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yumeheadphone2023-05-26 01:48 pm
[Translation] Aragami Oga's Horror Story Reading Week - Chapter 2
[30:30]
"At last...
At the very least, I managed to kill Akito with my own hands.”
Though I really can't believe how stupid he is,
No way we could miraculously revive dead people so easily, right?
I never thought there'll be someone out there who could believe such dumb bullshit.
I'm starting to understand why people can just die so easily.
But I guess Akito wished for it huh
After all, he ended up dying the same way Shizuku did.
“You better thank me Akito,
But regretfully, you'll be going to hell.
Don't think you could ascend to heaven after being killed by an evil and malicious creature, alright?"
I've always hated Akito from the bottom of my heart
So– So much it makes me want to kill him.
After all, he's the one who let Shizuku die.
Of course, I do love her as well.
But I decided to kill my feelings and entrust them to Akito instead.
If both of us are attracted to her, I might as well play the childhood friend role who'll root for them both.
But Akito... He ended up betraying even my feelings.
That time, why aren't you by her side?
Why...
I couldn't even forget about what happened on August 13th last year either!
The one who gets crushed heavily by their sorrows isn't only you, Akito. Don't you know that?
You killed Shizuku.
You failed to protect her.
That's why... You deserve to die.
-
Soon as the ambulance arrived at the scene,
I can see Akito's body being carried away.
The surroundings are noisy as expected, and some were trying to record the scene of accidents using their phone.
I bet they're going to upload it to their SNS anyway.
Tch,
Does that mean Shizuku also went through a similar treatment like this too?
Dammit, none of these people are sane.
...Nah, I maybe am one too.
Lying about reviving dead people,
And instead keeping quiet about it being a ritual to call forth an evil spirit.
However,
It's clear that Akito has committed a heinous act against the departed.
That makes him a sinner and thus had to be punished.
I'm not wrong,
I'm not in the wrong!
I'm in the right here.
I've become the enforcer who sees through Akito's act,
That is all.
That's why I did nothing wrong!
"Heheheh…”
Right, I've finally achieved one of my goals.
Though if I stayed here any longer, someone will bound to be suspicious of me.
“Hah...
Guess I'll go."
As I thought of leaving this place,
Out of a sudden...
"Shun-kun?"
That voice was coming from behind me.
The moment I heard that voice, I instinctively held my breath.
And at the same time,
Cold sweat ran down my back.
There's no mistaking it...
This voice– is Shizuku.
"I-Is that you, Shizuku?"
There's no way you could revive the dead.
I said that to myself a while ago,
But now there's part of me that wished it wasn't the case.
"Shizuku!"
Dangling to that faint wish,
I turned away hoping that I could hold her.
But what was shown beyond is merely the scenery of the cities, as expected.
Thinking that she might get mixed within the crowd
I tried focusing my sight to look for her, however...
I couldn't find her.
Of course, that's to be expected
But somehow it gives me a feeling of agony.
Perhaps I'm starting to understand what Akito feels after killing him,
Hallucinating stuff after that... Wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen I guess.
I decide to leave the scene and head back to my home.
-
Ever since I arrived at home,
I couldn't bear to look at my phone or the TV.
Because the news of the incident that Akito is involved in is being aired right now.
I'm only doing the right thing.
That's why I shouldn't be afraid of anything, however...
I feel like I'm becoming somewhat of a murderer myself.
-
Even the sounds of police sirens outside are enough to give me anxiety.
"...I'm not wrong.
I'm not in the wrong.
I'm not doing anything wrong."
As I repeated these words as if I were chanting an incantation,
Ryouta's name appears on the phone screen.
I quickly grabbed my phone and answered the call.
If it's Ryouta, surely he could help me ease this anxious feeling I had now.
"R-Ryouta!"
"Shun-kun! Akito is...
Shun-kun! Can you hear me?"
"Ahh yeah, sorry. I heard you
And I knew already, Akito's dead right?"
"Yeah... You saw the news, I guess?"
"Yep, just a while ago actually"
I ended up lying to him.
For some reason, I couldn't bring to tell him that I was at the scene when the incident unfolds.
Of course, I couldn't say that I was planning to kill Akito.
"S-Shun-kun..."
"Huh–, what's the matter?"
I could faintly hear Ryouta's mumbling through the phone.
Perhaps there is something he couldn't say outright,
Nah... Akito had just died, all of a sudden even.
I wouldn't be surprised if that puts him in a frenzy too.
"Ryouta... You couldn't believe it, right?
But sadly, it's the harsh truth"
"No, it's not that actually.
I didn't mean that but, something else..."
"Eh? Then why is your voice shaking so badly?"
As my curiosity grew...
"Hey, is there someone in your room right now?"
"Huh...?"
I immediately surveyed the surroundings of my room.
But as expected, there's only me right now.
After swallowing my saliva, I replied to him.
"Ahah... Why do you think that?"
"Eh? There isn't anyone there?
No way..."
"That's my line!! What the heck do you mean by that!?"
