Don't you guys dislike me?

Chizuru Amemiya, who was walking in silence with her head down, suddenly stopped and wandered in front of the door of Class A of Grade One. Through the window, she saw Kotonoha Katsura reading a book quietly. She seemed to not know about what happened to Senior Hoshino. Her eyes showed relief but also some confusion.

I heard that Katsura was ostracized by her classmates before, and it was Senior Hoshino who used some violent means to suppress the group of people who bullied her. But... now if she loses Senior Hoshino's protection...

"Amamiya-san...?"

Tsukino's subtle call pulled Amamiya Chizuru out of the quagmire of her thoughts that were sinking deeper and deeper.

Chizuru Amemiya's eyes were filled with ripples that were difficult to calm down. She glanced at Tsukino and asked, "What's the matter?"

"No, nothing..." Tsukino waved his hands, rubbing his head with a wry smile, "I just suddenly realized that I haven't thanked Amamiya properly yet. If Amamiya hadn't come in time, I might have been beaten."

"Didn't you save me last time?" Chizuru's mind was on Katsura Kotonoha, and the words she said seemed so careless: "Just consider it as returning the favor."

When mentioning this, Tsukino's face turned red with embarrassment: "Last time, I was more of a hindrance than a help, and caused Amamiya and I to get beaten up together. This time you came to help me again, and I always feel a little guilty in my heart, so..."

He twisted the corner of his clothes, his throbbing heartbeat faintly overshadowing his cowardice:

"So I want to thank Amamiya-san. Um, um...are you free after school this afternoon?"

Chizuru frowned. She felt that she had important things to do, whether it was to comfort Katsura Kotonoha or to do something about Hoshino-senpai, but she didn't know where to start.

This powerlessness inevitably made her feel irritated, and her tone was mixed with a bit of anger:

"Tsukino-kun, I told you before that I saved you just to repay you a favor. You don't need to thank me in any way. And even if I didn't save you, Senior wouldn't really hit you. He hates trouble the most."

The girl seemed to remember something, and her eyes dimmed:

"I said that at the time because I simply couldn't stand his style."

Chizuru's anger died down, but someone else's heart sank.

"I see... Amemiya-san really knows Hoshino-senpai well..." Tsukino looked at Chizuru's profile, the emotions in his eyes were about to burst out but he couldn't get any response.

His heart was in agony, his hopes had fallen to the bottom, and the sour wine brewed by loss overflowed in his heart.

Qianhe's earlobes turned a faint red:

"That's... because I used to spend some time with Hoshino-senpai."

But she didn't notice.

……

……

The Chinese teacher coughed lightly, and the students followed suit and quieted down, but their eyes still involuntarily followed Hoshino Yuichi.

There has to be some fun to brighten up the somewhat boring study life.

Yuichi ignored the trivial glances and sat back in his seat.

"How come you're bitten back before you even get justice?"

Tomoya Horie laughed cheerfully:

"It's fine if you hit me, but why was it recorded?"

Yuichi looked out the window with his face tilted, feeling a little weird:

"I didn't hit him, I just pushed him and he fell to the ground by himself."

"Is he that vulnerable?" Tomoya raised an eyebrow.

"How is that possible? I know how much force I used. Whether he fell to the ground or in the video, it was too deliberate."

"Huh?!" Tomoya's eyes lit up: "Do you need help?"

“Not yet.”

"Stupid Yu, you've been unlucky lately..."

"Horiie-san," the Chinese teacher on the podium called out in a hoarse voice, "Don't keep turning around to talk to Hoshino. It's class time now."

"Yes~"

……

……

During the break, Youyi walked past the many gazes that turned from curiosity to fear and came to the end of the corridor. The passing wind was slightly warm, with the unique casualness of a summer afternoon.

Youyi is not good at dealing with situations where he is in the spotlight. Those gazes are like thin threads pulling at his hands and feet, and it seems that he has to think twice before taking every step and every action that follows.

There were faint footsteps behind him, quietly, as if they were not worried about disturbing him, but also as if they were afraid...?

The rich smell of perfume came silently. Miura Yumiko and Yuichi leaned on the railing hand in hand, looked at the scenery, and their hearts were on the people around them.

"Yuichi..."

"If you get close to me, who is criticized by everyone, Yumiko's reputation might become bad," Yuichi reminded lazily.

"I believe Yuichi won't do that!" Yumiko Miura played with her nails. Her soft voice was very different from usual. She took care of Yuichi's emotions but was firm at the same time.

Hoshino Yuichi was slightly surprised, his eyebrows slightly curved, he thanked me, and continued:

"Tell me, how did they guess?"

Yumiko lowered her eyes and recalled word by word:

"They said you stole that boy's girlfriend, and that boy was so angry that he came to you to argue, and you were enraged and wanted to bully him, but fortunately the girl came to the rescue in time, and that's all I heard... Other unpleasant things... They didn't dare to say anything even when I was there..."

The girl carefully observed Yuichi's expression, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that his expression remained unchanged.

Youyi narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling comfortable in the warm breeze.

ps: changed a little bit..................................

158. No matter how hard I try to explain, it will all be in vain in the end, right?

The masses are blind, and given the very misleading video, it is easy to lead them in a certain direction.

Chizuru Amamiya and Tsukino would both point to him as the perpetrator, and Yuichi is alone and powerless. How can he break through this adverse situation?

The video in his hand was of Murakami Aiko and others bullying Amamiya Chizuru and Tsukino. Unlike the ambiguous and misleading video, his video recorded the entire process.

But... this can only divert other people's attention, and cannot clear himself of the suspicion of bullying Tsukino.

