Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ - Volume 6 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Relationship Responsibilities

The day after I visited Miori’s house.

I messaged Serika—apparently, Miori was absent again. Including today, she’d been out for a whole week now. Is she never going to come back to school? Her voice was shaking when we talked yesterday. Her train of thought is turning pretty self-flagellating. I’m worried. I want to do something for her...but I couldn’t find the right words to tell her then.

“Natsuki, can I have a sec?” Tatsuya’s voice snapped me out of my ruminations.

“What’s up?” I asked. He wore an oddly serious expression.

“Can we talk outside?” He pointed to the veranda and walked out. I followed after him.

Because I’d been so lost in thought earlier, I hadn’t noticed how the gazes on me felt different than normal. I figured out what he wanted to discuss immediately.

Once we were on the veranda, Tatsuya leaned his arms against the railing and said, “It’s about Motomiya. There’s a weird rumor going around about her.”

Reita also stood on the narrow veranda with his arms crossed. Uncharacteristically, his expression was dark.

“Apparently, it came from the girls in class one... Have you heard anything?” Tatsuya asked.

I explained what I’d learned yesterday: how I’d heard about the rumor, my discussion with Serika and Hikari, and that I’d visited Miori’s house.

“Got it... So it was just a load of crap in the end, right?” Tatsuya said and let out an annoyed sigh.

“Yeah, I mentioned it earlier, but it was just an accident that might’ve looked otherwise.” It hadn’t been an accident, but I couldn’t reveal that now. If I told them the truth, I’d have to go into the topic of Miori’s feelings. And above all, Reita was here. I hesitated over voluntarily breaking the news myself.

Even after listening to my story, Reita said nothing. He kept his eyes directed up at the cloudy sky.

“Uta’s depressed,” Tatsuya said bitterly.

I followed Tatsuya’s gaze and looked inside the classroom through the window. Uta, who was usually cheerful, stared emptily at the blackboard from her seat.

“If I heard about it, then obviously she would’ve too.”

Well, the class one girls started the rumor. It makes sense that the girls would hear about it before it reached the boys in class two. “Yeah, plus Uta and Miori are both on the girls’ basketball team.”

“Her best friend on the team has been out for a whole week. I’m sure she’s looked into why on her own. When she found out, she couldn’t say anything about it, and now she’s crestfallen,” Reita said, finally speaking up. “It’s Uta we’re talking about. She’d normally make a bigger fuss that Miori’s been absent. The reason she hasn’t is because the rumor that’s supposedly keeping Miori out of school is related to us. She’s worried, but she hasn’t brought it up since it’s a sensitive topic. I’m sure that’s what she’s thinking.”

He’s observing people closely, as per usual.

“So no one can get in touch with Motomiya?”

“Seems like it. After she said, ‘Sorry. I’m fine,’ I haven’t heard a word.”

“If we got nothing from Natsuki’s visit, then she must be in a real jam.” Tatsuya groaned and frowned deeply.

“I asked Serika and Uta,” Reita said, “but no one can get in touch with her. The longer Miori stays absent, the faster the rumor will spread. I tried to keep it in check, but it’s difficult.”

Thought so. Serika said the same thing.

“Can’t we do anything? Isn’t it just a bunch of baloney in the end?” Tatsuya cracked his knuckles with a grim expression.

Hey, what’re you gonna do?

“It’s hard to stop a rumor being spread out of malice.” Reita started with his conclusion before continuing. “Natsuki, Hoshimiya-san, and I are all related parties. But if we deny the rumor, it’ll look like we’re defending Miori. The people spreading it will use that against us. In the meantime, the rumor is steadily blowing out of proportion. And it’s all just to bring Miori down... I can’t bear to listen to it.”

“What the hell do they even want? Do they hate her?” Tatsuya asked, unable to compute their motives.

I repeated what I’d heard secondhand to him. “Serika told me there’s a group of girls that antagonize Miori. Apparently, they’re the ones spreading the rumor. She said someone named Hasegawa especially hates Miori.”

The moment I mentioned Hasegawa’s name, Reita’s face clouded over. “I knew it: it was Yoko.”

