Chapter 5 Molestation

Molestation

“Ara, Iori. Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

The morning after my first day back at school.

Out of habit, I woke up at five in the morning.

Ever since the day I cursed my own sluggishness, I had made a conscious effort to go to bed early and wake up early as a form of self-discipline. Of course, calling it discipline was a bit much—it was something I should have been doing from the start. But back then, I had been so weak-willed that I needed a drastic shift to make a real change.

Once I actually started waking up early, though, I realized how convenient it was to have extra time in the morning. So, the habit stuck.

Even after possessing someone else’s body, my routine remained unchanged. Waking up before Kaori was no longer unusual.

“You never used to be such an early riser.”

Kaori said with a wry smile.

She usually avoided bringing up Iori’s past, but maybe the early morning had caught her off guard.

“What do you want for breakfast?”

Lately, I had finally gotten out of the habit of speaking to Kaori too formally. Back when I still used polite speech with her, she would tense up slightly. But after everything that had happened, speaking casually seemed to put her more at ease.

“You’re going to make breakfast?”

“Yeah. You’re busy, right?”

I pointed out, glancing at her messy bedhead. Scratching her head awkwardly, Kaori gave me a sheepish look.

She worked as a translator now. Apparently, even when her husband had still been around, she had been searching for a job she could do from home. Since she had been good at English in school, she eventually settled on literary translation.

Most literary translators were freelancers, and Kaori was no exception. She had built up a decent client base, and while her income fluctuated, she seemed to be doing well enough. Lately, she had been getting tight-deadline projects, and in the days leading up to my return to school, she had barely left her study or the living room.

But the real reason I offered to make breakfast wasn’t just because she was busy.

Despite her workload, she had visited me countless times while I was in the hospital. And just yesterday, she had gone out of her way to drop me off at school.

If anything, this was my way of saying thanks.

Kaori sat in the living room for a while, watching me cook.

Her expression was a mix of surprise, nostalgia, and maybe even a hint of happiness.

“I didn’t expect this. I didn’t know you could cook.”

“…A-Anyone can make scrambled eggs.”

Flustered, I tried to keep my voice steady so she wouldn’t notice, but I had no idea if I actually pulled it off.

It seemed that Iori hadn’t been much help around the house.

Since he was Kaori’s son, I had assumed he would have a more diligent personality, like her.

Once I finished cooking and brought the food to the table, Kaori turned off the TV she had been watching absentmindedly.

“Itadakimasu.”

“Itadakimasu.”

We put our hands together and started eating our simple breakfast.

It seemed to be a rule in this house to turn off the TV during meals. Probably something about valuing family time. That was my interpretation, anyway. I had been curious about it before, but it wasn’t something worth asking if it might make her uncomfortable.

“So…?”

“So?”

“Friends.”

Kaori asked bluntly. It was only natural for her to be worried about her child’s school life.

“It’s only the first day, so I haven’t made any close friends yet.”

“…I see.”

“But I’m sure I’ll make some soon. Everyone welcomed me back warmly.”

I said smoothly, and Kaori’s expression softened slightly.

I knew—no parent wanted to hear their child say they had no friends.

So I lied to her without her noticing.

It was true that I hadn’t made any close friends on my first day back.

The lie was in the part where I said I was sure I’d make some soon.

I thought back to what had happened yesterday.

The lie was necessary to maintain consistency and avoid suspicion.

Amnesia.

The moment I said that, my classmates’ expressions had turned cold.

No—honestly, from the start, they had been looking at me like I was some rare zoo animal. Curious, but detached. After all, I was the guy who had been absent for two whole months.

My lie had simply given them an excuse to distance themselves. Sooner or later, they would have treated me the same way anyway.

…Honestly, if they were going to impose a gag order, they should have at least given my classmates a heads-up about my situation beforehand.

Now I was stuck with a two-month disadvantage. Of course they reacted coldly to such an absurd lie.

“I’ll be waiting for the day you bring a friend home, Iori.”

“Yeah.”

All I could do was nod and smile.

But, realistically, the day I actually brought a friend home… would probably be after I graduated. Or maybe, it would never come at all.

One thing was certain—this wasn’t going to be easy.

“Take care.”

“I’m off.”

As I stepped outside, the blue sky greeted me.

But unfortunately, I wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it.

Three years of high school—it wasn’t the end of the world if I didn’t make any friends. But I didn’t want to see Kaori looking sad.

That was the real reason I had decided to go to school while pretending to be Iori.

I just didn’t want to see Kaori sad.

“What should I do…?”

Even after reaching the station, I crossed my arms, lost in thought.

If things continued like this, I’d end up friendless, and that would only make Kaori sad. Besides, let’s be real—I was mentally thirty-five, while my classmates were fifteen or sixteen.

