CHAPTER 12 - The Mindset of a Widow. Part 2
(POV - Saik)
Bullying is a serious problem… Or, well, that's what I think. According to my research, it's an issue. Since it never affected me, I didn't care, so I never considered it a real problem.
I looked into it and its consequences to help Sylphie, before I realized I only promised to help Iris, not Sylphie.
I shouldn't worry about it. If someone tries to mock or mess with me, I won't stay quiet. I'll defend myself, no matter the person's gender or age.
And if I see someone suffering from bullying, honestly, I wouldn't care. As long as it doesn't affect me, it shouldn't matter to me.
Why should I care what happens to other people? The only thing that should matter is what happens to me.
A thought that people would consider cruel, but I don't care.
I'm not a hero, nor a villain. I'm just another human.
"Please, help Sylphie!"
Ah, Yuki. Sorry, but I don't want to. I'm too lazy to get involved.
Besides, if I help her, she'll never learn to stand up for herself.
"Fufu. Not bad. With this, I can buy that cute keychain I saw at the mall," said a random girl, counting the money she took from Sylphie's wallet.
Three girls are harassing Sylphie on the rooftop.
They took her money, and Sylphie is crying, kneeling on the ground. They look at her as if she's inferior to them, feeling superior. Why are they doing this exactly? Why take such a risk? They have plenty of money; they're not doing this for cash. Jealousy, or do they just enjoy seeing others suffer? People who relish others' pain? Two of them are pretty; the third, not so much. I don't think it's jealousy over Sylphie's beauty, unless they envy her chest, which is larger than theirs.
Do girls really care about chest size? They're just for feeding babies; size doesn't matter. Ah, I don't understand women.
Sylphie looks so pathetic, crying with snot running from her nose, while the girls laugh at her and kick her in the chest and stomach. Is it really jealousy over her chest size? I refuse to believe it's for such a stupid reason. Ah, women are a mystery to me.
Honestly, I still don't care.
If I help her, she won't grow. She needs to learn to defend herself and not always rely on others. Sylphie, you've done well so far, supporting your mother on your own. Realize you have the ability to stand up for yourself; don't let yourself be humiliated.
You need to learn to confront those who hurt you, not stay passive and let them take advantage of you.
"Stop crying!"
One of them slapped her hard. Wow. Girls are terrifying.
I think I don't want a girlfriend after all. I don't want to deal with a violent girl. Ah, most girls are violent, like Rossy. Why can't they be adorable, like Yuki? We live in an unfair world.
"Please, you have to help her, Saik! Don't just stand there!"
It's not my problem; it's hers. She needs to solve it herself. It doesn't affect me. If I get involved, Sylphie will think I'm her hero and depend on me, and that's the last thing I want. I don't want to have to protect her forever.
"If you don't help her, Noel won't help you study!"
He and I have a deal, and he has to honor it.
I help with his wife's problem, and he helps me study.
His daughter isn't part of that deal.
"And if you don't help her, I'll never help you cheat or assist with anything!"
"… Ah, fine."
Now it affects me; I have to step in.
I still need Yuki's help and her company. I don't want her to hate me.
Ah, Yuki, don't you realize helping her will only harm her? Well, whatever.
The door was open, so I just walked toward them at a normal pace.
Ah, I'll regret this.
"Girls, return the money, please. Stealing is illegal."
I'm a bit of a hypocrite; I've done worse… Bah, doesn't matter.
"Huh? Who does this random think he is?"
"Why? Get lost, scruffy; this isn't your business."
"I don't want to leave. Return the money," I said, while Yuki clenches her fists, as if she's the one about to fight.
"What'll you do if we don't?"
"Hit us?"
This is an elite school, meaning it's for smart or rich people. The smart ones get scholarships, while the rich have to pay tuition.
They don't seem smart; they're probably rich. I'm not judging them by their appearance but by their actions, and risking their scholarship for this nonsense is something only brainless idiots would do. I'm sure they're not smart.
They're only taking Sylphie's money to humiliate her… Ah, pathetic.
"What'll I do? Hmm… Yeah. I think I'll hit you. Face or stomach?"
"Well done, Saik, that threat will scare them!" Yuki said.
One of them got too close to me. Wow, she smells nice.
"I'd like to see you try…!"
I didn't let her finish and punched her hard in the stomach, knocking the air out of her, and she fell to her knees. Gross, she's vomiting. Luckily, I stepped back in time to avoid getting my shoes dirty.
"Huh?" Yuki said, at a loss for words.
Sorry for showing you something gross, Yuki, but these kinds of people don't learn with words.
"Is that enough?"
"Ninda!"
The other two girls helped her stand, and I yawned. Ah, what a hassle; I hope I don't get in trouble for this. I'd better start thinking of arguments to avoid getting expelled.
"Last warning, return the money."