“You know her?” I asked.

“We went to the same middle school. So you could say that.”

Compared to Reita’s distressed expression, Tatsuya’s face looked irritated. “Uh-huh. If this is all Hasegawa, then can’t you just talk to her?”

“It probably won’t be that easy, though I might be able to persuade her on the surface.” After that, Reita clammed up, ruminating on something.

“Sorry, Reita. It’s all my fault.” I couldn’t help but apologize. I was the one who’d created this mess.

“It’s not your fault. If we get down to it...it’s mine,” Reita muttered regretfully. He lightly shook his head to change gears.

It’s his fault? Before I could ask what he meant by that, Reita continued on.

“First things first, I’ll try visiting Miori.” Funnily enough, he’d reached the same conclusion that I had yesterday.

I couldn’t do anything and just ran away, but maybe Reita can pull something off... Even if Miori has feelings for me, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s still her boyfriend.

***

(Shiratori Reita)

When I heard about the rumor, I had a bad premonition. Based on the knowledge that Miori had been absent, a terrible conjecture unfolded in my mind. In all honesty, I hoped I was wrong. But my guesses rarely miss the mark.

When Miori and I had agreed to date with strings attached, I’d known the risks that accompanied a contract relationship. Regardless of the actual state of our relationship, we were officially dating in the eyes of outsiders.

I was the only one who knew she loved Natsuki. I was the only one who wouldn’t criticize her for hanging out with him. Common sense dictated that nobody else would feel the same. If she spent time with Natsuki while dating me, her social circle would not hold her in high regard. And if she became unable to suppress her feelings for him and did something, everyone would immediately think she was cheating on me. After all, who’d ever think that I would permit it?

I’d be lying if I said generating pressure via the people around her hadn’t been one of my goals. Sure, I said I’d let her do as she pleased, but it doesn’t feel great to see the person you like with someone else. Now, we’d gotten here as a result of my despicable idea. This whole debacle had come about because I’d pressured Miori, persuaded her to enter a contractual relationship with me, and just had to flaunt that I could make her fall for me eventually.

I’d done all that even though I knew it would make her suffer. Regret filled my mind as I walked towards Miori’s house. I’d never gone inside, but she’d shown me around her town before, so I knew where she lived.

I’d come after practice, when the sun was already sinking. Few streetlights lined the dimly lit road, and there was no one around. Only an occasional car would pass by.

It turned out I didn’t need to go to her house. I spotted Miori in the nearby park. I headed towards the bench where she sat, her head hung in a daze. There was no one in the park besides her, only a single streetlight. Her feet were surrounded by heaps of fallen leaves. Evidently, all the trees had completely shed their foliage. I could feel the chill in the air.

Hearing my footsteps, Miori raised her head. Her face contorted when she saw me. “Reita-kun.”

“Miori. You didn’t reply, so I came to see you.” I stopped in front of her. On closer inspection, I noticed she had her uniform on. Perhaps she’d been on her way to school. Her bag was close by as well. “How long have you been here?”

She didn’t answer my question. Her breath was white, and she shivered slightly. I took off my blazer and placed it around her shoulders. Then, I bought hot tea from the nearby vending machine and sat next to her. I took her hand and forced the drink into it.

“Thanks.” Miori’s head drooped apologetically, and she took a sip of tea. “It’s warm.”

“Sit here for too long, and you’ll get the chills. You should go home, take a hot bath, and sleep with plenty of warm blankets. You just recovered from a cold, right? What’ll you do if you catch another one?” My tone turned somewhat critical in spite of myself.

“I’ll be fine. I didn’t actually have a cold.”

“My point still stands.”

The dry wind caressed our hair. What should I start with? While I fretted over what to say, Miori spoke first.

“I need to apologize to you for something.”

“If it’s about the rumor, then I already heard about it. I know where it came from too. I’ll shut it down without fail, so—”

“You don’t have to. It’s the truth anyway, so I can’t refute it.” She interrupted me, her voice firm.

“Natsuki said the incident that the rumor originated from was an accident.”

