Interlude: Hinata and Yuuki’s First Encounter

Was it after Kiriyama Yuuki became a middle schooler? Back then, I was assigned as a school nurse at a middle school in the neighboring town, different from Yuuki's. Yet, I often heard rumors about him.

Words like “killer,” “murderer,” “a boy who broke someone’s mind”, “monster,” and “mentally disturbed” floated around. Even though I worked at a different school, such stories still reached me.

I couldn’t help but be curious about Yuuki. However, the fact that we were in different schools was quite a significant obstacle. But then, in October, after the cultural festival during Yuuki’s second year of middle school, an opportunity finally presented itself.

It came in the form of a meeting for school nurses across the city to discuss the state of student health and nutrition. That meeting was set to be held at Yuuki’s school.

Of course, I wasn’t going to miss this chance. I obtained permission from Yuuki’s school nurse to observe the campus.

And that day, I came to learn everything.

“Hello, Hatakeyama-sensei.”  

“Oh, hello, Kamiya-sensei.”

Hatakeyama-sensei was Yuuki’s school nurse and a veteran in the field, with 30 years of experience.

“I apologize for the sudden request to observe the school.”  

“No, no. Understanding students from other schools is important for us as nurses. There’s nothing to apologize for.”  

“Thank you. That’s reassuring to hear.”  

“Hehe. Well then, it’s lunchtime now. Shall we start with the first-year classrooms?”  

“Sounds good. Please lead the way.”

As we went through the classrooms, starting with 1-1, I noticed that Yuuki’s school wasn’t all that different from mine.

“What do you think, Kamiya-sensei? Any noticeable differences from your school?”  

“Hmm… not much. It’s quite similar.”  

“I see. Shall we move on to the second-year classrooms?”

I didn’t miss it—the brief moment when Hatakeyama-sensei’s expression darkened as he mentioned the second-years.

“This is the second-year area.”

As we continued our tour, I noticed a student sleeping at his desk despite it being lunchtime.

“Hmm… who is that?”  

“That’s Kiriyama Yuuki—the boy everyone talks about. He’s quite an ordinary child, really… but rumors tend to take on a life of their own.”  

“I see… How is he handling school life now?”

At my question, Hatakeyama-sensei hesitated, looking a bit troubled.

“Well… when he first entered school, he didn’t seem particularly assertive. But around autumn of his first year, his personality took a complete turn. He was being bullied up until then, but suddenly, it all stopped.”

Could bullying stop that easily? From my experience, it wasn’t something that just disappeared. Nor was it common for the roles of bully and victim to completely reverse. What exactly happened?

“They say the bullying stopped because of something Yuuki said. Even though he’d been subjected to physical violence, one day he simply responded with one sentence.”  

“And that was…?”  

“‘Do you want to die?’”

Hmm… It’s a terrifying yet effective approach. Using his past actions as leverage, perhaps? If someone with a history of killing says, “Do you want to die?” it would naturally instill fear. It would make others believe he might genuinely follow through.

“Is something the matter?”  

It seems I’d let myself get lost in thought. But one thing was clear: Kiriyama Yuuki was clever. It also appeared that the personality Shino had described was deeply buried within him.

“No, it’s nothing. So, how is his school life now?”  

“Well, he’s isolated from his classmates, but there’s no bullying. Things are peaceful.”  

I see… It seems the class had collectively decided not to interact with him. But my curiosity only grew.

“Shall we move on to the third-years?”  

That day, after the meeting and my usual work, I returned home.

And that was how I first came to know of Kiriyama Yuuki.

“That’s what happened, Yuki.”  

“So that’s the story. But you’ve only mentioned the school nurse and Shino-san so far.”  

“Hmm… Well, I believe what I heard from the homeroom teacher is something Yuuki himself should tell you.”  

“I see… In that case, may I ask for one favor?”  

“If it’s within reason…”  

“Then, please do this for me.”

I was surprised by Yuki’s proposal but found it intriguing, so I decided to go along with it.

“Well then, shall we visit Yuuki’s house now?”

---

Author's Note:

Sorry to keep you all waiting! The story resumes, albeit at a slower pace since I’m also studying for my license exams. I’ll do my best!  

Your thoughts and feedback are welcome!

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