Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 153: Yuzuha's Mother

Yuzuha’s Mother

Same time, separate place
***

“Well then, let me ask again… You all knew it was a lie, and still chose to smear Takanashi, didn’t you?”

The ones sitting before me are Takanashi’s former classmates.

The monitor in the room had just been showing Yamazaki being dragged out only moments ago.

Sara totally stole Takanashi’s thunder there… Well, it was satisfying to watch, so I’ll let it slide.
If it were me, I might’ve thrown in a kick too. Oh? Where would I kick? Now, now—don’t ask a lady such things.

Having just seen the entire scene unfold, everyone in the room now looked deeply uncomfortable.

After all, the person they had been praising—Yamazaki—was just exposed as a complete scumbag. And I’d raised my voice quite a bit too, for good measure.

“We’ll set Yamazaki aside for now. Let’s talk about Takanashi. You knew the rumors were strange—maybe even lies. Didn’t you?”

I swept my gaze across them slowly, one by one, gauging their reactions.

A few of them nodded. Those who did… might be the slightly better ones.

The atmosphere in the room had fallen into a tense silence after Sara shouted at Yuzuha, leaving her visibly shaken.

Just then, a staff member hurried over to Nishikawa-san. The timing, if anything, was oddly convenient.

After quietly listening to the message, Nishikawa-san turned to face us all.

“…It seems things have concluded on Natsumi’s side.”

Apparently, the message was about Natsumi-senpai.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t been seen at all. I had assumed she was off somewhere with Yuuji.

“Kazunari-san, we’re truly sorry. What happened just now… it was something we took upon ourselves to plan without telling you.”

Sara bowed her head deeply as she explained, clearly remorseful.

It seemed some plan had gone on behind my back. But to be honest, I felt nothing but gratitude toward everyone who’s supported me—I had no reason to be angry.

I walked over to Sara as she remained bowed, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, Sara-san. Please, lift your head. Okay?”

“…Yes.”

Hearing my words, she finally lifted her head and offered a relieved smile.

“These two could flirt even at a crime scene.”

“Th-that’s going a bit far…”

Hanako-san’s exasperated tone, followed by a snarky retort from Toudou-san, was immediately followed by Nishikawa-san’s heavy sigh, loud and clear.

He then raised a hand—perhaps a signal of some kind.

A few moments later, the door to the waiting room opened. Several staff members emerged, and following them… was Natsumi-senpai.

It looked like she hadn’t been far away.

“Hurry up and get in already!!”

Was there someone behind the door?

At her command, one by one, then in groups, people began entering the room.

Ten… twenty… maybe even more?

As I watched, a few faces jumped out as oddly familiar.

Wait… aren’t those… our classmates from third year of middle school!?

“What the…? Why are they here…?”

Hearing my stunned voice, even Yuzuha—still hunched over—lifted her head in disbelief.

“Eh… What… why…?”

She reacted just like I did.

But still… how did they gather all of them?

They looked thoroughly uncomfortable—eyes averted, heads bowed. It was clear they couldn’t bear to meet our gaze.

“They’ve been watching everything unfold on the monitors from another room,” Nishikawa explained. “Natsumi stayed with them, but… judging from their expressions, it seems she went a bit overboard.”

What exactly did he mean by “overboard”? Looking closely, some of them had been crying.

As if reading the confusion on our faces, Natsumi stepped forward to explain.

“I was just so angry… I couldn’t help but shout at them. They kept spouting childish excuses—‘We didn’t mean to,’ ‘We were scared of being left out’—and I just… I couldn’t stand it anymore! Give me a break already!!!”

!?

As Natsumi recalled what happened, her tone grew increasingly agitated until it exploded into a full-on yell again.

More tears followed, from various corners of the room.

“…Another battlefield, it seems.”

“Shh! They’ll hear you!”

Hanako and Toudou… they really make a good duo.

While I was thinking about that, someone pushed their way through the crowd and walked up to me.

“…Takanashi-kun.”

How long had it been since a middle school classmate called my name?

A year? More?

It was one of the girls who’d served as class rep back then.

I genuinely didn’t remember her name—not even as a joke.

