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 9: In the Room, Just the Two of Us.

Chapter 9: In the Room, Just the Two of Us.

The faint sensation of someone touching my cheek pulled me from the darkness. I slowly lifted my heavy eyelids.

Was this… my room? I vaguely remembered Yuuka coming to the house, opening the front door… but what happened after that?

My memories were hazy; I couldn’t recall clearly.

More importantly, when had I ended up lying in my own bed?

In the center of my still-blurry vision stood a girl watching me with worried eyes. Her deep-purple hair swayed gently in twin side-tails, framing an idol-level cute face.

“…Yuuka-chan?”

“Yes, Senpai. You suddenly collapsed at the entrance, so I was really surprised. I couldn’t just leave you there, so I took the liberty of bringing you up to your room. Also… I borrowed a towel and bucket from the bathroom without asking. I’m sorry.”

She spoke calmly, then took a small step back and bowed politely.

Why was she apologizing when I was the one at fault for everything? It puzzled me, but then again, she had always been polite and well-mannered.

These days she styled her hair fashionably and acted bright and outgoing, but I hadn’t forgotten that at heart she was still the serious, earnest girl she had always been.

“You’re apologizing…? If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. After that video spread everywhere, why would you come to the house of someone with such a horrible reputation and even take care of me? There’s no benefit for you in doing something like this.”

That’s right. Ever since I rejected her confession in middle school, Yuuka had changed completely. She became overly familiar, closing the distance in a way that made me uncomfortable. I knew she was deliberately acting like the type of girl I found difficult to deal with—it was her form of revenge. Since I was the one who had turned her down, I had no right to complain, so I had silently accepted it all this time.

I had assumed she must hate me deep down. That was why I was genuinely shocked that she had taken care of me so diligently while I was unconscious.

“You’re right, Senpai. There’s no benefit.”

“Then why…?”

“There’s no benefit, but I haven’t lost my conscience enough to just ignore someone who collapsed right in front of me. Does that answer your question?”

“…Yeah.”

As expected, she was still the same kind-hearted girl at her core.

Her appearance had changed quite a bit, but inside, she was exactly the same Yuuka I had known since the day we first met.

I was truly impressed. Taking care of someone she was supposed to dislike was something I probably couldn’t have done.

“Anyway, let me thank you properly. Seriously… you saved me. Thank you.”

I forced my still-heavy body up from the bed and bowed deeply. Yuuka spoke in a cool, clear voice:

“Please raise your head. You don’t need to thank me—we’ve known each other for a long time. However, today is the one day I have no intention of leaving empty-handed.”

“I figured. How much do you want? I’ve been focusing only on soccer lately, so I have a lot of allowance and New Year’s money saved up. I’ll try to meet whatever amount you ask for.”

Feel free to say it, I told her. But Yuuka simply shook her head.

“It’s not money I want.”

Then what could it be? She was at that age where she would need makeup, cosmetics, clothes, or accessories.

I was still trying to guess what she might want when she murmured, as if she had read my mind:

“None of those. All I want is for you to answer the questions I’m about to ask—honestly, without a single lie.”

“Eh? What do you mean…?”

“Tell me exactly what happened last night. How that video ended up spreading. I want you to explain the whole situation to me properly.”

Her unexpected request made me catch my breath. But why did she want to know something like that?

“I thought you were going to ask for something else… Why do you want to know, Yuuka-chan?”

“Because it doesn’t add up. The Senpai I know would never, ever resort to violence against anyone—especially not a girl.”

“…!”

Those words were more comforting than anything else I had heard since that morning, when dozens—hundreds—of students had showered me with insults. It felt as if a heavy weight that had been crushing me since last night had lifted, even if only slightly.

Just having one person believe in me gave me this much strength. I really was blessed.

But precisely because of that, I couldn’t drag that one person into my mess.

“…Are you thinking of trying to clear up the misunderstanding for my sake, Yuuka-chan? If so, that’s something I have to do alone. You shouldn’t get involved. Just believing in me is already more than enough—”

“No.”

“Eh…?”

No. Did she really just say that…?

I froze for a moment, never expecting such a firm refusal to come from her lips.

It really wasn’t like her.

“Sorry for sounding cheeky. But today, I have no intention of backing down. After such a malicious video was spread throughout the entire school, there’s no way your mental state is okay! …Your face doesn’t look like someone who’s okay. I’ve been watching over you for a whole hour, you know.”

As she looked up at me, I could see a burning, unbreakable will deep in her eyes.

No matter what I said now, she clearly wasn’t going to listen.

I was overwhelmed by how strong she had become compared to the old days.

“You’ve really become a strong girl, Yuuka-chan.”

“Even if you praise me, I won’t back down. I’m not leaving this room until you tell me everything, Senpai.”

Her determination, combined with the way she gripped my arm and refused to let go, finally made me raise the white flag.

“Alright… I surrender. I’ll tell you everything right now. Will that satisfy you?”

Yuuka nodded silently.

I began recounting the events of the previous night in order.

How my girlfriend, Matsunami Karen, had been cheating with my best friend, Kayama Hayato.

How, when I tried to confront them and grabbed her arm, the moment had been perfectly captured on video, and then I was the one who got hit.

How I had been framed as a DV boyfriend and the video was spread everywhere.

By the time I finished telling the whole story, the sun had completely set. It wouldn’t be long before Sayu came home.

I was wondering how I would explain this situation if my little sister walked in on us right now—when Yuuka, who had somehow slipped into my arms, gently embraced me.

“Even though you must still be hurting so much… thank you for telling me.”

In the dimly lit room, on top of my bed, she leaned her body against mine.

Along with the faint scent of osmanthus, I could feel the softness of her entire body pressed against me.

My heart pounded involuntarily. Up close, Yuuka’s face had far more mature, beautiful lines than the girl I remembered. The impression I had of her shifted completely in an instant.

She really wasn’t a child anymore… The realization hit me hard. At the same time, thinking that such a beautiful and intelligent girl had once liked someone like me filled my chest with guilt. I had probably done something far more regrettable than I had realized.

It was far too late for such thoughts, but that was how I felt.

“No, I should be the one thanking you for taking care of me.”

When I said thank you, Yuuka slowly shook her head.

“Now that you’ve told me everything, we should be even. But Senpai… I have one more selfish request.”

Knowing how kind she was, I could already guess what she was about to say.

“The false rumors will keep spreading day by day, and there will surely be people trying to drag you down even further. So please… let me help you prove your innocence.”

“Why would you go that far? I’m the guy who rejected you back then… I don’t have the right to be treated kindly by you.”

“Does proving an important person’s innocence require a reason? On the contrary, I don’t want to become the kind of person who would abandon someone in trouble just because they were rejected once. Besides…”

Her face drew so close that our cheeks nearly touched as she whispered:

“I told you before, didn’t I? I’m pretty stubborn when it comes to these things.”

So please just get on the big ship with me, she said with clear confidence.

“I have a trump card that only I can play.”