V4Ch4: Black’s Gratitude

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Translator: Soafp

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Gratitude?

Kuromine suddenly expressed her gratitude. I had no idea what she was talking about. I couldn't think of anything I'd done that deserved thanks.

“What… are you talking about?”

When I responded, Kuromine gave a wry smile.

“It's not something you'd understand if I just blurted it out, huh?”

“Uh… yeah, I guess?”

“This might be something you don't want to remember, Mukawa-kun, but let me talk about the past. It might take a while, but I'd like you to hear me out until the end.”

And with that, Kuromine began to speak.

The truth of that time was revealed.

What she said was shocking—not just for me, but also for Renji, who was listening alongside me.

That day—

In the library, that guy had cornered Kuromine. She fought back and knocked him away, but in the process, she fell. At that moment, I tried to shield her from the books that came crashing down.

But for some reason, I was framed as the one who had attacked her. What followed was a miserable existence. My already bad reputation worsened, and soon, I could no longer attend school properly.

Meanwhile, Kuromine's status in class rose. She started chatting with her classmates with a smile. The once-shy girl had gained the trump card of sympathy and blended into the class.

I had hoped—hoped that Kuromine would deny the rumors.

But that never happened.

That's why I believed she had used me as a stepping stone to fit in.

But—

“That's everything I know.”

With those words, Kuromine finished her story.

“So… you didn't throw me under the bus to gain sympathy?”

“It's understandable that you'd see it that way, Mukawa-kun. But back then, I honestly didn't know you had helped me.”

Kuromine had already lost consciousness from hitting her head when I stepped in.

When she returned to school, she heard the rumors—that I had attacked her while she was unconscious. And she believed them.

“I didn't have any friends back then. So I thought the rumors must be true. I mean… our relationship wasn't close enough for me to trust you unconditionally.”

Kuromine and I weren't particularly close.

We weren't on the kind of terms where she could confidently declare my innocence. We had only chatted in the library. We were just two people who shared the pain of losing our first loves.

In fact, we never talked outside the library.

That wasn't all. I already had a bad reputation. Between me, someone she barely knew, and the rumor that everyone was repeating, it was obvious which one she would believe.

“I see… So that's how that incident happened.”

Renji, who had been silently listening, muttered as if he had finally understood something.

“Incident?”

“Oh, right, Shota, you wouldn't know. Kuromine caused quite a few incidents.”

Now that he mentioned it, I vaguely remembered Mahiro mentioning something about that after I transferred.

But life at Tenka Academy had been so eventful that I had completely forgotten about it. I hadn't considered it relevant to me.

“I was quite the troublemaker. I forced that awful girl to transfer, got that guy who attacked me expelled, punched some people—”

“Wait, hold on. That's a lot to take in.”

“Alright, I'll explain one thing at a time.”

Kuromine exhaled before continuing.

“The girl who fed me lies and spread false rumors about you—I couldn't forgive her. So I exposed what she had done.”

“…”

“I confronted her in front of the whole class and revealed everything. She broke down in tears, and someone uploaded the scene to social media. It became a huge scandal. In the end, she was criticized from all sides and transferred schools.”

That gyaru-like girl who had been the root of it all had met a miserable fate.

I didn't feel sorry for her. It was her fault to begin with.

“Then, I also punched the person who spread lies about you.”

“…What?”

That caught me off guard.

“People who spread false rumors and attack others based on gossip deserve punishment. If they don't understand with words, then they need to learn with their bodies.”

“T-That's a bit extreme…”

“I've always been that type of person. On the surface, I couldn't do anything, but in my heart, I was always punching people. That incident just pushed me over the edge.”

Kuromine continued.

“I also dealt with the other culprit properly. I tracked down the high school that guy transferred to and reported him. He was expelled immediately. Later, he caused another incident and got arrested, but I don't know the details. I didn't care enough to check.”

Kuromine spoke in a detached manner.

One thing, however, caught my attention.

