Chapter 47 …
Visiting
A few days after my fight with Shouji-nii,
Masato told me that he had finally regained consciousness.
Ever since Shouji-nii turned back into a human,
he hadn’t woken up once.
I’d been worried sick, so I begged Masato to let me see him.
That same evening, he told me,
“I got permission for a visit.”
He can be a bit rough around the edges,
but… yeah, he’s kind when it counts.
And now, on this day off,
we’re on a train heading to the police hospital in a city
a few stations away from Seiun City.
“Wow, real cities really do feel different!!”
“…We’re here to visit and gather info, not for sightseeing.”
“I knooow!”
That was Yui and Masato chatting as we exited the station.
For some reason, both Masato and Yui came along.
I told them I could go alone…
but here we are.
…Yui didn’t come just to play around, right?
After about a half-hour walk from the station,
we arrived at the hospital.
Masato handled the front desk procedures.
We had to wait a little, but permission for the visit
was granted pretty quickly.
Shouji-nii’s room was on the third floor,
so we headed there.
Just as we got near his room,
Masato suddenly said something surprising.
“Alright, see you later.”
“…Wait, you’re not coming with me?”
“We’ve got someone else to meet.”
Even Yui said the same thing.
…What the hell?
So they didn’t come for me?
Confused, I asked,
“What are you talking about?”
“Huh? He didn’t tell you?”
“I told you the basics, didn’t I?”
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Exactly, that’s not it!”
Yui and I yelled in unison.
…Masato really doesn’t explain things properly.
And that face — he has no idea what we’re upset about.
Figuring it was pointless to ask him,
I turned to Yui instead.
“…Who are you meeting?”
“There’s another person who turned back from a Fallen Star —
a guy named Ono. He’s hospitalized here too.
We’re going to talk to him,
and you’re supposed to visit Shouji-san.”
“That’s why I told you what you needed to ask him,” Masato added.
“Yeah, but come on! If we were splitting up,
you could’ve told me that first!”
“…Ah, I see. My bad.”
This time, Yui and I sighed together.
But this wasn’t the time to argue.
I was here to see Shouji-nii.
“Alright, I’m going in,”
I said, knocking on the door.
A few seconds later, a quiet “Come in” came from inside.
Nervously, I stepped into the room.
On the bed lay Shouji-nii.
He looked paler than before,
but far better than when he’d been a Fallen Star.
I pulled up a chair next to his bed and sat down.
“How are you feeling, Shouji-nii?”
“…Much better now.”
“That’s good.”
Silence followed.
Even though he’s my senior, my big brother in training—
after everything that happened,
I didn’t know what to say.
Before I could think of anything, he spoke first.
“…I thought you’d never want to see me again.”
“What are you saying? Of course I’d come see you.”
“But I… did something unforgivable.
Even if I only remember bits and pieces,
it’s a fact that I tried to kill you, Shiro.
I said things that hurt you too.”
His voice — the same gentle tone as always —
but burdened with guilt.
…He’s really been tormenting himself over it.
But I know it’s not his fault.
The real cause was that monster.
“…You only lost control because of that power, right?”
“…Maybe so.”
Yeah, I thought so.
Shouji-nii’s human — that wasn’t his true self talking.
Relieved, I said,
“See? Then there’s no problem.”
“No… maybe there is.
Those words I said —
they might have come from somewhere deep inside me.”
That confession left me speechless.
It felt like everything I believed
was flipped upside down.
But he kept talking, unfazed by my silence.
“I was always jealous of you, Shiro.
Sensei might be scary when angry,
but you have a warm family.
And you — you kept growing stronger,
surpassing me, even though I started before you.
I envied that… deeply.”
The words hit me hard.
Still, I couldn’t just sit there stunned.
“…Even so,
that doesn’t mean you ever truly wanted to kill me, right?
Or ruin my life?”
“…No.”
“Then it’s normal to feel jealous sometimes.
I still look up to you — you’re strong, kind,
someone I admire.
You’ve got a gentle mom, a little sister,
and a respectable father, right?”
“…That’s not true.”
The words froze me.
He’d told me about his family before,
so I just repeated what I’d heard.
But now he was saying — “That’s wrong.”
The shock made me blurt out,
“Huh?”
Shouji-nii looked away toward the window.
I couldn’t see his expression.
But somehow, I knew
I’d just stepped on something painful —
something I shouldn’t have said.
Still, he went on, slowly.
“…When I turned into that monster,
you asked me why I started karate, didn’t you?
The reason was… my father.”
