Chapter 49
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Volume 1: First Performance: A Tragic Love Story Of A Young Lady And Spring Cherry Blossoms
Chapter 49: The Cross-Dressing Boy Faces The Side-Ponytail Girl
After school, I answered Hanako’s call and headed to the courtyard.
“…I’ll report this first. The cameras have already been set up. One is above the cleaning supplies in the shoe locker area, and the other is above the curtain rail by the window in the classroom of the acting department. They’re all in blind spots from the usual viewpoints, so there’s no need to worry about them being discovered. Rest assured.”
As Hanako said this, she lazily half-opened her eyes at me and Senpai Ginjou while petting a cat on the bench.
After nodding to her, Senpai Ginjou turned to me and spoke.
“So, everything is ready. It’s time to punish the wrongdoers who have been bullying Tsukishiro-san.”
“That’s right… But, this may not be as simple as just scolding the culprits and ending it. The bullying towards Tsukishiro-san has been escalating day by day in the past few days.”
I then explained to the two of them the details of what happened today with Akane being soaked.
Senpai Ginjou sighed deeply, looking as though she had swallowed a bitter bug.
“…This is terrible. I never imagined such a cruel thing could happen at this school. As a senior and a prominent figure, I can only regret my lack of power in preventing it from happening…”
“Even if you regret it now, it won’t be enough for you to feed the cat, lesbian girl. Francesca-san knows well how painful bullying can be because she’s an outsider. I’ve never spoken to Akane Tsukishiro since we’re in different departments, but I can easily imagine that she’s in quite a tough situation now. Honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising if she stopped coming to school.”
“…Actually, I already have a good idea of who the culprit is. They’re students from the first-year acting department who once admired me… They joined my fan club.”
“First-year acting department students who joined your fan club… Could one of them be the girl with the side ponytail?”
“Yes, that’s right. You’re very perceptive, Hanako-san.”
“It’s Francesca-san. Even though I’m involved in running the Kaede Kisaragi Fan Club, I don’t remember their names… Wait a moment. I’ll check with Bitch.”
“Bitch…? Ah, are you talking about Hina-san, by any chance?”
“Yes. I’m in charge of the accounting and finances for the Kaede Kisaragi Fan Club, but Bitch is in charge of managing all of the members. So, she should know their names.”
As Hanako said this, she took out her smartphone and began typing out a message.
Within a few seconds, her phone buzzed, indicating a reply.
“…I’ve found it. The first-year acting department girl with the side ponytail… Her name is Suzuha Miyauchi.”
“Suzuka Miyauchi… So, that’s the identity of the person bullying Tsukishiro-san. Kisaragi-san, what do you want to do? Should we confront the culprit directly and tell her to stop bullying Tsukishiro-san?”
“…No, since we’ve set up the cameras, let’s stick to the original plan and gather evidence first. If we confront her directly, she might just deny it. We’ll block any escape routes in advance.”
Upon hearing my words, both Senpai Ginjou and Hanako silently nodded in agreement.
From Suzuka Miyauchi’s Point of View
—At first, I think it was just a whim.
I couldn’t stand Akane Tsukishiro, who was disrespectful to Kaede Kisaragi, the Onee-sama, whom I adore.
I couldn’t forgive Akane Tsukishiro’s arrogant attitude, where she looked down on us acting department students and told us she had no interest in us.
So, with four of us from the Kaede Kisaragi Fan Club, we thought we’d give her a little scare with some petty harassment.
After about two days of writing graffiti on her shoe locker and continuing the bullying, one afternoon after school, we were caught by some second-year acting department seniors while we were playing a prank on Akane Tsukishiro’s shoe locker.
“You’re doing some pretty interesting stuff. We didn’t like that first-year either. Hey, how about letting us join in on the bullying?”
At first, I thought we’d gained some strong allies.
I thought we’d found comrades who shared our goal.
But… they were different from us.
They didn’t prefer the subtle, sneaky bullying that we did. The seniors started to subject Akane Tsukishiro to more and more blatant and severe bullying.
They poured water on her head while she was in the toilet stall, dragged her behind the school building, and pushed her into a water tank.
The seniors were true bullies at heart.
Honestly, as the bullying escalated more and more, the four of us started to become increasingly frightened.
But if we tried to leave now, their malice might turn on us instead.
Thinking that, we hesitated to leave the group… and could only continue to obediently follow their lead in the bullying.
“……”
The seniors ordered me to do the graffiti on the shoe locker every day.
If I didn’t send a picture of the graffiti to the group chat, they’d threaten to make me pay for their lunch.
So, after school, I’d stay at school until 7 PM when no one was around, graffiti the shoe locker, and then go home.
If I didn’t, I might become the target of bullying myself… That’s why I continue doing the hateful graffiti even now.
“…Today, I met Onee-sama’s gaze… but I don’t think I can look her in the face with confidence anymore…”
At first, I thought we’d harass Akane Tsukishiro for about five days and then stop entirely.
But now, it’s escalated to the point where there’s no turning back.
How did things end up like this?
I just couldn’t forgive Akane Tsukishiro for not acknowledging Onee-sama’s acting and always speaking ill of her.
How did things end up like this?
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The next day. Early morning at 7 AM.
I quietly waited by the shoe lockers for the person I was expecting to arrive at the entrance.
And… as soon as I spotted the distinct orange side ponytail, I rushed over to her and called out.
“…You’re Suzuka Miyauchi, right?”
“Huh…?”
Suzuka Miyauchi blinked rapidly, then started to look uneasy, showing signs of nervousness.
“O-Onee-sama…? W-what is it…?”
“Let’s move to a place where there are no people. I have something to show you.”
I took out a small camera from my uniform pocket and showed it to Suzuka Miyauchi.
Seeing that, she seemed to understand… her face turned pale, and she gave a small nod.
