Life Reversal ~ I Was Cheated On and Falsely Accused, but Now the Most Beautiful Girl in the School Is Getting Close to Me ~ Volume 1 Chapter 1
Chapter 1: The Cheating Discovery and the Bullying
──August 30th──
“Haaah.”
My name is Aono Eiji, and I’m just a normal second-year high school student.
I sipped my barley tea and glanced at the TV, where a special report on the tunnel accident from a few years ago was airing. The grim news soured my mood, so I turned it off. Boredom setting in, I figured I might as well go outside. With Mom and my older brother busy at work, I slipped out of the house without a word.
The incessant drone of cicadas filled the air, a constant reminder of the sweltering heat that kept the sweat trickling down my skin.
“And today was supposed to be a special birthday date,” I muttered to myself.
It’s August 30th, and summer vacation is drawing to a close. Last Christmas, I finally confessed to my childhood friend, Amada Miyuki, and we started dating. We’ve been inseparable since elementary school, and though I’d be embarrassed to admit it, she’s always been the idol of our grade, someone I’ve admired from afar. If we hadn’t grown up together, I probably would’ve never even managed to talk to her, let alone become her boyfriend. I’m so timid that even after half a year together, we still haven’t had our first kiss.
I was desperate to move our relationship forward, and that impatience had me all fired up for today’s birthday date.
But this morning, just as I was about to leave, I got a LINE message from her: “Sorry, Eiji. Something came up with my club that I absolutely can’t miss.” And just like that, our first birthday date as a couple was canceled.
Honestly, I was pretty down, but I got on the train anyway and headed to the prefectural capital, a fair distance away. Walking the route I’d planned—movies, then the arcade—all by myself was just painful.
“I’m such an idiot.”
Wandering aimlessly started to feel stupid, so I decided to head home. I figured I’d stop by the well-knowntsukemen place in the station to celebrate my birthday alone.
My thought process reeked of a lonely, middle-aged bachelor as I started back toward the station. Like many rural prefectural capitals, this one had an adult entertainment district a little ways away. Oh, this is bad. The thought had crossed my mind to find an adult-oriented place to make the day memorable, and now my feet were unconsciously carrying me in that direction.
I felt truly pathetic. As I was thinking that, I glanced toward a distant building and suddenly broke into a run, a strange sound escaping my lips.
“Eh?”
I saw someone who shouldn’t have been there. Maybe I want to see her so badly that I’m hallucinating, I thought, rubbing my eyes to get a clearer look. But it wasn’t a hallucination.
I saw something I shouldn’t have. I desperately denied it in my mind, but the more I did, the more the despair of reality forced itself upon me.
Familiar long black hair. A slender, model-like figure. Her favorite one-piece dress. But her makeup was heavier than when she was with me, and I could tell she’d put in a lot of effort—more than usual.
“Ah.”
Miyuki noticed me and froze.
The man with his arm linked through hers wore a dubious expression, but when he followed her gaze, his face crumpled into a smug smile.
“Why are you here?” we both said in unison, my childhood friend and I having the exact same reaction. The guy next to her was Kondo-senpai, the ace of the soccer team—a flashy, pretty boy who was popular with all the girls.
But why was he being so friendly with her, more so than I, her boyfriend, ever was? And on my birthday, of all days!
“Hey, Miyuki,” I said, instinctively grabbing her left arm.
“Ouch,” she winced, and I immediately let go, realizing I’d squeezed too hard.
“Sor—”
The moment I tried to apologize, a sharp impact struck my left cheek, sending my entire body flying. I was airborne for a moment before I even realized I’d been punched.
“You violent bastard. What the hell do you think you’re doing to my woman?!” he spat, his words laced with murderous intent, drawing the attention of the people around us.
“What are you talking about…? The one who cheated was…,” I gasped, glaring at him with resentment.
“Huh? What’s with you? Are you Miyuki’s stalker?”
What is this guy talking about?
“Hey, Miyuki, say something to him. You were just talking about him when you were sleeping next to me, weren’t you? How you only went out with him because he’s your childhood friend and you couldn’t say no, but he’s boring. Or how it’s gross when he tries to hold your hand because it gets all sweaty.”I heard the sound of my dignity shattering into a million pieces.
Please, deny it. I pleaded with my eyes as I looked at my childhood friend—my girlfriend. Her face was pale, and she was trembling.
“What’s wrong, Miyuki? If you like this guy so much, then go ahead. We can end it right here. Are you going to break up with me, or with him? Choose.”
