The place I most wanted to return to after killing my friends who had become monsters.
A place that I never wanted to come back to because it kept happening so many times.
"Hello Haram?"
I turned around when I heard my name being called.There was a girl who seemed to have short hair.
I couldn't see the face because it seemed to be covered in noise, but I could see a smiling face.
"hi"
When I awkwardly greeted him, he smiled brightly. A truly innocent smile. For some reason, I couldn't be cold to him when I saw a smile like that.
But when I heard the child's next words, my expression couldn't help but harden.
"I'll give you a handicap this time. I want you to see the end of the story soon."
The child whispered in my ear.
"......!! What are you?"
I jumped up in surprise. The loud noise seemed to draw the attention of the other children. Still, I couldn't give up.
I've been through so much... Is that kid the cause of this situation?
"What are you!!!"
His expression crumpled and his voice became agitated.
Yet the child doesn't even blink an eye.
Even though I yelled at him, he was still laughing.
I was mistaken. It wasn't a genuine laugh, it was a creepy laugh.
The child, who had been quietly laughing and feeling sullen, left the room and went into the hallway. I immediately went out to look for him, but I couldn't find him because he was mixed in with the other children who seemed to be making noise.
'Ha.. What the hell is this. Calm down, Haram. For now, it seems like that kid is the cause.. By the way, handicap? What kind of game do you think this is? You're really crazy..'
My legs gave out, and I collapsed. This is unfair. Why do I have to go through this? Waves of grief washed over me. The emotions I'd been hiding were flooding out, and I couldn't stop them. Even though this was happening, I had no family or friends I could confide in, and every time I experienced something new, I couldn't adapt.
"Hey... are you okay?"
A child with her hair tied in pigtails sat down next to me and handed me a tissue.
What comforted me.
That's not the point.
I saw the face.
Not a black face with noise, but a warm face with color.
"My name is Yusia. I was sitting next to you, but you seemed busy earlier, so I couldn't talk to you. You're Yu Haram, right? First, wipe your tears! Let's go to the infirmary and get some ice."
Twenty-eight repetitions. In them, I found my forgotten friend.