Hikaru’s body was found a day later downstream by the river, near the reservoir lake.
Soaked through, it had swollen like bread left in water, and his face and the rest of his body were so broken and torn that it was hard to make out his shape.
The driver uncle who rushed over after hearing the news dropped to his knees and wailed that he should have stayed until the end.
Knowing the truth, all I could do was hold him and try to comfort him.
When I told Ai that Hikaru was dead, she couldn’t speak for a long time.
Even if they hadn’t been close, it was only natural for her to be deeply shocked by the sudden death of her husband’s twin brother.
For someone who had already been wracked with guilt after Goro’s disappearance, having the death of someone she knew come back to her again was... not something that happened often.
But as always, Ai worried about me first, asking if I was hurt and if I was safe.
The reason I lived, the force that drove me, the precious person I had to protect.
Hearing her worry, the hollow corner of my chest filled with warmth as if by magic.
I told her I was fine. Ai seemed relieved by my answer, too, and without asking anything else, she urged me not to worry, saying the twins were doing well.
I smiled softly at her affection, then hung up after saying we should go home first and talk more there. I looked at Hikaru’s body being carried away on a stretcher, covered with a white sheet.
I hadn’t achieved my original goal of making him walk into the police station and turn himself in, but that didn’t make me pity his death.
His death had effectively been caused by a misfortune that started with me, but I had no desire to sympathize with a villain who had tried to hurt me and the person I cherished.
But the truth between me and Hikaru had to remain buried forever.
That included every recorded conversation right up until his death.
All I had to do was act like a brother who had lost his twin, shed a few tears, and slip past the police investigation in my own way.
"I was trying to take him a sunrise photo, but I slipped, lost my balance, and fell backward."
"Yes. The fog was thick, and the ground was a little damp, so I nearly slipped several times even getting up here. I should have... stopped Hikaru from trying to take the picture."
"I see... That’s unfortunate."
As I cried and sniffled, the police offered their condolences and closed the case as a simple accident without any further procedure.
They had already disposed of the two weapons Hikaru had on him, along with the rope and other tools used in the crime, so there was no evidence of foul play. More importantly, I was the only witness to the accident, so they had no choice but to rely entirely on my statement.
On top of that, the fact that I had appeared on TV less than a year ago as a child actor worked in my favor.
And so the police investigation ended. All that remained for me was to deal with the fallout triggered by Hikaru’s death as best I could.
That afternoon, the day Hikaru’s body was recovered, the news leaked from the police and his death was reported in the media.
More than his death itself, I could only sneer at the absurdity of how they used the title of "Kamiki Kaoru’s twin younger brother" because it was convenient, and filled the article with more photos of me than of Hikaru.
A few hours before the report went out, I called Director Toshiro for the first time in a long while and told him Hikaru was dead.
I apologized for having to call him over something like this.
- ......
Just like Ai, Director Toshiro was speechless for a while.
A long silence followed. I could hear him let out a bitter sigh on the other end of the line.
He asked me about the funeral home’s location and the cause of Hikaru’s accident, then told me to steel myself and stay strong, offering me all the concern and mature advice he could.
He must have thought that no matter how sad he was, it still couldn’t compare to how I felt as Hikaru’s twin brother.
Moved by his consideration, I quietly nodded and told Director Toshiro I would come see him soon, then hung up.
Time passed, and the funeral was held.
The reporters probably didn’t think there was much value in barging into someone else’s funeral just to take pictures or ask questions, so they only took a few photos of me and requested an interview.
I politely refused and gave them no opening.
My father stopped by the funeral home briefly before leaving. According to the staff, the one who had suggested buying that villa on Mt. Tanzawa was none other than my father’s new woman.
What a shameless creature. I couldn’t even laugh at it.
Maybe it was the boomerang effect of all the lies he had told to paint himself as a kind father, and the price of his masked goodwill coming back to hit him. He couldn’t even shed tears, and fled his son’s funeral home in a hurry like a criminal.
The representative of my mother, who had flown in from the United States, offered the usual hollow comfort that my mother was very distraught.
From the people on my father’s side, I heard that she had come to discuss the huge insurance payout that had been made for Hikaru.
