Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330661640203483/episodes/16817330661687561373
“Let’s all be calm for a minute ! Why should Tohru be blamed one way or the other? Why don’t we start by verifying the facts first…? Where is the proof that Tohru did something terrible to Kisaragi san?”
Risa said everything as if she was speaking for me, saying what I had wanted to say for a long time and what I had wanted to complain about.
The classmates, who until a few minutes ago had been united in accusing me and hurling abusive language at me, are momentarily taken aback by Risa’s assertion that she is defending me.
“Terrible…Nanase san…to say such a thing…”
In the midst of all this, it was Kisaragi who broke the silence and opened her mouth.
With a trembling voice and tears in her eyes, she plays the role of the victim with a realistic performance.
“I was forced by Shinonome-kun to do such a thing to me…I was robbed of my purity…and yet you protect Shinonome kun…? You’re taking the criminal’s side…? Hiks…”
Kisaragi sobs.
The classmates, who had almost become calm for a moment, saw the sobbing Kisaragi and resumed cursing me as if they had come up for air and crowded Risa who was protecting me.
“Nanase san ! There’s no way you can say that ! ! !”
“You believe the claims of a criminal !? Nanase san !”
“Kisaragi san would never lie ! Shinonome kun must be saying it’s a lie to protect himself ! ! Don’t be deceived ! !”
“I understand, Nanase san. You’re shocked that your childhood friend committed a sex crime, right? You don’t want to believe it, right? But the crime that Shinonome kun committed is still the same. So, don’t give Kisaragi san any more hard time, okay? Don’t do such a thing as taking the criminal’s side, okay?”
Everyone was fooled by Kisaragi’s crying act and desperately tried to persuade Nanase, who was defending me, to come to their side.
“N-no…! I’m not protecting him because I want to believe that Tohru committed a crime ! Tohru would never do such a thing ! ! Don’t get emotional, everyone ! ! How can you believe only Kisaragi’s opinion without any proof ! ! It’s not right. Tohru would never do such a thing. Tohru would never force a girl by force…”
Nanase is desperately defending me.
She speaks for what I’ve always wanted to say but couldn’t say, that it’s strange that only Kisaragi’s opinion is respected even though there is no evidence.
However, my classmates are now completely on Kisaragi’s side, and Nanase’s words echo through the classroom.
The more she defended me, the colder and harsher her classmates’ eyes became.
“You’re the one who’s emotional, Nanase chan !”
“Nanase chan ! Please calm down ! That guy is a criminal ! ! Don’t protect him just because you’ve known him since childhood ! !”
“Nanase chan, are you being threatened by Shinonome by any chance? If that’s the case, I’m here to talk to you about it. Calm down and think about it. Kisaragi san would never lie to us, right?”
“Because of Nanase chan, Kisaragi is crying…? I’m not going to let Kisaragi get hurt any more than she already has.”
“No….I’m not protecting him just because we’re childhood friends,……I’m just saying that it’s unfair if you don’t respect both Kisaragi’s and Tohru’s opinions as much as I do. ……Ugh…why don’t you understand…”
Risa finally cries after being intensively attacked by the girls.
I thought that if things continued like this, not only me but Risa would be isolated in this class, so I went to Risa.
“That’s enough, Risa……thank you…..”
“Ugh…Tohru, I’m sorry……I’m so useless…”
“It’s okay. I’m glad you believed in me and said what you wanted to say on my behalf……I’ll just take your feelings.”
“Tohru…trust me on this…I’m on your side no matter what…….”
“Thank you… thank you so much…”
“I’m sorry…Toru…I’m sorry…”
I almost cried unintentionally when I saw Risa not only protecting me at the risk of being hated herself in this situation, but also crying and apologizing for not being able to help me.
However, my classmates looked at the crying Risa with a blank stare and seemed to think she was a pathetic person who was emotionally protecting a criminal.
If I stayed with Risa any longer, she would be hated and treated like a tumor.
I didn’t want Risa to become like that because of me.
