Fallen from the Top Group Due to Cheating and False Accusations. The Only One Who Stood by Me Was My Little Sister’s Best Friend, Who Had Always Adored Me.

Chapter 29: A Teacher’s Quiet Rage.

Inagaki Junichi (Homeroom Teacher)’s POV.

“—And so, this is the notebook where I’ve written down everything in chronological order based on the detailed report I received from Tozawa Yuuka-san yesterday. Once again, are there any mistakes?”

I asked the question to confirm, watching Rindou as he calmly lowered his eyes to the contents of the notebook spread out before him. After a few moments of contemplation, he looked up with a clear expression and answered, “No, everything you’ve written here is exactly as it happened. There is no mistake.”

“I see. Good.”

He is a strong boy, I thought. If everything listed here is indeed factual, it wouldn’t have been strange for the psychological stress of the past three days to have made it impossible for him to even attend school. Yet, he endured it, attended classes until yesterday, and today he came before me to ask for help. That is by no means an easy feat.

High schoolers are at an age where they are most sensitive to the gazes of those around them; they have a strong tendency to act tough and put on a brave front.

In fact, I understand this because during my own time as a student and throughout my career, I have seen many children who were gradually wounded mentally by bullying that started with small whispers, eventually leading them to refuse school altogether. The act of “bullying” that periodically occurs among students mostly begins with small things—backbiting or minor harassment—but if left alone, it expands in scale. It is like a staircase to hell, a life-threatening danger that corners the victim until they reach a point of no return.

I can endure a little bit. Once they start to bear it, they eventually lose the opportunity to speak up. Before they know it, they no longer even know when the bullying began. By the time the situation has grown too large, they fall into the trap of thinking there’s no point in asking for help anymore. Ultimately, many carry the burden alone until the very end, resulting in their total ruin.

That is why, to prevent such a tragedy, the most important thing is to nip the bud of evil as early as possible. To seek help without seeing it as a source of shame. To confide in someone, even just a little, before the situation swells beyond repair. If telling an adult is too frightening, a friend nearby is fine. It is no exaggeration to say that the ability to make that choice changes one’s future entirely.

In that regard, Rindou was extremely fortunate. Despite being burdened from the start with the excessive stress of the “Domestic Abuser” label on social media—and being cornered to the point where the viral video left him with no allies—he still managed to reach the point of asking for help.

Where he might have crumbled alone, the existence of a single girl who believed in him and stayed by his side must have given him the courage to stand up. If the steady presence of Tozawa Yuuka hadn’t appeared yesterday, I honestly don’t know what would have happened. I don’t even want to imagine it.

This is merely my personal philosophy, but every teacher, regardless of their years of experience, fears nothing more than bullying occurring within their own class. In fact, since obtaining my teaching license, I have had many similar nightmares. Dreams where insidious bullying or blatant violence occurs in my class, or dreams where a student commits suicide. I can vividly see the resulting collapse of the class and the sight of the victim’s family breaking down in tears.

Therefore, I will never allow such a worst-case conclusion to become a reality. I do not want to rob the student before me of his precious future possibilities any more than they already have been. Yes—he has already been robbed of the thing he cherished most. I have a duty to make things clear regarding that matter as well.

“One more thing, Rindou. I think it’s terribly cruel to make you say this directly, but from here on, in order to clearly distinguish friend from foe, I’ll ask you to be explicit. It was the third-year captain, Ishizaki Ren, who banished you from the soccer club, correct…? You didn’t receive any direct instructions to leave from Sakagami-sensei?”

“…Yes. On that day, Ishizaki-senpai definitely told me to leave practice. Because of that, I don’t know how much Coach Sakagami understands about this, or what he thinks of me. To be honest, I’m anxious… Have you heard anything, Inagaki-sensei?”

“I see… Then, I want you to listen to this without taking it the wrong way, but…”

Perhaps sensing something, a pained expression bled onto Rindou’s face. However, for the sake of what’s to come, I had to tell him this now. I steeled myself and continued.

