It seemed to have upset him. The leader said in a voice that was loud enough for me to hear.\n
âWho the hell do you think you are?â\n
He put his weight on it. The little guy was struggling. He must not be able to breathe well. I could hear his muffled voice. It was painful to watch.\n
After a while, the leader relaxed. At that moment, the little guy looked up and took a deep breath. After catching his breath, he shouted.\n
âHey, if I mess up, Iâll get caught!ăAbsolutely not possible!â\n
Ha! You idiot! You wonât get caught that easily! Itâs not like you just let them catch you with it!ăAh?â\n
âThatâs not what Iâm talking about. âŚâŚâ\n
His face sinks to the ground again. The words âcrimeâ and âget caughtâ are all so disturbing.\n
The other four people surrounding them made no particular move. They were just silently watching the two of them. They only nodded occasionally at the leaderâs words.\n
ââŚâŚ, Wa.haâ.\n
The little guy, his head freed, held his chest and breathed hard.\n
But his defiant attitude had not changed. He kept glaring at the leaderâs face.\n
Then he said.\n
â To attack a woman is absolutely insane!\n
âŚâŚ Oh, so thatâs what he meant.\n\n
The moment I heard those words, everything connected in my mind.\n
Yamazaki wasnât lying when he said that.\n
I was convinced, but at the same time, I was very irritated.\n
Heâs a jerk. Heâs really a piece of work.\n
The leader said with a laugh.\n\n
âIdiot. It doesnât matter to a chicken like you. Weâll have fun on our own, okay?â\n
The cronies smiled at the leader who turned his back.\n
âI want to see the howling face of that guy Ookusu. I wonder what heâll look like.â\n\n
I laughed in my mind.\n
Hahahaha. Do you want to see my face now?\n
I canât see my own face, but I know what it looks like.\n
âI want to kill.\n
Iâm sure Iâll look like a demon, dominated by murderous intent and anger.\n
I was at my limit. What Yamazaki was saying was 100% true. So I didnât need to hesitate anymore. I just told my dad that I was going to the convenience store. I had to get home quickly before he got suspicious.\n
I turned off the phone in my pocket and hid it in the grass.\n\n\n
I approached the delinquents, making the sound of rough footsteps.\n
My back felt like it was floating. I was back in the shitty world I had once stepped into. A place I shouldnât be. A place I had decided not to come back to. Still, I had to keep going.\n
Eventually, the delinquents noticed me.\n
âWhat, you!â (TN: âYouâ here and in the following sentences are the rude form âomaeâ)Â \n
One of them grabbed my shoulder, but I shook him off and walked on.\n
âOi!â\n
I ignore the voice on my back.\n
As I walked out of the darkness to where the streetlight was shining, the leader of the group turned to me.\n
He looked at me and widened his eyes.\n
One step. Two steps. Backward.\n
I didnât care, Iâm going forward.\n
âYou, youâre, OokusuâŚâŚâ\n
The other person continues to move back. I kept walking.\n
Gradually, the leader catches up to the river bank. But he doesnât stop. Eventually, we were within striking distance of each other.\n
âWh, why are you in such a place?â\n
I didnât answer. I just stared at his face in silence.\n
âDid you hear what I just said? Naa, oi.â\n
Heâs obviously scared. He must be remembering the time when I beat him up.\n
âWhat are you planning on doing? Oi. Stop it, man. What the⌠what the heck are you?â\n
His breath still stinks, I thought. When I looked closely, I saw that his teeth were very dirty. Some of his teeth were missing. There was also the smell of cigarettes and alcohol mixed in, making me want to pinch my nose.\n
I said, \n
âNothing particular. I was just wondering what was going on because it was so loud.â\n
But now itâs as quiet as a lie. The other delinquents seemed to have noticed. I looked around and asked.\n
âSo, âŚâŚ what is the aim?â\n
âWhat do you mean?â\n
âWhat do you hope to accomplish with your stupid criminal scheme?â\n
The face in front of me twisted in agitation as if he realized Iâd heard everything.\n
âShit.â\n
His eyes have been swimming for a while now. Iâm sure he already knows in his bones that Iâm stronger than him. Thatâs why he canât hit me.\n
He turned his head to the side and looked away. Then he covered his face with his hands.\n
He does this for a while, but then his shoulders start to shake a little.\n
I wondered if he was getting desperate. He started to chuckle.\n
âOh, youâre such a pain in the ass!â\n
Even as he began to speak, his eyes were not looking at me. He was looking at something behind me.\n
âIâll answer you if you insist.â\n
The sound of footsteps came from behind me. I pretend not to hear them.\n
His face twists ugly. It was the lecherous smile of a man convinced of victory.\n
The leader of the group shouted out loud.\n
âIt is to see you cry and regret it!â\n
At the same time, the footsteps behind me suddenly rushed forward.\n
I glanced to the side and saw another delinquent there.\n\n
He was holding a wooden stick that he seemed to have picked up and was about to swing it at me.\n\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nTN: Moment of truth⌠Spoiler alert- Itâs probably not what you think.\n\n\n