Masquerader Mystery - One Last Chance For Choji Akimichi (ENG)

7

"...What are you doing, Choji? No, stop! Stay here!"

As soon as I fully grasped what Isoka had revealed to me, I jumped up and tried to open the hatch to get out.

I was beyond furious.

"Please, Choji! Don't be crazy! You'll get in trouble!"

"Who the hell cares! Someone has to make Iwao pay for it, and if not even the director herself has lifted a finger then I'll take care of him! ...uh?"

Isoka was clinging to my shirt, as if trying to pull me down and make me sit down again.

I turned to tell him to let go, and saw his face. He looked desperate.

Was it the memory of what Iwao had done to him, that upset him like that, or was he worried about the troubles that might happen to me?

In any case, I didn't feel like leaving him in that state. With deep breaths I calmed my anger, and slowly sat back down.

"S-sorry, Isoka. ...but how could he do such a thing?! Why? How did it happen?"

"...it was my fault. You know, before that happened... I often cried in front of everyone. I tried, I tried very hard to be happy and forget the past, or at least pretend to, but I was never as good as the others. I mean, I was crying, crying, and bothering everyone, especially Iwao. One day he got sick and tired, and, to make me stop once and for all, he tried to help me get better."

"By tearing apart your mom's memories?!"

"No, no! That happened later. This time, he... he asked me to join his group and play. No, more than asked, let's say he forced me. "So you get distracted and you forget to cry", he told me. I never liked playing with him. Whenever I could, I was looking for a different excuse to avoid him and be alone... It's my fault that it happened!"

Isoka curled up on himself, hiding his face on his knees.

"One day Iwao came looking for me to force me to play, as usual, and found me looking at my mom's photographs and drawings... Iwao got mad, screamed, told me I was ungrateful... And then he destroyed everything. Everything. As I told you, Mistress Azumi didn't scold him, because I'm the one who disobeyed the rules, not him."

"What about Miss Hiromi? Didn't you talk to her?"

"Miss Hiromi is not capable of scolding anyone, what help could she give me? ...since that day, I have begun to hide even more frequently and show up only during meals, group trips and when it is time to go to sleep. Unfortunately, for some reason Iwao is still angry with me... He is convinced that I'm hiding because I still have some pictures of my mother somewhere, but that's not true! Because of him I have nothing left! I could.. . I could give up, have him search my things and... and admit that I don't want to think about the past anymore, but..."

As gently as possible, I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you afraid of insulting the memory of your mother?"

After sniffing, Isoka nodded.

"I don't want to forget her, I don't want to! ...if only I were stronger... But I'm not! Why? Why!? Why am I the only weak whiner in the whole orphanage?!..."

"You're wrong, you're not the only one anymore. I'm here too, now!"

That phrase came out spontaneously. I had also used a cheerful tone in saying it, without any fear of committing a blunder.

I just knew I had said the right thing at the right time.

"W-w-what do you mean?" Isoka stammered, after a few moments of bewilderment. "You too... cry? A big, grown guy like you can cry?"