Cocooned in my naive bubble of “good intentions” and “common sense.”
 
I didn’t expect the kitchen knife in his right hand. Didn’t expect him to swing it wildly in broad daylight. But it happened. Time slowed. One thing I knew for sure: the blade wasn’t aimed at me.
 
His eyes locked onto the person most precious to me—
 
But his wish didn’t come true. The knife pierced my abdomen instead.
 
(Well, he was after Saku senpai. I must’ve taken the blow shielding her. My memory’s fuzzy there.)

I learned later, the cliché of “waking up in … Read the rest

“But… you wouldn’t understand.”
 
No punch, no slap came. Maihama grabbed her check and left, her heels clicking against the floor.
 
“…Komori-kun could never understand how I feel, no matter how long he lives…”
 
He said my name and strode away without looking at me.
 
She spoke those frail words as she left, and they pierced me more deeply than fists ever could.
 
“You’re right… I don’t.”
 
More hurt than from a beating, I realized again that lecturing was something I shouldn’t do.
 

After finishing my iced coffee—melted long ago, but I drank … Read the rest

“So I want to nip the buds that could be blamed in advance. Smart, good-looking, good personality, and the humility to not show off any of those. A genuine person who can’t leave troubled people alone.”
 
In fact, the majority of people should have an impression close to that about her.
 
“Ah, this person is naturally like that, there’s no way to find fault with her. If I can make them think that, I can live peacefully…… But I figured it out. In the end, no matter how far you go, you can’t escape. As long as I am me. … Read the rest

“Why does it always turn out like this…?”
 
Stepping into the hallway, I didn’t actually head to the restroom. Instead, I stopped halfway down the stairs at the landing and let out a sigh. Of course, nothing was confirmed yet. If this was all just my delusion—some wild, baseless assumption—then that’d be for the best. But…
 
“Of course it’s gotta be now…”
 
I should always expect the worst. If Aoi Maihama’s the culprit…?
 
I didn’t say anything because I wanted to protect her privacy. Remember that promise she made me keep, embarrassed? Not about the secret … Read the rest

“Hmm hmm…… When I searched, a bulletin board that thoughtfully compiled everything came up.”
 
Saku-senpai, operating her laptop, explained the sequence of events.
 
The account in question originally just monotonously tweeted daily complaints, but they were strangely sharp-tongued and scheming. Using vocabulary unbecoming of a high school girl to curse friends and teachers, it had quietly gained popularity, but at this point still had fewer than a thousand followers.
 
One day, when criticized by someone outside their follow circle as [old man’s delusion] [even if it’s a woman, she’s ugly], she uploaded an R-15 selfie in the flow of refuting. … Read the rest

Why was she messaging me when we were in the same room? Tapping the screen while suspicious—
 
[Bored~] (+ a stamp of a cat lying on its back showing its belly)
 
It was completely meaningless message. Just say it directly… Ah, no, stop sending those cat stamps at me. How many different kinds of bored cat stamps does this girl even have?
 
[Did you swallow a bomb that’ll kill you if you make a sound?]
 
I sent the message while also giving her a glare, but Shishihara still didn’t look my way.
 
[No no (angry … Read the rest

Chapter 4 Don’t Call It Tears of the Mermaid
 

 
Hearing a hasty news caster on the morning news reporting how many consecutive days off there would be during this year’s Golden Week holiday, I realized April was already halfway over. My second year of high school had gotten off to a somewhat chaotic start, beginning with the problem of our club room being forced to vacate. I feel like I’ve already worked a full year’s worth of stress, so I’d like to take a full year’s vacation.
 
“Like that’s going to happen……”
 
After school, I headed to the club … Read the rest

Cats are fickle. I know, since we have one.
 
They rub against you sweetly, asking to be petted, then bite you outta nowhere. Probably my fault—maybe I pet them wrong. They’re affectionate to everyone, but no one can control them.
 
But that’s fine. They live freely, following their own will. Authenticity is their charm.
 
Anyway, here’s an extra afterword.
 
An ordinary Monday morning arrived as the clock ticked equally for all.
 
After the unexpected weekend work, I dragged my gloomy self to school, only to face an even worse gloom.
 
——DAAAAN!
 
A thunderous crash echoed through the classroom, silencing the … Read the rest

 
Putting together Shishihara’s interrogation:
 
O-hagi isn’t the sweet rice cake eaten during Obon—it’s the name of the cat the boy owns. The “doctor” was a vet, and after getting shots, the cat’s carrier broke, letting it escape. Chasing it, the boy found the cat but lost his mom. Hence, current predicament.
 
I thought heading to the lost child center was priority, but the boy whined about the cat, so we searched first.
 
“So this is the spot… Let’s see?”
 
We arrived at a giant globe monument in the mall’s center. Crouching, I peeked between the … Read the rest

 
“You had a fight with your closest friend and stopped talking to each other completely?”
 
“What!?”
 
She gave me a How’d you know? look, but honestly, it was just because she’s too obvious.
 
“Must be hard, navigating female friendships.”
 
“You’ve got to be the least sincere comment in human history…”
 
Honestly, I couldn’t care less.
 
“But this time, it’s not some messy girl drama or anything. Just a misunderstanding, like a wordplay mishap… Well, it was completely my fault.”
 
Wordplay usually involves shared responsibility. Nobita can handle it alone, though.
 
“Like the gathering I skipped the other day—turns out afterward … Read the rest