Chapter 2

Translated by KaiesV Edited by KaiesV

「It’s scary…」

「It’s alright. Someone will be here soon to help you.」

Small children huddled together in a dimly lit room. A dream I always see—— Although he told his doctor, Kotone, that he had been told so, this nightmare still visited Kisaragi without fail, not missing a single day, even 12 years after the incident.

When he had the same dream over and over again, he came to recognize that it was a dream. And like any movie he had seen many times, he know what happens next as a matter of course.

Yes, one boy asks the kids after this. He always wake up from nightmares there. He doesn’t know what happened in the end. It was right before the ending of the movie, and very aftertasteful, like a malfunctioning Blu-ray.

He looked at the clock on his desk and saw that the time read 6:00. As usual, as if measured. Kisaragi sat up from the bed and put his hand on the curtain. Then again, the skies were overcast again today, as expected.

Letting out a sigh, he headed for the living room, where he found a space without a shred of life. They say that getting up early is the best of all worlds, and since he had nothing better to do at home, he would finish breakfast and head to school as soon as possible.

He had no friends, yet he was always first to enter the classroom, even in elementary school. When he told her about this in counseling before, she gave him a pitying look. But perhaps today, he would not be the first one on the train. On the way to Shuri station, Kisaragi let out a small sigh.

Monday, the first day of the week—— In the premises of Shuri station, businessmen going to work and students heading for morning practice of club activities wore sleepy expressions on their faces. In this situation, Kisaragi was also in his usual boarding position, waiting idly for the train to arrive.

Then, he noticed that a woman in the front row had her hands on her hips. Apparently, she has back pain. Her calf peeking out from her skirt has a thin trace of a poultice. Perhaps she works standing up.

Kisaragi thought of occupations that involve standing for long periods of time. As his mind was occupied with such sterile imaginings, the train arrived before he knew it. The interior of the car is surprisingly quiet for the early morning rush hour. As he sat down in his seat, he saw the woman from earlier in the seat across from him.

She was probably in her early thirties. Her makeup was lifting off her face in the morning, and her nose was shiny with sebum. It was more appropriate to say that she was not on her way to work, but on her way home after a day’s work. A nurse on her way home after a night shift… Kisaragi, staring at the note on the back of his hand, was alone in his conviction.

He had always been a good observer of people in his spare time. Not that he particularly enjoys it, but he still haven’t fixed this vice. With a wry smile, he turned his attention to the hanging ads on the train.

There was a gossip article about a popular idol. Oh, man, what a mess… Kisaragi let out a sigh of disgust when she saw the face of this popular idol, who reminded her somewhat of Mishima Saya.

When he arrived at the classroom, as expected, there was one guest ahead of him. Mishima Saya smiled and greeted him in the morning as a matter of course, “Good morning.”

She has lustrous chestnut-colored hair that waves loosely around her chest. Her face is slender and her skin is fine and fair. Her strong-willed eyes are beautifully almond-shaped. Three months after entering Keihoku Private School—— The boys who confessed to her could hardly fit in both hands.

「Good morning.」

Kisaragi returns with his usual blank expression and walks past Saya to his seat. He expected it, but it looks like it’s going to be a troublesome situation. He sat down on the window seat with this thought.

「Are you always this early?」

「Ohh, that’s correct.」

Kisaragi answered bluntly and pulled out a paperback book from his bag. Opening the book to a random page, he read the story silently, as if rejecting Saya.

「We’re in the same class, but this is the first time we’re talking like this.」

「I don’t know if we did.」

「It’s true. Because Kisaragi is kind of hard to talk to… everyone in class is saying that too.」

「Heh, is that so?」

「…Hey, what are you reading?」

With a smile on her face, she sat down in the seat across from him. Kisaragi clicked his tongue in his mind and naturally decided to ignore it.

「Ugh, don’t ignore me.」

Saya had no choice but to look into the paperback book he was holding.

「The Count Of Monte Cristo, huh… 」

「No, not really.」

Kisaragi replied in a curt manner and pulled out a smartphone and earphones from his uniform pocket.

「I like it, though, those revenge dramas.」

「Then why don’t you go to the library now? They have a lot of books on that kind of thing.」

「Okay, thanks. But, unfortunately, I’m not in the mood to read a book right now.」

「Is that so, how unfortunate.」

Kisaragi’s words caused Saya’s eyebrows to twitch for a moment. But he immediately smiled and placed a dozen or so Tirol Chocolates on his desk.

「Here, I’ll give you this.」

He expected this, but this woman is unexpectedly depressing… Kisaragi looked at the Tirol Chocolate in a daze, and poisoned herself in her mind. However, Saya, as if unconcerned about his feelings, continued in her innocent manner.

