Every Sin Deserves Punishment - Chapter 7: Stalker

Chapter 7: Stalker

“I’m gonna eat that~!”

Someone’s voice mixes with the din of the cafeteria, but I can’t be bothered to respond. I zone out, conserving my energy.

Chopsticks reach out in front of me. The thin tips pinch my fried chicken and retreat to the left. I follow the movement with my eyes, and a large mouth opens, swallowing the fried chicken. His cheek pouches twitch. Yoshiki gulps.

I stare at my friend. Without a word, we lock eyes, and I slowly extend my arms. I pinch the cheeks of the idiot who ate my fried chicken and pull them to the sides.

“Yowch!”

“Give it back. Give it back to me.”

“I already swallowed it.”

Yoshiki winks. I feel the urge to punch his face, but I hold back at the last moment.

“Then give me money. Money for compensation. I’ll order the same thing again.”

“I heard the cost of fried chicken is low.”

“Is that so? I didn’t know.”

Yoshiki starts rambling on. Chicken is cheap as a raw material. It can be cooked in a small space, and it’s easy to keep labor costs down. It doesn’t require any special cooking techniques. Due to various factors, fried chicken became a trend for a while.

I don’t care at all. Just finish your story already.

“And then… Oh, it’s Nakiri-san.”

I turn around, drawn by Yoshiki’s gaze. I spot someone familiar in the crowded cafeteria. Her distinctive appearance stands out as always, but there’s something off about her today.

Nakiri walks with her slender legs, and a faint smile appears on her well-proportioned face as she faces her friend. I realize what’s bothering me. It’s her smile. The flower-like smile that always attracted attention looks considerably shadowed today. It’s barely a lift at the corners of her mouth. She can’t hide her tiredness.

“Nakiri-san doesn’t look well.”

“She must’ve stayed up late or something.”

“Staying up late? There must be another reason.”

“Like what?”

“Come on, are you serious? Other than the stalker, what else could it be?”

I hear a sigh mixed with the words. I narrow my eyes, feeling exasperated.

“You really like that topic. What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean, ‘what are you talking about?’ It’s about two days ago, you know?”

“Huh?”

For a moment, I couldn’t understand Yoshiki’s words. It’s been more than three weeks since I last spoke to Nakiri and wrote the letter. It’s natural to think that the stalker has given up or changed his mind since I left. I thought Nakiri had returned to her peaceful daily life. But two days ago? I have no recollection of that.

Yoshiki raises his eyebrows.

“Come on, you really don’t know? There’s a rumor that a suspicious man was trying to open Nakiri-san’s locker.”

“What’s with that?”

This is the first I’ve heard of it. If it was about 2 days ago, it definitely wasn’t me. As I gasp, feeling a sense of detachment as if all the blood had been drained from my body, the situation seems to have taken a strange turn.

“How reliable is that rumor? It’s not valid if there’s only one witness, right?”

“It seems there was more than one witness. I didn’t see it myself, so I can’t say much more, but…”

Yoshiki isn’t the type to lie casually. Could it be that some student jumped on the love letter bandwagon, as I hastily thought up an excuse? It’s certain Nakiri will be shocked, but that’s unlikely. If the suspicious person was a student, they should have been in uniform or gym clothes. The story wouldn’t be spread as ‘suspicious person.’ It would be strange if girls weren’t gossiping about a boy putting a love letter in Nakiri’s locker.

Could it be that among my schemes, a real stalker had mixed in? Sneaking into the school, evading many eyes, and leaving a love letter detailing his desires in a female student’s locker. Are they saying an adult man did this to a minor girl?

I shudder at the thought. Even though I’m not the target of the stalking, I can’t help but feel disgusted. This is the same feeling that Nakiri has been enduring all this time. Despite knowing that it’s necessary for my revenge, I start to feel guilty towards Nakiri.

I shake my head and try to shake off the guilt.

“If a suspicious person were clearly witnessed, the school will have to take action, right? Have you heard anything about their response?”

“They’re discussing whether to install surveillance cameras.”

“That’s a bit extreme.”

Surveillance cameras have their pros and cons. The most apparent benefit is their high monitoring ability. On the other hand, they place strong stress on those being watched. It’s rare for accumulated stress to be channeled positively. More often, it leads to negative outcomes.

In other words, bullying. Crime. Various other illegal activities. Installing surveillance cameras that cause disruptions in the school’s order would defeat the purpose. There’s also the cost issue. Discussions will likely be difficult.

We finish our lunch, get up from our seats, and leave the cafeteria, Yoshiki and I.

“I’ll submit the printouts. You go back first.”

“Okay.”

After parting ways with Yoshiki, I walk alone down the hallway and enter the faculty room. I find a math teacher who looks stern and take out a folded printout from my blazer pocket.

As soon as I submit it, I get a lecture. The teacher goes on and on about how I haven’t been focusing in class lately, how I’ve been slacking off, and other things that I’m already aware of. I was planning to ask about how to stay motivated, but the atmosphere is no longer suitable for that. I try to maintain a smile.

