The next day. Yuito passed through the entrance again, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

It's not like he was chatting with Kirika and Hakari like yesterday.

(I replied curtly to both of their messages, which was so awkward.)

On his way to school, he saw Hakari at that crosswalk and Kirika at the school gate.

Since they seemed to be looking for someone, they might have been worried about Yuito and waiting.

However, Yuito felt guilty about facing the two of them and inadvertently ended up hiding.

He feels awkward about that too.

Yuito entered the classroom with heavy steps and sat down at his desk.

When Yuito sat down, the boy in the front seat turned around.

"Akizuki, good morning... You don't look so well."

He remembers that boy's name. It was definitely "Satou."

He has the kind of fresh, sporty look that he'd expect from someone on the soccer team.

"Thank you for worrying about me... I'm fine, so don't worry about it."

"Well, even if you say that... maybe you should go to the nurse's office or something..."

"Yo, you damn introvert!!"

Interrupting Satou's voice, Yuito's seat was forcefully hit.

The entire class reacted in surprise and looked at Yuito and the others.

Yuito looked up. It was Arai who had hit the seat.

"Arai-kun... what is it...?"

"What's going on... not that. We already know about you... you murderer!!"

Yuito's heart skipped a beat.

The classroom buzzes with murmurs.

He grits his teeth and stares at Arai, trying to resist the urge to cover his ears.

"I happened to hear from one of our classmates. You're a survivor of the massive stampede that happened in Tohoku, right? And apparently, your mother might have caused the disaster?"

His head is throbbing.

The end of his parents. Slander after the disaster.

Memories he doesn't want to remember are forced to surface.

It feels like having his brain poked.

As Yuito held his head, Satou stood up and glared at Arai.

"Hey, I don't know what happened in Akizuki's past, but it's not something you should be blabbing about."

"Was it Satou? Mob, shut up. Right now, I'm the one judging this bastard."

"Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has to watch the self-righteous jerk's masturbation. What gives you the authority to pass judgment?"

"Hah... I have the authority. There's someone who needs to know just how much of a loser this introvert is... Looks like they're just arriving."

The classroom door opens.

The ones who rushed in were Kirika and Hakari.

"Wow... Arai-kun is really bothering Yuito-kun..."

"That person is also quite stubborn, isn't he..."

"Don't say that. Today, I'm doing this for Hakari."

"For me? What are you talking about?"

"The father of Hakari is dead. It's his fault."

"...Huh?"

A chill ran down Yuito's spine.

―Is it my fault that Hakari-san's father died?

His head is spinning. Could it be that Hakari's father died in that disaster?

If that's the case... Hakaki is resenting Yuito.

"I heard from a friend of Hakari on SNS... your father was a police officer, right? And he died while dealing with the large-scale stampede that happened in Tohoku."

"...Yes, but does that have anything to do with Yuito-san?"

"This damn introvert is one of the survivors from that stampede. And to top it off, he's suspected to be the culprit. He's the one who killed your father."

"..."

Hakari is silent. Yuito cannot see her face.

He felt like he couldn't stand it if someone he had been getting along with until yesterday looked at him with cold eyes.

"Isn't it infuriating? Your father is dead, but this useless piece of trash is living without a care in the world. It would have been better if he had died instead!!"

The sound of footsteps echoed steadily.

Hakari slowly approaches Yuito and the others.

"I understand how you feel. This useless bastard makes your blood boil, right? It's infuriating enough to make you want to punch him, isn't it? If you want, I can punch him for you…"

Slap!!

A dry popping sound echoed in the classroom.

When Yuito looked up, wondering what was going on, Hakari slapped Arai across the face.

"Please don't insult my dear friend any further."

"Huh? This guy killed your fath…"

"My father fulfilled his duty and passed away. If he were here... he would be proud that Yuito-san was saved."

Hearing Hakari's words, Yuito felt a bit lighter in his chest.

Not everyone involved in that disaster forgave Yuito.

However, at least Hakari accepted Yuito and called him a "friend."

"Ha... Haa...!?"

On the other hand, Arai probably didn't expect such a development.

He darted his eyes around in a confused manner.

There, Kirika also approaches with a clattering sound.

The usual softness of friendly behavior had disappeared.

She glares at Arai with eyes as sharp as a wolf's.

"Arai-kun, this isn't something that can be brushed off as a minor quarrel. Digging up and exposing someone else's past... that's just the worst."

Arai flinches at her frozen words.

Even so, he clung to life stubbornly and glared fiercely at Yuito.

"Y-you're kidding me!! This guy is the one at fault, right?! His parents caused the disaster…"

"J-just a normie."

"Hey, your internet literacy is lacking, isn't it?"

"Huh?! You introvert... don't get carried away...!!"

The ones who raised their voices in protest were the group of glasses-wearers huddled in the corner of the classroom.

Until yesterday, they were a bunch of scattered otaku.

"W-Well, I did a bit of research, and I found some court documents from back then about the stampede... and they scientifically explained the cause of the stampede. It wasn't a disaster caused by an individual, though."

"Oh, the information Arai-san uses as sources is stuff like unreliable kotatsu articles or commentary videos from internet trolls, right? It's hard to use the internet unless you can see through the lies."

"By the way, the light novel that Akizuki-san was reading has good taste... There's no way he's a bad person..."

"Exactly."

Apparently, the otaku matched Yuito's interests, so they went out of their way to look up information on their phones and offer help.

However, this has also proven Yuito's innocence in terms of information.

The piercing gazes from the entire class stab into Arai.

"Damn... damn damn damn!! Don't mess with me!!"

Arai was unable to endure any longer as he became furious and raised his hand.

At the end of Arai's bloodshot gaze, there is Hakari.

"If that damn woman had just done what I said!! Damn it!!"

"!?!"

"―Stop it."

Arai's movements stopped. The hair fell softly. A part of Arai's styled hair had been cut off in a straight line.

Sweat drips from Arai's forehead. His eyes tremble uncontrollably, unable to move. He is desperately holding his breath.

He freezes in place, just like a frog caught in the gaze of a snake.

A hand was placed on Arai's neck by Yuito.

A black lightning bolt crackled and struck Yuito's arm.

"I don't mind if you dig up my past. I don't mind if you insult me. But I'll never forgive you for hurting my friends."

Arai suddenly glared his eyes back and collapsed. White foam was coming out of his mouth.

Chapter 12: I Won’t Forgive You