A Cheeky Junior Denied Me My Entire Life, so I Tested What Would Happen if I Jumped off a Rooftop to Vent My Anger
The next day I went to high school for the first time in a long time. My classmates looked at me as if I were a ghost, but they didn’t say anything in particular.
My homeroom teacher made a few snide remarks, but that was really all. It wasn’t like I was called in and lectured or forced to do assignments for my absence.
…… Maybe Asama-san had some kind of hand in it? Or maybe my relative is acquainted with the chairperson of the board of directors here, so he put some kind of rooting around at the end. Whatever it was, it didn’t turn out to be important.
“Thankfully, they do that all the time, so I guess I’m a bit of a floater in class. ……”
…… Honestly, what’s the point of going to school now? I also think that if I can’t get a good night’s sleep and have nothing to do during the day, I really don’t have anything to do.
“I don’t know how rich Asama-san is, but I can’t go playing around with other people’s money in the daytime, and I don’t have any hobbies to play around with in the first place.”
So, well, it’s fine for me to go to school. ……
If there was a problem, it would be with the art club.There is no reason to stay enrolled in an uncomfortable art club for any length of time.
I don’t know the details of what happened to the scholarship in the end, but that doesn’t matter now.
I’ve found something else more enjoyable to do.
Until I got to know Asama-san, that place was my only place, no matter how uncomfortable it was. …… but now, it’s not.
I was able to break up with Usa-san, and I was able to say what I wanted to say to Kamiya-san and Rengo. There is no one else to talk to, and there is no reason to stick to that place anymore. I’m going to quit those club activities after school today.
I had made up my mind to do so.
“……That’s unusual.”
However, when I showed up in the club room after school, the advisor, Yasaka-sensei, was sitting cross-legged in a pompous manner, and most of the club members were all there. Basically, it is a free participation club activity, so it is rare for all members to be present.
From the looks of it, everyone seemed to be showing up, except for the non-attending director…. Usa-san, and Rengo. And there is also Kamiya-san.
“…………”
The club room is unnaturally quiet, even though that many people have gathered there.
…Maybe there will be some event in the future? In any case, the atmosphere didn’t seem like it would make me want to leave the club. It’s a pain, but I’ll try again later. With that in mind, I reached for the door, but Yasaka-sensei said to block my reach.
“What are you trying to escape from, Aoi? There’s an empty seat there, right? Sit down quickly.”
“No, I’m …….”
“Just sit down.
Otherwise, we won’t be able to start.”
As usual, she is a pushy person. It is useless to say anything to this person, so I give up and sit in a nearby chair. Chewing gum for non-smokers, Yasaka-sensei says
“Alright, now we’re all here, right? Well then, I have one thing to report to you guys.”
It is unusual for Yasaka-sensei to propose something on her own. There was a slight tremor in the room, but Yasaka-sensei continued without worrying.
“Final exams are coming soon, and once they’re over, it’s summer vacation. We normally ask third-year students to apply to a summer competition every year, but this year, apart from that, we’re holding an internal competition for first- and second-year students.”
“…… isn’t that a bit sudden?”
says Usa san, but Yasaka Sensei shakes her head.
“It’s all right, it’s so quick. If you take your time, can you draw something good? Masterpieces don’t come out of a spare time.
Sparta is meaningless, but if you’re just spoiled, any talent will rot.”
“…………”
Usa-san cannot refute this and shuts her mouth. Yasaka-sensei pulls out a smoking cessation gum from her pocket with a troublesome gesture.
“However, it is not compulsory. As always, participation is free. The deadline is after summer vacation. If you are busy, there is no need to force yourself to participate.
… However, I am planning to appoint the person who wins this competition as the next head.”
“────”
Tension ran through the department. Yasaka-sensei laughed.
“I’ll be the judge. If you can draw something that satisfies me, then that person will be the head of the department, and that person will be the number one in this department. …… Anyone have any questions?”
No one can say anything, and a buzz of unrest spreads through the department. The next head …… Rengo, who is the current vice head and still practically organizes the club, because everyone thought so.
…… None the less, I, too.
