~Did you give up on remaining human… or did the world take it from you first?~
1. The Past Never Truly Leaves
"We can never escape the past, because the past is what shapes who we are today."
That sentence echoed in my mind like a repeating whisper as two weeks passed since the downfall of Suri and Tomo. Two weeks—too short to forget, yet too long to still call it shock.
School kept moving as usual—laughter, noise, forced normalcy.
As if no one had fallen.
As if no one had been dragged out of their own life.
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2. Tomo as a Social Corpse
Tomo's name still surfaced occasionally—not with empathy, but with mouths that hadn't yet tired of gossip. Some boys talked about her with crude fascination. Some regretted missing the video. Others wished they could see it again.
Even after she disappeared.
Even after her life collapsed.
Their appetite for scandal stayed alive.
And the school let it happen.
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3. The Target Shifts: Annie
But gossip never runs out of victims.
Slowly, the focus shifted.
No longer Suri.
No longer Tomo.
Now—Annie.
Not as brutal as before.
Not as loud.
But sharp enough to remind her that in this school, the past is never buried. It only waits for its turn to be used as a weapon.
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4. Annie — A Former Prodigy
Before she came to this school, Annie was a source of pride.
A prodigy.
A family jewel.
A representative of one of Osaka's top schools.
She grew up with applause.
With praise.
With the belief that the world was built to welcome her.
And like many gifted children—
she learned to measure her worth through victory.
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5. Ambition That Became a Blade
Being the best in Osaka wasn't enough.
She wanted more.
She wanted the world.
So she transferred—
to the most elite school in Japan, where world champions are forged.
She arrived with her head held high.
With reputation.
With her family's expectations pressing on shoulders still too young.
One mistake there meant social death.
And Annie stepped forward without hesitation.
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6. The Day the World Spat Back
The school was known nationwide as the best of the best—a tower of light rising above the ocean of teenage dreams. Its history was written in victories, its networks reaching into global stages. Every year its teams advanced deep into international competitions, often claiming top honors in science.
Winners were treated as "chosen."
Their futures rolled out like a red carpet—scholarships, prestige, high government positions, near-perfect lives.
To ordinary eyes, it looked flawless.
Perfect choice. Perfect school. Perfect life.
But perfection is often just blinding light.
Behind achievement, shadows grow—pressure in every hallway, expectations in every breath, failure waiting like a cold blade behind the back.
And there—
in the brightest place—
Annie's nightmare began.
A competition broadcast worldwide.
Before millions of viewers, Annie insisted on her answer. She raised her voice. Dismissed her two teammates.
"Follow my answer."
She called them supporters—
not partners.
And in that moment—
she was wrong.
Their team was eliminated in the round of 32—the first time in the school's history.
History recorded it not as victory—
but as disgrace.
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7. From Goddess to Garbage
"You're not bad… but you're not special either."
"We expected so much from you, but…"
"Because of you, we're all ashamed."
The insults came from every direction—
teachers,
students,
family.
She was removed as team leader.
Avoided.
Isolated.
Annie—the former symbol of the future—
was treated like a disease.
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8. When Bullying Became a Show
It began with words.
Then rough treatment.
Then humiliation turned into entertainment.
Laughter.
Recordings.
Chat groups.
Annie became a spectacle.
She asked for help.
The school nodded—then looked away.
"Just teenage mischief."
No punishment.
No protection.
Only an unspoken message:
survive alone—or break quietly.
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9. A Family That Slowly Withdrew
At home, she was no longer pride—
but a subject of whispers and sarcasm.
Memes about her arrogance circulated among relatives. They laughed. Judged. Peeled apart her past piece by piece.
And her parents—
chose the quietest solution:
transfer her.
Erase her from the old map.
As if moving her would bury the shame with it.
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10. The Annie We Know Today
Annie came to this school not as a victim—
but carrying wounds that had already begun to rot.
Wounds that refused to stay weak.
She learned one rule from her past:
victims get stepped on.
perpetrators get feared.
And here she stands now—
beside Suri,
beside Tomo—
three small rulers inside a rotten ecosystem called school.
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11. A Late Realization
What Annie does today—
may only be a reflection of what she once received.
A chain never broken.
Victims growing into executioners.
And when I think about that, a cold awareness spreads in my chest:
maybe nothing truly changes—
only the roles switch.
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12. Closing — Wounds That Create Monsters
Annie was not born a monster.
She was made—
by ambition,
by failure,
by humiliation,
by a world that loved her when she was useful
and discarded her when she cracked.
Now she stands as someone others fear—driven by a burning need to repay every shame carved into her past.
But deep inside her eyes…
I still see the shadow of a little girl who once believed that if she were perfect enough, the world would love her forever.