I Married the Girl Who Used to Bully Me - Chapter 5

I started weight training.

My old man was a former fighter, and we had a homemade gym in our house.

Following the workout menu Shintsuka made for me, I silently trained my body. Sweat trickling down my forehead, my breathing growing ragged.

The pain, the exhaustion. I convinced myself it was all proof that I was getting stronger.

My weakness back then, the bruises from my old man’s beatings, the distance between me and Misaki. I was going to change it all here.

“Listen, weight training is a battle with yourself. If you can’t even finish a workout, you won’t accomplish anything!”

Shintsuka’s voice echoed in my head.

Chewing on those words, I silently lifted the barbell, letting the pain make my arms and chest muscles tremble.

With every drop of sweat and every ragged breath, it felt like the weakness deep inside me was being shattered, too.

It wasn’t just my muscles. My spirit was being forged, little by little.

“Hey, Itsuki, don’t forget to study up on investing.”

A few months after those words.

My stock dividends came in, a whopping 100,000 yen. Seeing the amount directly deposited into my bank account made my heart skip just a little.

“Alright, 90,000 goes to the house. You get 10,000.”

“Eh… that’s not much.”

“Obviously? Rent, electricity, water, gas—it all adds up.”

As usual, my old man stormed out of the house.

Probably, heading to the pachinko parlor.

Trailing the stench of cigarettes and booze, he vanished into his selfish routine once again.

I just stared at the numbers in my passbook and let out a deep sigh.

I had another account, one I’d secretly opened.

The dividends there were 70,000 yen—my old man still didn’t know. Holding the passbook quietly, a faint smile escaped me.

Pushing open the school doors, I stepped inside.

The moment I did, I could feel the air shift.

Amid the classroom chatter, someone’s gaze locked onto me and the nature of that stare was different from before.

“Something’s changed.”

My gut told me so.

The instant our eyes met, the surrounding noise seemed to fade away.

“Hey, is it true you hit Misaki?”

One of the more noticeable guys in class slowly approached me.

Glancing at Misaki, I could tell she was fake-crying.

Her eyes locked onto me the next second.

That smirk of hers was laced with mockery and provocation.

“She’s just lying.”

That was my answer, but the guy just frowned and snorted lightly.

“Really? You’re a loner, always mumbling under your breath like a creep. Who knows what you’re capable of? Don’t make Misaki cry, got it?”

I couldn’t even comprehend what he was saying.

But one thing was crystal clear.

His pathetic crush on Misaki was written all over his face and attitude.

Ignoring him, I quietly headed to my desk.

Then I noticed the countless scribbles carved into the desktop.

Names, drawings, meaningless words. All of them shallow, thoughtless.

Glancing at Misaki and her friends, they were laughing like it was the funniest thing.

No doubt, it was their handiwork—childish, pointless.

“Hey, Misaki says she’ll forgive you if you apologize.”

Chinatsu’s voice rang through the classroom.

“Wow, Misaki’s so kind!”

“Right?! Right?! Loner-kun, just admit it and apologize already.”

Behind their smiles, I could feel their dismissive gazes.

The hangers-on kept pushing, but I ignored them.

Engaging would change nothing.

I knew better than to let these childish idiots mess with my head.

“Need a hand?”

Clearing his throat, Shintsuka spoke up.

His muscular build was hard to believe for a middle schooler—no one would dare pick a fight with him.

But it was fine. I didn’t want to drag him into this. So, I shook my head quietly.

“Alright, well, if anything comes up, let me know.”

He really was a good guy.

I couldn’t understand why people bullied others.

But the guys in front of me, Akiyama and his crew called me into the back alley.

“You bastard, you made Misaki cry!!”

It was obvious they had a thing for Misaki.

So, I got why they were coming at me.

They were just being played by her, pathetic.

But that didn’t make it okay.

“You got a crush on Misaki?”

“Huh?”

“I said, you got a crush on Misaki?”

“The hell you talking about?”

“Then just ask her out. I don’t care anymore.”

My quiet words made Akiyama’s eyes flash for a second.

He reached out to grab my collar but I swatted his hand away instantly.

Annoyed, he threw a right straight. Too slow.

After all the beatings from my old man, I’d developed reflexes and counters whether I liked it or not. Years of just dodging had sharpened my eyes and ingrained timing into my body.

In an instant, I slipped past Akiyama’s fist and my right connected with his jaw.

He staggered back. The sheer shock of it silenced the whole scene.

“O-oi, this guy just hit him!”

The other guys shouted, but no one moved. They were clearly scared.

Wordlessly, I grabbed my bag. The familiar weight settled in my hand.

“Later.”

With that, I walked away briskly. The murmurs behind me didn’t matter anymore.

I just kept walking my own path.