Chapter 14 – I Won’t Forgive Anyone Who Talks Trash About My Friends

Shinta’s low, menacing voice sounded as if it had crawled up from the depths of the earth. It silenced the surrounding onlookers all at once. Every single person who had been ridiculing Miina trembled. A coldness that felt like ice had been shoved down their spines washed over them.

The Shinta reflected in everyone’s field of vision was, no matter how you looked at it, an ordinary high school student. But the moment he bared his face as the Demon God, everyone present vividly pictured the form of a ferocious beast looming behind him.

The girl whose head was being firmly gripped gave out at the knees. The sheer intimidation radiating from Shinta was too much. She collapsed on the spot.

“Tch, for someone so gleefully exposing other people’s privacy, you’ve got no guts. If you’re gonna piss your pants just from getting your head grabbed, don’t go running your mouth about people’s sensitive family circumstances.”

Saying that, Shinta stared into the girl’s eyes from point-blank range.

Meeting his bloodshot eyes filled with fury and the pressure from his legendary delinquent days, the girl was already shedding tears.

“If you say even one more word that gouges at my friend’s heart… I’ll rip your tongue out so you can never talk trash about anyone again. If you don’t want that, then keep your mouth shut.”

Overcome by the utmost terror, the girl didn’t offer a single word of rebuttal. She continuously nodded her head up and down.

Understanding that she already lacked the courage to open her mouth even without his warning, Shinta released his grip. He let her go. Then, he stepped close to the teary-eyed Miina and pulled her against him. He turned his pressure toward the onlookers.

“And the rest of you bastards, too. Whatever profession this girl’s mother is in, it has absolutely nothing to do with your lives, and it doesn’t harm you either. Am I wrong?”

“Shinta…”

“If there’s anyone here who still wants to laugh at my friend—no, at my friend’s family, then go ahead and laugh. Just know that when you do, you’ll be dealing with me in a blind rage.”

Saying that, Shinta overwhelmed the surrounding crowd with the lowest voice he had used yet.

Feeling thoroughly awkward, the onlookers began leaving the area before Shinta could even tell them to. Watching them go, Shinta muttered with a click of his tongue.

“Hmph, bunch of cowards. Don’t mock people when you don’t even have the resolve to back it up. Hey, you’re an eyesore too, so get lost.”

“Y-Y-Yes!”

Left entirely alone, the girl who was the root of all this evil finally opened her mouth and dashed away. Perhaps her legs were still giving out, because she tripped halfway. Well, that was none of his business.

“Are you okay, Miina?”

“Y-Yeah… thanks…”

She was saying she was okay with an awkward smile. No matter how you looked at it, it was false cheer.

He obviously couldn’t just continue playing games in this state. For the time being, he decided they should leave the arcade.

“Just sit here for a bit. I’ll go buy us some drinks.”

Doing exactly as Shinta told her, Miina left the arcade. She sat on a bench set up outside and stared vaguely up at the sky.

Shinta returned after buying two random juices from a nearby vending machine. He handed her one.

“Here, you okay with cola?”

“Ah—thanks. Ahaha… sorry for making you worry about me.”

“You’re exaggerating over a single can of juice.”

“No, no, I mean about what happened back in the arcade. You taking my side really saved me.”

He had intentionally planned to let it slide. Now that Miina was digging it back up, he was honestly at a loss for how to respond.

That girl who had picked a fight with them earlier said she was an acquaintance of Miina’s from middle school. Considering her hostility-filled face and behavior, it was clear she wasn’t a close friend. More than anything, what bothered him was what that girl had said about Miina’s mother’s profession.

Of course, Shinta had no intention of holding any prejudice regardless of what kind of job his friend’s mother had. Looking at a good-natured person like Miina, he could at least understand that she was a decent parent.

“You’re curious after all, right? About the fact that my mom is… a porn star…”

“No, not at all. At the very least, I don’t make a hobby out of judging other people’s jobs. Well, unless it’s some dangerous, illegal work, that is.”

“It’s not illegal, but well, it is a dangerous job in a certain sense~.”

As she said that, he caught a glimpse of Miina’s profile. She blankly watched the clouds drifting across the sky.

Perhaps because he knew her usual cheerful self, Shinta also fell silent. He did not know what words of comfort he should offer to her when she was so obviously depressed.

A period of quiet passed. It was Miina who broke the silence.

“Hey, if you don’t mind, could you listen to me vent a little? For some reason, it feels like it’d be easy to talk about a lot of things with you, Shinta.”

“…Yeah, sure. I’ll listen to as much of that as you want.”

“Just letting you know upfront, though, it’s not a funny story at all. If you start hating it halfway through, I’ll stop.”

“I told you I’d listen properly. I’m not gonna just abandon it halfway through. So you can tell me everything you want to say.”

“Thanks. Well then, it’s going to be a boring story, but please keep me company.”

With that, Miina began to talk about her past experiences and the parent-child issues she had been burdened with for many years.