Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
Chapter 4 â Reunion With an Old Friend\nVolume 1\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nââŚâŚ advice?â\n\n
Iâm not sure what he means by that.\n
âYou got out of line once, didnât you?â\n
That was the moment I understood.\n
It was that time. Last week, after stopping by the game center, I got tangled up with some delinquents. I knocked them down to get rid of them.\n
ââŚâŚâ\n
When I remained silent, Yamazaki seemed to take it as an affirmation.\n
âSo thatâs it. If thatâs the case, youâve failed.â\n
âEh?â\n
My advice, Yamazaki said earlier. I wondered if something had happened with those delinquents.\n
At the same time, a question arose in my mind.\n
âHow do you know about it?â\n
No one was supposed to know about it. The delinquent said that he suddenly had a stomachache. I heard it was treated as something other than a fight.\n
âItâs no big deal. Itâs just that he and I go to the same school.â\n
As usual, I thought he was going to a crappy place.\n
âThey have a bad reputation in my school, and they do whatever they want to the weakest people in the school. On the other hand, theyâre cowards who wonât touch people like me. I donât know much about them either, but I happened to overhear them talking about you.â\n
ââŚ.. how did you know it was me?â\n
âI recognized you because you had the same features. And thatâs not all. They looked up your name, and they knew it. The name Naoya Ookusu came out of their mouths.â\n
âWait, how did they know my name was âŚâŚ?â\n
Of course, I didnât say my name. They might have recognized my school name from my uniform, but that was it.\n
âI donât know much about it either, but from the way they talk, it sounds like they want to get back at you.â\n
ââŚâŚ Really?â\n
I was impatient. âYou failedâ, Yamazakiâs words echoed in my mind. \n
I donât know whatâs going on. But I think he resents the fact that I beat him up. And he wants to find out more about me and get revenge on me.\n
And whatâs worse is that âŚâŚ\n\n
â You said earlier that they like to bully the weak and wonât set up a fight with someone as strong as you.â\n
âYeah.â\n
âIf thatâs the case, then âŚâŚ their target of revenge isâŚâ\n
âYou know what I mean. Itâs your sister.â\n\n
I finally understood why he had asked so much about my sister earlier.\n
âI donât know what exactly theyâre planning. But they are planning to do something terrible. Thatâs why Iâm here today.?\n
ââŚâŚâ\n\n
I was speechless.\n
I couldnât help but curse myself.\n
Why did I do that so thoughtlessly? Was I trying to hurt them so that they wouldnât mess with Saito and Shindo?ăNo. It wasnât just that. At that time, I felt my body twitching with a sensation I hadnât felt in a long time. I just wanted to beat him up, so I did.\n
No matter what excuse I used, it was meaningless. Iâve made the wrong choice.\n
âThatâs all I can say to you. Be careful.â\n\n
Yamazaki stood up.\n
I was in a desperate mood. My vision was getting narrower. I thought I was doing well. Ever since I quit being a delinquent, Iâve never had a problem.\n
And yet, now Iâm trapped like this.\n
Until Yamazaki, who I didnât want to see, told me, I was completely unaware of the danger that was about to befall Sayaka. What would have happened if I hadnât known anything at all? What would I have done if Sayaka had gone through something terrible without me knowing about it?\n
It was me who was the idiot. Iâve always been like that.\n
I had doubted Yamazaki too. He was helping me, but I doubted him.\n\n
(The reason I identified the house was that I followed your sister.)\n
Maybe, I thought. Maybe he was protecting Sayaka?\n
To be able to help her immediately if something happened. It was never just about meeting me.\n\n
Leaving me with my head in my hands, Yamazaki quickly walked away.\n
No, I thought. I canât let Yamazaki leave like this.\n
This is no time to be depressed. I have things I need to do. So, I have to get up on my feet and move forward.\n
I ran after him and grabbed Yamazakiâs arm. Yamazaki looked back at me.\n
I said,\n
âTell me about those guys. Where are they usually around?â\n\n
Yamazaki was staring at me. I stared back into his eyes.\n
I was determined. Thatâs why Iâve been living until now.\n
âI havenât forgotten what you said that day. Really, I havenât forgotten.â\n
I remembered.\n\n
âThe day after everything fell apart. I called Yamazaki and we met alone.\n
My eyes must have been sunken in with tears. Yamazaki seemed to have guessed something when he saw my face.\n
I said.\n
(Never againâ.)\n
I struggled to speak through the pain.\n
Those words have always been rooted in my mind. I must never forget it. It was a vow that I had to keep, no matter how painful or difficult it was.\n\n\n
Yamazaki is looking at me with the same kind of gaze he had that day.\n
ââŚâŚyou and I are different.â\n
Yamazaki said.\n
âI donât think you and I should have gotten involved. You are back where you belong, and I am still where I belong.â\n
âAh.â\n
Separate paths, separate thoughts, which will probably never mix again.\n
But I have a responsibility.\n
I have a responsibility to carry out what I tried to protect, by cutting off contact with Yamazaki.\n
âThank you, Yamazaki.â\n
Those words came out of my mouth honestly. Yamazaki replied,\n
âDonât worry about it.â\n
So, I donât care what happens to me.\n\n
Iâm just going to do what I have to do.\n\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nTN: There was a time for talk, and now itâs the time for action.. (SPD music plays)\n\n