Chapter 3: Family
Episode 53: The Last Question
Translated by BunnyByjn
Edited by ArroganceComplex
Saturday and Sunday just passed by and It’s finally December.
I hadn’t been to school in a little over three weeks.
The world is abuzz with reports of Saki’s abuse. Her mysterious disappearance was due to her pregnancy, and she was also abusing her child. Both the media and internet were full of criticism for Saki.
Shion was also in the headlines.
The public’s impression about her was basically about a strong girl who had endured and won over the abuse along with her older brother…. The details of the domestic relation trial were naturally not disclosed, so Shiori wasn’t found to have cooperated with the abuse.
If the only information is that Saki was taken away from the right for custody, it is normal to think that Shiori was indeed a victim of abuse as well.
It would also improve her image. Shiori’s agency had done a good job.
Unlike Saki, Shiori is being praised for having endured so much, and for being such a cute girl who was abused.(E/N: Praised for being a cute abused child? nahhh)
I don’t mind revealing the truth to them, but I’ll have to use this trump card in a different way…
While thinking about that, I arrived at the classroom, breaking through the media crowd that was blocking the school gate, and there were already five people other than me waiting.
Of course those five were Cheena, Maou, Hosoi, Akimoto and Miyamoto. I had asked Cheena to split up and go ahead of me when we got off the bus so that we wouldn’t be caught by the media. (E/N:Who the h**l is Maou? you named a child a demon lord?)
The five of them were standing together and chatting near my seat.
『Here we are, finally. Was it hard goingh through media? 』
『Yeah, it was. They have no morals whatsoever.』
“Iori, what you say now is worth a lot of money.”
“Don’t talk nasty to me, Akimoto.”
As we exchanged greetings with each other, the other classmates called out to us, looking worried.
“Oh, Kagami’s here!”
“Kagami, you’ve had a rough day!”
“You should consult with us a little!”
Since the class match, I’ve been able to build a good relationship with everyone except for Shiori’s followers.
They all seemed to be worried about me while I was absent.
Such a situation would have been impossible if it was six months ago.
The environment around me is changing. And it’s going to keep changing.
I should take good care of my growing number of friends…
As I sat at my desk, I cheerfully replied to my classmates.
“I’m sorry, but it’s not an easy thing to tell people that you’re trying to break up with your parents.”
Shhhhhh.
I’m sorry but this… I’m not used to this, acting cheerful in front of a lot of people.
“And by the way, I’m surprised that Shiori became an idol.”
Miyamo-san said carefully.
She broke the dull atmosphere with a rash and unconnected topic.
To be honest, it was a terrible comment, but for some reason, it made me smile.
With that, the class suddenly starts talking a little about Shiori.
“It’s true! Kagami, didn’t you know?”
“No, not at all.”
“You guys are so boring, even though you’re brother and sister. You guys.”
“No, it’s…”
“Shiori must be having a hard time being an idol.”
“She was abused by her mother. Is that what happened to her?”
“She didn’t say anything bad about her mom though.”
“…………”
Those who know Shiori’s usual behavior seem to be suspicious of the media’s information.
That’s right, Shiori always exalts herself.
That moment…
“Iori!!!”
I heard a voice echoing from the entrance of the classroom. I turned my head and saw Shiori panting, her hand on the open door.
Before I knew it, the hallway was filled with boys from the Shiori fan club and her guard girls.
It was packed outside the classroom.
I knew you’d come.
I chuckled in my mind and dared to speak back to her in a friendly manner.
“Hey, Shiori, you look good.”
“Of course I’m fine!!”
Shiori walks into the classroom, looking even angrier than usual.
She had dark circles in her eyes that even her makeup couldn’t hide.
I guess she hasn’t slept since the trial. I had a good sleep, though.
As if to follow Shiori, several members of her guards and fan club came into the classroom. They were probably the leaders of the group, and they pushed their way through the crowd of people around me.
The rest of the class seemed to be watching from the hallway.
It seemed that the majority of the class was watching me, and then Shiori stood in front of me and opened her mouth.
“Iori, what have you done to mother?”
“She was the one who denied me.”
“That was only because she was overwhelmed that she had said something she didn’t mean. She was such a good mother who took care of her family, so why is Iori only hurting her? Why can’t you just take good care of our family?”
As I listened to Shiori’s words, I felt it – ah, she was the same old Shiori, trying to trick everyone by mixing lies with truth.
Family–oriented… There was no doubt that she cared for Shiori, one of her family members, and it was also true that I didn’t care about them, my family.
“That’s right, Kagami! You have no idea how much Shiori is grieving and suffering!”
“Kagami! You’ve always been hard on her, but you’ve been hard on your mother too! You disappointed us!”