……

……

It was afternoon school time and Yuichi was about to go to the office. As soon as he walked out of the classroom door, he bumped into Kaede Yanye who was running towards him.

"You...You-chan!" Her deep purple eyes were as crystal clear as peeled purple grapes. Perhaps because she ran too hurriedly, her cute voice was intermittent and panting.

"Tell me what you have to say slowly."

Youyi stopped, looked at the girl's hands that were tugging at the corner of his clothes, and spoke slowly.

"Is there some misunderstanding between You-chan... and Amemiya-san...?" Katsura Kotonoha lowered her head and spoke softly, her slightly naive guess.

"Has Kotonoha also seen the video?"

"Um……"

"There's actually no misunderstanding. Everything that happened was my own choice. It's just that someone accelerated the process."

Facing Kotonoha Katsura, Yuichi said something different from the other girls who came to care about him:

"Whether Kotonoha stands on my side or on Amemiya's side, I won't be angry. It's your own choice."

"Yuu-chan... I don't really understand what you mean."

The girl raised her beautiful eyes ignorantly, which were covered with a layer of hazy mist, yet revealed a glimmer of enlightenment that she did not want to comprehend.

"You know what I mean."

Youyi half-closed his eyelids and looked at Gui Yanye. The latter looked away when he noticed her.

The girl clenched her hands tighter and placed her other hand on her chest, as if listening to her own heart. The sound of her heartbeat echoing in her mind seemed to be weaving the score of the answer, just when the answer was about to be completed.

Yuichi interrupted:

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't ask you this kind of question at this time. You'll soon find out whether it's a misunderstanding or not."

Katsura Kotonoha is special to Yuichi. He gives her as much tenderness as possible, and occasionally hopes to get something unique from her.

Just like now, when all the stigma and cold eyes are directed at Yuichi, he also wants to gain the sincere and unswerving trust from Kotonoha Katsura, especially when his good friend Chizuru Amamiya has the opposite stance.

That desire was magnified again...only the one and only is the most precious.

But this question, which forces the other party to choose between the two options, is a psychological torment for Katsura Kotonoha. It is extremely painful and difficult to sort out who is better to whom, because matters of the heart are the hardest to figure out, aren't they?

Even if it is said out loud, it is likely that the answer given by the other party will be filtered through layers of considerations such as the person you are speaking to and the conversation environment, and by then the answer given by the other party will be mixed with too many impurities.

What’s the point of such an answer?

In the end, it is nothing but something that harms others and does not benefit yourself.

Was it just a momentary impulse, and I couldn't bear the strange itch brought by the desire?

"The teacher wants to talk to me about something. I have to go to the office."

Yuichi walked past Katsura Kotonoha and prepared to leave, but after taking a few steps, his shaking hands were hugged tightly and his steps stopped in place.

"I want to believe Yuu-chan..."

Katsura Kotonoha pursed her lips. She didn't understand why Yuichi chose to escape at that time when the answer was almost revealed. Was he afraid that he would stand on Amamiya's side...

Or do you just not believe in yourself?

Kotonoha is not strong, on the contrary, her heart is sensitive and fragile, but perhaps it is this sensitivity that makes her aware of the uneasiness hidden beneath Yuichi's calm appearance.

After all, it is natural to feel uneasy when you have to face those mocking and cold critical looks and those rumors all by yourself.

When Yuichi was shivering with cold due to the harsh indifference, she should have held on to the trust as warm as a campfire, just as Yuichi helped her at that time.

"I believe in You-chan. If it weren't for you, I might not even have the qualifications to hesitate."

Kotonoha held Yuichi's hand in her arms, her breasts wrapped around his arm and squeezed it. She suppressed her psychological discomfort, and her body trembled slightly as if she was in discomfort or excitement.

"Thanks…"

……

……

"Hoshino..."

The teacher took two sips of tea and saw Youyi pushing the door in. His brows were tightly furrowed, and the worry between his eyebrows was so thick that it seemed to overflow.

"Have you seen that video?"

You nodded: "I have seen it."

After school, only Yuichi and the teacher were left in the office. Yuichi's words fell on deaf ears, and there was no other sound. The untimely silence made the atmosphere a little suffocating.

"Don't you have anything to say or explain?" The teacher tapped the table with his fingertips, his rough voice like sand scratching across rusty iron.

There was a faint smell of cigarette smoke in the air, and Youyi took a few steps back without leaving a trace:

"My statement and explanation are not important. What is important is the opinion of the people who saw the video, right? Even if I try my best to explain, it will be in vain in the end, right?"

When the teacher heard these words, he raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows. Although this was the fact, as a teacher, he obviously could not let his students think so.

The best thing would be... to make Hoshino feel that the school did this because of his sincerity.

Even if the higher-ups have already finalized the plan...

To this end, he straightened his twisted facial features to make himself look less ferocious, and lowered his voice but the smell of cigarette smoke still lingered:

"Mr. Hoshino, you should know that the school will further investigate this matter based on your explanation. If you just had some friction, the school will not pursue it too much and will definitely clear your name."

He stood straight with an air of authority without even getting angry, and then suddenly changed the subject:

"But it is an indisputable fact that you pushed down a freshman in that video. The school will organize a speech in a few days, and you can then publicly apologize to your junior."

The teachers' gazes are as deep as the vast oceans and mountains. They always have a natural sense of oppression when facing students. They don't need to do anything deliberately, just sitting there makes people lower their heads unconsciously.

Youyi suddenly laughed, and that smile made the teacher feel weird and uncomfortable no matter how he looked at it:

"Teacher, is there really a way for me to resolve this with just an apology? What if Tsukino refuses to accept my apology? Even if I'm not really a bully, he's holding on to me just because the girl he likes likes me."