“I pretended to trip and hugged him. I’m telling you I did it on purpose.”

That had been my hypothesis. I’d been almost sure that was what had happened. And yet, now that she’d confirmed it herself, the truth weighed heavily on my mind.

“The rumor that I hugged him, that I made a move on him, it’s all true. Hasegawa-san and her friends are just telling the truth, so they haven’t done anything wrong... I’m the only one in the wrong here. I’m sorry for betraying you.”

“I told you that I don’t mind if you stay in love with Natsuki. I said you could spend time with him too. So you have nothing to apologize for. We’re not a couple in the proper sense, after all.”

“Still, I wanted to love you and be a good girlfriend to you. I thought that was the lowest bar of sincerity I could show while we were dating. But I succumbed to my desires in the end,” she said. “I really wanted to fall in love with you...but it looks like I can’t.”

“Won’t you give me a little more time?” I asked. I knew where our conversation was heading, but I couldn’t help but resist.

“There’s a much better fit for you out there than a terrible person like me.” Miori slowly shook her head. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. “I’m sorry. Please break up with me.” The tears traced her cheek and dripped down to the ground.

It doesn’t look like I can convince her otherwise. There’s nothing I can do. This was meant to be from the very beginning. I’m the one who warped our relationship into this. Now that we’re in this mess, we can’t keep it up.

I let out a heavy sigh and sluggishly nodded. “Will you come back to school?”

“I plan to show up tomorrow. I can’t cut class forever.”

She’d probably intended to go today as well. But her feet wouldn’t take her, and she remained in place here. Perhaps the same thing had happened yesterday too. Miori had taken a considerable amount of mental damage. I could tell just by looking at her.

However, apparently, I couldn’t save Miori.

“How are you going to handle the rumor?” I asked.

“I won’t. I did something bad, so I have to accept my punishment. I might lose some friends, but it is what it is... I need to apologize to Hikari-chan too,” Miori replied in a seemingly brave tone.

Her cursory determination looked to me like a house built on sand that would collapse at any moment. If Natsuki were here, what would he say to her? Unable to add anything else, I felt that question swirling around my heart. Nevertheless...there must be something more I can do.

***

The day after Reita visited Miori’s house.

I rode the same train as always and arrived in front of the school. A ponytail swayed in the corner of my eye. It belonged to someone I hadn’t seen in a while. Miori had come to school. I almost instinctively called her name and ran up to her, but my legs stopped in place.

I shouldn’t talk to Miori right now. It’ll probably aggravate the rumor. I guess Reita pulled something off, huh. Whereas I’d been unable to say anything, whatever he had said must’ve resonated with Miori. As her childhood friend, I feel sorta frustrated, but I’m more relieved that she came to school. I’m glad she’s back.

Deliberately keeping my distance from Miori, I changed into my indoor shoes at the entrance, went up the stairs, and started down the hallway.

“Huh? Isn’t that Motomiya-san?”

“Yikes. The one from the rumors... I thought she’d be absent forever.”

Miori attracted attention, especially the curious gazes of the girls.

“How can she just show up like nothing’s wrong? Didn’t it come out that she’s been flirting with tons of boys?”

“You’re so right. Know how she’s on the basketball team? I heard she seduced one of her senpai’s boyfriends.”

The rumor had become even more embellished. Now the story wasn’t just about Miori hitting on me; somehow, her feud with Wakamura-senpai had been maliciously touched up and incorporated too.

“Apparently she goes after guys who have girlfriends for fun.”

“No way, what a bitch! She does have the face of one. Keep her away from me.”

I felt nauseous. The only ones who held malice for Miori were the girls creating the rumors. I knew the people talking about it now were chiefly doing so out of curiosity, but I still wanted to grab their mouths and shut them up this instant.

The gossip reached my ears even though I was only watching from afar. Miori must’ve felt like she was on a bed of nails. She walked with her eyes solemnly cast down and went into her classroom.

“Haibara-kun, may I have a moment of your time?” Nanase asked me while I was watching Miori. Her tone was cold. I could tell she was not in a good mood.

“Sure.” I followed after her. We stopped at a deserted space that connected the class building with the gym.

