Chapter 5: Rumors and Calls

“Eh?”

“Well, there’s a rumor going around that you’re some kind of a*****e who took a friend’s romantic advice and then made a move on his girlfriend.”

　My mind went blank for a moment. My first thought was that it might be because of Sumika, but it had been about three weeks and I thought nothing bad would happen. And the fact that it came from Yuki’s mouth was also a shock. Yuki is not my friend. So, I thought it would be fine if he was gone, but when I was actually exposed to such a situation, all I could feel was pain…… Well, whatever. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be alone again, but I want to be how I was back in middle school – which was pretty lonely. But still… Despite me wanting to be alone, it’s still a painful feeling. ……

“I’m sorry, I have to go to the bathroom.”

　I said, and ran to the bathroom.

　I went into a private room and thought about it while suppressing the nausea that was building up. There was nothing special before entering the classroom, and Sumika was probably the one who started the rumor. Then, why now? It’s been three weeks since school started, so why start a rumor now? If anything has changed in the past few days, it’s Miyamoto-san. Is it because of my involvement with Miyamoto-san? …… At first, she didn’t care who I was involved with, but now she does? What the hell is she thinking?

　What should I do now? The rumors were wrong, but in middle school they were treated as if they were true. If I asked someone from the same junior high school if the rumor was true, he would say it was. Should I argue with him? When I was in junior high school, I didn’t have the energy to argue, so I didn’t do anything. If I were to argue now, I would probably end up saying, “What are you talking about now? Oh, forget it. Whatever.”

　Anyway, I went back to the classroom.

“Oh, Shota. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”

　The stares from the people around me hurt. Looking at me now, do I look like the kind of guy who would mess with people? I think I look like a pretty plain guy.

　Fourth period was over, and it was lunchtime. I decide to quickly leave the classroom.

“Hey, Shota. Where are you going?”

“Sorry, leave me alone.”

　I arrived in front of the door to the roof. The air in the classroom seemed to have returned me to my junior high school days. I thought I was used to people looking at me coldly as if I was trash, but it’s not something you get used to. I try not to get involved with most of my classmates, but from the looks of it, Sumika seems to have a lot of say in this matter.

　It’s just too hard to go back to the classroom, so I stayed in the same place throughout lunch break. Just like last time, I returned to the classroom just before fifth period started.

　After entering the classroom, the surroundings were noisy. …… I missed the noise.

　In the end, nothing happened after that, and I didn’t do anything.

　The next day, when I arrived at school, the situation was worse than yesterday. …… Yuki hasn’t come yet.

“Hey, Ishikawa-kun.”

“…… What?”

“I need to talk to you during lunch break, so follow me when the break starts.”

　Oh, this is also nostalgic. I wonder if I’ll get hit. The guy who just spoke to me was Ryutaro Yamamoto, right? He has dyed his hair, and he’s a pretty big guy with a delinquent look. The school I go to, Sakae Minami High School, is supposed to be a fairly progressive school, but I guess there are guys like him everywhere.

“Yeah, okay.”

“Do show up.”

“Okay.”

　I don’t know why I’m like this.

　After four hours of classes, it was lunchtime. Time flies when you have something unpleasant coming up. I felt like I was following every class absent-mindedly.

“Hey.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Hey, Shota, where are you going?”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal.”

” Eh, no, it’s ……”

　I didn’t want to drag Yuki into this, so I reassured him, and walked behind Yamamoto. Taguchi and Hashimoto, who often hang out with Yamamoto, are also there. Huh, it’s only April and I can’t believe this is happening already. ……

　I was brought to the back of the gym. …… It’s a classic. It’s hard to be seen and there’s no point in shouting.

“Hey, are you trying to get with Miyamoto next?”

“What?

“I heard you stole someone’s girlfriend in middle school. I’m asking you if you’re going after Miyamoto next.”

　Oh, the rumors are exaggerated. I thought the rumor was that I stole someone he liked. Well, what does it matter?

“No, I’m not going for her.”

“You’re lying!”

　Listen to me. I don’t think they’ll listen to anything I say. Maybe they just needed an outlet for their stress. There was a bad rumor that he was trying to get with a popular person in his grade, so he just wanted to use someone to relieve some stress. I guess there’s no better way to relieve stress than to be on the side of justice. Moreover, the source of the rumor was Sumika, a popular girl in the class. Is she thinking that she might be able to get closer to him?

“You’re really getting carried away, a*****e.”

　I don’t think I’m involved enough with you to be called an a*****e. Well, I don’t think he’s wrong, but I doubt him calling me an a*****e just because he heard a rumor, is justified. Huh, it’s funny to think that this was brought to my attention by my former childhood friend Sumika. This is the third time I’ve been bullied, the first time by someone who was there for me, the second time by someone who looked at me like I was trash, and the third time by the perpetrator. Really, it’s like a joke.

“What the hell are you laughing at? Hey.”

　After I heard the angriest voice I’ve ever heard, I felt a sharp pain in my cheek. My glasses flew off in shock. Oh, I must have irritated him. This is my fault. If you start laughing while someone’s talking, it’s no wonder he or she would get angry.

　I was wondering when it would be over while being punched and kicked by two of the three, spouting nonsense, when I heard a voice.

“Hey! What are you doing!”

　I wondered if this was Yuki’s voice. Damn, I didn’t want him to get involved. ……

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