I was glad I didn’t end up in Class B through and through.
“Next, I will announce the rules for today’s simulated battle request.”
Sakaki-sensei then outlined the simplified special abilities training rules:
- The use of special abilities is allowed.
- This training will be treated as a battle request, rendering all school rules invalid.
- The winner of the battle request is determined by the incapacitation of the students.
- The battle request will be conducted in groups of five.
- There will be a knockout tournament with five-on-five matches,
and the last group standing will be the victor.
A very lax set of rules. There were plenty of loopholes to exploit.
But this was pre-real battle training. It would be foolish to get too serious about it.
That was probably the intention behind this simplified rule explanation.
…As I was thinking that far, I felt my arms being grabbed.
“…Hm?”
Looking left and right, I saw four members of the Literature Club from Class C surrounding me.
Tendou-san and Manabe-kun were gripping my arms, grinning as if not letting go.
“…What’s going on?”
“Eh, but Amamori is strong, right? Let’s team up!”
Higarashi-san said matter-of-factly.
Well, I may be stronger than you non-combat types, but…
“My special ability is useless in this kind of situation,” I said.
“Ah, I’m sure it’ll be fine! You were even able to fight against Netsuhara, after all.”
An utterly groundless confidence, but if they believed in me that much, it would be rude to deny it.
Especially since I didn’t have a team, so I ended up teaming up with the Literature Club members.
A few minutes later, the teams for each class were decided. Since Kiridou was absent from Class C, there was one four-person team – consisting of Asahina, Kurashiki, Kurotsuki, and Karasuma. It was almost an overpowered lineup.
“Well then, I’ll arbitrarily assign the opposing teams,”
Tenzai-sensei said, pairing up the Class C and Class B teams.
Our opponents were… a difficult matchup, but it was an all-female team.
Our team was positioned in the corner of the gymnasium.
“Alright, since time is limited, let’s start from those who are ready,” Tenzai-sensei announced.
Our team was ready from the start,
with Amamori Yuto in the lead, as if daring the others to try and stop him.
I wanted to complain, but… I was more curious about the opposing team’s status. They didn’t seem to be preparing at all, just chatting amiably.
Seeing this, Higarashi-san cracked her knuckles.
“Ugh, they’re just chatting away so annoyingly. Amamori, time to bring out the gender equality fists, don’t you think?”
“Please hold off, Higarashi-san…”
I averted my gaze from her irritated expression and looked back at the opposing team.
They were most likely the top of the Class B social hierarchy. The gender composition was heavily skewed towards females, but judging from the Class B atmosphere, they were probably the central members of Class B.
In that case… was the leader of Class B a girl?
Or perhaps they really were as strong as I had heard, all of them together…
As I was thinking about it, I noticed a familiar girl in the other group.
“Huh? Is that Hoshina-san?”
“Oh, yeah, it is her.”
Behind the four girls chatting loudly, I saw Hoshina-san standing alone.
They were so noticeable that I hadn’t noticed her before.
Hoshina-san was looking down and didn’t seem to notice us.
I was about to call out to her, but something held me back.
I don’t know why, but I had a bad feeling about it.
“Seriously, this is unbelievable!”
“Totally! It’s like they’re out of their minds!”
Four girls, excluding Hoshina-san, were loudly complaining about something.
Well, they were kind of like gyarus – they had dyed hair and were acting flashy. They were the opposite of Hoshina-san and me.
But that wasn’t the issue here.
The problem is their atmosphere, the color of their eyes, the mockery on their faces. And who they are directed at.
“Somehow, it just feels unpleasant, you know?”
Suddenly, Higarashi-san narrows her eyes, seeing the scene.
Hoshina-san is not part of the circle of girls.
The gyarus are chatting happily in a group of four, and Hoshina-san is keeping her distance, standing alone and looking uncomfortable. This scene is too [obvious], causing her to frown.
I’m not saying they have to be friends. Everyone has people they click with and don’t click with.
