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Chapter 3 – First Year High School\nVolume 2\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nUnlike the confession rumors, no stories were circulating that Fujisaki was being subjected to harassment. The harassment was not something that could be made public. Or perhaps Fujisaki herself kept it a secret.\n
Fujisaki’s spirits were waning by the day.\n
“Hey, Fujisaki. That’s not the right place for that book.”\n
“Eh? Oh, that’s true… Sorry.”\n
The smile that she could barely make was painful. There were dark circles around her eyes. Her voice was also getting quieter.\n
“…The book you put on is upside down.”\n
“Upside down… Ah…”\n
I fixed it before Fujisaki did. At that moment, the book in Fujisaki’s arms fell and made a noise.\n
“That book is quite heavy, so it’s dangerous. I’ll hold it for you.”\n
“It’s okay, you know ……?”\n
“I’m saying that because it’s not okay at all. Give me everything you’ve got, too.”\n
“Yeah…”\n
Her eyes were vacant. Even Noguchi-san was worried that she should go to the infirmary. She seemed to be acting stoutly while in the classroom, but when she was on the library committee, she was quiet, as if she was distracted.\n
“Fujisaki. You’d better go home now. I’ll do the rest.”\n
“… Oh, no, I’ll feel bad about it…”\n
“There’s nothing to feel bad about. If you don’t want to go home, you can sit in the chair and rest. There’s no one here right now, and I can handle this on my own.”\n
“Okay…”\n
Fujisaki retreated to the back of the room. After putting all the remaining books back on the shelves, I moved to the counter. There didn’t seem to be anyone in particular there, so I went to check on Fujisaki.\n
Fujisaki was slumped over with her face on the table. Her hair was spreading out in a radial pattern.\n \n
… It had been almost three weeks since Fujisaki had been confessed to.\n
The reason for this was obvious. It was because the harassment against Fujisaki had been going on for a long time.\n
I was worried about her and had been keeping an eye on Fujisaki’s movements ever since I saw that pushpin. As far as I knew, there had already been five similar incidents. Not only did they put thumbtacks in her shoes, but they also hid her textbooks, messed up her notebooks, and stuffed her bag with trash. It was simple harassment, but it was done occasionally.\n
But I still don’t know who did it.\n
–I can’t forgive them.\n
I wanted to ask them what Fujisaki had done. She’s a good girl, isn’t she? I’m sure she hasn’t done anything that would make others dislike her.\n
I sat down in the seat next to her and called out to her.\n \n
“… Isn’t it okay to not push yourself?”\n \n
Fujisaki doesn’t know that I know about the harassment. I was waiting for her to tell me herself.\n
Fujisaki sat up and touched her bangs.\n \n
“I’m sorry I showed you a weird part of me. I’m not pushing myself… yeah.”\n
“Is that so?”\n
“…It’s raining hard”\n
“It’s the rainy season after all. It’ll last for a few more weeks.”\n \n
A large number of raindrops were streaming down the window. Most of the sports clubs were canceled. Only a few people come to the library in this weather, wanting to go home as soon as possible.\n \n
“Are you feeling sick?　I’m sorry if it’s not something I’m supposed to ask you…”\n
“No, it’s not like that…”\n
“You’ve been pretty down lately. Did something happen?”\n
“…… Nothing.”\n
“…… It was after that confession, right? That’s how it seemed.”\n
“……”\n
“Are you sure nothing is going on…?”\n \n
Fujisaki did not answer. Probably, she is afraid of bothering others by discussing her problems with them. She also doesn’t seem to let people know that she’s being harassed.\n
Still, I was sure that it would be difficult for me to make a move without having Fujisaki directly consult with me. There must be a lot of harassment she received without my knowledge. Some of them might even lead to clues about the culprit.\n \n
“…Sorry” \n\n
That was the final word that came out of her mouth.\n \n
“…… Okay. I’m on Fujisaki’s side, so if you need anything, feel free to rely on me.”\n
“Yes, thank you.”\n \n
Amid all the rain, I heard the sound of footsteps. I turned around to see if it was a student who wanted to borrow a book, but it was Noguchi-san.\n
Noguchi-san looked at Fujisaki and me.\n\n
“Both of you, go home.”\n \n
I was surprised. There was still more than an hour until closing time. If it was just Fujisaki, it’s understandable. But there was no reason for me to leave who’s as usual.\n \n
“No, Fujisaki’s the only one need to go home, and I will–“\n
“It’s okay. There are not many people coming here anyway. Just me is enough. I won’t be able to leave until the end of the day anyway, so just leave this to me.”\n
“But…”\n
“It’s raining badly. I’m fine because I have a car. But you’re not, are you? In times like these, you have to take my word for it.”\n \n
She probably wouldn’t approve of me staying, no matter what I said. I gave up and just replied, “Yes”. Fujisaki also just said, “Sorry,” and left her seat.\n\n
Fujisaki and I took our bags and headed for the entrance.\n
We took off our indoor shoes and put on our school shoes. As I picked up my umbrella, which was left on the umbrella stand, I noticed that Fujisaki had stopped.\n
“What’s up, ……?”\n
The rain was getting heavier and heavier. The dirt outside was a mess, and puddles were forming everywhere.\n
There were only four umbrellas left in the umbrella stand. One of them must be Fujisaki’s.\n
“…… I remembered some errands. Do you mind leaving first?”\n
“Errands?”\n \n
I had a hunch that she was hiding something. Then I took a closer look at the umbrellas left behind and understood.\n
One of them, the red umbrella, was destroyed. The frame was broken and the cloth was torn. That must have been Fujisaki’s umbrella.\n
Quite a busy fellow to go this far. If I was returning a little later and I hadn’t been here now, I wonder if she would have been forced to walk in this downpour.\n
I clench my fist. Seeing Fujisaki’s pained expression, I felt a surge of anger.\n \n
“I’ll be heading back soon. Don’t worry about it.”\n
“…… Ha~h”\n \n
I had reached my limit. There was no way I could leave Fujisaki like this.\n
I grabbed Fujisaki’s arm as she tried to turn on her heel. I said.\n \n
“…. Get in my umbrella. Let’s go home together.”\n \n
Fujisaki widened her eyes. Then she nodded her head as if she thought it was best to follow my words.\n \n
The sound of rain. The slightly wet floor of the entrance hall. The dull rumble of thunder made an eerie sound.\n\n