CH 18

“Yamamoto-kun,…… we are all going to karaoke, would you like to join us?”

After school──I was getting ready to head to Kirishima’s house when a man with an ordinary face spoke to me.

I think he was in the soccer team and his surname was Nakamura.

[There’s no place for you in the classroom! Get out!]

Did I remember that he pushed me out of the room saying that?

I remember, of course I remember. I’m pretty insidious.

“….I’m in a hurry.”

“Well, tomorrow—-“

“I’m in a rush tomorrow.”

“I-I see……, I’m sorry.”

He apologetically walks away.

The guys in my class frequently ask me out like this. I always decline them softly, gently, and sincerely, but they keep on asking me out.

Do they think that they can hit me with a few shots even if they are bad at shooting guns? The harassment and neglect of me has lasted for a long time, but the attitude of begging me for forgiveness has also lasted for a long time.

“Um, Ryosuke-kun, I baked some cookies, would you like to have some? I also want to apologize for the other day. ……”

This time, a woman with an ulterior motive approached me.

This is one of the three who made fun of Usui-kun, no?

The first time I saw her, I thought she was a little bit of a b***h, but she was a very nice person.

I think this woman is Yumikawa? I forgot her name.

Before I was falsely accused, she was hanging around —- a creepy woman, now that I think about it.

[Please don’t come near me! You’re a criminal!]

That’s what she used to say.

Just by coming up to her, hoping she would at least listen to what I had to say, she was saying this. And now she wants me to eat her homemade cookies?

I threw the entire bag of cookies I received at her face—-crap, crap, crap, Mai is watching.

…… I can’t do such a terrible thing in front of that girl.

She’s a lucky girl.

But I’ll throw these cookies in the drain later.

I know it’s wrong to waste food, but these cookies are poison to me.

I put the bag of cookies in the back of my bag.

I hate the way people look at me today.

It’s been two weeks since my false accusation was proven. I’m starting to see more and more people talking to me, thinking I’ve calmed down by now.

Not only my classmates, but also people from other classes and seniors and juniors I used to interact with. …… Everywhere I go, I am approached by someone.

At first I ignored them, but then they became more insistent. Especially the women who would get carried away and crowd around me when I didn’t respond.

So I started to clearly express my rejection in words.

Even so, after a little while, the same people would come to me again.

I thought they were monkeys. They don’t learn at a level that makes me wonder if they are monkeys or not.

The only two people who showed sincerity to me were my sister and the student council president.

I’m going to make the people at school pay for this.

But for now, Kirishima must be eliminated first.

I said goodbye to Mai, who was on her way to a committee meeting, and headed straight to Kirishima’s house.

I’ve been having a lot of trouble sleeping at night lately,……, and it always reminds me of the time right after I was falsely accused of a crime.

My stomach is churning and I can’t help but feel oddly concerned about the eyes around me. Why is this? I was fine until recently.

〜From Fumika Kirishima’s point of view~

It was about 16:00.

Fumika was crouched in the corner of the room, sitting on her hands and knees.

“Sh*t, what should I do ……”

—I was in a great panic.

I didn’t expect the student council president to intervene, but most of all, I didn’t expect those guys to run amok like that.

I was just trying to get enough people together to put pressure on her with numbers, but I failed. …… If they do it that spectacularly ……, there’s a good chance that Ryosuke will hear about it!

Kirishima was shaking with fear as she thought back on today’s events. It didn’t matter if the school found out and suspended her. At worst, she didn’t care if she was expelled.

But she was really afraid that Ryosuke would find out about it.

She could no longer lie about her feelings.

It is too late to say this, but even after the false accusation, Fumika Kirishima still loved Ryosuke with all her heart. The only reason she went out with a man she didn’t like was because she wanted Ryosuke’s attention.

The reason she took the strong step of hurting Mai was because she had been ignored for the past two weeks,……, and she decided to take advantage of Mai because she was in so much pain.

With other students, even if it was a salty response, he would only say a few words back. But Kirishima was the only one who was ignored. …… Ryosuke knew that this would be the most effective way to damage Kirishima.

And as expected, Kirishima is suffering so much that she can’t sleep every day. But what was unexpected was that Mai was targeted. It seems that even Ryosuke couldn’t see that she was such an unthinking and stupid piece of trash.

─ ─ Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang.

Kirishima is in no condition to move, so her sister opens the front door to answer it instead.

The younger sister is an adorable first grader.

Unlike her older sister who dyes her hair, she has black hair. …… Fumika hopes she won’t become a delinquent like herself.

“…… what’s going on?”

She could hear someone talking to someone at the doorway, but the voice of her younger sister, Youka, sounded somewhat happy.

