Chapter 156 Alessandras Past (3)
Chapter 156 Alessandras Past (3)
“…getting joy from hurting somebody else… what kind of person could do such a thing? How could I become like that?
No wonder it was so easy for me to lose my memories. I wanted to forget the pain—
and my shameful acts…”
Alessandra returned to school the next day. She expected to be called in by a teacher, to be reprimanded—and she was ready to accept it. But nothing happened.
She went to class as usual, yet something changed the moment she entered. As soon as Kana saw her, she flinched and quickly moved back to her seat, lowering her gaze.
Something stirred inside Alessandra—the same feeling that had made her feel good before. In control.
It didn’t go unnoticed. A group of boys nearby watched the exchange in silence.
At lunchtime, Alessandra stayed at her desk, absently rubbing her knuckles. An itch crawled over them, her leg bouncing restlessly under the desk.
Kana, who had been sitting with her friends in the corner of the classroom, suddenly stood up and left.
As she walked down the hallway, she turned a corner—
—and felt a sharp pain slam into her back.
“Argh!”
She spun around.
Alessandra stood there. Her eyes were deep and heavy. One hand was half-clenched, two knuckles still raised.
She had struck Kana’s back.
Alessandra grinned darkly and walked away, leaving Kana frozen in place, tears shimmering in her frightened eyes.
The next time, Alessandra did the same.
She always waited until Kana was alone. Sometimes she wouldn’t do anything all day, letting Kana relax, letting her feel safe. Then, on the way home—
A sudden rush.
A sharp blow.
A dull, wet thud.
“Uhh…” Kana sobbed, clutching her side as Alessandra was already walking away.
Later, Alessandra arrived at the park and saw Iryoku waiting there. She dropped beside him and hugged him tightly. With him, everything felt calm—like all her problems had vanished.
Suddenly, Iryoku spoke.
“The year’s about to end, Ale Onee-chan. Soon, I’ll be going to your school too.”
Alessandra flinched.
Panic surged through her chest.
What if he finds out?
What if he sees her like this?
“Are… are you sure you want to go there…?” she asked quietly.
He nodded.
From that moment on, Alessandra tried to stop. She didn’t want Iryoku to see her like that.
But she couldn’t.
The stress built up. Her mood worsened. And before long, she grew relentless again.
Kana never told the teachers. She never told her parents.
That silence allowed Alessandra to slip—slowly but surely—back into a spiral of bullying. She hurt Kana in small, precise ways, leaving bruises on her stomach, her back, her shoulders.
Each time, Alessandra went home feeling refreshed.
Completely in control.
Then one day, after cornering Kana behind the school and driving a deep punch into her stomach, Alessandra turned to leave—
—and noticed a group of boys from her class watching.
She had never really paid attention to them before, but now she knew she’d been seen.
She glared at them.
“What?” she said coldly. “Got a problem?”
The boys only smiled.
“Nice one,” said a tall guy with bleached hair—almost as tall as Alessandra herself. “You really got that Kana girl, huh? She was messing with you, right? Isn’t that right, Takeru?”
Another boy stood beside him, even bigger—someone Alessandra could only describe as a gorilla. He laughed loudly.
“Ryuuji, Mamoru really knows how to use a punching bag.”
They stepped aside, letting her pass.
The next day, Alessandra ran into them again—but this time, she saw them beating up another boy behind the school. He was almost as big as Ryuuji, the two of them locked in a brutal scuffle. It was someone she had never seen before.
She walked past without saying a word...
Little by little, she continued bullying Kana all the way to the end of the year—while also growing closer to the boys. Sometimes she would see them gathered behind the school, sitting around with a few girls from other classes, sharing snacks.
One day, they invited her to join them.
At first, Alessandra was reluctant.
But eventually, she started sitting with them more often.
When school ended, as Alessandra was walking home, she saw Ryuuji walking beside a younger girl, holding her hand.
She passed by without saying anything, but she overheard their voices.
“Why do you have to walk me home, aniki?” the girl complained. “I’m telling you, I’m fine.”
“I’m your brother,” Ryuuji replied seriously. “It’s my job to protect you. You never know if some creep might try to get close.”
Hearing that, Alessandra found herself seeing Ryuuji in a different light. Maybe he’s just like me.
Before long, Ryuuji said one day, grinning,
“Come on, Mamoru. Don’t you want to punch this guy?”
Takeru was holding another boy by the arms, keeping him in place.
Alessandra shook her head.
“I don’t want to.”
Ryuuji scoffed.
“Oh, come on. This guy was messing with us—talking shit, disrespecting us.”
Even then, she held herself back.
Still, she kept getting closer to them—talking, hanging out during lunch, and sometimes even skipping class together.
Finally, the school year ended—and a new one began.
Alessandra felt panic creeping in, relentless and suffocating. Iryoku was now at her middle school. She wanted to change. She meant to change.
Every morning, she told herself the same thing: I’ll be good today.
But she never was.
The moment she stepped into her classroom and saw Kana sitting there again, her dark smile returned. Ryuuji, Takeru, and the rest of their group were there too.
At lunch, Alessandra grabbed Kana and dragged her into the restroom. Not seeing her for a while had only made the urge stronger.
“Well, little Kana-chan,” Alessandra said quietly, her voice cold and eager. “Time for your new mark. Where do you want it? I’m guessing the ones from last year are already gone.”
