Chapter 306 if – Ten Years Later 1
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
This is a story serving as an alternate epilogue. However, it is a hypothetical “if” scenario—a world where Aurelia (that shitty goddess) never got involved.
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My wife helped me into the back seat of the taxi while I remained in my wheelchair. The driver assisted her, securing the chair so it wouldn’t budge during the trip. Since it was a handicap-accessible taxi, the convenience of not having to transfer out of the chair was a blessing. My daughters, Lilu and Leki, were similarly buckled into their car seats while my wife took the front.
”Where to, folks?” the driver asked.
”To Bar Peche¹, please,” she replied.
The driver looked up the location and pulled away.
* * *
(Hah… has it really been ten years?)
I inadvertently muttered to myself. Today was the class reunion. To be honest, I didn’t expect everyone to show up. Some people simply couldn’t make it—specifically, the ones currently sitting in prison.
Bar Peche.
That was the venue for tonight’s event. I seemed to recall it meaning “Peach” in French or something. I wondered why they had chosen a name like that. A “Reserved for Private Event” sign hung from the door. I reached for the handle and pushed it open. A bell chimed with a clear ting-aling to announce my arrival.
”So sorry! We’re closed for a private party tod—wait, isn’t that Narumi-chan?”
The woman behind the counter called out as she spotted me. Or rather, “woman” wasn’t exactly right. Her features were well-defined, though her makeup was a bit heavy. A gentle, kind atmosphere drifted from her slightly downturned eyes. She had a husky voice and was dressed in a nightgown, but her shoulders were broader than any woman’s. She had a solid build. At a glance, she looked female, but biologically, he was a man.
”Oh, hello… Yuki-kun,” I said.
”Stop that! In this place, you call me Chihiro, Narumi-chan,” replied Chihiro.
Yuki-kun—no, Chihiro—offered a beaming smile. He was the proprietor of this bar. Ten years had passed, and the transformation was staggering.
”You haven’t changed a bit, Narumi-chan,” Chihiro noted.
”Don’t call me tiny,” I pouted. My height just wouldn’t grow. Even now, people mistook me for a junior high student, let alone a high schooler. Well, certain other parts of me could put most adults to shame, but still…
It had been ten years since the incident. Ten years ago, one of our classmates attempted suicide by jumping off the school roof. Fortunately—or perhaps, for him, unfortunately—he survived. The real trouble started afterward. A student jumping from the roof was national news, of course. The school tried to bury it, claiming he was just overwhelmed by his studies, but that was a fatal mistake. The very next day, a video of him being bullied by his classmates was uploaded to a major site. It was titled, quite helpfully, as the true cause of his suicide.
The internet exploded. The ringleaders were doxxed instantly. In fact, personal information for almost everyone in the class leaked. It was a nightmare. People pointed fingers at us, we lost friends in other classes, and the phones at our houses never stopped ringing with harassment. My mother had a total nervous breakdown and had to be institutionalized. Through it all, the primary bullies didn’t seem to care, and our homeroom teacher acted like it was none of his business. He even had the nerve to make irresponsible remarks.
(Do you really think you have the right to ruin these perpetrators’ lives? Their future lives are more important than the victim’s, aren’t they?)
Naturally, that just poured gasoline on the fire. The school backed the teacher’s stance. Consequently, enrollment numbers tanked. By the time they realized how badly they’d screwed up, it was too late. The teacher was sacked, and Principal Viede, the vice-principal, and the head of the grade were all forced into early retirement.
As for that ringleader… No, I should stop. I was here to see old friends, even if the memories were bitter.
As I expected, the turnout was pathetic. Only six of us were there, counting me. I pulled my chair up next to one of them. He had a deep tan and a thick, muscular build, with his hair buzzed short. If he’d been wearing shades, he’d have looked like a total thug.
”Yo, Narumi,” said Akiyama.
”Long time no see, Akiyama-kun,” I replied.
Akiyama Ryunya. He was the guy I once had a one-sided crush on, and my best friend’s lover… or rather, ex-lover. Because of the scandal, his professional scouts dropped him, and he ended up having to quit the baseball team. It couldn’t be helped. Even if he didn’t bully the victim directly, he stood there and laughed.
”What are you up to these days, Narumi?” Akiyama asked.
”I’m a nurse. It’s a grind; it’s hard to get time off. How about you, Akiyama-kun?”
”I’m working for a small construction crew. There’s always someone who recognizes me, though. It’s not exactly a bed of nails, but man, it’s uncomfortable,” Akiyama replied.
