Chapter 19

The next morning, I didn’t run into either Yuki or Miki. Still, the fact that it happened two days in a row before was already a remarkable coincidence. Instead, I received a Line message from Yuki first thing in the morning.  

“I made lunch today, so let’s eat together at noon, okay?”

Apparently, lunch together was non-negotiable. She added that it would be at the same spot as yesterday. Ignoring her would definitely lead to complaints, and knowing her, she might even storm into my classroom.  

In any case, I was swayed by the word lunch. Lately, my midday meals consisted of nothing but cheap, mediocre bread from the school store.  

When lunchtime rolled around, I headed to the courtyard empty-handed. Despite it being midday, the hallways and corridors weren’t particularly crowded. Most students stayed in their classrooms, eating packed lunches they brought from home.  

Without any rush, I descended the stairs. The first floor was quiet, with hardly anyone around. Turning the corner of the hallway that led to the entrance, I almost bumped into someone.  

We both stopped in our tracks and made eye contact. The boy had a gloomy aura about him.  

But upon closer inspection, his face was familiar.  

It was Kaneko from the second year. His name had just come up in my conversation with Miki last night.  

Speak of the devil, I guess. This was my first time seeing him since the suspension.  

“Yo.”

Ignoring him entirely seemed wrong, so I offered a casual acknowledgment.  

Not that I owed him anything, but teachers always harp on about how students should get along.  

“Y-yo…,” Kaneko muttered, averting his eyes.  

His lightly dyed hair was now half-black, the color growing in from the roots. His sunken eyes looked tired, with dark circles prominent underneath. He seemed thinner too, almost unrecognizable.  

I expected him to say something snide, but Kaneko only let out a small groan. That was it. He didn’t say another word and just walked past me.  

Miki had said he’d calmed down, but this felt like more than that. It was as if he were a completely different person.  

I couldn’t help but glance back at Kaneko’s retreating figure.  

The same guy who used to strut down the hallway flanked by a crowd of followers now walked alone.  

His shoulders were hunched, his frame small, as he shuffled along the edge of the hallway with his head hung.  

Just then, from the side staircase, a boy suddenly leaped into the hallway and delivered a flying kick to Kaneko.  

“Toh! Ultraman Kick!”  

A loud thud echoed as Kaneko collapsed to the floor, catching himself with his hands. Following that, a group of boys emerged one after another, forming a circle around him.  

“Hey, Kaneko! What are you doing lying on the hallway floor?”  

“Haha, you kicked him, didn’t you? That’s bullying! The teacher’s gonna get you~”  

“No way, man! Bullying’s a big no-no!”

The group burst out laughing, clearly enjoying themselves.  

Unlike me, it seemed Kaneko still had plenty of “friends.”  

“What’re you looking at?”  

The boy who had kicked Kaneko noticed my gaze and strode over. His haircut was an immaculate two-block style, with shaved lines etched into the sides. Fancy barber.  

“Oh, am I supposed to pay a viewing fee?”  

“Huh? What the hell are you talking about? You wanna get punched?”  

“Sure, go ahead. Hit me first. Come on, hurry up and hit me.”  

I leaned in and offered him my cheek.  

If he’d just punch me, then I’d be free to punch him back. But, unsurprisingly, he didn’t do anything. All talk, no action, huh?  

“Oh, just kidding! That was a joke. Please don’t hit me,”  I said, hastily raising both hands and stepping back.  

That slip was a bit too real—my old habits showing through.  

These days, as a studious model student, I’ve resolved not to get involved in messy situations like this.  

I’ll just report it to a teacher later. Yeah, that’s the right thing to do.  

If I remember, that is.  

“Oh, isn’t that Knight-kun? Hey, what’s up!”  

Someone in the group greeted me with an overly friendly wave. I vaguely recognized him—he looked like the kind of guy who’d fail a hair inspection in a heartbeat.  

I think he used to hang around with Kaneko. Laughing at him now, though, seemed to say otherwise.  

“You’re pissed at him too, right? Give him a shot!”  

He pointed his thumb at Kaneko, who was shakily trying to get back on his feet.  

Hitting someone wobbling like a newborn fawn wouldn’t accomplish anything.  

“I’ll pass. Punching him isn’t going to improve my grades or anything.”.  

“What the hell, you’re so boring,” he muttered, losing interest in me altogether.  

They left Kaneko behind and walked past me, chatting and laughing as they went.  

Kaneko was left alone again, quietly continuing down the hallway at his own pace.  

I didn’t feel the urge to sneer at him or flip him off behind his back.  

But I didn’t feel pity or guilt either.  

I wasn’t the one who made things this way, and who knows what led to his situation.  

It was just bad luck for him, I guess.

[TL: she already captured his stomach ig]