Not to brag, but I went to one of the top five college prep high schools in the prefecture. Ever since I was a kid, I loved reading, and I didn't mind studying. My parents never forced me to study, but seeing them light up when I scored high on a test made me happy. I loved my parents, who were always bragging to everyone about their son.

My school life had been pretty peaceful up until high school, but during my sophomore year, a guy named Yamaguchi set his sights on me. He was known as a handsome honor student, but he was completely two-faced, and it was an open secret that he bullied people behind the scenes. Ending up in the same class after room reassignment was my downfall; that was when Yamaguchi targeted me.

At first, it was just him and his followers teasing me, but it escalated day by day. Light shoves turned into punches to the shoulder, and eventually, full-on beatings became routine. I tried fighting back, but the more I resisted, the worse the violence got. I wanted to report him to a teacher, but then I discovered something that stopped me in my tracks.

It turned out my father's direct supervisor was none other than Yamaguchi's father. Knowing that making a scene would ruin my dad's career, I decided to endure it. I buried myself in my studies to cope with the abuse, but that ended up infuriating Yamaguchi even more—because I outscored him in every single subject. Losing academically to the kid he was picking on crushed his fragile ego, driving the bullying to a whole new level.

Then, his cruelty extended to my sister, who was two years younger. She was a ninth-grader preparing for high school entrance exams when somehow he tracked her down and started slandering her online using burner accounts. He spread filthy lies about her, claiming she was doing sugar-dating and God knows what else. My sister, who was a hardworking player on her basketball team, lost her friends and her smile. In the end, she became a complete shut-in.

I couldn't sit by and stay silent through that. I confronted Yamaguchi, but he just stubbornly demanded proof, leaving me helpless. It was obvious that he and his cronies were using alt accounts to defame my sister and me, but I couldn't get my hands on any physical evidence. Even so, I kept pressing him. I just wanted to get revenge for my sister—that was all.

Instead, Yamaguchi beat me to a pulp and ended up shoving me off the stairwell behind the school building. I fell from the third floor and lost consciousness for a while, but miraculously, I didn't have a single scratch on me. After that, I cursed my own powerlessness. The frustration of being unable to do anything tore me apart.

Later, I heard that Yamaguchi had gone on to a prestigious university and landed a job at a famous corporation. As my hatred festered, I spent my days dazed and numb, doing nothing at all. Sometime after hearing about him, I happened to spot Yamaguchi in town by chance. Dressed in a sharp suit, he was strutting down the street looking every bit the high-powered elite. The moment I saw him, an indescribable, murderous urge surged up inside me.

When I stepped right into his path to block him, Yamaguchi looked completely shocked to see me. Without saying a word, I just glared at him. Thinking I had come to get revenge for the bullying, Yamaguchi practically ran away from the spot.

After that, strangely enough, I started running into Yamaguchi a lot. Or maybe, deep down, I was searching for him. Every time he saw me, he was petrified. Behind all his success lay the truth of how he had bullied me. He was likely terrified of his past coming to light.

Seeing Yamaguchi panic and scurry away from me was more exhilarating than anything else. I felt a rush of superiority, as if our roles had completely inverted.

As Yamaguchi grew visibly gaunt and worn down, I kept appearing before him as if to mock his downfall. I never said a single word to him. Words weren't necessary. Just making my presence known was the ultimate form of revenge. Eventually, Yamaguchi broke and spoke to me.

"Please, stop this! I admit everything—what I did to you, what I did to your sister! So please, just forgive me!"

Countless pedestrians watched as Yamaguchi fell to his knees on the sidewalk, bowing in deep humiliation. He repeatedly slammed his head against the ground to apologize, but I just watched him coldly, like any other bystander.

From then on, every time our paths crossed, Yamaguchi apologized to me over and over. But I remained silent. I gave no indication of whether I forgave him or not.

Then one day, I spotted Yamaguchi on a train platform. I saw him on the platform across the tracks. He was standing at the front of the line waiting for the train, staring down at the ground. Sensing me there, he slowly raised his head.

And his eyes met mine.

I think that was the first time I smiled.

Right then, Yamaguchi threw himself in front of the incoming train.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

"Revenge is empty."

Some people say things like that, but they couldn't be more wrong. When Yamaguchi died right in front of me, I felt a deep sense of accomplishment. Seeing how terrified he was every time he ran into me, watching him wither away—it was pure joy. Watching the guy who acted so high and mighty back in high school groveling before me anywhere and everywhere was the exact dream I had envisioned while being tormented.

Now, that Yamaguchi is no longer of this world. Do I feel empty now that the object of my revenge is gone? Not in the slightest.

Because even after dying, Yamaguchi is still right here in front of my eyes.

Even in death, he seems crushed by the overwhelming regret of bullying me. There isn't a trace left of his former arrogance. Seeing him cower before me even as a ghost is utterly thrilling.

Apparently, how powerful you are after death is determined by the strength of your malice. Even in death, I hate him so much I want to drag him to the very bottom of hell. Alive or dead, none of that matters—tormenting Yamaguchi is my sole reason for existence.

Welcome to the afterlife, Yamaguchi.

Now then, let's start round two.