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とある街、とある高校で、一般的にいじめられっ子と呼ばれる生徒がいた。
とは言っても別に机に落書きとか文具を隠されるとか暴行を振るわれるとかベタないじめを受けてはいない。されているとすれば、仲間外れや暴言といった物。
味方はおらず、友達もいない。そんな状況下で、毎日行なわれるいじめの数々、関わろうとする者はいなかった。
その生徒曰く、その理由はとても真面目な生徒そのものと言って良い程一般的な物だった。
―――皆勤賞って中々に魅力的だよね
これだけの事。たったこれだけの理由で彼は高校に入ってから現在までの二年と少しの間、学校へ通い続けているのだ。
あたかも、いじめなんて受けていないかのように。
「あー......今日は転校生を紹介する」
そんな日々を過ごす生徒のクラスに、転校生がやってきた。
気だるそうな雰囲気で、髭が似合う中年の教師が黒板に名前を書き記し、教室の外に待たせていたであろう転校生を教室に入れた。
黒板に書かれている名前は、『篠崎しおり』。
入ってきた生徒は名前から察する通り女子の制服を着ていた。腰ほどまでの長く黒いストレートヘアーに、やや猫目の好奇心旺盛そうな笑顔、俗に言う美少女という呼び方が似合う女生徒だった。
その証拠に、クラスの男子は全員彼女の人懐っこい笑顔に見惚れ、女子は女子で可愛いと素直にそう思った。
(可愛い子だなぁ)
虐められっ子の生徒もまた、薄っぺらい笑みを浮かべながらそう思った。
そして、入ってきた女生徒、篠崎しおりはにぱっと笑って軽く頭を下げ、自己紹介する。
「神奈川から転校してきました、篠崎しおりって言います! よろしくお願いします!」
短い自己紹介だったが、その笑顔と良く通る声が更にクラスを魅了した。
そして少し間が空いた後、クラスから彼女を迎え入れる拍手が起こった。
「あーはいはい落ちつけー......質問とかは後でするように。えーと篠崎の席は......チッ......薙刀の隣だ」
「えーと、ああはい。あの空いてる所ですね!」
薙刀、というのは虐められっ子の名字だ。篠崎しおりは遠くを見る様におでこに手を当てて、虐められっ子の席と昨日の内に設置された彼女の席を見た。
クラス全員が、可愛らしい篠崎の隣が虐められっ子である事に不満を持ち、睨む様に虐められっ子を見た。だが、めんどうくさがったクラスが桔音に押し付けて机を運ばせたのだから仕方ない。
そして篠崎はそんな視線の中をすたすたと歩いて一番後ろの窓側から二番目の席に座る虐められっ子の隣にある窓側一番後ろの席に座った。
「えーと、私篠崎しおりって言います。よろしくね!」
篠崎はそう言って隣に座る少年に人懐っこい笑顔を向けた。クラスの視線は少年に向けられる。
少年はそんな視線を物ともせず、篠崎とは対象的に薄っぺらな笑顔を作って返した。
。皆勤賞を狙ってる以外は真面目な青少年だよ」
クラスの視線は、まるで気持ち悪い物を見る様な物だった。
それから二週間程経った。
転校生である篠崎しおりは既に、自分の場所を作りクラスの中では中々人気の存在になっていた。
休み時間になれば彼女の周りには人が集まり、放課後になれば毎日のように遊びに誘われる、そんな存在になっていた。
また、その可愛らしい容姿から男子からの告白を受けることも多々あるようだ。未だ彼女が誰かと付き合っているといった事実はない。
「おはよ! きつねさん!」
「おはよう、しおりちゃん。今日も元気だね、うっとおしい位だ」
「アッハ! 結構辛辣!」
こうしたやり取りを、二人は毎日毎日行なっている。薙刀は普段、周囲から平仮名で『きつね』と呼ばれている。飄々として掴みどころが無いからというのを、昔話で言うところの狐と結び付けたのが由来だ。
転校生でそういったことに疎いしおりは、それを愛称と勘違いし周囲と同じ様にそう呼ぶ様になった。
「今日の宿題やってきた? 数学の先生宿題忘れたら厳しいもんね!」
「やって来たよ。答えは全部2xだ」
「もう、そんなわけないじゃ―――ホントに全部2xって書いてる!?」
他愛のないやり取り、だが桔音にとっては他の生徒達と違って自分に友好的なこの少女を少しだけ特別に思っていた。
とはいっても別に恋をしているとかそういう事では無く、友達として好意的な相手という事だ。
また、しおりにとっても桔音は少し特別な存在だった。周囲の桔音への態度から彼がいじめに遭っている事は分かっている。転校前に居た学校でもいじめに遭った生徒はいたし、良く相談に乗った物だったからだ。
だが桔音はしおりの知っている虐められっ子とは違って、いじめに遭っているのにも拘わらず、笑っているのだ。
それが少しだけ今までと違い、何処か特別に思えた。
「あ、そういえばきつねさんって、私の引っ越し先の家の隣に住んでるよね?」
「確かに僕の家の隣に見知らぬ誰かが先日引っ越してきたのは確かだね」
「私この前きつねさんが隣から出てくるのを見たんだ!」
「成程、それならきっと僕の家は君の家の隣なんだろうね」
しおりは向日葵の様な笑顔で桔音と談笑する。その表情は本当に楽しそうで、反対に不気味な薄ら笑いでいる桔音とは反対にしおりの態度はとても好意的だった。
「だからね、今日から一緒に帰らない? 出来れば登校も!」
「いいよ。美少女と一緒に登下校なんて、これほど嬉しい事は無いからね! 世の男子共、ざまあみろ!」
「び、美少女だなんてそんな、照れますなぁ」
しおりは頬を朱に染めて頬を掻いた。その姿はクラスの男子を再度釘付けにする。そして桔音はそんな男子達から嫉妬と侮蔑の視線を向けられて、なおさら陰で悪口を叩かれる様になった。
勿論、しおりも桔音の作られた悪い噂を耳にしているし、近づかない方がいいとも言われたこともある。
だがしおりはそんな言葉を無視して桔音の下へ歩み寄っている。その事も周囲の苛立ちを買った。だがその矛先はけしてしおりには向かわず、全て桔音に向かっていった。
そして、そんな二人がクラスから孤立するのには、余り時間は掛からなかった。
