Why did this have to happen? This always happens to me. Back at my old school, I wanted to be friends with Misono-san and the others...
It wasn’t going well during first semester, but I’d thought things were getting better after that. Well, as long as I went along with whatever they said with a smile, anyway.
But when second semester came around, everything changed. It all started because of a love letter someone sent me one day. One of the girls in Misono-san’s group had a crush on the person who sent me the letter. Unfortunately, they didn’t take it well when they found out about it, and then they blamed me for it.
“Why would you do this when you know how So-and-so feels about him?”
“Can you stop being so mean to our friend?”
“I feel so bad for So-and-so! How are you gonna make this up to her?!”
The whole time, I thought I still belonged in their group. But when it came to the unspoken ranks assigned to each of us, I was in last place.
“Apologize!”
“Huh? You call that an apology?”
They kept asking me for an apology, but I was so scared I couldn’t even speak.
“I’m really pissed off right now! Someone hold her down!”
People could be extremely cruel in the name of sticking up for someone else. Misono-san confused my silence for defiance, and she snapped. She took a pair of fabric scissors out of her sewing box we used for home ec, and...
Snip.
“What?!”
She cut off my pigtails with one snip. My hair fell down to my feet, scattering everywhere. I was so shocked I couldn’t say a word as tears streamed down my face.
“Hey! What are you doing over there?!” A teacher just happened to be passing by and caught what happened.
It became a huge incident. After all, she had used scissors—which could be seen as a weapon—to cut her classmate’s hair without their consent. The school took it very seriously and suspended Misono-san for a week, so she didn’t come to school for a while.
But it didn’t make me happy when I heard she’d been punished, because I knew nothing would change.
“Why’d Misono-san get suspended?”
“It’s her fault!”
I could hear the voices from across the room. Whispers so loud I could hear them, smearing my name. The verdict of the class was that it was all my fault Misono-san got suspended. The environment became so uncomfortable for me, my parents got worried and suggested I transfer schools.
So I ran away from my old school, and from Misono-san and her friends. I ran away to a school in the opposite direction and four train stations away. I thought I’d never see them again, but...
“I got into big trouble because of you, you know! I had to write apology letters every single day, and my parents still won’t shut up about how this’ll go on my permanent record!”
“Poor Misono...”
“Right? When it’s her fault!”
After Misono-san and her friends found me, they brought me to a diner near the train station. They cornered me into a table in the back, subjecting me to a kangaroo court.
I thought they would be violent, but apparently they chose verbal abuse this time. Misono-san must have been wary of doing anything physical since her suspension. If she got caught doing something like that again, she could get expelled this time. So instead they would attack me with words—it wouldn’t leave behind evidence. Not that it mattered to me. I wondered if I should be nice to them. It was painful, hearing all that. I couldn’t even taste the coffee I’d ordered.
“Hey, Sato. Are you even listening?” they asked. I didn’t want to listen.
I glanced up at them. They were the most popular kids at my old school. The most popular kids at my new school were Kanon-san, Chikaze-san, and Hadori-kun. They were equally popular, so how could they be so different?
The kids at my new school were so nice to me. They tried really hard to include me in their conversations, and if I felt awkward or stumbled over my words they were patient with me. They would just give me a friendly smile. They were really wonderful people.
I wanted to hurry up and fit in with them as soon as possible, and that’s why I’d been trying so hard.
But now as I sat here and looked at Misono-san and the other girls, I felt my resolve wavering. They all saw me as an enemy. And suddenly, in the back of my mind I thought, In the end, all popular kids are the same.
Of course I didn’t really think Kanon-san, Chikaze-san, and Hadori-kun were like that. But they were special. I couldn’t help but think... What if trying to be popular would just make me end up like Misono-san and the others?
If I have to go through this, maybe it’s better to just be alone... I looked down as these dark thoughts grew louder.
Just then...
“I came to get you, Yuzuki.” I heard a voice. Hadori-kun was standing there, wearing his kendo uniform. And Kanon-san and Chikaze-san were with him. Once Kanon-san realized I saw her, she smiled and waved as if to say, “It’s okay.” Chikaze-san was glaring at Misono-san and the other girls.
What are they doing here?