The Truth Hurts… A Lot

I had the proof. My hands were shaking as I held my phone, the screen still glowing with the recording of Toru slapping Yuki. This was it. I was going to expose him, and Yuki would finally be free from that abusive bastard.

Or so I thought.

The next day, I made my move. I went straight to the teachers' office during lunch, my phone clenched tight in my hand. My plan was simple—show them the video, let them handle the rest. No way would they let a guy like Toru get away with this.

But before I could even open my mouth, something stopped me.

A conversation.

A few students talking outside the window. Yuki's name came up, so naturally, I listened.

"Yeah, she's been with like five guys this month."

"No way, seriously?"

"I heard she made Toru pay for her phone, clothes, everything. And she's still fooling around with other guys."

"She's playing him like a damn idiot."

I felt my stomach twist.

No. That couldn't be right. Could it?

I hesitated, then turned around and left the office.

I needed to confirm this myself. I needed real proof, not just gossip.

I started digging. Asking questions. Watching.

And the more I found, the worse it got.

Yuki wasn't some helpless victim. She was a manipulator. A liar. She had been cheating—on Toru, on multiple guys. She'd used him for money, for status, and the moment he started catching on, she played the victim card.

I checked the video on my phone again.

Yeah, Toru hit her. That was real. That was messed up.

But now I wasn't so sure he was the monster I thought he was.

I had nearly ruined a guy's life based on a half-truth.

I felt sick.

I spent the rest of the day in a daze. Everything I thought I knew had flipped upside down.

By the time the final bell rang, my head was pounding. I barely noticed someone waiting for me outside the school gates.

"Oi, Ryo!"

A loud slap on my back nearly knocked the air out of me. I stumbled forward, groaning.

I turned to glare at whoever the hell—

And froze.

Mikasa Tachibana.

Tomboy. Loudmouth. My childhood friend.

She grinned at me, hands on her hips. Her short brown hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, and she still wore that same confident smirk she always had as a kid. "What's with the gloomy face, nerd? You look like someone just told you Santa isn't real."

I blinked. "…Mikasa?"

"Obviously." She rolled her eyes. "Geez, I'm gone for a year, and you forget my face?"

No. I could never forget her.

Because if there was one person who never changed, it was Mikasa Tachibana.