At his cryptic words, Kurashiki instinctively asked for clarification.
Amamori turned to look at her, and Kurashiki felt a shiver run down her spine.
His eyes were colder than ever, and she sensed a familiar, ominous aura一
one similar to when he had eliminated Kirido.
“Amamori, what exactly are you planning to do…?”
Kurotsuki, too, felt something unsettling from Amamori’s current demeanor.
But Amamori showed no sign of answering.
It was clear he had no intention of explaining. The two of them couldn’t help but understand.
一He was undoubtedly about to commit 【evil】.
They didn’t know the scale of it.
They couldn’t even imagine it.
But it was undoubtedly cruel enough to make them want to look away.
It was so gruesome that it sent chills down one’s spine.
It was the kind of act that everyone would point at and condemn as evil, something that went against all morals.
“Amamori, you一”
As Kurashiki managed to squeeze out those words,
he walked out of the classroom with his usual impassive expression.
“This time, I’ll take action. You all can just go about your lives without worrying.”
With those words, his figure disappeared into the mist.
Surely, he had a clear vision of the future.
And that future would undoubtedly unfold just as he had predicted.
Amamori Yuuto seemed to think on a higher plane, as if he possessed some extraordinary ability.
Though Kurashiki didn’t particularly like to put it that way, she couldn’t help but think,
[If we just follow what that man says, we’ll end up winning in the end.]
Sometimes, against her will, she found herself thinking that perhaps stopping all thought altogether was the best course of action.
“…He’s really such an annoying guy,”
she muttered under her breath as she watched his retreating figure.
Then, she thought about the girl who would be sacrificed to save another.
Shiki Iroha. She was a loud, obnoxious girl, but still…
一To be targeted by Amamori Yuuto… How pitiful, she thought.
At the moment she and the others saw Amamori off, she couldn’t help but wryly smile, realizing that she, too, was part of the evil.
A few days later, during a combined PE class for two classes, Amamori struck Shiki with a powerful blow.
Witnessing the scene, Kurashiki and Kurotsuki were both shocked and yet somehow understood.
[This would make it impossible for the two of them to ever get along.]
From the bottom of her heart, Shiki despised Amamori for hitting her.
Her expression, her emotions一they were all genuine.
Amamori had likely had no contact with Shiki up until that point.
That’s why Shiki’s anger was so unmistakably real.
If that was what they saw, then the discord between Amamori and Shiki would be etched into the minds of the surrounding students as [truth].
The two were on bad terms; Shiki’s feelings toward Amamori could only be anger.
Yes, Amamori played his part as if to make that clear.
And then, after losing to Shinzaki Yasuhito, he retreated into hospital life.
一Surely, that was where his [plot] truly began.
Having successfully escaped from school life,
he would build an [unlikely connection] with Shiki Iroha.
Someone who harbored hatred toward him, a complete stranger.
What everyone thought was absolutely impossible, Amamori Yuuto made it seem effortless.
While it might be difficult for a mere student to make friends or find a lover,
he was not bad at manipulating and controlling people’s hearts.
Especially if the other person was someone [who could be broken].
As [evil], Amamori Yuuto would calmly crush the lives of others.
☆☆☆
“…Ugh, I’m so irritated…!”
A few days after the combined PE class of Class C and Class B.
After school on the day before Golden Week.
In the now-empty classroom, Shiki Iroha was seething.
A large bandage was plastered across her nose, and she winced at the throbbing pain as she gazed out the window.
The anger simmering in the pit of her stomach had nowhere to go.
Fidgeting restlessly, she bit her nails.
There were two reasons why she was so agitated: one, because Amamori Yuuto had hit her.
And two一because she felt like she had been used in some kind of inexplicable performance.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Shiki Iroha was clever.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say she was cautious.
In Class B, which had been completely reorganized by the extraordinary Shinzaki,
she had managed to remain steadfast, never bowing her head.
This was solely because she placed no trust in Shinzaki Yasuhito.
Shinzaki Yasuhito was, to put it mildly, a monster.
But there could be someone even stronger.
Shinzaki Yasuhito could lose.
And if that happened, Class B, which relied entirely on Shinzaki, would collapse.
If that happened, it would all be over.