“You made up evidence that doesn’t exist and set up your mother and Shiori anyway!”
In response to Shiori’s words, the Shiori followers accused me in chorus.
I felt the voltage of my anger rise as I heard the same blind remarks as before, but I suppressed it and tried to refute them.
“She and Shiori never thought of me as family.”
“That’s not true! We are both biological brother and sister, you guys were mother and son!”
“Of course, we are blood related, but whether you consider me as your family is another matter. What I am saying is, you’ve been spending my money.”
“No, of course not. Mother was always very kind! And yet, you denied that bond tying you and her! You’ve made her unhappy! How can you be so cruel?”
Shiori’s eyes filled with tears, as if to say that she was really heartbroken. But I know those tears were fake. She was putting an act to corner me.
“Yes, that’s right! How can Shiori not care about her family?”
“You’re so blind!”
“You have always been bad, but you’ve gone too far this time!”
“You’re the one who’s gone too far!”
I also screamed along with Shiori’s fanatics who were riding on her tactics.
I’m so pissed off. How can you say such a thing so brazenly?
But that’s all for today.
I felt a blue streak running down my temple, and asked Shiori.
“Hey Shiori! Do you and your mother really think of me as family? Do you really think I’ve been taken care of?”
“We’re related by blood. I have no reason not to cherish you!”
“… Is that so? Oh, everyone please!”
The lights in the classroom went out and the curtains were drawn over the windows as I called out to her, confirming Shiori’s words.
Cheena and everyone else had moved while I was surrounded.
The sudden darkening of the room caused a sudden buzz in the classroom.
Then, a loud voice came from the podium.
“Quiet, everyone! There’s something I want you all to see.”
The voice was coming from Soji, who was talking in a theatrical way with his hands on the table as everyone’s attention was focused on him.
“Hey, Shimizu, we are talking about something important right now.”
“Don’t worry, this is something related to that.”
Shiori’s complaint went unanswered. Soji, completely unconcerned, placed something on the table.
It was a portable projector connected to a smartphone. From there, the screen of the phone appeared on the blackboard.
The screen of the phone appeared on the blackboard.
“Now, everyone, listen carefully.”
Shiori’s expression turned desperate as she watched the video and audio play.
『Mom and I never thought of you as family. 』
A/N: The counterattack on Shiori finally began.
Chapter 3: Family
Episode 53: The Last Question
Translated by BunnyByjn
Edited by ArroganceComplex
Saturday and Sunday just passed by and It’s finally December.
I hadn’t been to school in a little over three weeks.
The world is abuzz with reports of Saki’s abuse. Her mysterious disappearance was due to her pregnancy, and she was also abusing her child. Both the media and internet were full of criticism for Saki.
Shion was also in the headlines.
The public’s impression about her was basically about a strong girl who had endured and won over the abuse along with her older brother…. The details of the domestic relation trial were naturally not disclosed, so Shiori wasn’t found to have cooperated with the abuse.
If the only information is that Saki was taken away from the right for custody, it is normal to think that Shiori was indeed a victim of abuse as well.
It would also improve her image. Shiori’s agency had done a good job.
Unlike Saki, Shiori is being praised for having endured so much, and for being such a cute girl who was abused.(E/N: Praised for being a cute abused child? nahhh)
I don’t mind revealing the truth to them, but I’ll have to use this trump card in a different way…
While thinking about that, I arrived at the classroom, breaking through the media crowd that was blocking the school gate, and there were already five people other than me waiting.
Of course those five were Cheena, Maou, Hosoi, Akimoto and Miyamoto. I had asked Cheena to split up and go ahead of me when we got off the bus so that we wouldn’t be caught by the media. (E/N:Who the h**l is Maou? you named a child a demon lord?)
The five of them were standing together and chatting near my seat.
『Here we are, finally. Was it hard goingh through media? 』
『Yeah, it was. They have no morals whatsoever.』
“Iori, what you say now is worth a lot of money.”
“Don’t talk nasty to me, Akimoto.”
As we exchanged greetings with each other, the other classmates called out to us, looking worried.
“Oh, Kagami’s here!”
“Kagami, you’ve had a rough day!”
“You should consult with us a little!”
Since the class match, I’ve been able to build a good relationship with everyone except for Shiori’s followers.
They all seemed to be worried about me while I was absent.
Such a situation would have been impossible if it was six months ago.
The environment around me is changing. And it’s going to keep changing.
I should take good care of my growing number of friends…
As I sat at my desk, I cheerfully replied to my classmates.
“I’m sorry, but it’s not an easy thing to tell people that you’re trying to break up with your parents.”
Shhhhhh.
