The Fruit of Desire~ Even a Bullied Gardening Club Member like Me Created a Harem~ - Chapter 13
“Ren-senpai. Thank you for telling me your situation. And also, I’m sorry. The reason my sister couldn’t completely trust you is probably because of me. Because of what I said…”
“Um, what was it that you said…?”
“That’s… because it stems from something that was about to be done to me, so I’ll explain it properly too.”
After saying that, Mizuki gathered her courage and started to speak about the bullying she was experiencing. Though her voice trembled, it carried a powerful sense of resolve.
Apparently, the one who’s actually responsible for the bullying Mizuki is enduring is a male student named Ryuji.
Ryuji was large for a middle school student, and although he was rough and violent, he was popular among the students because he told jokes that amused the class.
To the serious Mizuki, someone like Ryuji was the kind of person she wasn’t good at dealing with.
One day, Mizuki was confessed to by Ryuji, but she couldn’t return his feelings and politely turned him down. However, that fact was twisted within the class, and it was made out that Mizuki had confessed to Ryuji. On top of that, for reasons Mizuki couldn’t comprehend, the girls in the class began to ostracize her.
Even so, Mizuki believed that her close friends would be on her side. However, when those friends called her out to a place with no people around, the one who was there was Ryuji. He attacked Mizuki by force. Mizuki froze in fear, but the moment Ryuji tried to pull down his pants, she struck him in the groin and escaped on the spot.
Mizuki had felt relief for a moment, but soon a message arrived on her smartphone. Contained within it was a video showing the moment Ryuji attacked her. The part where Mizuki escaped had been cut out, and it wasn’t hard to imagine what people would think after watching it. A chill ran down her spine, and from that day on, she stopped going to school.
Mizuki confessed that Ryuji still possesses the video. She also understands the current reality where people post such videos online despite knowing they’re committing crimes. Believing that Ryuji is someone who would do such a thing, she says that if the video spreads, she won’t be able to continue living.
Through tears, she said that part of her didn’t want to cause trouble for her family, but even more than that, if it meant being used by Ryuji, she would rather die.
That agonized voice of hers made Ren’s heart ache. Watching tears stream from her eyes, he felt a deep desire to do something to ease her pain.
As a result of that event, Mizuki vaguely told Misaki that she couldn’t trust men, and mentioned that she was almost assaulted by one. However, she couldn’t bring herself to explain in detail. She was afraid that if she did, the overly helpful Misaki might go negotiate with Ryuji on her own without telling her.
Mizuki also thought that maybe, because she had told Misaki about this in fragments, Misaki wasn’t able to fully believe in Ren during the theft incident where he was framed as the culprit.
Before hearing Mizuki speak, Ren thought he was the most unfortunate one at this school. However, he felt that what she went through was even more severe.
“Mizuki-chan, thank you for telling me. Let’s first think about whether we can do something about your problem before worrying about mine.”
“It’s fine. Probably nothing can be done anyway. Ryuji’s been sending messages saying he’s getting impatient, and there’s not much time left…”
“Mizuki-chan, have you considered going to the police?”
Risa suggested going to the police or similar authorities, but Mizuki refused. She felt that if the situation became public through her family or the police, there was a high chance Ryuji would spread the video.
“If we want to lessen the damage from the video going public, maybe we could go on the offensive and spread a message about the current bullying situation?”
However, Risa calmly argued back.
“Ren-kun, that’s certainly one way to go about it, but without the impact of a video, it might not go viral. We can’t control what happens on the internet, and I think the risk of leaking personal information is too high.”
Afterward, the idea of taking Ryuji’s smartphone away was brought up, but it was concluded that it wouldn’t be realistic to do anything about it given how violent he is. Besides, if the video had already been copied, it wouldn’t mean much.
Among the four who had fallen into silence, Mizuki spoke up. “Let’s think about Ren-senpai’s problem too.” She suggested shifting focus from her own issue and looking at another problem.
“Thank you, Mizuki-chan.”
Risa and Misaki also nodded and began discussing Ren’s issue. They once again examined the harassment by Shinichi, the accusation of stealing Misaki’s belongings, and the situation where the whole class was treating him like a criminal.
–
“Shinichi’s motive, the truth behind the theft accusation, the relationship between Misaki and Shinichi, and the misunderstanding among classmates. Also… why the teachers, child services, and police didn’t listen to Ren’s concerns, that part bothers me too.”
Haruka focused on that final concern and shared her perspective.