Maybe she has a friend over?

Just as she thought that, she heard footsteps pattering down the hallway …… and her sister vigorously opened the door to her room.

“Sister!”

“……What’s the matter, Yuka? Sis is a little bit sick today,…… and I want to be alone,……ku,…… Eh? —?”

I was astonished to see the figure behind Yuka.

Standing there was the person I had realized I loved the most in the world,…… and yet the person I most hated to see at the moment – Ryosuke Yamamoto.

Then I remembered.

When I had frequently invited Ryosuke to my house, Yuka had been very fond of him – that’s why I had easily invited him into my house.

And my sister was a kindergartener until last year, so she didn’t even know anything about the false accusation of assault.

“I’m sorry, Onee-chan! But it’s been a while since Oni-tan came!”

“Thank you Yuka-chan,………, I’d like to have a little chat with Onee-chan………, can I have a moment alone with her?”

“Sure! Play with me later!”

“Okay”

Fumika’s eyes saw the image of the former Ryosuke as he talked with Yuka with a smile on his face.

“………Oh, that’s right.”

Fumika remembered the old Ryosuke.

Before the false accusation, Ryosuke Yamamoto had been in such a cheerful mood with his classmates.

Unlike the current feeling of dependence on Mai, he is flat and does not divide with anyone with his kindness …… plus his well-developed looks.

He was the most popular person in the class.

His classmates can’t forget him, and they are always trying to make up for it…even though they were undeniably the ones who destroyed Ryosuke Yamamoto. ……As soon as they find out he was falsely accused, they remember the days they spent with him, and they try to get him back.

His sister, father, and Kirishima are especially fierce.

They are eager to get Ryosuke back to the way he was.

There is no way Ryosuke can be compatible with people who treat him with such emotions. The lid on Ryosuke’s heart is only going to sink.

“See you later!”

With a wave of her hand, Yuka left the room.

He promised to play with her later, and Ryosuke will surely keep that promise. …… That little girl didn’t hurt Ryosuke, so there was no reason to treat her coldly anywhere.

“……Ryosuke, what’s wrong? ……Perhaps, y-you haven’t come to visit us in a while?”

It is impossible, she knows that.

It was obvious from the timing that he was here because of the incident with Mai.

Even so, she gambled on the slightest hope.

A miracle that he might have come to play with her.

It is easy to say.

Just say it.

“…………”

Needless to say, however, this made Ryosuke even more uncomfortable.

Ryosuke approached Fumika’s side with cold eyes. He then approached Fumika, who was curled up in a ball on the floor.

“Can you stand up?”

“Eh….Ah, yes!”

It had been a long time since she had seen Ryosuke with such an unexpectedly gentle tone …….

The shallow woman fantasized only about what was convenient and stood up as she was told. Believing that she would be accepted.

But right after that…

“Ogggh!

A shock hit her abdomen.

Before she can assess the situation, Fumika crouches down in pain.

“Ryo…… suke…… why”

It was a leg kick; Ryosuke had kicked her in the abdomen.

The pain and the truth of it make her nauseous…… but she somehow manages to hold it in, thinking that if she throws up here, she will be hated even more and more.

“You really have done it, huh? Of all the times you could have laid your hands on Mai, you did!! I wanted to kill you right away, but I’ve been holding back until after school!!”

“……HIII”

Ryosuke crouched down by her side, where she was lying face down, and shouted angrily at her.

His eyes were terrifying, the way he spoke was bizarre, and the fear of when he might strike her sent a chill down Fumika’s spine.

She struggled to escape from the current situation.

“T-T-terrible of you to violate a girl …… kuu …….”

“Haa? I’m the kind of guy who assaults girls to begin with, remember? What are you talking about?”

“But, ……, that’s a false accusation…”

“You thought I was that guy for a year, didn’t you? I’m responding to your wishes with violence, don’t tell me what’s convenient for you now.”

As it is, Ryosuke stomps on the back of the crouching Fumika …… and puts his weight on the leg he has placed on her.

“I-it hurts……Ryosuke……S-stop!”

“Hm? The student council president got kicked a lot harder, no?”

“W-What does the student council president have to do with this? Nakazato is what’s important to Ryosuke!”

“If it weren’t for the student council president, Mai would have been killed ……, so the student council president’s wounds are Mai’s wounds.”

“Uu……guh……!”

The pain in the back, the humiliation of being trampled by someone.

But that didn’t matter to Fumika now. …… The problem is that ‘the act’ is being done by Ryosuke.

The pain and humiliation were greater than the despair.

The nightmare of being stabbed to death by a murderer…… is far better than the reality of being treated like this by the man she loves.

