Chapter 10: Fumika Kirishima and Broken Emotions

I was met with a lot of nauseous stares in the morning.

It was very unpleasant, but it was nice to see the student body president’s tragic crying face.

She’s probably going to go home anyway.

That’s the kind of woman she is. She’s always been like that.

When we were on the same student council in junior high school, she would immediately fall apart when she made a mistake. ……! How many times have I had to clean up her mess? I’m really pissed off because when I’m in a tight spot, they don’t even help me and simply give up on me. When I was invited to join the student council in high school, I was thrilled that I could count on them, but now I realize that I was merely being used. What a disgusting, vile, low-life woman!

“R-Ryosuke!”

“………! What’s the matter, Mai?”

“You looked so scared, ……?””

Mai looked at me anxiously.

I don’t want her to worry.

I’m going to reassure her right away.

“I’m sorry, Mai, but I’m fine.”

“Yes,……, don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“…… I know.”

Even if my mind is going crazy, I can come back ……because Mai will heal me.

Aah, I’m glad Mai is with me.

Thank you for everything. If anyone pisses you off, let me know, okay? I’ll crush them.

“Even in the classroom…it will happen, won’t it?”

Mai asked anxiously, but her question was definitely true. The people in the classrooms will be giving me the same kind of stares as the ones on the way to school.

“I’m sure of it.”

“I think …. I will be late”

“Me too.”

I’ve realized that it’s harder to be pitied than to be ignored,……, especially after the way people look at me and the incident with the student body president.

I’m not kidding, I’d go crazy if I had to deal with that kind of attitude, especially from my classmates. They are the group that has caused me the most pain.

But I’m okay because I have Mai.

She gives me courage.

“……Ryosuke……Yeah, let’s go!”

“Yeah, okay.”

I opened the classroom door.

Silence falls as they notice me,…… pitying, apologetic, and eyes begging for forgiveness.

It’s so predictable that I feel like this has made me calm down.

“…………”

No, I’m not calm.

I still want to kill every last one of these guys.

If I do it, I’ll get in trouble with the police.

But the police wouldn’t help me.

But it would cause trouble for Mai and my mother… so I’m going to hold out and not kill them.

I let go of the cutter knife that I had been holding tightly in my pocket.

I had always had it with me in case someone had malicious intent toward Mai, but from tomorrow on, I would leave it behind.

Not as a scare tactic, but now I’m really going to stab them.

“See you later, Ryosuke.”

“Yeah, see you at recess.”

I was talking to the student body president and by the time I got to the classroom, it was already time for homeroom.

Mai and I had no choice but to part ways.

“Should I hide it just in case?”

I moved the cutter I had in my pocket to my bag so that people around me would not notice. It’s hard work because I’m the center of attention.

I’m not in the right frame of mind today. I have to be careful because I’m afraid that I might actually cause a crime, not a false accusation.

I can usually remain indifferent, but I can’t bear to have people show sympathy for me. I had worked so hard with Mai, and I couldn’t tolerate the attitude of those around me who tried to pretend that I had not done my best.

I sat down in my seat and looked at my textbook for first period class.

That’s when I heard…

“Oh, g-good morning.”

A woman sitting next to me spoke to me.

I didn’t even know her name, but she was the one who was always bad-mouthing Kirishima and me.

The woman was one of the most depressing among the classmates. …… Well, not as depressing as Kirishima, though.

“………… what?”

“Yes, I’m really sorry about what happened before.”

“…………….”

I held back my anger.

It was a good thing I kept the cutter blade deep in my bag, I might have …… stabbed her.

Even that student body president weighed in with an apology, but this shameless b*tch is irredeemable.

She summoned up all her courage and called out to me….does she want to show off her bravery?

I ignored her and continued reading.

“I-I’m apologizing, but you should at least listen to me!”

She seemed to be dissatisfied with being treated coldly.

She complained with a miffed expression on her face,…… and I could tell by her reaction that her current apology was only superficial.

“…..As I thought”

“W-What?”

“That’s the extent of your apology. If you felt bad, you wouldn’t be upset, right? You just want to apologize, be forgiven, and feel good, don’t you?”

“N-No, that’s not it!”

“Don’t talk back.”

“B-but…”

“I’m the victim here, and I have the right to decide whether or not to forgive you. And I don’t want to accept your apology. Am I clear?”

“………, don’t talk to me like that!”

“I mean, what’s your …… name again?”

