Suzuki Misaki saw the arrival of the teacher and immediately let go of Kawashima Akira.
"Teacher, it's nothing, it's all my fault, it's all my fault. I must have accidentally made Megumi unhappy, so... she got angry and hit me."
Suzuki Misaki's sharp tone was now restrained.
Seeing Suzuki Misaki like this, I rolled my eyes speechlessly.
"Teacher, I can testify that it was indeed Kawashima Megumi who pushed Misaki just now, and Misaki was pushed to the ground by her." A girl pushed her glasses up her nose and spoke with a righteous look. This girl is Tanaka Mai, Suzuki Misaki's loyal follower, and she, along with Suzuki Misaki, misled a bunch of classmates, making me the scapegoat for ruining my reputation at school.
Teacher Tanaka looked at Akira and Misaki with complex emotions and sighed.
"Since that's the case, Akira, come to my office after class."
This teacher is usually good to me, but constrained by the power of Suzuki Misaki's family, he can only pretend not to know what she has done. I sighed in relief for Akira. Although I wasn't worried about Akira's ability to protect himself, he was after all a person who had never dealt with outsiders before, and his social skills might not be as good as an elementary school student's. Plus, if Akira were discovered playing my role, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After class, the teacher took Akira out of the classroom. Perhaps feeling that the person in front of him had no ill intent, Akira didn't resist at all. Along the way, many classmates were shocked to see "Kawashima Megumi" standing healthy in front of them. Yesterday, her miserable condition had already spread.
"Megumi! Thank goodness, you're okay, it's really great!" Amidst the bustling crowd, a boy pushed through and went straight to Kawashima Akira.
The boy was quite handsome, taller than Akira, and eagerly grabbed Akira's hand. Akira immediately shook him off.
Seeing this boy, even as a soul, I couldn't help but inhale sharply.
This boy's name is Sato Satoru, my ex-boyfriend.
He and I were not in the same grade, with excellent grades, very gentle to me, but later I happened to see him looking happy with Suzuki Misaki while shopping. After that day, I made a decisive decision and broke up with him immediately. I had only been dating him for a short two months, and Kawashima Akira didn't know of his existence.
After being shaken off, Sato Satoru felt a bit embarrassed but still blocked Akira's way.
"Megumi, I know there are still some misunderstandings between us, but can you give me another chance? Give me a chance to explain to you, and whatever you decide in the future, it's up to you, okay?"
His voice carried a hint of sadness and pleading.
Kawashima Akira was getting impatient with being pestered and frowned.
"Who are you? Don't block my way."
Sato Satoru's face began to look unnatural.
"Megumi, your voice..."
Teacher Tanaka, who was watching from the side, couldn't bear it any longer.
"Excuse me, young man, I need to talk to Kawashima Megumi first. If you have personal grievances with her, please wait until I finish talking to her, okay?"
Sato Satoru realized his mistake and kept apologizing.
"I'm sorry, my bad." After speaking, he stepped aside to make way.
Akira didn't even look at him and walked away directly.
I followed closely behind.
In the office, Teacher Tanaka handed Akira a cup of hot water.
"Megumi, Teacher knows about the grievances you've suffered in class. Don't keep it all to yourself. If they go too far, just call the police, and Teacher will help you."
He had said this to me many times before, but I didn't want to make trouble, so I always replied to him perfunctorily.
Kawashima Akira, however, seemed interested.
"Teacher, there are many people on Suzuki Misaki's side. After all, I'm still outnumbered."
Teacher Tanaka was stunned for a moment.
"As far as I know, it seems that only Misaki, Mai, Riko, and Chiharu have some grievances with you. If there are other students, you can tell me, and I'll find time to talk to them. You must remember, I will help you."
Kawashima Akira secretly remembered these names.
I smiled bitterly. There were still many classmates who just didn't dare to bully me openly.
"Well, okay, thank you, Teacher." Akira nodded obediently. Seeing him like this, I couldn't help but laugh.
This was the first time I had seen him obediently.
