~If I must suffer regret, then let it be born from a decision I made myself.~
That day… went on as usual. So normal, so flat, so… deceptive.
Normality is often the mask the world wears right before something explodes.
At noon I went to the library, undisturbed, and once again sank into my novel. Each page pulled me deeper into a world I probably shouldn't touch—a world of affairs, manipulation, secrets, and dangerous temptation.
I didn't know what disturbed me more: the story… or the fact that I was starting to feel it too deeply.
The touches, the voices, the overly vivid imagery… all of it felt like another reality waiting to be stepped into.
Then the school bell rang.
It shook me out of that illusion—back into a reality that turned out to be far more dangerous than any story.
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1. A Bad Omen on the Field
I thought the day would end peacefully.
I was wrong.
Just as most students were getting ready to go home, the student council president suddenly ordered everyone to gather on the field. His voice echoed through the loudspeakers, cutting through conversations, laughter, and departing footsteps.
And beside him—stood Suri.
With a smile far too confident.
With the gaze of someone who knew she could do anything.
Awkward? Of course. Suri had nothing to do with the student council. But when someone is used to special treatment, boundaries become very flexible.
She stood at the center of the field like a stage owner waiting for applause. The reddish afternoon wind sliced through the slanted sunlight, stretching her shadow longer… more threatening.
I knew immediately:
This wasn't a normal announcement.
This was a hunt.
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2. A Trial Under the Evening Sun
When all the students had gathered, Suri snatched the microphone from the student council president. Her face was flushed—not from nervousness, but from excitement. There was a strange intent in her eyes, like someone finally given the chance for revenge.
"Yesterday…"
Her voice broke across the space before anyone could prepare. A simple word—yet it fell with unnatural weight, like a warning recognized too late. She paused, letting the silence thicken, making sure every ear was trapped inside it.
"…something happened that you all didn't realize!"
Her shout echoed across the field. Not just loud—but pressing. An accusation without a name hanging in the air. I could feel unease spreading among us like invisible electricity.
Whispers began to rise.
Tension thickened like fog before a storm.
"There's a wolf in sheep's clothing in this school!"
Some students gasped.
Some laughed awkwardly.
Others looked at each other in confusion.
But I knew where this was going.
The same direction as yesterday's incident—
only much bigger.
"That person looks polite, beautiful, and kind—but it's all fake!"
The word fake fell like a verdict, shaking trust people had never thought to question.
"We've all been fooled by her!"
Suri raised her arm and—exactly as I expected—pointed.
The gesture was firm. Certain. No hesitation.
Even before her finger fully aligned, my chest had already tightened.
Straight at Misaki.
"Misaki!! She's the one I'm talking about!"
Students turned at once.
A wave of whispers circled Misaki like a ring of fire.
Misaki… just stood there.
Her face pale.
Eyes wide.
Lips trembling without sound.
She hugged her bag as if it were the last shield she had.
And for the first time since the corridor incident… I saw Misaki truly look like someone our age.
Not the dark presence from yesterday.
Not the intimidating shadow.
Not the cold, unshakable figure.
But someone who was afraid.
Deeply afraid.
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3. Manipulation Staged Like Cheap Theater
Suri kept talking—accusing Misaki of intimidation, threats, even physical violence. She showed a small bruise on her leg—clearly not from yesterday.
Her friends backed her up with exaggerated expressions, like actors competing for best performance.
"She slapped Suri! She threatened her!"
"She's manipulative!"
"She's two-faced!"
The words flew like shards of glass.
Not only at Misaki—but at everyone listening.
And for some reason… the world began to feel smaller to me.
Narrower.
Compressed.
Focused on a single point—
That conflict.
That tension.
That fear creeping across Misaki's face.
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4. Machiba Raises the Fire Higher
Amid the swelling noise of whispers and sharp stares, Machiba finally stepped forward. The crowd parted slightly—not out of respect, but curiosity mixed with unease. His jaw was tight, his expression strained, as if holding back more than words.
He didn't shout—but his voice carried.
"No. Misaki isn't like that. I know she isn't."
Suri narrowed her eyes.
Her friends stiffened.
The field seemed to boil.
"How could Misaki be what you say?" he continued, voice rough. "And why call her something like that?"
He drew a breath, then spoke more quietly—but more painfully.
"The truth is—I'm the one who keeps approaching Misaki. Not the other way around."
The confession hung in the air, tearing open a hidden layer of truth behind the accusations.
His hand lifted, pointing toward Misaki.
She stood there clutching her bag tightly, fingers pale from the grip, shoulders drawn inward, her whole frame shrunk by fear she could not voice. She looked small—far too small to carry accusations that large.
"How could someone like Misaki," he said, voice nearly breaking,
"do something like that to Suri?"
The question didn't need an answer.
Just looking at Misaki—silent, shaking, locked in fear—made the accusations feel like they were collapsing under their own weight.
Sometimes truth doesn't shout.
It just stands quietly in the corner, holding itself together, hoping someone is brave enough to see it.
His words were like gasoline on fire.
Suri froze for half a second.
Then her face darkened.
The air around us seemed to drop several degrees.
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5. The Peak of Tension — And My Name Gets Dragged In
The argument exploded.
Suri pushed back.
Machiba stood firm.
Their friends shouted over each other.
Voices burst like gunfire.
Until—
Annie, wearing a small smile filled with bad intent, pointed at me.
"Satoshi! He saw what happened!"
The world stopped.
Or at least, it felt that way.
All eyes—hundreds of them—turned toward me.
Cutting through the afternoon air.
Piercing straight into my chest.
Me—the one usually invisible.
Uncounted.
Unnoticed.
Unimportant.
Now—
I was the center of the stage.
The center of the conflict.
The center of something far bigger than myself.
And worst of all…
both Suri and Misaki were expecting something from me.
Something that might break one of their worlds.
Or… my own.