“It doesn’t matter what my name is right now!”

“Well, I don’t want to know the name of a piece of sh*t like you either.”

“Haa? You’re kidding me! You don’t even…”

The girl held her mouth with her hand in a panic as she said that much.

[Unknown PoV]

[You are a piece of sh*t!]

The words I was about to utter are words that I must never say to this Ryosuke alone.

Even a woman who can’t read the air could understand that.

I can’t allow Ryosuke to be hurt any more than he already is……. That’s what we discussed and decided with everyone in the class before Ryosuke arrived.

The people who have been hurting Ryosuke without permission are now trying to protect him without permission…… There are not many stories more thick-skinned and brazen than this one.

─ ─ But whether Ryosuke will miss what I just said is another story.

“What do you mean by ‘you’?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“I’m the guy who does well on tests, has a good attitude in class, and has never caused any problems in my life, so what’s your problem? You still think I’m a criminal?”

“Ah ……, no, ……, I’m r-really sorry.”

It was the first time anyone had said that much to me, and it seemed to have struck a chord.

There was still a part of me that unconsciously made fun of Ryosuke, and that was the trigger for her rebellious attitude.

However, after being told about it, I realized it.

Ryosuke is a true human being who has a serious attitude in class and always keeps his grades at the top of the class.

In addition, he is one of the most beautiful young men in the class.

The only thing that was holding him back was his criminal background, but that is no longer the case, and he is now, by all accounts, an outstanding man.

Compared to the delinquent girl who never takes her classes seriously and spends her days playing around with her friends, he is a man of excellence by anyone’s standards.

I could no longer say anything back.

“Ugh ……”

A woman in the seat next to him turns red and looks forward.

Unbeknownst to Ryosuke, her name is Chiaki Sunagawa.

Not only her, but also those around her who had been eavesdropping silently, looked uncomfortable …… and no one thought anyone would be easily forgiven any longer.

At this time, Ryosuke was glad that Mai’s seat was in a remote location, because thanks to …… that, she didn’t have to listen to such an ugly exchange.

—–Garagara

[Ryosuke PoV]

“…………Fuu”

─ ─ I almost laughed …… when I saw Fumika Kirishima enter the classroom at the end of the homeroom, just in time for tardiness.

She has dark circles around her eyes and shaggy hair.

I wonder if the two of you have been talking back and forth?

I never thought I’d be laughing at this person or the student body president after all these years.

It’s a deliberate trick, but it’s effective.

“K-Kirishima-san…”

Because Mai, who came to my seat to play with me, is looking at me with sympathy.

“Ah, R-Ryosuke…….”

An actor No. 2 came toward me, hugging her bag with both hands. And then, as if she had come right in front of me, she bowed her head vigorously.

“I’m so sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done. …… I have some things I want to talk to you about. …… Can you give me some time after school?”

The woman in the seat next to me is the same way.

Why is it so easy to apologize? It’s proof that you don’t think anything of it, huh? At the very least, come and bow your head and put up with me for at least a year of making me suffer.

An apology is a relief. It makes people feel better.

Early on, this woman has no intention of taking the time to reflect on what she did. …… She doesn’t want to be bothered anymore, so she just wants to apologize quickly and get it over with.

That is too shallow of an idea.

I’m not going to let you get away with it. I’ll hunt you down.

“………”

Mai, who had been sympathetic to Kirishima, also had a slightly grim expression on her face when she saw Kirishima bowing her head.

Considering all that has happened, I would not expect her to apologize after just one day of remorse.

Especially Fumika Kirishima, who is a woman, has tried to hurt me more than she should. …… After hearing her rantings so many times, even Mai can’t forgive her so easily.

“Why should I have to wait after school for you?”

“Ah T-T-Then we can do it on the way home!”

“I’m going home with Mai. I hate it.”

“Well, then, Nakazato—“

Fumika Kirishima tries to talk to Mai this time after being told that.

However, it was too bad that she was so quick to dismiss it as a bad move,……, but my expression instantly became tense.

“Don’t talk to Mai, okay? Using Mai as an excuse pisses me off to death.”

“I-I’m not using her as leverage!”

“You are doing it because I see you are doing it…… First of all, go home with your boyfriend, okay? You’re in love with him, right? …… Oh, different school, I see?”

Fumika turns even more pale at what I just said that.

“Noooo! He is not my boyfriend!”

