Love Comes After Simulation

[You asked about the circumstances of Ibuki Yuko’s death, and Ichinose Shiori told you that the girl drowned in the river in front of the nearby subway entrance before dawn today.]

A memory scene appears.

It’s March, and the temperature has risen quite a bit since the winter break, but it still can’t be called warm, especially at night.

Minami Yuuki stepped back a couple of paces, allowing Ichinose Shiori to enter the room and poured her a cup of hot tea.

Outside, the night was deep. It was already nine in the evening, and Minami Yuuki was relieved that Chitose Kazumi hadn’t stayed overnight; this conversation would have been unavoidable with her around.

Ichinose Shiori took a sip of the steaming tea. She looked exhausted, her usual straight posture now slumped as she sat crookedly on the carpet.

She added, “I don’t know if it was suicide or an accident. She went out shopping yesterday afternoon and then disappeared. I had people search the area but couldn’t find her. We searched near this apartment building and finally, at dawn, found her hat floating on the water and retrieved her body.”

Minami Yuuki sat down next to Ichinose Shiori. He was very familiar with the river she mentioned; in another month, the cherry blossoms along the riverbank would be in full bloom.

He thought of Ibuki Yuko’s appearance, imagining that doll-like girl floating in the river between rows of cherry trees. What expressions would the tourists have next month when they see the cherry petals floating on the river?

“Don’t comfort me,” Ichinose Shiori said, gripping the cup tightly and staring at the light reflecting at the bottom of it. Her hands and eyes seemed to be struggling with something, revealing a hint of agitation.

Minami Yuuki gradually realized that her agitation wasn’t solely due to Ibuki Yuko’s drowning.

“It’s my fault. My interference harmed her. And I owe you an apology,” Ichinose Shiori abruptly put down the cup and turned to look at Minami Yuuki.

At the moment their eyes met, she looked away, her inner turmoil evident.

She lowered her head, staring at the artificial patterns on the composite floor. The overly regular imitation of natural wood grain slightly calmed her inner chaos.

Minami Yuuki spoke at the right moment, “Why say such things? When it comes to Ibuki Yuko, I couldn’t have done better than you.”

“No, you could have done better than me,” Ichinose Shiori said firmly.

Minami Yuuki was surprised, wondering where she got such a conclusion.

Under his gaze, Ichinose Shiori revealed the torment she had been enduring:

“I had a feeling last year. Two years ago, I shouldn’t have acted so recklessly. I thought I was helping Ibuki-senpai, but in reality, I wasn’t, no, I definitely wasn’t!”

She looked up at Minami Yuuki, “Do you remember two years ago when I arrogantly asked you to stop coercing Ibuki Yuko?”

“I remember.” Minami Yuuki initially wanted to say something witty, but before the words left his mouth, he thought of the river that would soon reflect the cherry trees and opted for a simple response.

“You asked me why I approached you, and I told you, though I don’t remember the exact words, that I deduced from observation that you were coercing Ibuki-senpai and confirmed it with her acknowledgment.”

Ichinose Shiori’s speech was fast and somewhat disjointed. With these words, the turmoil on her face deepened.

Minami Yuuki frowned; as Ichinose Shiori began speaking, he had a vague suspicion.

Ichinose Shiori’s next words confirmed his suspicion.

“Ibuki-senpai never acknowledged it. I asked her three times, a week apart each time, from hints to direct questions. Each time, she shook her head and denied it. The last time, I had the homeroom teacher call her to the office during class, and I directly asked if you were threatening her. She shook her head before I finished speaking and told me not to interfere with matters between you and her.”

The apartment windows were tightly closed, and the tea on the low table emitted wisps of steam. Minami Yuuki propped his elbow on the table, feeling the room’s temperature was somewhat high.

Ichinose Shiori continued, “I thought at the time that your coercion scared her too much, making her reject my involvement. So I turned to question you. I feared you wouldn’t admit it, so I lied, saying Ibuki-senpai had acknowledged it.”

“That was the truth,” Minami Yuuki said.

“External facts are not the same as internal truths!” Ichinose Shiori let go of the teacup, placing her hands on her knees, clenching them as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.

She lowered her face, wiping away the tears: “At the time, I thought I was someone upholding justice, a knight rescuing Ibuki-senpai, but was I really prepared to help her? Maybe I was just trying to satisfy my childish, twisted, laughable desire to execute justice!”

Minami Yuuki didn’t speak. He stood up, opened the window beside the bed, and the cool evening breeze failed to dispel the heat in the room, making him acutely aware of his body’s warmth.

He sat back down by the low table. After sobbing for a while, Ichinose Shiori spoke again.

“Even after you told me that you were helping Ibuki-senpai when I confronted you, I stubbornly clung to my sense of justice, thinking your methods were wrong and that I could help her better. Later, when you said I unknowingly chose the same way to handle things as you did, I felt ashamed, but I obstinately believed that even if I chose the same way as you, I could do it better!”

“You did indeed do better than me.”

“No, I didn’t! Because I was wrong from the start!”

Ichinose Shiori’s voice grew louder. She raised her neck, as if not talking to Minami Yuuki but confessing to the victim, kneeling on the floor as she declared her guilt.

“Recently, I have clearly felt the problem. That Ibuki-senpai who seemed indifferent to everything and accepted everything as it came, would she really conceal the crime for you just because you coerced her? That time, she told me not to interfere with matters between you and her; it was the only time I heard her firmly refuse something!”

“That’s just your speculation.”

“Please don’t evade! Even I can muster the courage to sit here and confess to you, so please face Ibuki-senpai’s feelings with the right attitude!”

They fell into a long silence. The evening breeze stirred the curtains, casting twisted shadows on the window from the light.

Ichinose Shiori’s low voice suddenly broke the silence: “She wanted to be coerced by you, she hoped to be coerced by you. You should have continued and eventually lived happily together. It was me who ruined everything. Ibuki-senpai’s death is my responsibility. From that river, she could clearly see your apartment; she came to see you!”

With that, she collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

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