しおりが転校してきてから三ヵ月、二人の関係は隣の席の相手から親友と言えるほどに深まっていた。登下校を共にし、昼食や休み時間では殆ど一緒に談笑している。
桔音の誕生日にはしおりが狐のお面をプレゼントしたり、しおりの誕生日には桔音が本のしおりをプレゼントしたり、一緒に遊びに行く事もざらだった。
もはや、周囲の間では既に付き合っているのでは? という噂も立っていた。桔音としても、しおりとしても、そんな日々が楽しく、幸せだった。最高の学校生活だと感じていた。
だが、そんな日々を送る二人の幸せは長く続かなかった。
その日は、桔音が熱を出した日だった。皆勤賞を狙う身としては、休めないと強がっていつもどおりしおりと学校へ向かう桔音。
しかし、桔音の調子が悪い事くらい親友であるしおりにはすぐに分かった。それでもなお止めなかったのは、桔音が興味がある事が皆勤賞位しかなかったからだ。
「大丈夫? きつねさん」
「大丈夫だよ、しおりちゃん。僕は元気だし、熱が38度ある訳もないし、寒気も吐き気もないし、学校に行けない訳もない」
心配するしおりをよそに、桔音は自身の靴箱を開けてそう言う。
「!」
「どうしたの?」
「いや、なんでもない」
桔音はそう言って上履きを取って、靴箱に入っていた手紙をポケットに入れた。そしてすたすたと教室に入り、自身の席に座る。しおりも続くように隣に座った。
「......無理しないでね?」
「無理なんて人生でした事がないよ」
すぐに授業は始まった。中年の教師はいつも通りに授業を始め、生徒は静かにノートを開く。隠れて話している者もいるが、比較的静かな時間が過ぎて行く。
そんな中、桔音は手紙をポケットから出して開く。内容は、今日の放課後体育倉庫に来いという物だった。それが示してるのは、今まで暴力には手を出さなかった周囲が、遂に暴力を振るう事を決めたという事。桔音は手紙をくしゃっと丸めてポケットに戻した。
(......今日はとことんツイてないみたいだなぁ。いや、寧ろ憑いてるのかな?)
桔音は軽口を叩くようにそう心の中で呟き、遅れてノートを開いた。
そして、不幸な時間はすぐに訪れる物で、気が付けば放課後になっていた。桔音は普段通りしおりを連れて帰ろうとしたが、隣にしおりがいない。何処へ行ったのかと探してみるが、やはり姿が見えなかった。
少しだけ、嫌な予感がした。また、その予感の心当たりもあった。
「......まさかとは思うけど」
呟いて、ふらふらと足をある場所へ向ける。朝にあった手紙の待ち合わせ場所、体育倉庫だ。
「失礼しまーす」
体育倉庫は玄関のすぐそばにあるので、時間もかからず辿り着いた。
中に入ると、そこには確かにしおりが居た。
但し、手足を縄跳びで縛られ、ガムテープで口を塞がれ、クラスの男子三名に身体を自由に触られている状態で。
「随分と妙な格好だね、しおりちゃん」
「んー!!」
制服がズタボロに破られている事から、上半身はほぼ裸で下着位しか隠す物がなかった。また、スカートも切り裂かれているので、ピンク色のパンツが見え隠れしている。
そんな状態でクラスの男子三名が好き勝手に胸や尻を触っている。手が身体の至る所へ動く、その度にしおりは抵抗し、もがいた。
「へへへ、おいきつねェ。最近お前篠崎と仲良くしてるよなァ? ムカつくんだよ。だから二度と篠崎に近づけねぇ様に教育してやる」
「おいおい名前も知らない男子A君。男の嫉妬は見苦しいぜ?」
「ハッ、嫉妬じゃねぇよ。お前には見合わないから篠崎は俺が貰ってやるって事だ」
「むー!」
正直、しおりは桔音にここから逃げて欲しかった。
熱が38度あって、寒気や吐き気があるのに平常通りに振る舞う事がどれだけ辛い事か、想像出来ないからだ。普通なら寝て休むべきの状態なのだから。
それに、自分がどんな目にあってとしても、桔音が傷を負う様な光景は見たくなかった。
「成程、独占欲という奴か。いいね、そういう所は気にいったよ。でも僕としては親友であるしおりちゃんがそんなふしだらな目に遭うのは見逃せないな」
「アン? 抵抗するってか、いいねぇ......オイ、お前らやっちまえ」
「へへへ」
「前々からぶん殴ってやりたかったんだよ」
リーダー格の男の指示で、二人の男子が桔音に近づく。しおりはそれを止めようと声を上げるが、ガムテープのせいで言葉にならない。
「おいおい、そうカリカリするなよ。落ちついて話をしようぜ?」
近寄って来る男子達に、桔音はそう言って薄ら笑いを浮かべる。
すると、男子達はその笑顔に気味の悪さを感じて足を止めた。感じるのは恐怖、それも目の前の桔音からは何も感じないのに、心の内側から湧き上がる様な、そんな恐怖心。
「で、なんだっけ? しおりちゃんが欲しいんだっけ? あはは、それで? 君達三人いるわけだけど、僕を殺したら今度は仲間内で殺し合いでもするつもりかな? それとも三人でしおりちゃんを愛するんだ! とても言うつもりなのかな?」
一歩、桔音が前に踏み込んできた。
「あはは、笑っちゃうね。いやいや可笑しい......滑稽過ぎて、反吐が出る。いいかお前ら良く聞けよ?」
そう言って、もう一歩。そして涙を浮かべるしおりを一瞥して、ゆらぁっと不気味に口端を吊り上げる。
「―――女の子を泣かせた時点で、お前らに人を愛する権利はねぇよ」
もう一歩、それで恐怖に硬直した男子の一人の目の前まで踏み込んだ。この中で一番背の低い桔音は、その男子の顔を覗きこむ様に見上げる。鼻と鼻がくっつくほどに顔を近づけ、薄ら笑いを浮かべながら男子の瞳に自分を映す。
男子は、桔音から目が離せなかった。いや、視線を逸らしたいのに、桔音の放つ異様で不気味な迫力が、それを許さない。
隙だらけだというのに、リーダーの男子も、もう一人の男子も、何も口出し出来ないでいる。共通しているのは、その頬に嫌な汗を滲ませていること。
「君はどうかな? 僕を殺してしおりちゃんを三人で手に入れたとして、そこのリーダー君が君が満足する様にしおりちゃんとの時間をくれると思う? 手に入れるために僕を排除しようとする奴だぜ? そんな小さい器の男が、折角手に入れた女を他の男と一緒に居させるかなぁ?」