Nanase turned to face me with a hard scowl. “Now, listen. Are you aware that you’re Hikari’s boyfriend?” The first thing she sprang on me was an unexpected question.

“Well, of course I am... At least, I thought I was.”

“Then I hope you’ll show a little more consideration for her feelings,” she said accusingly. “I know about the rumors, and that it was a mere accident. Hikari informed me.”

Then what’s the problem? “I thought I explained the situation, though...”

“I’m not faulting you for worrying about Motomiya-san, but don’t you see that Hikari is uneasy too? Even if she doesn’t think you’re lying, this whole debacle shows that there’s a girl who’s intimate with you on enough of a regular basis that this sort of accident can happen. In the first place, Hikari told me she didn’t even know you’d met up with Motomiya-san that day.”

She’s right. I didn’t tell Hikari about that night. But that’s because I bumped into Miori by coincidence, and by the same logic, all we did was play basketball late into the night. Besides, she’s my childhood friend, not a target for romance...right? Is that really true? I don’t know. At the very least, that’s not what Miori thought.

“What if you were in Hikari’s position? How would you feel?”

Her words sank in, and I imagined how I’d feel if Hikari had a male childhood friend that she was close to—if she met him without my knowing, even though I was her boyfriend. Nanase’s right. I’d feel anxious. I would feel insecure about whether or not Hikari actually liked me.

“Because of that rumor, Hikari has been receiving some ill-bred comments too. People are telling her that she’s better off breaking up with you, or that you’re a frivolous man. Every time they do, though, Hikari refutes them.”

I knew it... There are nasty rumors going around about me too. Although Hasegawa’s target was Miori, her rumors were branching off.

“I’m sure this is all a considerable mental burden on you, but what infuriates me is your attitude—you’re ignorant to what Hikari is going through, and all you worry about is Motomiya-san’s absence.”

I had no rebuttal. Nanase was entirely correct. I had thought Hikari would be fine, but that was sheerly my own assumption. I had no idea what kind of feelings she’d been hiding beneath her brave demeanor.

“I understand you meant no ill will. I’m worried about Motomiya-san as well. You’re very kind, so I’m sure showing concern for her comes naturally to you...but don’t forget to look after Hikari too,” Nanase urged.

“I got it. Thanks for telling me, Nanase.”

Seeing that I was Hikari’s boyfriend, I needed to prioritize her above all else. That was the responsibility that came with dating. At last, I realized the weight of being someone’s boyfriend.

***

(Motomiya Miori)

The classroom had become my enemy. It was fitting punishment. Not even the friends I used to be close to would talk to me. I took my seat and sat still; I could feel many gazes on me. There was nothing I could do about the unpleasant sensation of my skin being prodded—all I could do was endure. After all, I couldn’t deny the rumor.

“Oh my, it’s Motomiya. So you came to school.” Someone spoke to me, wearing a thin smile all the while. Of course, she wasn’t my friend. Her mocking tone attested to that.

“Do you need something, Hasegawa-san?”

“I was worried about you because you’ve been out for so long. I thought something might’ve happened. Right, girls?”

Hasegawa-san’s followers echoed her in agreement.

“If you’re worried about my health, I’m fine now,” I said. I hadn’t actually caught a cold, but I didn’t disclose that. I could tell them how my legs were shaking and couldn’t move...but no one would believe me. Besides, they’d probably think I’m trying to play victim, so I don’t really want to admit it.

“Oh, alllso, there’s a strange rumor about you going around, so I wanted to fact-check with you. It’s just a rumor, and I can’t imagine it’s true, but just in case, okay?” she asked, giggling with her groupies. She then raised her voice so that those paying attention around us could hear. “Is it true you cheated on Reita-kun with Haibara-kun?”

What should I do? It’s hard to answer. This isn’t what I thought she’d ask me. If I agree, then it’ll drag Natsuki down. “No, that’s not true,” I said weakly.

“Huh? But someone saw you. You and Haibara-kun were caught hugging each other.”

