Episode 374: Rebirth of the Self

「She made friends and looked so happy… so I was happy for her too. I felt a little lonely, sure, but a same-sex friend was what she had always wanted…」

The happy face she made when she first reported to me that she had made a girl friend is something I can still remember clearly even now… that is why I was truly happy for her back then.

「Hehe… so Kazunari-kun was already a wonderful boy even back then, wasn’t he?」

「Eh!? I, I don’t know about that… anyway, just like that, a gap started to grow between me and Yuzuha, and the time we spent together dropped off a lot.」

「Right. If she is always clinging to a specific boy, it becomes hard for both of you to meet new people… and there is the teasing, too.」

「Yes. Honestly, there was a lot of that. We were…」

I didn’t go into detail on that, but it was easy enough to guess. Still, that wasn’t the important part of the story.

It was more about…

「So, we already knew that part… but the problem started after that?」

「Yeah… the biggest issue was that the friends she made weren’t exactly good people.」

「…I see. Come to think of it, I saw Yuzuha-chan and her group a few times. The kids around her looked a bit, well, like that.」

「Really? In my image of Yuzuha-chan, I thought her friends would be more of the quiet type. They looked normal the last time I saw them.」

「If they were, I wouldn’t have been so worried. But she actually started hanging out with that crowd. And you can probably guess what happened…」

「…So she was influenced by her friends?」

「Yes… she was completely influenced, and she just kept changing. In a bad way…」

She was already bad with people, so she longed for「friends」more than anyone. She just wanted to be liked by the people around her… she didn’t want to lose the friends she had finally made, so she started conforming with a sense of desperation.

Looking back, I seriously doubt if those people she called friends even considered Yuzuha a friend at all.

「I thought it was dangerous, so I warned her often. But she started to find it annoying, and at some point, she began to rebel. Not just that, she dyed her hair as if to spite me, modified her uniform, and even started wearing piercings and accessories…」

「…I can almost see it. I suppose you could say her weakness was exploited, but it is still something she chose to do herself…」

「Yeah. She brought it on herself. But even so, I…」

「Right. Kazunari-kun is just that kind of boy… really.」

Mayumi-san validated me with a gentle, loving gaze. She was a Mother-in-law like no other, and right now, her kindness made me happy…

「Hmm, I’m starting to see the picture… so basically, you and Yuzuha-chan became enemies?」

「You can put it that way. Yuzuha probably hated me… but it didn’t stop there. Because he… Yamazaki got involved.」

「Yamazaki?」

「…Yamazaki? You don’t mean, Kazunari-kun?」

「…I see. So it really was that…」

The one who reacted the most to Yamazaki’s name was Masaomi-san. Mayumi-san stared at me with a look of understanding, while my Father and Mom tilted their heads, confused by Masaomi-san and the others.

Meanwhile, Sara-san… stared at me with a worried, complicated expression.

「Yeah. It is that Yamazaki you know, Masaomi-san. With his looks, he was incredibly popular with the girls…」

「Come to think of it, I might have heard something about him modeling for a magazine?」

「…Modeling with a stupid face that practically reeks of such a nasty personality? What a joke.」

「S-Sara-chan?」

The topic of Yamazaki must have touched a nerve, because Sara-san said something I’d never expect from her… but she regained her composure quickly and returned to her usual… well, more like a protective expression toward me.

「You know what he looks like, Sara-chan?」

「Yes. I have actually confronted him before.」

「C-Confronted?」

「Forgive me for interrupting. Anyway, let’s focus on Kazunari-san’s story for now…」

My Mom looked at us for a moment, surprised by Sara-san’s ominous word「confronted」…but for now, I had to keep the story moving.

「Yuzuha liked Yamazaki too, and I started seeing her actively chasing after him. He seemed to like her back… but there was another reason for that. He was just playing around with her, and his plan was to trick her into going with other guys once he got bored…」

「Wait, what!?」

「Whoa, hold on!! That isn’t the kind of thing a middle schooler thinks about…」

「No… what Kazunari-kun is saying is likely true. Unfortunately, his background supports that.」

「B-Background?」

「…Do you know something?」

「…Anyway, let’s hear the rest for now.」

…Masaomi-san probably already has a good idea where this is going. Especially his last comment, it was clearly connected to that incident.

