Chapter 27 I Was Bullied Too

I Was Bullied Too

Several weeks have passed since Shiramine-san told me the truth about what happened.

Since then, Shiramine-san has rarely tried to interact with me. I no longer see her in the morning, and she no longer speaks to me.

Sometimes she looks at me, but she quickly looks away, so she doesn’t really do anything to me.

Other than that, nothing much happens to me.

For some reason, Yoka and I still go to school together every morning, but I have no idea what she wants. …

When I leave school, I go home with Aoi-senpai. Friends? Since we’re friends, I guess it is normal for us to leave school together. I think it must be because Aoi-senpai told me so.

However, I’ll go home alone today because I’ve to help with the teacher’s errand and the discussion about the parent-teacher meeting, and she left first.

I took the boxes of materials to the side building.

My arms are heavy because I’m not very strong, but I can’t help it because this is probably the only thing I can do. Should I at least try to build up some muscle now? If I do that, I might be able to get a job in construction. …

As I walked along, remembering what the teacher had told me about the parent-teacher meeting, I heard someone crying, albeit softly, from an empty room at the back of the school.

The only people in the side building at this time of day were probably the drama club and some other literary club, but this floor was basically nothing but reference room and empty classroom, and students were much less likely to be here. Only the occasional teacher came in.

I wondered what on earth was going on and naturally leaned in that direction…

I walked a bit towards the sobbing voice and peeked into the room to see a soaked girl and an empty plastic bucket lying next to her.

That’s … Could be bullying?

I remember being like that in junior high school when I was bullied after being falsely accused of molestation.

I was soaked to the skin, my body heat was gone, and I remember wondering why I was the only one feeling it.

The bullying accelerated from there, but that too is in the past and I don’t think about it anymore. I just feel like, “Oh, that happened to me once.” …

I wondered what to do when the girl looked at me and knew that I was looking at her.

The girl had a vacant, resigned look on her face.

“Are you okay?”

I called out to her.

I should’ve known from her expression that she wasn’t okay. But those were the words that came out of my mouth as fast as I could. This is why I’m a stupid, useless person.

“…”

The girl still has the same blank expression on her face and I don’t know what she’s thinking.

I guess I was like that too, before. If she stays like that, she’ll probably try to commit s🬀🬀cide like me.

She had the same look in her eyes as when I first met Aoi-senpai on the rooftop.

I unsteadily walked over to the girl I was looking at, sat down in front of her, and locked eyes with her.

“I was bullied too…”