I suppose that was his cross to bear. You reap what you sow. That applied to me, too. The difference was that Akiyama was famous; my environment was different. I’d been lucky with my colleagues. They treated me like the past was the past. I’d spent ten years repenting. That’s why I became a nurse—to help people. It had been my dream once, anyway.
I actually see “him” occasionally. He comes to the hospital where I work. Seeing him paralyzed, confined to a wheelchair for life, the guilt of what we did nearly crushes me every time.
Akiyama, on the other hand, seemed to be surrounded by decent people now. Apparently, the only people who still gave him grief were the ones who were generally hated themselves. I guess losing his future made him reflect. He’d mellowed out; the arrogance was gone.
Oh, speaking of my former best friend and her boyfriend… Oshiro Yuuko and Koganei. Word was they hadn’t reflected at all. Koganei apparently keeps failing pro-tests because his attitude is as rotten as his skills. Yuuko was basically drifting through papa-katsu² arrangements. She’s pushing thirty; that lifestyle isn’t sustainable. I wondered if she’d be okay.
”Anyway, Chihiro-san, you really have changed,” I said.
”Ahaha… well, this is the real me. Want a drink? Akiyama-kun, you need a refill?” asked Chihiro.
”Yeah. I’ll take a shochu³. You got Kirishima?” Akiyama asked.
”Sure. And I’ll have a whisky, neat,” I added.
We were adults now. I didn’t plan on getting blackout drunk, though. I’ve never even had a hangover.
But back to Chihiro. When the boy jumped, he was the one who took it hardest. The guilt of failing to protect him nearly broke him. After the boy woke up, Chihiro went to apologize and confessed a secret he’d been keeping—a secret that had caused friction between them. Chihiro had gender dysphoria. He’d loved the boy, but because of his internal struggle, he’d hidden it, and his attempts to “help” had all backfired. Since then, he’d stopped hiding his identity, which caused all his “fans” to ditch him. That included Kijima-nee’s sister and Kodama Satomi. Those three got dragged through the mud, too. The sisters’ father had shredded them, saying their “souls were rotten,” and worked them to the bone. Now the older sister was running the family dojo, but she skipped tonight. She said she couldn’t face Chihiro. As for Kodama… I hadn’t heard a word.
”Hey, Akiyama-kun. Do you know what happened to Kodama-san?” I asked.
”She’s a shut-in. The internet harassment broke her. She’s terrified of going outside,” Akiyama explained.
”Is that so? I was hoping to see her,” I said.
Chihiro sighed. I wondered how Akiyama knew so much, but he answered before I could ask. Apparently, Kodama’s father was a coworker of his, and Akiyama and Kodama were actually dating. Sleeping together, even. Hearing that my old crush was with another woman still felt… complicated.
”By the way, Chihiro-san. Why the name Peche?” I asked.
”It’s not ‘Peach.’ It’s ‘Sin.’ And just so you know, this is a gay bar. All the other staff are legally men, just like me. Though it’s just me tonight,” Chihiro explained with a smirk.
The name made sense. It was very him. It fit all of us, really.
…But a gay bar.
Huh.
—
Summary:
Ten years after a devastating school bullying scandal, Narumi attends a somber class reunion at a bar owned by a former classmate. The chapter reflects on the life-altering consequences of the incident, revealing the divergent paths of the perpetrators and witnesses. The reunion highlights themes of regret, gender identity, and the permanent scars of social ostracization.
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Trivia:
- The bar’s name ‘Peche’ (Sin) symbolizes the collective guilt of the class.
- Narumi’s career as a nurse serves as a direct attempt at atonement for past inaction.
- The mention of prison suggests that some classmates faced legal consequences beyond social doxxing.
- Akiyama’s relationship with the shut-in Kodama hints at trauma-bonding between former outcasts
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Character Insight:
Narumi and Akiyama have transitioned from high school archetypes to weary adults bound by a shared sin. Chihiro’s transition and ownership of a gay bar represent a reclamation of identity that was suppressed during the school years. The dynamic is no longer about high school hierarchy but about who has managed to ‘reflect’ and move on.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The ‘if’ timeline establishes a world grounded in realism where divine intervention (Aurelia) is absent, leading to a grim social fallout. The mention of ‘Principal of Viede’ and academic capacity ratios provides a glimpse into the institutional failure of the Japanese school system in this setting.
