Chapter 5
I tried. There were no clues as to how I could save his life. So, I did what I thought was best.
For the fourth time, I decided not to get in the car.
A hostage who’s completely forgotten she’s a hostage, dragging the robber toward the bus stop. It’s a pretty bizarre situation, but who cares!
“Hey, what the hell are you doing!”
At this point, I’m just desperate.
“No cars! They’ll track us down!”
Saying that, I grabbed his arm.
The survival knife—Shinji’s only weapon—fell out of his hand when he got into a scuffle with the security guard and injured him. In short, Shinji is completely unarmed.
And I somehow knew that Shinji wasn’t a bad person. That’s why I figured that even if I pushed him a little forcefully, he wouldn’t hit me.
And my hunch was spot on. Shinji put up some resistance, but he went along with my forceful lead. Though I do wonder about that……
I moved to the street across the way and shoved Shinji onto a bus that had just pulled up. “At this rate, it’s impossible to tell who’s the hostage here”, I thought to myself.
The bus was empty. I pulled Shinji to the very back seat, sat him down at the back, and sat next to him. I sighed, and Shinji looked at me angrily and said,
“You…… who are you? Aren’t you just an ordinary person?”
Here we go again….
“I’m not an off-duty cop.”
Fine, I’ll just say it first.
I took a deep breath, looked Shinji straight in the eye, and said,
“You’re in danger if you keep this up.”
I wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say to a young man who had just robbed a bank, but I didn’t know how else to bring it up so that he would believe me.
“Huh? What are you talking about…?”
“First of all, why did you do something like that? You acted alone, right? Usually, big jobs like that are done by a group, right? That was so unplanned, and doing everything from the robbery to the getaway by yourself—that’s obviously impossible!”
There was no one sitting nearby, but I yelled as quietly as I could.
“W, why do I have to hear this from you?”
“Just listen. If this keeps up, your life is at stake. Do you get it? This isn’t about morality. It’s about your life!”
“…… No, I don’t get what you’re saying.”
He seems a little put off.
I guess that makes sense. Being lectured by a hostage and then suddenly told your life is in danger… right? Ah, but no. Don’t give up, me!
“Please, just listen to me for now. Shinji.”
“…… Huh?”
His eyes widened in surprise.
“You… have we met somewhere before.”
“No, we haven’t. Well, to be precise, I’ve met you many times, but Shinji, from your perspective, we haven’t. Yeah, it’s a bit complicated, isn’t it?”
I scratch my head.
“Anyway, I want to keep you alive. I don’t want you to die.”
“So, what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You probably won’t believe me even if I explain. But please, I want you to trust me. Shinji-kun, as in the kanji for ‘believe’ and the number two.”
“How did you know…?”
“Oh, my name is Natsumi. It’s written as ‘summer sea’, so it’s Natsumi.”
“A self-introduction?”
“No, it’s not like I want to do this. But I need information right now. Tell me about yourself.”
As I stared intently into his eyes, Shinji opened his mouth to speak, but…
“I’m not hitting on you.”
I cut him off.
“Wait, how did you know what I was about to say?”
Because I’ve heard it many times already.
But I didn’t say that.
“So, where are you from? Out in the countryside?”
I tried to get him to talk, acting just like someone I’d met on a dating site. But naturally, Shinji looked like he had no idea how to deal with a suspicious woman like me.
“Please! If there’s anything you know that no one else does, I want you to tell me, I want you to tell me. I might fail again.”
“Huh? Fail? Fail at what?”
“I don’t know if I can save you.”
“…… What the hell have you been talking about all this time?”
Ah, this is getting nowhere. I guess I’ll just have to explain everything and get him to understand. Having to do this every time is such a hassle.
“This is the fourth time I’ve met you. The previous three times, I couldn’t save you. If I don’t save you, I probably won’t be able to escape this time loop either. So….”
“W, wait, wait a minute, are you serious?”
Shinji said with a half-smile.
“You think I’m crazy, don’t you? I get it. I feel the same. I feel like I might be crazy myself. But it’s true. Please, I want you to believe me!”
“Well, but….”
The moment Shinji opened his mouth,
BOOM!!!
A loud sound and a shockwave erupted.
I felt as if I’d been shoved from behind and was thrown into the aisle of the bus, rolling across the floor. Shards of broken glass were scattered everywhere, glinting in the light. Blood flowed from my knee, which I’d hit while rolling.
When I turned around, I saw that the back of the bus—where I’d been sitting—was crushed. The bus driver started panicking, shouting, “Oh no, a t, truck!” and I could hear several passengers screaming. It became clear that we’d apparently been rear-ended by a truck.
And ……
“Shinji-kun!”
Shinji, who had been sitting in the back row, was trapped between the seat in front of him and the rear of the bus, which had been pushed forward, blood streaming from his mouth.
“Shinji-kun, hang in there!”
I called out to him, but his response was sluggish. Still, I leaned in close to catch the words he was trying to say as he opened his mouth.
“When I…… was little…… at the shrine… Kitten …… secretly…… raising it. …… on …… only I know. …… Cat …… Name, was …… Kinako. …… a Brown…… and white… tabby cat.”
“Yes, yes I understand! I’m sorry, I’ll save you next time, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”
All I could do was cry and apologize. Shinji was on his last legs. I’m sure we’ll go back there again. And start all over again.
“What… am I supposed to do.”
I covered my face with both hands and cried out loud.
◇
“Can I just get through that situation?”
Blinking, I found myself muttering as the man in all black held me in a headlock.
“Hey, shut up!”
Shinji shouted energetically once again.
Ah, no good.
Even though I know he’ll come back to life, seeing him like that over and over again is tearing my heart apart!
“Let’s go.”
Shinji carried me out, still holding me in a headlock. The bank’s security alarm blared, and inside the chaotic building, I could see civilians lying on the floor and an injured security guard crouched down, watching my fate with anxiety—yet also a hint of amusement.
I wish we’d just go back before the robbery, so I could stop him.
But of course, things wouldn’t just conveniently go back.
Just like before, I dragged the robber toward the bus stop. I didn’t know how it would turn out, but it was worth a try!
“Hey, what the hell are you doing!”
“No cars! They’ll track us down!”
Saying that, I grabbed his arm.
We boarded the bus on the other side of the street. It was the same bus as before. I avoided the back of the bus and shoved Shinji into a two-seater. Yes, this seat should be fine.
That accident from earlier….
Maybe I could just avoid that and move forward. That was the idea I came up with. Up until now, I had been avoiding the accidents themselves, but the key was to prevent Shinji from dying. So I figured, if I take this bus, I can keep him alive……
I sat Shinji down and took the seat next to him. As I sighed, Shinji looked at me angrily and said.
“You… who are you? Aren’t you just an ordinary person?”
Ah, here we go again…….
Sads Translates 