There were also whispers that business with her new husband in the U.S. wasn’t going well.
Even I, who had long since run out of any shred of affection, only showed my face at Hikaru’s wake on the first day, claiming I was sick, and didn’t go again the next day.
Hikaru’s funeral was brought to an end by the staff on their own.
To the very end, it was a shabby, miserable farewell in which the closest blood relatives showed not even a hint of grief.
"Kaoru!"
"...Ai."
Ai’s home, which I had returned to after a long time. The moment I opened the front door, my wife ran to me and wrapped me in a comforting hug, and the warmth of her body healed my troubled heart at once.
She tightened the arms around my back and quietly rubbed her face against my chest.
Yes. The reason I exist. That reason was giving me strength from within my arms.
Not a hollow family, but my real family.
The precious person who always worried about me. The only one who gave me love without asking for anything in return. My person, the one on my side.
"I’m home."
"......Welcome home, Kaoru."
I pulled her into a tight embrace. As I breathed in her scent, the countless knots of emotion I had been storing up inside me surged all at once.
Whether it was the pleasure of having succeeded in my revenge, a relieved laugh, or tears of grief. Or something else entirely....
In Ai’s arms, I poured out emotions even I couldn’t understand. For a long while, I just kept pouring them out.
Even after we slept together and woke the next day, I stayed by her side all day long.
I watched her obsessively, not wanting to miss even the smallest movement, checking whether the twins were sleeping well, eating well, and relieving themselves properly.
And when night came, I focused all my attention on staining her completely with my scent and body heat.
Even when she trembled and panted, begging me to let her rest for just a moment because the sensations kept crashing over her without pause.
Even when the sounds she had been suppressing with maternal instinct so the twins wouldn’t wake finally burst out and filled the room.
I moved as if I meant to swallow every last part of her.
I would never let this misfortune repeat itself.
To protect the ones I loved, the ones more precious to me than my own life, I would do anything.
That was the resolve I made.
"Kaoru... I’ll always be by your side. I love you."
As sleep crept over me, I heard Ai’s voice as she held me and slowly stroked my head with gentle hands.
Her hands were especially warm. Her voice was full of affection. A sincere love that embraced and comforted me.
I could feel the confusion in my heart slowly settling back into peace.
Watching her starlit eyes shine brilliantly beyond my drooping eyelids, I soon drifted off to sleep.
Only after I spent two straight days... staying firmly by her side and sharing my true feelings did the nameless anxiety and restlessness finally disappear.
And then— I knew what I had to do next.
I went to the center and personally unlocked the password on Hikaru’s phone.
Having finally regained the courage to dig up the disgusting truths hidden inside it, I spent several days relentlessly uncovering my brother’s past.
And once I was ready, I went to the troupe for the first time in a while and met with Director Toshiro.
"...Kaoru."
"Director."
"......Well, you look better than I do."
"Do I?"
At Director Toshiro’s joke, he looked a little thinner than before, and I gave a small laugh before sitting down in the chair.
The reason I had come to see him was simple.
I didn’t dislike the pitying concern in his voice when he asked if I was all right, but I had another purpose.
"You want to come back to the troupe...?
"Yes. Since Hikaru ended up like that, I’m going to return to the troupe, at least in his place."
"......"
Director Toshiro let out a sigh, his expression complicated.
I idly rubbed the paper cup of barley tea he had poured for me and continued.
"You must be feeling awful. We spent years together at the Rararai Theater Troupe, so I can’t not know that. The experience I gained from performing there helped me a great deal, so now I’d like to repay that debt.
Maybe... Hikaru would... want that too. So that his absence won’t be remembered at all because of me. As his brother, I’ll carry on his dream."
Without even noticing that my eyes had flashed for a moment, Director Toshiro folded his arms and frowned as he carefully considered my request.
My hunch had been right: after the sudden death of Hikaru, the troupe’s ace, Director Toshiro would find it difficult to refuse my proposal.
"...Are you sure? The media will start chewing this over again. Are you thinking about returning to show business too?"
"Well... you know that already, don’t you? Nearly a year is... enough time for things to fade."
