It stings.
The gazes of the two people facing Sota from the side were stinging.
Fortunately, Sota, Yuka, and Nanami were standing around Kurosawa Koto Ne, so the passing kids couldn’t see that arm.
Seeing them act so openly in the hallway like this seemed to suggest they didn’t care whether they were being watched or not.
“What happened?”
Yuka asked. Her gaze sharpened.
It was plain as day that Sota had blatantly ignored Yuka’s words, so it was understandable for Yuka to react that way.
“That is… so…”
Sota wracked his brain to figure out what to say next.
“If someone is bullying you, tell me.”
It was likely that those three had bothered her yet again this morning.
Even if she had managed to endure it until now, having thought there was a clear way to escape, she inevitably had to rely on Sota. There wouldn’t be any other way out.
Up until now, the situation had only ended with Sota and Yuka scaring off those kids, but yesterday, Sota had managed to drive them away all by himself. If he were to now say not to rely on him after that, it would simply be heartless.
“Okay, hold on.”
Sota decided to act calmly for the moment.
“…Let’s go talk outside.”
They might not have noticed the wounds on Koto Ne’s body, but that didn’t mean this place wasn’t attracting attention.
The three girls were standing next to Sota, deliberately attracting interest that anyone could notice.
He was worried Koto Ne might not follow him out of the building, but she promptly trailed behind him.
And Yuka and Nanami surrounded her on either side.
Since seeing the injury, Nanami had been trying to refrain from glaring.
Sota took a deep breath so the three behind him wouldn’t hear.
He then realized a little too late that he had moved his shoulders too much.
*
Ironically, even outside the building, the four of them continued to attract people’s gazes.
It seemed like they didn’t stir up as much curiosity as when they were in front of the classroom. When they were in front of the classroom, the kids passing by almost all knew Sota, so there was a higher degree of interest. However, if you turned that interest around to the entire student body, all that could be seen was “a boy hanging out with three girls.”
He thought about going up to the rooftop, but that would likely attract more suspicion, so Sota decided to head near the playground instead.
There were a few kids sitting scattered in the stands. Since there were no nearby walls and nowhere for sound to echo, they could hold a quiet conversation without being easily overheard by others.
Moreover, there were kids running around shouting on the playground during this lunchtime.
“So, what happened?”
As Sota settled down, Yuka asked.
It seemed Yuka wasn’t exactly in the mood to sit either.
Nanami felt the same. Koto Ne, on the other hand… well, it felt like she wasn’t even considering the option of sitting down.
She just seemed to be watching Sota with eyes that didn’t fully grasp the situation.
“Yuka, just listen for a moment.”
Sota spoke calmly.
Fortunately, it seemed Yuka was a bit concerned about the wounds on Kurosawa Koto Ne’s wrist. A clear bruise was marked on her right wrist.
Sota hadn’t seen those kids hitting her yet. So he didn’t know if those wounds were caused by them or by her family. Judging by her reaction yesterday, those kids probably had a hand in it.
However, what Sota was trying to say wasn’t anything like that.
“Last night, after finishing my part-time job and heading home, I ran into her.”
“And?”
Yuka’s eyes narrowed further. It wasn’t entirely closed, but they looked so slim compared to her usual spark. It looked like the light in her eyes had been compressed so much that it could work as a laser cutter.
“She wasn’t alone.”
Sota stated.
Yuka shut her mouth at his serious expression. She still looked tense, but it seemed she caught the deeper meaning in Sota’s words.
“She was being bullied, and the nature of that bullying wasn’t ordinary.”
“Not ordinary?”
Sota glanced at Kurosawa Koto Ne.
Her bright red eyes were staring at Sota, completely devoid of any emotion. It was hard to tell if he was allowed to share this story or not.
Still, he had a hunch that she wouldn’t care much if this topic came up. It seemed like she lacked any real concept of it.
The fact that those kids were trying to use her like that said it all.
“…So they were thinking of making money through her.”
Hearing that, Nanami’s face turned pale.
Yuka’s mouth remained sealed; she couldn’t say a word.
Both of them weren’t ordinary girls. They probably understood well what Sota’s words implied.
“So, I just brought her away before the culprits showed up. That’s all. After that, she just took the subway and went home.”
“Then why did she come looking for you?”
Yuka asked.
“She must have said something yesterday.”
“…Maybe she said if someone is bullying her, she should get help from those around her…”
Yuka held her forehead.
“Who do you think would be around her to hear that, you fool…”
“Fool, huh?”
Nanami suddenly interjected in response to Yuka’s words.
Her face clearly showed her outrage.
“Didn’t Sota do well, considering what she might have gone through yesterday?”
“…”
Yuka seemed at a loss for how to respond to that. If Sota had indeed said such things, there had to be a reason behind it. Perhaps she really was worried about Sota’s safety when she said that.
However, Yuka also had a sense of justice, so she found it hard to condemn Sota for bringing Kurosawa Koto Ne out of that situation.
“Ah, I don’t get it.”
Yuka let her hand drop from her forehead and sighed deeply.
Then she turned around and rolled her feet to return to the classroom.
“…”
Sota watched her retreating figure for a while. Though she seemed to be intentionally making big movements out of anger, her back looked somewhat lonely.
Could it be that one reason Yuka might have trouble building deep friendships is due to experiences like this?
Doing something like this, he had to suspect everything about everyone. Even with friends’ promises—no, since he had transferred here for work, there couldn’t be such promises. While working, he couldn’t afford to make other plans.
If it happened that he was caught carrying a knife among friends, the situation would only worsen.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, gradually becoming isolated—
“Hey.”
While Sota was lost in thought, Nanami called out to Kurosawa Koto Ne.
“Have you eaten lunch? If not, would you like to go eat together?”
“…”
Kurosawa Koto Ne turned her gaze toward Nanami without answering.
Her expression remained blank. Most of her face was hidden by her hair, making it hard to get a good look. Sota thought her hairstyle might need some sorting out.
However, Nanami, showcasing her signature friendliness, linked her arm with Kurosawa Koto Ne’s.
Confirming there was no objection, she immediately began to walk.
“Sota, if you don’t follow, we’ll leave you behind!”
“Huh? Ah, okay.”
Watching Yuka moving further away, Sota finally stood up and joined the two of them.
Yuka was… wasn’t she in the same class? Sitting right behind him, he thought if they could just somehow keep talking, everything would work out.
For now, it was more important to help the girl who had come to ask Sota for aid.
*
From the time lunch ended until school was out for the day, an awkward and uncomfortable silence lingered between the two.
It wasn’t that Sota didn’t attempt to strike up a conversation, but Yuka kept staring out the window.
The surrounding kids kept telling Sota, “Sota messed up.”
He knew he messed up…
In the end, Sota just sat there fidgeting until the end of school.
Yuka finally spoke when the teacher’s closing remarks ended.
“Let’s go together.”
“Uh?”
“Well, you’re going to go with her anyway. I’ll go with you until you separate from her.”
“…”
Looking out the window at Yuka’s words, there stood that black figure again.
Playful jeers broke out from around them.
Sota felt a mix of indescribable frustration as he picked up his bag.
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