This happened when Kyouno Natsumi and the others had just entered middle school together.
Sohow, their classmates learned that Natsumi and the others were orphans after the spacequake disaster, and began whispering about them in places where they could not see.
Middle school students who had just entered puberty were often impulsive and had no sense of asure in their words and actions.
Like nobles pitying commoners while being unable to understand their hardships, the children of this untouched land that had never been shattered by spacequakes could not properly adjust their distance from Natsumi and the others either.
Even if it began with kindness, it unconsciously turned into a blade that hurt people.
Before long, the news that they were disaster orphans spread through the whole school like gossip and entertainnt, causing Natsumi to spend those days at school in constant fear.
But soon, Natsumi realized that everyone else's school life had not changed much.
Yoshino was gentle and cute, and she treated others kindly. She naturally earned everyone's goodwill. Even when one or two students pushed their luck and made thoughtless jokes, the other classmates quickly stopped them.
Mukuro spent her days looking carefree. Rumors and mockery seed completely unrelated to her. Seeing her so calm and fearless, the people who had been secretly looking for amusent and adding fuel to the fire quickly lost interest in her.
Mana, on the other hand, did have so problems. Because she taught a lesson to several delinquents who mocked them to their faces, she was suspended and sent ho for a few days to reflect. But after she returned to school, for so reason, the delinquents began supporting her as the "big sister (anego)" of the middle school.
As for Natsumi herself, perhaps because she was too unremarkable, let alone being targeted, she was never even treated as soone worth paying attention to from the beginning.
And so, Kyouno Natsumi passed through her middle school days without real danger, then entered the next prison known as "high school."
During that ti, having lost the protection of her companions, she clearly realized just how powerless and fragile she was.
If weakness was a sin, then perhaps Natsumi's very existence was a mistake.
In the end, she was nothing but a parasite who could only hide behind everyone else and drag them down.
…
—Knock, knock.
A clear knocking sound entered her ears, forcing Natsumi to painfully open her eyes.
Shaking her sowhat dizzy, heavy head, Natsumi propped herself up and looked around the room.
The clock on the wall showed that it was already close to evening. The hazy sunset seeped through the curtains, shining into the dim room. Snacks, manga, and gas were ssily scattered across the floor. In the corner of the room, beneath the desk, textbooks and notebooks had been carelessly thrown into a pile.
"Natsumi… are you awake?"
The knock sounded again.
Natsumi slowly crawled out of her blanket and forced herself to answer.
"Yoshino…? Welco back. Is it already ti after school?"
"Mm… Teacher asked to bring your class materials and notes to you."
Standing outside the door, Yoshino spoke cautiously.
Natsumi pressed her lips together and did not open the door. She rely stood by it and said in a calm voice,
"…Just leave them outside the door. I'll take them myself later."
"Natsumi-chan, try to cheer up soon, okay? If you have any worries, you can talk to Yoshinon about them as much as you want."
"Mm… I will help too."
Hearing that, a bitterness feeling rose in Natsumi's heart. She forced out an ugly, bitter smile.
"Thanks. But don't worry, Yoshino. I'm really fine."
"But…"
"I'm really fine!!"
Natsumi could not stop herself from raising her voice to emphasize her answer.
Although Yoshino still wanted to say sothing, she took Natsumi's feelings into consideration and silently chose to leave.
"Ah…"
Hearing the footsteps outside the room gradually move away, Natsumi let out a long breath and sat down weakly on the floor.
It had been almost a week since Natsumi stopped going to school and shut herself inside her room.
During this ti, aside from Yoshino, Tohka, Origami, Mukuro, the Yamai sisters, Mana, and the others had also often co to encourage and advise her, hoping she would pull herself together and go back to school.
However, to Natsumi, who had already given up on herself, that kindness was far too heavy.
"Haha… The way I am now… how could I face anyone?"
Natsumi could not help mocking herself. Then she returned to her bed, picked up so snacks and her tablet, and started playing gas.
After that, she did not know how much ti had passed.
Just as Natsumi was absorbed in the ga world, a faint knock on the door caught her attention.
"Natsumi… it is … Can you hear ?"
Obaa-chan?!
Hearing Yumi's voice, Natsumi hurriedly removed her earphones and answered while pretending to be calm.
"Ah, obaa-chan! I can hear you!"
"Are you all right…? I called several tis and you did not answer… Did sothing happen?"
"N-No, nothing! I just… accidentally fell asleep while reading!"
Natsumi stamred as she tried to deal with her.
"That is good… I left dinner at your door. Rember to co out and eat it while it is still warm. Also, do not stay up too late."
"Mm, mm— I know…"
Natsumi glanced at the empty plastic snack bags by her bed and could not help feeling guilty.
Because of that, her awkwardness did not last too long. After Yumi gently reminded Natsumi of a few things out of concern, she silently left.
Sorry… obaa-chan…
After apologizing guiltily in her heart, Natsumi turned off the light, lowered the brightness of the tablet as much as possible, and curled up inside the blanket like a caterpillar.
