Chapter 84: Kyogoku Arata’s Policy
Kyogoku Arata’s Policy
Aikawa looked at me and smiled gently.
That expression overlapped with the scheming look she’d worn the other day.
“Did you need something?”
“Aren’t you being a bit cold~? I just happened to run into an old classmate from elementary school and thought I’d say hi, that’s all.”
“Didn’t seem that way. Looked more like you were waiting for someone.”
“…Then would it make you happy if I said I was waiting for you, Kyogoku?”
“Not particularly.”
“Pfft, ahaha! I see, not particularly, huh~”
She muttered between peals of laughter.
But I didn’t find it funny in the slightest.
If anything, a deep disgust was rising in my chest.
Aikawa had made Akari suffer.
She was one of the reasons Akari cried that day in the park.
And that—was something I simply couldn’t forgive.
I turned away from Aikawa and began to walk.
“Eh!? Hey, wait, wait~”
“I’ve got things to do.”
“No you don’t. Come on, it’s you, Kyogoku.”
“You saying I’ve got nothing better to do?”
“Of course. I mean, Kyogoku, you don’t even have any friends.”
“Tch… I have a few.”
“Pfft, ‘a few,’ seriously? What even is that, haha.”
This time, Aikawa broke into full-blown laughter, clutching her sides.
I still had no idea what was so amusing.
It’s not like I’m the kind of person who can drop one line and have people rolling with laughter.
“Hey, Kyogoku, come on—talk with me for a bit.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Ehh~? Don’t be like that. I want to talk to you, Kyogoku.”
“All the more reason not to.”
“All the more—seriously?”
Aikawa kept trailing behind me.
I didn’t know why she was so fixated on me.
But whatever the reason, I was sure it wasn’t going to be good for me.
I figured it was time to draw the line.
I came to a stop and looked Aikawa straight in the eyes.
“Ooh, finally in the mood to talk?”
“Let me ask again—what are you really after?”
“After? Nothing at all. I just thought it’d be nice to catch up after so long.”
“Didn’t we already talk the other day? Besides, we’re not exactly on friendly chatting terms, are we?”
At that, Aikawa’s eyes widened in surprise.
Then she gave a sly smile, leaned in close, and said—
“That’s not true. I mean, I used to like you, Kyogoku. Isn’t it totally normal to want to talk to someone you once liked?”
“Tch…”
Aikawa leaned in even closer.
Her face was so close now, just one step and we’d be touching.
Holding that distance, she continued,
“Besides… Kyogoku, my kind-hearted hero who’s nice to everyone—you wouldn’t abandon me, would you?”
“Tch!!”
I quickly stepped back to put space between us.
Aikawa let out a soft laugh, then began to speak again.
“You know, Kyogoku—you’ve always volunteered for the thankless jobs, taken the fall for others. Remember back in elementary school, when those kids bailed on cleaning duty with you and dumped it all on you? You ended up cleaning by yourself, and some teacher happened to see, and it turned into a big deal.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“Well, somehow you were the one who got scolded. The kids who ditched blamed you—said you made one of them do it all alone. The teacher didn’t recognize who was actually cleaning and thought you were bullying someone. You got chewed out hard. ‘Why are you always so mean to others,’ they said.”
…A bitter memory.
That was how elementary school was for me.
In middle school, it wasn’t obvious bullying anymore—just being shut out, whispered about, hated from the shadows.
One way or another, I’d always been someone people didn’t like.
“At some point, you stopped talking back. It was like you’d given up—on other people, on yourself. Even knowing you’d get blamed, you still helped others behind the scenes. Took on the role of the villain… just like when you helped me.”
Aikawa looked at me, her gaze unwavering.
“No matter how much you hate someone, you can’t leave them behind. That’s who you are, Kyogoku. Which is exactly why I can’t just ignore you either. You’re that kind of person, aren’t you?”
Once again, she closed the distance between us.
“You know? The truth is… Kyogoku, you’re actually—”
Her eyes locked onto mine, as if peering into my very core.
—But.
“I’m not some saint.”
I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away.
“You were Nakano’s cheating partner. You made Akari suffer. I can’t forgive that. I won’t forget it, and I won’t ever let it go. So I’m not going to talk to you.”
“Wh…?”
For the first time, Aikawa’s expression wavered.
“Heh… So you really like Irara-san that much, huh?”
“Tch! It’s—not like that!”
“Oh, then I’ll be your Cupid! When it comes to love, I can totally help you out—”
“Don’t need it.”
“…Huh?”
I continued, intent on driving the point home.
“I don’t need your help, Aikawa. And I’m not going to talk to you again.”
I turned my back to her, her mouth still open in disbelief.
Then, to make my intentions crystal clear, I began to walk away—and threw one last line over my shoulder.
“Don’t do things that make people cry anymore. You too, Aikawa… it hurt, didn’t it?
I walked off, alone.
Aikawa didn’t come after me.