Chapter 95: Childhood Friend's Way Home

Childhood Friend’s Way Home

Miyuki’s PoV

I come home from school as if on the run. Normally, I would have enjoyed chatting after school, but my friends are gone now. No wonder. I’ve caused real damage beyond the level of annoying everyone.

The alerts on SNS have been going off for a while. When I checked just now, I found that it’s an unknown account with insults written on it.

[Lying bitch!]

[Lousy, cheating bitch who dumped her childhood friend to save her own skin!]

[Bitch!]

Words like that were written all over it. It’s obvious. It’s all true.

I told Takayanagi-sensei everything. How I met Kondo-senpai. How the violent incident happened. Why I was involved in such a conspiracy. What I said to Eiji. And what the story was about Kondo-senpai being arrested by the police.

I told him that Eiji was about to commit suicide because of me.

I told him everything. I should have told him a week ago, the first day the bullying started, but I was afraid. I really am the worst.

I feel really sorry and want to cry when I think that Eiji had to go through such a painful time for no crime. I can’t help it because I’m the reason. Because of me, everyone around him has become his enemy. Wherever he goes, he is surrounded by hostility and mockery. A living hell. I have brought him to such a place.

Even if I apologize, it won’t be forgiven.

I really understood that after being in the same situation.

That day. I spoke out of turn against Eiji. He was kind and always put me first, but I told him he was a violent stalker. Just thinking about it makes me so sad that I want to die.

At that time, I was in a strange state of mind.

What I had to weigh was the precious memories I had built up with Eiji over the 10 years we had spent together, or my own vanity. Now I know immediately which one to choose. Eiji is kind. That’s why, even though I said such terrible things to him, he said he didn’t want to damage the precious memories we had built up as childhood friends.

I really am inferior in every way.

His humanity, and his popularity with the people around him. He’s completely different from me, who was just a superficial honor student. The people around me tried to help Eiji when he needed it, but I had no one on my side.

“Eiji worked for others all the time. No wonder.”

When I moved to this town, he was the first friend I made. My father left us. Mother chose this city as her new home, where it would be easier to raise her children. Eiji was the first person to make me realize the joys of the outside world, even though I was always crying.

It is only natural that he should be rewarded for his hard work for others. I think I tried too hard to force myself to fill the gap in my heart that I could not fill. Eiji was kind and took care of me.

I’m so stupid.

The future that could have been and the memories I had carefully built.

Having lost everything, I made my way home, knowing that these two illusions would become eternal burdens for the rest of my life. I had nothing left but deep regret.

XXX Video Streaming Channel

[This is the next special report. We have obtained audio of a councilor threatening the high school boy and his family to cover up his son’s violent behavior. The councilor appears to have extensively pressured the victim’s family to cover up his son’s criminal behavior. The audio will contain extreme statements. Please be warned. Some parts of the audio have been edited to protect their privacy. Please listen now.]

Caption: A voice that sounds like a councilor.

[My son is at an important time in his life as he prepares to enter college. I tried to get him into the athletic department at the university, and the university gave us a good answer. It’s just a kid’s fight. I think it would be better to avoid putting each other at a huge disadvantage over something as trivial as this.]

[I would like to ask the school to keep a low profile in this matter. If such incidents become public, it could damage the reputation of the teachers and reduce the number of applicants for future entrance exams.]

[XXX-sensei, consider this a business discussion. If you keep your mouth shut, I will do you a favor in the future. Or do you want to make an enemy of me and eat cold food all the time?]

Caption: A voice that seems to be a corresponding teacher.

[It’s just a kid’s fight?! Shame on you, shame on you! Your son almost ruined a high school student’s future!]

Caption: Voice of what appears to be a councilor (addressing the victim’s family).

[XXX-san. I’m a councilor and a contractor. If possible, I would like to settle this quietly. This restaurant is an important restaurant that your late husband left you. So you shouldn’t make a big deal out of it. If I were serious, I could even do something about a restaurant like this.]

[This is terrible! Are there still people on the city council who are so wrong nowadays? I am surprised. I saw young high school students on the news the other day doing their best to save lives. Excuse me, I couldn’t help but say something inappropriate as a parent. We will cover this story in detail on tomorrow morning’s newscast.]