Volume 1 - CH 4.2

Chapter 4 - The Truth (Part 2)

[Hoshimiya's POV]

"Ggggghh ...... sick......!"

The stalker, who seemed to have been hit in the nose, held his nose in pain.

He seemed to be in a lot of pain, and from the looks of it, it didn't look like he would be able to get up anytime soon.

"............"

Kuromine-kun silently looked at the stalker, picked up the folding knife that fell to the ground, folded it and put it in his pants pocket.

Then he walked over to me and bent down to look me in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Hoshimiya."

"......Why are you apologizing, Kuromine-kun?"

"Because I wasn't there when you needed me."

Kuromine-kun apologized seriously. His face was contorted with regret, and he had a complicated expression that seemed to be a mixture of anger, sadness ...... and many other emotions.

"This is not right ....... I was the one who pushed you away, and then she came ...... to see me .......!"

My heart was filled with relief that Kuromine-kun had come. I was already happy with that.

"Let's go outside. Can you get up?"

"Yes, I can... ...."

While the stalker was in pain and suffering, I stood up with Kuromine-kun supporting me.

I suddenly looked at Kuromine-kun's face and saw that it had changed to a normal expression.

Unnatural Normal Expression......

And when I went to the front door and was about to grab the doorknob.

"You've got to be kidding me! You...!"

I heard an angry voice behind me and turned around.

Leaning against the hallway wall, the stalker stood up and pulled a folding knife from his jacket pocket. Apparently he still had one!

I've heard that there are some people in the world who carry more knives than you can imagine.

"Ah, even though Ayana-chan has already accepted me...!"

"It doesn't look like that to me. You forced him, didn't you?"

"It's because Ayana-chan disappointed me! She brought a stupid man to her room!"

"That 'stupid man', you mean me?" Kuromine-kun muttered.

"I'll stab you, you bitch! If I mean it, I'll stab you in the back!"

A dark madness swirled there.

The stalker's eyes turned red and his hand holding the knife shook more than necessary. I was so scared that my eyes felt hot and the tears came again.

But the man next to me....

"Oh ...... are you going to stab me? Seriously, so you're the stabbing type, huh?"

Kuromine-kun said indifferently, as if telling the truth, and went on.

"Unlike the old man who robbed the grocery store, you have no reason in your eyes. And from your attitude, I can tell that you're just a selfish man who only cares about himself."

"You know, you don't understand anything!"

"I am the same kind of person as you, so I understand. I feel something familiar about you. You and I are on opposite sides of the fence."

"Argh, I don't care! I just want Ayana-chan to accept me!"

"I know how you feel."

"You have no idea!"

"I'm just like you. ...... I have selfish ideals for the people I love, and when those ideals are betrayed, I'm disappointed and lose my temper because of my selfishness."

Kuromine-kun, she put herself and the stalker in the same boat. Even though they are completely different.......

"Hoshimiya, run away from here."

"Yeah, but what about you ...... Kuromine-kun?"

"I'm fine."

What are you talking about?

"Don't talk to my Ayana-chan .....!"

The stalker spat out his mad rage and lunged at Kuromine-kun with a knife in his hand.

Normally, he would be too scared to do anything.

But undaunted, Kuromine-kun reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a folding knife, and threw it carelessly at the stalker.

"What the...?"

The stalker reacted with shock and stopped for a moment.

Not wanting to miss this split second opportunity, Kuromine-kun stepped in and ....

"Bwah!"

Kuromine-kun punched the stalker in the face with all his might. ......!

The stalker stepped back and stared at Kuromine-kun as if he didn't know what had just happened.

"I sympathize with you. But hurting Hoshimiya is another matter. I can't forgive you at all."

"Well, ...... you.....!"

Kuromine-kun punched the stalker in the face again as he tried to get up, then stepped on the stalker on the ground and raised his fist in the air.

"What are you going to do to Hoshimiya? Oi ...... b*stard."

Despite his calm words, Kuromine-kun slammed his powerful fist into the stalker's face.

I covered my face with my hands, afraid of such a cruel sight.

But my ears told me what was going on.

I heard the dull sound of someone being hit and the muffled voice of a stalker begging for forgiveness. .......

And then the sound stopped. I looked over to see if it was finally over, and then I saw Kuromine-kun holding a knife in his hand and raising it.

"No! Kuromine-kun..."

I knew immediately what he was going to do. Reflexively, I jumped at Kuromine-kun.

"Hoshimiya ...... let me go!"

"No! This really shouldn't be happening! Calm down!"

"I am already calm. I'm so calm that I wonder why I'm calm... .... so it's okay, let me go."

"What's okay?!"

Kuromine-kun finally realized that he was silently angry.

He did not vent his anger to the outside, but kept it inside and exploded silently.

This made him more terrifying than a normal person who screamed and yelled.

But even more than that, he was terrifying....

"I... don't like it!"

"You don't like...?"

"I don't want the person I love ...... to be unhappy!"

"I..."

"If you do that ...... Kuromine-kun won't be happy!"

I don't know what I was shouting. But the point is that I was shouting out my thoughts.

"...... You said you didn't like me."

"I like you! I love you! So stop ......!"

I desperately clung to Kuromine-kun's body to stop it, but I could feel the power leaving Kuromine-kun's body.

"Kuromine-kun ...... don't be a person who hurts others ......"

"............ I understand."

I replied in a weak voice. Kuromine-kun quietly put his knife down on the floor──.