Chapter 55:

Side Story - The (Former) Strongest Delinquent & The Blonde Devil (4)

The Pride of A Banchou


“It seems you’ve made your decision.” Sakuya noted the resolve in my expression.

It was after the last bell had rung. Just as promised, Sakuya and Ouji met up with me in a deserted hallway to hear my answer for her offer.

I’d half the mind to simply skip school and bail on our promise, but I decided that it would be too cowardly for me to simply run away. I just had to make myself clear so we both could move forward.

I nodded gravely. “Sakuya-chan, you asked me to become yours because you want my information network, right?”

Sakuya frowned. “That’s not the whole reason, but yes, it is a part of why I want you to join me.” She admitted.

“Then, my apologies, but you’ve lost the reason to scout me anymore.” I bowed my head toward her. “Because I’ve decided to shut down my network from today onward.”

For a moment, silence descended upon us.

I took a peek at Sakuya, and her face had completely stiffened. It seemed that she was completely blindsided by this development.

“What’s your reason for doing that?” Seeing that Sakuya was still in shock, Ouji took over the conversation.

I raised my head. “Well, I did some thinking lately, and I decided…” I smiled. “…that I’ve had enough of playing delinquent. It’s time for me to grow up and start living more responsibly.”

Upon hearing those words, Sakuya snapped out of her shock. She stared intently at me, as if trying to see what was hidden deep inside my heart.

“So you’re saying that you’re going to stop becoming a delinquent? And you’re going to stop using your ability to gather information?” Sakuya asked, as if confirming.

My chest throbbed at the thought of sealing away the sole thing that I enjoyed doing, but I was more scared of hurting more people. I steeled myself and nodded to Sakuya’s question.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. I thought she’d see through my reluctance and called me out on it, but instead she merely muttered, “I see.”

Without asking further questions, Sakuya turned around and left the place. Her incomprehensible action confounded even Ouji, who hurriedly chased after his master. I watched the two of them left without sparing me another glance, as if they had no more interest in me the moment I lost my value.

Aah…in the end, I was abandoned yet again.

I hadn’t agreed to join Sakuya’s faction, but it still felt like I was being abandoned. I turned my back on them and left as well, while trying to convince myself that this was the best outcome.

*****

Three days had passed since I rejected Sakuya’s offer. Those days passed by meaninglessly, as I’d refrained from associating with any girls nor picking fights with anyone. As soon as the classes ended, I would go straight home, politely rejecting the girls with any excuses I could think of. Even at home, I’d only lay down on my bed and stare vacantly at the ceilings. It made me realize that I truly had no other hobby than digging up people’s secret and exposing them.

Today was supposed to be the same as every other day.

Once the last bell rung, I rose from my seat, gathered my things, and headed straight to the door. My antisocial acts had spread around the school, so no girls bothered to try and ask me out anymore.

But before I could take another step out of the classroom, two people had blocked my path.

“Mikoto Hiiro. Come with us.” Sakuya ordered me haughtily, as if nothing happened between us three days ago.

“Um…no? I think I’ve made it clear that we have nothing to do with each other anymore.” Despite my bewilderment, I clearly voiced my refusal.

“I won’t accept any objection. Besides, it’s not like you have anything better to do, right?” Sakuya’s tyrannical words stabbed me right through the chest.

“Even so, it doesn’t mean I have to go with you!” I protested.

Sakuya let out a sigh, as if she was tired of having this argument. “Pochi.”

With just one word from her, Ouji moved and heaved me onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Before I could get over my shock, we’d already moved location.

“Hey…! Wait…! Let me down! This is kidnapping!” I struggled violently, but Ouji’s arms remained immovable.

“Be quiet and just follow what Kagura-san said.” Ouji warned me, sounding much like a crazy fanatic.

Is she actually starting a new religion instead of a faction?!” I looked toward Sakuya in alarm.

Ouji eventually let me down, and I recognized this place as the deserted classroom that Sakuya frequently used as a base.

“Okay, you’ve gone far enough as to kidnap me here.” I crossed my arms. “What do you want, exactly? Which part of ‘we had nothing to do with each other’ that you don’t understand?”

“It’s true that you refused the other day, but I haven’t given my answer yet.” Sakuya declared coolly. “I owe you an apology for taking three days to give my response to your refusal. In conclusion, I refuse your refusal.

I gaped at Sakuya, too stunned to even react.

“What the—are you being serious?! That doesn’t even make sense!” I cried out in dismay.

“For me, it’s even more absurd that you’d quit being a delinquent and stop doing your hobby just to run away from your fears.” Sakuya took out a bunch of papers and shoved them to my chest.

