Working With Phantoms

Forbidden Truths

Madran waited with suspended confusion as even Cognitive Wakaba stopped her endless jeers, with everyone looking at Futaba and her shadow. Then, Shadow Futaba walked away a few steps, with the mural depicting the men giving Shadow Futaba a suicide note appearing from thin air.

"Futaba, you must remember... what happened here?"

"T-This was when they gave me the suicide note..."

"Correct. Onto the next one."

The mural was then replaced by the one showing Wakaba throwing herself in front of a car while Shadow Futaba watched.

"What happened in this mural?"

"This was when... when..."

"When what? Tell me."

"When... when mom killed herself..."

"Correct."

Shadow Futaba then caused the third mural showing Wakaba yelling at Shadow Futaba to appear.

"What about this?"

"T-This was when mom yelled at me..."

"When did this happen?"

"Right before she... she killed herself."

"What did she tell you?"

"She told me that I was being selfish, and that I was getting in the way of her research. I caused her to kill herself, didn't I...?"

"What did you do?"

"I... I threw a tantrum. I told her that she didn't care about me, and-"

Shadow Futaba snapped, with Wakaba's expression changing to a smile.

"W-What?"

"You must remember, Futaba. What did she actually say?"

"I..."

Futaba shook her head.

"I don't remember..."

"'I'm sorry for ignoring you for so long. We can go wherever you want, just after I finish this research. This means everything to me, even if it costs me my life.'"

Shadow Futaba looked at her counterpart again.

"What does this mean? Is what she said on the note true, or not?"

Futaba grabbed her head, sinking to the ground.

"I... I don't know... my head hurts..."

Madran then saw many ghostly apparitions rise up around Futaba and her shadow.

"You're a plague!"

"You killed her...!"

"Futaba... you... are..."

"It seems that she suffered from a maternity neurosis."

"'Futaba was always in the way of my research, never listening to me, and throwing a fit every time she didn't get her way.'"

"You're being a brat! Go back to your room!"

Futaba shook her head, beginning to cry.

"They... They're right... I'm the reason that she killed herself..."

Shadow Futaba made the mural disappear.

"Futaba. Do you remember what your mother was actually like?"

"Huh?"

"Did she abuse you? Did she actually hate you? Did she tell you those things with malice and distaste?"