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TL Notes:
The text features a meta-commentary at the end involving ‘Red Person’ and ‘Maintenance Soldier,’ which are parodies of Char Aznable and a Zeon soldier from Mobile Suit Gundam. The Peche/Peach pun relies on the Japanese phonetic similarity (Peshe) but refers to the French ‘Péché’.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Aurelia – An ethereal, pale‑glowing goddess, heard over the school intercom, announces reincarnation and later manifests in a flowing white robe, retaining student memories. Arrogant and haughty, she calls herself a Goddess, holds Lil captive, uses Natsu’s former friends as tormenting apostles, views war as entertainment, laments she cannot see into Greedia, and finally takes over Lil’s body.
• Leki – Lil’s eldest daughter, 140 cm tall, 70‑54‑69 measurements, dog/wolf ears and husky‑puppy look, once a stuffed toy now human. She wields a great axe, smooth‑skinned, keen‑eyed, can split a King Basilisk’s skull, calls the protagonist ‘Papa’, and discovered the floating temple. Current Master of the Renegade clan, succeeding Natsumi, a Barghest of the highest order—powerful, loyal, energetic.
• Lil – 166 cm tall, hourglass 90‑56‑90, long indigo waist‑length hair, sharp golden eyes, wolf ears, dog‑like tail, scarred abdomen; silver‑haired human form, Fenrir‑kin Queen and Demon King, wife of the protagonist and Natsumi, mother of Leki, Van, newborn Mana and Luca, former Sub‑Master, called “number one” by Mitsuba, cherished companion of Sasaki, body hijacked by Aurelia while her soul remains protected.
• Narumi – Narumi Honoka, a petite nurse with black hair and eyes, dresses in a crisp “transistor glamour” uniform. Cold‑hearted, she mocks Sasaki while wielding healing magic. Ten years after surviving a school‑bullying scandal, she now uses a wheelchair, is married, and raises two daughters.
• Yuki – Yuki Chihiro. Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Chihiro – 178 cm, 70 kg, handsome and athletic; former top student and soccer‑club star, childhood friend of Natsuki. Once called Yuki, he’s a trans man with a sturdy build and husky voice, now runs the gay bar ‘Peche’. He denies any past as a woman despite Natsuki’s claims, and was a classmate of the narrator.
• Akiyama – Akiyama Ryunya, 177 cm, 70 kg, tanned, muscular, buzz‑cut, hot‑blooded and handsome. Former star baseball player whose career ended in a bullying scandal; now works construction. Baseball‑club member, boyfriend of Oshiro Yuuko, best friend of Narumi Honoka, classmate of Sasaki, wears armor and wields the Adamantine Sword, a diamond‑hard magic blade.
• Akiyama Ryunya – Akiyama Ryunya, 177 cm, 70 kg, tanned, muscular, buzz‑cut, hot‑blooded and handsome. Former star baseball player whose career ended in a bullying scandal; now works construction. Baseball‑club member, boyfriend of Oshiro Yuuko, best friend of Narumi Honoka, classmate of Sasaki, wears armor and wields the Adamantine Sword, a diamond‑hard magic blade.
• Ryunya – Height 177 cm, weight 70 kg. Oshiro Yuuko’s boyfriend. A hot-blooded, handsome guy with a buzz cut. Member of the baseball club.
• Oshiro Yuuko – Female classmate of Sasaki. Capable of giantification by possessing the Earth Spirit King Titan. Secretly harbors feelings for Akiyama.
• Koganei – Standing 166 cm tall and weighing 56 kg, he’s a wiry, small‑statured classmate of Sasaki who fights with swift daggers. In the baseball club he’s the mood‑maker, fixated on Honoka’s body and teamed with Oshiro to steal her from Akiyama. Described as having a ‘pathetic’ endowment.
• Yuuko – A female student and best friend of Narumi Honoka. She is a manager for the baseball club. Described as proactive and quite a beauty. She has her hair in a ponytail and is always stuck like glue to Ryuya.
• Kodama – Kodama Satomi—a tanned, bleached‑haired “gal” and self‑proclaimed fan of Chihiro. Skilled in Lightning Bolt sorcery with stats surpassing a Gargoyle’s despite low melee ability. Once an escapee with Yuki and Kijima’s sister, she suffered under Sasaki —whose female form later mimics her appearance, claiming to have “eaten” her.
• Satomi – A self-proclaimed fan of Chihiro. A bronzed girl with bleached hair.
• Sato – A man clad in white armor and partner to Suzuki. He possesses a power similar to Yukiko’s Aegis.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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