Gongcheng Yunling let go of Nishimiya Yuzuru and said with a pretty smile, "Yuzuru, I'll be going now~ I need to find my big brother for lunch~"
Nishimiya Yuzuru waved her hand impatiently and said, "Go on, go on, hurry up and find your brother." With that, she turned and trotted away.
Watching the retreating girl, a flash of sly amusement crossed Yunling's eyes, but her face quickly shifted into an aggrieved expression. "Aww~ I've been spurned~ How heartbreaking~"
If Gongcheng Mu were here right now, he definitely would have scoffed.
*Keep acting, just keep acting!*
After that, the girl switched to a delighted expression again, skipping along as she headed toward the high school campus.
...
After coming to the cafeteria and finishing lunch, Gongcheng Yuandu got ready to return to his classroom to rest. But just as he reached the doorway, he saw Yunling hiding by the frame, peeking curiously into the classroom as if searching for something.
Seeing this, he stepped up, tapped the girl lightly on the head, and asked softly, "Yunling... what is it?"
Drawing her head back, the girl turned around to look at the boy behind her, smiled with narrowed eyes, and then asked him slowly, "Fourth Brother, how do you feel about the study atmosphere here?"
"It's... pretty good."
"Fourth Brother, want to grab lunch together?"
"I just got back from eating."
"Fourth Brother is so sly~ You didn't wait for me~" the girl said, puffing out her cheeks angrily.
"S-Sorry, let me treat you, Yunling." As he spoke, he took a few 10,000-yen banknotes from his pocket and handed them to her.
The girl's expression instantly shifted to delight. "Thank you, Fourth Brother~"
After taking the money, she skipped off again.
She wasn't worried that her fourth brother wouldn't have enough money. After all, the monthly allowance for the five Gongcheng siblings equaled a year's revenue for some small companies, and even then, this was all it amounted to.
Gongcheng Yuyi didn't want the five of them to develop the habit of spending money lavishly, but the allowance he gave them was more than enough—the five of them could never spend it all.
Shaking his head with a helpless smile, Yuandu stepped into the classroom.
Walking back to his seat, he glanced at the desk beside him, but it was empty.
The one on the inside was Juggler's seat.
*Still not back yet?*
Thinking this, just as he was about to rest his head on his desk, Hayama Hayato walked over with his little clique.
"Gongcheng-kun, can we be friends? Let's all hang out together from now on, what do you say?"
Meeting the eager gaze of the newcomer, Gongcheng Yuandu rubbed the bridge of his nose. He simply felt that the person before him was far too enthusiastic for him to handle.
Moreover, Hayama spoke too fast; Yuandu couldn't process it in time, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "Could you... speak a little... slower?"
Hayama smiled, reined in his eagerness, and repeated himself according to the request, "My name is Hayama Hayato. Can we be friends?"
Gongcheng Yuandu couldn't bring himself to refuse, so he agreed, "S-Sure, Hayama."
Though he felt making friends was unnecessary, since someone had put it that way, it was hard to refuse—just like with that girl back in the sixth grade.
It was worth mentioning that ever since parting ways with the girl named "Nishimiya Shoko," he had never made a true confidant. Most of them were just fair-weather friends, which was why he believed making friends wasn't necessary.
And he figured Hayama likely fell into the category of fair-weather friends as well.
"Can't Gongcheng-kun hear?" a blonde boy next to Hayama asked with curiosity, looking at the hearing aid on Yuandu's left ear.
Frowning, the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy. Yuandu was silent for a moment before replying, "Yes..."
"Sorry, sorry, Tobi speaks without thinking, he didn't mean it." Seeing the atmosphere turn sour, Hayama quickly apologized.
"It's... fine. If you guys... want to know the reason... I don't... mind telling you."
Though he really didn't wish to recall that past, if these people wanted to know, he wouldn't hide it.
While this was a kind of pain to him, a person always had to face those memories; only by doing so could one grow strong.
