Every Sin Deserves Punishment - Chapter 20: Cause and Effect

Chapter 20: Cause and Effect

I step off the train at Shibuya Station, lifting my shoes from the floor and firmly planting my feet on the platform. After being surrounded by nature for so long, the unique hustle and bustle of the crowd feels strangely comforting. I feel a sense of returning home, and the corners of my mouth turn up.

“Well, see you at school! Bye-bye!”

Kanase-san raises her voice, and the group disperses with her energetic greeting as the starting point. It seems the Kanase-san group is going out to play afterward.

Now, what should I do next? I haven’t decided on any plans, but spending time with the elementary school students has left me mentally exhausted. I also parted ways with Kanase-san and the others, using the excuse of going home. Lately, when I go out, I tend to run into Nakira, so it might be best to go home now.

“Um, excuse me!”

She’s a fairly cute girl. Her plain black hair gives off a quiet impression, but her features aren’t bad. With some polishing, she could shine.

My gaze, drawn by gravity, falls to her feet. I can’t help but blink.

Big. What’s big, you ask? The thing that’s destined to swell—it’s big. Unlike Kanase-san, whose appearance lacks any ornamentation, it somehow looks strangely seductive. No, if we’re talking about overall proportions, there’s no doubt Nakiri wins hands down. And in terms of glamour, there’s really no comparison—Nakiri is far superior. But what am I even thinking? I don’t quite understand myself.

In any case, smile! If I keep a smile on my face, everything will be fine!

“Do you have something to say to me?”

“I have something to say to you, For The Sake of Love!”

The girl raises her voice. She seems overly enthusiastic. However, For The Sake of Love? It means that she has something to say to me because of love. Isn’t that the same as a confession?

No, no, there’s no such confession. Above all, I recognize the word “For The Sake of Love.”

“Umm, are you a student at Seiki High School?”

“Yes. Don’t you remember? We talked once before the entrance ceremony.”

“Eh? Oh…”

I remember now. We must have met once on the road near the school gate. At that time, I was only thinking of taking revenge on Nakiri, and I only recognized her as a little cute. We were supposed to be complete strangers in different classes, but why is she making contact with me now?

I think about it, and something inside me shudders. The deep wound in my heart stings, and my skin involuntarily breaks out in goosebumps.

Being asked to do something by someone I barely know. This situation gives me a sense of deja vu. The image of two demons standing at the hour of twilight comes to mind, and my heart starts to pound. Calm down, the demons have been judged. The series of revenge dramas are already over.

“Umm, what’s wrong? You look pale.”

“Nothing. See ya.”

I turn my back on the girl and take a step forward. She said she had something to say to me, as For The Sake of Love. It’s definitely going to be some kind of unpleasant request. The best solution is to leave immediately and quickly.

“Wait, wait! I said I wanted to talk to you!”

I can hear the sound of her footsteps following me. I continue walking without stopping.

“I’m in a hurry. Goodbye, see you at school.”

“Please just listen for a little while! For The Sake of Love!”

Love, love. Love love love love love love love love love!

Shut up, shut up. Shut up! Everyone keeps repeating those romantic words! Look! The people around us are looking at us with warm eyes. They completely think we’re a couple!

I ignore the heat on my face and turn around to face the girl.

“Stop repeating that name! Are you stupid?!”

“I’m not stupid! I just want to say something to you, For The Sake of Love…”

“Alright, I get it! I’ll listen to you! But call me Ichigaya-san!”

“You’re forcing me to use ‘san’?”

“I’m tired of hearing that too! Just follow me!”

I run away from the station, and after about ten minutes, I find a cafe. Looking back, the girl is breathing heavily and placing her hands on her knees. I was thinking of cutting her off in the middle, but maybe I wasn’t going as fast as I thought. Maybe I’m also tired from the volunteer work.