「The reason I can say that for sure… is because I happened to be there when he was talking to someone else about it. So I charged in with Yuji, who was with me at the time… I just couldn’t forgive him. But things started rolling in a direction I never expected…」

「You didn’t expect it?」

「The story spread through the class in an instant. But the rumor was that I charged in because I was jealous of Yamazaki… that I was a piece of trash who snapped because Yuzuha was taken from me. Every single person in the class believed it…」

「Hah!? What is that!!」

「That is enough of that nonsense…」

My Mom shouted at the explanation, and quite rare… Mayumi-san was visibly seething with anger. Meanwhile, my Father and Masaomi-san kept their cool, but Sara-san looked so pained…

Seeing her look like that really makes my heart ache…

「…They played you. In that situation, you can’t clear your name without clear evidence.」

「…Yeah. I’m pretty sure Yamazaki’s circle was the one who spread it. Anyway, because of that, I was branded a total lowlife who turned to violence out of jealousy… but it didn’t end there. People who knew Yuzuha found me a nuisance started calling me a stalker…」

「No way, people should have known you were childhood friends who grew up together. That is way too much of a stretch… wait, don’t tell me.」

「Did she… did that girl admit to it?」

「…Yes. At first, she was asked about it and seemed to just blurt it out in the moment… but after that, she liked the concern and sympathy she got from everyone. So she started doing it herself.」

「The absolute worst… what is wrong with that girl?」

「…I swear, it makes my skin crawl every time I hear it.」

Mayumi-san and Sara-san didn’t hide their anger or disgust anymore. My Father and Mom, who had known Yuzuha for a long time, were mostly shocked… but there is even more to the story, and it is getting hard to say.

I’ve given a general overview, so maybe I should wrap it up here.

「With all that, more and more rumors were tacked on, and I ended up completely isolated in class. No one believed me, and no one would even talk to me. It makes sense. If you were nice to me, you’d be an outcast too. And the irony was, the more of a villain I became, the more Yuzuha was pampered as a tragic heroine. And by being kind to Yuzuha, Yamazaki’s reputation only went up…」

「…」

「Kazunari… san…」

Mayumi-san and Sara-san fell silent, looking incredibly sad as if they had moved past anger. Mayumi-san especially looked like she was about to explode…

「I get it… that’s enough. I have a general idea now. It was probably even worse than I can imagine.」

「…Yeah. But I don’t want to say it.」

If I told them that I was treated like a criminal rather than a stalker, that rumors spread about me being investigated for assault and threats, and all kinds of other malicious lies… no one would want to hear that.

And I don’t want to talk about this in front of Sara-san anymore…

「I won’t bother asking why you didn’t talk to us. Knowing you, you just didn’t want to lose, right?」

「…How did you know?」

「You’ve always been that way. When something is unreasonable or unfair, you just get even more stubborn…」

「…Haha. You’re right, I think so too.」

I never really thought about it, but looking back, I guess I did fight back a lot in situations like that.

But in this case, I couldn’t do anything in the end, so all I could do was harass them out of some sense of… oh, I guess that was me fighting back too. That makes sense.

「…Honestly, I can’t imagine how much that hurt you, Kazunari-kun. So I’ll refrain from commenting lightly… but I’ll leave that role to Sara instead of myself. You should be prepared for what’s coming, okay?」

「Ha, haha…」

「…I don’t quite understand what you mean, but please leave Kazunari-san to me. I’ll make sure to follow up properly…」

What was that? It felt like she emphasized the「properly」part…

And with that look on her face, tonight is going to be something… wait, I don’t mean it like that!

「But just one thing… thank you for telling us. It must have been awful just to remember it… it must have been so painful.」

「You’re… right. Honestly, I don’t want to remember it, and it is still a disgusting past… but.」

「But?」

「…Because all of that happened, I was able to meet Sara-san.」

「…!!??」

This is what I always think, and now it is just a natural part of my outlook. It’s also one of the big reasons I was able to move on.

But for Masaomi-san hearing it for the first time, he couldn’t hide his shock…

「Everything that happened was necessary for me to meet Sara-san. If even one thing had been different… if something was missing, I might never have met her. Of course, I think the reason it didn’t happen that way is because our meeting was destiny…」

「K-Kazunari-kun? That…」

「So… it was truly painful back then, and I wanted to run away over and over, and I actually did run away to this city… but even that was all just to meet Sara-san.」

「…I see. You care for my daughter that much…」

「K-Kazunari-kun…」

To me, it is a perfectly normal way of thinking, but for someone hearing it for the first time… the mix of shock and emotion on their faces said it all.

