Episode 13: The Rift

In the end, there was only the conclusion I’d known from the start; I just had to sum up my courage and talk it out properly.

But while I was obviously scared to confirm the truth, I’d mostly given up already.

Being distrusted, clashing, and ending up isolated was something I’d experienced countless times. After all, someone like me…

That feeling of resignation, and yet…

「I didn’t do anything wrong, so why am I always made out to be the bad guy? Every last one of them…」

A feeling of resentment.

I left the family restaurant still carrying that unbearable weight.

Maybe because he knew nothing had been resolved, Yuji also had a bitter look on his face while watching my expression.

But bad luck really does come in waves.

Just as we left the restaurant…

…I ran into Senpai.

Senpai was with another woman.

I figured it was a friend, but more than that, I was just scared now.

Scared of being looked at with that cold gaze.

Scared of confirming how she thought of me, of finally knowing the truth.

It was impossible for me to even look her in the face.

I looked away and suddenly turned my back, which caused me to lock eyes with Yuji.

Looking at my face, Yuji seemed to understand the situation somewhat and looked back and forth between me and Senpai.

「Let’s go, Yuji.」

I called out to Yuji and tried to start walking in the opposite direction from Senpai.

「Wa-Wait, please!」

Senpai called out to me in a loud voice.

It was a tone I’d never heard from her before.

「Wa-Wait, please!」

I had never felt such panic when trying to speak to someone before.

I’d consulted Natsumi, but after all was said and done, the only conclusion was the obvious one: I just had to talk to him properly.

It was a coincidence, but I’d managed to run into him.

I didn’t want to miss this chance, so I called out to stop Takanashi-san as he tried to leave.

「Kazunari, that’s the Senpai you mentioned, right? You should talk to her properly.」

Yuji spoke as if trying to reason with me.

Honestly, I was terrified to face her, but a part of me somewhere deep down still wanted to believe there was a chance.

Maybe she had a reason for acting that way, maybe she didn’t actually doubt me… I hoped she would say something like that.

I stopped and slowly turned around once more, but I couldn’t bring myself to make eye contact.

「Takanashi-san, about yesterday…」

Senpai was the one who started.

「At the point when I arrived at the scene, I didn’t know what had happened between Takanashi-san and those two. Therefore, I intended to hear the circumstances.」

Apparently, Senpai hadn’t seen me being pushed from behind or being grabbed by the collar.

「As the Student Council Vice President, I view all students fairly. I do not look at anyone as special. in that place, you were the same as the other two.」

…In other words, she only saw me as being the same as those other guys.

「As long as there is suspicion, it is necessary to hear the story thoroughly.」

…So she felt suspicion toward me? She thinks I’m the kind of person who would do something so childish and stupid, just like those idiots… that’s why she interrogated me.

I knew I was being negative, but as the answers I didn’t want to hear kept coming, I didn’t want to talk anymore.

Just as I thought about leaving, Yuji spoke up.

「So what you’re saying is, you interrogated him because you felt Kazunari was suspicious? You actually think he’s the kind of guy who would pull a childish, idiotic stunt like that?」

It was rare for Yuji to use such an irritated tone.

I was holding my head in my hands at Sara’s explanation.

I certainly told her to talk to him properly, but I didn’t think she’d start by explaining her philosophy as the Vice President.

「I believe in you.」

「I never doubted you from the start.」

If she’d just said that, he probably would have listened.

I could see Takanashi-kun’s expression growing more and more rigid.

I felt like I needed to jump into the conversation.

But the guy who was probably Takanashi-kun’s friend cut in first, beating me to the punch.

「So what you’re saying is, you interrogated him because you felt Kazunari was suspicious? You actually think he’s the kind of guy who would pull a childish, idiotic stunt like that?」

In the middle of our talk, the guy with Takanashi-san cut in.

I felt a sense of revulsion at being addressed by a guy I didn’t know at all, and I felt irritation that our important conversation had been interrupted.

「No one said anything of the sort. I am explaining my own position…」

「That’s enough. I understand perfectly now.」

「…Takanashi-san?」

Takanashi-san’s face… went blank again.

「So basically, Senpai, you think I’m just the same as those idiots from yesterday. You think I’m a low-level guy who would do something so childish without a second thought. That’s what this is about. That’s how you’ve always seen me. You never trusted me for a second.」

She hadn’t gone quite that far, but the negative words just kept coming out of my mouth. I couldn’t stop.

I realized that everything we’d built up until now meant absolutely nothing.

In the end, it was just like back then; no matter what you build up, you don’t gain even a shred of trust. That’s why you’re so easily suspected over a single false accusation and tossed aside.

What exactly am I even doing…

This person had been interacting with me, and yet she didn’t even have that much trust in me.

I didn’t want to be here for another second.

「Let’s go.」

I pulled Yuji by the arm and left the scene.

「Wait, Takanashi-kun! This is a misunderstanding…」

The woman who was with Senpai seemed to call out, but I didn’t want to hear another word.

「Sorry, Kazunari. I guess it was exactly like you felt after all…」

Yuji let out a long breath, trying to calm himself down.

「So basically, Senpai, you think I’m just the same as those idiots from yesterday. You think I’m a low-level guy who would normally do something childish and bad like that. That’s what this is about. That’s how you’ve always seen me. You never trusted me for a second.」

…Eh?

How did it turn into that…

Wait a minute, I just wanted to explain that as the Vice President, I had to show that kind of attitude and response at the scene even if I didn’t want to…

I just wanted to tell him that I personally believed in him from the start…

Natsumi called out in my place as I stood there frozen, but Takanashi-san just pulled his friend along and hurried away as if to shake her off.

「Sigh… I wasn’t prepared enough, but my real failure was not deciding on the right words to say first. Still, that guy must have a massive complex about this.」

「Natsumi… why…」

I couldn’t understand what was happening.

Why did things end up like this…?