That kind of age gap was bound to cause a generational divide. Could I really make friends despite that handicap…?

I refused to believe it was impossible—not because I was optimistic, but because I wasn’t ready to give up yet.

Still, I had no plan.

“What should I do? What should I do…?”

As I mulled over the problem, a train pulled into the station.

As soon as the doors opened, I hesitated.

The train was so packed that I second-guessed stepping inside.

Right then and there, I decided—I would start taking an earlier train from now on.

With that resolution in mind, I stepped inside.

Having grown up in the countryside, this was my first time experiencing the sheer crush of a packed commuter train.

The pressure of the crowd, the constant pushing, the complete lack of space to move, the heavy breathing of the man in front of me—everything about it was unbearable.

Three more stops.

Two more stops.

In this hellish train car, even time seemed to crawl.

At home, time always moved too fast, forcing me to leave the house at a specific time—but now, I realized I had miscalculated.

Was the “three minutes to the next stop” displayed on the panel really accurate?

Frustration welled up inside me, and I nearly clicked my tongue.

That’s when I noticed a girl, about three people away, wearing the same school uniform as me.

I had a faint sense of recognition.

Yes… I had seen her before—yesterday morning, during homeroom.

Right after I introduced myself on my first day back, I had noticed her from the podium.

Running into a classmate here wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Then again, since we were heading to the same school, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Either way, considering the way my classmates had looked at me yesterday, I preferred to get through this commute unnoticed.

But the problem was—I had already noticed her.

She was gripping the overhead handrail tightly, her gaze fixed on the floor.

Her body was trembling slightly.

Though her bangs obscured her eyes, her lips were pressed together, like she was holding back discomfort.

I glanced downward—and saw a man in a suit standing behind her, touching her inappropriately.

There was no doubt about it. This was molestation.

“Good morning.”

Before I even realized it, I was pushing through the crowd, calling out to a girl whose name I didn’t even know.

“Huh…?”

The startled girl widened her eyes, looking at me in confusion.

Just then, the train arrived at the stop before our school.

“Let’s get off.”

Weaving through the flow of passengers boarding, I took her hand and led her off the train.

The train carrying the molester pulled away moments later.

“…Ah, sorry.”

I had acted on impulse, grabbing her hand without asking. That was what I was apologizing for.

When I turned to look at her, she was still frozen in shock.

“…Are you okay?”

As I peered at her face and asked, she finally snapped back to reality.

“…Amnesia.”

“Don’t say it like it’s some kind of nickname.”

I frowned, but I quickly realized—I was actually the one in a position to be complained at.

There was only one more stop until the station closest to our school.

But the platform we had gotten off at was just as crowded, filled with people waiting for the next train.

If we lined up now, waited for the next train, and then headed to school…

We’d almost certainly be late.

“Sorry. We only had one more stop left… Now we’re gonna be late.”

I said, checking the time on my phone.

“Huh? …Oh, yeah.”

She was still in a daze—probably still shaken from the incident. Her response was oddly absentminded.

“Hey… are you okay?”

“…What do you mean?”

Her voice quickly turned wary. Cold and sharp, like the edge of a knife.

“I mean, you were being groped just now. I was worried about you.”

“…It’s nothing.”

She turned away.

“It happens all the time, anyway.”

“All the time? …Tokyo is terrifying.”

“Hah? You live in Tokyo too, don’t you?”

Thinking I was mocking her, she snapped at me, her voice laced with irritation.

“Yeah, but I have amnesia. I told you that yesterday, remember?”

“…I thought you were just joking for attention.”

That was probably what all those classmates who gave me cold stares yesterday thought, too.

Well… they weren’t exactly wrong—it was a lie, after all.

“Actually, I still think you’re joking.”

She turned away again, muttering under her breath, her tone edged with frustration.

Why did she sound irritated every time she talked to me? Did she just really hate jokes?

“Sorry, but there’s no way for me to prove it.”

I shrugged. Honestly, I didn’t think it was something worth proving.

“…Whatever.”

“Yeah. Sorry for dragging you off the train, but let’s walk to school from here. If we wait in this line and take the next train, we’ll probably take even longer.”

I started walking toward the station exit.

And then—

A gentle tug on the hem of my uniform.

When I turned around, I saw the same girl who had gotten off the train with me.

She was gripping my uniform hesitantly, her gaze darting nervously from side to side.

“Um… uh… thanks.”

With her cheeks faintly flushed, she averted her eyes and spoke in a heavy tone.

I hadn’t expected her to thank me, so I froze for a moment—

“Shall we get going?”

I suggested.

“…Yeah.”

She gave a brief reply.

Later on, I found out her name was Tachibana Mirei.