Chapter 4

Translated by KaiesV Edited by KaiesV

「I’m pretty sure it’s them.」

「I guess so…」

Saya floated a sad expression on her face as she flapped her visitor’s slippers.

The place was a classroom of Class D of the first year after school. The usual faces were there. The one with those girls yesterday—— The girls were taken by Sugawara to the student guidance office and, perhaps reflecting on their actions, did not touch Saya after that.

However, when Saya arrived at school this morning, her jacket was completely gone. In addition, many slanderous remarks against Saya have been posted on the school’s web bulletin board.

「What I should do, Kisaragi-kun… I’m scared.」

Saya looked saddened. But despite that, Kisaragi had been listening to music on his smartphone while looking out the window earlier. The tune was the same as always, Radio Exercise No. 1.

「What are you listening to music while I am being bullied in the most brutal way?」

Saya forcefully ripped the earphones from Kisaragi’s ears, just as she had done the other times.

「You got what you deserved, right?」

「Why don’t you at least worry a little bit!」

「I’m sorry you’re in trouble, and I sympathize with you wholeheartedly.」

Kisaragi looked at Saya with a blank expression. Then, he quickly puts the earphone into his ear.

「No, no, that’s not what I meant.」

This time, Sanae forcefully snatched Kisaragi’s smartphone. Then he let out an exaggerated sigh and looked deeply disgusted.

「What then? What the hell do you want me to do?」

「That’s not what I’m thinking about right now.」

「It’s useless to think about it. Besides, it hasn’t been decided yet that that sophomore is the culprit, has it?」

Those girls don’t harass her in such a churlish manner.

「Then who is the culprit?」

Sanae’s mouth was agape with discontent.

「I don’t know if you’re asking me. After all, you’re dealing with Mishima-san, so she must have a lot of enemies.」

「Well, you’re right about that.」

「What are you trying to convince him of?」

When Saya stared at her best friend with a cold glare, Sanae returned the conversation to the main topic with a wry smile.

「Well, anyway, for today, you can take this girl home.」

「I told you, why me? Why don’t you just send her, Arakawa-san?」

「What are you going to do when the women go back together? Are you an idiot?」

「I’m sure you would be more dependable than me in an emergency, right?」

「What do you mean by that?」

「Because your arms are tougher than mine.」

「I’m going to break your glasses.」

Sanae wrinkled her brow and gave him a cold look. Kisaragi, on the other hand, accepted it with her usual expressionless face. A glaring match ensued for a while, and soon after, Saya, who could not bear to watch, intervened between the two.

「Well, well. Calm down, both of you.」

「Hmph, you should thank Saya for that.」

Sanae looked away from Kisaragi with an air of reluctance. And seeing that the anger had dissipated, Saya slowly shifted her gaze to him.

「Kisaragi-kun, I know it’s a hassle, but to be honest, I’m really scared… So please, will you take me home?」

Saya’s superior gaze fell on Kisaragi. Her eyes were moist with a thin layer of tears.

She’s really a good girl, isn’t she? After all, she even got her friends involved and created this situation by herself… Kisaragi turned a cold gaze on Saya. But even if he did so now, she would never admit the fact. He let out a quiet sigh, thinking so.

「Where’s your house?」

「10 minutes walk from Midorigami Station」

Saya answered with moist eyes.

Midorigami Station, huh… come to think of it, there was a shopping street in front of the station that had **-chan’s favorite food. He wonder if that store is still there.

「Mishima-san, is there still a butcher store called Masuda in the shopping street in front of the station?」

「Masuda? Yes, there is… but why?」

「No, it’s nothing. All right, I’ll just send you there.」

「Eh, is it alright?」

Kisaragi nodded quietly, and soon they were on their way home.

As usual, Saya was talking incessantly to Kisaragi on the way to the Kannazuki station. He responds with an random, raw reply. It is a usual scene. In case someone’s wondering, Kisaragi was always made to walk on the side of the road after the incident on the sidewalk the other day.

「Hey, don’t you have to buy bento for dinner today?」

Upon arriving at the Kannazuki station, Saya turned her head toward the shopping center.

「Yeah, I’m buying somewhere else today.」

「Ah, is it perhaps at Masuda?」

「Yeah.」

「But how do you know about Masuda? It’s quite a distance from your house, isn’t it, Kisaragi-kun?」

「I used to go to that shopping street a long time ago.」

「Ahh, is that so? Ahh, oh, right! Let me guess what you’re buying」

「I don’t think it’s possible… In case you’re wondering?」

「Two jumbo menchikatsu bentos!」

When Saya made a confident peace sign, Kisaragi shook his head and muttered, “Too bad.”

