24 Bonds - Part 4 (2/2)

I pull the hood off of my head and stare down at my feet. This whole situation just makes me feel terrible.

”Listen, I'm really sorry but I'm gonna have to leave now. You two can keep following him if you want, but I just don't have the energy for this anymore.”

The two of them go completely quiet.

I'm still staring at the ground so I can't see what kind of expression they're making, but to be honest I couldn't care less. I just need to leave.

”Ah, is that so? That's unfortunate. This operation is going to be painful without you. Right, Nick?”

”…”

I've been speaking to Sigmund, but Nicholas has been eerily quiet ever since I got out of the bookstore.

”… Nick?”

”Nah, we're fine without this clueless skank. Look, Chase is coming out now. Grab your hoodie and let's go after him.”

”…”

”Nick, seriously. Stop saying those things about her. It's getting really annoying.”

”Man, stop defending this thot, okay? She knows what she is, so why shouldn't I? Just ignore her and we can continue on our way. This quest was originally only for members of the 'Fated Ones' anyway. We shouldn't have brought any useless women with us from the get go.”

”…”

Oh.

Oh wow.

I don't know what it is.

I can't quite explain it right now.

After all, the moment he insulted me like that, every ounce of sound reasoning went through the window.

”… Hah. Skank, huh?”

I walk towards him.

I can feel the blood boiling in my body.

I haven't been this angry in a long time.

Without waiting for his words, I grab him forcefully by his stupid dorky collar.

”S-s-scarlet?!”

Sigmund can only stammer nervously, but at least he's doing better than his friend over here.

This one looks like he's seen a ghost.

But what, you think that's going to save you? After all the cruel things you've been saying to me all day?

”You shitty cockroach…”

Why was I swearing like this in public? Was it because I'd put a lid over this for too long and it all came bubbling over? Could I not just let one more of his blatantly misogynistic remarks slide and head home?

The answer to that should already be obvious.

He chose the wrong time to be a dick to me.

”I've been listening to the things you've been saying about me for a while, right…? I've even let a bit of it go as a sign of maturity, right? Surely Nicholas Albert isn't THAT bad! He can't be like this ALL the time, right? But as it turns out, I was wrong. I was dead wrong. You really just never stop saying dumb shit at all, do you?! Like, what the hell is wrong with your head? You think that because you have a Y chromosome and I don't that I'm somehow less than you? We're living in 20 fucking 19! I don't understand how such a backwards-ass opinion could ever come from someone else my age! I'm a thot, huh? Well guess what? I can be a huge jerk like you, too! Calling you Steve Urkel would be an insult to Jaleel White. Like honestly, what's with your clothes? Did your mom pick those out for you, or are you literally just blind? Also, half the time you're around me I have to hold my breath because of how badly you smell. Ever heard of Deodorant? Even sewer rats don't smell as badly as you do. I mean, I could go on, right? Like, like just LOOK at you! You're such a disgusting little cockroach and you have the nerve to call ME names?! YOU'RE the one who's mean over something I have absolutely no control over, my SEX, while you're out here looking like some week-old turkey that my dog threw up?! Do you not see how damn ironic that is?!”

I pause to catch my breath.

It was a mouthful, but I manage to get it all out of me.

I take the moment after the pause to stare straight into his eyes before I utter my next words.

”Nicholas Albert, you are a terrible human being. Don't let anyone, especially your dorky friends, tell you otherwise.”

”…”

After I finally stopped talking, I took a moment to catch myself and take in the atmosphere around me.

Nicholas is quiet.

He had put up no resistance.

He just quietly soaked in everything I had to say to him.

Not even Sigmund, who had been acting as the mediator all afternoon, was able to put in any words.

All we had was silence.

And once that silence settled in—

Once my rage had finally subsided—

I realized how badly I'd messed up.

”Nic…”

”I'm gonna go.”

Nicholas' expression was hard to read through his glasses. I couldn't tell what was going on inside of his head just by looking.

Either way, judging by those words, it was obvious that he was just about done with all of this too.

”A-ah… yeah…”

I slowly let go of his collar.

”…”

He says nothing. He doesn't even look at me.

Without his usual protest, he turns around and runs off quietly.

For the first time since I met him, I truly became conscious of the boy called Nicholas Albert. Not as the biggest geek in freshman year, nor as one of Chase's loser friends.

I saw him as his own person, as an individual for the first time.