…
A familiar school. A familiar classroom. A familiar desk.
And unfamiliar classmates and teacher.
This is… school? Wasn't I in my room…?
Natsumi hurriedly looked around, her face filled with confusion.
—Kyouno Natsumi! Kyouno-san! Co answer this problem on the blackboard!
"Y-Yes!"
But before she could understand the situation, the teacher let out an urging voice tinged with dissatisfaction. Like a frightened kitten, Natsumi suddenly stood up from her seat.
The problem on the blackboard was not difficult. It happened to be within the range Natsumi had already studied.
However, for so reason, just as she was about to answer, her throat seed to be blocked by sothing, and she could not make a clear sound.
—What's wrong, Natsumi-san? Are you feeling unwell?
The teacher's face was blurry, but they seed a little confused and worried.
Natsumi desperately shook her head in denial. Yet, as such things often went, the more anxious she beca, the hoarser and smaller her voice beca.
—Hey, who is that? Was there soone like her in our class?
—I don't know… I think she took a leave of absence before and only recently ca back to school.
Seeing Natsumi's strange appearance, the surrounding classmates began whispering among themselves.
—She reacted like this last ti she was asked a question too. Does she have so kind of illness?
—Maybe. I heard she was an orphan who survived the spacequake before.
—Is it really that complicated? I think she just doesn't know the answer.
—Hey, let's bet. Will she faint like last ti? I bet one yakisoba bread.
Her throat was dry. Her head was dizzy. The floor beneath her feet seed to sway, leaving her with nowhere to stand.
The noisy voices struck Natsumi like huge waves from the sea. One careless mont and she would lose consciousness.
(No! Don't look at ! Stop talking!)
Unable to bear the tornt any longer, Natsumi covered her ears and fled the classroom.
(Soone save ! Yoshino! Mukuro! Mana!)
Running through the long hallway to the other side of the school building, Natsumi saw the familiar friends in the classroom and could not help showing a relieved expression.
However, when Natsumi t the eyes of the three of them, she realized that their expressions no longer held the kindness and closeness she rembered. All that remained was disappointnt and disgust.
—You want to hide behind others again over such a small matter? Natsumi, Muku is deeply disappointed in you.
—Please do not co back… Natsumi… You will only cause trouble for everyone…
—Honestly, even I have limits to my patience. Yumi obaa-chan spent so much ti and money caring for you and sending you to school. It was not so you could beco a shut-in leech!
"No! No! I don't want this either! I also wanted to be able to repay obaa-chan one day, so I finally worked up the courage to go to school—"
Hearing everyone's accusations, intense guilt made Natsumi's chest twist in pain.
She kept denying and explaining in her heart while backing away.
But at so point, Yumi had blocked her retreat. As if pushing her into a dead end, she said this:
—I do not need a useless child like you. Get out of here!
…
"…Ah!!?"
Natsumi suddenly sat up on the bed.
Panting, she looked around in terror.
It was still the sa familiar room. The tablet by her pillow still gave off a faint glow. The clock on the wall had long since passed midnight. The residents on the street had already fallen asleep. The whole house was enveloped in silence. Only Natsumi's breathing could be clearly heard.
"…A dream?"
Realizing that everything just now had been nothing but a delusion, Natsumi first let out a long breath of relief. Then she could not help feeling a wave of fear.
Perhaps, one day soon, that nightmare would beco reality.
—Growllll.
Maybe because snacks were not very filling, Natsumi's stomach suddenly let out a protest.
Natsumi looked around the room and realized that all her stored food had already been eaten.
"Fine… At this hour, everyone should be asleep."
Glancing at the full moon hanging high outside the window, Natsumi took a deep breath and carefully opened her door.
There was no one in the hallway outside. Only a stack of class materials and the dinner sealed with plastic wrap were quietly placed at the door.
'Eat early while it is warm. If it gets cold, rember to tell . Obaa-chan will heat it up for you. — Yumi obaa-chan'
Seeing the note attached to the dinner, Natsumi's nose stung slightly.
"…Itadakimatsu."
After saying a small, solemn prayer, Natsumi tore open the plastic wrap.
Although the food was already mostly cold, Natsumi still ate it with great satisfaction.
After eating a proper al for the first ti in a while, Natsumi felt slightly more energized.
She turned to look at her ssy room and could not help rembering the nightmare from before.
"At the very least… I should clean my own room a little."
After muttering softly, Natsumi began tidying up the trash scattered all over her room.
However, because she did not want to wake anyone, Natsumi did not turn on the light. She only cleaned by feeling around with the faint moonlight.
As a result, her foot slipped by accident, and the trash she had gathered halfway scattered across the entire bed like a heavenly maiden scattering flowers.
"…"
Natsumi sat blankly on the floor.
She stared at the ceiling in a daze for a long ti. Finally, as though completely exhausted, she covered her eyes and let out a choked, self-mocking laugh.
"Haha… I can't even do sothing like this…"
"I really… should just disappear already…"
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