Slightly after, Ryouta proceeded to utter something.
"I mean...
I've heard a girl's voice in there for a while"
CW: slight mention of blood
[34:06]
"Ryouta, what did you just say...?"
"Shun-kun... Are you trying to scare me off?
You shouldn't joke about this kinda stuff"
"Well, that should've been my line!
I thought you were the one trying to scare me off"
Ryouta would never lie,
He was always an honest person.
That's why, for him to say such things in this situation... Honestly gives me goosebumps.
"O-Of course I would never do that!
We just talked about Akito dying you know!?
No way that I would tell this kinda joke at this time..."
"T-Then what I heard just now...
What was it really?"
"Well, that's what I would like to know too!
W-What did that voice says anyway!?"
"I-I couldn't catch it clearly...
She sounded like she was mumbling beside you after all"
For a moment,
I realized warm winds started breezing through my back.
It came from the window right behind me.
But it's odd.
Usually, I've already closed my window at this hour since the cooler was turned on already.
So there's no way the window would be opened.
"Ah, could it be the voice that came from your TV instead?
That must be it, right?"
"O-Ohh, I think so too"
I tried lying outta it.
‘Cause there's no way you can hear anything from the TV now
I refuse to hear anything about Akito on screen so I ended up turning off most of my electronics.
"But, if it was the TV isn't it weird that we didn't hear anything again now?"
"Well because I just turned it off that's why!!"
"I-Is that so...?"
I kept trying to avoid the topic by answering all the questions nonchalantly,
But to be honest, I felt a little bit saved now that Ryouta has called me in.
I cannot imagine what would happen to me if I were to be left alone, after all.
I thought about closing the opened window while I'm still talking with Ryouta.
"Wait, let me close the window now"
Just as I got up and was about to head toward the window–,
"Huh–? WHOAAAGHGRH!??!?"
I let out an immediate shriek.
On the opened window, I could see two bloodied handprints sticking by its glass.
I've heard about people who get their knees weak out of fear, but I didn't think I would get into a similar state now.
My mind has completely succumbed to fear,
And I couldn't get up because of it.
"Shun-kun? Something the matter?"
"T-The windows... Handprints...!"
"Calm down, Shun-kun!
You're acting weird now!"
I squinted my eyes once more and proceed to look at the window again.
Soon after, the handprints I thought were sticking by the window are no longer there.
Furthermore, the windows were already closed.
Does that mean, I was hallucinating it all during this short time?
No way, this is just plain weird.
It's like I was being followed around by an evil spirit, just like Akito was.
"What the heck...!?
I did nothing wrong!
The one who did the ritual was Akito ain't it!?"
"Shun-kun... What did you just say?"
"If that's the case then why did I end up being cursed by the evil spirit too!??
It's weird, isn't it!?
I'm just doing the right thing is all, for Shizuku's sake!"
"H-Hold on, what's this about evil spirit?
Could it be...
The reason Akito died was because of the ritual he did back in the shrine, is that it?
I mean, isn't that supposed to be an important wish-granting–"
"That's not it!
If you did the ritual on that shrine, you'll get cursed by an evil spirit instead. That's the real truth.
I made up a lie about it being able to fulfill your wishes!"
I ended up telling Ryouta the whole truth out of my own fear.
Thinking about how I could end up getting killed frightens me beyond hell.
I couldn't stand it anymore.
And then, having been revealed everything
Ryouta started speaking again.
"Then, the one who killed Akito...
Shun-kun, is that it?"
"He wasn't able to protect Shizuku after all!
I loved her too! That's why it pains me to no hell–"
"And based on such egoistic feelings, you decided to kill Akito?"
Hearing those words coming out of Ryouta's mouth somehow sends me a shiver down to the bone.
His words feel rather cold, completely different from how Ryouta usually speaks.
It almost feels like I'm getting my heart ripped off by him directly.
"I don't care about those evil spirits stuff now,
What I care more is whether the one who kills Akito is really you or not, Shun-kun"
"R-Ryouta...?"
"Well if that's the case,
It's no wonder that you're being cursed now.
Whenever you're thinking of cursing someone,
You should consider whether it will backfire on you one day"
I cannot dismiss what Ryouta just said.
But what is more sinister than this is the fact of how calm Ryouta sounds.
It was like he completely change to a different person.
"...So you didn't want to answer it, huh?
Then let me warn you just this once.
If you do have that feeling of conscience, you should go visit that shrine now."
"W-Why now though!?"
"If you apologize sincerely,
There might be enough time before it's too late.
But if you decided not to go… Well, I think I've said enough"
He might be onto something here.
But it is already past midnight now,
Going to that creepy shrine at this hour is normally unheard of.
However, it might be a better choice than staying in this room.
"That is if Shun-kun is the one who killed Akito, by the way.
Otherwise, you have no reason to go at all"
Ryouta would've realized by now that I'm the perpetrator behind Akito's murder.
And so I remained silent, unable to utter a word as I end my call with him.
I killed Akito because of my selfishness.
