"You have to get rid of the pests."
The voice sounded awfully cold.
Still clutching the knife, Shiori stared at us with expressionless eyes. No, it seemed he was staring at Honoka more than me.
It was not the way he looked at his childhood friend. It was as if he was looking at a poor guinea pig. Did Shiori no longer think of Honoka as a friend? There was such coldness in his eyes. But Honoka, undeterred, returned Shiori's gaze.
"Honoka-chan"
The sign said in a voice so cold it was almost freezing.
"Let's make this clear now. You belong to me. And you, Honoka, will never go near me again. I want you to swear this here and now."
"...Why?"
"Because you belong to me. Honoka-chan, you should find someone who is worthy of your status. Please don't interfere with my relationship with you any more than this."
There was a hint of mockery in Shiori's tone. In fact, it was obvious from the way he said things like "you're in the way." In any case, the atmosphere was unpleasant. There was something strange about Shiori right now. It would be difficult to say what was strange, but the rage he had shown earlier had subsided, and he was calm and composed, which gave off a dangerous feeling.
"No thanks, Shiori-chan."
Honoka answered in a dignified tone, as if she had no inkling of my fears.
"You know, I don't mind if I can't beat Shiori-chan in everything else. But there's one thing I won't give up on. Su-kun."
I was surprised. It was the first time I had ever seen Honoka directly oppose Shiori.
"Honoka-chan... why? Why is it my brother?"
Sighing, Shiori asked.
Honoka replied.
"When we were little, I promised Su-kun that I would never be timid, and that I would live with confidence and dignity. Back then, I was bullied by the kids in the neighborhood and was always alone. Then Su-kun and Shioro-chan became my friends. I understood how they felt, because Shioro-chan was always by Su-kun's side. But that didn't mean I had to give up. It might be selfish, but I decided to follow through on my own feelings. Shioro-chan doesn't understand, right? Shioro-chan is good at sports, studying, and anything, and she can say what she wants to say clearly. But I never want to give Su-kun to Shioro-chan, no, only to Shioro-chan. Because I love Su-kun more than anyone!!"
After saying that, Honoka calmed her breathing and glared at the target.
It was a shock. I couldn't believe Honoka felt that way about me. But Shiori didn't say anything, just stared at Honoka with a blank expression. But Shiori wasn't calm at all. In fact, it was the opposite. Whenever his emotions were about to explode, Shiori would always pretend to be calm. This was because he had mastered the art of completely suppressing his emotions since he was a child, but it didn't fit the atmosphere of the situation, and it was almost unnatural.
The sign did nothing but stare up at the ceiling in silence.
After a while, I turned my gaze back to her,
"Honoka-chan"
Shiori said, pronouncing each syllable slowly.
"I can't live without you, big brother."
With the knife still in hand, Shiori began to walk, taking each step leisurely, as if he were just taking a stroll. Then, when the distance between us had narrowed to just a few meters, he stopped.
"Even I can't do it without Su-kun!!"
Honoka replied like a child throwing a tantrum.
"is that so"
There seemed to be a hint of irritation mixed in with Shiori's reply.
"I'll ask you one last time. Is that okay?"
There was a sense of pressure in Hiro's voice that did not allow for any refusal.
Honoka nodded, as if sensing it.
Watching the scene, Shiori spoke in an emotionless voice.
"I knew that Honoka liked my brother. But I thought I'd never harm her. Honoka is a precious childhood friend, after all. But if you try to take my brother away from me, I will kill you. So... I want you to promise me that you will not fall in love with my brother. That you will not take my brother away from me."
This felt like an ultimatum. My hand was shaking as I held the knife.
But Honoka responded with a firm attitude.
"I won't change my mind again. Because I love you, Su-kun."
"In that case... it's unfortunate, but there's nothing we can do about it."
The moment she said that, Shiori thrust out a knife and ran towards Honoka.
"Please die!"
"Ahhh!"
Honoka screamed, but she seemed unable to move, perhaps due to fear. I took a step forward. Should I capture the target or evacuate Honoka? I didn't have time to think about it.
The choice I made was to jump in front of Honoka. I wasn't trying to protect her like a hero.
However, I thought that if I suddenly stepped forward, they would try to avoid me no matter how many targets they had.
Looking back, that may have backfired.
"Eh...?"
Just as expected, my leap caused Shiori to change the trajectory of the knife. However, it was too late.
The friction between my shoes and the ground didn't disappear as I tried to stop suddenly, and the knife slid sideways, coming very close to my face.
Yes, it was all too late.
My face was torn apart from the tip of my nose to both ears.
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