I raised my fist, filling the girls with fear.
"Or do you want to settle this with violence?"
"N-no need!"
One of them dropped the money on the ground.
"Is that all, Sylphie?"
She grabbed the money without hesitation and started counting.
For someone in her situation, money is very important, and not being able to defend herself and letting them steal from her is just stupid. Seriously, Sylphie, we need to fix that part of your personality… Ah, yes, "we," because Yuki will force me to help you. Ah, so lazy.
"… Y-yes…" she said, nodding after finishing counting. Ah, but she's still looking at the ground and kneeling.
I'm not helping you stand; don't get used to me helping you.
But well, she's telling the truth. Good, my job's done.
"Ah, by the way. If you try to take advantage of Sylphie, you might lose one or two teeth. Let this be the last time you hit her, got it?"
"Y-you're crazy."
"Let's go."
The three left, and I stretched my arms.
Ah… I wanted to avoid this, but Yuki won't leave me alone if I don't help Sylphie.
Now I have to deal with this problem.
Ah, so lazy.
"I'm hungry."
I walked away from Sylphie, sat on the ground, and started eating my food while Yuki stares at me with a big smile on her face. A smile full of satisfaction. Yes, yes, congratulations, you managed to manipulate a guy who was the nightmare of thousands. Seriously, Yuki, you're so adorable it's terrifying.
But that expression full of satisfaction and happiness, and those sparkling eyes, make you look so much cuter. If that's your way of paying me for helping Sylphie, I think it was worth it.
…
…
…
She's still adorable, but her staring at me like that while I eat is uncomfortable.
"You've been staring at me for two minutes, Yuki. Stop, or I'll overdose on cuteness," I whispered.
"You were amazing, Saik! I knew you were awesome! You hit a girl without hesitation!" Yuki said, pretending to box.
Wait, Yuki. "Without hesitation"?
… Isn't it normal to hit a girl?
I never cared about my enemies' gender; I always hit them, no matter their gender or age.
Is it not normal in this city for a man to hit a woman?
I'll look into it later.
"It smells delicious! Gimme, gimme!"
Yuki closed her eyes and opened her mouth.
Does she really want me to feed her?
It's not my duty to do that.
She has hands; she can eat on her own… Ah, I remember now. I think it's normal for an older brother to feed his younger sister when the mom is busy.
Yuki sees me as her older brother, so that's why she wants me to feed her… Human nature is weird.
Sylphie is picking up her money; she's not looking at me. While Yuki was staring at me, Sylphie stayed kneeling, wiping her face and nose.
I think she's done cleaning her face, but I still have time.
I took a meatball and put it in Yuki's mouth while Sylphie wasn't looking.
"Hmmmmmh! Delicious, Saik! You've gotten amazing at cooking!"
"Thanks."
I think I'm used to speaking quietly now.
Ah, I hear footsteps.
"T-thank you so much for… helping me."
I looked up and saw Sylphie.
If I want Yuki to keep helping me, I have to help Sylphie.
She's a shy and lonely girl.
She has very low self-esteem… Depression?
Considering her past, it's very likely.
She was a victim of bullying, and her mother is an alcoholic.
It's obvious she has issues.
How do you help someone like that? Honestly, I don't know… But as always, I'll improvise.
"You're welcome. I hate people who take advantage of others."
Though, honestly, I don't care.
"T-thanks for your help."
"… You're welcome."
She thanked me again… She's trembling a bit and looking away.
She wants to say something else but doesn't dare.
Hmm… I think I have a theory.
Noel told me his daughter has no friends and is too scared to socialize due to fear of rejection.
She probably wants me to be her friend… I guess.
She's a lonely girl, but her father said she wants to have friends.
Making friends would be a big step for her.
If I want her self-esteem to improve, I need to make her consider me a friend.
"I guess we're both the same, right?"
"S-same?"
"I mean being loners. We didn't have luck on the first day of classes and got left out. In my case, it was because I was too lazy to socialize. Did you have any luck? Did you make any friends yesterday?"
"… No… I didn't have luck," she said sadly, looking down even more and rubbing her arm.
"I see… To not fail, you need to socialize, since there are always group projects. At least that's how it was at my old school…"
After this, there's no turning back. Ah, Yuki, look how much your big brother loves you. He's willing to help a girl just because you asked him to. I hope you appreciate this.
"Would you like to be my friend? I don't have friends, and I'd like you to be my friend."
"…"
She stayed silent for a few seconds.
…
…
…
That's a long silence, but I can feel her nervousness just by looking at her.
I need to be patient. Rushing her will only have negative consequences.
"Y-yes… T-thanks."
"Fufu. Her little face is red," Yuki said, pretending to pat Sylphie's head.
"Ah… Wow… It's the first time I have a friend… So what do friends do?"
I've gone too far, and I don't even know what friends do. Ah, so lazy.
