I Married the Girl Who Used to Bully Me - Chapter 14

Before I knew it, I had unconsciously stepped forward.

“Eh, I-Ikkun?”

Standing before me was Misaki, trembling in her still-drenched state. Behind her, Chinatsu stood with a smirk.

“What, you? Eavesdropping? Gross.

Oh, or what you actually wanna do it with Misaki?

Fine. Thirty thousand yen an hour, do whatever you want.”

Chinatsu’s voice was flippant, cold, laced with laughter. Misaki shuddered even harder, unable to speak as she hung her head. This wasn’t the classroom, it was the dimly lit storage room. For some reason, something deep in my chest stirred.

Emotions I couldn’t suppress with reason, memories from the past, all surged forward at once.

I stepped forward slowly.

No. This wasn’t it.

I wasn’t helping her because it was Misaki.

I would’ve helped anyone.

All the piled-up memories, the humiliation, the senseless violence. They welled up inside me, emotions that couldn’t be contained by reason, guiding me toward one single action.

My feet moved on their own, carrying me toward Misaki.

Behind me, Chinatsu’s laughter echoed.

Before I realized it, my fist had already struck her cheek.

A dull thud resonated through the silence behind the gym.

“Gh—!? Wh-What the hell!?”

Chinatsu’s eyes widened in disbelief as she clutched her cheek. She probably never imagined she’d get hit.

My palm still burned.

“Get lost. You’re disgusting.”

I spat the words at Chinatsu.

My height, inherited from my old man, and my trained body naturally exuded intimidation. The fear in Chinatsu’s upturned eyes was unmistakable.

“Y-You… You’re defying me? Hitting a woman? You’re trash! Go die, you scum!”

Her voice trembled.

“You’re being too loud in my resting spot. Get the hell out.”

“Tch… Just you wait. My boyfriend’s gonna beat the crap out of you.”

Reluctantly, Chinatsu left with her entourage in tow.

“What a creep.”

I caught a faint whisper, but it didn’t reach me. The storage room returned to silence, the only lingering scent being that of cigarettes.

“Ikkun, thank you!”

“Shut up and put some clothes on. You’re an eyesore.”

“…Yeah.”

How long had it been since we last talked like this, just normally?

The Misaki who had been crying with her head down now spoke in a slightly calmer voice.

“Um… I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“F-For… before… when I… bullied you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t care.”

“But—”

“Annoying.”

“S-Sorry…”

We walked back in silence.

Along the way, Misaki kept glancing at me, gauging my expression. Somehow, she reminded me of my past self—weak, overly cautious, yet desperately standing her ground.

“Hey, Misaki. Didn’t you say you’d do anything to be forgiven?”

“Eh? Y-Yeah, I’ll do my best.”

“Is that so… Then let me have my way.”

“Eh…?”

“I’ve been stressed lately. What, not allowed? Fine then—”

“W-Wait… It’s okay… B-But it’s my first time, so be gentle.”

“Yeah, yeah, got it.”

In the dimly lit hallway of the apartment, under the flickering bare bulb, Misaki’s profile flickered in and out of view.

The way she averted her eyes the moment they met mine. It was the same thing I used to do.

Afraid of people’s gazes, yet somewhere deep down, still wishing to be seen like a mirror image of the “me” from back then.

The only difference was the thin scar running down Misaki’s cheek. Faint, tracing from the corner of her eye down to her neck, it spoke volumes about her past.

“Wh-What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong…?”

“Nah, nothing.”

“Really? You can tell me… I-I did terrible things.”

“Shut up.”

“Sorry. It’s too late to apologize now, huh…?

Haha! I really was an idiot.

I let my friends’ words get to me, believed them, hurt you.

By the time I realized, everything was already broken. I’m sorry, really I’m sorry.”

“If I had just been honest back then, if I had just said I was lonely maybe things would’ve been different.

But I couldn’t say it. I acted tough, played the queen.

When all I really wanted was to hear someone say they loved me.”

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.

I’m the one who broke everything.

Haha… I’m so stupid! I destroyed everything important with my own hands.

And now, when it’s too late, I’m apologizing. It’s laughable, isn’t it…?”

“Shut up. Stop talking.”

“S-Sorry…”

She really was an infuriating woman.

I caught myself almost raising my hand, and a cold disgust tightened in my chest.

No matter how much she apologized, the “me” from back then wasn’t coming back. I’d thrown all that weakness, that trembling voice, into the garbage bin of the past. That’s why “I” was here now.

I didn’t want anything from Misaki.

To be precise, I didn’t have any of those sappy feelings; wanting her love, her forgiveness. What I wanted was convenience.

As long as she was a convenient woman, that was enough for me.

“Hey, I might get kicked out of my place. Let me stay at yours.”

“O-Okay. If it helps make up for what I did, I’ll do it. I’ll make up for everything. If that’s what you want, I’ll do anything.”

“Whatever.”

I decided to move into Misaki’s place.

Her apartment was in the same building, same floor, just a few doors down from mine. A short walk down the hallway, and her door was right there.

My room was already a wreck. Empty beer cans, overflowing ashtrays, clothes strewn across the bed. The stench of nicotine clung to the walls, impossible to air out.

The moment I stepped into Misaki’s room, I froze.

It was shockingly bare. A bed against the wall, a small TV by the window, hardly any other furniture to speak of. Not even a proper desk, just a flimsy folding table.

But it was strangely clean. Not a speck of dust on the floor, curtains white as if freshly washed. The kitchen was tidy, pots and pans neatly arranged, the sink spotless. Signs of someone who cooked for themselves.

“Um… Before we do it, can I take a shower? I want to be clean for you.”

“Fine, hurry up.”

I plopped down on the edge of the bed as I spoke. The stiff springs digging into my back felt oddly grounding. Misaki murmured a quiet “thanks” before silently heading to the shower. The soft click of the door closing echoed. The silence somehow louder than before.

Ah, damn! My head hurt. Lately, it felt like my skull was splitting open. I knew why booze and cigarettes. Knew it, but couldn’t stop.

I clicked my tongue, thinking about the loose change in my pocket, the money I’d taken earlier. Without it, I felt like I wouldn’t be myself anymore. Addiction like it was part of my body, an itch I couldn’t scratch enough.

Fingers trembling, I pulled out my lighter.

From beyond the door, Misaki’s voice reached me, barely audible over the water. It clawed at my chest.

“…Ikkun, you still there?”

“Yeah. You done?”

“Y-Yeah. Um… You know about my accident, right? My body, it’s not really something I can show people. So if you want to stop, I don’t mind, but if you see it, you might be disappointed.

I’m scared. So, it’s fine if you don’t want to. Sorry.”

“Don’t care.”

Misaki let the towel slip. I almost gasped.

But what lay beneath wasn’t the unblemished skin I remembered. The scars from the accident were painfully etched into her.

…So what? It wasn’t as bad as she made it out to be. To me, it was within acceptable limits.

I was just gonna get it over with quickly anyway.

She was a woman I’d discard eventually. So until then, I’d carve into her the same wounds I once bore.