I’m sorry but this… I’m not used to this, acting cheerful in front of a lot of people.
“And by the way, I’m surprised that Shiori became an idol.”
Miyamo-san said carefully.
She broke the dull atmosphere with a rash and unconnected topic.
To be honest, it was a terrible comment, but for some reason, it made me smile.
With that, the class suddenly starts talking a little about Shiori.
“It’s true! Kagami, didn’t you know?”
“No, not at all.”
“You guys are so boring, even though you’re brother and sister. You guys.”
“No, it’s…”
“Shiori must be having a hard time being an idol.”
“She was abused by her mother. Is that what happened to her?”
“She didn’t say anything bad about her mom though.”
“…………”
Those who know Shiori’s usual behavior seem to be suspicious of the media’s information.
That’s right, Shiori always exalts herself.
That moment…
“Iori!!!”
I heard a voice echoing from the entrance of the classroom. I turned my head and saw Shiori panting, her hand on the open door.
Before I knew it, the hallway was filled with boys from the Shiori fan club and her guard girls.
It was packed outside the classroom.
I knew you’d come.
I chuckled in my mind and dared to speak back to her in a friendly manner.
“Hey, Shiori, you look good.”
“Of course I’m fine!!”
Shiori walks into the classroom, looking even angrier than usual.
She had dark circles in her eyes that even her makeup couldn’t hide.
I guess she hasn’t slept since the trial. I had a good sleep, though.
As if to follow Shiori, several members of her guards and fan club came into the classroom. They were probably the leaders of the group, and they pushed their way through the crowd of people around me.
The rest of the class seemed to be watching from the hallway.
It seemed that the majority of the class was watching me, and then Shiori stood in front of me and opened her mouth.
“Iori, what have you done to mother?”
“She was the one who denied me.”
“That was only because she was overwhelmed that she had said something she didn’t mean. She was such a good mother who took care of her family, so why is Iori only hurting her? Why can’t you just take good care of our family?”
As I listened to Shiori’s words, I felt it – ah, she was the same old Shiori, trying to trick everyone by mixing lies with truth.
Family–oriented… There was no doubt that she cared for Shiori, one of her family members, and it was also true that I didn’t care about them, my family.
“That’s right, Kagami! You have no idea how much Shiori is grieving and suffering!”
“Kagami! You’ve always been hard on her, but you’ve been hard on your mother too! You disappointed us!”
“You made up evidence that doesn’t exist and set up your mother and Shiori anyway!”
In response to Shiori’s words, the Shiori followers accused me in chorus.
I felt the voltage of my anger rise as I heard the same blind remarks as before, but I suppressed it and tried to refute them.
“She and Shiori never thought of me as family.”
“That’s not true! We are both biological brother and sister, you guys were mother and son!”
“Of course, we are blood related, but whether you consider me as your family is another matter. What I am saying is, you’ve been spending my money.”
“No, of course not. Mother was always very kind! And yet, you denied that bond tying you and her! You’ve made her unhappy! How can you be so cruel?”
Shiori’s eyes filled with tears, as if to say that she was really heartbroken. But I know those tears were fake. She was putting an act to corner me.
“Yes, that’s right! How can Shiori not care about her family?”
“You’re so blind!”
“You have always been bad, but you’ve gone too far this time!”
“You’re the one who’s gone too far!”
I also screamed along with Shiori’s fanatics who were riding on her tactics.
I’m so pissed off. How can you say such a thing so brazenly?
But that’s all for today.
I felt a blue streak running down my temple, and asked Shiori.
“Hey Shiori! Do you and your mother really think of me as family? Do you really think I’ve been taken care of?”
“We’re related by blood. I have no reason not to cherish you!”
“… Is that so? Oh, everyone please!”
The lights in the classroom went out and the curtains were drawn over the windows as I called out to her, confirming Shiori’s words.
Cheena and everyone else had moved while I was surrounded.
The sudden darkening of the room caused a sudden buzz in the classroom.
Then, a loud voice came from the podium.
“Quiet, everyone! There’s something I want you all to see.”
The voice was coming from Soji, who was talking in a theatrical way with his hands on the table as everyone’s attention was focused on him.
“Hey, Shimizu, we are talking about something important right now.”
“Don’t worry, this is something related to that.”
Shiori’s complaint went unanswered. Soji, completely unconcerned, placed something on the table.
It was a portable projector connected to a smartphone. From there, the screen of the phone appeared on the blackboard.
The screen of the phone appeared on the blackboard.
“Now, everyone, listen carefully.”
Shiori’s expression turned desperate as she watched the video and audio play.
『Mom and I never thought of you as family. 』
A/N: The counterattack on Shiori finally began.
