I exit the butterfly house in pursuit of The Witch of Perfection, Venterra, but am interrupted by someone I was expecting—No, hoping to see prior.
"Sorry, I'm late, Kiyomi," the mysterious figure I've come across for a third time now calls out to me at the entrance of the school. "Looks like we're concluding this story. Sadly, this will not be a happy ending. You just had to go searching for the truth."
What else was I supposed to do? How else am I going to save Olympia?
"That's the thing, Kiyomi," the mysterious figure replies to my silence, "you can't save her. You can't save Olympia. You can't save anyone other than yourself. You should have left her alone."
"..."
"Neku."
"…Huh…?'
"That's my name. Neku. I'll keep my last name hidden, for now. But now you have a face and a name. It's a pleasure to finally meet."
He—Neku stretches his arm out at me with an open palm. I do the same, and we shake hands.
He smiles at me and then says, "I hope that we can become good friends, Kiyomi. Are you fine with befriending a murderer?"
"..."
What?
"Oh? Had Olympia neglected to mention? She and I used to date during the beginning years of high school. You, she, and I were all the same age and should be in the same grade. Should. I had to drop after what happened. Care to hear what happened? It's not a pretty story. I won't tell you if you don't want me to."
"Tell me," I respond without second-guessing. I need to know more about this story, about Olympia's past, if I want a chance at saving her. I don't care if people can't save other people. I'll do anything I can if it means I can save her.
"Tch," Neku is visibly bothered by my desire to know, but he, too, already knew I wouldn't want it any other way. "You've probably heard the rumors by now. They're all bullshit—except the parts that aren't.
"But if you have, all of those rumors you've heard, a victim being pressured into driving 100 miles on the street, and luckily, or maybe unluckily, crashed into a truck. Rumor has it that a person was napping in that truck, but that wasn't true. The truck was empty, and the car was hijacked, so there was no victim, no perpetrator.
"Another rumor spread around was that a separate victim was pressured into setting foot into a gang-affiliated area and instigating a fight. Luckily, or unluckily, the idiot who was pressured was strong enough to kick the asses of all those gang members. Rumor has it otherwise, though. This victim was beaten to a pulp and is still in the hospital. Pfft. That's more believable than the truth, but it is.
"The final rumor you may have heard is arguably the worst. A victim was pressured into murdering their entire family. You likely didn't hear specifics about this case.
"Before I continue, I must establish this. There aren't multiple victims who were pressured into doing things."
He pauses.
"Just one victim. Just one idiot."
This is a lot to take in. If he's saying what I think he's saying, then…
No.
I don't want to make assumptions about what he's saying.
I need to know the truth.
"Tell me, Neku. Tell me why you were pressured into murdering your family."
He smirks at the question, like he's been dying to confess his sins—not to me, but to someone.
"I wasn't pressured into anything," he says. Then pauses.
"That's what I tell myself, anyway," he continues. "She didn't have to say a word. She'd just smile like she already knew what I'd do. Like I was following a script she left blank for me to fill in."
He leans back. A low, tired chuckle escapes him.
"Olympia's a beautiful girl, ain't she? Anyone would think so.
"Little kids, guys our age, even old creeps with wandering eyes. She doesn't have to ask for devotion. People just offer it.
"That's the type of man my father is. Someone who seeks anyone who can satisfy his sexual craving, regardless of age.
"One day, when Olympia planned to surprise me by waiting in my home, I came in, and what I saw changed something in me. I used to be like you, you know? Someone who lacked a heart, and by extension, friends. I spent most of my time alone, but Olympia was the one who pulled me out of my shell. So when I caught my father trying to rape Olympia, I snapped. I used the majority of my strength to push him off of her, and then I used my remaining strength to choke him until he was no more."
My fingers twitch. I don't know if it's from disgust or sympathy.
My throat tightens. I want to look away, but can't.
"After that moment," Neku continues, "I couldn't face Olympia, so what I did was run.
"I ran.
"I ran, ran, ran.
"To where? Anywhere that wasn't there.
"How could I have faced her after what happened. If I had never gotten involved with her, if I had never accepted her outstretched hand, none of that would've happened.
"As for my mother, I didn't use my hands to kill her. I promise. I loved my mother. She was the one who spent her life after giving birth to me, trying to raise me into someone other than my father. But I ended up becoming something worse. Something much, much worse.
"So, some time after running away, I checked in on my mother, only to find out that she had ended up taking her own life.
"And thus, one of the victims of The Witch of Perfection came to fruition. Although calling myself a victim is a disservice to the truth. I had a choice—a choice to have never gotten close to her. But I did. And now we're here. Now you're here.
"Kiyomi Otonashi, don't become another me. You can't save Olympia, but, for my sake, try to help her. Do something."
I don't know how to properly respond, so, for the time being, I'll remain silent. I'll heed his warning and do everything I can to make the right choices.
Even if they bring me pain.
Even if they bring me further suffering.
I don't want Olympia to hurt anymore.
I walk past him towards the place where it all began, but before I leave, without turning back, Neku presses his fist on my back and shares with me one last thing:
"Neku. Neku Otonashi. That's my full name. Funny, isn't it? In the end, we're just two sides of the same silence."