Yoru Chapter 16: The Lie

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Hello everyone!
This time, we reach a major turning point...

One day, after finishing my chores and returning from gathering as usual, I found many unfamiliar people in the cave. Surprised, I approached them, and one of them immediately spotted me, causing me to gasp in shock.

It turned out to be the town guard, who had come to capture the bandits. Apparently, one of the members had caused trouble in town a while ago, which led them to surround this cave. Noppo-san and Brother were outnumbered and captured, and although I wanted to help them more than anything, my body was frozen and I couldn't move.

To the guards, what they saw before them was a 12-year-old girl—and it was unexpected for such a child to appear in the mountains, so they might have mistaken Yoru for a hostage or something similar. I had never been to town, and no one had ever seen me acting with the group. I couldn't think of what to do in this situation at all, and in the end, I just stood there.

In the end, Yoru was easily captured, but because I had been kept away by Noppo-san and the others, the guards treated me as a "rescued child."

In the midst of the chaos, the Boss and Hige-san returned from the back of the cave.
In an atmosphere filled with shouting and tension, Yoru could only stand there. The guardsmen with their weapons drawn and the bandits with their grim expressions. Standing between them, the Boss spoke in a voice calmer than anyone else's.

These guys aren't to blame. It was all my doing. If you're going to arrest anyone, take only me.

There was a strange stillness in that voice, neither intimidation nor bravado.
But of course, such an argument wouldn't hold up. Noppo-san, Brother, and Hige-san all shouted one after another.

It's not the Boss's fault, we're the ones who did it!
If you're going to arrest us, take us together!

At their resolve, the guardsmen paused for a moment.
Even so, ropes were thrown, and they were captured before they could resist.

—No, I don't want this.

Something screamed inside Yoru's chest.
The revenge, the hatred, everything didn't matter anymore; I was just afraid of being separated from these people.
Then take me too! Because I'm one of their group, too—!

The moment I tried to shout that, a low voice cut off my words.
This girl has nothing to do with this! She's just a hostage!

It was the Boss's voice.
Yoru's heart tightened with pain. That's a lie. That can't be true. I'm not a hostage—but I couldn't say anything.
His eyes at that moment were not gentle as usual, nor were they frighteningly sharp; they were just quiet and kind.
That gaze made me realize everything.
—This is a lie to protect me.

But young Yoru couldn't immediately accept that kindness.
I could only watch as my companions were tied up with ropes and taken away.
Even when I reached out or called out, no one looked back anymore.

And so, Yoru was also taken to town as a "kidnapped child."
The end of life in the cave.
For her, it was her second "loss."

The last lie was a kind lie... I remember lyrics like that.

That's all for this time. Thank you for reading until the end.
I hope today and tomorrow will be a good day for all of you.