Chapter 88: An Abrupt Confession
An Abrupt Confession
The stares directed at Nakano were cold, almost icy.
It felt as if their eyes were stabbing into him; Nakano twisted his face in pain, clutching at his chest as if it hurt to breathe.
Yet, not a single person stood by Nakano’s side.
That included me, Akari, and even Aikawa.
“Wh-why… why is this happening…”
Why? Nakano, this is all your own doing.
You cheated on Akari with Aikawa, and Akari abandoned you because of it.
And still, you refuse to understand.
No, you don’t even try to understand.
That’s exactly why things ended up like this.
The despair eating away at Nakano now was nothing but a consequence of his own actions.
“Guh…!!”
Nakano clenched his fists and stared at Akari.
His gaze was pitiful, pleading for salvation.
“A-Akariii…”
Dragging his feet, Nakano slowly stumbled toward Akari.
“S-Say something, please… Won’t you? This is too cruel, isn’t it…?”
Just moments ago, he had been lashing out at Akari—and now, he was clinging to her for rescue.
“Sure, I hurt you, Akari… and yeah, you said you were cutting ties with me… but aren’t we more than that? We’re childhood friends, aren’t we? We’ve always been together… Akari, say something, please… I’m not that bad of a person, am I…?”
His words were pitiful to the point of being painful to hear.
And still, Nakano kept groveling.
“Manami-chan is just trying to make me look like the bad guy… She dumped me, and now she’s exaggerating everything in front of everyone to make me look worse… Don’t you think that’s awful? Huh, Akari…?”
Nakano’s feeble, trembling eyes remained locked onto Akari.
“You know I’m not as terrible as everyone thinks, don’t you, Akari? You used to like me, right…? Please… help me…”
“!!”
I couldn’t let Nakano get any closer to Akari.
I stepped in front of her, facing off against Nakano.
“Akari, stay back. I’ll handle this—”
“―It’s okay.”
Akari said it calmly, stepping forward to stand before me.
Her expression was firm with resolve, and I obediently withdrew.
“A-Akariii…”
Nakano stared desperately at her.
How many times had Akari been forced to endure this scene?
How many times had she been dragged into these raw, painful confrontations with the very person who had scarred her so deeply?
It was unbearable. Akari was far too kind.
Yet now, she faced Nakano with a strength that seemed to wash away the tears she had once shed.
She was so strong, it made me feel foolish for ever worrying about her.
“I never wanted to make a public spectacle out of Yuya. That’s why I kept quiet about everything until now. Nothing good would’ve come from telling everyone anyway.”
“Wh-What are you saying… Come on, defend me already…”
“But you know, I can’t save you anymore, Yuya. I already severed all ties with you. There’s nothing left between us that can’t be cut.”
“!! A-Akariii…”
Nakano’s face contorted even further in anguish.
To Nakano, Akari was the one and only thread he could still cling to.
“I’m not going to defend you. There’s nothing to defend. Everything that’s been said is the truth. I want nothing more to do with you, Yuya. That’s why—I’m not going to do anything for you.”
“!!!”
Nakano clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground.
“Aka… Aka…!!!”
Akari turned her back to Nakano.
Then she lifted her eyes and locked onto Aikawa.
Aikawa smiled slyly and spoke to us.
“Standing around here is lame. Let’s go somewhere else.”
“Yeah, good idea.”
Aikawa started walking, and Akari and I quietly followed behind her.
From behind us came the sound of Nakano’s pathetic, broken sobs.
Yet no one offered him a hand.
Everyone simply left Nakano alone, casting only cold, merciless gazes his way.
“UWAAAAAHHHHH!!!”
Nakano’s wail echoed across the school gates.
None of us looked back. Not once did we look back.
We followed Aikawa, arriving at a deserted park.
As soon as we stopped, I turned to Aikawa and asked,
“Why did you say all that back there?”
“Say what?”
“About Nakano cheating. You said it in front of everyone, making yourself look like the victim.”
When I said that, Aikawa let out a small laugh.
“In a way, I was a victim, you know? I had to date a guy that pathetic.”
“!!”
I clenched my fists without thinking.
The Aikawa standing before me now was brutally, unflinchingly honest.
The mask she had worn until now was completely gone.
“…You’re the one who stole him away from Akari, aren’t you… Aikawa.”
“So what? It’s not like it’s a crime.”
“Just because it’s not illegal doesn’t mean anything goes!”
“In the end, whatever we do, people forgive it, right?”
“!! You…!”
Everything she said was twisted beyond belief.
Just like Nakano, all she cared about was justifying her own selfishness.
“Why did you break up with Yuya?”
“Akari…”
Akari was still looking straight at Aikawa, unwavering.
“Because I didn’t like him anymore. Actually, I never liked him to begin with. He was clingy and annoying, so I decided to trash his reputation instead. I mean, didn’t you feel refreshed, too? Seeing a scumbag get torn apart?”
Aikawa sneered faintly as she spoke.
But Akari’s expression remained unchanged.
“No, I didn’t feel refreshed at all. I just hate the way you went about it. I hate it so much, I can barely stand it.”
“!!”
“…Me too. Aikawa, everything about what you did was wrong from the start. Nakano doesn’t even matter anymore. You were wrong. You were wrong from the very beginning.”
“!!!”
Aikawa’s face twisted with open irritation.
It was the same expression she wore before Nakano had shown up—raw and unguarded.
Akari and I stood our ground, staring directly at her.
“Tch… What a pain. Whatever. Nakano-kun doesn’t matter anymore anyway.”
With an exaggerated sigh, Aikawa reached out and lifted my chin lightly, speaking in a honeyed voice.
“Kyogoku, go out with me.”
“…Huh?”
A confession, so abrupt it made the world around us stutter and halt.
“We’re both broken, right? We should just be together. It’s the best thing for both of us. So come on, Kyogoku—let’s date.”