Female protagonists from various anime/manga crossovers? They'll all regret it for the rest of

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He shook his head, passed the ball to his teammate, and didn't look at it again.

After PE class, Shoko was actually in a better mood than usual.

Ueno offered to teach her how to play volleyball and even asked her to go to the library together after school.

This was the first time a girl her age had taken the initiative to invite her to participate in an activity.

[Yuto-kun, Ueno-kun asked me to go to the library with her after school, is that okay?]

On her way back to the classroom, Shoko wrote in her notebook and looked up at Yuto.

Yuto Itsuka pondered for a moment, then wrote: "Okay, I also have something to do and will be back late. I'll find you at the library then."

Seeing the long-lost relaxed smile on Shoko's face, Yuto Itsuka didn't say anything more, only gave her some instructions.

……

Naoka Ueno's "friendliness" towards Shoko Nishimiya lasted for some time.

She would proactively share snacks with Shoko and chat with her about topics typical of girls during breaks.

Some of the students in Class C noticed this and their attitudes toward Shoko gradually began to subtly change.

Since Naoka Ueno, a top student in Class A, is willing to be friends with Shoko Nishimiya, it doesn't seem like a big deal for them to talk to Shoko occasionally.

Shoko gradually became less lonely.

She began to try smiling at the other students and having some simple conversations with them using her notebook.

Yuto Itsuka saw all of this, but he still went to Class C to see Shoko every day during breaks and ate lunch with her.

Naoka Ueno would sometimes join them for lunch, chattering about interesting things that happened at school and trying to liven up the atmosphere.

Yuto Itsuka remained silent most of the time, only occasionally responding with a word or two.

“Itsuka-kun, you’re so good to Shoko.” Naoka Ueno said seemingly casually during a lunch break.

"However, you should be careful about how you do things sometimes, otherwise other classmates will talk about it. Shoko is so sensitive, she'll be upset if she hears those things."

Yuto Itsuki glanced at her but didn't say anything.

Shoko wrote somewhat uneasily in her notebook: 【Yuto-kun, I'm sorry, have I caused you trouble again?】

"That's not true." Yuto quickly wrote. "Don't listen to her nonsense."

Naoka Ueno's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly changed the subject as if nothing had happened.

Volume 1: Chapter 14: Malice Never Ends [Revised]

On Friday afternoon, the last period is self-study.

Yuto Itsuka was engrossed in doing math problems when he suddenly heard his classmates whispering, "Hey, wasn't that guy from Class C who just walked by?"

"Shh, keep your voice down, you'll be in trouble if Itsuki hears you."

Yuto Itsuka had a sudden thought. He greeted the teacher, said he needed to go to the restroom, and then quickly left Class A classroom.

Upon reaching the stairwell, he thought for a moment, then headed straight up to the rooftop.

The door leading to the rooftop was ajar.

He pushed open the door and immediately saw Nishimiya Shoko huddled in the corner.

She stood with her back to the door, her small figure appearing particularly frail in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and a notebook lay open on the ground in front of her.

Yuto Itsuka's heart sank, and he quickly walked over.

Only when he got closer could he see the contents of the notebook.

I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry, so sorry, so sorry, so sorry...

The apology was densely packed with illegible handwriting, almost filling the entire page.

“Glass?” Yuto Itsuka gently patted her shoulder, then squatted down beside her.

Shoko turned around abruptly and saw Yuto. A hint of panic flashed in her eyes, and she instinctively tried to close her notebook.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and there were still tear stains on her cheeks.

"What happened?" Itsuka Yuto pressed her hand, stopping her from closing the notebook, and then asked in sign language.

Shoko lowered her head, her lips moving but no sound came out.

She just shook her head vigorously, and tears rolled down her cheeks like beads from a broken string.

Yuto Itsuka took a deep breath, trying to make his expression appear calm.

He continued signing: "Tell me, who bullied you?"

Shoko continued to shake her head, but cried even harder.

Naoka Ueno!

He barely needed to think; a name popped into his mind.

It's very likely her!

"It's Naoka Ueno, isn't it?" Yuto Itsuka's voice turned cold.

Shoko shuddered, abruptly raising her head to look at him in horror, shaking her head frantically, and even reaching out to cover his mouth.

【No! It wasn't Ueno! It has nothing to do with her!】 Shoko wrote frantically on another clean page.

Seeing how eager she was to defend Naoka Ueno, Yuto Itsuka's anger intensified.

This silly girl, even at this point, is still defending the person who bullied her.

How kind was she, or rather, how afraid was she?

But he knew that pressing her further would only cause her more pain and panic.

“Okay, I won’t go looking for her.” He reassured her in sign language, “But you have to promise me that you won’t hide away and cry alone anymore, and you must tell me if anything happens.”

Shoko looked at him, hesitated, and nodded.

Yuto helped her stand up, brushed the dust off her skirt, then closed the notebook and handed it back to her.

“Let’s go back, school’s almost over,” he said.

Shoko silently took the notebook and hugged it tightly to her chest.

Yuto Itsuka escorted Shoko back to the entrance of Class C's classroom, watched her go inside, and then turned to return to his own class.

However, just as he reached the corner of the stairwell, he faintly heard the voices of several girls from Class C coming from downstairs.

