Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093089077215540/episodes/16818093090903166724
“I told her.”
“I see. What did Misora chan say?”
“She said she was gonna put her skills to the test.”
I told Amane san, remembering the image of my sister who was saying that with a big fist.
“Then I look forward to it. Misora chan seemed to be a good cook.”
“She’s been cooking for me for a long time, but the food she cooks is really good. She’s very good with her hands.”
“I think I know what you mean. The last time I cooked with her, she was very good at it.”
I was worried that there would be some kind of change in our relationship after hearing, or rather being told, about the past by Amane san, but I’m relieved to find that nothing happened.
I think we’re still able to talk normally as before, and I think I’m responding naturally to that.
“So, I think it’s okay if I leave the dinner to her.”
“I agree. I’d like to help, but right now I feel like lying down a little longer.”
“You do that. There is no need for you to be so hard on yourself here.”
Amane san said this with a disappointed look on her face, but it would be a problem if the fever returned once more if she overworked herself here.
“That’s true. I’ll be quiet and trust you today.”
I don’t know if Amane san has come to rely on me because she feels better after talking to me about her past, or if there’s some other reason, but it’s better than not relying on me at all.
“Of course. There’s not much I can do, though.”
I can’t cook, I can’t clean, I can’t do laundry.
There’s really not much I can do right now.
“That’s not true. I’m just grateful that you’re talking to me like this.”
“Are you sure?”
This mean I’m not doing anything.
I was really just having a conversation with Amane san.
I think the fact that Amane san is fulfilled means that she hasn’t had many interactions with people.
She even thinks that she’s the reason that people around her died because of her.
I think the reason why she didn’t get involved in high school is because she didn’t want to see anyone unhappy because of her, as Amane san said.
“But still. It’s been so long since we had a conversation like this without mending ourselves. Sora, this is a promise I absolutely want you to keep.”
Gently, she puts her hands around my neck and pulls me closer to her.
My heart beats faster as I see Amane san’s beautiful, well-formed face looming in front of me.
“I’ll never let you leave my presence.”
I could tell that Amane san was serious about what she was saying, even though her voice was small.
“Obviously I won’t disappear unless you want me to. That’s a promise.”
“You said it, okay? If you break your promise, I’ll make you regret it.”
“I hope it never happened.”
I thought for a moment that maybe it would be nice if Amane san could do that, but I wasn’t in the mood to make such a joke, so I replied honestly.
“Fufu, then don’t break your promise.”
Amane san smiled as she withdrew her hand from around my neck.
As expected, I was captivated by that natural smile.
◇
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I told you I’m fine. My fever has gone down and I don’t feel tired at all.”
The next day
We finished breakfast and went to school together.
I told her that since she had a fever yesterday, she should take a rest today to see how she feels, but Amane san was stubborn and would not listen to me.
Well, it doesn’t seem like she’s really feeling ill, so that’s good.
“If I take too much time off from school, it will make the next test more difficult.”
“No, I don’t think that would happen with Amane san’s grades. She usually studies hard.”
I have seen Amane san several times, always reviewing and preparing for tests after returning to school and cooking dinner.
She has also been ranked first in her grade in every other regular test that has ever been given.
I don’t think such a brilliant student would be in trouble just because she missed a day or two of school.
I’m sure that’s not the case.
“That’s true, but if you don’t go to class, there will always be things you won’t understand. Besides, even if I take today off, it looks like I’ll just be sleeping anyway.”
“That’s true, but~”
How diligent.
A normal student would probably want to take the day off, but I guess Amane san doesn’t allow herself to be compromised.
“Besides, if I took the day off today, you would have to take the day off too, right?”
“No, well, that’s true.”
“I can’t do that. I can’t cause you any more trouble.”
“If Amane san is okay with it, that’s fine.”
I feel like I’ll be defeated no matter what I say, so I’ll just let the story flow.
“I have one more suggestion than that.”
“What?”
I’m wondering if it’s a school-related proposal at this point in time.
While I was guessing that on my own, Amane san started to talk.
“I guess the rumors about you have not disappeared?”
“I don’t know if they are gone or not. It’s just that the rumors have become false.”
Rumors do not disappear easily.
It doesn’t disappear, but it can be overwritten.
“So, why don’t we have lunch in the classroom?”
“In the classroom?”
It’s true that I’ve been eating on the rooftop lately.
The view is nice and it’s quiet, but it’s cold.
It’s crazy cold.
The reason why Amane san wants to eat in the classroom is also understandable.
“Yes. Before, you had to be aware of your surroundings, but now you don’t, do you?”
“Indeed.”
Before, I had to be exposed to ill will just by being in the classroom.
Amane san took this into consideration and ate with me on the rooftop.
Is it okay to eat in the classroom now that I won’t be exposed to malicious intent?
“So let’s eat lunch in my classroom today. Is that okay?”