I’d known that the rumor would blow out of proportion, but it was going in a direction I needed to deny. I didn’t mind being accused, but I didn’t want to put Natsuki in a tight spot. “Well, I—”

“Miori, can I have a sec?”

I heard the voice of someone who shouldn’t have been in my classroom. Reita-kun from class two opened the door and walked over to where we were, with Serika following behind. Did she call him here?

The classroom stirred with anticipation, and we garnered even more attention.

“I was worried about you. You were out with a high fever for quite a long time.”

He must’ve been doing this on purpose. Reita-kun sounded like he was acting out a play, his voice so clear that it echoed throughout the entire room. Such poise was charming on him and suited him well.

“Apparently, there’s a baseless fabrication about you circulating the school. It’s only a rumor, but I think we should properly quash it before it spreads any further. Of course I know the truth,” Reita-kun said with a gentle smile. His lips were curved up, but there was a strange intensity to him.

Hasegawa-san, overwhelmed by his demeanor, interjected. “Wh... What? Someone saw it happen, so are you implying they lied?”

“That’s not it. I’m simply saying that what that person saw only looked like Miori and Natsuki were hugging. In reality, what they saw was Miori tripping and Natsuki quickly catching her. That’s all that happened.” Reita-kun paused and singled out a girl who was lingering in the back of the classroom. “Isn’t that right, Minase-san?”

She was the person who had seen Natsuki and me hugging.

Nervous, Minase-san timidly agreed with him. “Y-Yes... I only saw them from far away, so I said it looked like a hug at first. But when I thought back on it calmly, it looked more like she tripped.”

Minase-san isn’t the type who can speak this articulately when she’s suddenly thrown into a conversation. Reita-kun planned for this to happen from the very beginning; I’m sure of it.

“And you believe that, Reita-kun? Miori might be fooling you,” Hasegawa-san objected, shooting him a bloodcurdling glare.

“I trust Miori over a mere rumor,” he replied with a smile.

“Um, Reita-kun, I—”

“You don’t want to trouble Natsuki, right?” I wanted to stop the conversation from heading where it was going, but Reita-kun whispered into my ear. “Then this is the optimal way. It’s best if you don’t try anything strange like punishing yourself.” He knew that if he told me that, I wouldn’t be able to divulge the truth.

He’s probably right. When you deal with rumors, it’s hard to only validate one part of it. People would just exaggerate and gossip more. The most effective way to handle one is to deny everything completely.

“Y’know, it was just an accident, but some other story got mixed in with the rumor. What was it, that Miori flirted with her senpai’s man or something? Like, when’d that ever happen? Sheesh. Who the heck made that up? Pretty nasty of them. Can’t believe they’d spread random lies while someone’s out sick,” Serika said in her usual languid tone.

Though she’d questioned who started the rumor, her eyes were glued to Hasegawa-san. She didn’t need to say it outright to make it clear who she was referring to.

“Maybe they did it because they were jealous. Miori is dating Reita-kun, after all.” Serika’s mocking words rang throughout the classroom.

“Wha—” Hasegawa-san flushed bright red, but she couldn’t retort. If she did, she would be admitting that she had been the one spreading lies.

I sensed the ambience in the room changing.

“What the heck? That scared the hell out of me.”

“Eh, I figured it was just nonsense.”

“Hey man, no fair! I did too. Besides, Motomiya’s not that kinda person in the first place.”

“Shiratori-kun is defending her, so it looks like it was all bogus.”

“Riiight? I mean, if she really cheated on him, why would he stick up for her?”

“So all of it was made-up? That’s awful, then! This entire thing happened while Motomiya-san was absent.”

The atmosphere that had previously painted me a villain shifted. Then, as if the whole scene had been perfectly calculated, the start-of-class bell rang.

“Oops, gotta go. See you later, Miori.” Reita-kun theatrically shrugged his shoulders and left class one.

Hasegawa-san and her friends uncomfortably dispersed from my desk. I didn’t really care if people pointed fingers at me, though... I felt almost disappointed.

“If someone who wants to be attacked gets attacked, it’s not much of a punishment, you know.” Serika gently placed her hand on my shoulder.

True, that’s a good point.

