"Aki-kun looked really strange. When we got there, he was just sitting alone in the classroom, muttering something like 'No, I can't let it end like this.' Physically, he seemed okay, though."
In the staff office, Megumi listened to what the teacher had witnessed.
She paused to think for a moment, then quickly responded, "Thank you, Sensei. May I ask if Aki-kun has already left?"
"He has. He left in a hurry and wouldn't answer any questions," the teacher said with evident displeasure, before asking with concern,
"Kato-san, what exactly happened earlier? Was it… sexual harassment?"
Megumi shook her head with a calm smile.
"No, nothing like that. There was just a bit of conflict within the club. I think everyone just needs some time to cool off."
Once the teachers confirmed that it was merely a conflict and not a harassment incident, and neither side seemed intent on escalating it, they decided to temporarily let it go.
Megumi left the staff office, bowed slightly before closing the door, and headed back to the empty classroom.
Just as she reached the doorway, she heard Eriri crying inside.
She stopped in her tracks, considered for a moment, and chose to lean quietly against the wall outside.
Although she and Eriri had grown close enough to call each other by their given names, Kasumigaoka-senpai was a senior and someone she didn't interact with as often.
Given today's events, Eriri wasn't likely the only one crying in there. Barging in at a moment like this probably wasn't appropriate.
Of course, that didn't mean she didn't care—she did feel sympathy seeing Utaha treated that way by Tomoya.
Even someone as quiet and detached as she was couldn't turn a blind eye to something so awful.
Especially after Akira had once mocked her: "Why didn't you speak up earlier, you so-called innocent bystander?"
That comment had made her feel that, maybe, she really should've stood up sooner, spoken out with more courage, and done something.
Like slamming a book into Tomoya's head with all her strength.
Without that, there'd have been no way to settle the tension.
That first time at Eriri's house, if she hadn't decisively stepped in and vented Kasumigaoka-senpai's anger, who knew how bad things might've gotten?
Of course, while that time it was mostly about easing tensions and letting off a little steam, this time it truly was about standing up for Kasumigaoka-senpai and preventing what could have turned into violence.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have hit him that hard.
And when she later heard the word "repayment," her respect deepened, and she had no regrets about that blow.
Once the crying inside the room stopped, Megumi lightly knocked on the door. Upon hearing a response, she stepped inside.
Sure enough, Eriri wasn't the only one with tear-stained cheeks and red eyes.
But now that they'd let it all out, Utaha seemed more composed—at least her smile wasn't quite so forced.
Megumi acted as if she hadn't noticed anything, and gently relayed what the teacher had told her, cautioning the two to stay alert.
"'Can't let it end like this'?" Eriri's face darkened as she listened to Megumi's account. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Megumi shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I have a really bad feeling about it."
Those words, laced with an ominous implication, made Eriri's already awful mood even worse.
After a moment of internal struggle, she bit her lip hard. "Alright! I've decided! I'm going to treat this manuscript as an apology."
Utaha frowned. "Eriri, you don't have to—"
"It's not just for you. After that last party, I told my mom everything he said to you afterward. She got mad too and gave me a whole lecture."
Eriri scowled, dragging over a chair and slumping into it with a huff.
"She told me that if someone's really worried about you going down the wrong path, what they should do is guide you, support you, maybe even help you find a different dream.
Not threaten you in a way that makes your family view you with suspicion or destroys your relationship with them."
"Sure, purity matters. But it's not something that must be reported to your family as a safeguard.
That's not what that situation was.
That was a malicious, coercive act—though one that seemed justified on the surface. In extreme terms, even your parents shouldn't interfere."
"Because whether to protect your virtue and morality, or chase your dream and future life—that decision belongs to you.
That passion is yours. It determines your future happiness, pain, even how you live. It's your life."
Eriri's emotions were visibly intense. Megumi gently patted her back to help soothe her agitation.
It worked—somewhat. But when Eriri continued speaking, her emotions inevitably stirred again.
"Worst-case scenario, if your parents actually approved of what he did, then even if he only made that threat in a moment of anger, who's to say he won't go further next time?
He might just leak everything and completely destroy you."
A dark shadow crossed Eriri's eyes for the first time.
"You're a published light novelist, Utaha. You've done signings. If a scandal breaks, it'll make the news.
Even if Ogiwara-san manages to suppress it, rumors online will never disappear.
And if it doesn't get suppressed, you won't just lose your status as a novelist—you might not even be able to get another job without being recognized. What then?"
Utaha unconsciously clenched her fist. She hadn't thought that far ahead. After everything, she hadn't thought about the future—or the worst outcomes.
It sounded overly dramatic, but the analysis had come from Eriri's mother—a mature, detail-oriented adult who had watched Tomoya grow up.
Her words carried terrifying weight.
Even Megumi's expression grew grave. She spoke softly: "Tomoya wouldn't really go that far… would he?"
"Mom didn't believe it either, at first," Eriri said, shaking her head.
"But after that threat, she said she can't trust him anymore. Extreme situations reveal a person's true nature.
Even if it was impulsive, thoughtless, twisted by pressure… Who knows what he'll do next time?"
"She told me to watch him carefully. And to think seriously about everything."
The classroom fell into silence.
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