“I understand. Thanks.”
Thus, I was to eat lunch with Amane san in her classroom.
At that time, I had no idea.
The tremendous changes that had taken place in the school during the day we were absent.
◇
“See you at lunch.”
“Yeah. I’ll go to your classroom at noon like usual.”
We walked to our respective classrooms separately as usual.
The last time I went to school, I played the video evidence in the classroom and immediately the teacher took me and after they talked to me, they sent the whole classroom home right away, so I don’t know what happened to my class after that…
I entered the classroom a little depressed.
Before, I was immediately given cold stares and bad words were said to me forever as if I could hear them.
This time, however, I don’t feel as if they are even aware of me.
Did something happen while I was resting?
“Good morning, Yanagi kun.”
“Oh, good morning.”
I hadn’t even been approached before, but suddenly I was.
Was it Ichinose san in the seat next to me?
She is also someone who has never consistently said anything bad about me, even when my bad reputation was spreading.
To be honest, I can’t really hate this girl.
I mean, there was no one else in the class who had never said anything bad about me except her.
“There’s something strange going on in class.”
“Yes, everyone in the class who saw that video of Yanagi kun was all blaming Horii san and Fujita kun. But soon after, the student advisor came and asked us to leave. So most of the students who were involved in Yanagi kun’s abuse were suspended from school yesterday. Among them, Fujita kun was expelled.”
I see. Expulsion.
Well, I was thinking of going to the school board next time, if they didn’t expel him after all the evidence I had presented.
“Thank you for telling me. Ichinose san.”
“No problem. It’s nothing much. I heard that the homeroom teacher, Sato sensei, has been dismissed from her position on disciplinary grounds. I’m sure it’s only natural.”
Obviously. I made it happen.
It’s only natural since I went out of my way to hand over the recorded data.
“That may be so. That teacher was a lazy person.”
Ichinose san politely told me what had happened.
I remember that this girl used to read books in the classroom.
Sometimes she showed me her textbooks and was kind to me.
“Yanagi kun. I’m sorry.”
Ichinose san suddenly bowed her head.
Why?
“Wait, wait, wait, lift up your head. Why are you apologizing?”
I was puzzled by her sudden bowing next to me.
Ichinose san hasn’t done anything bad.
I don’t recall her doing something she should be apologizing for.
“I couldn’t stop it when Yanagi kun was being bullied. I couldn’t even talk to you. So I’m sorry.”
“No, no, you didn’t do anything wrong, Ichinose- an. The other guys were talking out of turn to me, but Ichinose san didn’t say anything bad, right?”
“But I couldn’t stop them.”
“If you had stopped them at that moment, you would’ve been bullied, too. So it’s a good thing you didn’t stop them. I don’t hold a grudge against you for that, so don’t worry.”
I knew that if she stopped the bullying in that situation, the next target would be her.
I can’t ask her to do that, and it would be wrong to blame her for not doing so.
“Thank you. Yanagi kun.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
While I was talking to Ichinose, homeroom time began.
The one who came in was Sasaki sensei, the student advisor.
“You guys, take your seats.”
He then talked about his plans for the day and left.
I looked around the class and saw a few empty seats.
They were probably the ones who had been suspended from school.
Runa was nowhere to be seen, so she was probably suspended as well.
“Oh, Yanagi ! Been a while.”
Iida, who was in the same class as me, called out to me.
He was the one who took advantage of my being falsely accused and abused me a lot when I was being bullied.
I guess he wasn’t suspended from school.
Too bad.
“What do you want?”
“What do I want? I mean, do I really need a reason to talk to my classmates?”
“Shut up. You’ve been bad-mouthing me a lot, haven’t you? And now you’re talking to me while pretending to be a classmate. It’s extremely unpleasant.”
Ichinose san has never harmed me.
She just stood by and watched.
I don’t feel bad about that.
But this guy is different.
He is a clear perpetrator.
What kind of a person would have the audacity to come to me after all this time?
“Hey, hey, don’t be so cold.”
“I told you not to talk to me. Don’t you even understand Japanese?”
I’m uncomfortable.
And I could almost guess why he was talking to me.
“You can’t get involved with Amane san by talking to me, okay?”
“Why do you say that?”
“It’s simple, isn’t it? I go to school with Amane san. That’s the rumor, so it’s no surprise that there are people who think that if they become friends with me, they can also become friends with Amane san.”
I thought that would be the case, but it seems I had hit the bull’s-eye.
Iida was about to say something with his mouth agape, but in the end he went back to his seat without saying anything.
“Yanagi kun, it’s tough for you, isn’t it?”
“I guess so. That’s fine. If something like this happens, it’ll probably take a week anyway.”
After that long, they’ll realize there’s no point in trying to make contact with me.
I wonder how long it will take for the suspended students to get back to school.
What happens after they come back?
I’ll have to think about that.
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