To kill or not to kill—everything depended on a single thought. But the problem was, did the man in front of her truly deserve to die?
The reality forced her into hesitation. At the same time, it proved that she was a god who was easily swayed by her emotions… Yes. When exactly had she become like this?
From the other person’s perspective, he had only been trying to help a student who was struggling, yet he had somehow brought a fatal disaster upon himself. And all because he had encountered someone who refused to listen to reason.
This was who she was—Tsukimi Ryuune.
A despicable god who had abandoned both justice and humanity.
She no longer knew what kind of person—or god—she had become. Her heart felt even more lost and helpless than that of an ordinary person.
“…”
—
“Teacher Yuto, are you all right?”
“Ah… W-What happened…”
When Kagami Yuto woke up in the infirmary, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.
“I’d like to know that too. Some students found you collapsed in the corridor of the teaching building. You were completely unconscious at the time.”
“Eh…”
He touched the back of his head while still looking somewhat dazed.
That’s right. Something had happened in the teaching building… the corridor. Why had he gone there in the first place…
“Tsukimi… Ryuune.”
“What?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
“It must be my low blood sugar acting up again. Sorry, sorry. I’ll definitely be more careful next time.”
Recalling certain details, he brushed it off with a smile. But inside, he couldn’t help falling into deep thought.
If the first time had been a coincidence, then the same thing happening twice was far too suspicious.
He was certain he didn’t have low blood sugar or any similar condition. Moreover, before both incidents of losing consciousness, he had done the exact same thing—had a conversation with the girl named Tsukimi Ryuune.
Could there really be such a coincidence in the world?
With gauze wrapped around his head, he slowly walked out of the infirmary. His disheveled appearance drew quite a few whispers from students as he made his way back to his office.
Well, at least as a counseling teacher, his mental fortitude was relatively strong. A little embarrassment was something he could endure.
*It can’t all be her doing, right…? A delicate young lady like her actually has the ability to knock out an adult in one hit…?*
Even Kagami Yuto found it hard to believe. Yet he couldn’t come up with any other explanation for the two attacks.
Perhaps the only way to find answers was to ask Tsukimi Ryuune herself. But that child seemed to be growing more and more unwilling to talk to him.
Was his way of communicating wrong? Why did he always end up touching on her sensitive spots without meaning to?
This made him start to doubt himself.
Just then, someone knocked on his office door.
“Come in.”
“T-Teacher… Can I come in?”
Kagami Yuto was slightly surprised. The visitor was a small, thin boy wearing glasses. He kept his head down and spoke in a very quiet voice.
“Of course. What’s the matter, classmate? Did something happen?”
“I…”
The boy stood timidly at the doorway, his gaze filled with inferiority as he avoided eye contact.
Kagami Yuto’s experience quickly told him what was going on. He invited the boy to sit down.
“I-I’m sorry for disturbing you. It’s just… I really don’t know where else to go for help.”
The boy’s voice was filled with grievance and helplessness. Kagami Yuto spoke slowly.
“It’s all right. You can tell me what difficulties you’re facing.”
“Only by speaking up can I help you.”
The boy hesitated for a moment, but eventually gathered his courage.
He then told Kagami Yuto about the bullying he was suffering. Because he was timid and introverted, his classmates constantly picked on him—forced to lend his homework for them to copy, made to pay protection money, and used as a punching bag in private.
“I really can’t take this kind of life anymore! But… I don’t dare to fight back either. *Sob*…”
Watching the boy’s tear-streaked face, Kagami Yuto’s expression gradually grew serious.
“Classmate, can you tell me your name?”
“Ah, I… My name is Matsushita You…”
Kagami Yuto sat up straighter.
“Mm, Matsushita-kun.”
“Can you tell me if you’ve tried seeking help from anyone else besides me? For example, your homeroom teacher?”
“N-No… I didn’t dare to say anything…”
A trace of “as expected” flashed through Kagami Yuto’s eyes. He couldn’t help but sigh.
“I was afraid that if I spoke up, they’d only bully me even more… Outside of school, there’s no one who can control those guys.”
The boy’s voice trembled. Just looking at his appearance, Kagami Yuto could already imagine how badly he was usually treated.
“Matsushita-kun, you can’t keep letting yourself be bullied like this.”
“Weakness will only encourage the bullies. You have to make them understand that you’re not someone they can push around easily. Otherwise, if they see that a little threat is all it takes to make you back down, they’ll only escalate.”
Kagami Yuto’s tone carried a hint of helplessness.
“Teacher, I… I understand… I know all that. But I really don’t think I can succeed. I’ve tried refusing them before, but I just got beaten up…”
“Matsushita-kun…”
“Teacher isn’t telling you to beat them in a fight.”
“What you need to do is have the courage to expose their actions and strengthen your own heart.”
“…Teacher.”
Kagami Yuto understood the core of school bullying cases very well.
Most victims ended up in passive situations because they were too weak-willed or carried too much self-doubt.
“You have to understand that the people bullying you are children just like you.”
“They like to pick on others, but deep down they’re also afraid of people stronger than them. Otherwise, why would they only target those weaker than themselves? Similarly, you should make yourself look less easy to bully. That means not nodding so easily when they threaten you.”
“I’ve met students before who were bullied just like you. Their situations were very similar to yours. They kept getting picked on because they were too quick to compromise.”
“I… understand.”
Kagami Yuto looked at him with some surprise.
“I-Is that so…? As long as I do what you said and become braver…”
The boy slightly raised his head. For the first time, a light of courage and hope appeared in his timid eyes.
“Mm.”
“…Thank you, teacher.”
“I’ll try to… become braver, just like you said.”
“Do your best.”
“I’ll also do everything I can to help you. Suzuran High School does not allow school violence. The fact that something like this is happening is already a failure on us teachers’ part.”
Faced with the boy’s grateful gaze, Kagami Yuto finally felt a small sense of relief. At the same time, it helped him recover a bit of the confidence he had lost from his previous failures.