「ッ......あ......!」
「どうしたの? 顔色悪い見たいけど、大丈夫? 心配だなぁ、保健室に行く? 今なら僕が優しく声を掛けながら一日中つきっきりで看病してあげるけど」
見上げられる男子は、掠れた様な声を上げる。桔音の瞳が、彼の言葉が全て本気で言っていることを理解させる。
「まぁ、男に付きっきりで看病とか、嫌だけどね」
ぱっと表情を変えた後、一歩下がって男子から離れる桔音。瞬間、金縛りが解けた様にガクッと膝を着く男子。大して動いてもいないのに、呼吸を忘れていた様に荒い呼吸で酸素を吸い込む。身体中が、嫌な汗に包まれていた。
怖い、怖い、何だコレは? 本当に同じ人間か?
間違いなく、違っている。
狂いなく、狂っている。
澱みなく、澱んでいる。
この状況で、何故コイツは笑っている? こっちは三人、向こうはたった一人だ。行動に出れば、その気になれば、間違いなく勝つのはこっちの筈だ。
なのに、拳を振り上げた瞬間、睨みつけた瞬間、近づいた瞬間、死んでしまう様な恐怖がある。
「それで? 君はどうなの?」
「ヒッ......!?」
ぐりん、と首を奇怪に回してもう一人の男子の方へと顔を向けた。すると、視線を向けられた男子は一気に顔を青褪めさせる。
そして、桔音がその男子にゆっくり、身体を揺らしながら近づくと、彼は逃げ出そうとした。
「う、うわああああ!!」
だが、ここは体育館倉庫。逃げた先は壁が待っている。唯一の出入り口である扉側には、桔音がいる。逃げる以前に、行き止まりだ。男子は、壁に背中を付けて、ずるずると床に尻を着いた。
そこへ、桔音は辿り着く。男子の足の間に片足を入れて、しゃがむのではなく腰を折って、上半身を倒すようにその男子に顔を近づけた。
今度は―――見下ろすように。
「おいおい、そんなに怖がるなよ。ほら、僕の手には武器なんてないよ? 身体能力だって君達に大きく劣るし、しおりちゃんが人質になっている以上、ヘタな行動は出来ない」
「な......ぁ......く、来るな......!」
「それで、君はどうしてこんなことに手を貸しているのかな? そこのリーダー君に逆らうと怖いから? それともお金で買収された? それとも友情? しおりちゃんへの愛情?」
「ぁ......くっ......! そ、そんなの......ダチだからに、決まってんだろ......!」
「へぇ......ん?」
男子の言葉に、桔音はまた口端を吊り上げる。そしてふらふらと視線を男子の身体中へと注いだ。
すると、男子の学ランのポケットから白い封筒が見えた。桔音はそれをスルッと取ると、中身を出す。そこには、一万円札が三枚入っていた。
あはは、と笑って桔音はそれを後方へと放り投げる。
「買収、ね。君の友情は、お金で買えるわけだ」
そう言うと桔音は、ポケットから自分の財布を取り出した。中から、一万円札を五枚取り出す。彼の母親が与えた三ヵ月分のお小遣いだ。
「ほら、このお金をあげるよ」
「ッ......や、やめ......やめろ......」
桔音は、それを男子の手に握らせる。
「だから――」
「やめて、くれ......!」
そして、にっこりと笑って、
「―――僕とお友達になって欲しいな!」
そう言った。
「うわあああああああああああああああ!!!!」
男子は耐えられなくなって、握らされたお金を投げ捨てると、桔音を突き飛ばし、転がる様に体育倉庫から逃げ出して行った。
桔音はそれを見送りながら、お金を拾い、男子の持っていた三万円も含めて一万円札を八枚お財布に入れた。
「逃げられちゃった。そんなに僕とお友達になりたくなかったのかな? それとも、お金が足りなかったのかな? やれやれお友達料金って高いんだねぇ。まぁ、友情は尊いものだもんね!」
そしてそう言うと、桔音はくるっとリーダーの男子を見る。膝を着いた様子の男子を一瞥したものの、最早行動する気力は無いらしく項垂れている。
「......っ......て、テメェ......! こいつがどうなっても良いのかよ!?」
リーダーの男は、桔音を近寄らせないようにしおりを抱き寄せると、腰に差していたらしいナイフを取り出し、しおりの首に突き付けた。手は震え、ガチガチと歯が鳴っている。精神的には、かなり追いつめられていた。
桔音はそれを見てぴたりと足を止める。
「ああ......そうか、やっぱり駄目だね。お前はやっぱり駄目だ」
「な、何がだよ! 黙れ!」
「そんなナイフをしおりちゃんに突き付けて、愛だの恋だの好きだの良く言えたね。あはははっ! うんうん、笑い過ぎて頭痛くなってきた」
桔音は、また一歩ずつ足を前に進める。しおりにナイフが突き付けられているというのに、何故進めるのか、リーダーの男子は切羽詰まって呼吸が乱れる。
「あのさぁ、君がどんな覚悟で......どんな気持ちでこんな行動に出たのか知らないけどさぁ......正直不愉快なんだよね、僕は面倒事は嫌いなんだよ。まぁ、僕は真面目で、健全で、優秀で、風紀的な模範生徒だから、君みたいなあからさまに社会不適合者に立ち向かうけど、そのナイフ......あと数cmでも動かしてみろ―――」
「あ、ああ......あああ、あああああ!!」
「―――一生後悔させてやる」
「ああああああああああああああああああああ!!!!!」
そんな音がした。布団の上に倒れた時の様な、クッションを叩いた様な、そんな軽い音がした。
そして、体育倉庫の地面に、赤い色が広がる。ぶしゅぶしゅと何かが噴き出す音が響き、三人の身体を赤く染める。
「あ......は......ははは......アハハハハハッ! 終わりだっ......俺の勝ちだ! ざまぁみやがれぇぇえ!!!! アーッハハハハ!!」
リーダーの男子が狂ったように笑う。精神が何かに押し潰されたのか、自棄になったように笑っていた。
その視線の先、しおりの見開かれた瞳の先、そこには、右の胸下辺りにナイフが深く突き刺さった桔音がいた。出血が酷く、噴き出すように血が出ている。そして、桔音の顔の半分は、自分の血で赤く染まっていた。
