Masou Shoujo Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Mob Firmly Erects a Flag

“Izayoi-kun, are you okay!!!”

I run to him who has been stabbed in the abdomen. He crouches and falls. If he gets stabbed with a knife, he should be in serious condition. I have to call the hospital fast.

"Now, to the hospital"

"No, it's okay..."

"What are you saying!!"

Izayoi-kun stops me from contacting the hospital while crouching. No matter how you think about it, there's no way he's okay.

"Aah, my Goddess are you!! Beautiful!!"

The stalker man looks at me with his crazy-like eyes. A feeling of rejection and anger dominated me just by being seen with those eyes.

"I have defeated the man who follows you around." (The stalker)

"Just what is it with you!?"

I turned my face toward the stalker in anger. Power naturally enters my fists. At this rate, he might end up dying.

I... I'll protect him.

Then the next moment when I made up my mind...

"I am he, the one who loves you―*BUWAAA*!"

――Izayoi-kun's straight fist sank into the man's face.

"Eeh!? Izayoi-kun, you were okay!?"

"Yes"

"But, you were stabbed by the knife..."

"It's okay. I have four Japanese dictionaries under my clothes."

"Eeeeeeeeeeehhh!!??"

Four Japanese dictionaries spilled and fell out of the shirt inside his uniform. One of them has a mark from being stabbed by the knife.

I suppose it was good result-wise that those books took the damage, but even if they did, would you normally put them under your clothes, I wonder?

"I went punching him on the spur of the moment... That was my first time punching someone... It's self-defense, so it's fine, I guess..."

He is flustering about something. Is he amazing or not amazing? Strong? Or not strong? I don't really get it. However, the stalker seemed to have fainted, and the progression after that was simple.

The stalker was arrested after police arrived. 

We explain the situation. The policeman had a very dubious look on his face. The reason is his belongings. Spicy water gun, electric gun, and four Japanese dictionaries. He explains the situation, even while being hasty about it.

While we were doing various things, the time now turned 8pm. Then the two of us walk the way home together.

"Izayoi-kun"

"What is it?"

"So you were always by my side to protect me."

"Well, I suppose you could say that."

One wrong step and you might be dead. Yet he told me as if it was no big deal. Hearing that makes something surge up within me.

"Why!? We just met, I've been saying terrible things to you, and there are even weird rumors at school you know!!"

"Aren't you the only one who's hurt!! Even at the time with those delinquents, you're the only one hurting!!"

When I raise my voice, he gives a wry smile, like he's troubled.

"Please calm down. It's not even something you need to raise your voice about like that, you know?"

"It is something I need to raise my voice about!!"

Something that had been in the bottom of my heart for so long was about to come out. Something I don't want to think about anymore.

A failed, betrayed past. Even though it's not something I should say to people, it naturally spills and falls in drops from my mouth.

"I... once defended a friend and was betrayed."

The smile disappeared from his face when I started talking.

"I shielded my close friend from bullying, and then I was made to become the next target."

"Gindou seems to be doing compensated dating."

"Seriously!? Wonder if she'll give one chance?"

"There's also a rumor she's a slut, so maybe it'll work out?"

I could hear the boys talking. I was hurt by the sexually strange looks I received because of baseless rumors.

"She's getting carried away just because she's cute, right?"

"I've always thought she was annoying, you know?"

Also shunned by the girls, and as if to let me hear them, I was slandered.

But, if it's that I somehow endured. What hurt me the most was...

"Weren't we close friends?"

"I've always thought Kohaku-chan was annoying you see."

"Even her close friend is hating her, LOL."

"Real straight!!"

Was when my close friend, the one I covered for, got together with them and was badmouthing me.

"That's why, I've decided to live by self-interest without trusting anyone anymore!! I've decided not to trust friendship or goodwill or any of those kind of things!!"

"Yet, when I look at you, it makes me want to reach out for it again. It makes me end up thinking that, 'perhaps if I were to follow this person.'"

"Even though back then I believed in it, fought with courage, and had failed in vain......"

I threw everything out. 

Tears were falling from my eyes and my shoulders were shaking.

What will he say when he sees me like this? Then, I thought I ended up saying things that was quite difficult to reply, but...

――He responded right back.

"It's not in vain whatsoever, and I don't think you've failed either, you know."

My eyes widened.

"It's true that you were betrayed by your close friend, who was being bullied and might have had a hard time afterward. But, I think neither it was in vain nor even a failure."

"How...? How can you say that?"

"There are people who held admiration for Gindou-san's figure when she moved to save someone, and there were people whose hearts were shaken and encouraged. That time Gindou Kohaku, who reached out her hand for someone no matter how much she was hurt, must have given someone hope. I think your figure of that time was more dazzling than anything else, so beautiful, much kinder than anyone else, and cool."

Did he know? About me, of my past. There was something powerful in his words that made me end up thinking so. 

Then he looked me straight in the eye and continued his words.

"Sure, you might have been betrayed and hurt. But, for what Gindou Kohaku has done is not in vain, nor is it a failure. No matter what anyone says, that fact alone is absolute. It's me with all sorts of shadiness, but just on this please believe it."

With just those words, the door to my heart was forcibly wrenched open and tears overflowed like a collapsed dam. 

I held onto his chest and continued crying like a child for a while. 

Why I ended up embracing him I don't know. But, my body just went and moved on its own.

◆◆◆

"Do you hear!! This matter's absolutely a secret okay!!"

"I won't tell anyone about how your nose grew snotty when you separated from my uniform after you stopped crying, so please rest assured..."

"You're making fun of me right!! You've got a big grin on your mouth you know!!"

After I stopped crying, we started walking again. As usual, he said he'd walk me till home, but when I separated from him after crying, I was deathly embarrassed to find my nose grew snotty. Then he laughed, giggling, and my face turned bright red.

But after I cried out loud and threw everything I had in my heart out, I felt refreshed. Let's try to believe, one more time. Believe in his words and actions. That's reason enough to believe.

And so, as I walk with him, I smile.

....When I look at him, my heart races somewhat. I feel something I've never felt before and it makes my face hot.

I wonder, was it because I'm embarrassed about my snotty nose? No, more than that, something has?

――Something has sprouted inside me, is how it felt to me.

◆◆◆

I never thought, that to think Gindou Kohaku was following me too...

To follow after a stalker was a bold move from her. Impressive, or, how should I put it, surprising, or better.....

The reason why I stayed by her side all the time was because I could imagine well that the stalker would feel unpleasant about me always being with her, so it wasn't just to protect her but to turn the hate towards me, though.

Sure enough, all the things can't go well. 

Originally, I intended to challenge him myself. And then I was going to hand him over to the police as it was. I have myself to blame for being so surprised that I ended up letting my guard down. I should have been more adaptively responsive.

But, it was the right move to put those Japanese dictionaries under my clothes. I knew he was going to come at me with a knife, so I was prepared, but those books really saved me.

After that, I was inadvertently embarrassed when explaining it to the police. "This guy, is he a delusionist peculiar to puberty?" Having that kind of gaze directed at me was pretty tough.

What was even more unexpected after that was that she talked about her past herself. She's not the type to talk about herself after all.

I thought the things today would end with a happy ending, like a pleasant ending, so I was lost for a moment about what to say when the progression suddenly became serious, but I was also quite embarrassed to normally say those impressionistic things from my impression of the light novel.

Just how old am I? Although I'm quite old when combined with my previous life, saying exaggerated lines can be embarrassing later.

Well, Gindou Kohaku seems to have so cheered up somehow, so maybe that was good?

TL: Maza Miya

Editor: Maza Miya

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