Summary
Covering the desk of a young, saddened girl are the cruel words of her former friends. They mockingly laugh at her and call her names when she attempts to speak to them, wondering why it's come to this. They were just her friends a month ago, and now they're calling her a bitch who acts "different" around boys, but Nagisa doesn't understand why they would do this when she's done nothing wrong. She feverishly prepares a cloth and soap to get her desk clean when a Teacher approaches to see how upset she looks. She offers to contact the girls parents but after Nagisa overhears them resume badmouthing her, she quickly rejects her offer and points out how she can't keep protecting her before running away in tears. The teacher attempts to follow her but she is stopped by another staff member, who tells her not to interfere.
Nagisa takes shelter within a nearby supplies closet and continues to cry. She pleads with God to take her away from this as she begins to think about the girls mocking her again- but suddenly, she hears an unfamiliar voice and a book falls to the floor. She curiously approaches to see a picture of a pretty but unrecognizable girl. Before she can say anything, the voice returns -along with a mysterious figure- and lightning flashes outside as Nagisa loses consciousness.
Nagisa later awakens in a classroom. As she collects her bearings she notices how different the uniform is from her own- they're wearing the winter one. It's then someone approaches her and calls her "Makoto". Confused, Nagisa finds a nearby mirror to see that she looks like someone else! She panics feelings a hand upon her shoulder until the girl kindly informs her that it is time to switch classes, and anxiously she tries to determine what happened as she leaves, only to bump into the pretty girl from the picture album. She is shocked to see her as a Teacher scolds "Yumi" for being late to class, until a nearby group of girls pleadingly asks that she is forgiven.
During class, Yumi observes Nagisa. After it ends, she stands on her own as everyone else leaves and Nagisa remains behind. She overhears the girls from earlier, who wait for the teacher to leave before physically assaulting Yumi, kicking her hard enough to leave blood as she falls against a bunch of desks. Nagisa is horrified by this display and she looks to see that on the bottom of Yumi's show is the word DIE, written in marker. As the girls start laughing, they reveal that they had been the cause of why Yumi was late. They stole her shoe to write on it, then hid it from her. Nagisa helplessly watches, frozen in fear as their disgusted male classmates take off to remark on their bullying; but just when they ask "Makoto" to join them, she is surprised as Yumi rises and coldly tells them off for their need to worthlessly entertain themselves. The leader of angered, but seeing the Teacher return they take off.
Nagisa quickly approaches Yumi to check on her, but Yumi suggests to "Makoto" that she leaves; otherwise she could become a victim. As it dons on Nagisa that Makoto must be Yumi's friend, she refuses after remembering how much pain she felt from her own experience. She doesn't want Yumi to feel as alone as she did, and she wants to protect her. She leads Yumi into another room to wash off her dirtied shoe, returning it to the initially silent Yumi. She gently thanks "Makoto" before teasingly pointing out her dirtied face. But as the flustered Nagisa attempts to clean it off, the girls from before return demanding an explanation when they catch them together. They corner the frightened Nagisa and admit that lately they had been considering making her their new target as she fearfully wonders why God would bring her to this place.
It's then they start yelling, demanding she choose a side and in this instance, Nagisa realizes that no matter where she goes, bullying is a thing. It doesn't just go away. In this case she must remain supportive of Yumi, and she boldly stands up to the girls. She refuses to be afraid any longer and tells them that no matter what they do to her -even if it meant killing her- she would never become like them.
She is shocked when this doesn't phase the girls, who force her into the home Ec room and bend her over a table next to the gas stove. They turn it on and she stares at the flickering flame as Yumi tries pulling herself away from the girls holding her back. It's then the leader of the bullies gets an idea and they release Yumi. She offers her a chance to stop being their victim; but only if she bullies "Makoto" in their place. Yumi approaches the frightened Nagisa and pulls her away from the table, much to their confusion.
Nagisa expresses relief until noticing that Yumi is slowly leading her backwards. She realizes there is a large, opened window behind her and the bullies encourage her to push Nagisa through it. One of the girls points out how dangerous this could be as they are on the third floor, but they ignore her as both girls shed tears.
As Nagisa feels herself fall from the window, she can only ask why?
Tropes:
- Adults Are Useless: While Nagisa's teacher was shown to be sympathetic and want to help, another staff member prevented her because he didn't want to deal with the complaints from the parents of the girls bullying her.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Nagisa experiences this when living through Makoto. A few classmates were very friendly around her, but the second the Teacher left all hell broke loose; and it only worsened when they caught the two girls together.
- Break the Cutie: From the start of the chapter to the end, Nagisa can't catch a break. She's bullied by girls who used to be her friends, then just when she thinks she escaped she finds out that her new friends are even worse and physically harm their victims. Then they turn on her and promise to stop bullying Yumi if she hurts Nagisa, which she seemingly takes when she pushes her out the window.
- Dead Person Conversation: Nagisa hears Yomi's voice but she doesn't directly speak to her until she meets her as Yumi.
- Protectorate: After coming to the realization that bullying will never go away, Nagisa does this for Yumi.
- Kids Are Cruel
- School Bullying Is Harmless: No, it's not.
- Stock Shoujo Bullying Tactics: Nagisa's bullies not only write horrible things on her desk, but they also spread slander about her, make accusations, and call her offensive names.
- With Friends Like These...: A month prior to the story, Nagisa's bullies were her friends. She doesn't understand what made them turn against her, nor is it revealed.