“This is difficult to admit, but this whole area has a very closed-off community, and certain families have a lot of influence. Shibasaki Shinichi’s family, the Shibasaki household, like my Shirakawa family, owns a lot of land and resources, and makes large donations to various institutions. That might be why the teachers and police didn’t take Ren seriously…”
“It’s already the Reiwa era! Does that kind of injustice still go unpunished these days?”
“In this kind of closed-off community, there’s very little turnover of people. And the older someone is, the more likely they are to cling to outdated customs…”
Ren was surprised that such outdated thinking still existed, but he realized that nothing would change unless people themselves changed.
“Ryuji’s reason for targeting me was supposedly out of some kind of affection, but as for Shinichi, was he jealous of Misaki-chan’s closeness with Ren-senpai?”
“Hmm, when the bullying started, Misaki and I weren’t particularly close. So I was also confused about why I was being targeted, it bothered me a lot.”
–
In the end, the four of them weren’t able to find a concrete solution.
Risa apologized for that, saying, “I’m sorry. I really wanted to be more help.”
However, Mizuki and Ren felt that just being able to talk about it was a relief. “It’s okay, Risa-sensei. I was just glad I could talk about it,” Mizuki said, expressing her gratitude.
“That’s right. Thank you very much, Risa-sensei.”
Even so, Mizuki covered her face with both hands and murmured, “I really don’t know what to do…” The sound of her voice pained the other three as well.
“Something like this… it’s hopeless unless a miracle happens…”
Hearing those words, Haruka asked Ren if he could step out for a moment.
“Sorry, Ren-kun. Could you step out for just a bit?”
Ren immediately agreed, saying, “It’s okay. I’ll step out for a bit,” and distanced himself from the three. He understood they probably wanted to talk privately.
After Ren stepped away, Haruka explained to Mizuki that Ren possessed a mysterious power to produce fruit. She also explained the effect of the fruit—that it works on a person’s spirit in order to grant their wish.
“Since the power of the wish ultimately lies with Ren-kun, depending on your wish, Mizuki-chan, it might be possible to do something about Ryuji-kun.”
Still, Haruka and Risa made sure to explain the effects of eating the fruit without concealing anything.
Upon hearing about the effects of the fruit, Mizuki blushed and got angry.
“What the hell?! So in the end, you’re saying I have no choice but to offer my body?! And Risa-sensei—why are you on that side too?!”
Seeing Mizuki’s reaction, Haruka and Risa showed slightly tense expressions.
Blushing, Risa replied, “Well, I kind of think it’s better to do something, anything, than to suffer until you die. I know it sounds crazy, but…”
With a sharp breath, Mizuki replied, “I understand, kind of. It’s unbelievable, but I’ll treat it as one possible option.”
“Yeah, we’re not forcing you. Just give it some thought.” Haruka said.
“…Um, so you and Risa-sensei are in that kind of relationship with Ren-senpai too?” Mizuki said, her face turning red as she looked at Haruka and Risa.
With red cheeks, both of them let out embarrassed little laughs. Mizuki couldn’t help but think they were kind of cute.
After that, Ren was called back in, and the group disbanded for the day.
After the group disbanded, Ren, not knowing what had been talked about, felt confused. Mizuki then shot him a sharp glare. Without paying any attention to those around them, she spoke directly: “Ren-senpai. Please go on a date with me tomorrow.”
Ren, surprised, wondered why Mizuki would say such a thing. But Haruka and Risa appeared to be nodding in agreement.
“Y-yeah, sure, Mizuki-chan,” Ren said hesitantly. Oddly enough, even after everything that had happened with Haruka and Risa, this was Ren’s first actual date.
Characters in this chapter:
Hayama Ren – First-year high school student, member of the Gardening Club. Has secretly been bullied by Shinichi since middle school. Became intimately involved with Haruka. He also became involved with Risa.
Shirakawa Haruka – Second-year high school student, president of the gardening club, treasures the dogwood tree. She is also kind to Ren. Became intimately involved with Ren. She brought Risa in.
Risa Tachibana – Middle School Teacher, Gardening Club Advisor. A beginner at gardening. Her exhibitionist tendencies were exposed, and she had a relationship with Ren with Haruka encouragement.
Asakura Mizuki – A second-year middle school student and Misaki’s younger sister. She consulted with the three gardening club members about the bullying she’s been facing. She decided to try going on a date with Ren.
Chapter length 3982 characters.