「Which one is your favorite, Kisaragi-kun?」

「Mishima-san, I’m sorry but——」

「My top recommendation would be this one!」

Saya’s recommendation was soybean flour flavored, which Kisaragi hates. He’s at his limit… He mutters in his mind and brings the earphone to his ear, letting out a sigh. It was a clear sign to him not to talk to her any more, but she quickly took both his hands in hers as if to prevent him from doing so.

「Please! Keep it a secret!」

「…What is the subject?」

Kisaragi asked with a blank expression, staring blankly at his clasped hands.

「You saw it, right? Back from Saturday…」

Saya is still holding Kisaragi’s hand with both hands. Her hands were sweaty and her eyes were slightly moist.

「Ahh. I’ve seen it.」

「About that, there’s a good reason for that.」

「Well, I suppose there’s a reason for every action.」

Shaking off the hand that held his, Kisaragi returned his gaze to the paperback book. Then, as if nothing had happened, he read the story again.

「Don’t make fun of me!」

「I don’t remember making fun of you.」

「Please, just listen to the reason why!」

「Sorry, but I’m not interested——」

「We were violated!」

Saya ignored Kisaragi’s words and began to speak quietly while looking down. About three months ago now, the girls were assaulted by a man yesterday. They met on social networking sites, where she’s struggling with her relationships with her friends and parents at the time.

At that time, the man who sincerely answered her concerns was the man she met yesterday. He consulted with Saya day and night. She said she saw in such a receptive man the image of her late father.

The two quickly developed a friendship, and eventually, as a matter of course, they met in person. The place was the man’s apartment. Her best friend, whom Saya had invited to visit the place, was also there. But when Saya and her friends entered the room, they found a large group of strange men.

The man who had been so kind to them changed his attitude, and they were held down by the men by force. The girls were forcibly gang-raped out of fear, unable to resist.

To top it off, the man recorded the act on video. He then repeatedly coerced her into a relationship, telling her that if she did not want her videos exposed on the Internet, she should do what he told her.

「I’m the one who made Yuka… ugh, I don’t know what I’m going to do.」

Saya broke down crying on her desk. Her sobs were the only sound in the silent classroom. In the midst of all this, Kisaragi, having finished listening to the conversation, pressed the earphones to his ears with an unsuspecting face. From there, the song “Radio Exercise No. 1” was blaring out loudly.

「Hey, did you hear what I said?」

Saya, who had been crying until just now, turned around, smiled and forcefully ripped the earphones from Kisaragi’s ears as if it were a matter of course.

「I heard you. But only thinly.」

「Listen to me! So, what do you think?」

「When did you think of that? That horror story.」

「Hmm? Only just now.」

Saya wiped away her tears and answered in a dazed manner, not looking particularly offended. There was no sign of her usual neat and tidy honor student appearance.

「Ahh, no wonder.」

「While I was waiting for Kisaragi, I had a little free time on my hands, so… it was just a passing fancy.」

「Hmmm, a passing fancy. You’re a lucky person… Mishima-san.」

「Leave that alone… how was my improvised horror story? What’s the score?」

「I’ll give you an extra, maybe two points.」

「Out of 10 points?」

「No, out of 100 points.」

「That’s low!!」

The day before yesterday, these girls were hanging paper bags of a certain luxury brand. At that point, the current story becomes contradictory. It is hard to believe that a man who raped two schoolgirls and then forced them to have a relationship with him afterwards using the recorded video as a story would give such a luxury item as a gift.

It is hard to imagine these women choosing a luxury bag as a “reward for themselves,” much less before entering a hotel room with such a man. The bag was a gift from the man, and the two went to the hotel with their consent. In other words, it was just a business trip.

「Two schoolgirls with a fancy bag as a gift… he must be very rich.」

「That father is a rich man who runs a brothel and a lot of other businesses around Hidamari neighborhood.」

「Heh, really?」

Predicted hit the bull’s-eye—— Kisaragi responded with a curt reply.

「Just so you know, it’s not a threesome or anything. I’m just a chaperone.」

「You don’t have to make up any excuses.」

「It’s true, I’m still a pure-hearted person.」

「Pure-hearted, you say…」

Kisaragi, with his eyes down on his paperback book, muttered to himself, “What kind of a mouth does she have to say about that?”

「What? That’s not what I meant.」

「Not that it matters.」

Lightly dismissing Saya’s sharp gaze, Kisaragi replied with his usual blank expression. His gaze remained fixed on the paperback book.

