Chapter 8.8: Hirai’s Secret VIII


    Ill bury it for you now.


    From<em>i</em>then on, it took us about an hour to thoroughly clean up the area around the convenience store. The<em>i</em>whole process was<em>i</em>over by the time<em>i</em>the sky had turned faintly<em>i</em>white.


    Hirai<em>i</em>spoke softly to the cat<em>i</em>carcass that was still lying on the<em>i</em>concrete.


    Carefully, I<em>i</em>moved the cat carcass, which seemed to be on the verge of disintegrating, into<em>i</em>a cardboard box I<em>i</em>had brought with me and wrapped it in newspaper. I handed<em>i</em>a pair of rubber gloves to Hirai, who unhesitatingly attempted to proceed with her<em>i</em>bare hands.


    As the cat wore a seemingly anguished expression, an indecipherable feeling suffused me while I watched Hirai pull the entrails out of the cats mouth, which would normally be repulsive to do so even with gloves on.


    The two of us carried it away, and since it was not possible for us to leave the ce for a long distance, we decided to bury it in a copse near the convenience store. Hirai dug with her hands while I dug with a shovel, and somehow a hole big enough to bury the cat in was created.


    Um earlier, about that.


    Before<em>i</em>burying the cat, I asked the question I had been meaning to inquire. Nheless, there was no way I could say, Was that your handiwork, Hirai?


    I halted my words.


    Hirai doing that kind of thing was out of the question.


    Huh? What?


    Its nothing. Please forget about it.


    I shall forget it as well. What I witnessed at the time, though, was absolutely outrageous, a carcass moving.


    Neither I nor the group leader who threw up in front of a multitude of people was the most pitiful person in this predicament. Rather, it was this cat that had been run over.


    Whether<em>i</em>curses existed was a mystery to me, but now I wondered if it might have been the cats cry of grief and suffering.


    Since<em>i</em>that incident, I had learned to recognize that certain things in this world were beyond the scope of exnation, and I had been gradually confronted with their existence.


    Therefore, I supposed such things do happen and not only to human beings.


    Do you know why this cat came descending out of nowhere or why it happened Hirai?


    When I said that I wanted to confirm one thing, she responded, Hold on silently, touching a section of scrunchie that held her hair<em>i</em>in ce.


    Yeah. Sort of.


    I see.


    Do<em>i</em>you want to hear it?


    No


    Well, even if you heard it, it wouldnt be interesting.


    Hirai youre a lot more steady than your appearance.


    Is<em>i</em>that so?


    Yeah. I mean, in that atmosphere, the only one who could stand there without batting an eysh was you, Hirai.


    Because I had a bad premonition.


    Excuse me, I misunderstood you, Hirai Youre a hundred times tougher than I am.


    Did<em>i</em>you think I was going to cry?


    Uhrfd v


    Hakamada? If you assume that I am an ordinary fujoshi, youre in for a world of pain, you know?


    What<em>i</em>do you mean by that?


    That<em>i</em>will be left to your imagination.


    A<em>i</em>full smile apanied Hirais words, which was not something anyone who was about to bury a dposing cat would ever show.


    This<em>i</em>person truly was a character of an enigma. She was elusive, or rather, seemed to have a backstory or two. Nevertheless, her eyes were always fixed in a straight line, and she could see right through peoples hearts. As if she could see right through you.


    Although different from Takenaka, I was actually a little bit bad at handling this type of person.


    Before<em>i</em>putting the cardboard down into the hole and covering it with soil, I took out a can of cat food I had prepared and tried to bury it in the hole with the cardboard.


    Is<em>i</em>that for the cat?


    While I took it out casually to avoid being noticed, Hirai caught sight of it and I promptly dropped it down into the hole.


    I<em>i</em>found it in the house.


    A falsehood. e2dcf


    I figured I might as well offer this much It died in such a way.


    I<em>i</em>thought it would at least be a small constion.


    And<em>i</em>then


    Hakamada, you are truly a kind man.


    Being<em>i</em>called that, I didnt know what kind of face to present.


    Noewdc


    Fufu, you<em>i</em>usually act obstinate in that way, but youre extremely kind at the root and have an adorable personality.


    Adorable


    You<em>i</em>cant leave the cat alone, right?


    That<em>i</em>was


    Hey, Hakamada.


    ?


    Ive been<em>i</em>wondering. Ever since a while ago why have you been crying?


    Huh


    In<em>i</em>a huff, I<em>i</em>touched my cheeks and found a cold stream running down them. Furthermore, arge amount of it was flowing from both of my eyes.


    What was this?Not shared on lightnovelreader.me


    Was I crying?e3dc


    Why?2efw


    <em>Dripping, dripping</em>. Such onomatopoeic words matched the situation well.


    That<em>i</em>was how much I was weeping.


    This sounded like a lie but I was utterly oblivious to this. Until Hirai told me, I never realized that something like that was leaking out of my eyes.


    I<em>i</em>was<em>i</em>even more confounded than Hirai, who had mentioned it to me. Why were there tears? Despite my efforts to stop the tears, they wouldnt cease easily.


    Like<em>i</em>a broken faucet, a stream of tears trickled down my cheeks in session.


    Why hey, what is this


    I<em>i</em>tried rubbing my eyes with my arms to no avail, it just wouldnt cease. The tears kept overflowing.


    How<em>i</em>strange, I mean, this wasnt something that would bring me to the point of crying, and I didnt even know what I was crying about. In the first ce, I was not sad right now but


    Each<em>i</em>time a tear would trickle down my cheek, from the corner of my eye or from the top of my eye, a vulnerable choking feeling would descend upon me.


    This<em>i</em>emotion was


    Hakamada?


