The Every-Other-Day Girlfriend Chapter 3: "Boundary" Part 2

"The one who killed her was not me, but a version of me."

"Boundary" 5

"Please, come in."

I opened the door to the examination room, and Saeko was brought in. She wore a white shirt, a gray cardigan, and plain trousers provided by the ward. Her hair was cut evenly at the shoulders and looked neater than before.

As she sat in the chair, Saeko gave a small smile.

"Hello, Doctor. ...I had the same dream again today."

Takayama nodded, but inwardly, he was paying more attention to Saeko's composure than to the content of the "dream."

Compared to when they first met, her expression had clearly softened.
However, that was not an improvement. She seemed somehow "too well-adjusted."

"What kind of dream was it?"

"Nozomi is playing alone in the usual room. She's silently lining up wooden blocks... and I try to call out to her, but no voice comes out. It's as if the back of my throat is blocked..."

Saeko said this while placing a hand on her chest.

"...Even after I wake up, that sensation remains. It's as if I were trying to say something important, but couldn't."

Takayama recalled the words on the scrap of paper tucked into the diary.
"If you believe in me, Doctor, I can stay silent."

"Saeko, are you... not unable to speak, but choosing not to?"

Saeko's eyes flickered for a moment.

"...What do you mean by that?"

"You said there is a 'different personality' inside you. But I believe that is an act. An 'act' you created to protect yourself. And the one who killed Nozomi is you yourself, hiding behind that 'act'."

Saeko lowered her eyes and raised the corners of her mouth slightly.

"...Even so, Doctor, you still 'want to believe' in me, don't you?"

"I didn't say I want to believe. I just want to determine the facts."

"Facts. I see. ...If it's facts you want, you'll understand if you look at Nozomi's body."

Takayama looked up.
"--What will I understand?"

Saeko did not reply. She simply kept smiling and looked away.

A wordless silence fell between the two of them.

In that void, Takayama felt a chill crawl up his spine.

She definitely knows something.
And the very act of "not speaking" about it is her way of telling the story--.

As if silence itself were the most powerful word of all.

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★I am entering this in the 2025 Creative Awards Mystery Novel category.
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