「Yeah, it’s the most popular… What then?」

「You’ll find out later.」

Kisaragi said this and boarded the train, which arrived just in time.

By the time they arrived at the shopping street, the sun had completely set. Looking around, they noticed here and there stores that had begun to close their doors. Fortunately, Masuda butcher store was still open.

Taeko, the owner of the store, welcomes customers with a cheerful voice. She was in her 70s, but her resilient voice was still very active.

She is almost the same as she was back then… Kisaragi recalled his childhood memories in front of the storefront. Then Taeko noticed their presence and turned to face them.

「Oh, if it isn’t Saya-chan. Are you on your way home?」

「Yes.」

「Oh my, is the boy next to you your boyfriend by any chance?」

Taeko leaned out from the counter at the front of the store and turned her smiling face to Saya.

「I wish I could say that. He doesn’t take me seriously at all.」

「Oh my… Boy, if you’re not attracted to this cute girl, you must be one of them, huh?」

Taeko deflected her hands in front of her cheeks and made a pose that signified the people of “ that path “.

「Can I order?」

If he keep going along with this old lady’s story, he’s not going to get his dinner anytime soon. Kisaragi thought so, but ignored Taeko’s flippant remarks.

「You’re not a very flippant boy. Well, that’s fine! What can I get you?」

「Please give me two thick-sliced ham cutlet bento boxes.」

「Oh, that’s an unusual order.」

「Can it still be done?」

「Yes, I can do it. But it will take me about 20 minutes, okay?」

「Yes, I won’t mind.」

Kisaragi nodded lightly and turned his attention to the shopping street.

「I didn’t know they had a menu like that.」

「It’s on the back menu.」

Walking along the shopping street, Kisaragi slowly looks around. They decided to stroll around for about 20 minutes until their lunches were ready.

It used to feel much wider, but it was such a small street. Come to think of it, he remember once they both got lost. He walked slowly down the shopping street, thinking back to his childhood memories.

「Do you still reminisce it?」

「Well, yeah. Have you lived in this town long, Mishima-san?」

「No. I’ve only been in high school, so I’ve only been here about three months.」

「You two were very close for that.」

「Oh, with Masuda-obaa-chan?」

「Yeah.」

「That’s right. I buy all my groceries here in the shopping district, so three months is enough time to get to know the people here.」

「I don’t think I could ever duplicate that.」

Kisaragi muttered with a self-mocking smile.

Time flew by as they walked through the nostalgic shopping district. Then, a little past the appointed time, they returned to Masuda. Then the lunch boxes were just ready.

「Here you go, two thick-cut ham cutlet lunchboxes. Do visit every time!」

「Thank you.」

When Kisaragi paid for and received his bento, Taeko stared at him with narrowed eyes.

「Boy… have we met somewhere before?」

「Huh, is this a pick-up from Obaa-chan? That’s not good, he’s already booked by me!」

「Hahaha, sorry, sorry. But where did I——」

「I’ve been to this restaurant a few times in the past, so maybe that’s why.」

Interrupting Taeko, Kisaragi turned his attention to the bento in the plastic bag.

「Oh, I see. Oh, no, no, no. I’ve been forgetting things lately… I really don’t want to get old.」

「I think you are more than young enough, don’t you?」

Kisaragi smiled an unusually thin smile.

「Oh, you make me so happy. Boy, if you ever want to eat a thick-sliced ham cutlet again, come here anytime!」

「Thank you very much.」

Kisaragi bowed lightly and they left Masuda Butchery. Taeko, on her cheekbones, watched their backs idly, as if remembering something.

「You’re so nice to older women.」

「What does that mean?」

「I saw Kisaragi-kun laughing for the first time just now. I think the occasional smile from a person who is normally so sullen is murderous. I seriously thought my nose would start bleeding.」

「I’m not miffed at all.」

「Yes, you do.」

「I did not… Well, I don’t really care either way.」

「Then show me your student ID card. There’s a picture of Kisaragi-kun’s face with a Buddha’s face on it.」

Saya puffs out her cheeks as she approaches Kisaragi. At first he ignores her, but she is so insistent that he has no choice but to pull out his student ID card from the inside pocket of his uniform.

Just then, a pill case, a small cylinder about three centimeters in diameter, is tossed onto the road and rolls away with the student ID card he had taken out. Then Kisaragi hurriedly ran to retrieve it.

Just as he was about to reach for the pill case, there was a man who took it one step ahead of him.

His age is probably somewhere between 17 to 18. He has long, almost blonde bleached hair. His unnaturally pale face was covered with multiple piercings.

