Volume 1 - CH 1

Back in high school, there was a girl in my class who was like a queen. She wasn’t a queen because she ruled over a country but because she was a bit more beautiful than others, had a loud voice, and was straightforward with her opinions.

Humans are weak creatures. They fear and tremble before those stronger than them and thoroughly bully those weaker than them.

All of my classmates quickly understood this. When they compared themselves to her, they realized they were inferior.

Of course, she had many friends. Those who wanted to bask in her authority and those who were intimidated by her and clung to her like a shadow. She did have a few genuine friends, but even they couldn’t use strong words with her.

As a result of interacting with such people throughout her three years of high school, she gradually came to be called the Queen.

Anyway, leaving the past behind, about four months had passed since I moved to Tokyo to attend university.

Today, as usual, I was working at a convenience store, eager to earn money to have fun. The night shift pays better than the daytime shift, and there’s no worry about it overlapping with lecture times.

The only problem was the overwhelming drowsiness during lectures, but that was about it.

Although this convenience store is located near a residential area in Tokyo, there were hardly any customers during the night shift. But unusually, a customer came in.

It was a young woman who entered the store. However, her appearance in a grey sweatshirt made her look completely unenthusiastic.

Well, about half of the female customers who come in at this time are like this. During the day, many women who stop by the convenience store before going out are dressed to the nines, with perfect makeup, frilly miniskirts, and low-cut shirts. But female customers who come in at this time seem to have nothing to offer in terms of eye candy, perhaps due to the fact that they’re only going to sleep.

Just hurry up and buy what you need, then leave.

While grumbling to myself, I watched the woman’s movements from the security camera in the break room. Contrary to my wishes, the woman stopped by the magazine corner first and began to read while standing; it looked like she’d take quite a while.

What a pain.

I thought that, but it seemed that she was quick to lose interest in whatever magazine she was reading.

Daily necessities, snacks, and then she filled her shopping basket with a boxed meal and started walking toward the counter.

“Yoisho.”

I let out an old man-like voice as I stood up from my chair. The hourly wage was good, but it was quite exhausting to attend university during the day and work part-time at night. As I thought about reducing my work shifts starting next week, I went to the counter.

The woman at the counter was staring blankly at the contents of her basket.

I hadn’t noticed from the security camera, but when I got closer, I realized that the woman in front of me was quite beautiful.

Long black hair, long eyelashes, a high nose, and a small mouth.

Even someone as beautiful as her wore a sweatshirt.

It felt like I had seen her somewhere before, but I couldn’t quite place it. Well, I probably rang up her purchases a few times while working at the convenience store.

With that thought, I felt motivated to do my job well in front of the woman.

As I scanned the barcodes of the items she was purchasing, that’s when it happened.

“Hey, is that you, Yamamoto?”

Her voice was a bit deep for a woman. It’s an old-fashioned way of thinking, but I believe women should be creatures known for their grace, charm, and elegance. Such a deep voice would be a minus from my point of view… but what concerned me the most was the familiarity of her voice.

Wait, how does she know my name?

I looked up from the products and raised my head.

And then, I slowly observed the woman in front of me.

The woman standing before me was undeniably beautiful. But she had a slightly sullen expression. Her face also seemed somewhat familiar.

Her voice, her face, and her attitude.

I hadn’t noticed because of her sweatshirt, but I knew her too. We had met before I moved to the city—during high school. She and I were in the same class.

“Hayashi, right?”

“Hey, it’s been a while.”

Hayashi Megumi.

A girl who was in the same class as me at a rural high school during our high school days. A sullen face, an intimidating voice, and now, a well-proportioned body hidden by a sweatshirt.

The queen-like girl from high school that I remembered earlier… she was undoubtedly that person.

“So, you live around here.”

Hayashi and I were not particularly close in high school. We only talked a handful of times, and I never had any special intentions to strike up a conversation with her, and she probably felt the same way. If anything, I thought she didn’t like me.

However, Hayashi surprisingly spoke to me in a friendly manner.

“Yeah, I live in an apartment around here. What about you?”

“Well, yeah.”

Since we had mutual friends, I knew she had moved to the city for college. I just didn’t expect her to live around here. To be honest, it bothered me.

“Which university are you attending?”

“K** University.” (TL Note: Usual web novel shenanigans)

“Wow, that’s impressive. You must be smart.”

“I just studied hard. What about you?”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean, ‘huh?’ I’m asking about your university.”

I had finished scanning the barcodes of the products and asked with an exasperated expression.

Hayashi looked down with a seemingly displeased face. She didn’t have to look so upset. It’s not like I was going to surprise her at her university or stalk her. It was just the flow of the conversation, like how she asked me. Just small talk. If anything, it’s a casual chat that I’ll forget once she leaves the convenience store.

“…M** University.”

“Hmm. Do you need a bag?”

“Yes.”

I added a three-yen charge for the plastic bag and urged Hayashi to pay. While she was putting money into the machine, I packed the items into the bag.

“Have you seen Kasahara recently?”

I asked.

Kasahara was… her best friend from high school.

“I haven’t.”

“Hmm. You two used to be so close.”

Well, I, too, have countless friends who I’ve lost touch with since graduating from high school just five months ago. It’s been four months since I started college. This is the time when building new friendships takes the most time, so I guess it’s understandable.