Miura Yumiko didn't seem to notice Gongcheng Yuandu's gloomy expression as she asked curiously, "Could you tell us about it?"
Hikigaya, sitting not too far away from Yuandu, also pricked up his ears, seemingly wanting to know the reason as well.
"That was when I was in the second grade..."
The boy sat at his desk with quite a few students gathered around him, recounting an unbearable and painful past with a heavy heart.
...
The second-grade boy was walking home from school all alone, looking with curiosity at the colorful variety of people, merchants, and snack stalls along the street.
Yet he had no desire to buy anything.
Reaching a four-way intersection with a traffic light, the boy looked up at the red light ahead, counting down the numbers aloud, "20, 19, 18..."
Finally, after the red light turned to yellow and three more seconds passed, the green light illuminated. The boy skipped along behind the flow of pedestrians as they crossed to the other side.
Just then, however, an accident occurred. A three-wheeled cart, as if ignoring the red light entirely, drove straight into the crowd. People screamed and began shoving one another. The boy turned around, about to run back, when someone shoved him to the ground. The crowd on the street quickly dispersed, and just as the boy scrambled up and prepared to take a step, the three-wheeled cart plowed straight toward him.
"Ah!!"
A heart-wrenching cry echoed at the intersection. People did not step forward to lend a hand. Sent flying by the impact, the boy slid several meters across the ground before sitting up with a trembling body.
He felt helpless, weeping, and looked around in a blank panic, trying to find someone to lean on. The driver of the three-wheeled cart stopped, hurled a curse, and then drove away.
The boy felt only emptiness in his head as he dazedly climbed to his feet.
Stifled sobs and wails broke intermittently from his lips as he ran toward home on his short legs.
Blood on his hands and legs flowed faster with his movement, a thin stream of blood trickled down his swollen cheek, and the tears on his face only added to the stinging pain.
At that moment, he felt the world was full of malice toward him, as if the heavens were playing a joke on him—though this joke wasn't funny at all.
Finally, he arrived in front of his home.
The boy felt as though this journey had been exceptionally long, as if he had spent a lifetime just to reach his doorstep.
The servants let out cries of alarm at the sight and hurried forward to meet him.
Hearing the commotion, his three older brothers and his father came running out as well. Seeing the boy in such a state, their eyes burned with fury. The boy threw himself into his father's arms and wept bitterly, though within a moment he grew still, save for the occasional hitch of a sob.
His father scooped him up into a car and urged the driver to hurry to the hospital.
Inside the clean and tidy ward, the bandage-wrapped boy lay on the hospital bed, staring blankly at the scenery outside the window.
Swallows perched on tree branches, a cool breeze rustled the leaves into a rustling sound, and the fragrance of unknown flowers drifted into the room. Somehow, tears welled up in his eyes, and he softly called out for his mother.
Hearing the commotion in the room, the man stopped talking to the police officer and brought the three boys into the ward.
Upon seeing the man, the boy could no longer hold back and burst into loud sobs. The man gently gathered him into his arms. Looking into his father's face, the boy rasped, "Daddy... I want Mommy..."
Clenching his teeth, the man looked at the child in his arms, desperately holding back his tears as he softly comforted him, "There, there, Yuandu... don't cry..."
Yet his voice was laced with profound bitterness.
"Mommy said... only bad children get punished..." the boy sobbed. He didn't know what he had done wrong. He recalled his mother's gentle smile; though it had only lasted a few short years, he firmly believed his mother was the best person in the world, only she had vanished after his little sister was born.
Daddy had told him that Mommy had gone to a very far place, and would only come back to visit when he grew up.
Could it be... that he had somehow become the bad child his mother spoke of?
After that day, the boy felt as though he could no longer hear properly.
His father called out to him several times, but the boy didn't react, only staring blankly at his father's tear-streaked face.
"Daddy, don't cry..." The boy gently stroked the man's face in comfort. The man pulled the boy tightly into his embrace, sinking into a profound and silent agony.