And around the man, several men and women were staring at Kisaragi and the others with smirking smiles on their faces. Among them were the girls who had tangled with Saya in the classroom the other day.

「What’s this?」

The man turned to Kisaragi, waving a pill case in his ear.

「It’s just a pill case.」

「Pill case? Are you on drugs or something?」

「Yes.」

「Where, where is it?」

The man opened the pill case and looked inside.

「Give it back.」

Kisaragi’s emotionally stifled voice echoed around the area.

His heart beat gradually jumped up and down. And the sensation of being slowly overwhelmed by negative emotions. N–No good, it’s a sign of a usual seizure. At a time like this, of all times… Kisaragi closed his eyelids and tried desperately to suppress the seizure.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump… N–No, I can’t take it anymore… Kisaragi mutters in his mind and quietly opens his eyelids. Then his face instantly lost its expression like a Noh mask.

「Hey, hey, lying is not good. Look, there’s no drugs in here.」

The man pointed at Kisaragi what he took out of the pill case. It was a marble of a deep blue color, as beautiful as the night sky.

「Give it back.」

Kisaragi quickly moved in front of the man.

「Of course I’ll give it back. If you listen to me properly.」

The man smiled wryly as he placed the marbles back in the pill case.

「Hey, what’s the matter with you people!」

Saya was closing in on the man, but a slender, slender hand quickly stopped her. However, a slender hand quickly stopped her. She looked into Kisaragi’s face to see what was going on. Then she saw a boy standing there with deep dark eyes that were always different from his usual look.

「Give it back.」

「You are Mishima Saya-chan and Kisaragi Haru-kun, right?」

The man ignored Kisaragi and asked Saya.

「What is it then!」

「Well, then maybe you can follow us for a minute.」

「Give it back.」

「All you have to do is hang out with me for a minute. And I’ve got my car parked right there——」

「Give it back.」

Kisaragi repeats the same line over and over again with dark eyes, losing his expression. Then the man scratched his head in disgust at the sheer persistence.

「Tcg, you’ve been nagging me over and over again since a while ago… You want to get killed?」

The man’s mild expression suddenly changed, and he thrust a butterfly knife with a blade of about 10 cm in length at Kisaragi’s chest. Then the men and women around him let out strange noises in a whisper.

In an attempt to save Kisaragi, Saya tried to grab onto the man. Just then, he quickly grabbed the blade of the knife with his right hand and held it with his other hand to cover the man’s hand holding the knife.

Naturally, bright red blood drips from Kisaragi’s palm. Saya covers her mouth with both hands and screams inaudibly. The man, on the other hand, looks at him in astonishment as he grips the knife with a blank expression on his face.

「Give it back.」

「I–I told you to follow u——」

「Injury, attempted murder… juvenile detention won’t cut it.」

Kisaragi brings the knife to his neck. The force of the knife is so powerful that it is hard to believe that he is a thin man.

「H–Hey! Stop it, s–seriously, it’s not funny! You guys, stop messing around and do something about this guy!」

The man let out a shrill cry and called for help from his friends around him. However, none of them could move from the spot due to the suddenness of the event. Kisaragi, without paying attention to the man, presses the knife against his own neck. A streak of bright red blood flows from his neck.

「Stop it, Kisaragi-kun!」

Saya’s cries echoed around the area.

「Give it back.」

「A–Alright, I’ll give it back!」

The man heftily held the pill case in front of Kisaragi’s eyes.

「Sorry, Mishima-san, but would you accept this?」

「L–Look, you got it already. S–So, please, get your hand off the knife!」

Saya took the pill case from the man with trembling hands and exclaimed pleadingly.

「Did that person ask you to do this?」

Kisaragi ignored the tearful Saya and turned her attention to the man and woman behind the man, who had expressions of astonishment on their faces. Then, he silently glances at one of them. That person was a female student with heavy makeup who had tangled with Saya the other day.

「Did that person ask you to do this? I’m asking you.」

「No! We are—」

「You’re not the one I’m talking with.」

Kisaragi’s cold voice quietly interrupted the man’s desperate denial.

「I–I was… asked by Kensuke to do something for him, s–so…」

「Kensuke… Was that Suzuki-senpai.」

The female student nodded silently.

「And what did he ask you to do?」

「We…」

「If you don’t speak soon, this man will become a murderer.」

Kisaragi turns his expressionless face to the mumbling female student. Then, without saying a word, he slowly presses the knife against her neck.

「I–Idiot, say it quick!」

The man’s screeching voice echoed through the street.