「............あーあ、痛い、イタイ、痛いなぁ......こんなに血が出てる」
「ッ!? な、なんで......なんでそんな平気そうなんだよぉぉおお!!?」
「ごふっ......まぁ、いいか。で、満足したかなリーダー君? 念願叶って僕にこうしてナイフを突き刺した訳だけど」
桔音は、それでも笑っていた。嗤っていた。嘲笑っていた。血を止める訳でも無く、薄ら笑いを浮かべたまま、血塗れの顔でリーダーの男の顔を見上げていた。
「あぁ......なんなんだよ......お前............気味悪ぃんだよ......お前、マジで人間かよ......!」
「僕? そうだねぇ、僕は真面目で、健全で、皆勤賞を狙っている以外は普通の人間だよ? 僕からしたら、君達の方がよっぽど化け物に見えるけどね」
桔音は首を傾げ、そう言う。
「僕を迫害し、僕を殴り、僕を虐め、僕に暴言を吐き、味方もしてくれない。果ては僕の存在を否定し、いない者として扱い、都合が悪くなればこうして存在自体を消そうとする。とことん僕に優しくない世界だ。でも平気だよ? 僕にとってソレは日常で、僕は日常を楽しんでいるから」
桔音は血塗れの手でナイフを己の身体から引き抜き、溢れ出る夥しい血を意にも介さず、リーダーの男の顔をもう一方の手で掴んだ。
「っ......ぐ......!?」
「だからさ、君も僕の日常を楽しんでくれよ。きっと楽しいぜ? ナイフで顔を抉られるのは。味方もいない、助けてくれる人もいない、いつか皆君の事を忘れて、君の存在はこの世界からさくっと消えるよ。君が僕に対してやろうとしたことだ。ほら、凄く
「うあ......やめろ......やめ......悪かった......謝る......すまなかったよぉ......助けてくれよぉおお!!」
ナイフを近づけてくる桔音に、リーダーの男子は涙を流しながら謝る。必死に死にたくないと懇願する。
だが、桔音は口端を吊り上げ不気味に嗤ってこう言った。
「そう言って命乞いをしてきた人達に、お前は何をした? って言われる悪役が、僕の将来の夢だよ!」
ぐさり、ナイフが男子の目玉を抉った。
それから数分後、リーダーの男子は、項垂れていた男子に連れられて、逃げていった。目玉に刺さったナイフはそのままに、血を流しながら教師の所へと向かったらしい。
そして、体育倉庫に残った桔音はしおりに抱えられる形で倒れていた。呼吸は荒く、先程までの笑顔は弱々しい物になっていた。
「っはぁ......! はぁ......! は、はは......怪我は、無いかい? しおりちゃん......」
「私よりきつねさんの方が重傷だよ!」
「その、元気が有れば......大丈夫かな? いてて、これはもう無理っぽいかなぁ......」
桔音はそう言って倒れる。しおりは急いで桔音に駆け寄って、血に汚れるのも気にせずその身体を支えた。どうすればいいのか分からない程、桔音の身体は致命傷で、血があり得ない程溢れ出ている。抑えても止まらない。自然と涙が零れた。
桔音はしおりの表情を見て薄く笑う。
「おいおい、泣くなよ......僕は君を助ける為に、来たんだぜ? 此処は笑う所......だ」
「きつねさんが死にそうになってるのに笑えないよ......!」
しおりはそう言って、ハッと気付いた様に携帯を取り出し、救急車を呼んだ。そしてなんとか救急隊員の指示に従って桔音の意識が途切れない様に話し掛け続ける。
「きつねさん......! 死んだら駄目だよ!」
「しおりちゃんらしくないね......僕は君が元気に笑ってる方が、好きだよ......っぅ......!」
「きつねさん! しっかりして、私はまだきつねさんと居たいよ!」
「は、はは......」
正直な所を言えば、桔音の身体は既に手痛いダメージを負っている。
刺さったナイフは偶然か分からないが肝臓を突き破っていた。なにより出血量が激しい。しかも熱が出ている中でそんなダメージを受けたのだ、満身創痍以上に満身創痍だ。意識があることが不思議なくらいだ。本当なら即死してもおかしくない。
最早、助かる可能性は皆無といって良かった。桔音もそれを自分で理解していた。
「しおりちゃん。僕は君に......感謝してるんだ。こうして最期に君みたいな子が付き添ってくれるんだ、これほど幸せな事は......無いよ」
「最後なんて言わないで! これからもっと遊ぼうよ! 一緒に何処かに遊びに行って、一緒に笑って......それで......!」
「......そうだね.........それじゃあ僕の怪我が治ったら、一緒に遊園地にでも行こうか......さぞ楽しいだろう......から、ね」
桔音はそう言って、笑った。しおりはそんな迄音に対して、涙を流しながら向日葵の様ににぱっと笑った。
外からは救急車の音が聞こえてくる。
「そう、だね......絶対、一緒に行こう。だから、早く怪我を治さないとお仕置きだからね」
「ははは......それだ......その笑顔......僕はしおりちゃんのその顔が.........好きだよ......」
体育倉庫のドアが開き、救急隊が入ってくる。三人の男子生徒と桔音はすぐに運ばれていく。しおりは桔音を追って救急車に乗せられた。
苦しそうに横たわる桔音の手を握り、懸命に無事を祈った。
(あーあ......もうちょっとで良いから、生きていたいなぁ......しおりちゃんの膝枕なんて、人生史上一番幸せな時間だよ......なんてね)
―――だが、彼の生きたいという願いは叶わない。病院に運ばれた彼は、早々に息を引き取った。
少年はその命を終え、少女は果たされない約束を胸に、何時までも泣き続けたのだった。
Prologue
In a certain high school, in a certain city, there was what you would call your standard bullied kid.