Once his back fades into the scenery, the tension finally leaves my body.

And in its place is a taste of guilt I'd never experienced before today.

”…”

”Save it. I know what you're gonna say.”

Sigmund stands behind me quietly as if he wants to say something.

But I don't need to hear his words. It's obvious that he's just going to tell me things that I already know. I'd rather just leave and get this terrible day over with than listen to that self-righteous junk right now.

”Let me say it anyway. I'm pretty mad at you, but since you're Chase's girlfriend I'm going to approach this as adult-like as I possibly can.”

”…”

He really isn't like the other one at all, is he?

”Fine.”

He takes a breath to relieve himself of his tension, then takes a moment before speaking.

”There was absolutely no reason to go that far. You over did it.”

I clutch my chest and look down at the ground.

”I know.”

Even I know that, I'm not an idiot.

But… It kind of just happened anyway. He made me feel like I didn't matter when I was already in a terrible mood.

Yeah, that's the right choice of words.

Like I didn't matter.

Like there really was no room for me anywhere.

”You're were dealing with him much better before you went in there. Did something happen that upset you?”

I can't respond to that.

It's way too personal. After all, putting my feelings aside, it had to do with…

”Was it related to Momo-chan?”

”Wha-?!”

I turn back to face him in shock.

How?

How does he know that?

Did he sneak in behind me at the bookstore? No way, that's impossible. Him and Nicholas were definitely out here the entire time. So then…

”H-how…?

”Ahh, so it was, huh? Well, it's kind of a long story. We can talk about it later. But for now…”

And before he could speak, he does a full bow right before my eyes.

”H-huh?!”

”I'm sorry! I forced your boyfriend to skip class to be with Momo-chan all day!”

H-he… He did what?!

”Please don't feel uneasy about it! I promise you that the situation couldn't be helped! I don't know what he said to you in there, but I guarantee you that nothing romantic happened between them!”

”… You guarantee it? How?”

”Eh?”

”How can you guarantee it? It's not like you were with them in there, right? So how could you? I mean…”

”Because there's no way that Chase would risk losing both of us over something like that.”

”…”

Ahh.

I see.

He's worried about it too, isn't he?

He obviously didn't want this any more than I did, and yet he decided to believe in Chase and let him go through with it anyway.

Either way, knowing now that it wasn't that kind of meeting makes me feel at ease.

At ease…

Is it because I don't feel betrayed anymore? Or is there some other reason deep inside of my heart?

Haa, seriously. Why does this all have to be so complicated?

”L-lift your head up, idiot. It's fine.”

I look away to try hiding my embarrassment.

He reacts by standing tall once more with a nervous smile.

”Sorry, I should have brought it up sooner. I guess not telling you from the get-go ended up cornering you into asking him yourself, huh? And now we won't figure out where he's heading…”

”No, don't be like that. It's fine. Besides, we didn't talk to each other in there. I just happened to see him… Nevermind. Anyway, he didn't see me.”

”… Huh? Honto ni?”

Sigmund ponders this for a moment. I guess he thought our cover was blown and now he has to re-evaluate things.

After a few moments, he looks up at me with a look of determination in his eyes.

”Scarlet-san, please go apologize to Nick.”

”What?! Why? I'm more interested in why those two skipped class than apologizing to that incel!”

”No, I won't tell you the reason for that if you don't bring him back first. We're also not following Chase until you bring him back either.”

”…”

This geek…

”You know… I may have gone overboard, but that doesn't mean I forgive him for being a misogynistic jerk.”

”I know that dude, geez. But despite whatever comes out of his mouth, I don't think Nick actually hates women.”

”Well duh. He's only acting like that because they don't like him, right? That's what makes him an incel.”

”Well yeah, I thought that at first too, but…”

But…?

He thinks about it for a while, but eventually he shakes his head as if to rid himself of whatever thoughts he was putting together in his head then turns to start walking away.

”Anyway, go after him. There's a chance that he'll be at the arcade so you shouldn't have any trouble finding him if you follow the mall's map. Once you two make up, have him call me and we can meet up later.”

”Um, sure…”

After leaving me with those words, he rushes over before he could completely lose sight of Chase within the crowd of people.

Really? You're leaving me alone to go after that guy?

What kind of crazy plan is that?

If Chase were here, he would…

”…”

I've been extremely conscious of him today, huh?