“There’s no theme, no matter the format of the work. Show me the culmination of your work up to now. That’s all I expect from you.”
With that said, Yasaka sensei leaves the art room. As always, she is a person who only says what she wants to say. …Still, that person has a track record and the ability to match it. So no one can object.
“Well, it’s nothing to do with me quitting.”
“I’ll tell the teacher that I’m leaving the club while I still can. With that thought in mind, I tried to follow the teacher as she left the club room, but someone forcibly grabbed my shoulder to stop me.
“Finally, you’ve arrived, Susumu. You’re free anyway, right? Let’s make it a little tough.”
“…… Rengo. I’m sorry, but unlike you, I don’t have any free time…”
“Just follow me!”
Rengo forcibly pulls my arm. …If I want to go against it, it’s easy. Compared to that puppet master from yesterday, Rengo is like a child. If I shake off his hand and give him a light nudge, he will fall back on his butt.
…But anyway, no matter how I shake it off, he’ll just come back to the classroom next time. If I ignore that too, he might go to Asama san. In that case, it would be better to finish it here quickly.
“…….I can’t help it, so I’ll just let you know.”
He probably heard it from Usa-san anyway, but if I tell him that me and Usa-san have broken up, he won’t be bothering me anymore either.
“So? What do you want?”
What I came to was an empty classroom a little far from the club room. Rengo lets go of my arm and glares at me with more emotional eyes than before.
“…… What did you do to Ririka? I told you, didn’t I? If you do anything to hurt her, I won’t forgive you.”
“That’s out of the blue.
I didn’t do anything.”
“Don’t lie to me! Ririka has been acting weird lately! She doesn’t even reply when I talk to her, and even when I text her… she ignores me.”
“What’s that got to do with me? You should at least take care of your girlfriend’s moods.”
“That’s not what it is about. ……
“
Rengo glared at me as if he was about to punch me.
“You did something to Ririka, right? You’re the only one who would make her look like that—“
“I said, I don’t know.
….. you’re so pathetic, he just switched to another guy, didn’t she?”
“You ……!”
Rengo grabs my chest. …He’s still a short-tempered guy.
“Why are you angry? There’s nothing strange about it, right? It’s a woman who abandoned me when I fell down and moved on to you, right? If you fell down, it wouldn’t be strange to switch to another man, right?”
“I’m not a failure!”
“That’s the part where you say, ‘Ririka is not that kind of girl!’ right…..?….. you only think about yourself in the end, don’t you?”
“…….”
Rengo looks away, feeling awkward. I took a deep breath.
“Anyway, Usa-san and I are no longer related. Usa-san and I have already broken up.”
“────”
Rengo’s eyes widen in surprise.
“Why are you surprised? You heard this from Usa-san, right? Isn’t that good? Now you can go out with Usa-san without worrying.”
“…Are you okay with that?…No, you’re the one who just switched, right?…Asama Ion. Are you okay with that woman?”
“Are you yourself good with Usa-san?”
“…………”
“…………”
We stare at each other in silence for a while. …However, Rengo seems to have given in sooner than expected, sitting down on a nearby desk and saying.
“Susumu, you …… heard what Yasaka-sensei said earlier, didn’t you?”
“The one about the intra-departmental competition, right?”
“If so, it’s a quick story. …… compete with me, Susumu. Who’s better, you or me? Let’s just get this straight, shall we?”
I frown at Rengo’s words.
“Don’t proceed without permission. I don’t feel like doing that now. In the first place, I was thinking of quitting the art club—”
“Are you going to run away again?”
Rengo glared at me with piercing eyes. I click my tongue and then reply.
“I’m not trying to run away or anything. But what’s the point of having a match with you now? I’ve already…”
“Shut up, shut up! In the end, you’re just running away! You ran away from school, you ran away from Ririka, and now you want to run away from the art club? You can’t possibly draw a picture like that!”
“……I said don’t make assumptions. I’m leaving Usa-san and the art club because I have no regrets. You, a stranger who has nothing to do with it, shouldn’t be interjecting from the side.”
“…That face again? I’ve told you over and over again to stop making that knowing face!”
