If silence could kill, hers did it elegantly.
No knife. No poison. Just nothing.
No words.
No denial.
No "He saved me."
Just one scared girl clutching her uniform, looking at me like I'd ruined her life instead of saving it.
---
The teachers called my name like it was an insult.
"Yuuya Shinohara, come with us."
Like I was some disease that needed to be dragged out of public view before it infected the school's precious reputation.
As they escorted me through the hallway, I could hear them.
The whispers.
The laughter behind the hands.
> "Isn't that the pervert?"
"No wonder, look at his face."
"I bet he's done it before."
You'd think I killed someone.
Actually, scratch that—if I had, they'd probably at least fear me.
Fear is cleaner than disgust.
---
Minako Airi.
Popular. Pretty. Perfect.
She had the kind of face that made magazines beg for interviews. The kind of voice that made teachers melt. She'd once starred in the school's cultural festival drama as the princess.
Today, she became a victim.
And I became the villain.
Not the one who hurt her. Just the one close enough to blame.
That's how it works, right?
When people are scared, they look for someone ugly to throw it on.
---
The teacher's office smelled like disinfectant and coffee someone forgot to drink.
Homeroom Teacher Inoue-sensei sat in front of me, arms crossed. Her lips were tight. Her eyes like a judge with the verdict already written.
> "Yuuya… I don't even know what to say."
Perfect. That makes two of us.
> "I thought we talked about boundaries."
We did?
> "I understand you might be… confused, or lonely, but this is unacceptable behavior."
There it was. The assumption. Not based on evidence. Based on expectation.
After all, who would you believe?
Two sports team upperclassmen with clean records?
Or the fat, unpopular, silent creep in the back row?
Easy math.
> "I'm placing you on temporary suspension," she said like she was handing me a chance to fix myself.
> "Please use this time to reflect."
Reflect?
I saved someone. Got beaten. Blamed. And now I'm suspended.
What exactly am I supposed to reflect on?
Next time, don't help?
---
As I walked out of the office, I saw Minako walking with her friends.
She had a bandage on her neck, and her smile was shaky, but it was still there.
The kind of smile that screams, "Nothing happened. Everything's fine."
Our eyes met for half a second.
She didn't look away.
But she didn't say anything either.
Not "thank you."
Not "I'm sorry."
Not even "I'm scared."
Just silence.
---
Minako's best friend, Haruka, leaned over and whispered something.
They all giggled.
Laughter is the oldest form of violence.
Especially when it comes wrapped in perfume and school uniforms.
---
The walk home was longer this time. Not because the streets were longer. But because my body felt heavier.
Like shame had a weight.
Like betrayal had gravity.
---
I stopped at the corner store for a melon soda. It was the only thing in the world that tasted like childhood.
But the clerk watched me like I might steal something.
Even after I paid.
Even after I said thank you.
Even after I smiled.
He kept watching.
---
At home, my father was already waiting.
He was still in his work uniform, half-dressed like he couldn't decide if it was worth staying here or leaving for good.
> "You got suspended," he said. Not asked. Said.
> "What did you do?"
I didn't answer.
Because the truth didn't matter.
Because he wouldn't believe it anyway.
> "You attacked a girl?"
Still not asking.
Already condemning.
> "Do you know how humiliating this is for me? For your mother?"
I wanted to say something clever. Something sharp. But all I managed was,
> "I didn't—"
> "Shut up."
His voice cracked the air like a whip.
> "Don't speak. Don't explain. Don't lie."
He took a step closer. His hands clenched. For a second, I thought he might hit me.
He didn't.
That would've been easier.
Instead, he said the worst thing he ever said.
> "You're just like your mother's brother. A useless freak who ruins everything."
---
That night, dinner was quiet.
Mom made curry, but didn't serve me.
She just left the rice cooker on and went to bed early.
As if ignoring me was some form of parenting.
---
I sat in the dark and ate plain rice with tap water.
The taste?
Fitting.
---
Later, I sat in my room. The silence wasn't peaceful. It was heavy. Sticky. It clung to the walls.
I checked my phone.
> 132 unread messages.
All group chats.
All of them muted.
I opened one out of curiosity.
> [Class 2-B Chat]
Saitou: "So he really did it?"
Mari: "Minako said she's not sure but… c'mon. It's Shinohara. Look at him."
Yuta: "Yeah, guy always gave me rapist vibes lol."
Airi left the group.
Mari: "She left?? Guilty much??"
Saitou: "Nah, probably embarrassed."
I closed it.
I wanted to throw the phone.
I didn't.
Instead, I scrolled to one saved message from last year.
A voice recording.
I hit play.
> [Old recording begins]
Grandpa: "Yuuya… sometimes, the world's just stupid. People follow crowds because it's easier than thinking. But listen… you're not what they say. When you feel like giving up… come down to my room. You'll find something special. Something just for you."
[end]
His voice cracked at the end.
He was dying when he recorded that.
And yet it still sounded more alive than anything else in my life.
---
I put the phone away. Laid on the floor. Let the fan spin overhead like a lazy god watching me rot.
I thought of Minako.
Not the girl everyone admired.
But the girl from that moment.
Scared. Cornered. Vulnerable.
And then...
Silent.
She didn't lie.
But she didn't tell the truth either.
And that's the thing they never say in those coming-of-age stories.
That sometimes, silence hurts worse than betrayal.
Because silence means you don't matter enough to speak for.
You're not worth defending.
---
I turned over. Closed my eyes.
Tomorrow, school would forget me.
But they'd remember the label.
Pervert.
Freak.
Monster.
---
I tried to imagine what life would be like if I had just kept walking past the gym.
If I had just turned my headphones up and let it happen.
Would they have called me a coward?
Or would they have called me normal?
Funny, how saving someone ruins you.
But doing nothing saves your reputation.
---
I wondered if Minako would sleep tonight.
I wondered if she cried.
I wondered if, for a single second, she regretted saying nothing.
---
Then again… I already knew the answer.
> To be continued.