Black Black Lotus ch3

p2
>>A class trial...!!

>I have something to do with Black Rose-sama's death...?

p3
>Eep!

>Ah...
>...

>...If it's really nothing, it would be better to tell them properly...

p4
>Thank you.

>Y-Yeah...

>What's the matter?

p5
>Just earlier, you told Hinoue Fuuka-san
>that someone using your name posted in response to a post by Black Rose-sama.
>That's...
>I really have no idea...

>You and Black Rose-sama
>were old acquaintances, weren't you?

>>Understood. I shall kill you.
>>name: Pale Pink Bud

p6
>Why is nobody surprised?

>Does everyone know about this site?

p7
>I'm guessing work took a while?
>Indeed.

>But I'll be fine if I'm only a little bit late to class...

p8
>The weather's lovely too.

>...

>What's all this?
>~~!
>~~

>...That girl...

p9
>This is you, isn't it?
>"Pale Pink Bud"-san!
>Y-You're wrong!

>This is scary...
>Why is this happening?

>~~

p10
>...That's not it.

>Everyone's scared too.
>They're all afraid

>of me.

p11
>Say something...
>Scary...
>Did you kill Black Rose-sama...?

>I really don't know anything.
>It's true that I knew Black Rose-sama back in elementary school,
>but the only time we ever spoke to each other was when she saved me.
>That nickname too was just something she called me at that time.

>I'm not the one who wrote that post.
>I didn't even know anything about that website until now.

p12
>But-
>Please believe me.

p13
>I would never hurt Black Rose-sama.
>I don't know why someone would use that nickname either.

>I really like your voice.

p14
>Especially when you're trembling
>with anxiety.
>It's enough to make someone take action.

p15
>...That's why, um...

>you probably wouldn't believe someone
>who just transferred here, but...

>I believe you.

p16
>...
>Um...
>!

>A-Alright already.
>...We're sorry for being too oversensitive.
>Sorry.

>Thank you...
>very much.

p17
>Hmm, what an amusing girl.

>...So she's the girl... who was saved by Kyouko-chan
>long ago.

>Since she was saved and all,
>I do hope nothing happens to her...

>Eh?

p18
>A class trial?

>To think something like that happened.
>Sorry... about that.

>It's not your fault, Hinoue-san!
>It's true that I seem suspicious, after all...
>I know that they're all good people deep down.

p19
>You're a strange one.

>?
>Is that... so?

>~~~...

>Just Fuuka is fine.

p20
>Eh?

>You can treat me
>as an equel.

>Okay.

>So, Fuuka,
>you said your friend went to a different high school...?
>That's right.

>We were together up until elementary school, but have gone to seperate schools since middle school.

>We would still hang out often regardless,
>but something clearly changed after we got into high school.
>...She wasn't as energetic as she used to be.

p21
>Maybe she didn't fit into her new school?
>Possibly.

>I asked her why, but she never told me.
>If only we had gone to the same school.

>I would've never let something like that happen...

p22
>Actually, three days before her death, that girl asked me,
>"do you think that suicide matching site is real?"...

>At the time, I just brushed it off by saying, "it's probably just someone's sick prank".

>I should've taken her more seriously...

>Thanks.

p23
>...Hey.
>Did you like Black Rose too?

>Eh?

>I'm not sure.

p24
>>Suicide
>>Rakka Park
>>discovered...?

>It seems, for the time being, Black Rose's death is being treated as a suicide.
>At a small park known as Rakka Park,
>she was found collapsed and bleeding on the ground.

>Wh-
>What time was she found?

>It was apparently about 11pm when she was discovered by a man walking his dog.

p25
>It seems an hour had passed she had slit her wrist.

>The time Black Rose-sama called me out was just about 10pm too...
>The police found no contradictory evidence during their investigation.
>Black Rose had gripped the knife herself and there were no other fingerprints.
>Incidentally, her chest was stabbed before her wrist, but that wasn't enough to kill her... or something like that.
>Ugh.

>But if she used the suicide matching site...

>That's right. There may have been someone who helped her slit her wrist.
>The one who used your nickname.

p26
>When I saw Black Rose-sama at the funeral,
>she looked so peaceful...
>Was that because she herself chose her own death...?
>But then why...

>Hah...

p27
>Everyone seems to know about this Black Black Lotus site.
>Is it famous...?
>...Yeah.

>It seems there's a lot of underground rumors about there being "that kind of website" in the high schools around this area.
>Although I didn't expect the ladies of Fuyou to know about it too.

>Ladies, you say. You're a Fuyou student too, Fuuka.
>Hmph.
>I'm nothing like those baby chicks.

>I can access it for now,
>but this thing is constantly changing URLs.

p28
>The moment someone tries to inform a teacher or the police,
>it suddenly vanishes and nobody knows how.

>>404 Not Found
>>The page you were trying to access could not be found.

>It resurfaces soon enough... but the only way to know where it's been moved to is to follow the rumors.
>The adults won't be of any help.

>...They wouldn't look into it at all back then either.

>That's why this time around, I need to get any clues I can...

p29
>Will you help me?

>!

>Yes!
>...I want to know too.

p30
>Who's been using my nickname...
>why Black Rose-sama died
>and how I feel about her...

>Don't worry. I'll protect you.
>!

>I'm counting on you,
>Renna.

p31
>Right! Let's investigate this together.

p32
>And... this time,

>I won't run away.

>>So that she won't be consumed by Black Rose's darkness...!!