Chapter 5: DV Psychology (Victim)

DV Psychology (Victim)

“Alright, I’m done over here, Natsuki-kun.”

“Just a second. Yeah, I think I’m finished with this side too.”

“Ooh, Natsuki-kun, you’ve gotten faster at this.”

“Really? I’m not too sure myself.”

“You were pretty fast. It was like you were throwing yourself into it as if you wanted to forget something.”

“N-no, it’s nothing like that. I was just concentrating.”

Natsuki was savoring a brief moment of rest.

Today, Natsuki had been assigned class representative duties by the homeroom teacher, and being away from Sae for once, he was working on committee tasks like this.

Preparing event handouts for the class was the kind of task most people found bothersome, but when he had committee work, Sae usually went home with other friends. For Natsuki, that made this time feel like precious rest.

After school in the quiet classroom, he worked quietly alongside the female class representative.

Now that winter was approaching, he and the partner he had worked with since spring had grown comfortable enough that they could spend time together without any awkwardness.

He did not need to stay alert or fear anything. Time spent with someone like that felt strangely quick, like when he was absorbed in something he enjoyed, even though they were doing work.

“Okay, all that’s left is to turn this in to the teacher and we’re done. Who’s going today?”

“I’ll take it. You can go on ahead.”

“Are you sure? I feel like I make you take it every time.”

“It’s fine. I can handle something like this.”

Without waiting for a response, Natsuki gathered the documents they had just finished.

For Natsuki, who wanted to delay going home even a little, having more to do was a good thing. Even a small amount of time away from Sae was something he wanted.

Before any back-and-forth could begin, Natsuki left the classroom and walked slowly down the dim hallway toward the staff room.

The sky, which now darkened early, was already pitch black, and just seeing it made Natsuki feel as though he was being hurried forward.

Not wanting to go home, Natsuki slowed his steps in quiet resistance.

His feet felt heavy, and he dragged them forward one slow step at a time.

Even so, he could only stall for so long. Before long, he reached the staff room, handed the documents to his teacher, and finished his final task without issue.

“…Haa.”

Leaving the staff room, Natsuki let out a deep sigh.

On his phone, as expected, were missed calls and messages from Sae.

He had not opened them to avoid marking them as read, but he already knew what they said without looking.

As he walked back to the classroom, sighs continued to spill from his mouth.

That was how much he was struggling now.

The reason was obvious. Sae.

Lately, Sae’s behavior had become even more domineering.

Not long ago, when Natsuki talked back while being forced to kneel in apology, Sae threw something at him and left a scratch on his face.

He had been lightly hit before in what was passed off as a joke, but something like that had never happened to him until then.

Sae had panicked afterward and tended to the wound, and because Natsuki felt the gentleness Sae used to have, he tried not to think too deeply about it. But after that, Sae began to lay hands on him more often.

Situations that would have ended with only harsh words before now resulted in Sae actually hitting him.

And not in a joking way, but with real force behind it.

Once Sae’s anger flared, even if Natsuki apologized desperately, she would not stop. While insisting she was not in the wrong, she struck his arms and body without holding back.

When it came to that, there was nothing Natsuki could do. He could only keep apologizing until Sae calmed down.

If he rolled up his sleeves, his arms were covered in bruises.

It was manageable because he was wearing a winter uniform now, but if it were summer, the bruises would have been impossible to hide.

Even so, since that first time, Sae had never hit Natsuki’s face or head again.

A blow to the head could cause serious harm depending on where it landed. So Natsuki believed that even while irritated, Sae was showing some form of care.

But that did not change how frightening the growing violence was.

In his heart, he wanted distance from Sae. But Natsuki knew that pushing her away would only make her even angrier, so he could not bring himself to take that risk.

And after Sae calmed down, she always treated his injuries.

For Natsuki, who remembered the old Sae, those moments when she gently tended to him felt like she had returned to how she used to be, and it made him so relieved that he could forgive the pain.

If she was treating his injuries, then she must not truly want to hurt him. Sae was supposed to be kind.

Even so, if she became angry enough to act like that, then the fault must be his. Natsuki could not help thinking so.

So if he simply avoided upsetting her, then Sae would be kind, and maybe they could return to the happy days they once shared.

But the fear rooted deep inside him would not disappear, and caught between that hope and that fear, Natsuki could only continue living each day as it came.

“…Ah.”

When Natsuki returned to the quiet classroom, the phone in his hand vibrated.

The notification was, of course, from Sae.

He checked the time. He could still use class committee work as an excuse for a little longer.

Wanting just a little more time to breathe, Natsuki slipped his phone back into his pocket without opening the message.

He sat down at his desk and tried to pass the time without thinking about anything, then let out another long sigh.

“Wow, that was a big one. I bet a lot of your happiness just escaped.”

The classroom should have been empty. That was why Natsuki had let the gloomy air settle around him, but it seemed someone else was here.

Startled by the sudden voice behind him, Natsuki turned to see the other class representative who should have gone home earlier.

“What’s wrong? Something on your mind?”