Every Sin Deserves Punishment - Chapter 10: Accomplishment

Chapter 10: Accomplishment

“Hey Sogou, are you listening?”

“I’m listening, I’m listening! We were talking about how delicious the sausages are, right? They Nailed it!”

It was Monday, the first day back after a holiday. I was in the school cafeteria, giving a thumbs-up.

“What do you mean, ‘They nailed it’? You weren’t listening, you jerk!”

One of my burly classmates puts me in an arm lock. As expected from the track team’s promising rookie, his strength is insane. Ugh, having a guy touch me is so suffocating.

“Go for it! As punishment for ignoring my story, I’ll take that sausage!”

A short-haired girl stretched out her arm and pierced the minced meat sausage with her fork. Despite her cool demeanor, she exuded a healthy sexiness, undoubtedly a beautiful girl.

“So unfair! I want some too!”

Then there’s the main act—her golden-dyed long hair sways lightly as she joins in with an energetic voice, snatching another sausage off my plate. Her figure is like that of a gravure idol, and her innocent face contrasts sharply with her bubbly personality. Her name is Kanase, a classmate I met through our group of friends—definitely a candidate for my girlfriend.

“Hey! You guys, if you do that again, you know what will happen, right?”

“I wonder what that is.”

“I’m curious! Hey!”

Kanase-san’s fork pierced another sausage.

“Ah, my sausage… Farewell!”

As if I had been waiting for this moment, I placed my hand in a chopping motion above my eyebrow, resembling a saluting soldier. I watched as the sausage disappeared into the beautiful girl’s mouth. Damn, I’m so jealous!

“Hahaha! Sogou, you’re so funny!”

Kanase laughs cheerfully, and I chuckle back, pretending it’s a joke. Just like in a comedy show where awkward laughs are used as a prop, laughter can be a tool to make others laugh. If I don’t laugh, I’ll miss out. Being funny is a real asset. There are people better than me at sports and with better looks. If I don’t use my humor, I don’t stand a chance. My goal is to be the interesting guy—nothing else matters.

“You’re so pitiful, I’ll give you my sausage.”

“I don’t want a guy’s sausage.”

I wave my hand, rejecting the offer, and laugh again as they mess around with me. Stupid jokes lead to playful teasing, and that’s where I am now. I’m a clever, cheerful mood-maker. I’m blessed with friends at the top of the social ladder, and my grades are decent. There’s no reason to feel bitter.

Up until today, I had two concerns.

One of them has been resolved. It was the attempt to keep Ichigaya from learning the truth. From a broader perspective, it was a huge failure, but Ichigaya swore not to expose it. He himself declared that the matter was now a statute-barred offense. There was no longer any need to worry about it.

Everything was going smoothly, except for one remaining element.

“Oh, it’s Nakiri-san.”

Friend A looked up, and I couldn’t help but grimace. However, everyone around me was smiling and looking at the same thing. It would be unnatural for me not to join in.

I turned around as well. A beautiful girl was added to my field of vision. Her lustrous hair flowed smoothly. Her wavy style and slender limbs stood out even in the midst of the commotion. She was like a flower blooming amidst weeds, drawing attention involuntarily.

I bit my lower lip. That’s no good. She’s the idiot who rejected me. Even after entering high school, I confessed to her again, but she rejected me once more. I no longer have any use for her.

High school is a sensitive time. Word about relationships spreads like wildfire. If I’m known as the guy who got rejected, my reputation will plummet. While it’s unlikely that she’ll spread the word, there’s a chance that Friend A or B will push her buttons, and she might slip up. I have to stay vigilant.

The song playing over the speakers ends. It’s the school’s broadcasting club providing lunchtime music, even sacrificing their own lunch breaks. Such dedication for an unpaid job.

“So, it was you guys who spread the rumors, huh?”

“Huh?”

For a moment, my thoughts froze. I recognized the voice and the words.

I didn’t need to wrack my brains to remember who’s it was. The voice just now—it was Ichigaya’s. He had mentioned joining the broadcasting club when I saw him at the family restaurant over the weekend. I guess he was in charge of today’s lunchtime broadcast.

I turned my gaze back to my friend, intending to boast that I knew the person who was speaking—but then:

“Care to Explain?“

I forget to breathe. It feels like a block of ice is lodged in my throat. Those questioning words could only be directed at someone else. He must be talking to another broadcasting club member in the room, but the way he phrased it is troubling.

This…

Could it be that what’s being broadcast right now is—!

“You see, I liked Nakiri.“

“Huh?!”

A strange sound escaped my mouth. There was no mistake! This was the conversation I had with Mibu and Shikura! That guy must have recorded it…!

“Hey, isn’t that Sogou’s voice?”

“Yeah, it is.”

My friends got excited, oblivious to the situation.

At this point, I couldn’t even think about lunch. If my memory served me right, something unpleasant was about to happen next. I had to stop it immediately!

