"And... well, that’s the gist of it."
I finished explaining the general situation regarding myself, Yamasaki, and Yuzuha, finally taking a breath.
This time, I omitted the deeper psychological details I had previously shared with Sara-san—the specifics of how isolated I had been leading up to graduation. Telling the whole story would have taken far too long.
While I spoke, Sara-san stayed by my side in silence, her hand resting gently on my arm. Since everyone already knew the most important parts, I wasn't particularly anxious, but having her lean against me gave me a reassuring sense of strength. It made it much easier to speak my mind.
"So, the reason you couldn't bring yourself to take a hard line against your childhood friend Yuzuha... was it because you couldn't truly hate her, deep down?"
Natsumi-san seemed to have found a sticking point and questioned me on it.
"I can't explain it well. Looking back now, it feels like I had other options, like filing a report with the police. But at least for a while, a part of me just wanted Yuzuha to go back to the way she used to be."
Because I had watched her for so long, I understood all too well the feelings and the twisted logic that had led her astray. That’s why, no matter what she did...
"I see. By any chance, Takanashi-kun, did you actually like her?"
"――!?"
She hit the bullseye out of nowhere. Why is she so sharp about things like this? Especially when she hasn't noticed a single thing about Hayato's feelings.
"I knew it. I guess that served as an unconscious brake, huh?"
I wondered if she was right. At the very least, there was a point where my feelings shifted, and I knew I could never forgive Yuzuha for what she had done.
"U-Um, Kazunari-san..."
Sara-san spoke to me, looking profoundly uneasy. She was likely reacting to the part about me having feelings for Yuzuha.
"It’s okay. The only person I love is you, Sara-san. Besides, I’ve already decided. I’m going to crush Yuzuha... along with Yamasaki."
To reassure Sara-san and to make my resolve clear to everyone, I voiced the decision I had made moments ago.
"Crush... them?"
Perhaps because my phrasing was so extreme, Sara-san looked as though she couldn't quite grasp my true intentions. Natsumi-senpai and Hayato also seemed unsure of how to react.
"I'm sorry. I know I'm saying something outrageous. But even when I tried to forget and walk away, they still came after me. This time it was just me, but right now, there's a chance Hayato is already being targeted by Yuzuha for something. And... if anything were to ever happen to Sara-san, I..."
Whether they fully understood my reasoning or not, Natsumi-senpai and Hayato nodded. Sara-san seemed lost in thought, while Todo-san stared at me intently.
"If they’re going to be this persistent, I have no choice but to settle this. Whether it’s through the police or social ruin, I don't care. I’ll make it so they can’t do anything to us—to the point where they can't even think about bothering us again."
I knew exactly what I was saying. It wasn't a commendable way to think, and even as I spoke, I felt a sense of dissonance, as if this wasn't really "me."
I felt a flicker of fear regarding what I was about to do. That was why I swore to myself that I wouldn't do anything criminal, and I would never do anything that would make Sara-san lose respect for me... or make her cry.
Sensing my inner conflict, Sara-san, who had been listening in silence, gently embraced me.
"Kazunari-san, I do not wish for you to force yourself down a path you find frightening. However, if those two continue to exist as they are, it is obvious they will continue to commit these follies."
As she slowly stroked my head, she spoke in a calm, measured tone. I listened quietly, waiting for her to continue.
"To be blunt, I have found those two unforgivable from the very start. Between their past atrocities toward you and this current incident, I absolutely cannot forgive them for pushing the kind Kazunari-san this far. Therefore, Kazunari-san..."
She pulled back from the embrace, her hand leaving my head, so that we were looking at each other from a short distance. Sara-san looked straight into my eyes.
"I will follow your will. I also believe that leaving those two to their own devices will only lead to further grief for you in the future. In that case, I have no hesitation in eliminating them. If this is a sin, I will gladly bear it with you."
So please, move forward without fear...
That was what her eyes seemed to say. I had no intention of doing anything truly forbidden, and I swore a firm oath in my heart that I would never do anything to make her sad.
When I nodded, Sara-san smiled and hugged me once more.
"Well, the bottom line is that I just want to get revenge because I can't forgive what they did to Kazunari-san," she added in a playful tone, as if to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
That seemed to break the tension, and the expressions on the faces of Natsumi-senpai, Hayato, and Todo-san finally relaxed.
"Honestly, you two start flirting the second you get an opening! But you're right. I can't forgive those two either, and I’d love to see them get knocked down a peg."
"Yeah. Besides, even putting Kazunari aside, I’m involved in this now. Now that we know there’s a possibility Yamasaki is connected to the Sagawa incident, I can’t just stay silent."
"I have my friend to think about, so I’m with you all the way! If you're going to crush Yamasaki, that’s exactly what I want to hear!"
I felt a sense of relief seeing that everyone affirmed my resolve. Still, hearing the word "crush" come from the mouth of the cute Todo-san felt a little out of place.
...Come to think of it, Todo-san mentioned she had something to tell us, too.
"Thanks, everyone. By the way, Todo-san, did you have something to share?"
"Yes. But before that, I need to tell you about Yoko... my friend, Yoko Tachikawa. I don't think I should usually talk about a friend's private business, but in this case, I think it's necessary."
Todo-san’s expression clouded over as she began to speak, her voice low and steady.
"I first really noticed Yamasaki after Yoko told me she'd confessed her feelings and started dating him. Yamasaki was famous, so I knew the name, and at first, I even teased her about how she’d managed to snag such a handsome guy. But it turns out that even back then, Yamasaki was already seeing at least several other women."
I hadn't heard the specific numbers before, but it certainly hadn't felt like it was just one or two. Since they talked about him "keeping" girls, he must have had a sizable collection.
"There’s a chance he just dates them for fun and passes them off to other guys once he’s bored... In fact, he was about to do exactly that to Yuzuha."
"That’s disgusting. Why would he go that far...?" Natsumi-senpai muttered, her disgust plain to see.
He likely had various methods—girls from other schools, or people he met through his father, who was a company President.
"One thing is for certain: Yamasaki made a point of showing off his wealth during dates. He used to bring brand-name items to school all the time, too."
"True, I’ve seen that myself."
I remembered him showing off in the classroom. I had ignored it at the time, but looking back, it happened constantly.
"Ugh, what a sleazy guy."
"Low-level women who are swayed by money or looks are a perfect match for a trashy man, I suppose. He likely used those methods to manipulate people he couldn't usually meet at school," Sara-san remarked coldly.
I agreed with her. He probably had multiple women like that outside the school who were easy to string along.
"Anyway, Yoko didn't realize what was happening. He always picked her up in a chauffeured car for their dates, and they always went somewhere fairly far away. But one day, she happened to run into Yuzuha Sasagawa by chance..."
Because they were at the same school, he couldn't maintain the lie once they were in the same place. This was where it connected back to what had happened that morning.
"The rest is just as Takanashi-kun said. From Yoko’s perspective, he stood right there in front of Yuzuha Sasagawa and told her she was just a friend, and that she didn't know her place for acting like his girlfriend."
"At the time, Yuzuha was the center of attention for all the girls in our class. Everyone was making a fuss about how much of a tragic victim she was, so I think he chose Yuzuha because of the social benefit."
He had undoubtedly prioritized Yuzuha because she was in his class. And then he had branded Yoko-san as a delusional girl who had made it all up, pushing all the blame and social shame onto her.