Chapter 3: Tomorrow

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Translator: Soafp

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As soon as my sister saw me, she rushed toward me without saying a word and dove into my chest.

“Let me stay like this for a little while.”

She whispered, burying her face into my chest.

“How much do you think I worried about you? I was so scared, thinking you might not come back…!”

Her hands, gripping my clothes, were trembling, and slowly, warmth spread across my chest as her tears soaked in.

After that, I had to explain the situation, and she scolded me furiously. In the middle of it all, I started crying too, and eventually, the three of us—Honoka, my sister, and I—cried together.

“Don't ever disappear from my life again without a word, leaving only a note behind…! Promise me, you won't do something like this ever again!”

It wasn't until everyone had cried that I finally realized.

I realized how foolish I had been. How I had been consumed by despair.

I should have confided in them sooner. If I had, maybe things would've turned out differently.

[Third-Person Perspective]

It had been about two weeks since the incident with Atsushi when a phone call came to the Kouka household.

“This is the Kouka residence, correct? I'm afraid I have some difficult news to share—”

The caller was the police, and they informed Atsushi’s family that Hina’s parents had been taken into custody on charges of fraud.

The incident came to light when a teacher at the elementary school noticed bruises on their daughter Angel, revealing child abuse. During the investigation, Hina provided key information, which exposed the full extent of the situation.

It turned out that the false accusations against Atsushi were the result of pressure placed on Hina by her parents, who had coerced her into making them for the purpose of extorting compensation. Both Hina and her younger sister, Angel, had admitted this, and Hina testified that Atsushi was innocent.

Furthermore, the police discovered that this wasn't the first time her parents had used similar methods to fabricate false charges, and other victims had already filed complaints against them.

“Hello? Kouka-san?”

The phone slipped from Atsushi's mother's hand as her face paled with a mix of regret and despair.

The case became a major news story, broadcast on television for days. Since one of the victims was a high school student, Atsushi, the public reacted strongly.

When Atsushi’s mother glanced at her son, she saw him embracing his sister, the two of them celebrating together.

Though she knew she should have been rejoicing in her son’s innocence, she couldn’t bring herself to share in the joy. Instead, she sank into self-loathing for her inability to do so.

Meanwhile, at School

“Wait, Atsushi was innocent all along? Doesn't that put us in a bad spot?”

“So you're telling me that Inoue tricked us all?”

The news had already spread throughout the school, causing panic among the students who had taken part in bullying Atsushi.

“Hey, isn't this a huge deal?”

One of the male students showed his phone to Hayashi, displaying an SNS post with the hashtags “Expose the bullies” and “Please share.” Attached was a video—footage of them bullying Atsushi, recorded during one of the incidents. Though they had deleted the video after it went viral and caused a backlash, it had resurfaced.

“I thought I deleted it! Damn it, what the hell's going on?!”

The video, tied to the false accusations, only fueled the outrage further, and it spread like wildfire, unstoppable.

The rumors reached Hayashi's parents, and soon after, he was being questioned at home about what had happened.

“I swear, it was just light teasing! We were only joking around. We didn't mean any real harm, it was just messing around, I swear.”

Hayashi said, nervously laughing it off, showing no signs of remorse.

At that moment, his mother slapped him across the face, the sound echoing in the room. Stunned, Hayashi stood there, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

“Do you even realize what you've done? Even if you were just joking, if it hurt someone, it's bullying! And you kicked him, too…”

His mother covered her face, muttering to herself.

“How could I ever apologize to Atsushi-kun? What if he's scarred for life?”

As he watched his mother trembling in fear, Hayashi finally began to understand the gravity of the situation.

Later

“I am truly, deeply sorry!”

In front of Atsushi's mother stood a blond-haired boy and his parents, bowing deeply in apology.

“Well, as you can see, my son is reflecting on his actions. We'll make sure this never happens again.”

The boy's homeroom teacher, Yahata, said, trying to smooth things over.

But Atsushi's mother couldn't help but feel distrust toward Yahata's attempt to downplay the severity of the situation.

The incident grew to the point that the school held a press conference, and the students most heavily involved in the bullying, including Hayashi, were forced to leave under the guise of voluntary withdrawal.

However, even though the bullying issue was addressed, the deep scars left by the false accusations remained, and the Atsushina household's strained relationships seemed beyond repair.

No matter how much Atsushi's mother regretted her actions, there was nothing she could do. She had driven her son to the brink during the hardest time in his life, when she should have been the one supporting him the most. Instead, she had pushed him further into despair, and now she was left to live with the consequences of her actions.

“Ugh… Aaaah…”

At times like this, the guilt became unbearable, and I would let out cries that sounded like the wails of a dying soul.

[First-person perspective (Hina)]

It all started when Atsushi-kun treated me to a meal at a family restaurant.

That day, I was off from my part-time job, so I was playing in a nearby park with my 10-year-old sister, Angel. Atsushi-kun happened to pass by after finishing his club activities, and perhaps feeling sorry for my hungry sister, he treated us to a meal at the family restaurant.

