Heroine’s Love Story

However, this usual process had failed once in recent years.

That's right—it was because of Hojou Kyousuke.

Despite being an excellent student, this boy rarely interacted with his classmates.

Out of curiosity, Takeuchi had observed him and realized that his lack of interaction wasn't due to poor social skills.

On the contrary, Kyousuke was extraordinarily mature.

When Takeuchi spoke with him, he couldn't believe he was talking to a sixth grader.

If it were a phone conversation, he would have assumed Kyousuke was an adult.

A child like that naturally became a target for bullying.

When Kyousuke came to Takeuchi to complain, Takeuchi simply called the bullies in and scolded them perfunctorily.

Later, Kyousuke reported being bullied again.

But Takeuchi didn't take it seriously.

In fact, he found it amusing—Serves you right for acting all grown-up, kid. Now you're getting a taste of reality.

What Takeuchi didn't expect was that he would be the one to suffer the consequences.

He was rudely awakened by a phone call from the police.

When he rushed to the station, the principal was already there, along with a crowd of angry parents.

The kids who had been bullying Kyousuke had gathered even more classmates and beaten him up.

Unlike other children who would cry and go home, Kyousuke had gone straight to the police to report the assault.

Takeuchi nearly fainted.

The situation had escalated beyond control, and the usual excuse-making wouldn't work.

If not for the fact that his sister was married to the principal, Takeuchi would have been fired on the spot.

In the end, the bullies had to apologize, pay compensation, and transfer to another school.

Apart from Takeuchi and the principal, no one else at the school knew what had happened.

The other students simply found it odd that so many classmates had transferred all of a sudden.

Given everything that had happened, Takeuchi had no desire to speak with Kyousuke, who was still in his class.

He just wanted to get rid of him as quickly as possible.

Following Kawai Miki's lead, Nishimiya Shoko walked out of the classroom in confusion.

The moment they stepped outside, the classroom erupted into excited chatter.

"Hojou-kun is so brave!"

"Yeah, he's amazing! I never realized we had such a cool guy in our class."

"I've talked to him before, but he always sounded like an adult. It made him seem reliable but also hard to approach."

"That's it—I'm going to be friends with him from now on!"

Unlike the others, Ueno Naoka was filled with fear and regret.

She had a feeling that Ishida Shoya had acted out for her sake.

Now, she was terrified that he would face serious punishment because of it.

At the same time, she regretted seeing Shoko being humiliated in front of the entire class.

She felt guilty and was afraid that Kyousuke would hate her because of it.

"Ishida, apologize to Nishimiya," Takeuchi said offhandedly.

"Tch. Sorry," Shoya muttered, turning his head away and staring at the ceiling.

"Hold on a second!" Kyousuke interjected.

"What now, Hojou-kun?"

"Nishimiya doesn't even understand what just happened. She deserves to know first."

"Geez, Hojou Kyousuke, you're such a busybody. I already apologized. I'm going back to class."

Shoya had been startled by Kyousuke's bold defiance of the teacher earlier.

That was the only reason he had apologized so quickly—just to get it over with, much like Takeuchi himself.

But now that Kyousuke wasn't letting it go, Shoya's childish temper flared up.

Takeuchi groaned, pressing his fingers to his temples.

'Why did you have to provoke him? Just do what he says and be done with it.'

"I don't care anymore. I'm going back to class."

Shoya tried to push past Kyousuke, who was blocking the classroom door, but Kyousuke stood his ground and instead turned his gaze to Takeuchi.

Takeuchi recognized that look.

It was the same expression Kyousuke had when he last reported being bullied.

Takeuchi had brushed him off then, and Kyousuke had silently stared at him for a full minute.

That very night, Takeuchi had been summoned to the police station.

He still suspected it hadn't been a coincidence.

Schoolyard bullying rarely escalated into such a serious fight.

But he couldn't believe a third grader could have orchestrated it all.

"Get over here, Ishida. A proper apology requires sincerity."

Takeuchi grabbed Shoya by the shoulder and pulled him back.

"Ugh, fine!" Shoya protested, but he was powerless against Takeuchi's grip.

Kyousuke finally nodded in satisfaction, then gently took the notebook Shoko had been clutching in her arms.

He wrote down what had happened—Shoya mocking her speech and making fun of her.

Shoko had been standing there in a daze, trying her hardest to focus her hearing and understand what was going on.

She had already guessed it was about her, but she couldn't piece together the details.

She could only stand still, watching Kyousuke, who had been kind to her from the start, now sternly confronting the teacher and another student.

'So… Hojou-kun is standing up for me.'

After reading the notebook, Shoko lifted her head, her large, pure eyes gazing at Kyousuke.

She wanted to say it herself, no matter what:

"Thank you, Hojou-kun."

No one had ever tried to protect her from these pranks before.

Her brown eyes welled up with tears.

'Don't cry! Stay strong, Shoko!'

Kyousuke understood her words this time.

"It's fine. As long as Nishimiya is okay, that's what matters. Ishida Shoya, apologize properly."

"…Sorry."

Shoya still avoided looking at Shoko, stubbornly staring at the ceiling.

Shoko immediately tried to bow in response, but Kyousuke firmly stopped her.

"Is that how you apologize? Look at her properly! Didn't your mother teach you how to say sorry? Look at her, and bow!"

"Ishida, be more sincere!" Takeuchi added—not for Shoko's sake, but because he just wanted this ordeal to end.

Shoko seemed to understand Kyousuke's words and frantically waved her hands.

'It's okay, Hojou-kun. This is already more than enough. I really…'

'Thank you. This is more than enough.'

Hearing Kyousuke's firm voice, she felt a sense of security she had never experienced before.

Her eyes stung.

She had promised her mother she wouldn't cry today, but she couldn't hold back any longer.

"I'm fine. This is enough."

Unfortunately, she spoke too quickly, and Kyousuke didn't understand her.

"Nishimiya Shoko, I'm sorry!"

Under the pressure from both Kyousuke and the teacher, Shoya's last bit of resistance crumbled.

He bent at a full ninety-degree angle and shouted his apology so loudly that the entire classroom could hear it.

"No way—did Ishida actually apologize?"

"He must've been scared silly, haha."

Shimada Kazuki smirked, raising his oversized shirt sleeve to cover his mouth.

Ueno Naoka glared. "Hey, Shimada! He's your friend. How can you say that?"

Shimada just chuckled and said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Shoko was still bowing in return, while Shoya had already dashed back into the classroom.

The little girl stood frozen, looking lost, tears still clinging to her lashes.

Kyousuke found it amusing and ruffled her hair gently, reassuring her that everything was okay.

Watching from above, Takeuchi twitched his lips.

'Oh, so that's what this was about. He's got a crush.'