“Currently, Sakagami-sensei is insisting that he hasn’t heard anything from the players and knows nothing. Even when the Vice Principal or I try to talk to him seriously, he won’t give a straight answer. For our part, we at least want him, as the coach looking after these students, to scold them and demand the truth. But strangely, the players also claim to know nothing. Far from having any intention of solving the incident, it looks to me as though he has no intention of even taking your side.”

“No way…”

“Of course, I understand your pain all too well. I believe it is unpardonable for someone in the position of a coach to avert their eyes from a problem that occurred under their management. So, this is just my own guess, but Sakagami-sensei might have something inconvenient for himself that prevents him from taking your side.”

“Could… could the Coach really be like that?”

“Yes. That’s why, for the time being, I want you to keep a suspicious eye on him as well. It will be painful, naturally, but please remember that until it’s clear whether he is an ally or not, he is someone you cannot let your guard down around.”

“I see… I understand.”

With that, Rindou regretfully cast his gaze down at the desk. It was only natural for him to be depressed. Despite being unable to participate in club activities, the coach he had placed absolute trust in until just the other day hadn’t even bothered to give him a single phone call. As a leader of an organization like a club, such a response is beneath contempt. Furthermore, what makes this even more malicious is the man named Ishizaki, the captain. If he removed a member from the club without the coach’s permission, that is also a major problem. He might just be being manipulated behind the scenes by Kayama, but the possibility that he too is a piece of trash is extremely high. Good grief. There are already three people who must be punished, and yet more possibilities keep rolling out. It seems it will be necessary to call for interviews with every individual member belonging to the soccer club. It will certainly take time, and it will be exhausting. But from the start, I have no intention of letting a single liar escape.

If there are people other than Kayama and Matsunagi who robbed him of soccer—his greatest reason for living—then those who unreasonably ordered his removal also deserve appropriate punishment. I will absolutely not leave them be. I will never let anyone who caused harm escape. And since Sakagami’s statements supporting Kayama are suspicious, I must continue to be cautious of him.

“Well, Rindou. At first glance, it may seem you have many enemies, but let’s crush them one by one without rushing. It might take some time, but I am convinced that in the end, this world is made so that the righteous side wins. It will work out. You just stay firm.”

“Sensei… thank you very much.”

“Please, no thanks. I’m the man who failed as a teacher by not noticing until now. It would be more of an atonement if you just cursed me out.”

When I said that, Rindou laughed weakly and shook his head.

“Cursing you? Never. Just knowing that Inagaki-sensei and the other teachers believe in me today… it makes me realize that my three-day battle wasn’t in vain. I’m really… really happy.”

“Yes, you did a truly great job. You should be proud. And while it might be a bit too late to call it a ‘baton pass,’ please leave it to us adults from here on. If it’s too painful to be in the classroom, you are welcome to spend your time in the nurse’s office or the conference room until things settle down. Of course, I will personally ask the subject teachers if they can provide individual lessons so you don’t fall behind in your studies. So Rindou, if there is anything I can do, tell me anything.”

“I understand. Sensei, I’m really counting on you.”

“Yeah. Rely on me to your heart’s content.”

Alright. I’ve spoken with the boy and the direction is set for now. From here on, it is my battle. First, Kayama Hayato. As the root of the evil, I will call him in first and listen to his side of the story in detail. He will likely—or rather, almost certainly—give a false testimony, but I have my own tactics. The seeds have already been sown. Whether they fall for it depends on them, but by its very nature, a group crime requires more coordination than a solo one. Therefore, the possibility of slips appearing during questioning is overwhelmingly higher. Kayama Hayato, Matsunami Karen, Kawakita Yumi. If even one of them shows a crack, it will be the lead to the solution. Without rushing, I will steadily eliminate their places to hide. And in the end, I will strip away those false masks by the roots and hand down the appropriate punishment to every single one of them.

Until they have properly admitted to all their crimes and made amends, I intend to chase them even if they try to flee to the depths of hell.