I go into the cafe. I order a two-shot latte at the counter and sit down heavily on a chair. A few minutes later, the girl arrives, carefully holding the container. Through the gaps in her fingers, I can see the appearance of tea filled with fruit flesh.

“I’ve never been to a place like this before, but there are so many interesting drinks, it’s fun!”

Her struggling expression from earlier is gone, and she now looks like a little girl excited about her drink. I remember Nakiri’s innocent expression as she played with the jelly float, and I push the girl in front of me to the corner of my vision.

“So, what do you want? I’d prefer it if you could keep it brief.”

“I’ll do so. I want to borrow your power, For The Sake of Love.”

“If you say ‘love’ one more time, I’m leaving.”

“Why are you repulsed by the word “Love’-!?”

I get up from the chair and point my shoes towards the outside of the store. As I take a step forward, I feel an arm grab me from behind. I head towards the exit, dragging the weight behind me.

“I’m just kidding! I’m just kidding!”

“Let go of me. I don’t believe people who talk about love.”

“Just how lonely are you!? That’s why everyone calls you the Mysterious Boy!”

That’s the first time I’ve heard that. What’s that nickname? Are people into giving each other nicknames these days?

I reluctantly return to my seat. Ignoring her clinging gaze, I clear my throat and turn to face the girl. The girl, who has become more cautious after seeing my actions, begins to speak seriously.

The girl’s surname is Saotome. She seems to be troubled by something that resembles a threat, and she apparently wants to use the name value of “For The Sake of Love” to get out of her predicament. The perpetrator’s method is to put a razor blade in an envelope and send a threatening letter. Hearing a method that I’m familiar with makes my left chest tighten. What a coincidence of fate. Are they asking me, who has dirtied my hands, to solve a case with a similar method? If there is a god, he is definitely evil.

“Do you have any idea who the perpetrator is?”

“I have an idea.”

“What’s the reason for your suspicion?”

The girl looks away.

“Umm, that is… I dumped a boy.”

“Is that it?”

A nod comes back after the silence.

It’s a strange story. But I can understand if someone is harassing her out of revenge for being dumped. There are probably perpetrators who resort to threatening behavior as part of that too.

But I’m curious about Saotome-san’s response. If the dumped boy sends a threatening message as a form of harassment, the content would be either revenge or forcing a relationship with her. It’s like he’s declaring himself the perpetrator, but Saotome-san said she had an idea. You don’t say “an idea” about someone who has declared themselves the perpetrator. The pause before she spoke is also suspicious. It’s clear that Saotome is hiding something from me. I shouldn’t take her statement at face value.

“I understand the situation. So, you want me to play detective?”

“No, that is… I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend.”

The last part of her sentence was barely audible to me. The girl lowers her gaze to her knees. Her white cheeks turn a faint shade of crimson, as if she’s ashamed of it.

“Boyfriend, huh. I see.”

The story is starting to come into place. I’m known as “For The Sake of Love.” While I’m made fun of, most students fear my existence. If they mess with me, they don’t know what might happen to them. That’s how I’m perceived by others.

A scary guy like me finally had a girlfriend. For someone who is harassing my girlfriend, my existence is like a thorn in their side. The perpetrator has to weigh the risk of retaliation from me against the act of harassing Saotome-san. By making the perpetrator run for self-preservation and stop the threats, Saotome-san’s aim is probably something along those lines. It’s certainly rational, and it might have a certain effect.

“Let me think about it.”

I told her that, even though I thought it was cold.

I don’t have a girlfriend. Saotome-san is quite cute, and being that kind of relationship with her wouldn’t be bad. I actually think so quite seriously, but something in my heart feels hesitant. I’m hindered by a restless feeling, like my soul is screaming, and I hesitate to nod straightforwardly.

Above all, there’s no guarantee that the perpetrator will stop. There’s also a possibility that the perpetrator, driven to rage, might attack me. It’s not a simple request that I can agree to.

