Shouko's classmate?
This was the first ti in all these years that one of Shouko's classmates had co directly to her ho.
"...?"
Shouko also glanced over in surprise.
Wasn't this the sa Sakayanagi Arisu who had misunderstood that she was going to jump off the school rooftop a few days ago?
She was indeed her classmate.
But Shouko couldn't hide her confusion.
After all, even though they were classmates, they'd barely interacted before. Why was she here now?
"Co in."
Noticing her daughter's subtle reaction, Yaeko hesitated for a mont before stepping aside to let Arisu and Masumi enter.
"Excuse ."
Arisu nodded politely and stepped inside, with Masumi following close behind.
From start to finish, Masumi said nothing.
In fact, Masumi herself was feeling quite confused.
Earlier, Arisu had only asked her to collect information about Shouko, which she'd done. But tonight, right after finishing her review of the gathered information, Arisu had dragged her out without any explanation.
Even now, Masumi had no idea what was going through Arisu's mind.
Did she discover sothing in the files that Masumi herself missed?
The more Masumi thought about it, the more baffled she beca.
"What's with the cane?"
Yuzuru, who had initially been wary, couldn't help but ask as she eyed Arisu walking with a cane.
Yuzuru wasn't particularly fond of her sister's classmates. After all, her sister had been bullied by so of them before. However, this one seed… different.
"Oh, this?"
Arisu glanced at her cane and smiled lightly.
"Because of my congenital heart disease, I can't do any strenuous physical activity, so I need a cane to walk."
There was no embarrassnt in her tone; she stated the fact plainly.
Hearing this, the room fell into an awkward silence.
Even Masumi, who already knew, glanced at Arisu briefly.
As for the others—Yaeko, Yuzuru, and especially Shouko, they looked at her in surprise.
None of them had expected Arisu to have a congenital heart disease.
The gazes directed at her quickly shifted to one of pity and sympathy.
"Are you feeling sorry for ?"
Arisu chuckled softly at their reactions.
"There's no need for that. My father is already arranging for a suitable heart transplant. Once a match is found, I'll be able to undergo surgery.
"The procedure might be risky, but as far as money is concerned, there's nothing to worry about."
Arisu's family was well-off, part of the elite, so finances were the least of her concerns.
"..."
Yaeko shook her head slightly and decided not to dwell on Arisu's condition.
Instead, she looked at her again and asked, "You ntioned earlier that Shouko's dark circles weren't caused by staying up late playing gas. Do you know why?"
Arisu didn't answer imdiately.
Instead, she turned her attention to Shouko, who was visibly flustered.
"It seems Shouko hasn't figured out how to tell her family yet," Arisu said casually.
"..."
Shouko stayed silent, her head lowering further.
It was clear to her now: Arisu really knew sothing.
Hesitating for a mont, Shouko picked up her phone and typed a short ssage to Arisu.
Please don't say anything.
The sight of those words imdiately changed the atmosphere in the room.
Yuzuru, who had previously been sleepy, instantly beca alert. She stood up and demanded, "What do you an, don't say anything? Sister, what's going on with you?!"
"..."
Shouko kept her head down, refusing to respond.
Yaeko, on the other hand, had started to piece things together. She looked at her eldest daughter deeply before turning to Arisu.
"So, do you know what's happening?"
"Of course."
Arisu didn't hesitate to confirm.
"I can't help it. I'm just too kind-hearted. I can't stand by and watch soone so young throw their life away."
Despite her usual playful and mischievous nature, Arisu wasn't heartless. She wouldn't bother helping soone cruel or unkind.
But soone like Shouko, so gentle and kind her death would be an absolute tragedy.
Otherwise, why would Arisu be here, so late at night, with no real obligation to intervene?
"Wait, what?"
Both Yaeko and Yuzuru froze, panic quickly creeping into their expressions.
"What do you an by that? My sister is going to die? That's impossible!" Yuzuru protested imdiately.
"Is it?"
Arisu didn't answer directly. Instead, she gestured toward Shouko, silently prompting her to speak.
Yuzuru turned to her sister, her emotions running high.
"Sister, what's going on? Tell ! You're not going to die—right?"
Yaeko, too, stared at Shouko, her brow furrowing deeply.
"..."
Shoko still didn't speak, her head lowering further.
"Shouko!"
Unable to bear the tension, Yaeko called out her daughter's na, her voice trembling.
Her heart pounded as fear took hold.
What was going on? Was her daughter really going to die?
No. No, that couldn't be true!
But Shouko's continued silence seed to confirm their worst fears.
"Do you want to know how I know this?"
Arisu's voice cut through the heavy atmosphere, this ti directed at Shoko.
Hearing this, Shouko finally raised her head slightly, her expression filled with confusion and apprehension.
To be honest, even she wanted to know how Arisu had learned about this.
There was no way the other girl should know anything about her situation.
"Because all the girls who dragged you into the video room that day are dead."
***
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