Youjin Kinoshita's POV
"My son!"
"Youjin-kun."
"Kinoshita-kun."
I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe with my own eyes. I never expected the people I hated knew where I live now. My father, my step mother and the school principal were in front of me. Behind them, the four girls, Nonaka-san, Susami-san, Hana-san and Sakura-san, were here too.
But how? How did they know I live here? Did the landlady Hayashi-san call someone to inform my family I live here in the apartment? Did she really betray me? If so, I thought she believed my story and promised me not to tell everyone I lived here.
Now, I'm pissed off by not only meeting them, but also by the landlady for breaking the promise.
"Youjin? Youjin?"
The old man's voice cut through my thoughts. Ignoring him, I stormed out to find Hayashi-san.
"Hayashi-san? Hayashi-san?! Where are you?!"
I yelled, my voice trembling with anger. Damn it! What have you done, Hayashi-san?
The door to another room creaked open, and Hayashi-san appeared, looking worried.
"Kinoshita-kun, please don't be angry, but–"
"What is that?!" I cut her off, glaring at her and pointing at the unwanted visitors. "You break your promise, Hayashi-san!"
"Youjin-kun, please don't blame–"
"SHUT UP, YOU OLD HAG!" I snapped at my step mother who looked both offended and terrified.
"You betray me, Hayashi-san. I shouldn't trust you."
My tears blurred my vision.
"I'm sorry, but I'm leaving. I'll find another place to live."
I was about to go back to my room when she grabbed my arm.
"Kinoshita-kun, please listen to me. I didn't do anything for you. But I didn't know they were your family and friends you spoke about before."
"She's right, Kinoshita-kun. We just asked her to confirm that you live here." Shinohara-sensei added.
Maybe I was wrong.
"Please, Kinoshita-kun." Hayashi-san said while holding my arm tightly. "Let them in. I'm sure they will apologize and explain to you."
Letting go from her grasp on my arm gently, I closed my eyes to calm myself down. But I still feel suspicious about them. They might try to drag me back to the place where I had suffered so much.
"Hah! Fine. Whatever."
I returned to my room. The three adults and the four girls followed, looking nervous and fearful.
"Now…" I glared at the people I hated as I sat down. "What do you want?"
They exchanged anxious glances before my father spoke up.
"Youjin, we would like to apologize."
"Yeah, we are so sorry for hurting you, Youjin-kun."
"We deeply regret not believing you, Kinoshita-kun."
The adults knelt their knees and bow their heads. But their apologies felt hollow to me.
"You, girls! Apologize to Youjin!" My father barked, still bowing.
Those girls flinched at his tone, as if they almost sh*t themselves.
"I'm sorry, Youjin!"
"Sorry, Kouhai."
"We're so sorry, Onii-chan/Nii-nii!"
They knelt and bowed too, making my eyes roll in disgust. Their apologies didn't move me.
I decided to ask another question.
"Now, tell me. If that landlady didn't call someone to tell you I live here, then how did you know? Just stand up or sit down, by the way."
They did what I told, but only Nonaka-san and Susami-san who stood up next to my step sisters who sat down next to my parents.
Nonaka-san raised her hand hesitantly. It seemed she knew why, but I narrowed my eyes at her.
"A friend of mine, well, not a friend anymore, saw you two days ago."
"Huh?" I raised my eyebrow in confusion.
I thought she meant her 'former friend', but one of her friends hated her after seeing my video about the truth, it seemed. Then she saw me… where?
"She told me she saw you running away in the forest."
Me… running away? Wait, I remembered that happened when I was chased by those four girls, then I lost them. I guess I didn't notice someone Nonaka-san mentioned following me. But I was surely checked the live video on my drones that no one followed me on that day. Probably that person knew about my drones, so she could avoid them.
"Then she found out you lived here. So she called me and sent the location here to me, Youjin."
"Ah, I see." My voice was flat.
"Then Yurika-chan called me and Hana to tell us where you are, onii-chan." Sakura-san added.
