039. How truly cruel, isn't it?

Mutsumi Wakaba looked toward that direction.

In her memory, that was where other students sat. Although she was not close to them, Mutsumi clearly remembered their faces; they were classmates she had spent nearly three years with, and their images were naturally etched into her mind.

However, at this moment, inside the classroom, messy books and scattered pens still rested on the desks, the chalk marks on the blackboard remained unerased, and the clock on the wall ticked slowly, yet the entire room was deathly silent and completely empty.

Mutsumi did not seem surprised by the hollow classroom; she simply looked where her intuition guided her.

Sitting in what used to be Sakiko Togawa’s seat was a doll.

Its cheeks were plump, soft, and pale, as if they would indent at the slightest touch. Its eyes, however, were extremely minimalist—two pitch-black dots, clean and devoid of any impurity, radiating an innocent and simple light.

The doll sat with its back to the sunlight streaming into the classroom, staring into Mutsumi’s eyes. Mutsumi returned the gaze, her expression as still as an ancient well.

"Mutsumi, don't be like that."

The doll beckoned to her. It wore an ornate dress woven in black, red, and white, appearing extraordinarily exquisite.

"It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. I really missed you, which is why I used this method to meet you. Come to think of it, Mutsumi, you never used to resist seeing me before. Why are you like this now?"

Mutsumi did not answer.

The doll continued, "Are you still worrying about the banquet this weekend? Oh, oh, that’s my specialty! If you don’t like those kinds of occasions, why not just call me out? They’re just a few guests; with me here, what is there for you to worry about?"

...

The doll listed a long string of reasons. If it were a "person," it would surely have been parched from talking by now.

Mutsumi stood up and looked down at it. "Earlier, what was that about?"

"Haha," the doll deflected, "that was just a dream you had. After all, everyone says, 'what one thinks of by day, one dreams of by night,' don’t they?"

Mutsumi just stood there, staring directly into its eyes. The two "individuals" reached a stalemate for a moment, until finally, the doll said, "Alright, alright."

It sighed. "Actually, I felt that you were a bit sad, so I pulled some fragments from your memory that might make you feel happy. What’s wrong? Are you not happy?"

Mutsumi stood there quietly, her figure merging into the sunlight just as the doll’s did.

"I’m sorry, Mutsumi. I was just really worried about you, which is why I did that."

The doll reached out a hand, as if wanting Mutsumi to come closer, but Mutsumi remained rooted to the spot, forcing the doll to retract its hand sheepishly.

"By the way, Mutsumi, I thought of a good name for myself. How about 'Metis'?"

The doll’s face suddenly brimmed with self-satisfaction, the previous frustration completely vanished.

"Come to think of it, I got the idea for this name from that boy named 'Tsukimi Nagumo.' When he was at your house for the first time, he played a piece of music for you. That song was truly beautiful. But for some reason, I always felt that the song was contemplating death—it always had that sort of lemon-like, sour sadness to it. So, I thought about it, and decided to call myself Metis."

It looked at Mutsumi with anticipation. "Mutsumi, what do you think of that name?"

Mutsumi still did not answer. Time reached another stalemate.

Metis sighed. "Fine, fine. Actually, you slept for too long, and this P.E. class has already started. If you don't believe me, look."

Metis jumped from Sakiko’s seat onto the windowsill and opened the window. Outside, a group of people seemed to be bustling about, their noise nearly piercing into the classroom. Looking further away, several figures were strolling on the field, and there were girls sitting on the benches of the green corridor.

But Mutsumi had no intention of going near them; she just stood where she was.

"I can't see them from here."

"Eh? Don't worry about those details," the doll said. "I just edited a fragment of a P.E. class from your memory and played it for you. But I really wasn’t lying; they are in P.E. class right now, and I’d guess it’s almost time for free activity. Besides... they are all very happy. Why not go play with them? You aren't going to go water the cucumber field again, are you? That’s too lonely. That’s not good."

Metis chattered on, continuously trying to persuade Mutsumi. Mutsumi listened, long without a response. After a while, Metis seemed to grow tired of talking and stopped.

Only then did Mutsumi’s voice ring out again.

"They aren't happy," she said softly. "Neither are you."

Metis looked puzzled. "How can that be? Look at them outside the window; this is the joy exclusive to this age. It has value, it has memories; even if one were to grow old and die, this is the sort of thing one would see before the final flicker of life."

It jumped down and landed back on the desk. "And Mutsumi, I feel very happy being able to accompany you every day. How can you say I’m not happy? I don’t understand."

Mutsumi’s eyelids drooped slightly, the corners of her mouth pulling downward. She exuded a quiet yet oppressive aura.

"You aren't sad because I am being sad for you," Mutsumi said softly. "It's cruel, isn't it?"

Her expression had not changed from the beginning. Facing the golden sun, her golden eyes shimmered faintly.

"I..." Metis’s expression dimmed, appearing somewhat guilty.

"Stop acting in front of me, will you?" Mutsumi turned away. "You are mimicking every detail, but I will find out."

"I'm sorry..." Metis lowered its head.

The next moment, the scene around the classroom shattered into pieces. The walls peeled away to reveal black wallpaper; the windows where the sunlight had been pouring in were now as dark as ink. All the learning supplies and clutter piled on the desks were wiped away in an instant—they had only been empty decorations; they never truly existed.

This was still the basement deep within her heart.

*Swish!*

Just as everything seemed to fade into darkness, light followed.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

The windows were the first to light up, followed by the surrounding windows, the blackboard, and the ceiling.

Only then did Mutsumi realize that the "windows" were actually televisions, playing scenes from a P.E. class in her memory. It was the same kind of morning, but she had taken a leave of absence that day. She had sat in a corner of the field, watching her classmates, and this was exactly how it had looked in her eyes at the time.

"So it’s still here."

Mutsumi looked around. The lonely basement of her heart remained unchanged; Metis had merely provided a disguise. Everything here seemed to have stayed the same. Whenever her heart became troubled, she would eventually circle back to this place.