Chapter 22: The Culprit Is…?
For a while, Sakurada-san’s personal belongings kept disappearing, only to turn up later in completely unexpected places.
But it all came to an unexpectedly abrupt end… in the worst possible way.
Well, rather than saying it “ended,” it would be more accurate to say it evolved into something even worse.
Sakurada-san’s belongings—her gym clothes, her shoes, her bag, things like that—were torn to shreds or completely destroyed when they were discovered, and even her desk was getting scribbled on more and more often.
The graffiti contained simple insults like “die” and “ugly,” as well as many jealous remarks such as “leave Sado.”
From everything so far, it wasn’t hard to guess that the culprit was probably a female student acting out of jealousy toward Sakurada-san—though there was a chance it was meant to mislead us.
“Again with this… damn it!”
“I… I can’t take this anymore…”
However, even knowing that brought no comfort. Caught in the middle of the bullying, Sakurada-san was being worn down day after day by malicious pranks from someone we couldn’t even identify.
And Sado could only feel helpless, unable to do anything for her.
“Maybe…we should break up…”
“Huh? Why? Why would you say something like that!? I don’t want that! I don’t want to break up with you, Sado-kun!!”
“But…it’s because of me…”
“That has nothing to do with this!! It’s got nothing to do with you at all!! So don’t… don’t say things like that…!”
“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”
The hearts of both of them were nearing their limits.
Sakurada-san probably understands, vaguely, that if she breaks up with Sado, the bullying from this unknown perpetrator will stop. But breaking up would be exactly what the culprit wants.
Being bullied… having her heart worn down… and then breaking up with Sado because of it.
Calling that a solution is unacceptable.
To be manipulated into breaking up exactly the way the culprit wants… that would be infuriating, and more than anything, it makes me mad.
Sakurada made up her mind; she wasn’t going to break up with Sado no matter what.
As for me, I decided to ask my friend Kato Susumu for help in resolving this situation.
I couldn’t rely on Fuyunagi-san for this.
Obviously, there’s no way I could resolve this alone without any help, and I’m not deluding myself into thinking so.
However…
“Sorry, but I won’t be of any help.”
“N-no way…”
“Come on, think about it. If we at least had some kind of lead, that’d be one thing. But we don’t have the slightest clue who the culprit is. If we just start tailing random people because ‘they seem suspicious,’ people will start calling us stalkers, and we’d be the ones getting blamed instead.”
“M-maybe so, but I—!”
“Sorry, but I’m not close enough with Sado or Sakurada to go that far for them. My bad.”
Saying that, Kato waved his hand and left.
I can’t blame Kato.
No one would risk themselves to save others.
Fuyunagi-san and Kato are not wrong.
This is just my selfishness…
Even while I was stuck there, tormented by my own helplessness and unable to do anything, the twisted harassment toward Sakurada-san continued.
Refusing to give in to the culprit’s harassment, Sakurada-san stubbornly declared she would never break up with Sado. And that resolve only grew stronger.
And on the very day she quietly made that resolve, things finally began to move.
“You’re the one doing it, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, that’s right! You hypocrite!”
Natsume Kano, the class president of our class, was being cornered by several female students.
She retorted with a composed attitude despite her confusion.
“That’s ridiculous, why would I do something like that?”
“Huh!? Why are you acting all defiant? Pretty bold for the culprit!”
“Yeah! That’s right!”
What’s this…?
What are they arguing about?
“I saw you hiding Sakurada-san’s gym clothes!!”
“I didn’t do that! What evidence do you have to make such a baseless claim?! If you’re going to accuse me, then show me your proof!!”
“Proof? Ugh, here we go again!! Hypocrite girls like you always go on and on about ‘proof, proof!’ like it’s the only word you know!”
“If you want proof, all three of us here saw you! With multiple witnesses, we’re clearly the ones telling the truth!!”
“Yeah, that’s right! You were jealous of Sakurada-san, weren’t you!? You couldn’t stand the thought of her taking Sado-kun from you, so you started harassing her!!”
“…This is pointless…”
It seems the girls have found the culprit who has been hiding and damaging Sakurada-san’s belongings.
That culprit appears to be our class president, Natsume Kano.
But… is that really true?
Character Summary (non-official)
- Majima Takuma / Taku (真島拓真 / タク) — Taku is an utterly average high school boy in both appearance and ability. His hair and uniform are always neat but unremarkable, giving him the classic “background character” characteristic.
- Fuyunagi Shizuku (冬柳 雫) — Fuyunagi Shizuku is a stunning black-haired high school beauty with a mature, graceful aura. Her long, silky hair, elegant posture, pure and innocent atmosphere, and impressive figure—including her large chest—give her an appearance so gentle and comforting that a tired working adult might instinctively want to cling to her and call her “Mama.” Her looks alone make her feel like a UR-rarity heroine. At school, she’s admired as a pure, wholesome, and almost ideal girl—popular among girls, constantly confessed to by boys, and always at the center of her class. In private, however, Shizuku reveals a selfish, bratty, and emotionally unstable side. She’s clingy, easily upset, mentally fragile, and relies heavily on her boyfriend for emotional support while demanding secrecy and setting controlling conditions in their relationship.
- Sakurada Nagisa (桜田 凪咲) — Sakurada Nagisa is a gyaru and one of the central members of Fuyunagi-san’s friend group. With light-brown hair, piercings, and perfectly applied bold eye makeup, she has a flashy style but is undeniably beautiful—cute enough to stand out even among the popular girls. Sado Kengo’s current girlfriend.
- Natsume Kano (夏芽 華乃) — The class president. A dignified, serious beauty whose pure appearance gives her a charm distinct from Fuyunagi-san. She prioritizes efficiency, logic, and rationality above all else, resulting in a rigid, no-nonsense personality that makes her unpopular with most classmates.
Sado Kengo (佐渡 健吾) — A high-spec soccer club member who once acted as Shizuku’s fake public boyfriend. He is now Sakurada Nagisa’s actual boyfriend.
- Kato Susumu (加藤進) — The textbook “protagonist’s best friend” character. He’s a founding member of the self-proclaimed “Unpopular Men’s Club”. Although he’s extremely jealous of Takuma for landing a girlfriend like Fuyunagi—thus “betraying” the Unpopular Men’s Club (a group Takuma never actually agreed to join)—Kato remains loyal to him despite both his jealousy and the negative public opinion surrounding Takuma.