「The day before yesterday, that girl, her name was Yuka. It’s the first time she’d done this and she was very scared, so I was her chaperone.」

「Hmmm. Well, I don’t really care either way. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about Saturday.」

「Are you serious?」

「Yes. I’m swearing to you.」

「Hmmm… But I’m kind of scared.」

While her expression brightened, Saya’s face suddenly turned cloudy and she turned a dubious gaze on Kisaragi.

「Scared of what?」

「Because nothing costs more than free, as they say, right?」

「You say. But so what?」

「You know what I’m talking about.」

Smiling lightly, Saya tilted her head slightly and looked at Kisaragi.

「No, I have no idea.」

「So I’ll keep it a secret and let you fuck me once! It’s still easier to be told that, you know?」

「That’s a strange value system.」

「Really? But in the end, men just want to get laid, don’t they? Or are you different?」

Saya looked at Kisaragi as if testing something. Then he let out an exaggerated sigh and slowly looked up from his library book.

「You are very involved. After all, what do you want me to do, Mishima-san?」

Pale pigmented eyes turned challenging. Then she leaned silently away from the desk and slowly approached him. The expression on her face exuded a bewitching charm that beguiled men.

「You’re too close, though.」

Kisaragi muttered with an expressionless face. However, Saya moved even closer to Kisaragi, despite him. The distance between them was so great that he could directly feel her breath. She had a fresh sweet scent of passion fruit, probably the residue of shampoo, wafting from her.

「Hey, what are you thinking about now?」

「The future of the Japanese economy and the declining birthrate——」

「I hadn’t noticed before, but up close you look pretty adorable.」

Saya smiled mischievously. Kisaragi, on the other hand, by contrast, remained as expressionless as ever.

「It’s often said that」

「But I’m a bespectacled, plain girl, though.」

「For the enthusiasts, that’s a good place to start.」

「Why are you always alone?」

「I’m extremely shy.」

「Heh, oh really… it’s somewhat cute.」

「Thank you. But I’m not happy about it at all.」

「Your personality is not at all endearing.」

Kisaragi’s light-hearted words are met with a smile from Saya, who never breaks into a smile.

「We’re both in this together.」

「I’ll say this and I’ll say that.」

「I say this, you say that.」

The banter stopped and a moment of silence fell between the two. Soon after, it was Saya who opened the conversation.

「You don’t want to have sex with me?」

「Sorry, not at all.」

「Hmph. In case I’m wondering why?」

「Because as a person, you don’t intrigue me at all.」

Once again, a moment of silence fell between the two of them. Then Saya let out an exaggerated sigh and slowly moved away from Kisaragi. Then she turned a dumbfounded face toward him.

「Hey, if you’re going to say no, can’t you be a little more blunt? It’s still going to make a dent.」

「My bad, I didn’t know.」

「I thought you were a quiet kid, but… you’ve been wearing a mean streak.」

「Huh, I’ll tell you what I’m saying.」

Kisaragi sniffed and turned his attention back to his library book.

「Really, no lessening of your mouth… Well, fine. Personally, I have no problem with it, as long as you keep your mouth shut.」

Saya muttered languidly as she looked out the window. Just then, the classroom door opened with a bang, and her classmates came rushing in.

「Well, I’ll take care of that for you, then, darling.」

When Kisaragi overheard her, Saya smiled her usual fresh smile and went to her classmates.

Darling… What does she mean by that? A moment’s pause for thought—— But in the end, he didn’t know what she really meant. Well, it probably didn’t mean much. Kisaragi muttered aloud and slowly shifted his gaze out the window. There, as in his mind, was a gray sky and thick clouds.

「Is this some kind of new harassment?」

「On the contrary, I ask you, how can sharing lunch with me be harassment?」

Saya was overtly, unsatisfied. The place was Class D, Year 1, during lunch break—— The classroom, which would normally be crowded with students having lunch, was for one reason or another quiet as usual. It was shortly after the end of the fourth period that it happened.

Except for the students heading to the purchasing department or the cafeteria, all the other students had spread their lunch boxes on their desks and began preparing lunch among their good friends. In the middle of the day, Saya visited Kisaragi’s seat with a homemade lunch box in her hand. Then, to a male student in the front row, she said while having a smug, “Hey, can you give me that seat?”

As the boys sat up from their seats, their faces scrunched up, Saya suddenly lifted the desk and placed it across from Kisaragi’s desk. Naturally, the stares directed at Kisaragi from the other students, especially the boys, were quite sharp. Soon after, the lunch started with a strange combination.

「I thought we were done talking about it.」

「Was it?」

Saya tilted her head mischievously as she sucked on her chopsticks. What in the world is she up to, this woman…? Kisaragi gave her a sharp look.