I felt like a criminal before a judge, awaiting my sentence.
She clung to her cheating partner’s arm. “No, don’t leave me. If you leave me, senpai, I can’t go on living.”
My vision went completely white.
“Then who is this guy? Say it loud and clear.”
I was past despair now; my heart was numb.
“Eiji was my childhood friend, but… he’s a persistent, stalker-like, abusive, and violent boyfriend.”
“Mi… yu… ki?” I called her name in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. So that’s all our ten years together meant. I was just a…
“Then say it properly. To this delusional stalker.”
Urged on by Kondo-senpai, she gave me the worst birthday present imaginable.
“I’m sorry, Eiji. I can’t go out with you anymore. Don’t talk to me at school either.”
And just like that, our relationship came to an end.
──August 31st──
In the end, I was so shocked yesterday that I stayed in bed all day. I didn’t eat anything, just burrowed under my futon and waited for time to pass like a living corpse. My despair-filled birthday was over. I shut myself in my room so Mom wouldn’t see my swollen cheek.
My dad died of an illness three years ago, so right now, it’s just me, Mom, and my big brother. They’re both busy running “Kitchen Aono,” the restaurant Dad left behind, so they come home late. Luckily, they didn’t notice.
Yesterday, I messaged them, “I’m not feeling well, so I’m staying in my room,” and locked the door. When my mother got home from work, she came to my door, her worried voice filtering through. Overcome with guilt, I lied, “I might have a summer cold. It’d be bad if I gave it to you. I’m just going to sleep today.”
Worried, they left rice porridge, pudding, and sports drinks outside my door. I ate some of it without really thinking, then just slept without a care in the world as my precious second year high school summer vacation came to an end.An unbearable sense of lethargy washed over me, and I was plagued by nightmares.
※
The nightmares came again and again.
On a monitor, I could only watch as Miyuki and Kondo-senpai held each other naked in a hotel, kissing.
“Eiji is just so gross, you know? I was just being nice to him ’cause he’s my childhood friend, and then he gets the wrong idea and confesses.”
“Just forget about a gross guy like that. Look only at me right now.”
“Yes!!”
After ten years of being childhood friends, I couldn’t even lay a single finger on her. Yet Kondo-senpai reveled in making Miyuki badmouth me over and over again.
It was supposed to be a dream, but I couldn’t stop the wave of nausea. My dignity as a human being was being systematically destroyed. I could hear my heart breaking.
Please, stop. How could this happen?What does a couple do in an entertainment district? Even an idiot like me knows. The reason I was stood up for my birthday date was that senpai was more important than me.
I guess I had no value as a man.
※
When I woke up from the nightmare, I was soaked in sweat, my heart pounding in my chest.
I was too afraid to even sleep.
──September 1st──
The new school term began with an unbearable feeling of sickness. I somehow managed to change into my uniform and head to school, but it felt like the world had lost all its color. The uphill walk to school was nothing short of torture.
“Hey, isn’t that…”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“The worst.”
In front of the school gates, students I didn’t even know were staring at me. Judging by their uniforms, they were second-years like me. I had no idea why I was the center of attention, or why strangers were calling me “the worst.”
Trying to ignore it, I rushed to my classroom.
“Morning.”
When I offered my usual greeting, everyone replied. Good, this place is safe.My classmates were all excitedly talking about their summer vacation.
“Hey, Eiji. How’s it going? Any progress with Amada-san?” a classmate I was relatively close with asked.
I vaguely deflected the question. Just hearing Miyuki’s name made my heart ache. She was in the front row, talking and smiling with our classmates just like she did before the break, but she also looked somewhat downhearted.
※
Lunch break. The contents of the opening ceremony and homeroom that morning hadn’t registered at all.
Our homeroom teacher, Takayanagi-sensei, was apparently taking time off for a tournament with the club he advises. I think Satoshi mentioned something similar. I wanted to talk to him, but I couldn’t risk causing trouble for his club, so I held back from sending a LINE message.
I saw Miyuki, who had finished her lunch, go out into the hallway by herself.
Casually, I followed her. A ten-year relationship couldn’t just end like that. I wanted to at least hear her reason.
“Miyuki!” I called out, trying to sound as normal as possible. She turned around, surprised, her expression tinged with sadness.
“Eiji? Why…”
Though confused, she seemed ready to face me.
“Uh, you see…”
I slowly reached my hand out to her, but it was blocked by someone else. Miyuki’s best friend, Murata Ritsu, had stepped between us.
“Don’t you dare pester Miyuki anymore, you violent bastard!”
