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Chapter 3 ā First Year High School\nVolume 2\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\n\n
We left the main gate and walked down the hill.\n
The wind was getting stronger. If I were not careful, my umbrella would turn inside out. I changed the position of my umbrella according to the direction of the wind, but that didnāt keep the rain out and I ended up getting a little wet.\n
āItās kind of amazing rightā¦ā\n
I felt bad for Noguchi-san, but I was glad to get home early. Judging by the clouds, it would not have subsided in a few hours. In fact, there was a good chance that it would have become even more intense.\n
āYes.ā\n
Fujisaki held down the hem of her skirt.\n
The thunder rumbled again. The raindrops became even heavier.\n
If it hadnāt been for the umbrella, I donāt know what would have happened. Iām so glad I didnāt leave Fujisaki like that.\n \n
āā¦ā¦ Itās okay. I didnāt see anything.ā\n
ā Ookusu-kunā¦ā\n \n
Staring eyes. Itās true, I didnāt see it. I could almost see it, though. \n \n
The first thing I wanted to do was to get to a place where we could relax, so I hurried on my way to the station. I entered the station building, closed my umbrella, and breathed a sigh of relief.\n
I ended up getting my hair and pants very wet. My feet were a mess and I felt uncomfortable. I blamed it on a few unavoidable puddles.\n
The person next to me, Fujisaki, was drenched as well.\n
Her bangs were stuck to her forehead. Fujisaki, standing there with drops dripping down her face, looked more sexy than usual. \n \n
āDo you want to buy an umbrella?ā\n
Fujisaki replied, āYeah ā\n \n
We went into a convenience store in the station building. While Fujisaki bought a plastic umbrella, I bought something else. I handed it to Fujisaki as we left the convenience store.\n
āHere.ā\n
Hot cocoa. I didnāt know which one she liked, so I chose one that seemed safe.\n \n
āHuh?ā\n
āItās a little cold, isnāt it? My treat.ā\n
āYou sure?ā\n
āI bought the same one. I canāt drink it all by myself anyway.ā\n
Fujisaki wrapped the can in both of her palms. The warmth of the can must have soaked into her cold body.\n
Opening the pull tab, I drink it. It tasted sweet. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since I drank cocoa. When I buy something for myself, itās usually tea or a sports drink.\n
āDeliciousā¦ā\n
But it seemed that I had made the right choice. Fujisakiās face was smiling.\n
The people in the station all seemed to be in a hurry. Apparently, the train was running a little late. The announcement that the train was running a little late due to strong winds echoed throughout the area.\n
āWhich direction do you go, Ookusu-kun?ā\n
āIām heading for Tokyo-sideā\n
āOh, Iām going in the other direction.ā\n
I continued to sip my cocoa. It was surprisingly hot and I couldnāt swallow it right away.\n
I wasnāt sure how to initiate the talk.\n
Even though she told me a little, I wondered how much I should ask.\n
Still, there was no time to hesitate. If I missed this moment, I would probably have to wait until next week.\n
āFujisaki, why donāt you start from the beginning and tell me everything?ā\n
Fujisaki held the can in both hands and looked at me.\n
āThe whole thingā¦?ā\n
āAbout the harassment. You donāt have to tell me what you donāt want to tell me. I told you weāre going to catch whoever did this.ćI just need a few leads to do that.ā\n
āā¦You mean like what and all happened?ā\n
āYeah. But thatās not all. Tell me again what happened when you were confessed to.ā\n
Thereās something thatās been bugging me.\n
The harassment that had been going on for so long. The fact that Fujisaki did not try to catch the culprit. I had a feeling that it was not only Fujisakiās kindness that had left them alone.\n
āWhyā¦? It was just like the rumors are saying.ā\n
āIs it true? I think it was a lie.ā\nĀ \n
Fujisakiās face flushed with surprise.\n
The story Iām hearing is simple. Ando called Fujisaki to the school roof. There, he confessed to her. Fujisaki bowed her head and said, āIām sorryā. Ando withdrew easily. Thatās all.\n
It was too normal to be a story that needed to be told. However, the rumor was not only about the fact that he was rejected but also about the situation.\n
It was as if he wanted us to think it was an uneventful confessionā¦ \n \n
āFujisakiā¦ In truth, werenāt you probably a little scared? So maybe you were trying not to do anything to provoke the culprit.ā\n \n
I didnāt have enough evidence to be sure. It was just a trick. But the look on Fujisakiās face in front of me confirmed that I was telling the truth.\n \n
āā¦ Youāre amazing, Ookusu-kun.ā\n \n
The cocoa in my hand was empty before I knew it.\n \n
āSo, it was a lie after all.ā\n
āā¦Yes.ā\n \n
After that, Fujisaki told me a lot of things. What happened on the day he confessed to her and what kind of harassment was going on after that.\n
My anger started to boil up.\n
What came to mind was the incident at the school entrance earlier. Fujisaki tried to stay behind alone, watching the rain pouring down, without asking for help from anyone.\n
The situation now is no different from that time.\n
Fujisaki has not been saved yet. If I let her go, she would probably just run straight into the rain, no matter how wet she got. Thatās why I have to stop her. I have to save her.\n \n
I said.\n
āJust leave the rest to me, okay?ā\n \n
I threw the can of cocoa into the trash. When I turned around, I saw a puzzled Fujisaki.\n \n
āWhat Fujisaki is worried about is that you might get scared again, right? If I confront the culprit, you wonāt have to worry about that. Am I right?ā\n
āYes, but ā¦ā\n \n
There was hesitation on Fujisakiās face. Whether itās okay to involve meā¦\n
This is why I told her as confidently as I could.\n \n
āItās not a problem. I have an idea.ā\n \n
Even so, there was a moment of hesitation, and then Fujisaki gave a small nod.\n
āOkayā\n \n
Weāve already gotten enough information.\n \n
The only thing left to do was to bring justice to the culprit Ando.\n\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nTN: Well, it was detective timeā¦ letās hope for a hero time on the next one ā¦ š\n\n