“Yeah, I know. Having someone just suddenly ask you to be their boyfriend is too much. I’m sorry for saying something weird.”

Saotome-san smiles tiredly. Considering the content of our conversation and her fear of talking to me, it must have taken a lot of courage for her to just speak. Judging from her stiff demeanor when she called out to me at the station, she must have had to gather a lot of courage to speak to me. I feel a wellspring of guilt rising within me.

“By the way, I wanted to ask you something. Is what you said during the school announcement at lunch really true?”

I was about to frown. I thought she was insensitive, but it was my voice that was broadcasted in the school announcement. It doesn’t make sense for me to claim that I didn’t want people to talk about it after spreading it myself.

“Yeah, it’s true.”

I try to remain calm as I put the straw in my mouth and take a sip of the bitter liquid. This is it, this is the taste of reality. I tune my bubbling heart with the bitterness and coldness that stings.

Saotome-san’s face lights up, and she leans forward.

“So, is it true that you were all lovey-dovey with Nakiri-san?!”

I feel a strong itch in my throat. Air flows back from my chest, and white dots of latte-colored water appear on the white lid of the container. Once, twice, three times. My trachea repeats its contraction movement.

“Are you okay?!”

I hold out my hand to stop Saotome-san from getting any closer. I’m confident that I would suffocate if she whispered something weird in my ear right now. I absolutely refuse to be taken care of after such an accident.

After being released from the coughing fit, I take a deep breath and exhale with relief. I take a tissue from my pocket, wipe the water spots, and raise my face, intending to complain.

Saotome-san takes a deep breath, her eyes wide open.

“So, how much did the two of you flirt…”

“We didn’t! We didn’t do anything!”

I want to praise myself for instinctively lowering my voice. It’s all thanks to Yoshiki. He’s a bad friend who once called me a pervert, but thanks to him, I was able to develop the ability to deal with situations like this. I can’t help but be grateful for his naturalness.

Saotome-san’s eyes widen.

“Nothing happened?”

“Yeah.”

“So, what’s the origin of the name ‘For the Sake of Love’?”

“I don’t know. It’s meaningless and worthless, so forget about it since you now know it’s just a baseless rumor.”

Saotome-san moves away and leans back against the chair.

“Reality is such a boring thing, isn’t it?”

Her words are mixed with a sigh. It seems that my classmate in front of me is also a person whose head is full of flowers.

“What happened between you and Nakiri-san after that?”

“I was dumped. We’re complete strangers now.”

“Oh, so you’re complete strangers now.”

Saotome-san fidgets. Her voice color seems to have a slight intonation.

“I have one question for you, too. Why don’t you consult a teacher about the threat?”

“Because I’m afraid of retaliation.”

“I understand your fear, but if you leave it alone, there’s a possibility that it will escalate. Aren’t you just taking advantage of the current situation since you can still endure it?”

“That’s what you can say because you’re a man. I haven’t learned any martial arts. If they come at me with violence, it’s impossible for me to resist.”

“It’s impossible to resist, but you could at least…”

You can run away. I was about to say that, but I remember the scene where Nakiri tried to convince the stalker. What if my body didn’t move, and what if that incident had a different outcome? Imagining it, a shuddering chill runs through my body.

Nakiri, in her usual state, could have escaped. She’s always been fast, and she had the advantage of knowing the area. But her body, shaken by fear, wouldn’t be able to perform at its best. It would have been a very high probability of the worst possible outcome that anyone could imagine. Even Nakiri, who is brave, would have ended up like that. There’s no way Saotome-san could resist being grabbed by a boy.

“I’m sorry for saying something careless. I apologize.”

“It’s okay if you understand.”

Saotome-san is in a situation where she can’t make a move. I understand that.

But still, I can’t nod in agreement. Saotome-san is hiding something. My heart also feels a little resistance. I need time and evidence to convince myself.

I engage in some casual conversation with Saotome-san, and we leave the cafe together.