometimes I get nightmares that I am the reason why some people's lives are in hell. Those people called me a murderer. A murderer…"
"It's just a dream, am I right? You don't need to make a big deal out of it."
"It's not just a dream. But I think that is also my reality…"
"Why would you say that?"
"I have been earning money for a living in exchange for helping a lot of people who are professionals in their fields with their projects."
"I already know about that. So what's the connection with that from what you said?"
"I hate what people say about me…"
Kiyoko stopped embracing my body and sat up while hugging her knees beside me from where I was sitting. She stared at the ceiling also, and continued what she was saying,
"How can a child be that smart? I wish that I had her knowledge. She's only a child, and she doesn't deserve to have that kind of thinking. We can't do anything about it, at least that child is helping us with our projects. She is a kid anyway, who will believe that she is the one who did this?"
"But you are still assisting these people even now, right? You are not a kid anymore."
"But, what would society believe in? A professional who is an expert in that field, or a student who will be going to college who only has her brains to live? People said that those people who are talented are gifted. But for me, what I have is a curse."
When Kiyoko ranted about what people think about her, I realized that the two of us really are the same. Society really is shit. You can't avoid people being jealous of you even if you are the one who was helping them.
There are people who are amazed by those kinds of people. But in my opinion, seven out of ten of those people are telling lies, and wanted to curse the world for how unfair it is for them, and wanted to have that kind of talent as well.
The world we are living in truly has a cruel society.
"Can I tell you something before I answer your question?" I asked.
Kiyoko shook her head and gave me a faint smile.
"You don't need to answer me. I'm sorry, I was just ranting earlier."
"No, I'll answer your question. Just let me tell you this to you."
After Kiyoko told me that she never thought I liked reading manga, I was thinking if I should tell her why my mood suddenly changed.
But, if this is Kiyoko we are talking about, there is nothing wrong with telling this to her.
"The manga that I was reading earlier was written by my sister. That's why I like it."
I noticed Kiyoko looked at me when she learned that my sister was the author of the manga that I was reading.
"Thinking about it, the two of you had the same surname."
"Yeah, because we are siblings."
"Where is she right now?"
"My sister is dead, and so are both of my parents."
"I-I'm sorry to hear that…"
There was an awkward silence between us for a moment. I can't blame her for not saying anything else except for apologizing, but there is even no reason to apologize in the first place.
"Do you want to know how they died?" I asked.
"Isn't that a sensitive topic for you to say?"
Kiyoko was right, but my mind is telling me that it is okay to let her know about what happened 11 years ago, and the only person who knows about this was Shinohara.
The reason why I became a detective.
"My family was killed in a major incident 11 years ago. Not just them, a lot of people were killed at that time."
Kiyoko's eyes widened, and she was shocked by what I said. It was a famous incident after all. Kiyoko knows about it for sure. The major incident happened 11 years ago.
"W-wait do you mean they were killed in that incident..?"
"Yes. What is in your head was that incident."
I looked at Kiyoko and took a deep breath before answering her. What I am about to say was a huge incident that almost changed this country for the worse.
"The Ruination of Kanagawa 11 years ago."
******** TO BE CONTINUED ********