Kana shook her head frantically. “Please… no more. Please…”
Alessandra did it anyway, even going a little overboard.
As she was leaving the restroom, Alessandra froze.
She saw Iryoku walking down the hallway.
Her heart lurched. She quickly stepped back inside, peeking through the door.
Why is he on the third-year side?
Oh no… he’s probably looking for me.
She glanced back at Kana, still collapsed on the floor, sobbing.
“Hey,” Alessandra snapped harshly, her voice low and vicious. “Shut it. If you make another sound, I’ll hit you in the face.”
Kana went silent immediately, curling in on herself and covering her face.
Alessandra waited out the rest of lunch—and even part of the next period—before leaving the restroom. When the school day finally ended, she avoided the front entrance entirely, slipping out through the back to go home.
She arrived at the park and saw Iryoku there, lying beneath their tree, staring up at the sky. Relief washed over her, and she hurried toward him, a smile breaking through her anxiety.
“Ale Onee-chan,” Iryoku called out when he noticed her. “I looked for you at school. Where were you?”
She forced a cheerful expression.
“…I got called in by a teacher. Something about my studies. Don’t sweat it, hehe.”
It was a lie.
She sat beside him and pulled him into a hug, feeling as if her wounded soul was slowly healing in his arms.
Another time at school, Alessandra was walking down the hallway when she suddenly saw Iryoku heading straight toward her. He was smiling, almost running.
She stopped short, her eyes darting around. She had attacked Kana not long ago—but right now, no one else was nearby.
“I–Ale Onee-chan—”
“Yo, what’s up?” she said, trying to sound normal.
Before she could react, Iryoku hugged her.
“Ah—”
She stiffened, embarrassed. They were still at school. Even if no one was watching…
Still, she hugged him back. She couldn’t stop herself—she had grown accustomed to it, and she loved being close to him.
Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw someone moving in the distance.
Her heart jumped.
Without thinking, she grabbed Iryoku by the hand and pulled him away, slipping behind a classroom, out of sight. Panic churned inside her—she thought she might have seen one of her friends.
They stopped. Iryoku bent forward slightly, flushed from the sudden run, fidgeting nervously.
He hesitated, then reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of red paper, neatly folded. His hands were trembling.
Alessandra barely noticed.
She was too busy scanning their surroundings.
Nobody… thank God. I don’t want Iryoku seeing me with those kinds of people.
“Iryoku, it’s almost time for class,” she said quickly. “Maybe you should head back. We can see each other after school.”
At once, Iryoku stuffed the paper back into his bag. Alessandra caught only a brief glimpse of it, but she didn’t dwell on it. Her chest was still tight, her thoughts racing.
“Okay, Ale Onee-chan.” He gave her one last hug and then left.
She couldn’t let him find out.
She didn’t want Iryoku to see her as a bad person.
She didn’t want to look ugly in front of her little brother—
The last thing she had left.
As the days went by, Alessandra tried too hard to stay away from her bullying self—but she couldn’t. Instead, little by little, she began avoiding Iryoku altogether. At school. Even at home. She made excuses not to see him, cutting down the time they spent together.
Still, from time to time, she would see him at the park.
Then one day, they agreed to meet there.
A sharp panic stabbed her chest. For a moment, her heart hurt so badly it reminded her of Kei and Kota’s disappearance. Without thinking, she rushed to Iryoku’s house. By the time she arrived, she forced herself to calm down before knocking.
The door opened, and his mother stepped out.
“Ah—hello, sweetie,” Sachiko said with a warm smile.
Alessandra immediately noticed the tiredness on her face. She recognized it all too well—her own parents wore the same expression after the boys’ disappearance.
“You haven’t been coming by recently,” Sachiko continued gently. “Are you here to see Iryoku?”
Alessandra smiled.
“Yes. Is he home?”
Sachiko’s expression shifted, worry crossing her face.
“He is, but he doesn’t feel very well. He doesn’t want anyone close to him… I wonder what’s gotten into him.”
She sighed softly.
“Well, this isn’t new. Lately, he’s been acting more distant. Maybe it’s just puberty…”
Her hand flew to her mouth, her cheeks flushing.
“Oh—forget I said that,” she added quickly with an awkward laugh. “I’m sure he’d be embarrassed if he knew I was talking to you about this.”
She waved her hand lightly. “Oops—forget that too, hehe.”
Sachiko cleared her throat, composing herself, then looked at Alessandra more carefully.
“How is he at school? When you’re there… how does he behave? And between you two—how is everything?”
Alessandra hesitated.
“He’s okay,” she said carefully. “Though it’s hard to tell—we’re in different grades, after all.”
She forced a small smile.
“Anyway, maybe he’s just tired from all the tests we’ve been taking. I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’s very resilient.”
She lifted her arm and flexed slightly, trying to sound confident. “He’s the strongest.”
Sachiko laughed softly, though a trace of worry still lingered in her eyes. She stepped closer and pulled Alessandra into a gentle hug.
“Ale, dear… if you ever need anything, we’re here for you.”
Alessandra felt her chest tighten at the words.
Alessandra returned home.
Maybe he has his own problems, she thought as she lay down to sleep.
But he’s Iryoku. I’m sure he’ll get through it. I know him.