Chapter 4: School life that needs to end soon

A week has passed since then.

I didn’t have much to do except hang out with Mai.

The contacts on my smart phone were my mom, Mai, and Mai’s parents ……, and then my one and only friend at another school.

Other than that, I deleted everything.

These are the only five people I have registered with on my phone.

I don’t feel lonely at all …… even though I’m only registered with these five people, but I’ve gotten used to it.

“I’m off.”

“Yes! Have a good day!”

Mom’s night shift is over, and I head off to school at a time when I don’t have to face the three garbage people as usual.

From today onward, my mother prepares my lunch and sees me off.

Before I was falsely accused, I honestly felt embarrassed to exchange greetings with my mom.

But now it’s different. …… I am so grateful to be able to go to school with someone I can trust to see me off.

“Ah, good morning, Ryosuke!”

“Oh, good morning, Mai.”

Mai was waiting for me outside.

The two of us headed to school shoulder to shoulder.

“….Ah! Mother!”

“Ah, it is her.”

As we passed by Mai’s house, I saw Mai’s mom waving at us from the balcony, so Mai and I waved back.

“Haaaaaa……can we change seats already?”

“…………”

“My seat next to me is seriously the worst.”

Just before class started, the girl sitting next to me was muttering sarcasm with a sigh. They obviously know I can hear them. We are even sitting far away from each other.

I still have no place in the classroom, but I’m okay with that because Mai is here.

“Poor girl, a rapist sitting next to you.”

“Right? Can’t I get the day off tomorrow?”

She is talking to Fumika Kirishima ……, so they are friends.

If one looks closely, one can see that both of them are rickety, and this is exactly what I mean when I say that like attracts like.

But still, Kirishima always comes every break time and it bothers me. It’s fine if it’s me, but it pisses me off because Mai is bothered by it.

If even the slightest bit of that malice is directed at Mai — I won’t show mercy.

“Then ……you can go home first”

“Committee meeting?”

“Yeah. …… sorry?”

“No problem, don’t worry about it.”

Today is the day Mai has her weekly committee work.

Waiting for her will only make her feel uncomfortable, so I guess I’ll just go home like she asked.

I don’t mind waiting for Mai, but I feel sorry for her if she feels pressured that I have waited a long time for her.

I went to the shoe box and changed my shoes.

Then an obtrusive woman approached me from the front. I should have waited,…… but the pressure was too much,…… Oh, what a pain in the *ss.

“……… Haa.”

I frown.

It’s because the other person was the student body president.

I hate and despise this person.

“You are still a disgusting person. I’m ashamed of myself for inviting you to the student council without knowing you were like that.”

The student body president seemed to be offended by my disgusted attitude. She stares at me in disapproval.

“……………”

What are you talking about when you asked me with my own permission?

She is a little shorter than me but taller than most of the girls. She has the good looks and figure to be scouted as a model, and is apparently the object of admiration among male students. ……

Mai, who is petite and has a calm and gentle personality, is 100 times better than her.

At one time I even admired this student body president, but that was in the past and not a single element of admiration exists anymore.

……It’s black history now, but I think this woman was my first love.

Back then, I was unknowingly unaware of how cute Mai was, so my heart was drawn to the student council president who was always so sweet to me.

…………

…………

And yet, she was the one who came to hurt me after my family in that incident.

She was the one who conspired with my sister to kick me out of the student council and said a lot of horrible things to me.

“How long are you going to continue being an embarrassment to me?”

I tried to walk past her without saying a word, but she kept me here and said malicious words to me.

“….Haa?”

I couldn’t help but respond, even though I had been completely ignoring her.

When I deliberately suppressed my mouth and said, “Oops,” she seemed to be annoyed by the gesture and her face turned bright red and she started to ramble on.

“You’ve done this woman a terrible harm! You didn’t even apologize once!? You really, really are the worst!”

“………”

She’s so agitated that she’s breathing on my shoulder.

Don’t get mad at me for getting a little aggravated. …… Can’t it be over sooner than that?

I can’t stand to listen to hypocrites’ off-the-mark sermons.

“I-I feel sorry for Kaede.”

“………?”

Kaede ……who? …………… Oh, you mean my sister.

I seriously forgot her name.

