Chapter 2

When I opened the door, there stood my step-sister, Haruka.

She seemed flustered.

"Uh? Oh, you're late? Did you come back with Shizuka?"

I see, so she was watching from the security camera because we were talking in front of the house.

"I'm home. ...I'm sorry, but can I come in?"

"A, a, ah... yeah... Hey, big brother, try to make more friends, okay? You used to be so bright... And stop using formal language... W, why don't we get along more..."

My heart felt nothing. If this had happened in middle school, it would have been different.

Back then, I still held onto weakness and hope.

When the rumors about me spread, my step-sister said, "Pervert, that's the worst," and didn't believe me.

...Even now, I feel nothing when I think about it.

Even after receiving the false confession from my childhood friend earlier, my heart wasn't hurt. I just need to clearly state things to avoid misunderstandings.

"Haruka, I'm sorry, but I'll be going now."

"Big brother..."

We aren't related by blood, so we aren't really siblings.

We're just cohabitants.

I tried to head back to my room.

"Oh, you're home, Shin. You're late? Hurry up and get ready. I know I'm late because of work, but we're going out to celebrate your enrollment today."

I hadn't heard about this plan.

"No, I'm fine. You two enjoy yourselves."

When I was a child, I looked forward to family outings.

Even after the incident, my parents still invited me out of a sense of duty.

Back then, I was still mentally young, so I went along, but my presence made the family atmosphere worse.

So, I stopped going on trips and eating out.

Being alone at home was comfortable. Maybe I felt lonely when I was young, but now I feel nothing.

I enjoyed studying and writing novels alone.

My family always said, "Since you're the big brother—," putting my step-sister first.

But that's understandable. Priorities are necessary.

My priority is peace.

"You... Don't stay sulking forever... Your father is on a business trip, and we are a family, so we should—"

"I'm sorry. I'll be more careful."

Sulking? I don't have such feelings. I've never thought about it.

Not going is the best choice. It makes the family function better.

In fact, my step-sister and step-mother look happier when I'm not around.

My step-mother looked bitter, but she must be relieved deep down that I'm not going.

I study hard and lead a serious school life. It's my way of atoning for the trouble I caused my family with the rumors.

I bowed to the two of them and returned to my room.

Studying is easy because I only need to focus on that.

I like writing novels as a hobby because I can immerse myself in the story.

For someone who has nothing, this is the best hobby.

All I need is a smartphone.

...I need to earn money to avoid causing more trouble at home.

"Huh? What's this?"

A message on the novel site appeared in red letters.

There were two messages.

I opened the first one, which contained praise for the otherworldly reincarnation novel I'm writing. It seemed to be from a dedicated fan, who wrote a long, heartfelt review.

"...Thank you."

I couldn't help but smile. This is the only time I can feel my own emotions.

Without this, my mental state wouldn't have been stable.

I opened the second message... and it read—

"Management? ...Publisher... Please contact us?"

My hand holding the smartphone trembled.

Do I get flustered? I took a deep breath to calm myself.

...I was happy, but also worried about the complications.

The joy I felt for a moment faded.

It's unrelated to my studies... I'll pretend I didn't see it.

That night, I couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

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The classroom before homeroom was as noisy as usual.

Saito, without her glasses, was known as a beauty.

I ended up in the same class as Saito, though unwillingly, and we don't interact.

Unlike in middle school, she now has a trendy hairstyle and wears makeup. No one calls her plain anymore.

She reigns as a popular student in the class.

My heart feels nothing. I just need to avoid interacting with her.

The incident back then was just a series of unfortunate events.

Saito and I were chatting in the library. We shared a common interest, and I was excited.

I might have had a faint crush, but I don't remember now.

It was raining that day, so the library was more crowded than usual.

—An earthquake occurred.

The shaking stopped quickly, but a stack of books on a shelf fell toward Saito. Before I could complain about the placement, my body moved on its own.

I shouted, "Saito!" and hugged her.

Something hard hit my head and back.

I couldn't withstand the impact.

I collapsed, leaning on Saito.

I might have lost consciousness for a moment, or maybe I was still conscious.

I don't remember clearly.

When I came to, Saito was crying—

Blood was flowing from my head, and I was being condemned by a group of students.

"What are you hugging her for!"

"Is Saito okay? Let's go to the infirmary."

"Seriously, is the rumor true?"

I felt the same atmosphere as when my childhood friend, Miyazaki, spread a rumor. I deeply regretted it.

I should have been alone.

Still, I believed Saito would understand.

She would surely realize I was protecting her from the falling objects.

