Chapter 43: Human evil intentions

Translator: Soafp

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“He used to be an athlete, but a reporter took a picture of him with another woman despite the fact that he was married, and people suspected that he was having an affair.”

“He denied it, and it’s not clear if it’s actually true, but he later divorced the woman he was married to at the time, which lent credence to the story.”

“Soon after the divorce, he also disappeared from the sports world…”

　I happened to hear the news. The name sounded familiar to me, and I turned my attention to the news that someone I knew had committed suicide.

” He killed himself?”

“I wish he hadn’t cheated on me in the first place.

“It’s true.”

They didn’t know him, and he wasn’t a celebrity that anyone would know, so that was their reaction. And I have no idea if the affair was a false accusation.

“After he left the sports world, he went to work for a private company…”

“What’s wrong with you, Renya? Is that news bothering you that much?

“…… Yeah.”

　When I was distracted by the news, Saijo started to talk to me, but I could only give him a raw reply.

“A suicide note was found, and according to it…”

“What’s really going on, Renya? Don’t tell me you were acquainted with him?”

“No, I’ve only seen him on TV.”

　Saijo, wondering about my condition, asks me if I know him, but I do not. I just know him one-way. And I don’t know much about him.

“That’s fine…”

“………”

　After that, I was in a daze until the party broke up.

　After leaving my classmates, I went home and looked up the news on the Internet.

He was reported to have been unfaithful to his wife, got divorced, retired from sports, and became estranged from his friends. However, he later found a job in the private sector and worked diligently, earning the trust and appreciation of those around him.

　It seems that his friends and his ex-wife have come to see him again, either because they have seen that he has shaken off his past and started a new life, or because the misunderstanding has been cleared up.

　He is now living a fulfilling life again, albeit in a different way than before, and I respect him for that. He must have been a strong person who did not become corrupt even after one setback.

　But human malice is relentless. He was living his life to the fullest, but one day, people found out about his past. He hadn’t been lying about his name, so the people who knew him originally knew. Those people talked to him and defended him because they knew that his past was a hoax and they knew how hard he worked. However, the general public and people from other departments who did not know his character and thought his past was true attacked him.

　What started out as complaints from the general public against the company gradually grew into malice, and he was identified and harassed at home and even within the company.

　He was still trying to do his best, but his friends and ex-wife, who had initially supported him in the face of escalating malice, started to leave him again, and the company softly advised him to voluntarily resign.

　I wonder how he felt at that time. He lost everything once, but he worked hard and built up results and trust again, and then lost it all again. Was he in despair or did he resent the people who had wronged him and the friends who had left him?

　I’m not him, so I don’t know.

　This makes me think about me now. After what happened in middle school, I stopped trusting people and tried not to get involved with anyone. But how about me now? Since I started high school, I have been getting involved with more people, and even today I went out with my classmates.

　Will I be able to continue like this? If I continue to be involved with people, I might start to build friendships and trust with people like I used to. That would be a good thing from the side. But what would happen to me if something happened again and no one believed in me?

　Will I be disappointed and say, “Aah, as I thought…” or will I cling to my faith and say, “Please believe me this time!” Or …… will I commit suicide like him?

“Phew. ……”

　I looked away from the computer and let out a breath. It’s just information on the Internet that I just looked up. It may not be accurate. But there is no doubt that he committed suicide.

“………”

　It would be presumptuous of me to try to understand his feelings. I feel close to him on my own, but the results he left behind and the malice he was exposed to are far greater than mine. It may annoy him to feel close to me, and he may be angry that I don’t share his feelings.

　But I’m grateful to you. Thanks to you, I was able to remember my first instincts, and I learned about people’s malice. I know it’s on a small scale, but I might go through something similar. That’s why I think I should keep my distance.

　After all, I don’t want to build trust with people.

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