Mayumi-san even had a little bit in the corner of her eyes…

「The reason I can talk about this normally now is all thanks to Sara-san. Because she was there, because she supported me… I was able to overcome my past. So, to Sara-san…」

「I can’t… I can’t take it anymore!! Kazunari-kun!!」

「Eh? M-Mayumi-sa… mgh!!??」

Mayumi-san suddenly sprang to her feet and charged at me from the side… before I knew it, I was enveloped in something terrifyingly soft and large, and I had no idea what was happening!?

「M-Mayum-f-an!?」

「Aaaaah, seriously!! Why are you so cute!? Mother-in-law is at her limit!! Aaaah… Kazunari-kun, you’re so cute!」

「Mghhh」

A Mother-in-law’s love is a terrifying thing!?

Love can become a weapon when it is over the top… I mean, please don’t swing a weapon(?) that is even more powerful than Sara-san’s around so recklessly!!

I’m going to suffocate!!

「Wh-Wh-Wha… what are you doing!? Who gave you permission for such violence!!」

Sara-san’s consciousness finally caught up and she started shouting… as she applied physical force to pull me away from Mayumi-san. Is this about to become a mother-daughter showdown with no mercy!?

「Kazunari-kun… you really did your best. You went through something so painful, but you stood up on your own… and you recovered properly like this…」

「M-Mayumi-san… but this was all thanks to Sara-san…」

「No, that is not right. Even with Sara-chan’s help, the one who overcame the past was Kazunari-kun himself… it was because of the strength of your heart.」

「The strength of my heart…」

「Yes. You might not realize it, but completely overcoming a trauma like that is no small feat. In most cases, people are just trying to convince themselves they’re okay. But you actually feel it from your heart. That is why you can laugh and talk about such a painful experience in such a short time… right?」

「You’re… right. Once I started thinking that everything led to Sara-san, everything opened up… I was suddenly able to accept it all.」

Looking back, the moment I reached that realization, I was able to accept the past more easily than I expected.

Of course, I still have feelings about the people involved, but the incident itself became easy to handle, making me wonder what I had been worrying about all this time…

It wasn’t a front or a delusion.

「See? So I think it’s because of your strength… the strength of your heart. That, combined with your feelings for Sara-chan, turned you into the Kazunari-kun of today.」

「Reborn…? Reborn… yeah, you’re right! I really was reborn that day…」

「Hehe… being able to accept things so honestly is a kind of strength too. Kazunari-kun really is a good boy… there, there…」

「Wap…」

Mayumi-san hugged my head gently and stroked it over and over with her hands behind me.

I was surprised by her sudden move, but it was all out of her kindness… and honestly, I was grateful that she wasn’t just pitying me or trying to comfort me, but was actually praising me…

Yeah, I really was grateful…

But, well…

「Um… M-Mayumi-san?」

「Kazunari-kun, if you’re ever in trouble, make sure to talk to me, okay? Mother-in-law will do whatever it takes for her cute son.」

「Um… th-thank you?」

「Whatever it takes」sounds a little ominous, but that is just my imagination, right? Right?

No, more importantly, there is this other… terrifying pressure, or chill, coming from right next to me!?

「Honestly, stop being so formal. You’re a precious son to me too, so you can lean on Mother-in-law as much as you want…」

「Are you done talking in your sleep? I was being quiet because it seemed like a serious discussion… but I’m at my limit now.」

「O-Oh, Sara-chan?」

Then came the voice of my goddess, Sara-san… seething with a cold, intense rage.

It wasn’t directed at me, but for some reason, just hearing it made me want to shiver…

「S-Sara-chan, you get to flirt with Kazunari-kun all the time! Let Mother have a turn…」

「That is enough!! If you keep this up, I will use force…」

「Wait, Sara-chan, if you pull like that…」

With that declaration, Sara-san began pulling Mayumi-san away with a vengeance. The sensation of the weapon(?) enveloping my head started to fade. Then I was pulled in a different direction… toward Sara-san, with a force I couldn’t believe came from that slender body… wait, if it is like this, can’t I pull away myself!?

「Mayumi-san, I’m sorry!」

「Eh…? Ah, Kazunari-kun…」

I pushed off as Sara-san pulled… and in that moment, I managed to escape Mayumi-san’s weapon. Only to go straight into Sara-san’s heaven!?

It was my Eden, full of peace and happiness… but Sara-san, you’re a bit too strong!!