"U, something fell from above—"

Saito interrupted me, glaring and shouting.

"Shin, you suddenly!! I, I'm scared... Don't come near me!!"

I thought I had found someone who would believe me.

But it was an illusion.

No one believed me.

The shock was so great that I almost lost my memory.

The rumor spread, and I became a criminal who had assaulted Saito.

Since then, I haven't spoken to Saito.

I was absent from school for three days due to a high fever caused by the head injury.

There was no chance to explain, and no need to.

My step-sister mocked me. Through her, my family learned about it and looked at me with annoyance. They no longer scolded me, just gave up.

Fortunately, Saito was unharmed.

When I heard this, I felt nothing. A faint crush and something else fell away.

Saito's laughter brought me back to the present.

"Hey, Miu wants to go to karaoke, hehe."

"Alright, we're going to karaoke today!"

"Yup, Miu is a great singer!"

I read a book at my desk.

I don't touch my smartphone. If I'm caught reading the novel site, it would be troublesome.

If someone takes my phone and looks inside, it could be disastrous.

I avoid unnecessary actions.

While reading, I think about the next plot of my novel.

That's my happiness.

Shinotani, who sits next to me, was also alone.

She read a book with a hostile expression, giving off a strong aura of "don't talk to me." She had blonde hair, a sloppy uniform, and a bad attitude, so she was called a delinquent.

I've heard bad rumors about Shinotani, even though I've only been in school for a month.

But I don't care. I have plenty of bad rumors about me too.

When the teacher entered the classroom, both Shinotani and I closed our books.

In the noisy classroom, only the area around us was quiet.

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"Hey, Shinjo, next is the audio-visual room. Let's move quickly."

"Sure. Thank you."

"Again with the formal language, but whatever."

A male classmate occasionally tries to talk to me.

I respond with a smile and a non-committal answer.

This way, we can maintain a neutral relationship.

Completely ignoring someone and not talking to them makes them a target of hostility. For example, look at Shinotani. All the girls dislike her for no good reason. They say she ignores them, is conceited because she's pretty, or is a delinquent—

I don't ignore people who talk to me. I cut the conversation short with a smile.

Smiling is easy. Narrow your eyes and lift the corners of your mouth, and they'll misunderstand.

A classmate who engages in casual conversation.

...Honestly, I thought Saito would spread the rumors from middle school, but there's no sign of it.

Even if the rumors spread, I wouldn't change. I feel nothing.

Shinotani, who sits next to me, was sound asleep.

I didn't think about waking her. If I did, it might cause trouble.

Let's move quickly.

There was a change in the popular group loitering at the entrance of the classroom.

"Sorry, Miu, I have something to do, so I'll go ahead. I'll be right there!"

Unexpected.

Saito Miu approached my desk.

"Uh, Shin, right? Do you remember? It's Miu. We used to hang out in the library, right? We've had a lot of stuff happen, so it was hard to talk to you."

She spoke with the condescending tone typical of popular students.

I tried to brush it off with a fake smile.

"Sure."

"What's that? That's hilarious! Hey, hey, what book are you reading now? Oh, I've read that too! It's great, isn't it!"

"We should move to the audio-visual room soon."

"Formal language, that's hilarious!"

The last words she said to me were, "Stay away, I'm scared."

We haven't spoken since then. What's going on?

There's one thing I understand.

—Don't get involved. Run away. Don't cause problems.

"Anyway, Miu, I've been really worried... You know, because of Miu's misunderstanding... Shin had a tough time. So, I want you to enjoy high school! Everyone is nice, so let's all go to karaoke together! It's for Shin! ...And... I want to read books with you again..."

Saito blushed as she said this.

For my sake—

I see, this can be interpreted as a good intention.

It's fine. I feel nothing. I don't need forced kindness.

I tried to stand up.

"Excuse me."

"Wait, don't go! ...Miu believed in you... At graduation, I heard from a library committee member that you protected Miu. ...Thank you. You saw the plain Miu... It was a precious time... So, from now on—"

Believe in you—

Back then, even if someone told the truth, the atmosphere wouldn't allow it. The truth didn't matter.

I learned that from the rumors.

So, I won't make the same mistake again.

I couldn't brush it off, but my heart was still empty—

So—

"Saito, the suspicion that I assaulted you can't be erased. ...I'm sorry, but it's too late to say you believe me now. It's just empty words."

I forgot to use formal language.

I stood up and passed by Saito, who was trembling.

By the way, Shinotani was gone.

"Shin... Miu... is wrong? Why... for Shin... to be... beautiful..."

I didn't respond to her words and gently closed the classroom door—

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