Somehow it weighs harder when I heard that from Ryouta,
It could be that I was doing something that I couldn't undo forever.
I may have deliberately tried pushing the idea of being able to protect Shizuku no matter what if you were her boyfriend to Akito a bit too much.
As numerous thoughts began jumbling into my mind,
I started walking towards that shrine.
CW: disfigured body, strangulation
[34:12]
It took me around 20 minutes to get to that shrine from my house,
Though as expected I don't see many cars passing by at this hour anymore.
Most houses even had their lights turned off,
And the street lights that illuminate the entire roads looked much more eerie.
I tread my paths carefully as I'm heading toward that place.
While I was walking, I began to remember the time when I used to play with Shizuku and Akito.
But no matter how much I reminiscence over the past, there's no going back now.
Because both of them have died already.
And especially for Akito, his death was caused by me.
Even though I resent him so much,
Even though I wanted to kill him that badly,
Once I know I might be the next one dying, I suddenly started regretting my action.
For real though...?
How could I be so selfish like this...?
Realizing my patheticness and fear,
It makes me feel like crying myself.
No matter what the reason is,
I've killed someone.
That's why if I ended up getting killed by that very own curse,
I guess it won't be so surprising.
Whenever I thought about my own death,
My head feels like it's about to burst away.
-
The moment I arrived in front of the torii,
I noticed that someone had been standing near it.
And the figure is someone I'm clearly familiar with.
"So you've come huh, Shun-kun"
"R-Ryouta...
W-Why are you here...?"
"That should've been my line,
Isn't that right?
And the fact that you've decided to come here means..."
"..."
The relief I felt by seeing Ryouta here and my own guilt prevents me from uttering the right words.
"I'll listen to everything you wanted to say later,
For now– let's get to it already"
"Ah–, yeah..."
I trailed right behind Ryouta as we take the stairs uphill leading to the main shrine.
The air surrounding us feels rather suffocating, possibly because of the eerie silence around.
-
"Here we are, Shun-kun"
"Y-Yeah"
The place looks completely different compared to when we visited it during the afternoon.
If Ryouta wasn't here, would I be able to come here I wonder?
"'You came here because you're responsible for Akito's death'...
You're fine with this, right?"
"...Yeah, I killed him"
"You resent Akito who was unable to save Shizuku,
That's why you killed him.
And because you liked Shizuku as well, is that it?"
"..."
Hearing it from Ryouta's own mouth made me realize how self-centered I was back then.
After saying that, Ryouta simply stared at me with a cold expression and proceed to walk away from the shrine.
"I'll pretend I hear none of that,
However... This is the last time we will ever going to see each other.
See you then, Shun-kun"
"R-Ryouta–!!"
"Sure is nice if 'they' could forgive you–"
Ryouta's figure slowly fades into the darkness as he walked further down from the shrine.
I couldn't stop him,
Or more like... I have no right to stop him.
I'm a murderer who has killed his dear friend after all.
"Akito... I'm sorry."
Why am I doing such a pathetic apology now?
Even though both Akito and Shizuku are no longer here,
And now that Ryouta has abandoned me... What else do I have left?
It was right after that...
I started hearing voices from inside the main shrine.
"...!
Is someone... There...?"
I tried focusing my eyes, but even so, I see no other signs of lifeform around.
But... I'm pretty sure I heard someone's voice just now.
Moreover, it was the voice I heard when I witnessed Akito's dead body.
For a moment,
I could sense chills were running down my spine.
"Shun-kun..."
Now that I've listened carefully,
That voice who called out my name does resemble Shizuku's
But at the same time, it feels... Different.
It feels like they're in pain,
as if she’s trying to scratch through the winds.
"Hey... Shun-kun..."
The next voice I heard came from behind me.
Even though I just hear the first one a while ago,
How come I could hear another one from behind me this fast?
I got too scared that I couldn't say anything.
"Ryo... Ryouta..!!"
I tried reaching out for help to Ryouta,
Yet I couldn't muster the strength to voice out my thoughts.
"Shun-kun...?"
That voice immediately came from beside me.
I could sense a warm breath passing through my ear.
Yet the smell reminds me of a rotten fish,
The next thing I knew, 'something' tried to grab me by my neck.
"Ghhh... Akhhggjhhhh..."
I can see it clearly,
The visible bones that poke out from their hands.
Even though that hands should've been powerless,
Its grip is one to be feared for.
It was apparently enough to lift me off from the ground.
As I slowly lose consciousness,
I mustered the remaining strength I had and try to look over 'it'
"Y-You are..."
The 'person' who has been strangling me has a rather pale face, with its flesh falling all over.
'it' resembles Shizuku somehow.
"Ghhh... Akhhhghhh–, Gaahhhh...!!"
The last thing I heard,
Was the sound of my broken neck.
If my wish could be fulfilled,
I wished I could turn back everything to where it was.
Back when the three of us are still together.
However, such an idealistic kind of scenario...
Will never be realized anymore.
Such is the fate befitting a murderer.