'Hates' ──────────
'I hate you" ──────────
Even in the calmest moments, its echo reverberating through the corridors of my mind, a constant reminder of the scars that shaped me. Heart ached with the weight of memories, each one whispering a word that I couldn't forget: hates.
When it's all started during elementary school at the age of 11
He had spent weeks rehearsing this moment, rewriting and erasing the words in his notebook until they were perfect. The air smelled of warm bread and fried noodles from the school cafeteria, but he could barely register anything beyond the pounding in his chest.
His fingers trembled as he extended the letter. "Hey… Aoi." His throat was dry. "I like you."
For a second, time stretched thin. The other students chattered and laughed, the clatter of lunch trays echoing through the cafeteria.
Then Aoi blinked.
And laughed.
She wasn't supposed to laugh.
The paper in his hands suddenly felt like a foolish thing. His ears burned, shame creeping up his neck as Aoi's expression twisted into something cruel.
"I hate you."
The cafeteria noise blurred into static.
"I hate you for thinking anyone could like you, Kazama," she said, her voice sharp, cutting.
His grip slackened. The letter fell to the floor, a worthless scrap of paper.
People were watching. Whispering. Their gazes pierced through him, pinning him in place.
He turned and walked away.
His chest ached. His throat felt tight.
He wouldn't cry.
Not here. Not now.
But that was only the beginning.
The Accusation
Weeks passed. The rejection became an old rumor, fading into the background noise of school life. Rei moved through the days like a ghost—unnoticed, unimportant.
Then it happened.
The sky had turned a dull gray when the incident unfolded.
He had been walking past the classroom when he saw Ai trip over the uneven floor. Instinct kicked in before thought, and his hand reached out.
Before he could help her up, a voice snapped through the air.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"
He barely had time to react before Fujino Yui, Ai's best friend, stood between them, eyes blazing.
"I barely even—" Rei started, confused.
"I saw everything," Yui spat. "You pushed her."
The words carried weight, louder than the truth.
More eyes turned. More whispers.
"No, I—"
Ai was still on the ground, trembling.
This was it. She would clear it up. She would say what really happened.
She opened her mouth.
"…Y-Yes… Kazama was harassing me."
Something inside him broke.
The world blurred, not from tears, but from something deeper—something more hollow.
His hands clenched at his sides. His nails dug into his palms, sharp enough to sting.
He wanted to scream. To call her a liar. To demand why.
But the words wouldn't come.
Because it wouldn't matter.
People had already chosen what to believe.
The Betrayal
The whispers reached his family.
Rei sat in the living room, staring at the floor, as his parents stood before him.
"So... you've been harassing girls in school?" His mother's voice was sharp, filled with something worse than anger—disappointment.
"Why would you do this?" His father sighed, rubbing his temples. "Pushing a girl? Bullying? When did I raise a son like you?"
Each word was a nail driven into his chest.
His last hope stood at the staircase.
His sister.
Ayame had always been the one person who believed in him. She always took his side, always defended him.
This time, she just looked at him.
Cold. Silent.
Then she turned and walked away.
Something twisted in his gut.
He felt sick.
"I…" His voice barely came out.
His father shook his head. "I don't want to hear excuses. I'm disappointed in you."
And just like that, they left him there.
Alone.
Rei sat in the empty living room, the weight of their words pressing against him.
It didn't matter.
The truth didn't matter.
People only saw what they wanted to see.
Trust was an illusion. Love was a lie.
And from that day forward—
Rei Kazama never let himself believe in either again.