“Eh!?”
Why would Murata-san say something like that to me?“Let’s go, Miyuki. I won’t let this stalker near you again.”
Pulled by the hand, Miyuki disappeared down the hall with Murata-san.
“You can’t do that, Miyuki. You have to ignore a stalker like that completely.”
“R-right.”
Watching them flee, the painful realization that I couldn’t even talk to Miyuki anymore sent me spiraling into despair.
※
Somehow, I survived school and escaped back to my room.
Without thinking, I crawled under my futon, trembling. Despair washed over me again and again. Why was I being accused of stalking? I hadn’t been violent at all.
Did I do something wrong? All I wanted was to celebrate my birthday with my girlfriend.
My phone rang.
Could it be Miyuki?With a flicker of hope, I glanced at the screen.
It was an unknown X account with a random string of letters—a throwaway. I opened the DM suspiciously.
It was a short message: ‘Die, you’re creepy.’
Probably just a prank, I thought, deleting it with a bad feeling. Ten minutes later, another DM arrived from a different account.
‘You violent bastard. Don’t ever come to school again.’
A chill ran down my spine. It mirrored what Miyuki and Murata-san had said. Scared, I threw my phone, but the DMs kept coming, one after another, every few minutes.‘Being violent just because she tried to break up with you is the worst.’
‘DV abuser, drop out.’
‘Stalker, you’re disgusting.’It was pure malice, directed entirely at me, and not from just one person. The fear kept growing, feeling as if my place in the world was being carved away, bit by bit. I became even more afraid of sleeping.
──September 2nd──
In the end, I went to school without a wink of sleep. The dizziness was awful, and the stares from other students were terrifying. I felt constantly watched, walking to school paranoid about who might be an enemy.
I stopped in front of the classroom. The door, though right in front of me, felt miles away. I was scared to open it. At least in the classroom… no, that’s not it. If only I had just one person on my side…Steeling myself, I opened the door. My wish was betrayed in an instant.
“Hey, yesterday… ah.”
“Tch.”
Aida and his friends, who were by the door, stopped talking the moment they saw me, one of them even clicking his tongue in annoyance.
“Morning,” I barely managed to get out, my voice thin and weak.
No one replied. Instead, they met my feeble greeting with cold stares, as if looking at trash.
“Why is this guy even at school?”
“I wish he’d hurry up and drop out.”
“I don’t wanna be in the same class as an abusive stalker.”“He’ll probably get expelled soon anyway.”
The whispers from my classmates continued, quiet but intentionally loud enough for me to hear. Miyuki hadn’t arrived yet.
“What’s that all about…? I haven’t done anything,” I muttered.
At that, Murata-san slammed her desk. “Shut up, you’re a stalker! There’s no way Miyuki would lie. The senpai from the soccer team said he saw it too. It’s obvious who anyone would believe between two of the most popular people in school and a criminal like you.”
I didn’t want to hear anymore. How did it come to this? Unable to talk back, I collapsed onto my desk, trying to shut out the world. Still, the unending whispers slowly ate away at my soul.
※
Lunch break. I escaped the classroom and ate alone in the courtyard. My bento was a stewed hamburger made with leftovers from the restaurant. It was supposed to be my favorite, but today, I couldn’t taste a thing. I was tired, but I couldn’t sleep.
When I returned to the classroom, no one was there. Why? The first class in the afternoon was supposed to be World History. Did the class change? No one told me.I desperately held back tears of humiliation and isolation. Grabbing only my notebook, I searched for the new classroom. The home economics room and the biology lab were both empty. Class had already started, and I was growing more frantic by the second.
As I passed by the chemistry lab, I made eye contact with Murata-san. It seemed World History had been changed to Chemistry. She shot me a look of open disgust before turning away.
“Excuse me, I’m late.”
When I entered the lab, I was met with cold stares. The veteran chemistry teacher, Yasaki-sensei, asked with concern, “Is something wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
“Yes, I wasn’t feeling well, so I was resting for a bit.”
“I see. You shouldn’t push yourself. If anything happens during class, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
His words were a small comfort, but of course, I wasn’t prepared for chemistry. I didn’t have my textbook, and no one would let me share theirs. I had no more allies in this classroom. The heart that had been slightly healed by Yasaki-sensei’s kindness was once again consumed by darkness.
──September 3rd──
Finally, I was completely isolated. I couldn’t rely on anyone in class anymore. Maybe my club… maybe the literature club will accept me. I held on to a faint sliver of hope. However, during lunch break, the club president messaged me to say that today’s activities were suddenly canceled.