Teacher Tanaka, seeing "Kawashima Megumi" being more cooperative this time, finally smiled with relief.
"Then go back to the classroom, and make sure to protect yourself no matter what." Teacher stepped aside to make way.
Kawashima Akira walked out of the office, but someone had been waiting at the door for a long time.
"Megumi."
I raised my head at the sound, and Sato Satoru's face once again entered my line of sight.
Kawashima Akira glanced at him expressionlessly, not intending to pay him any attention, and continued to walk forward.
"Megumi, let's talk, just for five minutes." Sato Satoru pleaded in a low voice.
Kawashima Akira stopped, looking disdainfully at him.
"I don't want to waste five minutes on you."
With that, Akira walked away without looking back.
I looked at Sato Satoru and sighed softly.
He was a very outstanding person, whether in academics or in character, he was top-notch.
He was also one of the few people who had been truly good to me.
I met him on a moonlit night. That night, I went to the library alone to find relevant materials to complete the assignment assigned by the teacher.
Although this school boasted a very high admission rate, there were still quite a few rich kids forced in by their parents, so there weren't many who really studied hard. The library was empty, and my footsteps echoed among the quiet bookshelves. After circling around, I found the book I was looking for.
Just as I was about to reach for the book, a low voice suddenly startled me.
"Do you also like Shakespeare?"
I was startled, and the book in my hand fell, hitting the head of the boy sitting on the ground.
"Ouch—" The boy groaned.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't see anyone here." I was a little flustered, squatting down to pick up the book again.
The boy saw my actions and couldn't help but laugh.
"You dropped the book on me, and you're picking it up first?"
Feeling guilty, I apologized in a low voice.
"Sorry, I... mainly because I thought the book wouldn't kill you."
The boy was taken aback, then burst into laughter, startling me once again.
"Lower your voice, this is a library."
"Don't worry, there's no one else in the library except us two."
I was surprised and looked around left and right. As far as I could see, I didn't see anyone.
"How do you know?" I asked curiously.
"I come here every day, of course I know. This library is so big, I always thought it would be my own territory. Now, it's different with you here." The boy clapped his hands and stood up.
Afraid of causing trouble, I hurriedly waved my hand.
"Um, I just came to borrow a book today, and I won't come here in the future. This will still be your territory."
He didn't respond to my words. "My name is Sato Satoru, what's your name?"
"Kawashima Megumi."
"Megumi... Can I take a look at the book you borrowed?" He glanced at the book I was holding in my arms.
I nodded and gestured for him to see.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream? Do you like comedies?"
I shook my head.
"I don't particularly like comedies. A romantic and beautiful script often makes people feel, 'I can be happy like this, my life can be so happy,' but the reality is often the opposite. This kind of beauty only exists in books, and every time I finish a comedy, I feel a great sense of loss."
Leaning against the bookshelf, Sato Satoru looked at me meaningfully.
"Then why did you borrow this book?"
"My literature teacher asked us to write a report about Shakespeare, so I came to find his book for reference."
"Shakespeare also has many tragedies. If you don't like comedies, you might as well learn about his tragedies." Sato Satoru pointed to the books beside him. "For example, the famous Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet."
I continued to shake my head.
"If comedies can't give me any emotional value, tragedies will only make me feel more depressed."
"Then you still prefer comedies, don't you? At least it will give you a moment of happiness."
I was taken aback.
"Maybe."
"Then why aren't you happy?" Sato Satoru raised his eyebrows, his bright and intelligent eyes staring at me.
"I..." For some reason, I had the urge to confide in him at that moment, but fortunately I restrained myself. I didn't know him before, so there was no need to tell him my business. This would only give me another weakness.
"I'm sorry, I still have something to do, I have to go first." I nodded apologetically, picked up the book, and hurried away.
That was the first time we met. That memory was still vivid in my mind, his face, his clothes, his smell, I remembered them all.
I looked at the lost boy in front of me, feeling very uncomfortable.
Did he ever love me?
Just as I blinked, Kawashima Akira had disappeared without a trace.