"Hey, Sajin?"
"What?"
"You know what suicide smells like?"
Sajin and Hanako were in his apartment after school. Exams were coming up and Hanako needed help not to fall behind in her subjects. The only ones she was good at was music and arts. Literature, maths and accounting were far out of her realm of expertise so Sajin was currently helping her.
Sajin stopped writing in his notebook and looked up Hanako. "Is there something you want to tell me?" He asked, observing her reaction.
Hanako just shrugged as she put the pen her mouth. She was lying on Sajin's bed while he was on the couch. Sajin wasn't even close to surprised when he saw how comfortable she made herself in his apartment.
"No reason in particular. Just making conversation. Why?"
"Last week you asked me what death smells like and now suicide." Sajin raised his eyebrow then looked over at Hanako again. "Is that some sort of fetish you have?"
Bam!
Hanako had fallen of the bed. "W-Wa-waaa?! Why would you even think that?!"
"I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders. "Idiots have weird habits and fetishes."
"I am seriously hurt that every time we have a conversation with each other you find a way for me to get insulted..." Hanako mumbled loud enough for Sajin to hear.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." Sajin said as he raised his arms in defeat. "We're suppose to be studying."
Hanako climbed back onto the bed and then stretched herself out like a cat. Something about this felt inappropriate to Sajin so he looked back at the stack of books on the table.
"I know we're suppose to be studying, but the question... just came to mind."
"... Then I guess it's fine..." Sajin said then closed the book in front of him.
"Suicide would probably smell like lilies."
"... Why would you think that?"
"Because death smells like roses."
"Oh! That makes sense." Hanako said the laughed in an awkward manner. "It's not even close though."
"Then what does suicide smell like?"
"Suicide smells like..."
• • •
Sajin was standing in Hanako's room in the hospital bed. Standing at the foot of the bed he was able to clearly see everything about her.
Her body looked peaceful. Her skin had become pale from being indoors so long and her eyes had bags as if she was awake even as she slept. Multiple tubes were connected to her body to make sure that there was nothing wrong with her. Her hair was still messy as usual. Sajin thought it was strange that even in dire situations she could still be herself. To him it felt like she was still smiling.
Hanako was everything to him and he would do anything to protect her. That was also the reason why he was currently here.
"I know you're here..." He said. His eyes were still on Hanako but he wasnt speaking to her.
"Hello, 'Master'. It has been long time since we've had a chat." Spoke an all too familiar voice to Sajin.
Making her appearance was the newly created Multiconcept, Sue. She had her arms wrapped around Sajin's neck from behind but he showed no reaction whatsoever.
He knew she would be hiding at Hanako's room. She was the only one that Sajin would do anything for. That's why he arrived here as fast as he could.
The one who lied to him.
The reason he caused 46 people to commit suicide.
The reason he was questioning his humanity.
She was the reason for everything.
How could he trust her so easily?
"... Why..." Sajin muttered. "Why would you do all of this?"
"Hm? Why? Let's see..." Sue said as she let go and began walking around the room. Her hair was still snow white and she was dressed in her signature kimono. Everything about her looked the same but her personality 'felt' different.
Like she was actually being herself.
"Do you know how long I've been a concept after I had died?"
"... No..." Sajin took note of the fact that she had stopped calling him 'Master'.
"I've been a concept for 263 years."
"... Why are you telling me this?"
"I noticed that you haven't brought my counter with so I'll go on the assumption that you came here to talk. Or maybe even try to kill me. I wouldn't know. You're surprisingly unpredictable sometimes." She gave a small chuckle as she remembered something but continued afterwards.
"When I 'fused' with The Concept of Suicide I was still able to feel emotions." She stopped in front of Sajin and gave him a sad smile. "Imagine having over 200 years of experience in watching how people would kill themselves. Some would even kill themselves for the pettiest of reasons. Do you have any idea how that felt? Can you even begin to comprehend the emotions of someone like that? Can you?" She said in a voice that actually seemed to carry emotion.
"..." No he couldn't. Not anyone could.
"To make everything worse, I could not even control the nature of my concept! I had to do it and I couldn't stop myself! I! Me! Sue! Am responsible for the suicides of 17, 564 people! I know they're names, faces, their families and their reasons for killing themselves! I have to stay with that for eternity!" Sue was starting to cry and banged her fists against Sajin's chest. Surprised by her actions he did very little to resist.
After a few more moments Sue calmed down and then went to go take a seat next to Hanako.
"Then I met you." She started. "You felt the same way I had when I first killed myself. I needed you, Sajin. I needed to you to take my place."
"..."
"That's why I had you use the Black Hearts Perception so much in such a short amount of time. You needed to reach the maximum compatibility but when you died..." She trailed off and then looked at Sajin with an earnest expression.
"I thought I had lost my chance but now you're back. I need you, Sajin. I need you."
Sajin looked back at her. His expression had turned colder and he was glaring at her.
"Can you..." He started.
"Can you... Stop lying to me?"