“I won’t offer excuses. I don’t expect forgiveness either. But at the very least, please let me apologize. I’m truly… sorry.”

She bent at the waist in a deep bow, clearly from the heart.

And as if that were a signal, others followed her lead, bowing in unison.

Something told me Natsumi might’ve scared—no, persuaded—them into doing it.
Still… I never thought I’d see the day these people would bow to me.

“If Natsumi told you to apologize, then you understand what your actions really meant, don’t you?”

Sara’s question was met by a girl who used to be close to Yuzuha.

“I… I really do feel awful about what we did to Takanashi-kun. I honestly want to say sorry. But… Yamazaki lied to us. And Yuzuha did too…”

“What!?”

Even Yuzuha’s own friend had called her a liar.

That single admission seemed to open the floodgates.

“He didn’t do anything wrong—I want to apologize.”

“It was Yuzuha who made him sound like a criminal! Of course we believed her. That’s just cruel.”

“Takanashi, seriously—sorry! Yeah, Yuzuha lied, but… once we started talking with others, we realized Yamazaki was…!”

“Yuzuha!! Yeah, we were wrong too, but you started all this! You owe him an apology!”

As more and more voices rose in agreement, everyone began turning on Yuzuha.

At first, she looked lost, thrown off by the shouting and unable to grasp what was happening. But soon, reality set in. Her eyes welled up—and then she broke down crying.

Well… as far as I’m concerned, you’re all guilty.
That’s honestly how I felt.

Even so, people who had once been relatively close to me in middle school were now apologizing, one by one, and I found myself busy responding to them.

“Kazunari… I’m really sorry! I know this sounds like an excuse, but… back then, if you spoke out, they said they’d come after you next…”

I understood full well. It all started with Yamazaki’s scheming and Yuzuha’s lies.

But hearing apologies now didn’t mean much. I just nodded vaguely, feeling… nothing.

While things were relatively calm around me, it seemed things were escalating around Yuzuha.

“Don’t ever contact us again!”

“Apologize to Takanashi-kun!!”

She was being utterly bombarded, and honestly, it was painful to watch.

At the same time, though, it felt eerily familiar.

No one would listen. Any time I opened my mouth, I was branded a criminal, a villain. And then… everyone disappeared.

That was my experience—exactly.

The only difference?

I had been innocent.
Yuzuha… brought it upon herself.

Betrayed by her friends, and now being treated like a criminal—

Yuzuha now looked completely crushed, just like I once had.

But why were they all brought here in the first place? Was there a reason behind it?

The answer came from a voice I didn’t expect—from the shadows.

“Yuzuha… do you understand, even a little, what Kazunari went through?”

Stepping out was none other than my best friend.

He’d said he’d be acting alone today. It seems whatever he planned… was now complete.

Just what was he doing?

“Yuuji…”

“I was the one who arranged to bring back your old classmates. If we really want Yuzuha to reflect, then the fastest way is to have her feel what you felt.”

It seemed that Yuuji had grasped the situation that had unfolded just moments ago.

It wasn’t hard to imagine what might happen once the deception came to light.

Still… to be honest, I thought that once Yuzuha learned Yamazaki’s true nature, she would be more willing to listen.

But the reality was far from that… Maybe I really am too naive…

“Well… you’ve always looked after Yuzuha, haven’t you? Because of that, you probably can’t help but feel responsible for her—like a guardian.”

Those words felt like they were trying to justify my feelings.

At the same time, though, it also felt like he was subtly telling me I was being too soft.

“Sasagawa-san, if I may ask… what do you really think about Kazunari-san?”

Sara’s question, prompted by Yuuji’s comment, struck right at the heart of the matter.

Back when we were kids, it was different. But by the time we were in middle school—especially by our third year—I started to feel like she found me a nuisance.

“…Kazunari played with me when I didn’t have any friends. He was always by my side. I… I really liked him.”

Yuzuha’s response came surprisingly honestly. Although, it might’ve been because she didn’t want to be scolded by Sara.

And yet… she spoke in the past tense.

“If you cared about him that much, how could you do something so cruel? Didn’t you feel even a shred of guilt toward Kazunari-san!?”

