Alina's mother looked down into her eyes.
I expected her to be more surprised and upset by her daughter's shocking confession, but her reaction was surprisingly weak.
Alina looked at me with a frown, wondering if she had said something wrong. It's a strange thing to say, but it's not wrong. It's exactly what we discussed. If I were a parent with a child, I'd laugh it off, saying, 'It's finally time for you to get the chuunibyou syndrome.

I guess that's what you meant.'
'Did you understand ......?'
'No. But I knew someone had changed. It was my daughter. I knew something was wrong.

Alina's mother spoke with a smile, but with a sad expression on her face. It was an expression I did not like to see, as it showed her heartbreak.
Alina, on the other hand, was confused. Her eyes were swimming, as if she could not find the words to reply. I poked her with my foot, reminding her to get a hold of herself.

'Do you remember when ...... started?
'Yes. ......'

He falls silent for a few seconds with his eyes downcast.

'For three years between the sixth grade and eighth grade, she was not the Alina I knew. But I know it's Alina.
Wait a minute. So you want to say it's me except for those three years?
''No?''
'I have no memory of anything before the ninth grade. Not even before the sixth grade.

My mother has a very keen sixth sense. Alina's mother must be telling the truth. Her strength to believe this is reflected in her aura.
Alina's story of not remembering is too cruel. The days she spent with her only daughter are gone for her. The memories of laughter and sorrow are no longer in her head.
Alina's mother breaks down and bursts into tears.

'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Alina. ......
'Hey, mom. Why are you crying? It's not the place to cry. That's ......'

Alina began to cry, too. They both cried so hard that I felt like I was thrown into a world of chaos. What is happening in this space? Someone explain it to me.
I'm not going to get any further than this, so I'm going to start talking.

'Alina, go to your room and calm down. Then come back.
'...... yeah'

Alina put her bag on her shoulder and stood up.

I'm sorry.

As she left, she leaned close to my ear and said.
After making sure that Alina had left the living room, I cut her off.

I cut her off. I'm only here to help you change your attitude toward life. Please be assured that I am not in a relationship with her or anything like that.
I'm sorry I cried all of a sudden. How is Alina at school?
'I'm not going to muddy the waters, so I'm going to be honest with you. Alina, you are a problem child. She rejects people with bad language. She is extremely misanthropic. She thoroughly rejects anyone who comes near her.
'Is that ...... true?'
'Yes. I'm not adapting. I'm helping Alina at her teacher's request. I don't know if it makes sense, but I'm much calmer now. What I want to ask you is about your past. What happened to you? You really don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I don't want to cause a disturbance in the parent-child relationship. It's fine if you can.
'Alina's past, you know. I wonder if she's forgotten ...... no, maybe it's better that way ......'
'I talked to two Alina's. One is the one you know, the Alina I just had a conversation with. The other is Alina, who was in charge from the sixth grade to the eighth grade.
What they have in common is a lack of memory before the sixth grade. From what I have just told you, I know that the Alina you see now is the Alina who has been with her mother since birth. I can't be sure, but I believe that a parent's intuition is a fine line between truth and falsehood. Alina seems to think that she is a recently born person.

Alina's mother is troubled. Should she talk about it or not? It's easy to see what she's thinking. So it's painfully obvious that she's struggling with my question.
I wanted to avoid it, but I knew Alina would never change unless I asked. She'll always be called the "poisonous rose".
I pushed down my feelings of apology and asked again.

If you don't feel comfortable saying it here, you can write it down on a piece of paper. I will never tell anyone. I have never revealed Alina's state of mind to anyone before, and I never will. Please give it to me, even if it is through Alina at a later date. You can also mail it to me. I will pay for the postage.
Don't worry, I'll write to Alina and give it to you. I'll put it in an envelope so you can't read it.
Please don't force me to write it. Alina's and your safety is our first priority.
'Thank you. Comet, take care of Alina.
'Yes. I will do my best to turn things around.


'But how did you get to Alina so far?'

I don't know why. If you ask me if I like Alina, I like her. She's funny and I never get tired of talking to her. But I don't think it's the same as being around Alina because I want to.
Maybe I want to help people. I've been in school for a long time and I'm just happy to be here.
I don't mind lying in front of the TV like a corpse and being ridiculed by my sister, but I've realized that spending time with someone after school and laughing with someone else is a very meaningful and beautiful time.
I encountered values that I never had before, and a revolution started inside of me. It was all thanks to Arina Hiba.
I'm going to be honest. I love Arina. I want to be useful to her, no matter what the outcome. It's a simple, sophisticated, and pure feeling.

I want to help someone, isn't that enough?
'Heh. That's wonderful. Alina has met the right person.

I left the Nippa house without saying goodbye to Alina.
It was a very refreshing feeling. I realized who I really am. That was a big breakthrough for me.



Later that day, Alina handed me an envelope.
Inside was a message from Alina's mother.
I regretted that I had not read it because of its horrifying contents.