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Chapter 3 ā First Year High School\nVolume 2\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\n\n
Walking in the pouring rain.\n \n
Two people under one umbrella. It was what is commonly called a couple under the same umbrella, but the atmosphere was not that romantic.\n \n
The atmosphere was dark and heavy. Not a word has been spoken since earlier.\n \n
āā¦ā¦ā\n \n
Fujisaki turned her face away from me.\n
One umbrella was not enough to cover us in this rain. We were both wet on our shoulders, and our feet were slipping, and our shoes were filled with water.\n
I was wondering what I should do.\n
I couldnāt leave Fujisaki like that, so I forced her into the umbrella, but I didnāt think about what to do after that.\n \n
āHey!ā\n \n
I shouted a little louder, trying not to lose the sound of the rain hitting the umbrella.\n \n
āYou still donāt feel like talking ā¦?ā\n \n
Fujisakiās eyes turned to me.\n
Her eyes were moist. I couldnāt tell if it was from guilt for keeping her mouth shut for so long, or if it was a plea for help.\n
āā¦-eā¦.haveā¦.ā\n
She was saying something, but unfortunately, I couldnāt hear her because of the rain. I pointed to my ear and asked her to repeat what she said.\n
āHow long have you known about itā¦ā¦?ā\n
This time, I managed to hear her. I instantly understood that the umbrella had been broken, and I didnāt show any sign of surprise. I guess thatās why she came to that conclusion.\n \n
āā¦From about two weeks ago. I saw Fujisaki removing push pins from your indoor shoes at the entrance to the school. Iāve been worried about it ever since.ā\n
āI seeā¦..ā\n \n
When Fujisaki learned the truth, her next words were, āIām sorryā. I knew that the look in her eyes earlier had been due to guilt.\n \n
āIām sorry I bothered you after all. I thought it would end sooner or later, so I put up with it. Because I figured that if I was patient, it would all be over.ā\n
āThe umbrella ā¦after allā¦ā\n
āYes. Thatās my umbrella. I didnāt think theyād go this far.ā\n
āBe that as it may, what were you going to do after I went home?ā\n
āThatās ā¦ā\n \n
Perhaps she had not thought about it. Even though there were few umbrellas left, other people might still need to use them. Considering Fujisakiās personality, she would never have taken it. At worst, she might have planned to run in the rain.\n \n
āDo you have any idea who the culprit is?ā\n
āNo.ā\n
āThe harassment itself started after the confession?ā\n
āYes.ā\n \n
So far, it was as I had expected.\n
Fujisaki is too kind. Even in a situation like this, she doesnāt force me to find out who the culprit is. I think she was planning to let them do it until they felt better and wait for things to calm down.\n
However, this is no longer the stage where we can leave things to chance. We must find out who the culprit is and take the appropriate measures to prevent them from doing anything more.\n
Thatās how bad I felt about todayās incident.\n \n
āThis is the first time Iāve ever been in this situation.ā\n
Fujisakiās shoulders shook as she walked.\n
āI told you before. I was in a private school for girls for a long time. There everyone was nice and there was no love affair, so it was very peaceful. No one could be malicious towards me like this.ā\n
āYeah.ā\n
āThatās why I was so surprised. The first time I was harassed was when my pencil case went missing. I thought I lost it myself, but then strange things started to happen, and I gradually realized that it was something that someone had done to meā¦ā\n
āYeah.ā\n
āThat was ā¦a little painfulā\n
It was the first time Fujisaki showed me her weakness. I was relieved that she finally let out what she had been keeping bottled up inside.\n
āHave you told the teachers?ā\n \n
Fujisaki shook her head. \n
āOur teacher, you see. If I talked to him about it, heād probably make it a bigger story. I didnāt want people to know too much about it. I thought it would be over soonā¦ I guess I was being a little naive.ā\n
āYou havenāt told anyone yet?ā\n
āNo. Today, for the first time, Ookusu-kun found out about it.ā\n \n
I wondered how she had been able to endure it all by herself. I would never have been able to endure such unreasonable treatment.\n
The culprit is just taking advantage of Fujisakiās kindness. I donāt know what the circumstances are, but theyāre letting their own selfish feelings get the better of them. Taking advantage of the fact that she didnāt say anything to anyone, they escalated the situation and repeatedly harassed her as easily as breathing.\n
Itās disgusting. Itās nauseating.\n
I know. I know people who fall into this pattern of thinking.\n
ā¦ I used to be like that myself.\n \n
āLetās catch the culprit.ā\n \n
I looked Fujisaki in the eye and said clearly.\n
āUnless we find the culprit and question them directly, this harassment will not stop. Iām sure theyāll get carried away and continue to harass you. This is absolutely wrong. We canāt forgive it. This is not just Fujisakiās problem anymore. Itās my problem too.ā\n
I canāt let Fujisaki take care of it alone anymore.\n
Fujisaki is an important friend. It is thanks to Fujisaki that I have been able to enjoy my time since entering high school. If Fujisaki is suffering, itās only natural that I reach out to her.\n
āOokusu-Kunās problemā¦?ā\n
āThatās right, Fujisaki. I donāt want to see you in pain either.ā\n\n
I stopped. Fujisaki was looking at me in silence.\n \n
āThank youā¦ā\n\n
At that moment, I saw Fujisakiās smile for the first time in a long time.\n\n