What If You Spoil a High School Girl Who Looks Like a Landmine? - Volume 1 Chapter 5.5

The Real Thing 5

Wait…Stop——

“Mom! Wait, that’s—”

“Don’t raise your voice!”

“Listen! If you do that——”

If it comes to that, then no matter what, I won’t be able to——

“Then I won’t be able to protect Mom anymore… “

Desperately, I utter these words.

There’s no hiding it now. Mom will find out eventually.

“Won’t be able to protect?”

“…Mom—”

“…You want to say it’s Misa’s fault, don’t you?”

I’ve provoked the worst possible outcome.

The knife in her hand is raised, its tip glistening ominously in the dim room.

Strangely enough, I can see it quite clearly, even through my fleeting and distorted vision.

Ah, I see——maybe it’s because I’m in slow motion.

My sense of balance is still off, and my body is thrown into disarray by Mom’s scream.

However, there’s no image of me being able to dodge. Only my brain senses the danger and accelerates its processing speed.

It understands the critical moment I’m in right now.

…Ah.

Coming to this point, I realize. I’m sorry, Mom.

‘I guess I’m really not a good son, just like what you said.’ That’s what I’m thinking.

…but I also think, ‘That’s not true’.

Perhaps a proper good child would love their parents purely, honestly, and wholeheartedly at all times, but it seems that when pushed to the brink, my true colors have been revealed.

There is a part of me that thinks of my parents. But at the same time, another part is screaming, ‘Why? This is not right!’

The latter shows me a single vivid image.

It’s an image of a spoon being offered to me, rice porridge on it, and a smiling woman sitting across.

I knew somewhere why I had cried back then.

I wanted more of those kinds of moments in my life.

If I could wish for it, always, but it’s too late.

Resigning myself, all I could do was brace for the impact—just then, a loud crash reverberates.

—Clank

“Wha…!? What? Eh, eh… What?”

The sudden, high-pitched sound, followed by more crashing noises, makes Mom unexpectedly halt with her knife.

We both looked toward the source of the noise at the living room window.

The closed curtains spontaneously opened.

Then, a gentle but not dazzling morning light flooded into the room.

And what became visible was a large, shattered window, and then——

“…Huh? …What? Who is that?”

“Haah…Haah…Haah… Did I make it in time?”

A blend of pink and black hues. Cute frills, ribbons, and seductive lace.

A fashion statement that was both distinctive and striking.

Her face, wet with sweat was still beautiful, radiating a charm that outshone her clothing.

“Rai, hara-san…?”

I don’t know why I could see her through the shadow so clearly.

The person who opened the curtains to let in the light also extended her own shadow toward us.

There was an otherworldly, mysterious atmosphere about her.

“Chifuji-san!”

In her hand was a small hammer, likely the object that had shattered the window.

Raihara-san, who rushed toward us, tossed the hammer aside as if it didn’t matter.

It bounced on the floor with a loud ‘thud’, causing Mom to shudder.

“What? What is this?”

Mom kept retreating step by step.

And just like the hammer, without paying it any mind, Raihara-san came over to where I was crouched and knelt down to meet my eyes.

“Chifuji-sa… ah, …ah.”

Then she immediately noticed the bruises on my face.

“…Raihara-san, um, this is——”

“I’m sorry, I was late… I’m sorry… we need to go to the hospital, no, call an ambulance——”

“No, I am…!”

As I try to move, the pain in my abdomen resonates and my breath halts.

I may have a fractured rib.

“You’re hurt there too? Ah, I’m sorry… I should have been faster…”

Raihara-san’s voice trembled, her eyes filled with tears.

“No, it’s not like that… um…”

If she hadn’t come, I’d probably be dead by now.

Mom would have become a murderer.

I wanted to thank her, but hesitated, wondering if it was appropriate to say it out loud.

I then reconsidered, thinking that such indecision was pointless at this point… Maybe my mind was in a state of panic right now.

To begin with——

“…You! What is this!”

Mom screams.

“Who are you? How did you get here?”

That’s right… why is Raihara-san here?

“…How? I climbed up.”

“We’re on the fifth floor.”

“Yes, that’s why I climbed up.”

Is that even possible?

Well, she’s here, so it must be, and if it’s Raihara-san, it wouldn’t be surprising.

“W-who are you?”

“I’m his former stalker.”

“What?!”

“My apologies. Whether I can truly say ‘former’ is highly questionable.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying!”

“Ah, the feeling is mutual. I also don’t understand you.”

I don’t get you, not at all.

As she says this, Raihara-san stands up swiftly.

“…So, you’re saying this is Misa’s fault…?!”

“Mom, stop it!”

“It’s not Misa’s fault!”

This is the worst.

Mom, still holding the knife, starts waving it recklessly as she approaches Raihara-san.

I need to stop her, I think, trying to stand up.

My vision keeps shaking and it feels so hard. However, I can’t just——

“Chifuji-san, you mustn’t move, stay still…!”

“No, Raihara-san, run—”

“I’ll handle this.”

“What?”

I’ll probably never forget the scene that unfolded next.

Unfazed by the swinging knife, Raihara-san took a step forward—her skirt flipping lightly as she unleashed a powerful kick that sent my mom flying through the air.

” !?”

Mom’s body flew back in an almost a horizontal movement and stopped when it hit the far wall.

“……!? cough, Wha-… Huh?”

Coughing, Mom looked as if she couldn’t quite grasp what had just happened.

As for Raihara-san,

“…Now, Chifuji-san, you’ll aggravate your injuries. Please sit down quietly… it must hurt, ah… even though you’re being treated so horribly…”

She immediately turned towards me and spoke.

“…Raihara-san?”

“Yes, what is it?”

‘What is it’, she asks.

Her eyes are filled to the brim, a full 100%, with concern for me.

…She was just attacked with a knife, and yet.

I don’t see any fear, confusion, or even anger in her expression.

Normally, anyone caught up in such a violent situation would show some sign of distress, even if they were as athletically gifted as she is.

“A-Are you hurt…?”

“Don’t worry about others right now! Just think about yourself, okay?”

Her words, her tone, her demeanor, and her expression.

…Isn’t it all too ‘unnaturally’… kind?

I can’t even slightly think there’s something hidden or an ulterior motive.

But that’s exactly why it feels as if it’s not about a facade or true intentions; it feels like the very core of her being deviates from what I consider normal.