But somehow, the atmosphere just feels unpleasant. Bullying…I shouldn’t say that definitively yet, since I haven’t observed enough. But I can sense that kind of vibe.
Someone looking down on someone else. And the people around approving of it.
A rotten, sludgy sense of malice.
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Even I, who is not good with human relationships, can tell.
If the other people who are always reading the classroom atmosphere were here, they would notice it even more.
“Tch, this is why I don’t like the 3D world…”
“Manabe-kun, I completely agree with you this time.”
Manabe-kun and Tendou-san also look displeased, their faces twisted.
…This time, the ugly side of human nature is showing.
Mocking others to satisfy one’s own desires. Feeling pleasure in being above others. Or perhaps, finding relief in knowing there are those beneath them.
I scan the other groups in Class B, but don’t see similar scenes anywhere else.
Which means, it’s only Hoshina-san…huh. That’s the situation she’s in.
“…Hmm.”
Now, what to do. This is really troubling.
The problem is, this isn’t the kind of issue that we can intervene in.
After all, it’s wrong for us in Class C, who have nothing to do with the interpersonal relationships of another class, to barge in with our shoes on. Even if our intervention improves the situation around Hoshina-san, there will surely be lingering resentment and hatred somewhere.
If that happens, Hoshina-san will definitely get hurt.
Her pure, untainted spirit will be stained.
That’s something we absolutely must avoid.
But leaving it alone is also unacceptable. As a normal person, I know bullying is wrong. That’s the truth.
…Hmm, the more I think about it, the more difficult it gets. This is why I hate human relationships.
Things like physical strength or malice, I’d be skilled at dealing with those. But this time, it’s outside my expertise. It’s more in the territory of people like Kurashiki.
I glance briefly at Kurashiki.
Our eyes meet for a moment, but we quickly look away.
She has her own work to do. It would be unwise for me to interfere with her affairs on a whim.
So I suppose we should try to do something…but then I’m back to the initial conclusion – we can’t do anything. It’s a passive, but most rational answer.
“We’re not in a position to say anything.”
“B-but! Amamori-kun…!”
I stop Ishino, who was about to approach Hoshina-san, with a hand on his shoulder.
Higarashi-san grips his shoulder and shakes her head, just like me.
“Ishino, this isn’t a problem that we, as students from another class, can do anything about. If you barge in and make the class president’s position even worse, that would be the worst-case scenario.”
“And I’m not saying we’re abandoning her.”
If it’s not clear-cut bullying, there’s still some leeway.
In that time, we just need to find some kind of solution.
And consult Hoshina-san herself about it. In fact, acting without understanding her wishes might end up being a nuisance to her.
Convincing him of this, Ishino somehow manages to accept it.
“Y-yeah…you’re right. Hoshina-san is our–”
Precious friend.
Before Ishino could finish,
a girl’s voice drowned out his words.
“Like, what’s with that? Why are you shoving that on us?”
At that voice, our movements completely freeze.
Hoshina-san trembles greatly, and the girls laugh at her.
A petite girl with golden-dyed hair.
Yet, her confident bearing exudes an almost lion-like presence.
Probably the one at the very top of the “class hierarchy” pecking order.
Seeing her, I narrow my eyes a bit. She’s one of the noisy gyarus from before.
Moreover, the central character of this group would be her.
The gyarus follow her around like attendants.
“– Class 1-B, Iroha Shiki. She has the de facto highest status in the class hierarchy. ……In our class, she should have had even more influence than Sakuma.”
“I see– Hey, Manabe, how do you know that?”
Higarashi-san distanced herself from Manabe-kun. I would have liked to join her, but……it seems I can’t say that.
Iroha Shiki, huh.
Her academic performance is average. She has exceptionally high physical ability, on par with the boys.
She has an unafraid personality, being bright and energetic.
While not combat-oriented, she had an [extremely useful ability] that caught my eye.
But I hadn’t heard about her personality before.
From now on, I’ll try to pay more attention to other people’s inner selves.
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