The next morning, after Shiina Mashiro admitted fault, Hayashi Maki decided to forgive her. What bad intentions could Mashiro really have?
She just needed guidance and proper teaching. Relieved, Mashiro calmed down and regained her usual composure.
…
On the other side of town, Katsura Kotonoha arrived at Shinya Academy. Seated, she glanced—almost absentmindedly—toward Kanroji Nanami and her friends. Nanami, Minami Obuchi, Koizumi Natsumi, and Kumi Mori all flinched; remembering the mortal threat, their knees began to tremble.
Gritting her teeth, Nanami stood up first and confessed:
"Everyone, please listen… The rumor that Katsura-san is a… a slut was something I made up. I was jealous of her looks and figure. I— I know I was wrong. I'm sorry, Katsura-san… please… please forgive me!"
She bowed deeply to Kotonoha. Classmates stared, stunned—some in contempt, some even disappointed: if Katsura wasn't a "slut," then they had no chance with her; the fact such trashy reasoning could disappoint them was its own indictment.
Kotonoha looked once at Nanami—crimson to the ears, ashamed, in tears—and said evenly:
"I doubt the rumor spread only because of Kanroji-san."
At that, Kobuchi, Koizumi, and Mori also burst into tears and apologized, confessing their parts in smearing her. A ripple of sighs ran through the class—so the glossy girl clique had been doing something so vile behind the scenes.
In the face of their confessions and apologies, Kotonoha magnanimously chose to forgive. They'd been punished enough. From here, they'd either transfer out or be ostracized themselves. Like Asada Shino—she'd done the right thing, but once people pinned "murderer" on her, everyone avoided her. Rumors kill.
Relieved to be forgiven, Nanami still burned with shame at everyone's looks—but she exhaled. At least she'd keep her life. She texted Hayashi Maki:
"We apologized publicly to Katsura-san. Will you let us go now?"
Hayashi Maki: "Oh, really?"
Nanami: "Yes. Come check yourself if you want."
She had seen Hayashi Maki come pick up Kotonoha the day before—his good looks made Nanami even more envious of Kotonoha. But she didn't dare act out—she was afraid of dying.
Hayashi Maki: "Good. Admitting and correcting a mistake is what matters. From now on, keep actively repairing Katsura's reputation. If your public apology isn't enough… the consequences…"
Nanami winced. Public apology had already ground her pride into the floor—now came "after-sales service"?
Nanami: "I… I understand. I'll discuss it with Koizumi and the others."
Hayashi Maki: "That's better. I'm not unreasonable—so long as you don't bully the people I care about, I've got better things to do than breathe down your necks."
Nanami held her tongue. She didn't believe him; make him angry again and she suspected she'd simply disappear.
Meanwhile, the chain reaction from their self-exposure had begun. After lunch, when they returned to the classroom, someone had scrawled "RUMORMONGER" across Nanami's desktop. She gritted her teeth and quietly wiped it away. Bitter as it was, it was hers to bear—and compared to dying inexplicably, what was this shame?
Kobuchi, Koizumi, and Mori weren't spared either. Still, as a popular clique, they quickly found who'd defaced their desks and roughed him up. That's the "benefit" of having friends: even targeted, you don't stand alone.
Seeing all this, Kotonoha's resolve to transfer only hardened. She had no friends here. As for becoming friends with Nanami's group? Impossible. She didn't need fair-weather "friends." Fingering the necklace at her throat, a warm feeling glowed in her chest, and she whispered inwardly:
"Maki-kun… I'm so glad you're here."
Since meeting him, she'd begun to move from darkness into light. Their public apology had lifted much of the weight off her heart.
…
During club time that afternoon, Sekai Saionji approached Nanami—friends that they were.
"…Nanami, is what they said true?" she asked softly.
Nanami flushed scarlet but nodded. Having apologized publicly, there was no use pretending otherwise.
Sekai sighed, patting her friend's shoulder. "At least you had the courage to admit it. It'll be okay. Things will get better."
"Thank you, Sekai," Nanami said, moved. When everyone else was pulling away, Sekai still talked to her—truly a good friend.
"Hey, we're friends. No need to be so formal. But… why confess at all? You could've kept quiet. I don't get it."
There it was—Sekai's real aim: to gather intel. Nanami didn't seem like a fool; why stand up in class and self-destruct?
Nanami let out a long breath. "Because if we didn't, we'd die. You saw the students struck by heaven's fire, right? That was his doing."
"Him?" Sekai blinked.
"Mm. Can't say more—I like being alive. Don't pry. Just… don't mess with Katsura."
Sekai's eyes lit up. A lead, at last. She'd wanted to meet Kotonoha for a while, but her beauty and bad reputation had made Sekai hesitate. Who wants to be the foil next to such a standout? Sekai might consider herself a beauty, but next to Kotonoha the gap was obvious—especially in the chest department…
She was very envious. How did they grow like that? What did she eat?
~~~
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