"Everyone is having fun, chatting happily, saying innocuous jokes, it's just you, Yono, you're observing their behavior, and then trying to imitate them, so from the very beginning, I decided that oh, you, definitely hate that kid, right?"

It was a black word, the darkness that covered all the light in front of me, the sky, the earth, Yuyi, and myself, all of which were enveloped in that darkness.

So much so that no matter how much Yui called my name, I could no longer respond, and eventually, my trembling hand from the halfway point of the thunder in the sky finally left from the half-spun key.

My legs seemed to have lost the strength to support me to stand, my hands pressed against the cold door panels, and all I could do was the buzzing ringing of my ears in my blank brain.

The boy's words were like a curse, and my heart was surrounded by fear, and I told myself countless times that I could not listen, whatever it was.

However, my instinct was no longer something I could stop, and it was clear that Yuyi's voice could not be conveyed in any way, but the boy's voice echoed in his ears over and over again like a bell.

Lingering.

"Now, Yang Nai, people have to be honest and learn to face their own hearts, in fact, you planned to do this a long time ago, didn't you?"

No...

"Now, you don't really hate the people who locked you up, do you? How can a puppet without a heart have such feelings of hatred? ”

Wrong...

"But it's a pity that although the puppet doesn't hate the person who gave her all kinds of fate, but it will crave oh, it will crave those things that she doesn't have, and although you try your best to hide it, the moment the puppet realizes that she is empty, you are constantly craving for something like 'heart'."

No...

"Boring, the empty heart is not satisfied, the extravagance is distorted into extreme, distorted into hatred, face your own heart, you actually hate that guy the most, right?"

No, no, how could I hate Yui!

I like her the most, because she's the only ...... I've ever had!

"Friends? Haha, don't say any more lies of this magnitude, right? ”

Not a lie!

"You're just curious, what would happen if humans with hearts and puppets without hearts fell into the same situation, right?"

Wrong! I didn't!

"Otherwise, why don't you leave the door open?"

“......”

"You know that, right? Yono, if you open the door now, no matter what kind of problem it is, there is still room for redemption, but if you choose to remain silent now, Yuyi will definitely go to her friend, right? ”

“......”

"At that point, I don't know what will happen."

I know...... I know that......

If Yui is asked to find Mariko, this already fragile balance relationship will immediately collapse, and she will lose all her friends.

Become like me.

So, I have to open the door, only then can I stop Yuyi, I can help her, I can help me, the only friend!

But... Why... Why can't I do it manually?

Obviously, obviously the key is there! Obviously, all you need to do is turn it around and open the door! Why! Why can't I do it manually?!

Move! Move me!

"Put this on."

It should have been an intimate voice attached to my ears, but at the moment it made me feel cold.

The boy gently stuffed something into my ears, and for a moment the sound of rain and thunder was much quieter, but the boy's voice was still so clear.

"In my hometown, there is such a magic, as long as you plug your ears, no matter what you do, no one will find out."

As he spoke, the boy gently stroked my hair.

"Okay, now you can't hear anything, and you don't have anything to fear, no matter what you face, just do what you want."

Own, thoughts?

"Yono! Are you in there! Answer me, Yono! ”

Strange, why... Why does the sound of thunderstorms outside the window seem to be nonexistent, but Yuyi's voice becomes audible again?

She's in a hurry, she's worried about me, now I just have to tell her I'm okay and open the door, right! That's all it takes! As long as I ——!

“...... Thank you, Yuyi. ”

Eh, eh? What am I talking about......?

"Yono! You're really in there! You okay?! ”

"Well, I'm sorry for you, I'm fine now."

No, no, no, no! What do I say again?!

"What do you mean it's okay! Mariko: They went too far this time! Wait, Yono, I'm sure I'll get you out! ”

“...... Thank you, Yui. ”

Wrong! You can't go to Yuyi! You can't go!!

"Say thank you, aren't we friends?"

"Well, yes, thank you, Yuyi, for being willing to be friends with me."

No, you shouldn't be friends with my ......!

"Really, thank you."

Why, why am I ...... Say something like that?

Yuyi left.

Like a mari, all that remained in my ears was the sound of footsteps in the distance.

I looked at the rusty iron door, which seemed to reflect me.

The face that can't be seen clearly, the black self.

Why, I would do it......

I should have stopped her!

I'm going to stop Yuyi! Why! Why did it end up becoming...... Will it turn out like this......

"Haha, hahaha, hahahaha——!"

Suddenly, a low, muffled laugh came to my ears, like a demon's whisper, lingering in my heart.

Little by little, the level of laughter expanded, and finally it changed from an unknown low sound to an unbridled wild laugh.

I jerked my head back.

It's him!

Right! It has to be him, and I'll-

"Hey, there's a limit to joking, right?"

The master of the voice, the boy read my thoughts.

What is presented to me at this moment, that is what I have seen before, the real appearance of the young man-

Demon.

"I didn't do anything, it was all your own choice, didn't you?"

No, it won't, if it weren't for you—

"Yona, you are always doing all this unconsciously, although you are not cognitively aware of what these actions mean, but your body acts according to instinct."

Physical, instinctive ......?

"You hate Yui? Or what? That doesn't matter, does it? As long as you sacrifice her, you can easily get out of the current situation, as long as you understand this, it's simple, isn't it? ”

Sacrifice...... Sacrificial animal?

"Congratulations, Yono, you have finally learned how to correctly define a person's value today, oh yes, if you can, you can call this practice, justice."

Justice......

"You understand, right? How to correctly sacrifice the people who exist in the first place to disappear is justice, and your actions prove the value of their existence, so admit it, you are actually the same kind of person as me. ”

A class of people?

The boy said something I couldn't understand, or I didn't dare to understand, and he slowly stood up, walked over to me, and reached out and gently turned the key that seemed to me to be a thousand gold.

Click.

The door opened.

The rain seemed to have stopped, the thunder had disappeared, and the sky had regained its brilliance.

The young man bathed in the sun, spread his arms, as if enjoying something, he turned his face sideways, looking down at me, who was still kneeling on the ground, and the corners of his mouth had a pleasure that could not be concealed.

"The door is open, let's go, Yono."

Raising my head for the first time, I knew that it turned out that this world was, black.