Episode 24: I Held Her Back.

The following day, at lunch.
The moment the chime signalling the break finished sounding, I was in the discipline room with Hiyori.
The one I had called there was the junior who had witnessed that scene yesterday — Sasaki Saki.

“…What a drag. Why do I have to be called in during lunch too?”
“Be quiet.”

I silenced Hiyori with a look as she lounged against the long desk, picking idly at her hair.

A moment later, a tentative knock, and Sasaki-san came in with her face set rigid.

“Excuse me.”
“…Sasaki-san, why don’t you, um, take a seat?”
“No thank you.”

Sasaki-san refused my offer in a firm, clipped tone, and looked straight past me — fixing her gaze on Hiyori.

“Yamami-senpai. I’ll come straight to the point.”

Sasaki-san pointed at Hiyori with a trembling fingertip.

“Yesterday — you’re being blackmailed, aren’t you? By Asahina-senpai!”
“…Sasaki-san.”
“Because it makes no sense! There’s no way senpai would do that — with someone like her! There must be something — yes, she must have some kind of leverage over you, and you’re being forced into it — that’s right, isn’t it?!”

…She was right.

Using the yuri manga I’d confiscated to touch myself.
Having that most humiliating moment captured on video.
Everything had started from that inescapable blackmail — a warped relationship born of having no way out.

For a moment I thought: she’s cut too close to the truth, that’s too sharp a deduction.

But looking at her pleading eyes, I understood.
It probably wasn’t cool-headed reasoning at all.

She simply couldn’t bear to face reality — telling herself there’s no way the committee chair would do that of her own accord.

All I needed to do here was nod. Say “yes, that’s right.”
If I did, she — with that strong sense of justice — would surely throw everything she had behind me.

“…………”

The words wouldn’t come.
…Why?

The heavy silence was broken by a dry sound — clap, clap — of unhurried applause.

“Incredible~ Brilliant deduction, Sasaki-chan.”
“—?!”
“Yep, yep. I’ve got leverage on her, that’s right.”

Hiyori smiled her unabashed smirk.

“So I’ve got her doing whatever I say. Maya is my — let’s see — personal toy, you could call it.”
“Wha — toy — ?! That’s despicable! Treating senpai like a — like a toy—!”
“Is it? But she has no choice but to do what I say.”

Hiyori pulled her phone from her pocket and unlocked it.
The glow of the screen lit up her mean smile in the dim discipline room.

“In here, there’s a very special video. Want to see, Sasaki-chan?”
“—?!”

My heart froze solid.

The video. That hideously, mortally embarrassing video.
If Sasaki-san saw that—

“Stop it, Hiyori!”
“…Maya?”
“Don’t show her—!”

My voice, close to a scream.
Seeing it, Sasaki-san clenched her fist as though reaching a decision.

“…I’m going. I’m telling a teacher.”
“What—”
“I don’t know what’s on that recording, but this can’t be allowed to continue! I’ll be your witness! I’ll tell them senpai is the victim!”

Sasaki-san broke into a run toward the door.

“Wait—!!”

On instinct I threw my hand out, and was digging my fingers into Sasaki-san’s arm just as she reached for the door handle — clinging to her.

“…Huh?”

Through the arm of the girl who turned to look at me, the warm heat of a living person reached me.
In contrast, the hand holding her back was cold as death.

“D-don’t. Please don’t — tell a teacher—”
“Why?! Senpai is suffering—!”

“…Maya doesn’t want anyone to see it, you know.”

Hiyori supplied the explanation from behind me, sounding entertained.

“If Maya goes to a teacher for help, I’ll spread this video all over the school. …You understand what that means, Sasaki-chan?”

The chain of blackmail.
Still gripping Sasaki-san’s hand, I shook my head with a face on the verge of tears.

“…Please, Sasaki-san.”

In a trembling voice, I pleaded with the only ally I had.

“I’ll handle it myself. …So please.”
“…Senpai — why — ?”

Tears spilled from Sasaki-san’s eyes.
The senpai she looked up to had refused a hand stretched out to save her, and shielded the one hurting her.

The despair in her eyes as she looked at me drove into my chest like a blade.

“…What’s that face for?”

Hiyori tilted her head with theatrical curiosity.

“Could it be that Sasaki-chan — likes Maya? Or something?”
“Th-that’s—!”
“Huh? Bull’s-eye? Wow, that’s touching~”

Sasaki-san said nothing. Face flooding scarlet, she wrenched her arm free and fled the discipline room as though escaping.

Bang!!
The door slammed shut, ringing out like a severance.

I pressed my right hand — shaken off, with nowhere to go — against my own chest, still trembling.

◇◆◇◆◇

Silence returned to the discipline room.
I stood where I was, staring at the door.

“So, Maya. …Did you want to be rescued?”

I couldn’t answer.

“…That Sasaki-chan though, she’s sweet~”

Hiyori paced slowly around me, murmuring as though to herself.

“She genuinely likes you, doesn’t she, Maya. Normally, if you walked in on someone kissing, you’d feel awkward and run — but she was actually trying to help you for real.”
“…………”
“Because she’s your discipline committee junior? …No, that’s not it. That’s love, isn’t it.”

There was an edge in Hiyori’s voice.
Not her usual teasing lilt. Something colder and sharper than that.

“If Maya went out with her — I wonder if they’d suit each other.”
“…Wh-what? What are you saying, Hiyori.”

Hiyori came to stand directly in front of me.
Her eyes weren’t smiling.
But they weren’t angry either. Not jealous — not exactly.

“…Hey, Maya.”

One step. Hiyori moved closer.
I retreated without thinking, and my back met the cold wall.
Both of Hiyori’s hands came down on either side of me — thud.
Nowhere left to go.

“Why did you stop her just now?”

What are you talking about.
The answer is obvious, isn’t it?

And yet.

Pinned under Hiyori’s cold, searching gaze — a gaze that seemed to see straight through me — my voice wouldn’t come at all.