"I-I guess… E-eat t-t-together?"
"Ah, I see. That makes sense… Would you like to eat with me, Sylphie?"
Sylphie nodded quickly and sat next to me. Yuki's sitting in front of us, watching us, smiling. Ah, I'd rather eat with Yuki, but oh well.
Sylphie opened her lunch.
Wow, wow. Judging by her food, she's really good at cooking. She even takes the time to decorate it.
I doubt her mother made it. She learned to be independent at a very young age… I have to admit, that's admirable.
Sylphie, you have so much potential; I hope you realize that someday.
"Saik… Congratulations! You made a new friend! I'm so proud of you! Oh, my cold boy finally has a living friend!" Yuki said, hugging me.
Though I don't consider Sylphie a friend, more like a pet I need to train so she doesn't depend on me and becomes someone independent who won't let herself be insulted or hit. Someone capable of defending herself.
I'm only doing this so Yuki doesn't threaten to stop helping me.
And if Sylphie considers me a friend, Yuki will stop bugging me with the stupid idea of getting me friends. I hope you're satisfied with Sylphie, Yuki.
"S-Saik… W-want some?"
… Wow… She offered me some of her food.
That must've taken a lot of effort for her to say. See, Sylphie? If you're capable of overcoming your shyness and offering food to your new friend, you're capable of overcoming the shyness that keeps you from talking to others. Noel's personality is still inside you; it's just a matter of forcing it out.
She wants to thank me for helping her… Honestly, I don't like eating others' food, but I have to.
"Yes. Thanks."
I took some vegetables.
I didn't take any meat so I wouldn't seem greedy.
Now I need to do the same. A trade, to thank her for the food.
"Want some of my meatballs?"
"Y-yes… T-thanks."
She accepted, huh? Sylphie has Iris's personality, but Noel's is still there, even if just a little. If she were extremely shy, she would've refused at first, but she accepted. She's still shy, and her face is red because her shyness is at its limit, but she accepted. You're still salvageable, Sylphie.
She took one and ate it.
Come on, enjoy my food. I'm proud of my cooking. All those hours of study weren't for nothing. I can finally cook all my favorite meals on my own.
"Wow… I-it's delicious, Saik. Your mom cooks really well. I-it's the first time I've eaten such a delicious meatball."
No… My food doesn't compare to my mom's. I'm light-years away from her seasoning.
"… I made them."
"Oh. G-great. Y-you cook really w-well. W-who taught you? Your mom?"
"… No… My mom died… And my dad too… I live alone."
I could see her expression getting sadder with every word that came out of my mouth. Don't worry, Sylphie, it's not your fault; you didn't know my parents died. Yes, they were well-known in the country, especially among wealthy and important families, but that doesn't mean everyone knew my parents or my last name. Assuming that would be too egocentric of me.
You didn't know, so I'm not mad at you, but… I can't help feeling sad remembering them.
I guess Yuki sensed my sadness because she hugged me and stroked my head. Thanks for your concern, Yuki; it makes me feel better.
"I had to learn to cook on my own. It took a lot of work and effort, but I managed to learn to cook well, though I'm still too lazy to wake up early to prepare my food. Being a lazy guy has its downsides."
"… I-I'm sorry… I shouldn't have brought it up."
"Huh? Why?"
"I didn't want to… make you sad."
"Huh? Ah, don't worry, I'm not sad. I've already gotten over my parents' deaths. My parents would be sad if I lived my life in sorrow. To honor their memory, I need to enjoy the life they gave me. Living in the past wouldn't let us enjoy the present. Don't you think so?"
Yes, I admit I felt sad remembering them, but I don't live my life being sad. I have Yuki with me, and her company makes my life happier.
"… Not thinking about the past…? Yes… You're right."
After that, we started talking about what we like to do and what we don't.
Talking with her made me realize her personality and how she thinks.
And thanks to that, I now know what I'll do with her mother.
Sylphie is a good person, kind and honest.
She reminds me of Yuki, except Yuki is more energetic, and Sylphie is calmer.
We have a lot in common, like our love for reading, food, and cooking… I guess being her friend won't be as bad as I thought, but I need to make sure she doesn't become dependent on me.
I need to help her improve her self-esteem and be able to survive without my help.
I won't always be able to help her… I need to make that clear.
•
•
Lunch break ended, and I packed up the lunches. I had to eat Yuki's food to avoid suspicion about bringing two lunches to school.
Yuki got mad, but it's her fault for forcing me to hang out with Sylphie.
"We need to head back to the classroom."
"Y-yes."
It was good progress with Sylphie.
Yuki will stop bugging me for a while, so I'm satisfied.
"Fufu. What a cute start to a romance," Yuki said.
No… Yuki, no. I won't make the same mistake Noel did.
Besides, I'd never fall for someone like Sylphie. Never.