But even if you call him that, it's not like he would find graffiti all over his desk or have his stationeries stolen or anything like that. He wasn't physically assaulted, or harassed in some cliche fashion. It's just that he was isolated and on the bad end of some harsh remarks.
Without any comrades, or any to call friends. And within that situation, with such minor acts of harassment done to him every day, there was no one to get involved for his sake.
When asked for the reason, that boy gave a response befitting a standard, diligent student.
-- The perfect attendance award looks kinda appealing, doesn't it?
That was all. For a reason as simple as that, from the start of high school to the two years plus a bit he had been enrolled, he continued to come every day.
It was as if he wasn't on the receiving end of any cruelty.
"Ah... today, we'll be introducing a transfer student."
And in the class of that boy, whose everyday life was as it was, a single transfer student appeared.
The middle-aged teacher-who gave off a listless impression and looked as if a beard would suit him-began writing the transfer's name on the blackboard, as he invited her into the classroom.
The board displayed the characters for the name {Shinozaki Shiori} .
Just as the name would imply, the student that entered the room was wearing a female uniform. She had straight hair that extended to her lower back, cat-like eyes, and a smile brimming with curiosity. It was a female student one would commonly refer to as a Bishojo.
As evidence, the class's male population were entranced by her friendly smile, and the females honestly thought to themselves that the girl before them was cute.
(She's cute...)
A thin smile floated on the bullied kid's face as he thought this.
And the female student who entered, Shinozaki Shiori, suddenly burst into laughter as she lowered her head. She began her self-introduction.
"I just transferred here from Kanagawa, and I'm Shinozaki Shiori! I hope we get along!"
It was a short intro, but her smile and her clear voice were enough to make the class fascinated with her.
And after a brief instance of silence, the class began to give their applause to welcome her in.
"Ah, yeah, yeah, calm down... you can ask your questions later. Um, Shinozaki's seat is.... Dammit... It's next to Naginata."
"Um, ah yes. That open one over there, right!"
Naginata was the last name of that bullied child. Shinozaki Shiori put her hand horizontally across her forehead as if to look at something from afar, as her seat, which had been installed the day before, and the bullied kid's seat came into view.
The entire class had some dissatisfaction that that bullied kid was going to be the one sitting next to such a cute girl, and they began to direct glares at him. But having thought it was a hassle, they had pushed the job of carrying the desk there on that kid in the first place, so they couldn't say anything about it.
And Shinozaki briskly walked through those stares, and took her seat next to the bullied kid who was in the very back, one seat away from the window. She sat in the back window seat.
"Um, I'm called Shinozaki Shiori. Nice to meet you!"
Shinozaki said that as she directed an amiable smile at the boy sitting adjacent to her. The class's gaze was now directed at him.
But without paying their eyes any regard, he returned a response with a faint smile on his face.
"Yeah, my name is Naginata Kitsune. Besides aiming for perfect attendance, I'm just a normal diligent student."
The class looked at him as if he were something disgusting.
About two weeks passed.
The transfer student Shinozaki Shiori had already built a place for herself in the class and had become quite a popular entity.
When break time came around, people would gather around her desk, and when the end of the day came, they would always casually invite her to hang out. Something along those lines.
Due to her appearance, she even received numerous confessions of love from the boys, but there were no signs that she was currently going out with anyone.
"Mornin' Kitsune-san!"
"Good morning, Shiori-chan. You sure are energetic today. Annoyingly so."
"Aha! You sure are bitter!"
This exchange was what took place daily now. Naginata was usually just called Kitsune. Perhaps his aloofness, and his nature unaffected by bullying, had gotten him related to a monster of old.
But for the transfer student, who was dense to such matters, it was taken as a simple nickname, and she got around to calling him that as well.
"Did you do yesterday's homework? The math teacher's harsh if 'ya forget it, right!"
"I did. All the answers were 2x."
"Hey, there's no way that's... You seriously wrote 2x down for all of them!?"
It was a simple exchange without pleasantries, but to Kitsune, the woman who treated him nicely unlike the rest of the class was just a little bit special.
Even so, it's not like he was in love or anything. She was just someone he could look on as a friend.
And for Shiori, Kitsune was also a bit special. From the others' attitudes towards him, she could tell that he was the target of some harassment. In the school she transferred from, there was bullying as well, and people often consulted her on it.
But unlike the bullied kids she knew, Kitsune kept on smiling as if nothing had ever happened to him.
And for that slight difference, he was just a bit special to her.
"Ah, now that I think about it, Kitsune-san, don't you live next to the house I'm gonna move to?"
"I believe the house next to mine was moved into by someone or another the other day."
