I Married the Girl Who Used to Bully Me - Chapter 1

When did it start?

When did things between me and Misaki begin to slowly deteriorate?

At first, it was just trivial things.

Differences in how we laughed, small misunderstandings in conversation.

But little by little, they piled up, and now there were more and more moments where we felt distant from each other.

Misaki was still as bright as ever, flashing her smile, but deep in my chest, something felt cold.

“Hey, hey, today, Sosuke-kun was like—”

Misaki chatted happily.

—Akiyama Sosuke. She was already calling him by his first name.

I smiled like always.

I forced a grin. I thought that was probably the right thing to do.

I didn’t want to restrict Misaki’s actions.

It’s fine, it’s fine.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” I said, keeping my voice steady to hide the turmoil inside.

“So, hey, wanna hang out tomorrow? Sosuke-kun, Chinatsu, me, and you!!!”

“…Nah, I’m good.”

My voice stiffened unintentionally.

I didn’t want to see it.

I didn’t want to see Misaki and Akiyama-kun laughing together like that.

That was the honest truth.

“Why? It’s no fun without you.”

You’re lying.

You don’t really think that.

I lowered my eyes, hiding my face slightly with my hand.

My chest felt heavy, aching in a way I couldn’t control.

Misaki looked troubled, watching me with a hint of unease.

“…Ikkun? You haven’t been hanging out with me much lately, have you?”

“Huh? I don’t think so. ”

I laughed it off. My voice probably sounded fine.

“Yeah! Did you start hating me? If something’s wrong, tell me. I don’t understand everything, you know.”

“No, no! There’s really nothing.”

I forced another smile.

The truth was, my heart was a mess. I didn’t want Misaki to hate me, that was all. So, I hid everything.

“Okay, then. I’ll pass too.”

Misaki shrugged slightly and moved on immediately.

“Huh? You’re not going?”

I couldn’t help but ask.

“Nah. Actually, my dad said we’re going to a fancy yakiniku place tonight. So, um, wanna come with?”

Misaki’s eyes sparkled.

Of course, I was happy, but at the same time, I felt a little lost. Misaki’s family was rich. That’s why invitations like this were just another part of her everyday life. I smiled and nodded.

Sixth grade.

Misaki and I were still supposed to be dating smoothly. But somewhere along the way, the innocence we once had was fading.

Misaki had changed.

She had changed a lot.

The timid Misaki from before was gone.

“Ikkun, hurry up, you’re slow!”

“Sorry, wait for me.”

Lately, she’d been leaving her backpack with me more and more.

I knew why.

I never said anything, too afraid of being disliked by Misaki to refuse anything.

As a result, Misaki probably saw me as someone who’d just do whatever she wanted.

And on top of her natural beauty, she had grown completely accustomed to being fawned over.

She flirted lightly with the boys and acted like a queen among the girls.

That side of her was attractive, but to me, it was almost too dazzling like she was someone far away now.

But I nodded anyway, desperate not to lose her.

♢♢♢

Misaki’s Perspective

After school.

“Hey, hey, Misaki, is it true you’re dating that gloomy guy?”

“Huh?”

I’d been hearing that a lot lately.

The “gloomy guy” was my boyfriend, Ikkun.

Honestly, I hated people who mocked him like that. But I was getting used to it.

So now, it didn’t bother me much.

“I guess…?”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re so cute, Misaki. You could aim for someone way better.”

I always heard that.

But I liked Ikkun.

“Things aren’t going well with your boyfriend lately, right?”

“Huh… How did you—?”

It was true that things with Ikkun weren’t great.

Lately, he’d been turning down my invitations more often, and even when we did hang out, he didn’t seem to be enjoying himself.

I could tell he was just trying to keep me happy.

My girlfriends in class were dating middle schoolers, getting led around like adults.

But Ikkun was different.

I always had to be the one to invite him out, and he rarely took the lead.

“Hey, Misaki. Love is all about experience, you know?

It’s not like it’s gonna last anyway.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’m not really that interested.”

I laughed it off lightly.

“Okay, but I know a great guy. Oh well.”

Deep down, I still liked Ikkun.

No matter how much the voices and jokes around me tried to sway me,

Ikkun was always at the center of my heart.

No matter what anyone said, my feelings for him wouldn’t change.

That was my honest truth right now.

♢♢♢

Ikkun’s Perspective

Time passed after that.

By our second year of middle school, Misaki had become even more beautiful than before.

To the point where calling her just “popular” didn’t cut it anymore.