Even so, I thought someone might be there, so I headed to the clubroom. There, I was pushed into the abyss of despair.
The light in the clubroom was on. Thinking someone was inside, I was about to enter, seeking salvation, but I overheard the voices of Tachibana-buchou and the others from beyond the door.
※
‘Hey, Buchou? Did you tell him properly?’‘Yeah, I sent him a message during lunch break.’‘It’s just, it’s scary to meet him, you know?’‘A little, yeah.’‘But what should we do with his manuscript? For the club magazine we’re selling at the cultural festival…’‘Let’s just throw it away. I mean, it would damage the club’s reputation.’‘Right?~ So funny.’‘Can’t be helped.’‘Even though he has no talent, he tries so hard with his manuscripts. It’s honestly pathetic, right?’
※
Words I never wanted to hear gouged out my heart. In front of the clubroom, the manuscript of the novel I had written last year was torn to shreds and thrown in a garbage bag.
My mind went blank. Everything I had worked for was denied. My childhood friend of ten years had betrayed me. My classmates, who had treated me normally just two days ago, and the members of the literature club I thought were my comrades for two years—none of them were on my side. I had no allies anymore.
I instinctively sent a message to my last hope, my other childhood friend, Satoshi: “I need to talk to you about something.” The message to my best friend, who was supposed to be away for a club tournament, didn’t even get a “read” receipt.
“Right, a teacher might help.”
My homeroom teacher, Takayanagi-sensei, was away on a business trip for his club, but the assistant homeroom teacher, Ayase-sensei, was here. She was a new graduate in her twenties, so she was relatively easy to talk to.
She should be in the classroom at this time.
When I returned to the classroom, I noticed something before I opened the door. Inside were Ayase-sensei, Miyuki, and Murata-san. I instinctively hid and listened in.
“Sensei, Miyuki seems to be troubled lately. Could you listen to her worries sometime?”
“Of course. But it’s rare for Amada-san to have problems. Knowing you, you’re probably too kind and got caught up in some trouble, am I right?”
The conversation proceeded with just the teacher and Murata-san. Miyuki just smiled with a slightly troubled look.
“Yes, something like that.”
“Fufu, it’s alright. I’m on your side. There aren’t many model students like you. I’ll definitely be on your side.”
Those words stabbed me. Right, if I talk to a teacher, will they really believe me? Compared to Miyuki, I’m just average. And since she’s a picture-perfect model student, the teachers probably wouldn’t believe a word I say. The teacher just said it, didn’t she? That she’d definitely be on Miyuki’s side.
Maybe I’m the one in the wrong. Even though I was the one being falsely accused, I couldn’t help but think that.
My classmates and club members wouldn’t even listen to my side of the story.
Run away. That was all I could do. But this school wouldn’t even let me do that.
Because my shoes were gone from my shoe locker. They were covered in graffiti with a red marker: “Die,” “DV bastard,” “Creepy stalker,” “Hurry up and drop out.” On top of that, there was a flyer for Kitchen Aono with a threatening message written on the back: “If you snitch, we’ll pay a visit to your restaurant.”
I have no place in this school anymore. I understood that all too well. My shoes were in a nearby trash can.
Crying, I pulled them out and ran home as if fleeing for my life.
※
As soon as I got home, I showed my face at Kitchen Aono.
“Oh, welcome home. No club today?” my mother asked. She and my brother were taking a break before dinner preparations, and they both looked a little tired.
“Yeah, it got canceled suddenly.”
“I see. You haven’t seemed well lately, so take it easy and rest today.”
My mother’s gentle voice made me feel like crying.
“Thanks. Sorry for making you worry when you’re both so tired.”
When I said that, they both smiled.
“A child doesn’t need to worry about their parents.” My mother hasn’t shed a single tear since my father died; she’s always smiling, so we wouldn’t worry.
“That’s right. You just need to enjoy school. My dream is to make sure you’re raised properly until you graduate from college,” my brother added with an awkward smile. Since our father passed away, he’s been like a father to me, spending his precious twenties on our family and the restaurant. He never complains or says he wants to go out and have fun; he just desperately tries to preserve our father’s flavors.
I didn’t want to make them worry any more than they already were. Maybe everyone will get tired of bullying me eventually. Until then, I just have to endure it. That way, no one should be unhappy.
“Yeah, I’ll do my best,” I said, forcing a smile.