“Are you enjoying college?”

“…Yeah, I guess. What about you?”

“Given that I’m working a late-night job, you can guess. Everything’s going smoothly.”

“Which one is it? You’re being vague.”

Hayashi said, sounding exasperated. Come to think of it. She always made a disgusted face in high school whenever I made such flippant remarks. She probably doesn’t like evasive ways of speaking.

However, she was friendly when she approached me earlier, but as soon as I brought up personal matters, she seemed reluctant to talk.

This is… a sign that her college life might not be going well.

That’s quite surprising.

It’s not just because she has a pretty face. That’s not the only reason I thought so. Everyone was in awe of her in high school, calling her a “queen,” but I never thought of her that way. I didn’t dislike her. I didn’t like her either.

I just often thought of her as a strong-willed, manly woman.

She was called a “queen” and was feared, but she wasn’t arrogant.

She just had a bit of a foul mouth, hated dishonesty, and had a short temper. That was my impression of her.

… Isn’t that pretty much being arrogant?

“Here are your items.”

“Thanks.”

Hayashi reached out for the bag filled with items.

At that moment, I saw it. The bruise on her wrist, which had been hidden by her sweatshirt.

I couldn’t help but be taken aback.

She noticed. Hayashi’s face twisted.

“…Did you hurt your wrist?”

It’s not that I’m trying to make excuses, but I didn’t look at the bruises on her wrist because I wanted to. Neither did I want to make those remarks.

I saw her painful bruises unintentionally, and I asked about them because… back in high school, she was a girl with a strong sense of justice who hated dishonesty more than anyone else and faced any opponent. But now, she was looking down with a frightened face.

…Literally, Hayashi’s face was distorted with fear.

Injuries like that are no problem if others find out. If you say you’re being treated, you can receive favours in various places, and it’s something you should actively advertise.

But Hayashi hid it. She hid it as if it would be a problem if it were discovered.

“I was hit.”

“By who?”

“…By my boyfriend.”

Only then did I realize the unnaturalness. It’s still the height of summer. Even late at night, it’s too early to wear a long-sleeved sweatshirt, let alone go out in one.

And yet, she was wearing it. Moreover, she said the bruises on her wrist were from being hit by her boyfriend.

…An unpleasant premonition crossed my mind. As someone who had studied in the same class and graduated in the same year, it was a premonition I didn’t want to come true.

…Could it be that under her sweatshirt, she was covered in even more bruises? Painful, dark blue bruises?

“…Where’s your boyfriend today?”

“He’s at home.”

“At home…?”

“We’re living together.”

Despite having only graduated from high school and moved to Tokyo a few months ago, she already had a partner with whom she had such an advanced relationship. I was shocked, but the truth was that I was more impatient than anything else.

“You can stay at my place tonight,” I told her.

“What?”

“Don’t be so intimidating. It’s scary.”

While being intimidated by her for the first time since high school, I realized… she was once a frightening girl like now, and now she’s being abused by her boyfriend.

“I understand. I won’t do anything. If you’re scared, stay at an internet cafe tonight. I’ll just give you the key.”

Hayashi glared at me and sulked.

“…Is that okay? Anyway, don’t go home today. In fact, don’t go back at all. Talk to your parents and take refuge at your parents’ house.”

Fortunately, it should be summer break for college now. There are plenty of excuses for her to go home without her boyfriend noticing.

“…I can’t.”

“Why?”

“…I was disowned by my parents.”

“Why?!”

“When I told them I was going to live with my boyfriend, they got really mad.”

This is what it means to be at a loss for words. The image of her as the queen-like figure from the past no longer overlapped with the woman she was now. She looked like a frightened kitten.

“My parents said they wouldn’t pay for my tuition if that’s how it was going to be. …So I quit college.”

“…Anyway, don’t go home today.”

After a brief silence, I told her that. Listening to Hayashi’s story so far had been shocking, but there still seemed to be more frightening stories left.

“I’ll get the key. I’ll tell you the address when I do.”

I went back to the changing room and quickly returned to the register. I couldn’t help but feel that if I gave her time now, she might run away.

“Hmm.”

I tried to hand the key to Hayashi.

“…I don’t need the key.”

“Hey.”

“…I’ll wait.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll wait until your shift is over.”

When I looked closely, I could see that Hayashi’s body was trembling. I finally understood what she was going through. She was scared right now. She might think that going to my place instead of going home is a betrayal to her boyfriend. Or, she might be scared of the retaliation waiting for her if her boyfriend finds out. Or, she might be afraid that she would suffer the same fate from me as she does from her boyfriend.

In any case, for various reasons, she probably wants to be with me, even though she might dislike me.

“…It’s about an hour left, so please wait while reading a magazine or something.”

Outside, the sun was rising, and the sky was getting brighter.

I’m glad that the time I made her wait was only an hour. But then I realized, at this time of day, her boyfriend, who she’s living with, let her go out alone?

In high school, we weren’t particularly close. If anything, I thought she disliked me.

Our relationship was such that it would naturally become distant after graduating from high school.

And yet, I met her again like this, learned about her current situation… What is this feeling I’m having…? It wasn’t love… it was something else.