「You still want something?」

「Nhn? Well, I’m a little more interested in Kisaragi-kun, I guess, that’s why——」

「I’ll tell everyone ab.」

Kisaragi mumbled to himself as he reached for his convenience store bento. Then Saya raised the corner of her mouth in a grin and smiled with a smile to spare.

「It doesn’t matter. No one will believe a loner like you.」

「Certainly not so long ago, Mishima-san would have been right, but things are completely different now.」

Resting his hands on his chopsticks for a moment, Kisaragi quietly looked at Saya.

「…What do you mean?」

「Think for yourself a little.」

After that, Saya pondered, wrinkling her brow, but never seemed to be able to come up with an answer. Seeing her like this, Kisaragi became numb and began to explain himself.

「Let’s say I tell them what happened the other day. At first, our classmates will think you’re right, that it’s just the ramblings of a simpleton, and no one will take it seriously. But a question suddenly popped into their heads. Why was Saya having lunch with Kisaragi? And…. And even facing each other across the desk. Maybe he had some kind of a weakness for her? Oh, that means…」

After he swept it all up at once, Kisaragi turned his sharp gaze on Saya without saying a word.

「…Meanie.」

「I’m trying to be nice to you.」

Kisaragi lightly brushed off the reproachful glare, and with a nonchalant expression, he put the meatballs in his mouth.

「How did you get that kind of personality?」

「I wonder. Ask my mother.」

「…Why don’t you just have lunch with me?」

Saya puffed out her cheeks and gave him a resentful look

「Why is it me?」

「I told you I’m getting interested on you.」

「I’m sorry, but I don’t want to get into any trouble.」

「What do you mean by “trouble”?」

「This sort of thing.」

Kisaragi let out a sigh and looked behind Saya. There was a male student standing there, wrinkling his brow.

「Who is this guy?」

Suzuki Kensuke rubbed Kisaragi with his chin and turned a sullen look at Saya.

He has a tanned, fearless face and a clean-cut, belly-short hair style. In addition, his long, slender legs made him look like a model.

Incidentally, he was the captain of the soccer team and was extremely popular among the female students at the school. Perhaps their classmates sensed the discomfort in Suzuki’s statement, and quietly looked at them.

“This is the troublesome,” Kisaragi looked at Saya with a disgusted expression. He then replied with a nonchalant look on his face, despite Suzuki’s obvious indignation.

「Kisaragi-kun, a classmate.」

「So, what are you guys doing?」

「I’m eating my lunch.」

「I know that when I see it. What I’m asking is, why are you sitting across the desk from another guy and eating dinner like you’re having a good time? That’s all I’m asking!」

Suzuki’s angry shouts echoed through the classroom. However, Saya did not care about such things and continued with her usual smiling face.

「Whoever I have lunch with is my business.」

「We’re dating, right? If that’s the case——」

「Ehh, really? I didn’t mean it that way at all.」

Saya said it as if it were a matter of course. Suzuki’s face turned red as he looked at her. But she paid no attention to that and continued eating without hesitation. Suzuki, unable to bear it any longer, said, “Suit yourself!” And left the place as if to escape. And the quiet classroom—— In the midst of all this, Saya quietly opened her mouth.

「Look, now there’s no more trouble. So don’t look so scared. Let’s have a nice lunch.」

「Look so scared? Sorry, but I’ve always had this look.」

「Oh, excuse me then.」

「Is it better to leave it at that? The guy from earlier.」

「It’s fine, it’s fine. To be honest, I’m already bored of him. That’s why I’m crazy about Kisaragi right now.」

Saya whispered this and meditated mischievously with one eye.

She really has a thick skin… Ever since Kisaragi entered the school, he had been observing people in his class, a vice he had developed since he entered the school. Naturally, he also observed Mishima Saya in front of him. And his first impression of her was “iron masked woman.”

She is kind to everyone and caring. She has excellent grades and good looks. However, her actions were somewhat bloodless and therefore seemed false. Kisaragi felt that she was like an actress playing a role. So he was not surprised when he met Saya in that way on Saturday.

「So how long is this harassment going to continue?」

「I told you, stop calling this a harassment! Like I said before, even I’m a little upset.」

「Then, how long are you going to continue having lunch with me like this, facing each other?」

「Let’s see… Every day for now, until I get tired of it.」

One more hassle to deal with… Kisaragi turned his head to Saya, who was chewing her bento in a good mood, letting out a sigh. Then, her eyes met with the light pigmented eyes of Kisaragi.

A pesky classmate with a smirk on her face… Honestly, it’s a hell of a thing to be on the radar. But well, whatever. She would get bored soon anyway. Kisaragi quietly resumed his lunch with this thought in mind. However, this optimistic prediction would later prove to be greatly off.

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