Underclassmen, upperclassmen, guys from the neighborhood. Everyone’s eyes were naturally drawn to her.

“Ikkun, you’re slow. Hurry up.”

Today, too, I was the pack mule.

Walking ahead of me was the dazzling, attention-grabbing group.

“Ugh, you’re such a drag. You’re only here because Misaki’s being nice, you know.”

In front of me were Akiyama Sosuke, Hashimoto Chinatsu, and a few other top-tier students.

Misaki stood out the most among them.

At the top, naturally drawing attention.

And me, all the way at the back.

The weight on my shoulders was nothing compared to the discomfort pressing down on my heart.

Everyone’s eyes were on Misaki. All I could do was take a step back.

Lately, I’d been wondering.

What was the reason Misaki and I were even dating?

Misaki kept getting brighter and brighter.

She was the center of the class, the kind of person everyone admired.

And me? I had nothing going for me. Just a shadow trailing behind.

Why was she even with someone like me?

No. Maybe we weren’t even really “dating” anymore. Maybe it was just for appearances.

After school.

Misaki and I were walking home alone.

It should’ve been a happy time but her words stabbed into my chest.

“Ugh… Have you even been studying lately?”

My grades, my one redeeming quality had been slipping.

Did she know that when she said it? Or was it just unconscious? Either way, it felt like my heart was being squeezed.

“Sosuke-kun and Aira-chan are at the top of the grade, you know.”

…Why bring them up now?

If I mentioned another girl’s name, she’d get upset.

But Misaki could casually drop other guys’ names like it was nothing.

My ears rang. Something in the back of my mind clicked, stacking up bit by bit.

The stress was building inside me—slowly, but surely.

“Sorry…”

That was all that came out.

“Ugh… You’ve changed, you know? You can’t study, you can’t play sports. What can you even do?”

…I’ve changed?

No. You’re the one who changed.

Back then, you used to follow behind me in a small voice, laughing while worrying about what others thought.

Now look at you.

At the very least, the Misaki I knew isn’t the one in front of me now.

She’d even stopped reading. The thing she used to be so passionate about.

The Misaki who’d excitedly talk about stories with shining eyes was gone.

What remained was Misaki, wrapped in glamorous clothes, laughing surrounded by friends.

“Pathetic. Maybe we should break up.”

Lately, that phrase had become her catchphrase.

At first, it sounded like a joke, but the more she said it, the more it stabbed into my chest like needles.

Every time, I’d just take it, begging her to wait.

Maybe that was why she could throw those words around so easily.

Because I allowed it, she could treat something important like it was nothing.

But every time, something inside me was chipped away.

Forgiving isn’t love. Letting things go and throwing yourself away aren’t the same.

I don’t even remember what we talked about after that. No, more accurately, my brain refused to recall it.

Whenever I was with Misaki, all that came out of my mouth was complaints. But when she was with Sōsuke-kun and the others, she laughed happily.

When was the last time I saw Misaki’s smile? I couldn’t even remember anymore.

I turned the doorknob and stepped inside, only to be met with an unpleasant voice.

“Ikkun, you’re late. Hurry up, it’s sparring time.”

“Uh, today—”

“Shut the hell up!”

A dull thud echoed.

The reason I couldn’t focus on studying was my father’s excessive violence.

Under the guise of “sparring,” he’d attack me. My dad was 185 cm tall, I think he once said. My mom, a former model, was a tall 170 cm.

But they were divorced now. For one reason, my dad’s domestic violence.

“Come on, guard properly!”

His fists were always merciless.

“Listen, after sparring, it’s investment time.”

“But I have to study.”

“Studying’s useless. This is the age of investing. Got it? Don’t study.”

My dad used to run a company, apparently. After it went under, he drowned in alcohol, cigarettes, and women, slowly forgetting how to smile. Just a little while ago, he’d been the ideal father.

But something broke. And broken things don’t fix themselves easily.

Every night, he’d force investment lectures on me. I’d stare at numbers on a screen while he clicked his tongue and said, “This is the future.”

School was supposed to be the place that taught me the value of holding a textbook.

I could never tell Misaki about this. Her world was too far away.

If I did, she’d either mock me, pity me, or nothing would change. So, I stayed silent. Silent as I got hit, silent as I stared at the screen, silent as I forced a smile.

At night, curled up in bed, the sound of my dad’s laughter and clinking glass still echoed in my ears.

But somewhere in the darkness, I whispered my own little spell.

“One chocolate, one piece of happiness.”