“Because… everyone else dyed their hair and wore different uniforms! I wanted to do those things too, but Kazunari was always the only one who got mad at me! I hated it! It was annoying! Then I heard he even hit Kazuma-kun—the boy I liked—because he couldn’t stand that I liked someone else! He always got in the way of everything I wanted to do. That’s why he’s also at fault!!”

Yuzuha’s words spilled out as if a dam had broken.

So that’s how she really felt…

Back then, I only wanted her to go back to the way she used to be.

That’s why, whenever we talked, I always found myself saying things—criticizing her, trying to correct her.

Looking back now, maybe all of that was just me pushing my own ideals onto her.

If Yuzuha had truly wanted to change, in any form… then my interference must’ve only felt like an obstacle.

“Then someone said Kazunari was a stalker… and everyone started treating me more kindly. I was already sick of Kazunari being so persistent, so I just said… yeah, he’s like a stalker…”

Yuzuha’s voice wavered as she recalled each moment, piecing together the past little by little.

At the very least, it was clear now that she had her own reasons—her own triggers that led to all of this.

Even if I have things to reflect on myself, that doesn’t mean everything she did can be forgiven.

“Kazuma-kun listened to me… He said he understood how I felt. But then said we couldn’t be close because Kazunari kept getting in the way. That’s when I thought… it’s happening again. Kazunari’s interfering with someone I care about again…”

It seemed she’d fallen deeper under Yamazaki’s influence than I’d ever imagined.

Still, to say all of this now… It was infuriating to listen to.

In her heart, she probably still thinks it’s everyone else’s fault, not hers.

Even though so many people tried to help her…

Enough already…

“That’s enough!!”

!?

A sudden shout echoed through the room.

It came from somewhere in the shadows—where Yuuji had just been hiding moments before. Before I could even process it, someone darted out from there.

That person rushed straight to Yuzuha—and slapped her across the face.

Smack!

Everyone froze from the shock of what just happened. The woman who slapped Yuzuha then turned to face me—and bowed deeply.

“…Kumiko-san.”

Of course, I recognized her instantly.

Yuzuha’s mother—Sasagawa Kumiko.

A single mother who had raised Yuzuha on her own.

“…Mom? Why are you… here…?”

Yuzuha clutched her cheek in disbelief, stunned by the sight of her mother standing in front of her.

“I already spoke to Kumiko-san,” Yuuji explained. “She had a feeling that Yuzuha might have done something to you.”

His explanation wasn’t surprising. In fact, I’d already suspected as much.

And now it was clear—this was why Yuuji had gone off on his own.

“I understand that you’ve always looked out for Yuzuha—that it’s in your nature. But isn’t it strange that only you, someone outside the family, are carrying that burden? What’s the point of a family that does nothing while someone else suffers? That’s why I brought her here. Just how long are this mother and daughter planning to keep dragging Kazunari through this misery? Enough is enough!!”

Yuuji’s voice thundered across the room as he turned his fury on Kumiko and Yuzuha.

“Kazunari-kun… I’m so sorry. I heard everything from Tachibana-kun on the way here. I saw the video, met the man claiming to be Yuzuha’s boyfriend, and watched the exchange between you and Yuzuha. I don’t know how I can ever apologize to you… I truly am sorry…”

Tears welled in Kumiko’s eyes as she bowed her head again and again, full of shame.

Not only to me—but to Yuuji, to Sara, to everyone in the room—she apologized one by one, deeply and sincerely.

Once she had finished, she turned back to me and continued.

“To be honest, what Yuzuha did was so cruel that I don’t even know where to begin in making it up to you. But as her mother, I’ll be by her side every step of the way—and I’ll be there with her to apologize to you. And to your parents, too. But more than that, I want her to make amends in a way you can accept.”

Her tone and eyes told me she wasn’t just saying that—she meant it.

“Mom!? What are you talking about—?!”

“I will take full responsibility. Yuzuha did something terrible, and I want you to decide how she should be punished—something that Kazunari-kun can live with. I know I’m in no position to make such a request, but… please, as much as possible… I promise she’ll follow through. Please…”

It was an outrageous request.

And yet, Kumiko-san stood firm, her expression set in stone as she met my eyes and gave a resolute nod.

If she’s serious…

Then what I ask for is—…