The faint rustle of pages and the soft chirping of birds nearby faded when Tomoe felt a presence behind her. A cold sensation crawled up her spine.
"…I'm back, Tomoe. Did you miss me?"
The voice was low. Familiar. Too familiar.
Her fingers stiffened on the book in her lap. She slowly turned her head, her body moving on its own before her mind could stop it.
And then she saw him.
The man standing there was smiling—not warmly, but with an unsettling grin that made her stomach twist.
Tomoe's breath hitched. She stumbled to her feet, nearly dropping the book. Her knees felt weak, but she somehow managed to stand.
"N… no…" she stammered, stepping back. "It… it can't be…"
Her voice cracked. Her chest tightened with every word. "Why… why now? Why of all times… did you have to come out of the hospital, Jirou?"
Her breathing grew shallow. Memories she had buried deep surged back, unrelenting. The dark nights. The whispers. The look on her brother's face before everything fell apart.
Jirou tilted his head slightly, his grin widening. "Why now? Tomoe… is that really how you greet me after all this time?" He stepped closer, his shoes lightly scraping against the pavement. "Did you miss me? Because I've missed you. More than you can imagine."
"No…" Tomoe's voice was barely a whisper. She shook her head quickly, her steps faltering as she backed away.
But he kept talking.
"That's it? That's all you have to say to me?" His tone darkened, the grin fading into a sharp glare. "After what your dear big brother Hiroki did to me… after all I've been through… you didn't visit me. Not even once. Do you know how that made me feel?"
Tomoe's lips trembled. She couldn't answer. Her vision blurred with tears.
"You're horrible, Tomoe," he muttered, his voice cutting like ice as he took another slow step toward her.
"Stay away," she pleaded, shaking. "Don't come closer… I-I'm begging you."
Jirou laughed—quiet, bitter. "And who's going to stop me? Your brother?" He leaned in slightly. "Oh, that's right. He's not here to save you. He's locked up, isn't he?"
She froze.
"Right now, there's no one," he continued. "No one to pull you out of this. But you know…" His tone shifted, smooth and almost casual. "My father's a judge. My mother runs a law firm. I could put in a word… maybe you could see your brother again—without a wall of glass between you."
Her hands trembled violently.
"All you have to do," Jirou whispered, leaning closer, "is do exactly what I say. Simple, isn't it? Or… don't you love your brother? Didn't he sacrifice everything for you? And you're hesitating? You're really disappointing me, Tomoe."
He reached out his hand.
"No!" Tomoe cried out, panic rising like bile. "Don't touch me! Stay away from me!" She squeezed her eyes shut, voice breaking. "Someone… anyone… please help me!"
And then—
A hand grabbed Jirou's wrist before it reached her.
Jirou blinked, surprised, and looked up.
"What the hell? Who are you?"
Standing there was Tetsuo, his expression blank but his eyes sharp.
"What do you think you're doing?" Tetsuo asked, voice steady but cold.
Jirou stared at him for a moment before smirking. "…Oh. So you're the guy she's dating now?"
Tomoe, recognizing Tetsuo's voice, opened her tear-filled eyes. She stumbled forward, clutching his arm tightly. Her entire body was trembling, her breath uneven.
Feeling her cling to him, Tetsuo looked back at Jirou. His grip on Jirou's wrist didn't loosen.
"Can't you see she doesn't want you near her?" His tone was quiet but firm. "Have some dignity and leave her alone."
Jirou chuckled darkly. "Ah, the princess has a knight. How boring." He jerked his hand, slapping Tetsuo's grip away. "Fine. I'll leave. But you should know who you're messing with, first-year."
He leaned slightly closer to Tetsuo, his smirk returning.
"Tetsuo Kawaguchi, Class 1-T. You're on the basketball team, right?"
Tetsuo's eyes didn't waver.
"You have no idea what you're getting into. So let me give you some advice," Jirou said, his voice dropping lower. "Mind your own business. Unless you want something bad to happen. Wouldn't it be a shame if the entire basketball team… was suddenly banned?"
Tomoe tensed, clinging even tighter to Tetsuo.
Jirou took a step back. "Remember that. I always keep my promises."
And with that, he turned and walked away.
Tetsuo watched silently until Jirou disappeared from sight.
"Tomoe…" he started, turning slightly to face her.
But she gripped him even tighter from behind.
"Don't… don't turn around," she whispered, voice shaking. "Please… just… let me stay like this. Just for a little while."