Rengo grabs me by the chest again. …… What are you so irritated about?
“Ah, I see. In the end, you just want to get Usa-san’s attention. …You’re insecure. Rengo-kun has always had a habit of having a big body and was scared. Aren’t you afraid that if you don’t show that you’re better than others, you’ll be thrown away?
“……!”
Rengo raises his fist. I laughed.
“If you’re a painter too, you should take better care of your hands, right? If you break a bone from punching a fool, you’ll be out of competition.”
“Shut up! You have no right to tell me what to do when you have a habit of moving your hands but don’t draw anything!”
Rengo shouts. But I don’t stop laughing.
“It’s okay to hit someone if you want to. Hit someone you don’t like and make them listen to what you have to say. Are you satisfied with that? That’s why you’re not popular.”
“……”
Rengo steps back as if under pressure. I took a deep breath.
“I understand. You want to compete, right? I’ll take it….Certainly, it would be unethical to receive a scholarship and then quit without drawing a single picture. I don’t want to become the head though… I’ll show the guys here one last time what I’m capable of.”
“…… haha. Don’t act like you’re a big shot if you can’t draw.”
“ou’re the one who challenged someone who can’t draw to a competition.
Or are you not confident that you can win if I can’t draw it?”
“…….”
Rengo takes a step back. He’s still a tiny guy.
“……. If you lose, quit the art club. Leave this club, not as your will, but as a loser who lost to me.”
“So if I win, you’ll listen to me for one thing too. …So, is that okay? ”
We both glare at each other. …… After what happened yesterday, I picked up my sketchbook this morning, thinking that I could draw now. But still, my hand wouldn’t move.
…I still haven’t gotten over the slump. Even among the artists who left their mark on history, there are some who were unable to overcome their slump and took their own lives. I met an amazing girl, she showed me something beautiful, and that was it! …I know best that it’s not that easy.
Still, I took on the game. I can’t keep running away forever.
“I’m going. I’m looking forward to it…. seeing what kind of pictures you’ll draw, okay? Rengo.”
I just leave the empty classroom. Rengo didn’t try to hold me back anymore.
◇
“Damn it!”
After Susumu leaves. Rengo kicks a nearby chair, as if to vent the resentment that has built up in his chest. …… Rengo was annoyed. He had not heard that Ririka and Susumu had broken up.
“Why the hell, Ririka,…….”
When and where did Ririka and Susumu meet? Is Ririka been acting strange lately because she broke up with Susumu? And why didn’t Rieika tell him that she broke up with Susumu?
“No, no! I was chosen! I’m not the same person I used to be! I won’t be defeated by Susumu!”
Rengo was worried. Because Susumu’s eyes just now overlapped with those of his old friend. …Susumu was a monster when he was in middle school. He was a monster, something that cannot be described as a genius.
Yasaka often said that what a painter should value most is their eyes, not their hands. Processing visual information affects many areas of the brain. What you see is directly connected to what you think, and those thoughts create your work.
—-Susumu’s eyes were the eyes of a monster.
And the media who only care about making a fuss. And critics who only talk the talk. When someone looks at you with those eyes, you have no choice but to shut up. A mere junior high school student intimidates a grown man. Susumu in junior high school had much, much scarier eyes than that Asama Ion.
“Such Susumu, I have surpassed …….”
Rengo’s hands were shaking as he spat. …If he continues like this, he will lose again. If that happens, Ririka will run out of affection this time. No matter how much bravado he puts on, he can’t let go of his fundamental weakness.
Rengo’s essence remained that of a weak child.
“To be dumped by Ririka, that’s …… no, it’s okay. I won’t be …… defeated by a man who’s full of excuses like that. ……!”
Rengo has been in love with Ririka for a long time. He has worked so hard for Ririka. And even though he should have finally grabbed her hand, Ririka is only concerned about Susumu.
“Damn ……!”
Rengo kicks the chair away again. But doing so did not make him feel any better.
if you’re planning to drop this, can you do it after the karma/zama happens? revenge stories really satisfies me. anyways ty for the translations
Got you bro