Back in college, six of my friends and I started an English conversation club, and we were always hanging out together.

Calling it an English club was pretty generous—it was really just a typical excuse to goof off. Our activities were limited to chatting after class, taking trips under the guise of "training retreats," and drinking together almost every single night.

Megumi was in that club too, in the same year as me. She was petite, sweet, and cute, always sitting off to the side with a gentle smile. She was extremely quiet, having joined the club mostly because a friend she'd known since high school had practically dragged her into it.

One night after drinking, we were lingering at a family restaurant late into the night, chatting aimlessly like we always did. It must have been around 2:00 a.m. when Megumi suddenly panicked.

"Sorry, I have to go—my mom's going to be furious."

She gave us a flustered, sheepish smile and hurried off.

She was so gentle and refined that we all sat around talking for a bit about how strict her family must be. Then, out of nowhere, my phone rang. It was an incoming call from Megumi's cell. Wondering what was up, I answered.

"This is Megumi's mother."

It was a low, heavy female voice. Caught off guard, I stammered out a polite greeting, and everyone around me instantly went silent, straining to hear the voice on the line.

"You kids are college students, aren't you? What are you thinking, staying out late partying like this? Every single day! Cut it out already!"

All I could do was apologize over and over. I was well aware we'd been staying out late every night, so it was only natural for her to be mad.

She lectured me over the phone for a while before abruptly hanging up on me with a click.

That completely killed our mood. Without anyone having to say a word, we called it a night and headed home.

Ever since that day, after drinking sessions or club events, Megumi's mother started calling me and the older members of the club more and more often.

"Stop calling Megumi out on weekends. You're being a nuisance."

"You're extorting money from Megumi under the guise of trip expenses, aren't you?"

"Don't wear perfume around Megumi. It reeks."

"Stop giving Megumi trash for presents."

"Brainless trash like you is a terrible influence on Megumi."

"Drop dead."

Unlike at first, her complaints became completely unreasonable, and her tone grew harsher and harsher. She spewed vile insults I couldn't even bring myself to write down, leaving us drained of any desire to defend ourselves. Still, the next day, Megumi would always apologize with a tearful, remorseful expression, so we just accepted it as something we had to put up with. But then...

"Let's stop inviting Megumi out with us."

The girl in our club who was closest to Megumi suddenly brought that up one day.

Honestly, it was understandable, but everyone voiced their opposition, saying it was too cruel. It wasn't Megumi's fault, after all, and I didn't like the idea either.

Besides, she was Megumi's friend from high school and supposed to be her best friend. On top of that, she had never received a single call from Megumi's mother. When we asked her why she felt that way, she answered in a trembling voice.

"Because Megumi's mom died back in our sophomore year of high school. Who was on that phone?"