“Welp,” she sighed and whispered, “honestly, I don’t think this was a big deal. A little hug is normal. I gave Natsuki a tight squeeze after the concert too.”

“No, it was... Unlike you, I hugged him with the wrong kind of intentions.” To begin with, when Serika had hugged him, Natsuki and Hikari-chan weren’t even a couple yet.

“I see... If you understand that, then make sure to reflect on yourself.” She patted my back.

I nodded. Everyone’s kindness felt so warm.

With the class mood returned to normal, our first period began. The students were abuzz more than usual, but I didn’t feel any unpleasant gazes on me. Our lessons ended while I was in a daze, and my close friends gathered around me.

“I’m sorry for doubting you, Miori.”

You don’t need to apologize. You were right to doubt me. But I couldn’t tell them that now. If I did, I’d be wasting Reita-kun’s, Serika’s, and Minase-san’s efforts. Turning that day into a lie was the only thing I could do now.

“Don’t worry about it. I can see how the circumstances made it look that way,” I replied, adopting a hollow smile. I couldn’t even tell the truth to my good friends.

“Anyway, doesn’t that piss you off? They just said whatever they wanted.” One of my friends glowered at Hasegawa-san’s group.

“Right? No matter how much she hates you, how could she go that far? That’s so messed up!” another girl said, loud enough for Hasegawa-san’s group to hear.

I instantly felt the classroom come alive with chatter. This isn’t good. I don’t want to go after Hasegawa-san and her friends.

However, I couldn’t change the atmosphere in the classroom by myself. The hostile gazes that had been directed towards me were now directed towards Hasegawa-san and her friends. She crossed her arms, adopting a confident attitude, but I could tell Hasegawa-san was uncomfortable. Her groupies were also clearly unsure what to do.

“They’re reaping what they sowed. It’s a fact that they told random lies about you, so you don’t need to worry about them,” Serika whispered into my ear.

But I also lied. I did something terrible, but my friends defended me.

Amid that ambience, Uta appeared in class one.

“Mioriiin!” She waved at me from outside the room. Serika beckoned her in. Overflowing with energy, Uta rushed over and threw her arms around me. “Gosh! I was so worried! I couldn’t get in touch with you at all!” She was happy one moment, and then her cheeks puffed up angrily the next. She was expressive as always.

“Sorry. Um, I was stuck in bed.” I hadn’t spoken to her in a long time, so the corners of my mouth reflexively lifted.

“But I’m glad! Those bad rumors about you were cleared up too, right?!” Uta asked, beaming at me.

I nodded. The rumors weren’t completely cleared up yet, but we’d reached a cursory conclusion. Reita-kun’s intervention had saved me—so perfectly that it left me no room to refute.

“Still, those were some terrible rumors!” Uta huffed, putting her anger on blatant display.

I had a bad feeling, and didn’t want to hear what she was about to say. But before I could cover my ears, Uta spoke.

“I know Miorin would never do something like that!”

I thought I had stopped breathing. Uta’s innocent trust hurt. It felt like my heart would be torn to pieces. I don’t deserve to be here. I’m not the person she believes me to be.

“You’re right. Miori wouldn’t ever do that. She’s too nice.”

“In the first place, why would anyone ever cheat on that Reita-kun and dump him?”

Everyone around me nodded in agreement—everyone except for Serika.

“Miori and Hoshimiya-san are good friends too. She wouldn’t steal her friend’s boyfriend.”

“Exactly! I know Miorin loves Reita. She’s been into him since way before they started dating! And she always says Natsu’s just a childhood friend she can’t seem to get rid of too!”

As they all shared a giggle, I was the only one frozen in place. I had no idea whether I was doing a good job blending in or not.

***

“The rumor should lose steam now,” Reita said absentmindedly.

It was lunchtime. In our search for an empty place, we’d ended up on the roof. We didn’t want anyone overhearing our conversation, after all. Gathered here was the usual group of six: Reita, Tatsuya, Nanase, Hikari, Uta, and me.

“I’d expect nothing less from you, Shiratori-kun,” Nanase said.

