Chapter 10

“Well, see you here.”

“Yes. Thank you for walking me home.”

We just happened to walk back together because our apartment rooms were right next to each other, and I hadn’t meant for it to be any kind of special escort, but Misa-chan bowed politely to me.

Just as we were about to part ways in front of our doors,

“Ah, sorry, wait a second…”

As I stopped Misa-chan, I went back into my room and grabbed a tupperware container.

“Could you return this to Shimizu-san—to your mom? Tell her the curry was delicious.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

“Sorry about that, thanks.”

“No problem, then I’ll be going in.”

Bowing once more, Misa-chan took the tupperware, called out “I’m home~,” and stepped into Room 202 right next door.

I entered my own room as well.

Then, Shimizu-chan’s cheerful voice welcoming Misa-chan back with a “Welcome home~” reached all the way over to me in my room.

While feeling a bit exasperated by the thin walls, my heart felt just a tiny bit comforted, as if someone had said “Welcome home” to me, too.

While heating up the bento I bought at the convenience store, I ran the hot water into the bathtub and changed into my loungewear.

Ding!

The microwave beeped.

Taking the piping-hot bento out of the microwave, I placed it on the table right in the middle of the room.

I turned on the television and flipped through the channels while bringing food to my mouth.

However, since there were no particularly interesting programs on, I switched the channel to a news broadcast and put the remote down.

‘…They have been arrested on suspicion of breaking into an unfamiliar woman’s room and assaulting her. During the police investigation, the suspect Kakoi has largely admitted to the charges. Furthermore, the suspect Kakoi has a past record of violently assaulting young women…’

On the screen, a male announcer’s voice accompanied a photograph of the suspect’s face.

“Violently assaulting women, huh… A guy like that would be the perfect target.”

I muttered as I shoved the bento down my throat.

Perhaps due to watching such sickening news, the bento tasted terrible.

I finished my dinner early, took a bath, and lay down on the bed.

“—Six days left, huh.”

Staring up at the ceiling in the dim room, I murmured to myself.

I already knew this, but bad guys truly deserving of death don’t just pop up everywhere.

That was especially true when trying to find them around my immediate surroundings.

And thus—

Without killing a single person, time slipped away, and before I knew it, a full week was about to pass since the day I killed the second person.

If I didn’t kill someone by 10:30 AM tomorrow, I would end up dying.

“—This is bad.”

“Hm? Did you say something, Onitsuka senpai?”

Okajima, sitting in the passenger seat, opened his eyes.

I had assumed he was completely fast asleep.

“No, I didn’t say anything.”

“Is that so.”

With that, Okajima closed his eyes again and settled back into a sleeping posture.

It was utterly insolent of him to make his senior drive while he slept beside him, even though he was just a junior, but if he were awake, he’d just chatter noisily using incomprehensible youth slang, so I left him be for now.

After finishing our sales rounds and returning to the office, Okajima rushed to report our work results to the managing director ahead of everyone else.

The managing director happily grabbed Okajima’s hands, cooing, “Okajima-kun, welcome back~,” and coddled him, to which Okajima cheerfully replied, “Riii-ght.”

Turning a blind eye to that scene, I said,

“I’ll be leaving for the day.”

Giving a greeting just quiet enough not to disturb the two of them, I set off on my walk home.