I reluctantly took them and flipped over them, my face went paler and paler as I went through them all.

“You…you were investigating me?!” I shot an accusatory glare at Sakuya.

“Yes, I did. You got a problem with that?” Sakuya shrugged.

“Do I have a problem—of course I have problems with that!” I retorted. “What gives you the right to do that?!”

“Exactly.” Instead of arguing, Sakuya agreed with a big smile on her face. “What gives you the right to gather information on other people, Mikoto-kun?”

I fell silent at her words. She was right—I couldn’t condemn her for doing the same thing that I did.

“The answer is—none. It’s not exactly legal to dig up other people’s private information, no matter how you do it. If this much is enough to make you afraid and run away, then you shouldn’t make it your hobby in the first place.” Sakuya went on.

I clenched my fist, crumpling the papers in my hand. “Don’t joke with me! Do you think that’s the reason why I ran away?! You knew nothing about me!” I yelled at her, completely ignoring Ouji’s murderous glare at me.

“But I do.” Sakuya said calmly. She gestured toward the papers in my fist. “I’ve read about how your parents left you here and went abroad, how they had a second son that they doted on, how you befriend the Hayakawa twins, even how you spend your middle school days rampaging and blackmailing other people, to the point of earning your nickname ‘Blonde Devil’.”

I bit my lips, unable to retort Sakuya’s words. Once again, I felt cornered by the unpleasant truth that I wanted to bury deep under the ground. Maybe this was my karma for ruining other people’s life too much.

“And I know…” Sakuya’s voice suddenly turned softer. “…why you suddenly quit being a delinquent. You felt overwhelmed by the burden of your information, for it could tear someone from inside-out. So you decided to run away and leave everything behind.”

I lowered my gaze, unable to look Sakuya in the eye. “…yeah, that’s right.” I bitterly admitted. “I’m just a coward who’s afraid of accidently ruining other people’s life or killing their heart. I’ve done enough damage for a lifetime, so I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to atone—”

“Then, give everything to me.”

Sakuya’s abrupt words made me reflexively raise my face. She stared straight at me with her scarlet eyes that contained no lies nor derision.

“If you’re afraid of hurting someone else by using your information, then I’ll tell you how to do it without hurting anyone. If you want to atone, then I’ll tell you how to make up for your mistakes. So stop deceiving yourself.” Sakuya spoke sincerely.

“Deceiving…myself…?” I stared blankly at her.

“You’re trying to tell yourself that you have to atone for your mistakes, so you have to stop doing what you like. But isn’t your heart slowly dying because of it?” Sakuya stepped closer to me and grabbed my hands. “Mikoto-kun, stop denying yourself. No one will be happy if you deny this part of you. I promise you, there’s a way for you to atone while still being you.”

Sakuya’s hands were small and delicate, yet they were warm and reassuring. It made me want to rely on her, the one who accepted me the way I was.

“…why?” I choked out the words that clogged my throat. “Why did you go this far just for someone like me?”

“Because I need you.” Sakuya declared confidently. “There’s something I want to achieve, and you’re absolutely vital for me to be able to do it. No one else but you can do it, Mikoto-kun.”

Sakuya’s visage as she declared my importance to her seemed so dazzling that it nearly blinded me. As I pondered over it, Mitsuki’s words crossed my mind.

If I really am lacking in ambitions, then won’t it be enough if I can help someone else fulfil theirs?

When that thought popped into my mind, I finally reached the answer to Sakuya’s question from a week ago.

What I’d been looking for…was being needed by someone else. I wanted to feel needed, to be acknowledged by someone, despite all of my weaknesses and flaws.

And Sakuya was the person who could provide me with that.

She knew everything about me, be it my strength, my weakness, my capability, and my flaw. Yet, she still declared that she needed me. She taught me not to fear and run away, because she would be there to share the burden and show me the way.

How could I ever reject such wonderful person?

I fell to my knee and looked up at Sakuya, who was visibly surprised by my action.

“Sakuya-chan—no, Sakuya-san. Please allow me to be yours. I shall devote my everything to you. You can use me however you please, for it will be my greatest pleasure to be useful to you.” I pleaded her as I rest my forehead on her delicate hands.

“Mikoto-kun…are you sure? You won’t be able to run away from me once you’re mine, you know?” Sakuya smiled teasingly at me.

“Yes, I’m sure. In fact, I will stay by your side even if you come to hate me or try to run away from me. Please let me be yours forever.” I swore sincerely.

“Then, please lend me your strength…Tarou.” Sakuya pulled me up and smiled brightly at me, thus bestowing me the proof of her trust and love (?) for me.

From that day onward, there was another person who stood beside Sakuya as her left-hand man.