Youjin Kinishita's POV

The days of my suspension, thanks to the high school principal Shinohara-sensei and my new mortal enemy Susami-san, felt like an eternity. I had isolated myself in my room, indulging in various activities - using my laptop, scrolling through my smartphone, and sleeping.

My family never knocked on the door of my room, especially during breakfast, lunch and dinner, almost as if I was invisible at home. Whenever I got hungry, I would slip out to the convenience store to buy my own food. And if I felt unclean, I would opt for the bathhouse instead of using the bathroom at home. Even our eyes met, my family ignored me silently. I didn’t mind that, so I could avoid getting trouble.

As my suspension came to an end, I returned to school. But I noticed the glares from the students shooting my way. They still hadn’t forgotten the incident with the Student Council President, huh?

Opening my shoe locker to put away my shoes. However, I was greeted not by love letters, but by threatening notes that sent my heart racing. In the classroom, my classmates acted as if I was invisible. I couldn't help but notice the cruel vandalism on my desk. I wanted to ask them who was responsible, but I couldn’t. I was afraid they might attack me if I approached any of them.

When class began, it was oddly peaceful, even though the teachers seemed to ignore me, no matter how many times I raised my hand.  Nobody approached me during lunch. And of course, my former friend Susami-san never entered the classroom to invite me to join her for lunch as she used to. If I ever saw her again, I would call her ‘President Susami-san’ instead of Susami-senpai or Naomi-senpai. She had become the worst senpai I had ever encountered for me.

After the afternoon classes, my world descended into a living nightmare. The two classmates suddenly grabbed me.

“What do you want?” I demanded, struggling to break free from their grip.

Then one of my male classmates approached me, his hand clenched into a fist.

“For Naomi-sama!” He yelled angrily and punched me in the chest.

“Oof!” I gasped, feeling the pain.

Next, a female classmate approached me with an angry explosion and slapped me hard.

“Apologize to Naomi-sama, you *ssh*le!” She commanded.

The rest of my classmates joined in. Just as I had feared, they began to bully me, as if they were delivering ‘justice’ on behalf of Susami-san.

“G-Guys, p-p-please stop!” I begged. “I didn’t do anything wrong to her.”

“Shut up, you abuser!” One classmate shouted at me angrily before punching me in the face.

The word ‘abuser’ stung, reminding me of my past when I had been labeled a 'womanizer' due to a false accusation by my former girlfriend Nonaka-san. Now, they had branded me an 'abuser' for hurting the Student Council President, even though it had been an emotional injury rather than a physical one when I just rejected her during the confession. I was now a 'womanizer' and an 'abuser' in everyone's eyes.

I believed Susami-san had ordered everyone to attack me as a form of ‘justice’ for herself. After all, Susami-san wasn’t only the Student Council President, she was also the school idol since she was a second-year high school student. A popular girl like her could manipulate her fans like the students who were tormenting me now.

“We’re not done yet, abuser.” The male classmate sneered. “Punish him more for Naomi-sama!”

My classmates dragged me from one classroom to another, even involving first-year and third-year. The bullying continued, but I endured the pain I received from those devils. It felt like I was dying from the torture. But at this rate, I would lose my consciousness. As I managed to open my eyes, my step sisters Hana and Sakura looked at me with the disgusted looks on their faces.

“H-Hana-chan… Sakura-chan…” I felt tears rolling down my cheeks. “P-P-Please… save me.”

Those twins exchanged a look and nodded. Their faces twisted into malicious smiles. Instead of helping me, they punched my face so hard, causing my nose to bleed. They still didn’t believe me, as I had expected.

After assaulting me, my classmates tossed me out of the school entrance, and my body landed the cemented ground. As I tried to stand up, I heard the roar of laughter from everyone. I was in terrible shape. I had never imagined that I would face severe consequences that was far worse than what I had experienced in middle school, even though I never committed the crime against Susami-san.

As I was finally able to walk home, I used my handkerchief to cover my bruised face.

“I’m home.” I said quietly after opening the door of my house.

“Welcome-” My step mother greeted me, but I ignored her.

I hurried to my room to avoid her seeing my face. Once inside, I turned on the lights, removed my uniform and looked at myself in the mirror. My face was still bruised and the blood was slowly oozed from my nose. The midsection of my body was also covered in purple bruised, the result of the punches and kicks from the evil students I had endured. It was excruciatingly painful that I wanted to scream in agony, but I couldn't risk my step mother hearing me.

Alone in my room, I started to sob. My heart raced as I thought about my painful past and the recent bullying. I wanted to stay in room forever. I really wanted to, but I knew couldn’t. I feared that the students, especially my classmates, would torment me again, but I held onto the hope that it wouldn't happen again.

I suspected my stepsisters wouldn't tell our mother what had happened to me, especially since they had joined in the bullying to avoid getting in trouble. I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes, hoping that my life would eventually get better.