Tetsuo didn't move. He sighed quietly, feeling her quiet sobs against his back. And so he stood there, still and silent, until her trembling slowly eased.
Later that evening, Tetsuo opened the door to his home.
"I'm home," he said plainly, taking off his shoes.
"Welcome home, big brother!" Usagi greeted from the living room. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor with her school bag nearby, her face bright.
"You're still awake?" Tetsuo raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's late. You have school tomorrow."
"I know," she said, puffing her cheeks lightly. "But I couldn't fall asleep without knowing you were home."
Tetsuo held out a small paper bag. "Here. Cheesecake."
Her eyes lit up instantly. "Wow! My favorite! Thanks, Tetsuo!"
"I'm going to bed," he said, stepping toward his room. "Don't eat it all at once."
"Wait!" Usagi stood quickly. "You didn't tell me how the date went!"
Tetsuo paused. "…It went well. At first."
"At first?"
"I took her to places she liked. She smiled. She even laughed a little. Her eyes… they were bright the whole day." He hesitated slightly. "But… everything went downhill at the end. Someone showed up. Someone she knew. He made her uncomfortable. She cried."
Usagi's face softened. "That's horrible… do you know what happened between them?"
"I don't know all the details," Tetsuo said quietly. "But I know this much—he's the reason behind her eyes."
The next day, the classroom buzzed with the usual chatter. Sunlight filtered through the windows, glinting off scattered notebooks.
Tomoe sat at her desk in Class 2-O, her eyes fixed on nothing in particular. Her hands rested limply on the desk.
The teacher spoke, but the words didn't reach her. Her mind replayed yesterday's encounter. Jirou's voice. His grin. His threats.
Her chest tightened. She could barely breathe. A thin sheen of sweat formed on her forehead.
From behind her, Liam noticed her shoulders trembling slightly. He leaned forward, gently touching her shoulder. "Hey, Tomoe, are you—"
The touch sent her spiraling back into a memory.
Jirou's hand, gripping her wrist. His breath near her ear.
"Leave me alone!" she screamed, jerking away violently.
The entire class froze.
"Tomoe?" Hayato turned in his seat, concern flashing across his face. "Are you okay? You look pale…"
"I was thinking the same," Liam said carefully. "You've been off all morning. Did something happen?"
Tomoe stood abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I-I'm sorry," she mumbled, voice trembling. She grabbed her things and rushed out.
Hayato watched her go, frowning. "…Something's wrong. But what?"
Tomoe headed straight for the library, needing a quiet place to breathe.
But when she reached her usual section, her steps stopped.
Books were scattered across the floor—ripped apart, pages shredded and torn.
Her books.
Her heart sank. She knelt down slowly, picking up one of the ruined pages. Her hands shook as she tried to piece the scraps together.
"No…" Her voice cracked. "Who… who would do this?"
Footsteps. Voices.
She looked up and saw him.
Jirou, standing casually near the entrance, chatting with a group of classmates as if nothing had happened.
He felt her gaze and turned his head. Their eyes met. He smirked.
Something inside her snapped.
Tomoe grabbed one of the torn books, stood, and hurled it.
The book struck him in the head with a dull thud.
Jirou staggered back, blinking.
Before anyone could react, she grabbed more torn books and threw them one after another. "How could you do this to me?! I hate you! I HATE YOU! I should have listened to my brother!"
The second-year boys rushed forward, grabbing her arms to hold her back.
"Let me go!" she screamed, thrashing wildly.
The second-year girls hurried to Jirou. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Jirou said, brushing himself off. He straightened, his face calm. "This is nothing compared to what her brother did to me."
"…Wait." One of the girls gasped. "So she's that girl?"
"She has some nerve," another sneered. "Rejecting him, then having her brother hurt him, and now she's attacking him herself?"
"She probably tore her own books just to blame him," someone else whispered. "How pitiful."
"No!" Tomoe shouted, her voice breaking. "I didn't do this—he did! He's lying! You don't know what he's put me through!"
Jirou sighed theatrically. "Tomoe… we've both been through a lot. I know you're confused. Hurt. Your brother's in jail. But… I already forgave him. I'd even do anything to set him free if I could."
He stepped closer, his smile soft, almost convincing. "I forgive you, too. So let's put this behind us. Let's start over. Just like last year." He extended his hand.
Tomoe stared at it, her eyes wide with fear.
Then she stomped hard on one of the boys' toes, yanked her arm free, and bolted.