──Miyuki’s Perspective──
I haven’t been able to sleep since that day—the day he, my precious childhood friend, saw me cheating on him. How did things end up like this? I was supposed to care about him more than anyone.
Several days have passed since I broke up with him. I finally lose consciousness as the sun begins to rise, only to wake up moments later. It’s been like that since that day.
Maybe what happened was just a bad dream, I keep thinking. I should have woken up and returned to my normal life.But the rumor that Kondo-senpai spread had already reached the entire school, and I was confronted with the cruel fact that there was nothing I could do. I don’t want this; I don’t want to break up. If Kondo-senpai wasn’t at this school, I would have cried and clung to Eiji, begging for forgiveness.
Seeing the bullying against him, I felt like I was going to cry. No, I can’t cry.At first, it was just me gushing about him to a friend.
“My relationship with Eiji isn’t really progressing,” I had told her, “but I’m happy just being with him.”
She seemed to think I had a problem. One day, she suddenly called me out and introduced me to the romantically experienced Kondo-senpai.
I tried to refuse, saying, “I’m not that worried, so it’s okay,” but she insisted. “Ehh, but senpai offered to listen. Kondo-senpai is the ace of the soccer team and is pretty much guaranteed a sports scholarship for college; he’s an amazing person. You don’t get to talk to him very often.” And so we had tea, just to talk.
He was very kind and gentlemanly, with an adult perspective that was so different from ours. We were so innocent, having made our first love a reality, and I found him very charming.
※
“Ehh, there’s no way a guy wouldn’t feel a girl’s charm from a cute girlfriend like you, Miyuki-chan.”
“If it were me, I’d make a move right away. Ah, just kidding, just kidding.”
“What do you want to drink next? I’ll get it for you.”
“You’re a really attractive woman. Maybe your childhood friend is just feeling intimidated by that?”
※
Being treated like a princess and cared for so attentively, my guard started to drop.
We exchanged LINEs, and I consulted him about my relationship many times. He accompanied me shopping to help me pick out clothes for my dates with Eiji. He was always a gentleman, and he praised me constantly, boosting my self-esteem.
The relationship counseling and shopping for dates gradually became an excuse. It became about him and me, not for Eiji’s sake. It was pretty much a date at that point.
After our third “date,” on a riverbank overlooking the sunset, he suddenly stole my lips. My body and soul were on the verge of being stolen by him, and I accepted it with little resistance. The desires that followed were inevitable.
It didn’t take long for Kondo-senpai to take everything that was supposed to be Eiji’s.The guilt I felt toward him was certainly in my heart.
But…
“It’s his fault for not making a move on a charming girlfriend like you, Miyuki.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s your boyfriend who’s failing as a man.”
He provided me with an escape route time and time again. Gradually, I started turning my guilt into a spice to enjoy my trysts with him. I loathed that despicable part of myself, yet I depended on his capacity to embrace even that. I was probably a good catch for him.
Even when I realized that, I was so dependent on him that I couldn’t do anything about it.
※
“Hey, I have a day off from my club on the 30th, wanna hang out?”
“But, it’s his birthday…”
“Then never mind. I’ll just ask another girl out.”
“Eh…”
“I mean, it’s true, right? Honestly, I can tell that I barely exist in your mind, Miyuki. You always prioritize that Eiji guy. I’m getting a little tired of chasing you. I probably shouldn’t be the one to say this, but let’s end this distorted relationship. We’ll both be happier that way.”
※
I remember that threatening message on the day I canceled my birthday date with Eiji…
The message that became the crossroads of fate…
And I chose senpai, not Eiji.
Eiji is kind, so it’ll be fine. He’ll surely forgive me if I apologize. But this might be the last time with senpai. Possessed by that fear, I made the worst possible choice. I was completely taking Eiji’s kindness for granted.
Childhood friend. The person of destiny who had always been with me for over ten years. I was sure I would marry him and spend the rest of my life with him. That would be a very happy thing, but the woman inside me whispered.
“If senpai is gone, the only man I’ll ever know is Eiji. Are you okay with that?”Desire and my pride as a woman—that’s what hurt Eiji. And my own shallow self-preservation is driving him further into the abyss of despair.
“Just make up your mind and confess already,” another part of me says. Tell everyone that I was the one cheating and lying, that Eiji is falsely accused.
The fact that I can’t do it is what makes me a coward. Now that the problem has gotten this big, there’s no going back. I would lose everything I’ve built up until now. I was so scared of that, I couldn’t do anything. I can only watch the bullying unfold.
A regret that will never fade dominated my heart.
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