The entire classroom fell silent at her loud voice, but I was not fazed in the slightest. Having been through a lot in the past year…… I am not going to let a classmate’s hysterics get the better of me.

I approached Fumika and muttered to her the words that would torment her.

“‘No, no, you’ve held hands with him many times, right? And the other day you were bragging about having had your first kiss. Suddenly he’s not your boyfriend? And he might be falsely accused, so why don’t you just believe him, tell me please?”

I whispered in a tone that only Kirishima could hear, because I didn’t want Mai to hear such an ungraceful talk.

It was weird to see her face so close to mine, but I could put up with it if this woman was going to suffer.

“Uppp.”

It was worth my patience, and Kirishima ran out of the classroom while holding her mouth.

The memory of the kiss, which she did not want to recall even for a moment.

She could not suppress her nausea because the man she loved was rehashing it all over again.

“W-wait Fumi!”

Chiaki Sunagawa called her friend Fumika Kirishima “Fumi” and hurried after her.

Chiaki turned and looked at me as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she ran out of the classroom without saying anything.

Mocking her, I looked away.

“Hey, are you all right?”

“I’m fine”

Mai, who could not understand what was going on because she could not hear the conversation.

She patted me gently on the back and said, “Don’t worry about it,”

The gesture was really cute.

“Then the teacher came, so I’m going, okay?”

“I’ll see you later.”

I opened my textbook and prepared for the upcoming class.

──Even so, Fumika Kirishima……she’s really interesting.

I was not aware that they were criminals, and I knew that they had started dating as a way to get to know me.

That’s why I didn’t say anything and let her swim. …… As expected, the relationship developed.

She’s really interesting.

Recently, when she told me about her first kiss, I shuddered with joy. ……I was sure that if she found out the truth, the damage would be quite large, but she reacted …… exactly as I expected. I’m glad I’m feeling that way.

Well, does she know how I felt?

I mean, after all, she was dating a criminal and even kissed him.

I’m a little disappointed …… that it would have been a more interesting relationship if the truth came out a little later.

──But still, I wonder what he’s going to do with those dirty lips?

If I were to kiss Kirishima by any chance, I would cut off my own lips, right?

Well, I don’t think he can do it.

〜From Fumika Kirishima’s point of view

“Ooeeeeee!!”

I was in the women’s restroom and I was throwing up all over the place. I was told by Ryosuke and what came back to me were the worst memories that I didn’t want to recall.

I was so sick …… of kissing the guy who made Ryosuke suffer. …… And what’s more, what’s the point of telling me about it? I don’t get it!

“Fumi, are you okay?”

Chiaki rushed over to me.

She patted me on the back, but it didn’t ease my queasiness……. I went back to the toilet once more.

“Guu,…… haa,…… haa,……!”

“Fumi!!! Don’t go home again!!!!”

“…… no…… I won’t be able to see Ryosuke……”

Yes, it would be a really bad idea to pull out here.

I need to get back to the old relationship somehow. …… He needs to at least listen to what I have to say.

I thought it was my first love that was over, but it wasn’t over at all……. I’ve been thinking about Ryosuke since yesterday.

I’ve been relentlessly involved with him until now because I loved him so much. That’s why I couldn’t forgive Ryosuke for committing the crime. …… Why am I realizing this now!!

The fact that I’ve thrown up twice makes me feel a little better and reminds me of the line that Ryosuke said to me earlier.

[And he might be falsely accused, so why don’t you just believe him, tell me please?]

I couldn’t believe Ryosuke, and there’s no way …… I’d believe a man like that, but there’s no way Ryosuke would be convinced.

Fumika looks at her own face in the mirror.

My hair is shaggy, complexion is pale, and I don’t have my usual looks.

“If I put on some makeup….. would he be able to see me?”

Taking out cosmetics from the pouch hanging from her waist, she cleaned up her face.

It may seem like a joke, but all Fumika Kirishima had left was her good looks.

She looks so good that she is sure to be picked up if she walks down the street,…… and that is her only weapon.

“…… Fumi,…… you.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,…… please god,…… make Ryosuke turn his head…….. ……”

She put on a thin layer of makeup as usual and returned to the classroom.

However, there is no way that Ryosuke would turn his head …… in the first place, it is impossible for Ryosuke to turn his attention to a woman other than Mai.

“……………!!!!”

Fumika glared at Mai, who was happily chatting with Ryosuke, with eyes filled with hatred.