LMLCG – Episode 13 – Crack

In the end, the only conclusion I could come to was that I had to muster the courage and talk it out properly.

But I was afraid to confirm the truth, and more than that, I had already mostly given up.

I’d been through it so many times: people not trusting me, turning against me, leaving me isolated. In the end, I’m just a nobody…

With that resignation came another emotion.

I didn’t do anything wrong, so why am I always the one treated like the bad guy? Every damn time…

Frustration.

I left the family restaurant carrying that unresolved frustration.

Maybe Yuuji sensed it too, how nothing had been resolved, because he kept glancing at me with a bitter expression.

And of course, misfortune tends to pile on.

Just as we stepped outside the restaurant…

…I ran into Senpai.

She was with another woman. I assumed they were friends. But more than that, what mattered in that moment, was the fear.

The fear of seeing that cold gaze again.

The fear of finding out how she really saw me.

It’s impossible for me to face her…

I turned my head sharply, trying to avoid eye contact, and turned around. As I did, I locked eyes with Yuuji.

Seeing my expression, Yuuji seemed to grasp what was happening and glanced between me and Senpai.

“Let’s go, Yuuji.”

I said to Yuuji and started walking in the opposite direction from Senpai.

“W-Wait, please!”

Senpai called out to me in a loud voice.

It was the first time I’d ever heard her speak with that tone.

“W-Wait, please!”

I had never felt so desperate to speak to someone before.

Even though I’d talked things over with Natsumi, it all came down to the obvious conclusion, I had no choice but to have a proper conversation with him.

Even if it was by chance, I had the opportunity to see him again.

I didn’t want to let this moment slip away. That’s why I called out to Takanashi-san as he tried to leave.

“Kazunari, that’s the Senpai you were talking about, right? You should talk to her properly.”

Yuuji spoke as if to persuade me.

Honestly, I was scared to face her. But a part of me still wanted to believe there was a chance.

That maybe she had a reason for the way she acted.

That maybe she’d tell me she didn’t actually distrust me.

I stopped and slowly turned back, but I couldn’t meet her eyes.

“Takanashi-san, about what happened yesterday…”

Senpai started the conversation.

“When I arrived on the scene, I didn’t know what had happened between you and those two. That’s why I decided to ask for the details.”

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

“As the student council vice president, I have a duty to treat all students fairly. I can’t show favoritism. In that moment, you and those two were equals.”

…So basically, she didn’t see me as any different from them.

“If there was any suspicion, I had to hear both sides out.”

…Suspicion. So she did see me as suspicious? She thought I might do something so childish, so stupid? That I was that kind of person?

I knew I was starting to spiral, but hearing these kinds of answers, I didn’t want to talk anymore.

Just as I was about to leave again, Yuuji spoke up.

“So what you’re saying is, you questioned him because he seemed suspicious? You really think he’s the kind of guy who’d do something that petty and childish?”

Yuuji’s voice was unusually sharp.

I was at a loss. I don’t know what I was expecting from Sara’s explanation.

Sure, I had told her to talk things out properly, but I hadn’t expected her to explain everything from her perspective as the vice president.

I believe in you.

I never doubted you from the start.

If she had just said that, he probably would’ve listened.

I could see Takanashi-kun’s expression harden with every word.

I knew I had to intervene.

But before I could, the boy who seemed to be Takanashi-kun’s friend jumped in first and cut Sara off.

“So what you’re saying is, you questioned him because he seemed suspicious? You really think he’s the kind of guy who’d do something that petty and childish?”

The boy who was with Takanashi-san interrupted in the middle of our conversation.

The fact that a complete stranger had just inserted himself into our discussion annoyed me.

On top of that, being interrupted at such a critical moment made me even more irritated.

“No one said that. I was merely explaining my position—”

“That’s enough. I understand now.”

“…Takanashi-san?”

Takanashi-san’s face had gone blank again…

“So basically, Senpai thinks I’m the same as those idiots from yesterday. That I’m some petty, low-level guy who’d do something that childish. That’s how you’ve always seen me. You’ve never trusted me even a little.”

She didn’t say that outright, but the negative thoughts kept pouring out. They just won’t stop…

I realized everything I had done up until now had meant nothing.

Just like always, it didn’t matter how much time I spent. I never earned even a shred of trust. One false accusation was all it took to cast me aside.

What am I even worth to people…?

Even this person, after all our interactions, couldn’t bring herself to trust me.

I didn’t want to be there anymore.

“Let’s go.”

I grabbed Yuuji’s arm and started walking away.

“W-Wait! Takanashi-kun! This is a misunderstanding…!”

The woman who was with Senpai seemed to speak up, but I didn’t want to hear any more.

“Sorry, Kazunari. Looks like you were right all along…”

Yuuji let out a long sigh, trying to calm himself.

“So basically, Senpai thinks I’m the same as those idiots from yesterday. That I’m some petty, low-level guy who’d do something that childish. That’s how you’ve always seen me. You’ve never trusted me even a little.”

…What?

How did it turn into that?

Please wait a moment. What I wanted to explain was that, as the vice president, I had no choice but to act that way in that situation.

I just wanted to let you know that I believed in you from the beginning…

Confused as I was, Natsumi spoke up in my place, but Takanashi-san ignored her and quickly left with his friend.

“…Sigh. I get that you weren’t mentally prepared for this, but the real mistake was not deciding the first thing you should’ve said. Still… I guess he must have some deep complex about something like this.”

“Natsumi… What just happened…”

I couldn’t understand what had gone wrong.

Why did it turn out like this?