The Truth Comes Out

"I didn't expect to see you dorks out here." It was Rouza, along with her entourage. "What's wrong little girl, he's just not interested in you?"

"What? It's not that." Yurime defended herself. "And it's none of your business anyway."

"Really, it looks like you were sad that they were leaving. Jealous much?"

"I don't understand why you keep bothering us?" Yuriko stood her ground. She placed herself between the bullies and her little sister in case something was about to go down. "We're not the only people around here."

"Yeah, it's not like we did anything to you." Though, with people like this. Arata was aware that reasons weren't needed to do whatever they wanted. "You always seem like you want to mess with me? Why?" The only time he saw this girl not go out of her way to cause problems was when they were at the elementary school.

But that was only because of her little brother.

"Whatever you want, I'd rather you leave these girls out of it." He continued. Yurime was a completely innocent girl here. And there was also the time they had Yuriko's back against the wall. Of course, it wasn't like he should be pursued by them either.

"Funny that you keep protecting them." She said, chuckling in a sly tone. "Even after what's happened." He glanced over to Yurime after that statement.

"It's fine." She said to him, noticing where he attention was at. "I know how you felt about that." He breathed a sigh of relief, they weren't going to get to her.

"What are you taking about?" Rouza asked. Her confusion made sense when one considered the fact that she would have no way of knowing about the blackmail. But if she wasn't talking about that, then what was she referencing? "I'm talking about that other girl you're so eager to defend."

"Just shut up." Yuriko was getting antsy again. This concerned him, especially since her little sister was standing right behind her. "Just shut up!"

"Yuriko, calm down." She said. "Unlike the last time, I'm not outnumbered. So I doubt things will do bad if they really want to fight." Though things coming to blows was not ideal considering the little girl with them. Violence is not something he ever wanted to expose to children.

"Ha!" Rouza thought that statement was funny, considering what she knew. "Yeah, unlike last time. You're not going to get your butt kicked by four girls, ya loser."

"Exactly… Wait, what?" How did she know what happened to him? They only met, maybe a couple months ago at most. There was no way she should know, but saying four girls was very specific.

"Heh, you must've thought you were so cool back then." Her smug smile shot dread into him. "When you tried defending that girl from us."

"What?!" Those words drilled into his skull. His eyes widened at this reveal. This girl, no these girls in front of him were the ones that hurt him. But, there's only three of them, so who was the fourth girl?

"Please stop…" Yuriko's voice was breaking up, she knew what was coming up now. Rouza took delight in this suffering she was inflicting, and she didn't even need to lift a finger. "Don't say anything else."

"Yuriko, it's fine. The kids that hurt me were bad people." He explained. "They aren't people I ever associated with, so it's no big deal if it's them or anyone else." When he said that, he was hoping she would feel a little better. Yet his efforts made no effect, if anything, Things seemed to be worse coming from her.

"Oh yeah, us kids were trash, weren't we?" She said, trying to egg him on. Odd that she'd insult herself like that. "You would never forgive any of us for that, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I might be a forgiving person. But I'll never forgive what happened to me all those years ago. Especially if that's how you all are."

"Arata, just shut up…" Yuriko spoke to him in gritted teeth. Another odd thing that was occurring here. Why would she care if he forgave these people, they hurt him. They still try to this day. "Don't say that."

"What are you talking about?" He turned to her. That was when he noticed the tears coming down her cheeks. "They sent me to a hospital, and they don't even feel sorry for it. Of course I'm not forgiving them." Arata wondered, was his story really that traumatizing to her?

"All of us?" Rouza continued. He was falling for the trap she was laid. "There's only three of here now. Didn't you get beat by four?"

"Well, I doubt whoever it is, deserves it either. Especially with how you all turned out." He declared, even if he didn't know the truth. "Beside, whoever it is. They've never once apologized to me, so she might as well be as bad as you three." Arata thought it was a good defense against her. He wasn't going to allow her to get to him, if only that was her target. Then his plan might've worked.

However, she only laughed in response to his little speech. They all did.

"Heheh, you hear that Yuriko? He thinks you're as bad as us." When she said her name, he instantly realized what was happening. Arata looked back over to the girl.

What she heard was absolutely terrible for her. Tears dropped from her face, head turned down so as to not look at him. Not to look at anyone. The way she was reacting, it showed him that what he just heard was not a lie. Yuriko was the fourth girl that beat him up.

Everything made sense to him now. That event that cause her to be moved out of this town. The mistake that Yurime said she made. It was sending him to the hospital on that fateful day.

When they met again in high school, years later. Neither recognized the other, it wasn't like they got each other's name then. They didn't even go to the same school at the time. But when Matsu told him about the how he protected her. That was when she remembered it as well. The location, the details, the results. Arata was that boy she hurt all those years ago.

Which is why she came to aid him in babysitting. That guilt came back, and he didn't even know she did anything wrong to him. She had to get close, she had to find a way to make things right for him. But how? That was something she could never come up with anything. There was just never a time for her to tell the truth.

It was more than just simple inconvenience. There was fear in what he might do if he found out. Sure he may have forgiven the others for other things, but this one was different. The more she learned about his life after it happened. The harder it was to say anything.

"Arata…" She finally spoke up, doing her best to speak through the crying. "Is that true?" The weather became like her eyes. Slowly, but surely. Raindrops began to land onto them. The clouds dimmed out the sun, the world turned just a little darker.

"Yuriko, I didn't mean it like that." He tried to convince her, but enough was said from him. For her to believe how he truly felt. Without saying anything, she bolted away from him in a flash. "Yuriko!" He called out to her, but she didn't stop. Soon, she disappeared from view.

The rain's torrent had just begun.

"Are you going to chase after her?" Rouza goaded him on. "What good is that going to do? After all, she's just as bad as me, right?" Arata was getting really irritated by this girl now.

"Just shove it!" He said, trying to keep calm. Yurisa was still here, scared as to the events that were unfolding before her. He knew he couldn't just let anything bad happen with her here. Especially without her sister.

Now that he knew what they were trying to do, he had to choose his words carefully. But more importantly, they were his honest feelings.

"You're wrong about Yuriko."

"Oh? But then what was all that talk about-"

"It's more than just because she's my friend." He stopped her rebuttal. "There's a reason why I choose to forgive." A lot of people had wronged him in the past, but those same people also tried to do things right with him. Yuriko was no different, even if the way she went about it was.

"You really are a fool, aren't you?" She commented. "Just accepting every apology that comes your way. No wonder why people walk over you."

"No, you're wrong." He replied, with a smile. "It's why I have people that care about me." With that, he pulled on Yurime's sleeve. This conversation was over. "Now, let's go."

"Where are we going?" She asked, nearly tripping over herself from his grab.

"First, we gotta drop Yurisa back home... Then we look for Yuriko." Hopefully, the girl he was searching for ran straight home. But no matter his optimism, he knew that was going to be far from the case.

Meanwhile, elsewhere. Arata's mother had just finished up cleaning the house. She was hoping that her son would be home soon, especially given how bad the weather had gotten. The doorbell rang... Who was it? Without making them wait too long, she opened the door.

"Oh dear, you're all soaked. Are you okay? Did something happen?"