At the Nishimiya Residence
After her bath, Nishimiya Shoko put on her pajamas, thinking back on her experience at the Hiratsuka residence. She dove onto her bed, wrapped herself in her comforter, and twisted and wiggled like a caterpillar. She let out a series of happy squeals and whimpers, scaring her younger sister, Nishimiya Yuzuru, who shivered in a corner of the room, convinced her sister had gone crazy.
After a while, perhaps from exhaustion, Shoko's small head emerged from the comforter. Her bright eyes sparkled as she stared blankly at the ceiling. Her toes dug into the bedsheets, creating a wrinkled mess. She quickly buried her head in the comforter again, like an ostrich.
Yuzuru, seeing her sister's strange behavior, realized it had to be because of that con artist. She had no idea what he had said to her sister to make her so happy. I've had enough. I'm going to her school tomorrow to investigate.
The Next Day
Ishida Shouya went to school as usual. After his mother, Ishida Miyako, apologized and paid a large sum of money yesterday, he thought the matter was over. It had always been like that before. He had thought about it all night and figured the bond between him and his friends, Shimada, Hirose, and Ueno, wouldn't break so easily.
He saw some familiar faces and went up to them enthusiastically.
"Hirose, did you see the new anime that came out..."
"Ueno, about..."
Hirose acted as if he didn't even see Shouya, and Ueno Naoka acted as if she couldn't hear him. No one responded.
The school bell rang, and the homeroom teacher walked into the classroom. Remembering the principal's special instructions after the meeting yesterday, he knew his chance at being an outstanding student this year was gone. He had expected it, but hearing the principal say it was still infuriating. As for the source of all this...
He looked at Shouya, struggling to suppress his immense anger and resentment. "Ishida, stand up."
Shouya couldn't understand why his friends had become so cold. They had done similar things before, ganging up on someone, and by the next day, everything was back to normal.
BANG!
The teacher slammed his hand on the blackboard. "Ishida... get up, now!"
The teacher, who was normally so mild-mannered, was suddenly furious, and the students in the classroom were as silent as cicadas in the cold.
"Yes, sir!" Shouya said, jolting to his feet.
"Regarding what happened with Nishimiya yesterday, Ueno, you were there. Is there anything you'd like to say?" The teacher pushed up his glasses, his expression serene as if he hadn't just shouted. A student had told him that Ueno was the one who threw Nishimiya's hearing aid first, a detail she had conveniently left out yesterday.
Under the teacher's stare, a cold sweat broke out on Ueno's forehead, and she stammered. "Um... I guess I did do some pranks, but Ishida made me do them! He was the one who told me to throw Nishimiya's hearing aid to him yesterday!"
In her fear, Ueno's defenses quickly crumbled. She decided to tell the truth and squarely put most of the blame on Shouya.
"What about you, Shimada?" The teacher turned to another student who was present—the blond one who always seemed to be Shouya's best friend.
Shimada handled the situation much better than Ueno since he wasn't directly involved in throwing the hearing aid. He sat calmly and said, "I told him not to bully her, but he wouldn't listen."
"Hey! That's not true! You bullied her, too!" Shouya was overwhelmed by the successive betrayal of his friends. Why was he the only one taking the blame for something they all did?
He began to ramble. "The girls said bad things about Nishimiya, too! Especially Ueno and Kawai!"
"What?!" Ueno gasped. Her face was dark; Ishida was still trying to drag her down with him.
But Kawai Miki's reaction was even better. She took off her glasses and, in a tearful voice, acted as if she had been deeply wronged. "That's so mean. I would never do something like that. Why would you say that, Ishida? That's so awful..." With that, tears streamed down her face.
Kawai's tears sparked sympathy from many of their classmates, and their support quickly shifted to the "weak" girl.
"Yeah, Ishida is so mean."
"Right? He made her cry. It's all his fault."
Shouya's head spun. He slumped back into his seat, his back drenched in a cold sweat. He noticed that everyone's faces had become blurry, and his friends were gone. They had all turned into strangers with a large "X" on their faces.
Yesterday, his classmates' reactions had been severe because he was the main culprit. But after his mother paid and apologized, things were supposed to go back to normal. They had always gone back to normal. I already apologized. Why is this happening?
He couldn't hear what people were saying about him. His mind was falling into a dark abyss. So this is what Nishimiya went through? At this moment, his classmates' words and attitudes were like a dull knife, slowly and repeatedly cutting into him. It hurt so much that he, who had always considered himself brave, wanted to cry out loud.
Some wounds, once inflicted, can last a lifetime. He was full of regret, but there was no turning back now.
Nishimiya Shoko felt a pang of sympathy and clenched her fist, but she didn't speak. After all, she was the biggest victim. Even if she was a kind person, she shouldn't actively help her tormentor. To do so would only hurt the people who had genuinely helped her.
Ryosuke quietly watched the drama unfold. He felt a mix of emotions. Ishida Shouya, who had always caused others pain, was finally experiencing it himself. It was easy to predict that this pain and emotional scarring would stay with him forever, never to be redeemed.
Noticing Shoko's subtle reaction, Ryosuke took her hand and gently pulled her closer. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, at a speed she could easily understand, "Shoko, everyone has to take responsibility for their own actions, so you don't have to worry about it too much."
Feeling the warmth of his breath, Shoko blushed and nodded.
"Come to my place again after school. We'll try to learn more sounds today," Ryosuke said with a faint smile, letting go of her hand and sitting up straight in his seat.
Meanwhile, Nishimiya Yuzuru had already gathered some information on the "scam artist" who shared the name of "Ryosuke-niichan." Based on what she heard from other students, she had a profile on him: good grades, handsome, surrounded by adoring girls, and he changed girlfriends like he changed clothes. He was also known to get into fights with his classmates.
A scumbag who plays with girls' feelings, a handsome delinquent with good grades, that was the label Yuzuru had for him. She was sure this jerk was just treating her sister as a new conquest because he was bored with normal girls. Damn it. I'm too weak. I'm no match for an older student. She gritted her teeth in frustration.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind, and her frown softened. That's right! Mr. Himura at the restaurant is Ryosuke-niichan's master! They're both super strong. I can get his contact information from Mr. Himura! Then I can get Ryosuke-niichan to personally teach that scumbag who shares his name a lesson!
She remembered Hiratsuka Ryosuke's terrifying speed, his strong arms, and his warm, firm back from that night. Ryosuke-niichan will definitely teach that jerk a lesson!
With a brilliant plan in her head, she thought, As expected of me! She would act on it immediately. She would go to that family restaurant to find Mr. Himura now.
Don't worry, Sis. Your future and happiness will be guarded by your sister, Yuzuru. With that, she disappeared in a flash, running away from the elementary school.