Chapter 34 The Truth about the Caller

The Truth About the Caller

?’s PoV

Let me tell you an old story.

I have always been a weak person.

But I had a childhood friend—a bright, beautiful girl. We’d been inseparable since kindergarten. She was my first kiss, my first crush, and as we grew older, my first love.

Junior high school was the happiest time of my life.

I believed that I had it all. A relationship with her, the girl who had always been by my side. We’d marry someday, I was sure of it.

It was supposed to be just the two of us, together forever.

But it all shattered in the summer of our first year of junior high. At the hands of that loathsome Kondo from the soccer club.

Kondo, infamous for his charm and manipulation, wormed his way into her heart, exploiting insecurities I never even knew she had.

“That nerd is disgusting,” she’d told him, as I later heard.

“It’s the greatest shame of my life that he was my boyfriend.”

Kondo reveled in her words, taking satisfaction in the destruction he caused. He had a vile hobby of breaking people apart.

One day, I caught her with him. When I confronted her, trembling and desperate, she turned her cold, unfeeling eyes on me.

“Don’t interfere with my happiness. Please leave me alone.”

Gone was the gentle girl I knew, replaced by someone who regarded me as nothing but dirt. She clung to Kondo’s arm as if he were her lifeline.

“Why? Why? You promised we’d marry!”

I pleaded, my voice cracking as my pride crumbled to dust.

She didn’t hesitate to crush me completely.

“Don’t you understand? I’m crazy about Kondo-kun now! I love him, not you. So, stop bothering me. I’ll be happy with him.”

That was the moment my world fell apart. My values, my trust, my self-worth—all obliterated.

I stopped going to school, too paralyzed by shame and betrayal to face anyone. Two years of my life vanished in the fog of isolation.

It was only through the persistence of my teachers that I clawed my way back, eventually enrolling in a prestigious high school. But Kondo and my former childhood friend ended up there as well.

Rumor had it she’d been dumped by Kondo soon after, her infatuation unreciprocated. I avoided them, pretending they didn’t exist.

I had no friends, no goals, and no trust in people. My life felt like a hollow shell.

Then, a year ago, during the summer break, everything changed.

I met my hero: Aono Eiji.

He wasn’t like anyone else. Despite my reclusive nature, he struck up a conversation when we became seatmates after the seating change.

“Hey, you’re always reading books, right? I’m in the Literature Club, so I’m curious—what would you recommend?”

His genuine interest disarmed me. We didn’t hang out after school or become best friends, but his small kindness brought color back to my sepia-toned world.

Through him, I began talking to others, reconnecting with life. I started smiling again.

Even after we were assigned to different classes, I remembered his kindness. I wanted to repay him someday.

Then, the rumors started.

They said Aono Eiji had attacked Amada. They said he was violent, untrustworthy, and dangerous.

I didn’t believe it for a second. Eiji wasn’t capable of something so cruel. But the school turned its back on him, isolating him just as I’d been isolated before.

I investigated. And behind it all, I found the familiar shadow of Kondo.

“Kondo. You again!!!”

He was poisoning lives again, destroying good people like Eiji just as he’d destroyed me. Fury burned through me.

I needed proof—something undeniable. Yesterday, I saw Kondo entering Amada’s house. But that wasn’t enough.

I followed him to Tokyo today, staying in the shadows. That’s when I saw it: Kondo and Amada entering a love hotel.

My hands trembled as I snapped photos with my smartphone. This was it. Proof. A high school couple sneaking into a place where they weren’t allowed.

I dialed the police.

“Hello, is this the police? I’d like to report something. There seems to be a high school couple at a love hotel. Isn’t that illegal? The location is…”

I hung up and stared at the photos again. This would end Kondo’s reign. I’d print the evidence and send it to the school, ensuring his expulsion.

My hero, Aono Eiji, didn’t deserve to be treated like this. And Kondo didn’t deserve to keep ruining lives.

This is my revenge. My justice. For Eiji, for myself, and for everyone Kondo has hurt.