My family is poor, far from well-off. Atsushi-kun knew this because of our relationship, and from time to time, he would treat us to meals like this.

Even though I earned money from my part-time job, it all went to my parents' reckless spending, leaving nothing for me. In the daily struggle where we often couldn't even eat properly, Atsushi-kun's kindness was a source of great relief and gratitude.

But on that day, three days before Atsushi-kun was falsely accused, one careless remark from Angel during dinner changed everything.

I had told my sister not to mention that Atsushi-kun had treated us to a meal, fearing what would happen if our parents found out. But she let it slip, even mentioning that Atsushi-kun’s family was relatively well-off, which piqued my parents’ interest.

My parents are the kind of people who would lie and deceive others without a second thought. Naturally, they saw Atsushi-kun as an easy target, wondering how they could swindle money from him.

That's when they came up with the idea to falsely accuse him of an attempted kidnapping. I was supposed to lure Atsushi-kun near Angel, and then they would claim he tried to kidnap her.

Of course, I didn't want to do it.

But in this household, where abuse was a daily occurrence, defying my parents meant facing violence. I could endure it, but I was terrified that they might turn their anger on Angel.

In the end, I betrayed Atsushi-kun.

“Good job.”

My father said as he patted my head.

Just as they had planned, they managed to extort money from Atsushi-kun’s family, and my parents were delighted, celebrating loudly.

“I… I…”

The guilt was overwhelming. I immediately regretted my actions, but it was already too late to undo what had been done.

“Are you okay, Inoue-san?”

When I went to school, my classmates were kind to me.

But to me, that kindness was nothing but agony.

“I can't forgive that Atsushi guy, seriously.”

“Inoue-san, I'll help with anything. Just let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“Thanks, everyone, but I'm fine…”

I tried to calm everyone down, but my words never reached them.

“Shouldn't we teach him a lesson? He's probably still targeting your sister.”

“Yeah, let's show him what happens when you mess with Inoue-san and her sister!”

As things spiraled out of control, I was filled with fear as my classmates escalated their plans on their own.

Then, the bullying of Atsushi-kun began.

I couldn't bear to watch what happened next, and every time I turned away from the horrible scenes, I apologized silently, covering my ears.

That guilt didn't go away, even after Atsushi-kun was proven innocent.

I know I have no face to show, but I still want to apologize.

Now that my parents have been arrested, my sister and I are going to be taken in by our grandparents.

Once that happens, I may never have the chance to apologize again.

So, I decided to go to Atsushi-kun’s house.

“What do you want?”

The black-haired girl who glared at me and asked this was Atsushi-kun’s childhood friend, Hitomi-san.

“I-I… I want to apologize to Atsushi-kun.”

Then, from behind her, I heard a familiar voice.

“Hina…?”

Atsushi-kun whispered my name with a strained expression, and his gaze toward me was filled with fear.

Of course, he would feel that way. I had done something terrible, so it was only natural that he would hate me.

I thought I was prepared for this, but even so, the weight on my heart was more than I could bear.

“Atsushi-kun, I…”

Suddenly, Atsushi-kun pressed his hand to his mouth, as though he was about to vomit.

Confused by the sudden turn of events, Hitomi-san placed a hand on Atsushi-kun's shoulder and helped him, while turning her gaze toward me.

“Go home… Please, just go home.”

“But…”

“Can't you see? Stop making Atsushi suffer any more! Do you even realize how much you've hurt him? He was so desperate that he even tried to take his own life!”

Hitomi-san gripped my hand with so much force it seemed like it might draw blood. I froze, unable to speak in the face of her overwhelming intensity.

“W-What do you mean…?”

Afterward, I learned the details through rumors.

Atsushi-kun had tried to take his own life.

And the one who had pushed him to that point was undeniably me.

I placed my hand against the window, droplets of rain clinging to the glass. My distorted, regretful face reflected back at me.

I wanted to apologize to Atsushi-kun, but all I had done was cause him more pain.

I can't be involved with Atsushi-kun anymore.

The anger I felt toward myself for causing the one I loved so much to suffer was so intense, I almost felt like I could kill myself.

Regret and despair churned inside my chest.

The silence was so painful, I couldn't move, and time passed in that stillness.

Was seeking someone just a way to get hurt?

The two of us, so bright and full of hope, are now surrounded by such sadness.

Your scent, your way of speaking, those vivid memories pierce my chest.

Things have changed. I couldn't change them.

If only things had been different back then… If only I had told you everything that day. But no matter how much I think about it, the past can't be changed.

The look on your face at that time is still burned into my memory. The look on your face when I falsely accused you.

What has my life become?

Even the person who was my support, Atsushi-kun, has been betrayed by me.

There was truly nothing good that came out of any of this. The happiness I was finally about to grasp slipped away.

If we were to part ways, I should never have met you. I wasn’t mature enough to think that way, nor was I a child who could express my feelings directly.

Was I doomed from the moment I was born…?

With my wings, I can’t fly anywhere.

Ah… I just wanted to live a normal life…

Before I knew it, I was drowning in a single tear.

End of the novel