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“Ouch, ouch, ouch…!”
The next morning, the moment I got out of bed, I checked every single channel on the television news programs.
Naturally, it was to check if yesterday’s incident had made the news.
I spent a whole hour flipping through every channel, but not a single station was reporting anything about a murder happening at the park last night.
If only I knew that man’s name, I could investigate more actively…
…Wait a minute, the voice that echoed in my head yesterday definitely referred to that man as Goda Shinichi.
“Goda Shinichi, Goda Shinichi…”
I searched thoroughly for the name Goda Shinichi in the newspaper.
I even searched for it on the internet.
Yet, I still couldn’t find any information about an incident involving Goda Shinichi.
“What happened to that man…?”
Because it hadn’t turned into a public case, yesterday’s events felt as though they were nothing more than a dream.
However, the bruises and pain lingering on my body were the ultimate proof that it wasn’t a dream, but reality.
I once again recalled the voice that had echoed inside my head yesterday.
That voice had said my level went up because I killed Goda Shinichi.
It also said my HP and strength had increased, just like leveling up in a game.
“It said something else, too… What was it?”
Pushing my sluggish brain to its limits—perhaps because I got beaten too much yesterday—I tried to remember.
“Right. A spell. Uh—let’s see… Kufuika?”
Piro-piro-rin!
The moment I spoke that spell, a quirky sound effect resounded in my head.
Immediately after, the pain vanished smoothly from my entire body.
“Huh!? …Wait?”
I moved my arms, moved my legs, touched my stomach, and touched my face.
Then I marched straight to the bathroom and checked my entire body in the mirror.
“…It’s healed?!”
My whole body, which had been covered in bruises yesterday, didn’t have a single scratch on it now.
Not only that, but even an old scar on my back from when I was in elementary school had completely vanished without a trace.
“What the heck is this… Is it because of that spell from earlier…?”
I frowned in front of the mirror.
Just what on earth was happening around me yesterday and today—
Ding-dong.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
The police?!
I braced myself for a second, but—
“Good morning~, it’s Shimizu next door~.”
It was the voice of Shimizu-san, who lived in the apartment right next to mine.
I quickly tidied up my appearance and headed to the entryway.
Opening the door, I said,
“Ah, hello. Good morning, Shimizu-san.”
I put on my usual calm composure and gave a slight bow.
Shimizu-san was a woman who had moved into this apartment starting last month, living alone with her high school daughter.
I heard she was thirty-six years old, but she looked so young that you wouldn’t believe it at all.
She could easily pass for a classmate of mine, even though I was a full twelve years younger.
“Here, this is some leftover curry from yesterday, but I made way too much, so if you’d like, please eat it.”
“Ah, thank you as always.”
She handed over a tupperware container filled with curry.
Perhaps out of consideration for me living alone, Shimizu-san frequently shared her home-cooked meals with me like this.
At first, I thought it was a bother, but Shimizu-san’s cooking was way better than any local restaurant, so it had secretly become one of my greatest pleasures nowadays.
“Yamato-kun, do you have work today?”
“Ah, I have the day off for the first time in a while.”
“Is that so~? I have the day off today, too, what a coincidence~.”
Shimizu-san worked at a nearby bento shop.
I used to frequent that bento shop, but ever since Shimizu-san started working there, I felt kind of embarrassed and avoided it.
So nowadays, I mostly just ate convenience store bento.
“Today is Misa’s school foundation anniversary, so her high school is off too, and the two of us are heading to the aquarium.”
“Is that so? You two get along really well.”
“We were actually planning to go to an amusement park, but look, with this much rain pouring down…”
Shimizu-san glanced back over her shoulder.
It had been on the TV too; this entire region had apparently recorded a pretty heavy volume of rain since late last night.
“But Misa is in her second year now and has entrance exams coming up, so she can’t play around too much~.”
I had only crossed paths with her daughter Misa-chan once when they first moved into this apartment.
She left the impression of a sharp and adorable girl.
“Well then. You don’t have to wash the tupperware~.”
With those words, Shimizu-san waved her hand lightly and walked away.
“Thank you very much—”
I called out my thanks toward the gap of the closing door.
Confirming that the door was properly shut, I let out a long breath. “Phew…”
“The park… should I go take a look?”
Just as I resolved that I ought to go see and verify yesterday’s scene with my own eyes—
Gyu-ru-ru-ru~.
My stomach growled.
“Even at a time like this, I get hungry…”
Feeling exasperated with my own stomach, I grabbed the tupperware I received from Shimizu-san and headed to the kitchen.
Placing it in the refrigerator, I muttered,
“Guess I’ll save this curry for dinner.”
I took out a slice of white bread instead.
“Yeah. Breakfast has gotta be bread, after all!”
Perhaps as a reaction to having killed a person, I deliberately acted overly cheerful even though no one was watching, and set the bread in the toaster.
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