After enduring the lecture for a few minutes, I’m finally released. I breathe in the quiet air in the hallway and exhale the accumulated tension in my lungs. The atmosphere in the faculty room was tense. Not only has the stalker issue not been resolved, but a suspicious person has been spotted. If effective measures aren’t taken, the school will be criticized by the parents of the students. It will also affect the acquisition of the school of new students next year. In this era of declining birth rates, acquiring new students is a top priority. The school must be anxious about this. I understand, but please, at least in front of the students, try to hide your anxiety. Please.

I don’t feel like going straight back to the classroom, so I choose a roundabout route to relax to. The sound of laughter fades away, and only my footsteps echo in the empty hallway. It feels like an adventure, like I’ve returned to my childhood.

“Hmm?”

A milky tea-colored hair catches my eye. I hide behind the corner of the hallway and see a couple there. I assume they’re having a secret meeting, but I recognize the girl. It’s Nakiri, her well-proportioned face looking tense. When I look at her companion, I gasp. The man is visibly excited. His eyes are bloodshot, his breathing is heavy, and his shoulders are moving up and down. Judging by his appearance, he’s probably a janitor. He’s clearly not in a calm state of mind.

“Please, stop doing that.”

Nakiri’s voice trembles. She’s tightly clenching her thin fingers, indicating that she’s gathered her courage to stand here.

The man’s eyes widen.

“W-What are you talking about?! I wrote my feelings in the letter!”

The man takes a step forward.

Nakiri takes a step back. She places her hands on her chest and looks around nervously, her expression clearly showing fear, which is unusual for her strong-willed self.

Suddenly, a scene from my elementary school days flashes back. I’ll never forget it. Nakiri was scared of a dog, and she stood there with tears in her eyes. To be honest, I was scared too. I imagined the dog breaking its collar and pouncing on us, and my legs froze. But I didn’t want to see Nakiri cry, so I gathered my courage and took her delicate hand.

The feelings from that time return, and my feet takes a step forward.

I snap out of it and press my soles against the floor. I know they’re having an important conversation here. Even a fool can see that. It’s extremely presumptuous of me to barge in without looking around. Besides, I wanted Nakiri to be unhappy. If she falls on her own, what’s the problem with leaving her alone?

The man takes another step forward. Nakiri takes another step back.

This time, it’s different. The man also slides his feet and extends his arms, lifting the corners of his mouth. Nakiri lets out a small scream, but the man doesn’t stop. He reaches out to restrain her slender body.

Every Sins Deserves Punishment. I’ve lived by this principle. Although it’s not in the form I intended, Nakiri’s student life will be shattered in a few seconds. The man looks like he’s at his limit. He’s about to release the desires he’s been holding back and defile Nakiri’s beautiful body. My revenge will soon be complete. By burying my flames of hatred, I can regain a peaceful youth.

Now, turn around and leave. My inner self scolds me for hesitating here. The choice to abandon her is the right one. I understand that in my head.

I understand it…

Yet…

Why did I step between them?

“W-Who are you?!”

His sneering smile is overwritten with shock. I hear someone’s name whispered behind me. That person doesn’t exist anymore. I pretended to have not heard her and glare at the suspicious man.

“That’s my line. Don’t you feel anything when you see her expression?”

“D-Don’t talk to me like that! You, you, you!”

The man’s face twists. His Japanese is a mess. If he had any semblance of rational thinking left, he wouldn’t have tried to push down a female student in the first place.

A beat reverberates deep within my left chest. Heat courses through my entire body, preparing it for battle. To bring my dreamy consciousness into sharp focus, I clench my fists tightly.

“She’s obviously scared. If you want to talk, at least choose a better situation.”

“Damn it, get out of the way! I’m talking to Nakiri-san!”

“Talk? You mean trying to push her down, right? You think you’re being gentlemanly, but from an outsider’s perspective, you’re just a pervert forcing yourself on her. The fact that an adult man is trying to seduce a female student is already a bad look. Don’t you know the law about these things?”

“Get out of the way, get out of the way!”

The man stomps his feet. He must have realized his mistake. This guy won’t listen to anything I say now.

I loosen up my shoulders, take a deep breath, and force a smile.

“Please leave.”

“Youuuuu!”

The man thrusts out both arms. It’s an amateurish move, clearly showing that he hasn’t learned any martial arts.

I deflect his attack with a strike of my forearm—a technique known as “cutting.” I’ve dedicated three years to karate to be ready for moments like this, though I never expected it to come in such a situation. As they say, preparation is everything.

The man might be hiding a weapon. It’s best to take him down with one blow. Fortunately, karate emphasizes one-hit kills. I twist my waist with the cutting technique and thrust out my tightly clenched right fist.

The blow lands in his solar plexus. The man grimaces in pain and crouches down. I quickly grab his arm, lock his joint, and pin him to the floor.

“Nakiri, go call a teacher or a security guard.”

“Y-Yeah!”

Nakiri turns around and runs off, her footsteps fading away.