I thanked Risa for covering for me, then I left her and went out of the classroom.
Then I spent the rest of the time until homeroom in the private bathroom.
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〜From Nanase Risa’s point of view
I, Nanase Risa, have two very dear childhood friends.
They are Hibiya Hayato and Shinonome Tohru.
We have been together since kindergarten, and our houses are close to each other.
We have often played together since we were little, and that relationship continues to this day.
Until elementary school, the three of us were just good friends, but around the time we entered middle school, I began to be aware of Tohru as a member of the opposite sex.
I fell in love with Tohru because he was kind and serious.
He always takes what is in front of him seriously and is considerate enough to put others before himself.
It was also Tohru who helped Hayato, who was being bullied in the past, and made him a friend.
“What should I do…I wonder if I should confess…But what if…But if I’m rejected…”
I have thought of confessing my feelings many times.
But I couldn’t take the first step.
I was afraid that my current relationship with him would end if he rejected my confession.
If I confess my feelings to Tohru and he rejects my confession, our relationship will be destroyed.
If things become awkward between me and Tohru, the three of us might not be able to hang out anymore.
I didn’t want that to happen.
So I gave up on confessing my feelings to Tohru.
I wanted our relationship to continue forever.
I would be happy as long as I could keep a close eye on Tohru as a friend.
That’s what I thought.
But one day, my happy life came to an abrupt end.
“I have something I want to tell you both……I’m sure it will become a rumor soon…….Actually, I’m going out with Kisaragi san…”
“Eh…..”
“Oh…?”
One day, Toru suddenly said something like that to me.
Apparently, Kisaragi san confessed to Tohru and Tohru accepted her confession.
“Seriously ! Congratulations Tohru !”
While Hayato was congratulating Tohru, my mind went blank.
I had never thought that Tohru would end up going out with that Kisaragi san.
“C-congratulations…Tohru…”
“Yeah. Thanks, Risa.”
I was trying my best to make up for it, but I think my smile at that time was probably a little cramped.
I went home that day and cried until morning.
I regretted to death that I should have confessed to him rather than let this happen.
But it was already too late.
Tohru started dating Kisaragi san, and the three of us didn’t hang out as much anymore.
After he started going out with Kisaragi san, Tohru seemed to be very happy.
I felt a pain in my heart when I saw Tohru giving Kisaragi san a shy look that he had never shown us before.
“Today something like this happened with Kisaragi…”
“Y-yeah…”
Tooru seemed very happy talking about Kisaragi san.
I thought about this over and over again, wondering if Tohru and I would have become lovers if I had confessed my feelings before Kisaragi san.
“I felt kind of lonely…..”
“Yeah…I guess so.”
The three of us were getting together less and less often, and when we did have fun, it was often just me and Hayato.
“But Tohru seems really happy right now. As long as he’s happy, that’s fine with me.”
“….Yeah….right… if Tohru is happy…that’s all that matters to me…….”
Hayato seemed to think that even if he had less time to play as a friend, it would be fine as long as Tohru was happy.
I desperately told myself that if Tohru was happy, that was fine with me too, and I drowned out the pain of regret and heartbreak.
Tohru belonged to Kisaragi san now.
What I should do now is to support Tohru, instead of thinking about the regretful things I have to do every day.
I changed my mind and decided to support Tohru together with Hayato.
“If you need anything, you can always talk to me, Tohru.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Kisaragi san was a popular and beautiful girl in her grade, so Tohru sometimes received jealousy from other boys.
I, along with Hayato, encouraged the relationship between Toru and Kisaragi san by telling Tohru that I would always be available for advice if anything happened to him.
Thanks to my efforts, Tohru seemed to be living a very happy school life with Kisaragi san.
This is fine.
I’m doing the right thing.
That’s what I said to myself when I saw Kisaragi san and Tohru looking happy.
Just then,……I heard an unbelievable rumor.
“Hey, did you hear? I heard that Shinonome kun forced himself….on Kisaragi san.”
“Eh……?”
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