“With all those problems, how did you even get into Tenka Academy?”

“My grades have always been good. Also… the middle school staff felt guilty about what happened to you. Remember how they didn't stop everyone from treating you like a criminal?”

That was true.

I remembered being called in by the teachers. I explained the situation, but they refused to believe me.

“When I told them the truth, those dumb teachers went pale. So my actions didn't cause much trouble in the end. They did warn me after I punched that guy, but when I threatened to expose what they did to you, they shut up.”

The school probably didn't want any more scandals.

But more than that, I was shocked by how strong Kuromine had become.

I had thought of her as a shy, fragile girl. I never imagined she'd turn out like this.

When Kuromine finished speaking, she bowed her head once again.

“I'm truly grateful to you, Mukawa-kun. I’ve always wanted to thank you for saving me back then. And… I also wanted to apologize. For not being able to clear up the rumors before you had to transfer. Even if I didn't know the truth at the time, I'm really sorry.”

Her apology left me at a loss for words.

“…You didn't know anything about it, did you?”

“It wasn't until Inuyama-kun pointed it out that I realized my mistake. Up until then, I genuinely believed that you were the one who attacked me.”

Hearing all this left me with mixed emotions.

Kuromine was probably telling the truth. Her motives for the incidents she caused later on aligned with her story.

If she were lying, there would be no reason for her to go out of her way to express gratitude and apologize to me now.

For the first time, it felt like all the pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together. I had always found it strange that, despite supposedly disliking men, Kuromine had been oddly kind and friendly toward me since I transferred.

Now, after hearing her story, it all made sense.

“And also, thanks for what you did as Nijitani-kun. For getting rid of those rumors.”

“You mean that thing?”

“I know you hated me, but I was really happy that you helped me.”

Kuromine smiled at me, but I had no idea how to respond.

“…Hey, can I ask something?”

Renji interrupted the conversation.

“I get Kuromine's story now. And I believe it’s the truth. So, what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“What was your intention in telling us all of this?”

“…I just wanted to thank Mukawa-kun and apologize for not being able to correct the rumors. I wanted to follow through with my own sense of responsibility, that’s all. As for why I told this in front of Inuyama-kun, I figured Mukawa-kun would be more on guard if we talked alone.”

Her words rang true.

Now that she had spoken her piece, Kuromine seemed to have a relieved expression.

“By the way, you dropped out of the contest, right? What about the Goddess title?”

I asked, and Kuromine shook her head.

“I’m not suited for the role of a ‘Goddess’ to begin with. I was never interested in it. I've always hated those events where we have to hype things up, like the sports festival. But I didn't withdraw until now because I didn't want those demon-like girls to take the title again.”

“But if you drop out now—”

Chances were high that either Akazawa or Shirase, the other strong candidates, would win.

“I might not be suited for it, but from now on, I'll support someone who is. Someone I can confidently recommend. Of course, I still have to convince her first.”

I had a feeling she was talking about Shion.

As the conversation trailed off, Renji walked over to me.

“So, now that you’ve heard all this, what are you going to do, Shota?”

“…What do you mean? It's not like Kuromine actually did anything to me. In this case, there's no need to talk about forgiving or not forgiving.”

I hadn't expected things to turn out like this.

This situation was completely different from my conflicts with Shirase or Aoyama.

After all, Kuromine had been a victim—she was the one attacked by that despicable guy. And afterward, she was fed false information and rumors, which led to her misunderstanding.

To be honest, Kuromine never actually did anything to me herself. And she had already avenged me against the real culprits. Now, she had taken the time to thank and apologize to me.

Back then, I felt betrayed. But after hearing all of this—

Come to think of it, I still hadn't asked her about that issue with Shirase, where she erased all traces of my existence. Judging by her attitude, she probably had a reason for that, too.

As I was thinking, the sound of the front door opening suddenly rang out.

“I’m home!”

Shion’s energetic voice echoed through the house.