Chapter 45

—He leaped out in front of the car, shielding the children.  

It was just as they reached the middle of the crosswalk.  

Suddenly, a car surged forward, barreling into the line of children.  

A ragged-looking old man walking nearby noticed and shouted.  

It should’ve been unimaginable—yet, the scene flashed through my mind as if I were witnessing it firsthand.  

It was eerily vivid, like I was right there, watching it all unfold.  

The old man dashed forward, yelling.  

A dull thud rang out.  

A body was sent flying.  

It crashed onto the asphalt, limbs twisted like a broken doll, lying motionless by the curb.  

The world around me kept moving.  

The children finished crossing the street as if nothing had happened.  

A motorcycle passed by.  

Cars drove along, undisturbed.  

On the opposite sidewalk, I saw two familiar figures approaching.  

My mother and the boyfriend she introduced the other day.  

They walked arm in arm, chatting happily as they strolled past.  

They didn’t even glance at the thing lying on the ground.  

They didn’t stop.  

They didn’t acknowledge it.  

Not a single person extended a hand.  

Though he was right there, no one noticed him.  

No one cared.  

It was as if he had vanished from existence.  

Only I was looking at my father.  

I expected him to say something to me—to order me around like he used to.  

But he didn’t move.  

He didn’t say a word.  

Not “don’t go.”  

Not “help me.”  

He just lay there, his back turned to me, as if telling me to leave him.  

To forget about him.  

To walk away.  

“…Knight-kun? The light’s green.”  

A voice snapped me back to reality.  

There was no sign of my father anywhere.  

Instead, I found myself staring into the face of a girl so beautiful that others would envy me.  

Right.  

I was on my way home.  

I had plans.  

Fun plans.  

This wasn’t the time to be standing around.  

I started pushing my bike again and stepped onto the crosswalk.  

Yuki followed beside me.  

Our pace returned to normal.  

We walked as if nothing had happened.  

Yet, before I had taken more than a few steps—  

I stopped.  

“…I’ll be right back.”  

Yuki, a step ahead of me, turned with a puzzled look.  

“What? What’s wrong?”  

“I forgot something.”  

I said it without looking at her.  

As I silently turned my bike around, Yuki spoke up.  

“…Are you going to save Miki?”  

I didn’t answer.  

Instead, I asked—  

Why did she think that?

“Why do you think that?”  

“Just a feeling. A woman’s intuition. You’ve been acting weird this whole time, Knight-kun.”  

I let out a breath and ran a hand through my hair.  

Yuki had seen right through me.  

She was right—I hadn’t been myself lately.  

Or rather, had I been off ever since coming back from suspension?  It wasn’t just because of what Bakahiko said, but even I felt like I wasn’t acting like myself.  

Still, for Miki’s name to pop up out of nowhere…  

Women’s intuition really was sharp.  

But she was off the mark.  

I carefully picked my words.  

“When I went to your place, you said it yourself. Miki was terrified watching your dad hit you. She felt like she had no choice but to be sneaky and underhanded. That’s why she envies you—because deep down, she wishes she could be strong too.”  

“I… I get that. But so what?”  

That wasn’t enough.  

What other reason could I give Yuki to convince her that I had to go help Miki? 

“And she also said this—‘Yuki was the one who got hit, and I wasn’t. That might have been the turning point.’”  

“That means, maybe Miki could’ve become you. Or you could’ve become Miki. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be wrong to save only you and not her?”  

What the hell was I even saying?  

Even I thought I was talking nonsense.  

But I had to say something that sounded convincing.  

“…Alright. Go save Miki.”  

Yuki nodded.  

Wait, seriously? That worked?  

“…That’s what you wanted me to say, isn’t it?”  

She looked straight up at me, as if seeing right through everything.  

“Honestly, I don’t want to lose you to Miki. I’d hate it if you ended up liking her more than me.”  

I couldn’t help but laugh.  

My hand reached out, naturally, to gently ruffle her hair.  

“That’s what I like about you, Yuki.”  

I meant it.  

That was who she was.  

Rather than some polished, noble sentiment, her raw, selfish honesty got through to me more.  

So I decided to be honest too.  

“I’ll tell you the truth. I’m doing this for myself. That’s all. Don’t worry, I’m just a selfish brat. I’m not some hero who sacrifices himself for others. Miki’s never gonna come first.”  

Yuki just stared at me, mouth slightly open.  

She probably didn’t understand.  

I didn’t expect her to.  

How could she, when even I didn’t know what I was doing anymore?  

Without waiting for a response, I turned my handlebars and jumped onto my bike.  

I heard Yuki say something behind me.  

But I didn’t look back.  

I just pedaled as hard as I could.

(TL: Phew, it was gonna leave a bad taste in my mouth if Naito-kun didn’t go save Miki.)