Incidents happen when you least expect them to.
Two days after my desk became a dictionary of insults, I went to school with Kurosaki as usual, leaving her at the entrance so she could switch into her slippers. However, she didn’t come back after quite a while. I got worried so I went back to see if I could find her.
“Ah, senpai…”
Countless thumbtacks were strewn inside her locker, some even twinkling down to the floor.
“Kurosaki! Are you hurt?!”
I rushed over to her. Ahead of my eyes, I saw a long line of studs pointing upward, placed intentionally to hurt someone. If an unsuspecting person were to open and try to grab whatever, they wouldn’t be able to avoid an injury.
“I’m fine! I was just taken aback by this childish preschool-level harassment.”
Seems like I’m the only worried one. True to her word, her face was unblemished and untouched. It doesn’t look like she’s suffered any psychological damage, so I got relieved for the time being.
However, as seconds pass, a horrifying thought grows inside my head. One wrong move and she would’ve been scarred by that pile of thumbtacks. Since I couldn’t deny the possibility she was putting on a strong front so I wouldn’t worry, I carefully probed her hands to see if she really didn’t get a single scratch.
“U, um… It tickles when you touch me that much.”
“I’m just worried you got hurt, please wait a second longer.”
From her palms to her fingers, I analyzed every nook and cranny. At one point she let out a yelp, probably due to her being ticklish.
“I’m sorry… Just bear with it for another moment.”
“…That’s very kind of you.”
It’s not a matter of being nice; what I feared came true. I never thought that just because you hate me, whoever you are, you’d place your hands on those around me. Moreover, Kurosaki had no way of knowing the reason she was being targeted by such childish persecution.
Even if I knew almost nothing about it, and all I had were guesses, I had to give her an explanation. “Kurosaki, actually…”
“In other words, someone is jealous of you?”
“I think so. I’m really sorry you got dragged into this.”
“No, thanks to that, I managed to flirt a bit with you, so no problemo! …Still, I can’t believe your ex is that Asakawa-san.”
After listening to my explanation, she was neither angry nor reproachful. She just took it with her chin up. Actually, she looked even more interested in the Asakawa part of the story,
“We were childhood friends. She, as you know, ended up cheating on and throwing me away.”
“Hmm… From my point of view, doesn’t seem like it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Uh, nothing! I’m just a little ol’ junior happy that a powerful rival is already out of the picture!”
YOU ARE READING
I cut off the exes that ridiculed me
Romance"You're just like a s*ave, Yuta-kun!" Those abusive words made me rethink myself in a new light. My model ex-girlfriend, my junior, and the best maid of the café all constantly abused me. I don't need these kinds of people in my life, nor do I need...