"I definitely saw you come out from the house next to mine!"
"I see. Then I guess my house really is next to yours."
Shiori had a smile as radiant as a sunflower as she continued her idle banter with Kitsune. The girl truly seemed to be having fun, and the boy continued to have a faint smile on his face. The situation was quite favorable.
"And so, from today on, can't we, like, return together? Maybe commute here too!"
"Sure. There's nothing better than coming to school with a Bishojo. Men of the world, take that 'ya bastards."
"B-bishojo? My, you're making me blush."
Shiori scratched her crimson face with one hand. Her figure was nailed into the hearts of the boys watching. Kitsune became the target of looks of envy and contempt, and even more slander began to be spewed in the shadows behind his back.
Of course, the bad rumors of him also reached Shiori's ears, and she was told to stay away from him a few times.
But Shiori ignored those words and continued to tread up to Kitsune's side. Her actions only bought more irritation for the surroundings. But the spear of scorn never found itself pointing at the girl. It always found itself piercing into Kitsune.
And it did not take long for the two of them to be isolated from the class.
Three months after Shiori had transferred, their relations had strengthened from seat neighbors to best friends. They came to and from school together, and they were together for lunch and other breaks.
On his birthday, Shiori presented him a Kitsune face mask, and on hers, he gave a bookmark. It was common for the two to play together. (TL: Shiori can mean bookmark)
Rumors that the two were dating circulated around the school. To both Kitsune and Shiori, the days were filled with happiness. It was the pinnacle of school life.
But that happiness was short-lived.
On that day, Kitsune had a fever. In order to preserve his attendance, he stubbornly forced himself to head to school with Shiori as always.
His best friend could easily tell that something was wrong with him. The reason she didn't stop him was because apart from getting the perfect attendance award, there wasn't anything that truly interested the boy.
"Are you alright, Kitsune-san?"
"I'm fine, Shiori-chan. I'm energetic enough, and it's not like my fever's higher than 38. I don't feel cold or nauseous or anything, and it's not like I can skip school."
Turning his eyes from the worrying Shiori, Kitsune opened his shoe locker as he said this.
"!"
"What's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing."
He took out his indoor shoes and placed the letter that was inside the locker into his pocket. He briskly entered the classroom and took his seat. Shiori followed his lead and sat beside him.
"... Don't try doing anything impossible, okay?"
"I've never tried an impossible thing in my life."
Class started at once. The middle-aged teacher started teaching as normal, and the students quietly opened their notebooks. There were plenty who talked amongst themselves in secret, but time passed relatively quietly.
And in that time, Kitsune produced the letter from his pocket and opened it. The contents told him to come to the gym storage room after school. What it showed was that those who had refrained from raising their arms at him were finally going to resort to violence. Kitsune crumpled the note into a ball and returned it to his pocket.
(... It seems my luck's really running low today. No, perhaps I've been cursed or something.)
He cracked jokes at himself within his heart, as he returned to taking notes at the lesson.
And since the time of misfortunes are ones that come swiftly, school had ended before he noticed it. He rose to leave with Shiori as per usual, but she wasn't by his side. He tried to guess where she had gone, but the fact was that she was not there.
He had a bad premonition. And he had an idea of what it was about.
"... They better not be..."
He muttered to himself as he swiftly moved his feet to the designated location. The meeting point of that morning's letter: the Gym Storage.
"Sorry to intrude."
The storage room was close to the entrance, so he was able to reach it without taking too much time.
When he entered, he saw that Shiori was definitely there.
But her arms and legs were bound by ropes, there was duct tape over her mouth, and three of the class's boys were touching her body as they pleased.
"That's quite a look you have going on there, Shiori-chan."
"Nn-!!"
Her uniform had been ripped to pieces, and the upper half now barely covered more than her underwear. From the cuts on her skirt, pink colored panties were faintly visible.
In a situation like that, the three boys were happily fondling her breast and ass. Their hands moved all over her body, and every time they touched her, Shiori tried to writhe and resist.
"Hehehe, oy, Kitsune~. Aren't you getting way too close to Shinozaki lately? It pisses me off. And so I'll have to train you to never get close to her again."
"Hey, hey, person whose name I don't know, Boy A-kun. Your male jealousy is a repulsive sight to behold."
"What? This isn't jealousy. You don't suit her at all, so I'm just going to take her for myself."
"Mu-!"
Honestly, Shiori wanted Kitsune to run away.
His fever was high, and from his responses, it was clear that he had nausea and cold fits. She couldn't imagine just how hard it was for him to come here. It was a time when he should have been resting in bed all day.
And regardless of what happened to her, she didn't want to see him hurt.
"I see. So this is that desire to monopolize and dominate thingy. How nice, you've caught my attention. But for me, having you look at my best friend Shiori-chan with such vile eyes isn't something I'll let pass so easily."
"Hmm? You're going to resist us... oy, you guys go do him in."
"Hehehe"
"I've been wanting to smash his face in for a while."
The leader-ish boy gave the orders, and the other two boys approached Kitsune. Shiori raised her voice to stop them, but the tape prevented any words from forming.
"Oy, oy, don't be so angry. Can't we all calm down and talk this out?"
He addressed the approaching boys as a faint smile floated on his face.
And feeling a sense of repulsion from the smile, the boys stopped in their tracks. What they felt was fear. What's more, that fear didn't come from Kitsune, who was standing before them. It seemed to well up from the depths of their hearts.
"And what was it again? You wanted Shiori-chan or something? Ahaha, and? There are, like, three of you here, so once you kill me, are you going to start killing amongst yourselves for her? Or are you all going to love her together? Are you going to say something like that?"
Kitsune took a step forward.
"Ahaha, it's laughable. No no, this is strange... just too funny, that I might start vomiting. All of you listen here, won't you?"
Saying that, he took another step. And taking a glance at Shiori, who had tears in her eyes, he ominously raised the corners of his lips.
"--The second you made a woman cry, you lost the right to love another person."