...For reference, Director Toshiro still didn’t know that Ai had given birth to the twins.
"......"
"I really enjoyed [Urban: Kaguya War]. I brought the pamphlet too, so I’m going to get autographs from the seniors later. I should say hello to them after so long."
I pulled the pamphlet for the play currently being performed by the troupe from my arms and flashed an easy smile. Director Toshiro gave a snort of laughter and shook his head.
He was not a fool.
He wasn’t the kind of fool who would throw away a chance to repay an old connection and revive a troupe that was on the verge of failing its generational handoff.
Director Toshiro quietly nodded, then looked at me with that stubborn expression of his and said,
"For now... sign the membership register, and let’s take some time and talk again later."
"Yes."
After finishing the talk about returning to the troupe, I said goodbye to Director Toshiro as I always had and left the office.
And then—
"......"
Inside the dark house, where no light entered except the glow of the streetlamp.
I sat in the kitchen chair, staring blankly at the man who had just opened the door and come inside.
"H-Huh!?"
The man jumped in shock when he saw me and fell backward onto his butt.
I quietly raised my gloved hand. Slowly, I brought my index finger to my lips, then pointed to the chair across from me.
At my command to sit, the man’s face turned ghostly pale. He set down his school bag and plopped into the chair opposite me.
Silence hung in the air for a long time.
I deliberately said nothing and watched the man, who was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Like a dog panicking beyond fear, his trembling figure looked so pitiful that anyone who didn’t know better might have wanted to hug him.
He must have been wondering.
Why the twin brother who looked exactly like the dead Hikaru Kamiki had somehow entered his own house and been waiting for him.
To answer that question, I picked up the Sony MP3 player on the table and pressed play.
- The doctor was pretty thorough-
"Stop!!! S-stop, stop!"
"......"
The man screamed as if he were having a seizure, scrambling backward in his chair before dropping flat on the floor in front of me.
"I-I’m sorry! Please, spare me! I-I-I only did what I was told-! They kept saying Ai-chan was pregnant! That she had given birth! They said they’d let me meet Ai-chan!!!! They told me I was a liar and a traitor if I didn’t follow them, and I, I, I just...! Ai-chan would never do something like that! She told me she loved me! There’s no way she’d lie to the person she loves, right!?"
"......"
"I killed the doctor, and then that guy told me to move the body! I-I said I absolutely couldn’t do it, but he called me a traitor, so I was scared and just did what he said! It was because of Ai-chan, I had no choice!"
Instead of answering, I stood up from the chair and quietly opened the zipper of my bag.
"Where did you hide the body?"
"...I-I don’t know. I really don’t know. I can’t remember. I didn’t mean to do it! It was an accident! Please forgive me."
"Choose."
I took out a multipurpose rope and star sand, placing them on the table before speaking to the man.
"......"
The man, still on his knees, stared at the rope and star sand on the table with a face gone completely white.
Especially the star sand—he seemed very curious about where I had gotten it.
Star sand with every fingerprint wiped away, leaving no trace behind. It was as if a gift had safely returned to its owner.
And it carried a message.
To make him realize once more what he had done to the being he had poured so much love into.
The man’s eyes shook with terror, but I slung my bag over my back, walked past him, and said in a calm voice,
"As a fan, you can either take all the blame in Hikaru’s place and go to prison, or repent here on your own. The choice is yours."
"......"
"Though I think the answer is already decided."
Leaving those words behind without a care, I walked out of the man’s house.
I took the back stairs instead of the elevator and slipped out into the alley.
The streetlamp flickered weakly, then went out, and pitch-black darkness settled over everything.
A few days later, a single article quietly appeared online.
< [Exclusive] Child actor Kamiki Kaoru joins the Rararai Theater Troupe again. First step toward a full comeback? >
And beneath it.
< Man found hanged to death in a Tokyo residential district... reportedly suffered from depression... >
Next to the headline, there was a small photo of a familiar neighborhood street.
There were no comments, and the view count was barely anything. I didn’t click on the article.
To the very end, it was a shabby, miserable farewell that received no attention even from the faceless crowd.
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