“I heard how you handled the run-in from the hallway. You were very cool, Reita-kun!” Hikari praised him, applauding.

A gloomy twinge crossed my heart when she called him cool. I’m such a narrow-minded guy. At the very least, I tried not to let those feelings show on my face and agreed with them. “That was flawless. Wait, you planned all that, right?” I asked.

Like Hikari, I’d been listening to the events from the hallway. Reita had conducted himself perfectly, so perfectly that I couldn’t have imagined it going any better.

“I asked Serika for help and spoke with Minase-san, the girl who saw you and Miori. She hadn’t expected the rumor to blow up like this, so she enthusiastically cooperated with me.”

Miori’s back at school, and the nasty rumor is gone too. Everything’s settled now... It should be, but what’s this foreboding feeling? Is it really okay to just wrap it all up like this? Could there be something I missed?

“And that Hasegawa chick? She and her groupies couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Serves her right,” Tatsuya remarked.

“Ah ha ha! It felt kind of good to see how uncomfortable she looked after that!” Uta crowed.

“Considering the terrible thing she did, that much punishment is called for,” Nanase said.

Everyone chattered happily. Tatsuya and I ate the bread we’d bought from the school store while everyone else ate their bento.

“Natsuki-kun, something wrong?” Hikari peered at me with worried eyes since I’d been quiet the whole time.

Crap! I need to focus on the conversation right now. I’m Hikari’s boyfriend, after all. “Oh, it’s nothing. Your tamagoyaki just looked really tasty.”

“Want a bite? I didn’t make it, though; my mom did.”

“Huh, can I? Then, don’t mind if I do.”

Hikari picked up a tamagoyaki with her chopsticks and brought it up to my mouth. “Here, say, ‘Ahhh.’”

“Huh?” I uttered in surprise. “In front of everyone?” I wondered whether she felt embarrassed, but her face was extremely red.

The others watched us with smirks spread from ear to ear.

“Who cares? Hurry up and eat it,” Tatsuya said.

Oh whatever! I bit into the tamagoyaki in front of me. Hey, this is good. That’s Hikari’s mom for you. Hm? Wait a sec, isn’t this an indirect kiss... Nah, we’re dating. What am I getting nervous about now? Though, we haven’t kissed yet...

“You two are so passionate,” Uta jeered, enjoying herself.

Hikari laughed shyly. “I wanted to try that.”

Nanase regarded me with frigid eyes. I know; you don’t need to tell me.

We were in front of all our friends—not to mention Uta, who I was still on thin ice with—so it wasn’t like Hikari to flirt with me. Well, Uta did seem like she was over me now, but setting that aside, Hikari and I usually acted the same as we always had when we were with the others. We had an unspoken understanding that our relationship could destroy the group. At least, we should’ve.

“Natsuki-kun, do you want to try this too?” Hikari asked.

“No, it’s okay. I’m full already,” I replied.

On the surface, she seemed the same as always, but she was paying an undue amount of attention to me. I knew why: she was anxious because I’d been so preoccupied with Miori. I gently shook my head and drove all thoughts of my childhood friend out of my mind.

“Hikari,” I said. It was time to fulfill my duty as her boyfriend.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Let’s go home together today. And let’s stop by somewhere on our way,” I whispered quietly so the others couldn’t hear.

“Okay!” She smiled, cheering up remarkably.

This is fine. I don’t need to think about anything else right now.

***

(Motomiya Miori)

The bucket hit the ground with a loud thunk. My vision blurred. Rivulets trickled down my body. I was soaked from head to toe. The autumn wind blew, and I shivered in the cold. When I looked up, Hasegawa-san, who had dumped water on me, glared at me with the mien of a demon.

“Why... Why am I taking all the blame?!” She grabbed my collar and pulled me towards her. I couldn’t breathe well.

Hasegawa-san brought her face up close to mine. Rather than animosity, she radiated murder. She despised me. The emotion pent up in her hand as it gripped my collar was terrifying.

“I’m not the one who lied—it was you!” Her shrill voice pierced my ears.