I should feel sorry because I have an older sister like that.

I mean, more than the meaningless sermon, the most painful thing for me is that I heard her name. Don’t remind me of her.

“Kaede, she said she’d be willing to forgive you at least a little if you apologized, okay? I can’t completely forgive a criminal, but I could at least step up to the plate.”

“…………”

“You know what she said? She said she’s willing to compromise with you for assaulting a woman. She’s a really sweet sister — and, well, I-I’m willing to talk to you a little bit, too, if you’ll change your mind and really feel remorse,……?”

“…………”

I’m getting goosebumps. …… It’s really creepy.

And she talks to me from a superior perspective. How much value does she think she has?

What? You want me to pay for my sins? For something I didn’t do? I reject the premise that I have to apologize. It’s a nuisance to be approached by people who don’t listen to what I have to say.

“……Student Council President.”

“W-what?”

—-It was her first time.

Ruiko Himekawa, the student council president.

It has been more than 10 months since she kicked Ryosuke out of the student council. Thinking that kicking him out was a bit too much, but thinking from the victim’s point of view, it was unforgivable.

However, she warned him many times after that, trying to make him change his mind every time she saw him.

Ruiko really thought she could forgive him if he really changed his mind.

It was because she had feelings for Ryosuke Yamamoto …… that she hit him harder than anyone else when he committed sexual crimes. She was shocked to find out that the man she liked was a lowlife.

But when she met him and warned him about it, he was unfaithful and ignored her. It didn’t look like he was feeling sorry for himself —- but she continued to speak to him, but before she knew it, he stopped even responding to her.

It was the first time that Ryosuke had approached her since he had been kicked out of the student council.

Ruiko was excited to finally hear his words of remorse.

But her joy was short-lived.

“……You have a surprisingly good sense of humor, huh?”

“What ……… humor? What do you mean with….humor?”

“I’m complimenting you. ─ You’re saying that if I’m sorry, we can talk a little bit? …… You can’t say something like that without being embarrassed and having a sense of humor. Do you really think you’re wanted by me?”

“W-what….those bad habits….!”

Ruiko’s face turns bright red and her shoulders tremble.

He throws a final word at the student council president.

“───Go to hell!”

“………!?”

Ruiko swallowed her words as she was about to say something back.

She has never had a chance to look Ryosuke in the eye and talk to him before,…… so it is no surprise that he never wants to make eye contact with her.

The hostility like magma is in the depths of Ryosuke’s eyes, which she hasn’t seen in a long time.

At first glance, the cold and icy gaze …… is only on the surface, but the inside is filled with hatred.

“…………U…..Uhm”

She caught a glimpse of the hatred that made her shudder, and this time Ruiko trembled, not with anger but with fear.

“Well then”

After finishing what he wanted to say, Ryosuke left as if nothing had happened.

Ruiko silently watched Ryosuke’s back. As usual, she was in no position to say anything.

“You are just being unfaithful …… right?”

It was not so much that he was unfaithful, but rather that he had given up everything and really hated everyone. That warm and gentle gaze…… is nowhere to be found anymore.

Ruiko held her chest, which suddenly began to ache.

“Could it be that …… I was wrong ……?”

After saying that, she shakes her head and denies what she just mumbled. Even if it ends in an attempt, she cannot forgive what Ryosuke did. What he did and what she said was not a mistake.

But his stubborn refusal to admit guilt after more than a year had her thinking.

Something is not right……. At least there are a few people who will take his side as long as he apologizes, and given his personality, it is not surprising that he apologizes without being stubborn.

“……………?!”

After pondering this, a word passed through Ruiko’s mind.

─ ─ ─ [False accusation].

“……!?”

Just by imagining it, Ruiko’s body trembled.

If that was the case, it would be terrible.

Everybody is disgracing an innocent person. …… It’s also her first love, a junior.

“No. ……! NO……!”

This time she shook her head harder than before.

She kept saying terrible things to try to rehabilitate the boy she likes ……, so she can’t accept this at all costs.

It was undoubtedly herself who took the initiative in making Ryosuke worse.

“….But”

─ ─ If he was really falsely accused, how can she apologize and be forgiven ……? She thought about it a lot, but she couldn’t think of any good way to do it.