Prologue

– Earth history July – Today’s weather is cloudy just like the recent state of my mind.

While I was still a bit chilly, I walked toward the convenience store along the avenue where the street lights were lit, and I could see the familiar figure about 50 meters ahead.

When brisk walking for a better look, I, Kas.h.i.+wagi spotted my childhood friend, Tendo Ayaka, walking and looking up at the sky.

「What’s up with that girl?

It is dangerous to walk the night road alone 」I muttered to myself.

She was a childhood friend, we got along well as children, but recently she became estranged from me.

Even though I said to myself, it was me that started taking a distance from her, not from the other way around … … Tendo Ayaka has no idea why.

It just got that way before I was aware.

Around first grade in elementary school, I started going to a neighborhood Karate Dojo. I did not know until I started going, but the daughter of my karate sensei was Ayaka. I don’t go to the Karate Dojo anymore either.

Bullying started in cla.s.s after entering high school, I helped Tatsuya Arakawa who was being bullied, I appealed to the other cla.s.smates to stop the bullying, and consulted the teacher … … Katsuya Kusaki was the one who initiated the bullying, a guy with a veneer of being a good guy.

Cla.s.smates also became more and more inspired by Katsuya Kusaki, my persuasion had no effect at all, on the contrary, I started getting bullied.

Furthermore, Tatsuya Arakawa who received the bullying and whom I protected, to suck up to Katsuya Kusaki, turned around and started bullying me, I was disgusted.

From that point onwards, I began to dislike ,in particular, unreasonably cruel treatments and acts of betrayal.

Because I did Karate when I was younger, only when I am first attacked, only then do I reciprocate with a [BokoBoko]¹ . After that the ignoring and backbiting, and more insidious hara.s.sment began.

After the [BokoBoko], the matter was strangely relayed to my karate sensei which led to me getting expelled from the dojo. Ayaka strenuously defended me to my karate sensei, but it all fell on deaf ears.

When I did the [BokoBoko] my parents were summoned to the school and, at that time, even my parents heaped the blame on me for the incident.

The teacher was already on the side of Katsuya Kusaki, and my karate sensei drove me out. Due to this case, I have lost my trust in adults. I wonder if there are some adults who can be trusted, but I have not met any yet. I have the same feelings towards cla.s.smates, so I can’t just limit it to adults.

Since Ayaka is a different cla.s.s, I do not know that there is bullying or hara.s.sment would spread to her if she was with me in the current state, there is a risk of hara.s.sment spreading over to her, so I I decided to take some distance.

Ayaka is the most popular girl in the school year, she is cute enough to compete for fist or second place but … I known her for a long time. I am at a metally weak place, ah, from the standpoint of the popular person, if you become the bullied you will not have spirit.

When I turned back my diverted thinking and saw Ayaka again, Ayaka crossed the crosswalk while the signal flashed. Suddenly when I glanced to the right, a car that was clearly going to run the red light was accelerating. I started running in haste. When I was about to catch up to Ayaka, I yelled out.

「Hey! Ayaka! There is a car is coming !!」

Ayaka looked back at me, and after noticing me she smiled for a moment, then caught sight of the car. Her cute face instantly turned pale.

「d.a.m.n! Make it in time!」

I increased my running speed further, reached the side of Ayaka, and pushed her back. Although Ayaka raises a small scream with a 「Kya!」, she managed to get out of the way of the car’s path.

In that moment of relief, I bounced off the car and was dancing in the sky, in that instance, I heard Ayaka’s voice scream out 「Nooo, Ahhhhh!!! Ruiiiiii!!!」—

◆ In my final moments, I heard Ayaka’s voice 「 From an early age, I have always loved Kas.h.i.+wagi.」But recently you have been taking a long distance. Even if I call out to you, you would leave immediately.

Even on the phone or via e-mail, you are curt.

I wonder what I did something to be avoided so much?

It is painful …… Today, I don’t know if you are aware of it, I was only thinking about Rui.」

In such a case, I heard a voice I love, I thought I was hallucinated for a moment.「Hey! Ayaka! The car is coming!」

When I turned around ,Rui was running towards me. As I saw the appearance of Rui, I was smiling all over, but I felt something entered my sight for a moment.

Suddenly I saw a side of the car, it was right before my eyes. And I was pushed on my back and I gave a brief little scream.「Kya!」 After being pushed to the ground and rolling back, I looked around at once, Rui was. .h.i.t by a car and was dancing in the sky ……「Nooo, Ahhhhh!!! Ruiiiiii!!!」

Whilst receiving cold, hard, cruel reality, I let go of my consciousness–

TN Notes :

1. BokoBoko [ボコボコ] usually refers to an onomatopoeic word for the sound that a severe beatingmakes.