NTR Kousuke

Chapter 162

Chapter 162: Their Recognition [side Yukari Tomonaga]

In April, Satsuki and I, who finally managed to advance to the next year, ended up in the same class.

It was really close—I almost had to repeat the year.

Satsuki was all smiles,

"We had a lot of homework over spring break, but it was a great learning experience! This year I'm definitely going to get good grades!"

or so she says.

Our new class is Class 8. At Hokusho High School, for second-years, all classes except Class 1 are lined up side by side. Class 9 is the sports department, and while there were a few kids from our old class in the liberal arts-oriented Class 8, we weren't close enough to talk.

Same goes for Satsuki. Well, it's better than having enemies and being bullied.

...But both Satsuki and I have a bit of a bad reputation, so we haven't really made any new friends.

Anyway, the new school year started, and a few days have passed.

After getting a little used to things, Satsuki and I didn't force ourselves to make friends and mostly spent time together. Satsuki's way of thinking can be a bit much, but she stoically pursues beauty, and while she's proud and a bit arrogant, she has a strength I don't.

...Of course, I do have my thoughts about how she treated Kousuke-kun...

Not that I'm one to talk, though.

Lately, the two of us have had a shared question as we talk.

It's about when we first met and those times when things were awkward between us.

We sometimes wonder, "We used to get along so badly, so how did we end up as friends now?"

This came up a bunch of times toward the end of our first year, and it was always really funny.

Like, "Huh? That's all it was?" or, "You thought that?" and we'd get really into it!

...But with the threat of repeating the year hanging over us, we didn't have time for idle talk, so we put that important topic on the shelf for a while.

☆ ☆ ☆

There was something I'd been wondering about for a long time.

During lunch break, I decided to talk with Satsuki about it in the corner of the classroom.

"Hey, Satsuki? There's something I've wanted to ask you for a while."

Satsuki gave me a big smile,

Satsuki: "What is it? Yukari?"

So I wouldn't get too serious,

"When we first met, you laughed at me and made fun of me, right?"

See Chapter 16: The One Who Laughs, The One Who Is Laughed At

*That was a long time ago.

Satsuki looked embarrassed,

Satsuki: "...Sorry, I really thought that at the time, but it's different now! I mean it! Trust me!"

Satsuki frantically apologized to me. Yeah, I know, it's fine.

That's not what I'm talking about.

"It's okay, I'm not bothered by that anymore. Besides, you already apologized after that, right?"

See Chapter 59: Beauty Contest Main Event, Second Half

Satsuki: "You totally lost it, Yukari, and said you'd expose that recording of my nasty remarks to everyone unless I apologized... so I did."

Yeah, that's right... But what I was curious about was...

"...Satsuki, don't worry about me, just tell me the truth. ...That time we met during summer break, you said, 'The boy I confessed to blabbed and made it into a joke,' remember?"

Was that really true?

Satsuki caught her breath.

Her eyes darted around restlessly...

Satsuki: "...I don't want to lie to you, Yukari... Kuzu-kun... he said it during remedial classes... He told everyone that the fat girl from our old middle school went crazy and confessed to him..."

She said it apologetically, looking like it was hard to get out.

But she said it clearly.

When I asked Kuzu-kun for an explanation...

He said Mishima-san saw him when I confessed, and even though he explained, Mishima-san spread nasty rumors and claimed Kuzu-kun was laughing and calling me names! That story went around,

Since he was an old middle school classmate I cared about... he was awkward and couldn't express himself well, so maybe his words sounded harsher than he meant, but he apologized again, looking really down.

From Chapter 62: Reconciliation.

Satsuki hurriedly said,

Satsuki: "I didn't say it! I just believed what Kuzu-kun said! Of course I'll apologize, and I trust you now, Yukari! Trust me! I only laughed because of what Kuzu-kun told me! I didn't do anything myself!"

Satsuki apologized to me, almost in tears, and told me the truth about what happened back then...

Haha, I knew it.

So it really was Kuzu-kun...

"Satsuki, remember how I talked about dieting last summer? I said Kuzu-kun helped me during the beauty contest, but it was actually Kousuke-kun who helped. ...But since I pretended it was Kuzu-kun who helped me and got caught, everyone went after me... Still, I do feel like he helped me, though..."

Satsuki: "Yeah."

"He told me about a cake with 30% fewer calories than normal but tasted just like regular cake..."

Satsuki looked at me like I was pitiful,

Satsuki: "No... that's impossible..."

I gave a wry smile, too,

"Haha, I know. When I asked the cashier at that café alone, they said, 'Huh? That's just a normal cake.'"

And actually, it had even more calories than usual... No wonder it tasted so good.

No wonder. Of course a normal cake is going to taste good.

I knew it...

It's my own fault for being fooled by something like that; there's no excuse.

...Kuzu-kun made fun of my confession, lied about cake calories, and put down Kousuke-kun to build himself up.

It's my own fault, but I let myself be played by a prince made out of lies, and I completely betrayed and dumped Kousuke-kun, even though he was so good to me...

My own stupidity is just unbearable...

It's not Kuzu-kun's fault—I was too careless, too naïve, and let myself get so dirty it was like tumbling down a hill.

...Now that it's come to this, I can't help but ask the one other question I still have...!

"So? Right before the school festival, my indoor shoes got hidden and someone messed with my desk... Was that you, Satsuki?"

Satsuki was startled and hurriedly denied it!

Satsuki: "No way, I'd never do something like that! I really, truly wouldn't! I mean, I didn't even know you that well back then! And of course I'd never lie to you, Yukari! I swear I didn't do it!"

???

...She really doesn't seem like she did it...?

Was it Kuzu-kun...?

No, back then Kuzu-kun was all "I'll protect you!" and walked to and from school with me...

See Chapter 62: Reconciliation, Chapter 63: Harassment

I've been thinking for a while now that maybe Kuzu-kun was lying.

Since I moved up a year, I wanted to finally find out the truth, and some of it turned out how I expected... but then something unexpected came up...?

So then, who was the one who messed with my desk and hid my shoes?

...And who was it that stalked me and attacked me?

That's when lunch break ended, and the conversation had to wait for after school.

Satsuki... you're not lying to me, right?

I was left with a feeling so uneasy I couldn't even describe it.