I Can’t Stay Silent Anymore

It happened the following week.

That day, Ishida was going to be running late due to a different lecture, so I had explicitly arranged to head home alongside Touko-san. However, even after our designated meeting time had long since passed, Touko-san failed to show up.

(What’s going on? Did her lecture drag out unexpectedly?)

I walked over from the general education building to the Faculty of Science and Engineering campus. Peeking into the classroom where she was supposed to be, I found it already completely deserted.

(Did we somehow miss each other along the way?)

Operating under that assumption, I stepped out to the back of the school building. The exact second I did, the distant sound of female voices caught my ear. It sounded precisely like Touko-san.

As I guided my steps toward the source of the noise, the tone became starkly apparent—they were locked in an intense, bitter argument. Worried that a disaster had occurred, I pressed further, only to find Touko-san and Kazumi-san standing there.

“To think you’re staying by his side even after being subjected to such horrific treatment… I simply can’t believe you!”

“Whom I choose to spend my time with is strictly my own absolute business!”

“No matter how you calculate it, that man is completely toxic! Just how long do you intend to drag out a submissive relationship like this?!”

“I draw the line when I need to, you know! It’s not like I’m rendering absolute, unconditional obedience to him!”

“But he hasn’t returned a single coin of the cash advances you’ve handed him up until now, has he? How on earth is dating a parasite like that ever going to benefit you, Kazumi?!”

“You don’t know a single thing about Renya, Touko! He possesses plenty of magnificent qualities, too!”

“I have absolutely no idea what qualities he has, but a man who lays his hands on a girl is the absolute lowest of the low!”

“You’re one to talk, Touko! Didn’t you drag out a relationship with a shallow piece of garbage like Kamokura yourself?! Didn’t I explicitly command you to steer clear of him? Yet you completely ignored my warning!”

“We are by no means discussing my past right now!”

“Regardless, this has absolutely nothing to do with you, Touko. Just stay out of my business and leave me alone!”

“I refuse to leave you alone! You’re my best friend, Kazumi—and you’ve been subjected to actual physical injuries!”

I stood completely frozen, staring blankly at the unfolding scene. The absolute first person to register my presence was Touko-san.

“Yuu-kun…”

Hearing her name me, Kazumi-san snapped out of her rage. Turning her face toward my quadrant, a thoroughly awkward, defensive look crossed her features.

“Anyway… you don’t need to fret about my business at all.” Delivering that final line, Kazumi-san firmly turned on her heel and began walking away.

As she brushed past my shoulder, she offered a strained, bitter chuckle. “Even Touko and I have a full-blown brawl once in a blue moon, you see.”

However, a distinct smear of fresh blood was seeping from the left corner of Kazumi-san’s mouth. It was a textbook laceration explicitly caused by a heavy blow.

“Kazumi-san, your face…”

The absolute split second the words began to form, Kazumi-san cut me off, frantically waving her right hand. “It’s nothing, it’s absolutely nothing.” Without turning back, she continued her swift retreat.

“Touko-san…”

As I closed the distance, Touko-san hastily cast her eyes downward, desperately trying to hide her face from me.

“Kazumi-san’s mouth… that injury was undeniably inflicted by a physical punch, wasn’t it?…”

The moment the observation left my lips, Touko-san kept her head hung low as large tears actively began streaming down her face. While I was frantically calculating how to comfort her, she managed to squeeze out a trembling voice.

“Kazumi… even though she’s doing so much for him, he punched her again… and just the other day, too…”

“As I thought… that bruise from last week was explicitly inflicted by her boyfriend as well.”

“I begged her to just break things off completely… but why on earth won’t Kazumi listen to a single word I say?…”

This was the absolute first time I had ever heard Touko-san speak in such a thoroughly frantic, disjointed manner. But I grasped her meaning completely. Even so, for Kazumi-san to prioritize that boyfriend to the point of ruining her relationship with her best friend… just what on earth made him worth it?

“Touko-san, please compose yourself.”

I spoke softly, gently wrapping my arms around her shoulders to pull her close. Touko-san pressed her forehead tight against my chest, letting out a barrage of heavy, suffocating sobs for a long while.

Eventually, the storm of her emotions quieted down. “Are you feeling a bit more clear?” I whispered. Touko-san lifted her head, offering a tiny, compliant nod. While the area around her eyes and nose remained a distinct red, the tears had ceased completely.

“Do you happen to know the exact reason why he laid his hands on her?”

Faced with my query, Touko-san cast her gaze down toward the ground. “I don’t possess the entire context, but… it seems Kazumi’s boyfriend is scheduled to perform on a stage somewhere. To secure the venue and lease the necessary equipment, he explicitly demanded a significant chunk of money…”

“Don’t tell me… he demanded that Kazumi-san hand over the cash?”

Touko-san gave a slow, quiet nod. “Apparently, Kazumi countered by saying, ‘You haven’t even returned a single coin of the cash advances I’ve already handed you.’ The moment she said that, the boyfriend flew into a horrific rage…”

“He punched his girlfriend over a reason like that?!” I was left completely speechless, my mind blank with shock.

“He claims this performance represents a massive, golden opportunity for his career… but Kazumi doesn’t possess an infinite pool of money to bail him out. Apparently, her parents are right on the verge of finding out the truth as well.”

“Why on earth does Kazumi-san continue to sacrifice everything to cater to a man like that?”

“She keeps telling me, ‘I can’t possibly abandon him right now. If I walk away, he will dissolve into an absolute wreck. He genuinely possesses raw talent. I want to see that talent blossom.’ But looking at how he treats her, I see absolutely no sign that the man intends to return a single fraction of her devotion.”

Hearing the full scope of the disaster, I entirely agreed with her assessment. And furthermore… if Ishida genuinely harbored feelings for Kazumi-san, I desperately wanted to do everything in my power to make his love a reality. For Kazumi-san’s sake as well, wouldn’t that dynamic be a hundred times healthier?

“Touko-san, your ultimate goal is to ensure Kazumi-san breaks things off with that guy completely, correct?”

“Yes, absolutely. No matter how I calculate it, continuing to date her current boyfriend will only inflict severe damage upon her future.”

“In that case, if there happened to be someone who genuinely adored Kazumi-san, would you cooperate with me to help bring the two of them together?”

Touko-senpai snapped her head up, looking at me with an expression of pure surprise. “Eh? But unless I know exactly what sort of person he is, I can’t give an absolute answer. I refuse to let Kazumi be subjected to any more horrific emotional distress.”

“You don’t need to fret about that boundary at all. I render an absolute personal guarantee regarding his character.”

“If you go so far as to say that, Yuu-kun…”

“For the time being, could you leave this matter entirely in my hands?” I stated with absolute finality.

It wasn’t as if I possessed a flawless, concrete strategy ready to execute. But including the reality of Ishida’s feelings, a fierce, unwavering determination to smash through this problem had taken absolute root inside my chest.