Free Web NovelChapter 270: Strange Boy
Fortunately, Ayaka’s instinct to survive kicked in. She managed to grab the railing before her body fell into the river below.
"H-help me!" she cried.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as her grip began to slip. Her arms shook violently, her feet dangling over empty space, her entire body screaming in fear. The cold wind cut against her skin, just as cold as the boy watching her.
Haruto did not rush to help. He only looked down at her, bored and unmoved.
"You still want to be alive?" he asked.
Ayaka nodded frantically.
"Please," she sobbed. "Please, I don’t want to die."
It was not the first time she had begged for her life.
"You still want to live after everything you’ve been through?"
Haruto tilted his head, genuinely puzzled. "Wouldn’t it be easier if you just died?"
Ayaka did not understand his question. She was only a child. She only knew that death was terrifying.
That meant she would never read her favorite fairy tales again, never hold her father’s hand again.
The thought alone was unbearable.
"Yes!" she screamed. "Help me! Please help me!"
Her voice echoed across the bridge, but the cars that passed by did not stop. No one noticed. There were no pedestrians. Just the two of them.
Haruto narrowed his eyes. "You’re strange," he said. "I just wanted to free you from your terrible mother and your classmates. Why don’t you want my help?"
He frowned slightly. "I can’t believe we might have been siblings."
Then, slowly, he crouched down and grabbed her wrist.
The moment he felt her weight pull against him, his expression changed. He let out a sudden scream, loud and panicked, like someone witnessing a crime.
"HELP!" he shouted. "MY FRIEND IS FALLING FROM THE BRIDGE!"
Again and again, his voice rang out.
A car screeched to a stop. Then another. Adults rushed over, grabbing Ayaka and pulling her up with effort.
The moment she was safe, her legs gave out. She collapsed onto the ground, trembling uncontrollably, her entire body shaking from fear.
Even then, her eyes searched desperately through the crowd.
She found him.
Haruto stood a short distance away, watching. His eyes were empty, cold, unchanged. Then he turned around and walked away, as if nothing had happened.
Ayaka did not understand.
Why had he pushed her? Why did he say he was helping her?
The only explanation she could find was that he hated her. That’s what her mother did to her when she found her distasteful, hurting her.
"But why?" she whispered to herself. "What did I do wrong?"
At nine years old, Ayaka learned a bitter truth.
Even when she did nothing wrong, people could still hate her.
It was the same when she returned to school.
Her desk was covered in mocking scribbles. Words and crude drawings stained the surface. Her classmates only laughed as she tried to wipe the ink away with her hands.
Shame burned her chest, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not stop the tears from falling.
Yet Haruto always appeared when she needed help.
When boys started bothering her, Haruto and his group beat them up right in front of her, without hesitation. When Emi cut her hair, she ended up in an accident the next day and fell into a coma. She slipped down the stairs.
Later, when Ayaka and Haruto were sitting quietly in the school backyard, he said it plainly.
"Yes. I was the one who shoved her. I hated that girl even before she bullied you."
Ayaka stared at him, stunned. "But why are you helping me, Haruto? Don’t you hate me?"
"Hate?" His voice dropped, uncertain, as if he did not understand himself.
"I don’t think I hate you. I don’t like you either. But seeing you, someone who might be my half sister, crying and begging like that made me angry. It’s like they mocked me too."
He let out a quiet sigh. "Next time someone bullies you, bully them back. Don’t embarrass me."
Ayaka nodded. She did not fully understand his words, but something warm spread through her chest. Even her father had never defended her when her mother found them together.
She became a punching bag for Mari because of it. Even eating the snacks she bought was painful because of the wounds on her mouth.
***
"The prince protected the princess, became a knight in shining armor, and they lived happily ever after."
Ayaka hugged her favorite book tightly to her chest. Her heart beat loudly, her cheeks warm as she replayed the image of Haruto standing in front of her, beating anyone who tried to hurt her.
She had never felt like this before.
"But what does he mean when he says we’re half-siblings?" she wondered.
"That’s impossible, right? I’m my parents’ daughter."
Before she could think further, her door slammed open. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Her mother stormed inside.
Ayaka hurriedly shoved the book under her pillow and pretended nothing had happened.
"What are you hiding?" her mother demanded. Her long hair fell over her face, her eyes wide and wild.
"It’s my homework," Ayaka replied softly, her voice trembling.
Her mother raised her hand. "Give it to me. I want to see it."
Ayaka lowered her gaze, fingers digging into the blanket. She did not move. Haruto’s words echoed in her mind.
"I don’t want to, Mom," she whispered. "I-I’m fine."
"What did you say?" Her mother’s voice rose sharply, making Ayaka flinch.
Gathering all her courage, Ayaka looked up and met her eyes. "No. I don’t want to. It’s my book. I can do whatever I want with it."
The answer was a hard slap.
"You ungrateful child!" her mother screamed.
"I’ll beat some sense into you! That must be that bastard’s gift. Both of you are filthy. Disgusting."
She struck Ayaka again and again. Ayaka covered her head with her arms, crying out.
"It hurts. Stop, Mom. I’m not filthy."
Her mother grabbed her small body and threw her across the room. Ayaka hit the floor hard.
Then her mother seized the book, the only birthday gift her father had ever given her. Screaming like something inhuman, she tore it apart with her bare hands.
"How dare you steal him from me?" she shrieked. "You’re just like that bitch."
She kicked Ayaka repeatedly. The insults hurt more than the blows themselves. freewebnoveℓ.com
Ayaka’s vision darkened as her consciousness began to slip.
The last thought in her mind was simple.
’Haruto... help me.’