「Mgh mgh… S-S-Sara-f-an!?」

「Are you okay, Kazunari-san!? You’re safe now. I will protect you until Mother’s threat has passed!!」

「Mgh?」

Like a mother protecting her child from a predator… or rather, a goddess guarding me with an ironclad defense… that was the picture of Sara-san. I felt pathetic just being protected like this, but I couldn’t help but find the sensation blissful. It is just a guy thing… sorry.

「Sob sob… so you really do prefer Sara-chan, Kazunari-kun? Mother-in-law is so sad…」

「Of course!! Kazunari-san’s place is right here with me, not with you, Mother!!」

While arguing with Mayumi-san, Sara-san emphasized「here」by pressing against me… no, she was just pulling me closer, it didn’t mean anything else, yeah.

「H-Hey, hold on… a mother and daughter fighting over Kazunari!? You, you’re kidding me, right!?」

「Sigh… I have no idea what Mayumi-san sees in that stupid son of mine.」

「Ha, haha… s-sorry, my wife is at it again… how embarrassing.」

「Honestly… Kazunari-san was telling a serious story, so why must you do something so unnecessary.」

「But… Kazunari-kun was so sweet. When he said such a cute thing, Mother just couldn’t help herself…」

「Even so, the privilege of holding the adorable Kazunari-san like this belongs to me alone!!」

Sara-san deepened the embrace as if emphasizing the「holding」part, stroking my head repeatedly. Her voice whispering「Kazunari-san…」lovingly tickled my ears, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d just let myself go… bad.

「…Come to think of it, you knew the whole story, right, Sara-chan?」

「Yes. Though I was absent when Kazunari-san first crossed paths with her again… it is a source of great regret for me.」

「Oh dear, such bad timing… so something happened then too?」

「She meddled with Kazunari-san for cheap, petty reasons. And then that piece of trash got involved on top of that.」

「I see… so that’s why Kazunari-kun…」

「Yes… because of that, I decided to end my history with them once and for all. It was one thing when it was just me, but now I have Sara-san… someone more important to me than my own life. So I wanted to make sure they never tried anything again.」

Even if I tried to ignore them, I couldn’t do anything if they kept coming after me. And if there was a chance it would affect Sara-san… that was the one thing I could never allow.

「Kazunari-san… I feel the same way, you know? You are more important to me than my own life.」

「Haha, so it is mutual then.」

「Hehe… the role of protecting Kazunari-san belongs to me alone♪」

That said… if anything ever happened, I would be the one putting my life on the line.

That was my absolute resolution, one I wouldn’t even yield to Sara-san.

「Honestly… you two flirt every chance you get.」

「I don’t care. This is just who we are, and nothing will change that. Right, Kazunari-san?」

「Y-Yeah, it is not like we’re doing it on purpose…」

Though I did think we should probably show a bit more restraint in front of people. But Sara-san doesn’t care what others think, and I… well, I「theoretically」care what people think, you know?

「And how long are you going to stay like that?」

「So you’ve joined that crowd too. Honestly, it is getting hard to take this story seriously.」

「No… well…」

「Ha, haha… w-well, at least it is good to see you two are so close.」

「Your smile is a bit stiff, Masaomi-san.」

「Guh… just ignore that.」

Sara-san wouldn’t let me go, so I couldn’t quite see what was going on around me… but I knew I should probably pull away.

I mean, being completely pampered by Sara-san’s bo… I mean, heaven, in front of both sets of parents was quite something too… sorry.

「Sara-san, it’s about time…」

「Are you sure? There is still…」

「I’ll be fine. Because you’re with me, Sara-san.」

「Hehe… I will be by your side forever, so please rest assured♪」

Sara-san gave me one last tight squeeze before slowly letting go.

I knew that wasn’t just a simple「hug,」but Sara-san really is…

「Sigh… you two really don’t miss a single chance to flirt, do you. It is almost refreshing at this point.」

「Hehe… thank you, Mother-in-law♪」

「I wasn’t exactly praising you… well, whatever. More importantly.」

Setting aside my Mom’s dead-eyed look, my Father’s hostility(?), Masaomi-san’s stiff smile, and the still-dangerous Mayumi-san… please don’t wink at me, Mother-in-law. Stop provoking Sara-san.

「A-Ahem… well then, can we get back to the story?」

「Y-Yes.」

Masaomi-san’s word didn’t tighten up the atmosphere in the room at all.

After all these detours, I was struggling to find my rhythm… for now, I took a deep breath… alright, time for the final part.