“Sogocchi, what’s wrong? You look pale.”

Kanase-san tilted her head. Usually, I would stare at her cute gesture, but I didn’t have the leisure to enjoy the view. Instead, I found her calculated cuteness irritating.

“Um, I’ll be right back.”

I stood up from my chair, leaving behind a forced smile, and rushed out into the hallway. I transitioned from a fast walk to a full-on dash, swinging my arms and legs vigorously. Ahead of me, I saw a group of girls chatting in a horizontal line, blocking the way.

“Move it!”

I shove them aside like they’re a wall of yokai, and they scream behind me, but this is an emergency. It’s their fault for blocking the hall..

Next were the guys. They were well-built. I gave up on pushing them aside and decided to go around.

“Sogou!”

It was Mibu. The light-headed girl was chasing after me, her hair in disarray. Even Mibu, with her head in the clouds, must have understood that if we allowed Ichigaya’s broadcast to continue, it would bring an end to our student lives.

“Let’s stop that idiot! Follow me!”

Run, run, run!

After pushing aside several human-shaped obstacles for a few seconds, I reached the broadcasting room. I didn’t even have time to catch my breath. I hurriedly grabbed the doorknob with my fingers.

“What’s wrong, Sogou? Open it quickly!”

“It won’t open!”

The door is as immovable as if time itself has stopped. No matter how many times I try, the doorknob barely budges. It won’t open through normal means. I pound my fist on the door.

“Open it! Stop the broadcast! Hey!”

“Stop it, pleaaaase!”

A high-pitched scream echoes, and I wince. Still, with that volume, Ichigaya must have heard it. I scream too. I howl in desperation, pounding the door relentlessly.

There was no response. Losing patience, I shoved Mibu away. She took three steps back, and I charged forward, delivering a shoulder tackle with the momentum of my sprint.

“Guh…!”

It feels like my shoulder popped out of place. That should have been a massive impact, but the door holds firm. Damn this high-quality, Japanese-made durability. I kick the door in frustration.

“I know you’re in there! Open the door! Ichigaya!”

My throat felt raw. If I kept screaming like this, I might get a sore throat.

A loud sigh was heard from the other side of the door.

“You don’t need to shout so loudly; I can hear you.”

He responded! Ignoring the pain in my shoulder, I rushed to the door.

“Then stop the broadcast right now!”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?!”

“Because I want to bring you two to ruin.”

I felt a strong pressure and took a few steps back. I imagine freezing air leaking out from behind the door. Mibu collapses like a puppet with its strings cut, screaming with her head in her hands. Her wailing is deafening, but I don’t have the time to deal with her. I glare at the door again.

“You said it was over because of the statute of limitations! That you were done with your revenge!”

“Did you really think I was sincerely convinced? Imagine this. What I’m doing right now—could you laugh it off a few years down the road?”

There was no way I could forgive it. Of course not. How much time do you think I’ve spent on my studies to break through the 70-point barrier? I’ve been bowing my head to handsome guys I don’t even like just to join the top caste group as the funny guy. All of my efforts have been in vain. If someone tells me to forgive them because it’s a statute-barred offense in a few years, I’m confident I could beat them to death.

But this is different. I can laugh at other people’s problems because they’re not my own, but I can’t bear being the victim myself. I slammed my shoulder into the door again.

“We don’t have time for this! Open the door! Mibu! Don’t just cry and scream; convince him!”

No matter how many times I tackled the door, it didn’t budge. He might have not only locked the door but also reinforced it with something inside the room. Should I go and get a tool? But how long would it take to get back here? And how far has the broadcast progressed?

Overwhelmed by anxiety, I fell to my knees in front of the door, rubbing my forehead against the floor.

“Please, just… stop it.”

My voice trembled and cracked. If my friends heard it, they would think I was about to commit suicide. But there was no other option. I pleaded with Ichigaya, hoping to appeal to his emotions. There was no other way to resolve this.

“No, I won’t stop.”

“Why?!”

I punched the hallway floor. A loud sigh escaped from inside the room.

“Are you aware that even at this point, you haven’t uttered a single word of apology? No matter how much you try to cover it up, it’s obvious that you haven’t reflected on your actions at all.”

Thud! The door made a dull sound. I wasn’t the one who tackled it; the impact came from inside. If the door hadn’t been there, the blow would have knocked me out. I felt a clear sense of hostility and hatred and sat down on the hallway floor.

The curse-like voice continued.

“You are devils. This is a place where human children gather. Devils should embrace their sins and return to hell.”

Hell is an empty shell. All the devils are here. If devils are to return, it can only be to hell. His voice, tainted with hatred, polluted the silent air in the hallway.

The possibility of persuasion was gone. I stared blankly at the door, listening to the sound of my envisioned student life collapsing, until the teacher arrived.