As a matter of fact, she was right. I was the one who’d lied. “I’m sorry.” All I could do was apologize. At this point, I couldn’t do anything about the situation. If I raised hell about the truth, Reita-kun and Natsuki would get caught in the backlash.

A smack exploded in the air. I felt a stinging pain, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground. My cheek throbbed. Perhaps I’d hit my head when I collapsed on the ground, because my vision was fuzzy.

“Why is Reita-kun protecting you when you cheated on him?!”

Tears flowed. And they weren’t mine. Hasegawa-san was crying.

On the day of the interclass sports meet.

After Natsuki and his class had won the basketball finals, Hasegawa-san had called me out. With her were her groupies and Minase-san. Surrounded by all those flashy girls, the quiet Minase-san appeared uncomfortable.

“Apparently, she saw you hug Haibara-kun.” Her two groupies were smirking, but Hasegawa-san was furious. “Right, Minase? You saw her, right?”

Startled that the conversation was suddenly on her, Minase-san spoke fearfully as her shoulders trembled. “I... I did see that... I’m sorry.”

“Was that at the park south of the school?” I asked.

She nodded.

Ah, I see now. Someone saw that.

“Based on your reaction, it looks like she’s telling the truth,” Hasegawa-san sharply pointed out.

I had no room for rebuttal.

“Aren’t you dating Reita-kun? Then isn’t that cheating?” She turned her gaze, filled with rage, on me.

“Yeah. You’re right,” I replied slowly.

“What’s with you? Not even gonna deny it?” Seeing me hold my silence, her eyes narrowed further. “I won’t forgive you! You’re just playing with Reita-kun’s feelings. You’re the worst.”

Hasegawa-san was in love with Reita-kun. I’d known that fact for quite a long time now.

“I’m going to give you hell for this.” Her expression, full of fury and yet on the brink of tears, showed how much she loved him. She eyed me with wholehearted disappointment and then left. That was the moment when I became aware of the gravity of the sin I’d committed.

“I’m...sorry. I didn’t want to start a rumor... I’m sorry...” Minase-san apologized to me profusely.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m to blame, so you don’t need to apologize.”

I’d been dishonest about everything. No matter what I said, it would only be a paltry excuse.

After that day, I couldn’t go to school. It wasn’t like I was sick, and I wasn’t afraid of Hasegawa-san’s threat either. It was because I’d realized just how low of a human being I was. I didn’t deserve to live. And so, I didn’t even feel like going to school. I thought the world would be better off if I died.

I learned from Serika’s RINE messages that a nasty rumor about me was spreading throughout the school. My friends showered me with worried messages asking about my health, even though I wasn’t someone who warranted their concern.

Then Natsuki came to my house, and I bumped into Reita-kun. I confessed my sins. Kind as they were, they both forgave me, but I wished they’d rebuked me instead. I wanted to be punished, just like Hasegawa-san and her friends had said.

I didn’t care what sort of vile rumors were circulating the school. I thought that would be better for me than doing nothing and being forgiven. But now... I’m not the one crying—Hasegawa-san is. She wasn’t the one who lied. I was. I gave everyone trouble, but they all defended me.

“Then this is the optimal way. It’s best if you don’t try anything strange like punishing yourself.”

Even Reita-kun, the one who had been hurt the most by my actions, protected me.

“I know Miorin would never do something like that!”

Going forward, I would have to continue deceiving all my friends who believed in me. Everyone’s kindness hurt me more than anything else. I felt like I was being crushed by guilt.

“Die...” Hasegawa-san muttered, her feeble hand still clutching my collar. “Die! You bitch! Someone like you should just disappear!” The resentment in her voice, intense enough to reach the depths of the earth, shook the core of my heart.

She’s right. Someone like me should just disappear. At the very least, I can’t stay with everyone else. With the way I am right now, I don’t deserve to spend time with Natsuki and the others anymore. I was in no position to say this, but I felt like I’d been saved.

“Okay... I understand.” But I can’t disappear yet. There’s still someone I want to apologize to. So...not until I see her.

“What are you doing?” a voice brimming with surprise asked from behind us.

I swiftly turned my head—standing there was the girl I’d been searching for.