One more step. He was right in front of one of the boys who had been consumed by fear. As he was the shortest among those present, Kitsune looked up to gaze into the boy's eyes. They were close enough that their noses could have touched, and Kitsune continued laughing as the boy saw his own eyes reflected in his.
But that boy couldn't take his eyes off Kitsune.  No, he wanted to look away, but because of the ominous pressure Kitsune released, his body didn't permit him to do so.
Even though Kitsune was full of openings to strike, the leader-ish boy and the other one weren't able to do a thing. What linked all three boys were the beads of sweat rolling down their faces.
"How about you? If you kill me, and get Shiori-chan for the three of you, do you think that leader-kun over there is going to give you enough Shiori-chan time to satisfy you? He's the type of guy who's taking me out of the picture to get his hands on her, you know? For a man of such small caliber, will he allow anyone else to be with the woman he worked so hard to get his hands on?"
"...ah...!"
"What's wrong? You look a little pale, but are you alright? I'm a bit worried. Do you want to go to the nurse's office? If you want to go now, then I'll offer kind words to you all day as I spend it carefully nursing you back to health."
The boy who was being glared at let out a broken voice. From Kitsune's eyes, he could tell that all the words he said were true.
"Not that I'd particularly enjoy nursing a guy."
The boy's expression suddenly changed as he took a step back from Kitsune. It was as if, for a moment, the paralysis binding him had been released, and he fell to his knees. Even though he hadn't done anything to expend his energy, he breathed heavily as if he had forgotten to breath for a long time. A cold sweat was breaking out all over his body.
Scary. Scary. What the hell is this? Is this thing supposed to be human?
There's no mistake that that's a mistake.
Without going mad, what is with this madness?
Without any stagnation, he forced me to stagnate.
In this situation, how can this one laugh? We have three people here, and he's alone! If we take action, if we tried in the slightest, we'd come out on top without a doubt.
Even so, the second I raise my fist, the second I glare at him, the second I approach him, it feels as if I'm going to die.
"So? How about it?"
"Hii...!?"
Kitsune's head made a strange turn as it moved to face the other boy. The boy's face turned pale in an instant.
And as Kitsune slowly approached him, with his body rocking back and forth, the boy tried to run.
"U-UWAAAAAAAAH!"
But this was a storage room, and all places he could run to would only lead to a wall. The only exit was the door, and in that direction was Kitsune. He ran into a dead-end before he could even try to escape.
And so, Kitsune reached him. He placed one of his feet between the boy's two shaking legs, causing him, not to squat, but to collapse. And Kitsune brought his face to meet the boy's.
This time... He was looking down on him.
"Hey, hey, don't be so scared. See, there are no weapons in my hands, right? My physical abilities are far below you guys, and as long as you have Shiori-chan hostage, I can't make any moves."
"N...o, don't come.... Closer!"
"Anyways, why are you guys lending your help to that guy? Is that leader-kun scary if you go against him? Did he pay you to do it? Or is it friendship? Mutual love towards Shiori-chan?"
"... Ku...! O-of course... it's 'cuz we're friends...!"
"Hm...mm?"
On the boy's words, Kitsune's smile grew even wider, and he unsteadily shifted his eyes all over the boy's body.
In the pocket of the boy's uniform, he spotted a white envelope. Kitsune casually took it out and checked the contents. In it were three 10,000Y= bills.
He laughed as he tossed them over his shoulder.
"Money, I see. So your friendship is buyable in cash."
Saying that, Kitsune produced his own wallet from his pocket. From it, he pulled out five 10,000Y=s. It was the allowance for the next three months his mother had given to him.
"Look, I'll give this money to you."
"... S-sto... stop..."
Kitsune wrapped the boy's hand around the bills.
"And so..."
"Stop, please...!"
With a wide smile...
"... I'd like it if you would be my friend!"
He said that.
"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
The boy couldn't handle it anymore. He tossed the money to the ground, pushed Kitsune aside, and tripped numerous times as he ran out of the storehouse.
Kitsune looked over the scene as he carefully collected the money on the floor, adding the boy's 30,000 to his own increasing his allowance by 60%.
"Ah, he ran away. Was he that against becoming my friend? Or could it be that I didn't have enough money? Well, well, I guess the cost of friendship is higher than it used to be. I guess it is something precious!"
And saying that, Kitsune turned to the Leader boy. The boy who had fallen to his knees didn't have the motivation to move anymore, as he simply hung his head in despair.
"... Y... y-you bastard...! Don't you care what happens to her!?"
Leader boy embraced Shiori as not to let Kitsune approach any further, as he pulled the knife hanging from his waist and held it against her neck. His hands were shaking, and his teeth clattered together. He was quite cornered mentally.
And seeing that, Kitsune suddenly stopped his feet.
"Ah... I see, as I thought, it's no good. As I thought, you're no good at all."
"T-the hell! Shut up!"
"You're going to stick that knife into Shiori-chan? Even after you went on about love or like or something of the sort? Ahahaha! Yep, it's so funny that my head's starting to hurt."
Kitsune took yet another step forward. The leader's breathing was thrown into disarray as he tried to search for why Kitsune would proceed despite the risk of Shiori being stabbed.
"Hey, you see, I don't really know... what sort of resolve or feelings you had when you took these actions... It really is quite unpleasant, and I hate troubling things. Well, I'm diligent, wholesome, academically excellent, and a model student when it comes to public morals, so I naturally have to stand against you rebellious teenage punks, but that knife... try moving it a few more centimeters..."
"A-ah... AAH, AAAAAAAH!!"
"... And you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!"
That sort of sound rang out. As if someone had collapsed on their bed after a long day, as if someone was just drumming on a sofa cushion. That sort of soft sound.
And the storehouse, and its ground, began to be stained in a red color. The sound of something gushing echoed through the room, and three bodies were stained red.
"Ah... ha... hahaha.... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! It's the end... It's my win! Take that, retard!!!!! Ah HAHAHA!!"
