一The next day.
The effects of the sedative had completely worn off.
After confirming her body and magic were back to normal, Yufia headed to school as usual.
But even as she attended classes, her mind was elsewhere.
Whether during lectures or breaks, all she could think about was Shion一his voice, his expressions, the warmth of his back as he carried her.
Her thoughts were so consumed by him that she barely registered the lessons.
Near the end of morning classes, another question surfaced in her mind.
(…Come to think of it… Who were the culprits, anyway?)
She should’ve asked immediately.
Even in her dazed state, she knew the fear of being targeted again would haunt her otherwise.
Shion had said he’d learned her location directly from them一
In other words, Shion knew the culprit.
(Even if I find out… what would I do? But… I should still know…)
She decided to ask him during lunch. But…
(Huh…? Shion’s not here…)
After the last morning class, she’d tried to talk to him, but he wasn’t at his seat.
To be able to talk to him as soon as he returned to the classroom, Yufia stayed in the classroom instead of going to the cafeteria, waiting for him.
However, Shion didn’t show up in the classroom for a long time, and he finally returned just before the end of lunch break.
(Ah…! There he is…! But it’s too late to talk now…)
Spotting him, she half-rose from her seat before hesitating and sitting back down.
As she prepped for the next class, Shion suddenly approached.
“…!”
“After school, come with me.”
“…Eh?”
Without explaining, he walked away.
(After school…? Wh-what’s this about…?)
Dumbfounded, she watched him settle into his seat and begin preparing for class in silence…
一After school.
……After school. The homeroom period ended, and one by one, the classmates left the classroom.
When only Yufia and Shion remained in the classroom, Shion addressed Yufia.
“Let’s go.”
“Ah… O-okay…”
She followed him into the hallway.
“Um, Shion… Where are we going…?”
“…I’m taking you to meet someone.”
“Wh-who…?”
Shion’s expression and tone were calm and emotionless, making it impossible to read how he was feeling.
As they walked down the hallway一
“Who, you ask… That would be一”
“(Ah… this place…)”
Shion came to a stop一right in front of the empty classroom where Yufia had been summoned yesterday.
“It’s them,”
he said, and opened the classroom door.
“…!”
““…!!””
The two people inside flinched the moment their eyes met Yufia’s. Their bodies tensed up, as if frozen with fear.
“Um… Shion…? These girls…”
The two were female students from the same class as Yufia and Shion一the very same pair who had argued with Shion just the other day.
Their faces had gone completely pale, and their eyes were filled with tears.
“They said they have something to say to you, Yufia.”
“To… me…?”
Guided by Shion, Yufia stepped into the classroom with unsteady steps.
“Well then, I’ll leave you to it.”
“Eh…!?”
With that, Shion closed the classroom door behind her.
“Ah…! Sh-Shion…!”
“Yufia-san…!”
“!”
Yufia had instinctively turned to chase after Shion, but a voice from behind called out to her, making her pause and look back.
“Um…! About yesterday, I’m so sorry……!!”
“I’m truly sorry……!!”
“……!? …Uh, um……”
With a sudden motion, the two female students dropped to their knees, pressing both hands and foreheads to the ground as they faced Yufia.
While Yufia stood frozen in confusion, the two desperately continued.
“You might’ve already heard from Ichinose-kun, but… yesterday, when we lured Yufia-san here and… d-did those horrible things to you… it was us……!”
“……!!”
The pair laid everything bare一their motives, the full extent of their actions, even the ugliest parts of their hearts they’d normally never confess.
They admitted they’d long envied Yufia’s talent and beauty. No matter how hard they worked, they could never match her, and every exam loss led to scoldings from their parents. Meanwhile, Yufia seemed to enjoy life carefree with friends, which drove them to the brink. Their goal was to break her spirit.
They also explained they’d only meant to scare her, believing Yufia could free herself from their restraints.
They hadn’t considered the life-threatening risks of leaving her stranded in the mountains.
Now, fully aware of their cruelty, they wept as they begged for forgiveness, swearing they’d never harm Yufia again.
At first, their heads were raised toward her, but gradually, they slumped further until their foreheads touched the floor, trembling.
“I’m sorry, Yufia-san……!”
“Please forgive us……! Yufia-san, we’re so sorry……!”
“……”
Silently, Yufia stepped closer to the sobbing girls……
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……Nearly an hour had passed since Yufia and the two students remained in the empty classroom.
“……! Shion……”
“Hey, you done?”
As Yufia stepped out, Shion was waiting right by the door.
“Let’s head back to class.”
“……! Mm!”
With a quick nod, Yufia fell into step beside Shion as he led the way.
“That took way longer than I expected.”
“Ah, s-sorry……!”
“Nah, it’s fine. I dragged you here, so if anything, I should apologize. …Just surprised you talked for so long.”
“Well… we finished talking earlier, but… they kept crying, so… I couldn’t just leave them……”
“……You stayed the whole time?”
“Mm… I couldn’t… abandon them……”
“…I see. …So, what’re you gonna do?”
“…? About… what?”
“What they did could’ve killed you. If you report it, they’ll be expelled一maybe even sent to a correctional facility. But that’s only if you want it. …So, what’ll you do?”
“E-expel them…? N-no, I’d never…!”
Yufia shook her head vigorously.
“…You sure? You’re really forgiving them?”
“Mhm… They apologized… so earnestly…… And… I wasn’t angry to begin with……”
“Not angry…?”
She nodded firmly.
“I was scared… but not angry…… They promised never to do it again… so it’s okay……”
“……”
“Besides……”
“…?”
“They… really regretted it. They told me everything, even the things they didn’t want to admit…… I don’t understand everything, but……”
Her gaze dropped slightly before she turned to Shion.
“Shion… you got angry for me, didn’t you?”
“…! Nah一”
“I’m sure… you stood up for me when I couldn’t.”
“That’s…”
Yufia was right. Before their confession, Shion had cornered the two, detailing how their actions could’ve been fatal, how expulsion was unavoidable, and how brutal the correctional facilities were一exaggerating ruthlessly to make them tremble in fear.
Finally, he’d declared their fate rested entirely on Yufia’s mercy.
“一So I don’t mind… No matter what anyone does to me… I’m just happy you’d get angry for me…… So it’s okay.”
Being disliked was nothing new to her. As long as the harassment stopped, that was enough.
“…I see. …Well, if you’re fine with it, then it’s fine.”
“Mm!”
As Shion scratched his neck and glanced away, Yufia smiled brightly.
She didn’t need to know how mercilessly he’d threatened them.
And Shion would never tell her.
一After that day, the rumors and bullying against Yufia vanished completely.
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