"Yeah, we told otou-san and okaa-san about it, nii-nii." Hana nodded.
"Also, Yurika called me that too. And I called Shinohara-sensei." Susami-san said.
"So here we all are, Kinoshita-kun. We are here to apologize. So please, forgive us!" The high school principal implored.
No matter they keep apologizing to me many times, I still don't forgive them at all. Their apologies meant nothing, nothing at all.
"Nonaka-san…" I called my former girlfriend to ask another question.
"Yes?"
"Let me ask you something. Why–"
"Please, Youjin." She interrupted me. "You don't have to be so formal. Just call me 'Yurika' like you did before. We're childhood friends!"
"Tch! Like hell I will, b*tch!" I wanted to say it out loud, but I said it in my mind while glaring at her.
But why should I? Nonaka-san and I are no longer dating or childhood friends anymore. She is nothing but a stranger, just like the rest of everyone in front of me.
"Nonaka-san, why did you betray me? Why did you cheat on me with Kutake-kun? Why did you falsely accuse me?"
I noticed her face getting paled in fear.
"If you hated me, then you should tell me to break up with me properly. But you ruined my life, humiliated me out of nowhere, lost my best friend that made me traumatized, hated by everyone, and realize having friends and a girlfriend is a biggest mistake in my life!"
My words hit her hard that made her head down in embarrassment. Ha! Shame on you, Nonaka-san!
"It-It's…" She stuttered. "I-I-It's not like I betray you or anything. But…"
Huh? What is she saying?
"I already told Susami-san and your sisters about the truth, Youjin. I made false accusation and cheating… as prank."
A prank? A PRANK?!
"Yeah! That's what she told us, Onii-chan." Sakura sighed.
Susami-san and Hana-san just nodded silently while the three adults stared at my former girlfriend with their widened eyes in surprise.
I felt my blood boiling, like I wanted to punch Nonaka-san. But really? Cheat and false accusation as prank?! No, no, no! That's impossible! That was the stupidest reason I had ever heard in my life.
"NONAKA-SAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!" I shouted furiously at my former girlfriend.
"Eeeeek!" She flinched and looked away.
"I know! I never thought it would go too far. I was so stupid for doing that. I tried to tell everyone it was a prank, but I couldn't. It was too late, I'm so sorry, Youjin! I tried to talk to you to tell the truth, but you always avoided me and everyone kept me away from you to protect me."
"That's right! It was too late, Nonaka-san. Everyone in the middle school before instantly believed you. You made my sisters tell my parents about it. But guess what? They also believed your own story!"
The old man and hag looked down in shame.
"I tried to tell them over and over again that I didn't do anything wrong to you, Nonaka-san. But they always refused to believe me. I tried my best to make you happy when we were dating."
"Youjin…"
"Then you said it was prank? Sorry, I don't believe you."
There is no way Nonaka-san made a huge mess as prank in the first place.
"But it's true, Youjin! I just messed up with you as a joke. I told you to call me Yurika and no need to be formal."
"SHUT UP, B*TCH!" I glared at her while clenching my right fist. "You intentionally cheated on me with my own best friend. You spread false rumors about me cheating on you to protect your reputation. You made my friends hate me. And my family lost respect to me. Then you admit that everything you had done as pranks and jokes? Tch! Give me a break!"
Nonaka-san burst into tears and Susami-san hugged her. But I felt no sympathy to her.
"My life changed forever since then, because of you, Nonaka-san! I lost everything I loved, because of you! And you think saying sorry will fix everything? How shameless you are, Yurika Nonaka-san!"
Just then, the landlady Hayashi-san entered my apartment.
"I don't mean to eavesdrop, but please calm down, Kinoshita-kun."
I muffled a grunt in frustration while covering my face with my both hands.
"Ugh! I'm sorry about earlier, Hayashi-san. But now I believe you didn't tell them I live here."
"It's all right, boy."
Then she patted my head, trying to calm me. But I'm still thinking to find ways to get rid of people I hate as soon as possible.