The sound of Souta's punch still rang faintly in my skull a dull, echoing thud that felt strangely distant, as if it had landed on someone else. The world around me seemed to freeze in place. Students flinched, gasped, covered their mouths. Some backed away. Some grabbed their phones. Some just stared, stunned into silence.
I tasted a faint metallic tang on my tongue.
I slowly straightened my posture.
Souta stood in front of me, chest heaving, eyes burning with a mix of adrenaline and panic. The spotlight overhead flickered once, throwing his trembling figure into sharp relief.
Then he laughed.
A shaky, desperate laugh too loud, too forced.
"See?" he shouted, sweeping an arm toward the audience. "He's nothing! Just a nerd who can't even take a punch from me!"
The room went quiet. His words didn't hit the way he thought they would. They hung in the air, brittle and awkward.
Someone in the back murmured, "What's wrong with him…?"
Another whispered, "This isn't normal…"
Miyuki stumbled forward, tears streaking her cheeks. "Souta, stop! Please! You're making it worse!"
He turned on her instantly, shoving her back.
"Why the hell are you protecting him!?"
Miyuki lost her balance and hit the floor, palms slapping the wood with a sharp crack. Gasps erupted from everywhere.
Souta pointed at her, at me, at the crowd like a man unraveling.
"You all think she's some innocent girl?! You didn't see what she was doing with me how she clings to me, how she"
His voice cracked into something ugly.
"She told me I'm better than Haruto! She said—"
"Stop!" Miyuki screamed, covering her ears, her whole body trembling.
But Souta didn't stop.
He kept digging.
Kept burning.
Kept revealing pieces of himself that should've stayed hidden.
The audience recoiled not from Miyuki, not from me.
From him.
From the way he was breaking down right there on stage.
And then… I clapped.
Slow, steady, precise.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
The sound cut through the chaos like a scalpel.
Souta's head snapped toward me. His expression twisted, not in anger but in fear.
I wiped the corner of my lip calmly and smiled.
"That was quite a punch," I said quietly, my voice soft enough to seem gentle but loud enough to fill the room. "You've always been good at hitting things, Souta."
He blinked. "Haruto… shut up"
"But the show is over now."
I stepped closer to him, my shoes echoing in the dead-silent hall.
"You exposed yourself," I said. "Not me. Not Miyuki. You."
His breath hitched.
"Souta," I continued, "your school life is gone."
His shoulders tensed.
I tilted my head slightly, eyes sharp.
"Just look around you."
Slowly, hesitantly, he turned.
Hundreds of students stared at him not with admiration, not with respect.
With disgust.
Confusion.
Fear.
Even the ones who used to praise him the soccer club, the girls who always chased him, his close friends none of them moved to defend him. None stepped forward. None spoke up.
He was alone.
Utterly, painfully alone.
Souta staggered back, his legs shaking. Then he collapsed onto his knees, palms hitting the floor.
"This… no… this isn't…" His voice cracked into a broken whisper. "This isn't happening."
Miyuki was still on the floor, curled, crying quietly not for me, not for him
But because everything had shattered beyond repair.
I watched them both with a strange clarity.
Then I exhaled slowly.
"…My revenge is complete."
No shouting.
No gloating.
Just the cold truth spoken softly.
Around us, the students began to move first in stunned steps, then in small groups, then in clusters. The room emptied quickly, whispers trailing like smoke.
"What a mess…"
"Did you see the video…?"
"Haruto looked so calm…"
"Souta's done. Totally done."
The lights flickered again.
The party was over.
Completely, utterly over.
And then
"Haruto."
Yui appeared beside me, her voice quiet but urgent. Her eyes looked sharper than usual—more alert, more worried. "Come with me. Now."
She didn't wait for my answer. She grabbed my wrist, guiding me out of the auditorium. Her grip was warm despite the coldness in the hall.
We stepped into the dim corridor. The silence hit immediately a heavy, suffocating contrast to the noise behind us.
Yui let out a shaky breath. "That was… intense."
I didn't respond.
She looked at me sideways. "…You planned all of that?"
"Most of it," I replied.
She swallowed, unsure whether to be impressed or afraid. "…You're scary when you're calm, you know that?"
I didn't deny it.
--SOUTA & MIYUKI'S PARENTS--
After a few minutes, the auditorium doors creaked open again. Souta's friends carried him to a bench in the hallway. Miyuki, still trembling, sat on the floor beside the vending machines.
I took out my phone.
"Who are you calling?" Yui asked.
"Their parents," I said.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
The calls were short.
Polite.
Emotionless.
"Kurogane-kun? What happened?"
"We're on our way right now."
"Please stay with them until we arrive."
"I will," I answered each time, without promising anything beyond that.
Twenty minutes later
Miyuki's mother arrived first, sprinting toward her daughter. "Miyuki! What happened?!"
Miyuki sobbed into her mother's coat.
Souta's parents arrived right after, frantic, breathless, confused. His father shook him gently. "Souta, talk to me! What did you do? What is going on?"
Souta didn't answer.
His eyes were unfocused.
Broken.
His mother looked toward me. "Haruto… what… happened?"
I slipped my hands into my pockets.
"Ask your son," I said quietly.
Their faces fell.
No one said anything after that.
Soon, they carried their children away.
The hall lights buzzed faintly overhead.
For a moment, I stood there alone, feeling nothing but the cold air brushing against my neck.
Then
"Haruto?"
Yui's mother approached us, wearing a warm wool coat and gentle eyes. "We're heading home. I can drop you at the station."
Yui looked relieved. "Yeah. Let's go."
I nodded. "Thank you, ma'am."
We walked out of the school past the gates, past the fading echoes of the ruined party, past the cold December sky.
I didn't look back.
Not once.
The car was warm, filled with soft instrumental music. Yui sat beside me, arms wrapped around herself.
"Haruto…" she murmured. "…I know you're calm right now, but… does it hurt?"
"No," I said.
She looked at me, uncertain, almost sad. "You're lying."
I didn't correct her.
Her mother glanced at me through the mirror. "Whatever happened tonight… I hope it leads you somewhere better."
I nodded. "I'll be fine."
The rest of the ride passed in silence.
When we reached the station, I stepped out, thanked her mother, and watched the taillights disappear into the night.
Then I walked home in the quiet snowfall.
---Haruto's house---
The lights were on.
Warm.
Soft.
Normal.
When I opened the door, my mom's voice drifted from the living room. "Haruto? Welcome back!"
Dad peeked from the kitchen. "How was the party?"
I slipped off my shoes.
"It was good," I said with a small smile. "I'll never forget it."
They laughed lightly, not knowing what those words really meant.
Mom tilted her head. "You look tired."
"I am."
"Well," Dad said, "go rest, champ. Tomorrow's another day."
"Yeah," I whispered. "It is."
I walked upstairs, closed my door, and let the silence of my room swallow everything.
The faint glow from the streetlights pressed through the curtains.
I lay down on my bed still wearing the outfit from the party, my head sinking into the pillow.
Finally… finally…
"…It's done."
A soft exhale escaped my lips.
"I could've ruined them more," I murmured to the ceiling. "I could've dragged it out… made them truly miserable…"
My eyes drifted shut.
"But this was enough."
The last thing I felt before sleep took me was a strange, hollow calmness quiet, steady… almost peaceful.
Not warmth.
Not joy.
Just completion.
A chapter closed.
A winter silence.
And then I slept still dressed, still cold, but somehow lighter than I had felt in months.