Saint's Prison - Chapter 121

Distorted Deja Vu

I look up at the universe.

A place I can never return to, beyond the memories, beyond the dozing nebulae.

Ah, mother.

Or perhaps, my other half.

Are you still there?

＊＊＊

An abyss that keeps sinking endlessly.

That’s certainly about Amal’s soft and squishy chest, my half-asleep brain was thinking of such a silly thing.

I can’t help it. Because when I woke up, I was hugged by Amal and pressed against her chest. In other words, I’m currently being immensely pampered by Amal’s abundant chest.

(……When I put it into words, I really seem like a pathetic man, don’t I?)

I drop my shoulders in dismay. As I do so, I hear a light kissing sound. It seems she kissed my cowlick. You know, I’m a year older than you. A failure-manufacturing machine must refer to a woman like Amal. Well, I don’t mind.

The faint scent of roses. Ah, it’s soothing. I think I’ll go back to sleep. I thought that far, and then I felt something off.

――――Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Amal’s heartbeat is quite fast. The throbbing sound, like something squirming, repeats. She seems tense, and her body is rigid. I hurriedly lift my face from her chest.

“……Amal?”

She is glaring into the void with a tense expression. Her skin is pale as if drained of blood. Contrarily, her eyes are a flaming bright red.

“You look a little pale, Amal. Are you okay?”

The sound of her taking a shallow breath. I gently stroke her hair.

“――Yes, I’m fine. Of course, I’m okay.”

“Really?”

“Andy-sama, there’s no way I would scheme against you.”

Amal smiled calmly. I felt a strange sense of déjà vu at her expression. I don’t like it. Unconsciously, I put strength into my hand.

“That’s right. You would never deceive me. But, it’s not the same when it comes to yourself.”

Amal was taken aback.

“You should take care of yourself more, not just me. Amal, you always leave yourself out of the count, don’t you? Even when you’re not feeling well, you always prioritize me, pamper me, just like―――”

――――Shizuyo.

“Ah,”

I inadvertently cover my mouth. What was I about to say?

“If my brother is happy, Shizuyo is happy. If it makes my nii-san happy, Shizuyo will do anything. …Yes, anything.”

Shizuyo’s voice echoed in my mind.

She always put herself last. Shizuyo had been like that since we were little. Even when she was in poor health, she never neglected to take care of me. Moreover, she would even give me her sweets, toys, and favorite things, and smile gently.

I hated that. The way she naturally discarded herself and smiled, saying she was happy, was too painful and sorrowful.

The younger twin sister of the Ando family serves her brother, bears, and raises the successor. That’s the law, says the family and the society, which is absurd. It’s completely insane.

―――That’s not real happiness at all.

“……Nii-san, you always decide my happiness for me.”

I felt like I heard Shizuyo’s words. A viscous emotion that sticks and clings. It had an endlessly blasphemous resonance.

“Andy-sama?”

Anxious voice of Amal.

No good. Keep calm. I clutch the rosary. Doing so strangely calms my heart. The act of clutching the rosary has already become a habit. Because I was confirming the feel of the rosary, I consciously eased the tension between my brows.

“Well, it’s nothing…”

As if to brush it off, this time I draw Amal into my arms. As I do, Amal rubs her body against me. I can’t help but wryly smile, thinking can’t she do something about her habit of immediately marking her territory.

“I’m just worried about you. So, don’t overdo it.”

“Oh, Andy-sama. My lord, my light, my everything. What a kind person you are.”

Amal lets out a sweet sigh. She’s like a puppy.

“I’m your boyfriend, you know, so, um, that. If you’re feeling burdened, let me know. I won’t forgive you if you keep it to yourself.”

Even as I say it, I feel so embarrassed I could die. To prevent her from seeing my pathetic face turning bright red, I hug Amal even tighter. I wasn’t supposed to say something like this, but for some reason, I felt I had to. Being with Amal is not a mistake. I have to think that way, or else I will…

“Do you understand, Amal?”

“Yes. Yes! Andy-sama.”

Amal nods over and over again, looking happy. Does she really understand? I look up from her, feeling a tinge of unease, and gaze at the place Amal was staring at. The usual view of the room was spread out there.

I wonder what Amal was looking at.

With those blood-red eyes.

Slowly, A shadow flickers in a swaying motion.