    Tears<em>i</em>were overflowing so much that my vision was clouded. With my head dizzy and my body feverish like when I caught a cold, I found myself breathing heavily with much movement on my shoulders.


    It<em>i</em>didnt hurt. Even though it wasnt hurting, I got down on both knees in that spot.


    How<em>i</em>strange, how strange, how strange.


    What<em>i</em>was happening?


    Are you okay? Whats wrong?


    This<em>i</em>may sound nuts but


    For<em>i</em>some reason, an emotion was going through inside of me right now that wasnt mine. That feeling was invading me more and more, forcing me to shed tears on its own, as if it was manipting me from the inside out. No matter how hard I tried to resist it, I just couldnt. The feeling of sorrow was overwhelming that my tears were unceasing.


    In<em>i</em>disarray, I tried to say something, only to find that my words wouldnt elicit the desired response, leaving me in tears and with my mouth agape.


    What<em>i</em>was going on? What was I supposed to do?


    While<em>i</em>I was aware that these tears were not my own, this sorrowful emotion that pushed me to shed tears uncontrobly grew and swallowed me up. Eventually, my consciousness began to fade slightly as I sensed a darker feeling developing.


    Hirai<em>i</em>peeked at me, her face close to mine.


    <em>Not good.</em>


    At<em>i</em>that intuitive thought, my left arm shot up at tremendous speed and mmed into Hirais thin, white neck right in front of me, seizing her.


    Ugh, Hakama da ugh!?


    Not<em>i</em>only<em>i</em>that, my left arm gripped Hirais neck arbitrarily, exerting itself even more forcefully.


    It<em>i</em>was<em>i</em>me doing this, yet it wasnt me.


    Though<em>i</em>I didnt want to, my body moved regardless of my wishes.


    I<em>i</em>tightened my grip on Hirais neck.


    Surprise, and then a pained expression crossed Hirais countenance.


    My<em>i</em>fingers wrapped around her neck, causing me to be impatient. My voice was inarticte and I struggled to stop it but was out of my control.


    From<em>i</em>the tips of my toes to the tips of my whorls, my whole body was paralyzed, or perhaps I was simplycking any strength at all. Rather, I doubted whether this was my own body, and while I was conscious, I was unable to move freely.


    Cough, ah.


    She<em>i</em>coughed in pain and made an effort to yank my hand away, but Hirais strength didnt phase me at all.


    No, no, no.24grefvd


    Stop<em>i</em>it. Trantor: MadHatter


    Please<em>i</em>stop.32t3


    Against<em>i</em>my strong desire to do so, contrary to my feelings, my right arm slowly rose this time.


    A<em>i</em>feeling of inexpressible trepidation crept into my head as my body shifted helplessly on its own.


    Rather<em>i</em>than a voice, words floated into my head arbitrarily.


    <em>Unforgivable</em>


    Again


    <em>Detest</em>


    <em>Human</em>


    <em>Detest</em>


    <em>Unforgivable!</em>


    The<em>i</em>will of something outside of myself was unfolding in my head.


    <em>Unforgivable</em>


    <em>Unforgivable</em>


    <em>Human!</em>


    <em>Human!</em>


    The<em>i</em>pain was<em>i</em>as if I was<em>i</em>being thrust by a sharp object. I could feel it


    An<em>i</em>enormous, ck, negative emotion.


    Of immeasurable enmity


    The<em>i</em>killing<em>i</em>intent


    Ugh, ugh!!


    A<em>i</em>dark, brooding feeling of vindictiveness dominated my body and consciousness.


    The<em>i</emplexion of Hirai in front of me, who was choking, coughing, and saliva dripping from her mouth, was deteriorating rapidly. At<em>i</em>this rate, she would suffocate.


    Stop itttt!!


    I<em>i</em>forced<em>i</em>my mouth, which couldnt move to move, and desperately strained out my voice, which wouldnt issue out. Clenching my rear teeth to resist, I tried to bend my arm toward the unthinkable direction with all my strength, ready to have my arm bone snapped.


    What<em>i</em>was<em>i</em>going on was beyond my rationality but I was not in a state of normalcy. Some unknown entity was controlling me.


    I<em>i</em>was<em>i</em>possessed.


    In<em>i</em>this<em>i</em>state, that must be the case.


    Takenaka<em>i</em>told me this before. In a ce of this kind, many souls got swallowed up by negative energy and failed to move forward were staying there. Such souls sought to possess living things in order to find a ce to stay or to be relieved of their own regrets.


    [In<em>i</em>such cases, you absolutely cannot give yourself over to them.]


    Resist<em>i</em>them at all costs and separate them from your body, I learned this from Takenaka.


    Sometimes<em>i</em>things would work out if your heart was not defeated, but


    I<em>i</em>couldnt do anything


    Right, I was different from Takenaka and had no power to contend with the others.


    Even<em>i</em>so, if I gave up at this point, I would strangle her to death.


    That<em>i</em>kind<em>i</em>of thing, never!!


    At that moment, I felt one of my grasping arms separated, and in the ensuing instant, it found something and gripped it.


    I<em>i</em>went pale as the can of cat food, solidly held in my right hand, lifted high into the air.


    What<em>i</em>the hell were you nning to do with that can


    The<em>i</em>cans edges glistened as my arms trembled.


    Hey, stop it.


    Stop<em>i</em>it, dont use that thing on Hirai


    Stop<em>i</em>itNot shared on aggregator websites


    If you hit her with it


    Hi rai!!


    Even<em>i</em>though a scream rang out, my arm swung down unrelentingly.


    My<em>i</em>scream reverberated through the copse.


    Perhaps<em>i</em>the<em>i</em>tears that welled up from both of my eyes had been mine.


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