"Hey, do you guys think that 'earless woman' who just ran up to the roof crying was having another episode?"

"Who knows? She's such a troublemaker. I think Itsuka-kun from Class A is almost being dragged into violence by her, and his reputation is ruined."

"Exactly! If it were me, I would have stayed far away from people like that. Who are they trying to fool with that pitiful look all the time? It's disgusting!"

The flippant tone, the sarcastic words, and the undisguised malicious laughter were all part of the performance.

He instantly realized that this time it really wasn't because of Naoka Ueno; he had been prejudiced.

Yuto Itsuka stopped in his tracks, leaned against the wall, and clenched his fists tightly at his sides.

A fury even more intense than the one he had felt on the rooftop erupted from the depths of his chest.

He almost lost control of himself and wanted to rush downstairs immediately, grab the girls by the collar, and make them swallow back what they had just said, one by one.

He slowly inhaled and exhaled, his chest heaving violently a few times before he could barely suppress the urge.

Rushing over there would only result in a satisfying beating of them, followed by being summoned to the disciplinary office to write a self-criticism—it would be pointless.

Doing so would only solidify his reputation as a violent maniac and further solidify the label of "bringing misfortune" to him.

Middle school is not elementary school. Violence in middle school cannot be classified as "children's fighting" and can have a significant impact.

Although he didn't care about this, he didn't want his impulsiveness to affect Shoko again.

"call--"

Perhaps because he was in a simulated world, despite the immersive experience, he still lacked a sense of reality. It was like playing a live-action visual novel, which made him feel unrestrained and act somewhat recklessly.

'I would never be this impulsive in the real world.' Yuto Itsuka chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He returned to his classroom and began to think about how he could resolve the situation.

He probably can't do it on his own; he's only a middle school student, so he still needs external help.

Or... sacrifice your good looks? Agree to date the girl leader of Class C?

This would indeed greatly reduce the likelihood that they would stop bullying Shoko, but what would Shoko think?

If the older boy next door started dating the person who bullied her, even if she was told it was just a fake relationship, her inner world would still collapse, right?

Or... ask your own mother, Kotori Itsuka, for help? That's a good option, as are the homeroom teacher of Class C and the head of the grade's academic affairs office.

If teachers intervene, at least overt bullying will cease to exist.

As for things done behind the scenes... like not being friends with you or not talking to you, to be honest, there's basically no way to avoid it.

Even though he has excellent grades, outstanding looks, and decent interpersonal relationships in the real world, there are still some people in his class who don't want to associate with him.

In addition, we need to pay more attention to Shoko's psychological changes and emotional fluctuations, and we need to tell Aunt Yaeko about this so that we can comfort Shoko as her mother.

'Perhaps I could have Mom find a professional psychologist?' Yuto Itsuka suddenly thought of this.

After all, Aunt Yaeko and I are just ordinary people; it would be better to let professionals do this.

He secretly made a mental note of this.

Finally, we need to find a way to teach these awful girls a lesson.

'So, they really will call the parents, won't they?'

After ruling out violence, this was his first thought, the thing that students fear most—calling their parents.

Although its destructive power is limited, it is still a possible solution.

He did want to give them a taste of their own medicine, but given his current popularity, he probably wouldn't be able to do it.

……

Volume 1: Chapter 15: Leaving You is Like a Fish Out of Water [Revised]

After school, Yuto Itsuka tossed his schoolbag to the entrance and headed straight for the living room.

He leaned against the living room door frame, watching his mother, Kotori Itsuka, busy in the kitchen.

"I am back."

"Hmm? Welcome back, Yuto. Dinner will be ready soon." Kotori Itsuka didn't turn around, skillfully stirring the vegetables in the pan.

"I have something I want to tell you."

Kotori turned off the stove, put the food into a plate, then turned around, wiped her hands, and leaned against the counter.

"Speak up, judging from your expression, it doesn't look like anything good."

Yuto Itsuka didn't beat around the bush and told her everything about seeing Shoko crying on the rooftop that day, as well as the conversations he overheard among the girls in Class C.

“They said that Shoko was an ‘earless woman’ and a ‘troublemaker who brings misfortune’.”

The smile on Kotori Itsuka's face slowly disappeared. She took off her apron, walked to her son, and reached out to straighten his somewhat disheveled collar.

“Yuto, you did a great job,” she said. “The fact that you didn’t rush down and beat them up shows that you’ve grown up and become sensible. If it were you in elementary school, they would have been in big trouble.”

She even teased her son at the end.

Yuto Itsuka was a little embarrassed. He confessed, "There was a moment when I did think about doing that, but that would only make Shoko's situation worse."

"Hmm." Kotori nodded, her eyes showing approval. "So, what do you want to do?"

“Shoko always blames herself for everything, and this time is no exception. I think she might need someone more professional to talk to her.”

"Mom, do you know any professional psychological counselors?"

Kotori glanced at her son with some surprise, then smiled with relief.

“Yes, I have a college classmate who is now a very outstanding expert in this field.” Kotori took out her phone and began searching for contacts without hesitation. “I’ll contact her later and arrange a time. She should be able to come over this weekend. We can meet at home, where the environment will be more relaxed, and Shoko won’t be so nervous.”