「We’re going to grab you, beat the shit out of you, and then we’re going put that woman in a circle.」

「Hmmm, I see. Injury, rape… Mishima-san, record her remarks with your smart phone.」

Saya nodded cockily and immediately began recording the girls’ remarks.

「Did you get the recording right?」

In response to Kisaragi’s question, Saya nodded repeatedly. He confirmed it only with his eyes and quietly removed his hands from the knife.

「If you take any more positions against us, next time it won’t be like this. Do you understand?」

Kisaragi’s bloody hand gently touches the man’s face. Immediately, the man’s cheeks turn bright red. The man cannot answer his question out of fear. After a moment of silence, Kisaragi asked again,

「Do you understand?」

The man then nodded repeatedly, his lips trembling. When Kisaragi confirmed this, she slowly shifted her gaze to Saya and asked,

「Mishima-san, what happened when you were molested?」

Saya instantly understood Kisaragi’s true intentions and cried out loudly. With that, the men ran away from the place as if they had been spiders.

「W–What are you trying do!」

Saya screamed as she held her bloody palm with a handkerchief. Her eyes were brimming with “genuine” tears.

「The pill case, give it to me.」

Kisaragi whispered. Saya then wiped her tears with the back of her hand and silently handed over the pill case. Then he smiled reassuringly and muttered a small「thank you.」

A crazy event—— The two then headed to Saya’s home. Fortunately, her apartment was less than five minutes away. From this, they know that the men mentioned above were surveilling the vicinity of Saya’s home.

「That’s a very nice apartment.」

「Not exactly.」

Saya took the key out of her bag and unlocked the auto-lock.

「Well, I’ll leave you to it then.」

「Hah!? What are you talking about, with a wound like that?」

As Kisaragi was about to leave the place as a matter of course, Saya yelled at her.

「It’s not that big of a deal.」

「No, just come in.」

Saya grabbed Kisaragi by the arm and forced him to go through the automatic door. Then, pulling on Kisaragi’s reluctant hand, she walked through the spacious entrance. When Saya arrived in front of the elevator, she did not want to let go of Kisaragi’s arm. Her hand was trembling slightly.

A seizure after a long time—— He held back but he couldn’t stop… All feelings are gone and the aches and pains disappear. A feeling of rapidly becoming unimportant, no matter what happens to him. And then he act like he did earlier. He’s completely crazy, if he did say so himself. Kisaragi looked at Saya’s trembling hands and smiled to herself.

「The neighbors are watching us, so get in there!」

Saya opened the door and urged him to enter the room. Then Kisaragi mutters, “Sorry for intruding,” with a pouty face, and steps into the doorway. Upon entering the room, Kisaragi was first directed to the kitchen. Saya pulls water from the faucet and washes the blood from his palm. But the bleeding never stopped.

「I–I don’t know what to do, it’s not stopping at all…」

「It’s okay. If it doesn’t stop tomorrow, I can just get stitches at the hospital.」

Kisaragi wrapped a face towel around her palm and tied it up tightly.

「How can you remain so calm?」

「Panicking won’t help you in any particular way.」

「Yes, but… was it really that important? Those marbles.」

Kisaragi nodded silently.

「That doesn’t mean that you have to go to all that trouble…」

「I’m crazy. How’s that? Now you hate me, don’t you?」

「No.」

Saya turned over and shook her head.

「But earlier Kisaragi-kun… you’re kind of scared me.」

「Yes. It’s a fair comment.」

「But——」

「Okay, I’ll take this. Thanks for the towel.」

Kisaragi said this and headed for the entrance. Then Saya hugged his slender back as if clinging to him.

「What are you trying to do?」

「Please. Stay here.」

「Why?」

「…I’m scared.」

「You’ll be safe here. And as long as you have the video I recorded earlier, they can’t touch you. So——」

「I’m not talking about them!」

Saya shouted loudly and put her arms around Kisaragi’s body.

「Then what are you afraid of?」

「If I take my eyes off you, Kisaragi-kun, you’re going to disappear…」

「You’re exaggerating. I just cut my hand a little.」

「I’m not exaggerating! Don’t you realize it yourself? Kisaragi-kun, you were seriously acting weird just now! If that man hadn’t pulled that knife that was pressed against your neck——」

He doesn’t need her to tell him that. He know that as well as anyone…

「Even if I did, it’s none of your business. So get your hands off me.」

「I don’t want to!」

「I’m sorry, but I have to go home… I have to.」

Kisaragi gently unwraps Saya’s hand. Then she slumps down in place, tears streaming down her face.

「See you.」

He quietly left the apartment, leaving Saya sobbing.

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