“W-wait…..I didn’t kick the student council president, I didn’t kick her………Higg ……I didn’t do anything!!!!”

Tears couldn’t stop from falling due to the helpless pain.

“You’re the one who called them out, right? If that were the case, why did gather them up, none of that would have happened. Convenient woman you’ve been since a while ago. …… I mean, don’t cry, it’s disgusting. …… I didn’t put that much pressure on my leg, did I?”

“I-ah, I hate it when you do that to me,…… ugh,…… because I like you,…… Ryosuke.”

The word “like” gave Ryosuke chills,…… and it was something he never wanted to hear from Fumika Kirishima’s mouth.

Ryosuke smiles wryly, wondering how she could say that with a mouth that has kissed the bad guys and cursed him so much.

“You’re starting to sound really creepy… I’m not the one you like, right? You had your first kiss, remember? You know, the one who got arrested.”

“Stop it! Stop it! Don’t remind me of that! I really regret it!”

Fumika clings to her feet.

The image of her appeared to overlap with that of her sister.

“Do you know how pathetic you look?”

“I don’t care how pathetic I look, as long as Ryosuke believes me! I don’t like that guy! I really will change my mind, please forgive me, I really beg you!”

Ryosuke retreated his stomping foot.

He didn’t forgive her,……, but he caught a glimpse of her sister’s hallucination in her appearance. His palpitations quickened a bit, and he shook his head to regain his composure.

“………… haa…… haa…… ah, I feel sick talking to you.…… Starting tomorrow, can you keep away from Mai? “

“Yeah, that’s fine! So I’ll see you again tomorrow—”

“I’ve been thinking since a while ago, don’t call me by my name, it makes me feel bad.”

“I-I’m sorry ……, but it’s really hard to be ignored all the time!”

The look in Kirishima’s eyes is uncommon …… similar to my sister’s when she broke her own finger bones.

I’m sure I’m hallucinating,……, it’s not me that’s crazy, it’s her that’s crazy. I’m not crazy because I’m me, I’m a normal person, I’m not crazy, it’s Fumika Kirishima who is crazy.

—-Ryosuke told himself.

(How could this guy and my sister have done such a terrible thing if they are in the habit of being so blindly faithful to me?)

That is a mystery to Ryosuke at heart.

Because if Mai or Usui were put in the same situation, he would believe them no matter what. So no matter how hard they try, he can’t understand his sister and Kirishima’s thoughts.

“………… hehe”

“…………”

Kirishima has an eerie and strange smile on her face. The fearlessness of it would normally make one shudder. However, Ryosuke had no feelings of fear at all. All he felt was an unfathomable sense of discomfort.

“…I’m going now—you’re making me sick when I’m with you.”

“Wait! I’m not done talking to you!”

I said what I needed to say and left the room.

If she can’t keep her promise even after all this gentle treatment, then I’ll beat her up even more brutally.

But she’s not someone worth believing. …… And it’s just a verbal promise.

I’m going to skip all my elective classes tomorrow.

Yeah, let’s do that, that’s definitely the way to go. …… But even so…

─ ─ Ryosuke stares at the room he just came out of.

Kirishima is still inside.

The reason why I only went this far this time is because I met with Yuka. If it had been Fumika Kirishima who opened the front door, I would have punished her more thoroughly.

She would never have gotten away with more than a single kick.

“You’re really lucky, you know that?”

Immediately after leaving Kirishima’s room, I stood up tall and took a deep breath.

The air tasted so good as I stepped out into the hallway!

I knew the air in Kirishima’s room was stale!

This strange feeling in the pit of my stomach was all because of her. She really makes me feel uncomfortable.

But…

“That’s the first time I ever hit a woman.”

The feeling is still there for a bit.

But I shouldn’t have ended it with just a kick and a threat, I definitely …… should have done it more thoroughly so that she will never touch Mai again.

But the thought of Yuka passed over and over again in my mind,…… and I couldn’t put any strength into my legs.

God would suspect that my love for Mai was to that extent, but for some reason I stopped moving.

“Oni-tan, I heard a big drop, what’s happened?”

“………… Ah.”

Yuka-chan heard me, didn’t she?

That’s right, if it was that noisy, it would echo.

Even though the house is only on the ground floor,……, it has a large room for that.

“I’m sorry if it scarred you.”

“I’m okay!…… Oni-tan are you okay?”

“…… hmm?”

Sh*t, my face was still in the mode of beating Kirishima to death. I have to fix it. This is very bad.

“I’m sorry for worrying you, okay? I’m fine, I’m fine!”

“…… Yeah! The same old Oni-tan!”

On the way home, I played a little with Yuka.

I had a lot of fun.

But I got the chills when I saw Kirishima peeking through the door.