Living Under the Same Roof with My Deceased Lover's Younger Sister - Chapter 1

The rain had shown almost no sign of letting up since morning. Fine raindrops struck the shoulders of my mourning clothes, slowly soaking deep into the fabric, stealing away my body heat.

It should have felt cold, but even that sensation felt distant somehow. Whether it was because the painkillers were still in effect, or because my heart had long since gone numb, I couldn’t tell.

I, Akane Shintani—lowered my gaze once, as if to confirm that chill. Dragging my body, which still hadn’t fully recovered, I closed the black umbrella. A dry snap faintly mixed with the sound of the rain.

This was a small, compact funeral hall built in a narrow space near the cemetery. A signboard in front of the hall displayed a placard with the words “Yoshino Family Funeral” written on it, the ink slightly blurred.

The moment I stared at those characters, something deep in my chest twisted sharply.

I felt a terrible pain at that name, which wasn’t my family’s. I am Shintani; the deceased is Yoshino. Our surnames are different, our family registers are different. We had no legal relationship whatsoever.

And yet—

Our relationship was far deeper than any word like ‘family’ could ever convey.

My precious lover—Shiori Yoshino.

My first friend from elementary school, we started dating in our first year of middle school. Just because we were the same gender, we faced countless thoughtless words from those around us, sometimes laughed at to our faces. Even so, we walked side by side. Holding hands, calling each other’s names—we never doubted the future that would continue so naturally.

And now, she is no longer in this world. …Because she breathed her last right before my eyes.

The scene from that day still flickers at the edge of my vision. The ground stained red. Trembling fingertips. Fading breaths. And the last words I heard——

Clutching only those words to my chest, I approached the reception desk with damp, squelching footsteps. A familiar woman stood there.

“Shintani-san…”

The person who called my name in a subdued voice was the teacher who had been in charge of Shiori’s and my class back in middle school.

A strict person who paid close attention to her students, back then, she had noticed our relationship but said nothing, simply watching over us quietly.

Now, she was also the homeroom teacher of Shiori’s younger sister—Tsumugi Yoshino. I’d heard that the teacher had arranged everything for the funeral on behalf of Tsumugi-chan, a third-year middle schooler with no other family left.

“Teacher, it’s been a long time…”

That was all I could manage to say. There should have been other words, but my throat felt terribly tight. The words caught there, refusing to come out.

The teacher looked at my face and gently lowered her eyebrows.

Upon entering the hall, I was met by an air mixed with the scent of incense and stifled sobs.

Most of the lined-up chairs were empty. Shiori’s only remaining family was Tsumugi-chan. It didn’t seem like many familiar friends had come either.

Beyond them was Shiori’s portrait.

The slight tilt of her head, her gentle eyes—it was exactly the expression I’d seen so many times. But just knowing she would never smile at me like that again made my chest tighten unbearably.

In front of it sat the white coffin. I couldn’t see from here, but inside, Shiori was surely sleeping, surrounded by flowers.

The last time I saw her, she was sinking into a pool of blood, her face still stained with it. She had shielded me, scattering her life in my place.

At the very least, I wanted to see her peaceful face one last time. Not her blood-stained form, but a serene face, as if merely sleeping.

Driven by that feeling alone, I stepped towards the coffin and in that moment——

“——Give my sister back!!”

A scream that seemed to shake the very air echoed through the hall.

Tsumugi-chan had appeared before the coffin without me noticing. She glared at me with eyes on the verge of breaking down into tears.

Her black hair clung to her wet cheeks, and even from a distance, I could see her trembling shoulders desperately trying to hold back her anger. But her uncontrollable emotions overflowed from her eyes, her expression a hopeless mess.

I knew those eyes. They were the same shape as Shiori’s. They narrowed just a little when she smiled, and when angry, they pierced straight through just like Shiori.

That’s precisely why my chest felt crushed.

My throat tightened, my breathing grew shallow. Even so, I tried to force out some words.

“Tsumugi-chan… About Shiori, I truly——”

I didn’t even know if I had the right to say what came next. But I was desperate, feeling I had to say something.

But——

“Shut up! It’s all, all, all, all your fault! Big Sis died because of you!!”

Tsumugi-chan cut me off with a scream, stumbling towards me on unsteady feet.

“Go home! Right now! Get out!”

“…!”

Her raised fist pounded against my chest. The impact was light, the force weaker than I’d expected. Even so, with each repeated blow, it felt like cracks were forming in my heart.

I didn’t think to avoid it. I knew I had to accept it.

“Murderer! You… you should have died instead!! Why are you still alive!?”

That scream was so painfully sharp, it felt like my chest was being gouged out. I couldn’t even form a reply.

I used to think murderous intent existed somewhere in the world of fiction. On the other side of the news, within stories, an emotion far removed from reality. But now, having seen the dark emotion dwelling in the eyes of the girl before me, I had no other word for it.

Hatred, anger, and despair. All mixed together, with nowhere to go, directed straight at me.

“Tsumugi-chan, that’s enough…!”

The teacher hurried over and hugged Tsumugi-chan from behind. Still, Tsumugi-chan thrashed her arms, trying to reach out for me.

Her voice cracked, her throat grew hoarse, but she kept screaming.

“Give her back… give her back…! Why… why…!? My… my only one left…! Ugh… Waaaaaahhhh!!”

Her broken, fragmented screams shook the air of the hall.

“Tsumugi-chan…”

I stopped my hand halfway from reaching out to her. I had no right to comfort her now.

In the end, I turned on my heel without even seeing Shiori’s face. With Tsumugi-chan’s weeping voice stabbing into my back, I headed for the hall’s exit as if fleeing.

Outside, the heavy rain continued as before. I had no energy to open my umbrella, just stared blankly up at the sky. Gray clouds hung low. I could no longer tell if the drops running down my face were rain or tears.

I couldn’t deny Tsumugi-chan’s words.

——You should have died instead.

Yes, I should have been the one. That day… in that moment, Shiori hadn’t hesitated. She threw herself forward to shield me. Because I had frozen.

This is the result. Shiori died protecting me. That’s practically like I killed her. …Is it really okay for me to go on living like this?

A gaping hole had opened deep in my chest. I felt something crumbling away from within. My footing grew unsteady, the world tilted slightly.

The wounds on my body might heal with time. But I don’t know what to do about the fissures carved deep into my heart.

Shiori is no longer in this world.

That fact alone, heavier than the cold rain, continued to fall upon me.