The Leader boy broke into maddened laughter. As if his mind had been pushed to its limit, it was a hollow laugh of desperation.
Before his eyes, before Shiori's wide eyes, was Kitsune, with a knife stuck into the area below the right of his chest. The bleeding was severe, and red liquid gushed out without end. And half of Kitsune's face was covered with his own blood.
"... Ah    This kinda hurts. Yeah, it hurts, ow... how is this much blood coming out?"
"!? W-why... why are you so calm!!?"
"... Well, does it really matter? So are you satisfied, Leader-kun? Your desires have been answered, and your knife has found its way through my body."
And Kitsune continued to laugh. He smiled. He sneered. The blood showed no signs of stopping, and with a faint smile, and a blood-stained face, he looked up at the leader boy's eyes.
"Ah... what the hell... you... disgusting... you, are you really human...!?"
"Me? Let's see, I'm a diligent, wholesome, human, normal in every way besides my aim to get the perfect attendance award, you know? From my point of view, you guys are much more the monsters here."
Kitsune tilted his head to one side as he calmly said it.
"You never persecuted me, you never hit me, you never bullied me, you never threw harsh words to my face, and you never helped me. You went to lengths to deny my very existence, and treated me as if I wasn't there. And when I turn out inconvenient to you, you try to erase me like so. This world really isn't kind to me, is it? But it's fine, you know? To me, this is my daily life, and I've learned how to enjoy it."
Kitsune used his bloodstained hand to grasp the knife and pull it out of his body, and tried to stop the massive amounts of blood pouring out of the wound. With the other hand, he grabbed the leader boy's head.
"... Gu... !?"
"So why don't you try enjoying my life too? It'll definitely be fun, right? Having a knife pierce through your face. You have no allies, and there's no one to save you. Someday, everyone will forget you, and your existence will quietly vanish from this world. That's what you were trying to do to me. Doesn't that sound intriguing?"
"Uah... stop... sto... I was wrong... I'll apologi... I'm sorry... please save me!!"
To Kitsune, who was slowly bringing the knife closer, the leader apologized as tears spewed out of his eyes. He desperately petitioned the heavens to prevent his own demise.
But the corners of Kitsune's mouth simply rose high, and he began to laugh.
"'And to the people who begged for their lives, what did you do?' It's my life's dream to become a villain who can pull off a line like that!"
The knife slid into the leader boy's eye socket.
A few minutes later, the leader boy took the boy who could no longer raise his head and ran. With the knife still in his eye, and with blood running down his face, he ran to find a teacher.
And for those who were left in the storage room, Kitsune was undoing Shiori's binding. His breathing was all over the place, and his smile had gotten fainter than ever.
"Hah...! Hah...! Ha-haha... Are you injured? Shiori-chan..."
"You're in a much worse state that me, Kitsune-san!"
"If you're that energetic... you're probably fine. Owowow, I think this isn't going to work out..."
He collapsed. Shiori rushed to prop his body up, ignoring the blood staining herclothes.His wound was so vital, that she had no idea what course of action to take, and there seemed to be no way to stop the gushing liquid. Even if she tried to bind it, it wouldn't stop. Tears naturally fell down her face.
Seeing her expression, Kitsune revived his smile.
"Oy, don't cry... I came here to save you, right? This is where you should be... smiling."
"I can't smile when you're on the verge of death, Kitsune-san...!"
As Shiori said that, she suddenly seemed to remember something as she took out her cellphone and called an ambulance. Following their first aid instructions, she began talking to him in order to keep his conscious afloat.
"Kitsune-san...! You can't die!"
"This doesn't sound like Shiori-chan... I like it better when you're energetic and laughing..."
"Kitsune-san! Please get a grip, I still want to be with you!"
"Ah, haha..."
To put it bluntly, Kitsune had already suffered fatal wounds.
It's unclear whether or not it was a coincidence, but the knife had penetrated his liver. What's more, the bleeding was severe. He had a fever during the whole confrontation, and the damage done to the single point was greater than if he had been hurt all over his body. It's amazing that he was still conscious. Normally, he would have died instantly.
His chances of survival were pretty much moot. And it seems the man understood it himself.
"Shiori-chan. I'm... thankful to you. For a girl like you to see me off in the end, there's nothing happier... than that."
"Don't say it's the end! Let's play more after this! Let's go out somewhere, laugh a lot together... and....!"
"... That's right... then once my wounds heal, shall we go to an amusement park.... That sounds fun..."
And Kitsune smiled. And in response, Shiori let out tears as she gave a smile as radiant as a sunflower.
From the outside, she could hear the sound of an ambulance's siren.
"That's right... we'll definitely go together. So if you don't heal up quickly, you're in for some punishment."
"Hahaha... that's the one... that smile... When you make a face like that... I love..."
The storage room's door burst open, and the emergency corps rushed in. The three male students and Kitsune were immediately carted off, and Shiori followed.
She grasped Kitsune's hand as he writhed around in pain, as she prayed for his safety.
(Ah~... just a little more, I'd like to live just a bit... a lap pillow from Shiori-chan would be the happiest, most historical, moment in all of my life...)
-- But his wish to live was not granted. He gave his last breath soon after arriving at the hospital.
The boy's life came to an end, and the girl carried a promise in her heart that would never be fulfilled for all of her life.
I Kinda Came to Another World, but Where’s the Way Home?
【書籍化】異世界来ちゃったけど帰り道何処？
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/i-kinda-came-to-another-world-but-wheres-the-way-home/
Action Adventure Comedy Drama Fantasy Harem Shounen Slice of Life
Apathetic Protagonist Bullying Calm Protagonist Demi-Humans Demon Lord Demons Dense Protagonist Fairies Game Elements Ghosts Heterochromia Knights Level System Male Protagonist Murders Naive Protagonist R-15 Royalty R*pe S*aves Sword And Magic Transported to Another World Weak Protagonist Yandere
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2650bx/
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