Chapter 35 Being Framed Again

Being Framed Again

The grade-level events were finally over.

After a lunch break, the sports festival moved into its afternoon session.

To top it off, the afternoon session began with the pair dance, filling the atmosphere with an odd sense of excitement.

I had already stepped onto the field earlier, nerves wound so tight that my whole body felt rigid in preparation for the pair dance.

To think I’d be stepping out in front of everyone… and with Irara of all people.

“Huh? It’s gone. It’s really not here.”

“What? Seriously? Does that mean…”

“No way. This is the absolute worst…”

The voices of two female students echoed uncomfortably loud.

The tense mood between them began spreading through the sparsely occupied waiting tent.

“What’s wrong?”

Sensing that something was off, another female student spoke up.

“My knapsack with my water bottle and towel has been missing since just before the grade-level events started!”

“I left it near the tent. But with so many bags around, I thought it must’ve gotten mixed up. I figured I’d find it if I looked, but…”

“It’s nowhere to be found!”

“So… does that mean it was… stolen?”

“…Probably.”

A female student’s belongings had been stolen.

It was clearly a serious matter, and the murmurs of the crowd grew louder.

“And lately, I’ve been feeling these creepy stares on me.”

“It wasn’t quite stalking, but I felt it too. I thought I was imagining things, but now…”

“This is seriously the worst. Who would do something like this…?”

If a female student’s belongings had been stolen, it had to have been someone from this school.

And if they’d been watched, it might even be someone closer than they’d thought.

“This is bad, isn’t it?”

“Stealing a girl’s stuff? That’s seriously gross.”

“So disgusting.”

“This is unbelievable.”

“Who’s the jerk who did it?”

“Such a creep.”

“Was it you?”

“As if! Lol.”

The students in the area began scanning the crowd, as if searching for the culprit.

Suddenly, the image of a male student I’d seen before the grade-level events popped into my head.

I couldn’t quite remember his face, but considering the timing, it might have been him…

“Could it be Kyogoku?”

“…Huh?”

A male student’s teasing voice cut through the growing chaos.

And just like that, the rumor spread like wildfire.

“Honestly, if it’s Kyogoku, I can see him doing it.”

“Yeah, with that villainous face of his, right? Lol.”

“Isn’t he in the same class as that girl?”

“Hey, what if he hears you?”

“He’ll kill you, lol.”

“But seriously, doesn’t it seem like something Kyogoku would do?”

“Totally, lol.”

It was baseless speculation, with no proof at all.

Yet it spread as though it were undeniable fact.

“Wh-what the hell is this…?”

People started backing away from me, their eyes glued to me.

Even the girl, with tears brimming in her eyes, recoiled and looked at me with disdain.

“No, no, I didn’t… I didn’t do it.”

“D-do you have any proof? Proof that you didn’t do it.”

“Huh? Proof…?”

It’s harder than you think to prove you didn’t do something.

But my hesitation only made the situation seem even more damning.

—And then.

“Hey, um… I saw it. Kyogoku was looking around near the tent before the grade-level events, like he was searching for something.”

“!!!”

The one who spoke was Nakano, a strained smile on his face.

Come to think of it, I did run into Nakano back then.

But that was…

“N-no! I was just looking for Kiriha’s water bottle!”

“But you looked kind of suspicious…”

“I wasn’t suspicious! I just felt awkward talking to you!”

“Why would you feel awkward talking to me? Was it because you felt guilty about something?”

“G-guilty? No! I was seriously just looking for Kiriha’s water bottle! I swear!”

That was the truth.

And yet… even though everything they were saying was pure speculation…

Why does it feel like I’m the one being treated like a liar?

“Your excuses are so weak…”

“What Nakano said is basically proof, isn’t it?”

“It’s totally Kyogoku.”

“He’s the worst.”

“So gross…”

“Honestly, he’s terrifying…”

“Wha—!”

No matter how much I told the truth, their words hit me like a wall.

I was trapped, surrounded by an unyielding barrier of doubt, and I felt utterly helpless.

Ah, this feeling—it’s been a while.

That sharp twist deep in my chest.

I’ve been through this so many times before.

—Back in elementary school.

There was an incident where the class’s lunch money was stolen.

I was the first one they suspected.

Even though I hadn’t done anything, even though there wasn’t a single shred of evidence.

People’s impressions and words made me the culprit.

“Arata-kun, you’re the worst—”

“Give it back!”

“You shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to you!”

“You’re going to jail!”

“Criminal!”

“I-I didn’t… I didn’t do it!”

No matter how much I denied it, no one believed me.

In the end, even the teacher said,

“I’m calling your mother now.”

Nobody believed me.

But eventually, the real thief was caught without much trouble.

It was quickly proven that I wasn’t the culprit.

…But even then.

The rumor that I’d stolen the lunch money spread.

People started looking at me with cold, judging eyes.

That was when I realized.

How selfish people can be, and how fragile the truth really is.

Since then.

I gave up expecting anything from others.

And whenever I was “misunderstood,” I stopped trying to fight back because I knew it wouldn’t change anything.

“Shouldn’t we call a teacher?”

“That girl is so pitiful—”

“Kyogoku really is the worst.”

“Seriously, unbelievable.”

“So gross.”

Before I knew it, the sparse crowd had turned into a throng, students drawn in by the commotion now surrounding me.

The girl was crying, emphasizing her role as the victim.

And here I was, cast as the villain, everyone staring at me with cold, unfeeling eyes.

…Just like back then.

Once again, baseless speculation had made me the bad guy.

This is the worst.

In this state, there’s no way I can do the pair dance with Irara.

Irara’s face flashed through my mind.

—Let’s do our best for the sports festival!!!

“I’m sorry, Irara…”

I gave up again.

No matter what I said, it wouldn’t make a difference.

I’d learned that from experience.

Fighting back was pointless.

So, I…

“—Everyone!!! Kyogoku-kun didn’t do anything like that!!!!!”

A clear, beautiful voice sliced through the air.

Parting the crowd, the person who appeared was—

“…Irara.”

For the first time in my life, someone stood by my side. And it was the girl I found the most beautiful in the world.