Her school life would come to an end.
She had her abilities, her money, her friends.
Her happy present would come to an end.
That was something she absolutely could not accept.
That’s why she refused to depend on Shinzaki Yasuhito.
Within Class B, Shiki Iroha was the only one who acted based on her own will and opinions.
And after being hit by Amamori and waking up to reality,
she felt anger and a strong sense of discomfort at the fact that he had struck her in public.
[Is Amamori Yuuto the type of guy to take such conspicuous action?]
The question flashed through her mind.
Shiki had independently gathered information from other classes.
Of course, she had some information about Class C as well… but the name “Amamori Yuuto” hadn’t left much of an impression. The information she had was mostly along the lines of “Kirido Hashiru, who bullied Amamori Yuuto, was expelled” or “Kurotsuki defeated Netsuhara, who defeated Amamori.” Even when his name came up, there was always someone more prominent overshadowing him.
In fact, Shiki had considered Amamori Yuuto to be [just an ordinary background character].
That’s why she felt such a strong sense of discomfort at today’s spectacle.
(It’s impossible… for a mere background character to lay hands on a girl from another class. He must be seriously messed up in the head, or… there must have been some meaning behind that action.)
That’s what Shiki thought.
First, she dismissed the idea that he was just crazy.
If he were the type to suddenly hit a girl from another class, then surely such information would have reached her ears by now. But it hadn’t.
Therefore, Amamori Yuuto was sane. And yet, he had struck her.
Which meant the latter suspicion grew stronger.
Amamori Yuuto hitting Shiki Iroha一was some kind of performance.
The act itself had meaning; it was necessary for Amamori to be disliked by Shiki.
…Such doubts were growing within her day by day.
She had heard rumors that Amamori Yuuto was in the same club as Hoshina Tsubomi, and for a brief moment, the thought crossed her mind that perhaps Amamori, having witnessed a bullying incident, had acted out of anger and resorted to violence.
But when she recalled the look in Amamori’s eyes as he stared down at her, that thought vanished with a bitter smile.
“…Anger? Where was there any sign of that? It was… no, it wasn’t that at all.”
It was as if一he was looking down at a piece of trash on the side of the road.
There was no way those were the eyes of a man who had acted impulsively out of emotion. She was certain of that.
So, the more she thought about it, the more she returned to her initial conclusion.
Of course, she was the only one who had been hit, so she was the only one thinking about this.
She was angry; she absolutely wouldn’t forgive him for what he did.
But still, was this anger genuine? Her cautious self was screaming.
Wasn’t it all part of some deliberate plan?
Did Amamori Yuuto really lose to Shinzaki Yasuhito?
“…Maybe I should just go home.”
At some point, the thought [Could Amamori Yuuto actually be stronger than Shinzaki Yasuhito?] crossed her mind.
She must be really tired, Shiki thought with a wry smile.
…Maybe she didn’t need to think so much about it.
Perhaps she was being a little too cautious.
Maybe this anger was genuine, and Amamori was just a good person who acted to protect Hoshina.
If she could accept that, then there was nothing to worry about.
She could let go of the burden she was carrying. Then, she didn’t need to think about it anymore.
Thinking that way made her feel a little better.
The only thing she needed to hold onto was her hatred for Amamori Yuuto. Nothing else was necessary.
Having made up her mind, Shiki stood up from her seat.
Not in the mood for club activities, she decided to head straight back to the dorm.
She left the classroom.
Her gaze turned toward the end of the hallway.
一There stood an unfamiliar upperclassman.
“You’re Shiki Iroha, right?”
“…Huh?”
The green tie at his chest was proof that he was a second-year.
A tall, muscular male student.
Being called out by a complete stranger like that, she froze.
Taking her reaction as confirmation, the student snapped his fingers.
一In that instant, her vision turned black.
“………………Huh?”
For a moment, she thought she had lost her sight.
It felt like her [eyesight had gone bad]. But she quickly realized that wasn’t the case.
She hadn’t gone blind一it had just gotten dark.
She had moved from a bright place to a dark one, so her vision had temporarily failed.
But why? How?
Just a moment ago, she had been in the hallway outside the classroom… where was she now?
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
