57 SS- Hirata Yosuke

A/N- Sry College's new semester started, registration, basketball trials and a gaming tournament with my friends had me completely busy this week. It was so hectic.

It should be consistent from tomorrow, apologies for the delay!

Enjoy!

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To me, my classmates are important existences.

…No, that's not quite right.

To me, my class is the important one.

I know very well the contradiction within that statement.

To protect my important friends, I have to protect the class.

If I can protect the class, I can protect my friends.

The class is a gathering of several students. There are as many different ways of thinking as there are a number of people. They start fighting each other over the most insignificant things.

That's why I have to protect them.

Eventually, protecting my class became my duty.

To protect the class I'd do whatever it took.

That's why... That's why...

"I didn't quite get that, Tatsuya-kun," I asked, my voice full of genuine confusion.

The man in front of me smiled. It was a smile I was familiar with.

His smile usually lifted my mood.

It often reminded me of my purpose and gave me comfort that I was not alone in wanting to protect the class.

To not let that horrible incident from years ago occur once again.

I was happy that I wasn't alone in trying to help the class with everything.

"I'll expel three students during the Mid-terms, Hirata." He spoke once again, repeating the words I forcefully ignored the first time.

His expression, his voice— it no longer felt warm.

There was this eerie air about Yamamoto Tatsuya that always unsettled me. It became more apparent after the incident at the swimming pool with Sudo.

"Uhm, why would you do that?" I was too confused to speak properly, I was bewildered. 

The heavy chatter within Pallet was tuned out, the discreet glances of the girls I usually felt disappearing.

For now, I ignored the fact of whether he could actually expel students on his own whim or not.

"Hirata, what do you think is the most important thing for our class? For Class D?"

What's the most important thing?

It was... It was unity.

"To help each other," I answered confidently.

Tatsuya took a sip from his coffee and frowned, "It's too sweet..."

Well, that was unfortunate.

"You can get a free refill if it tastes too unpleasant."

"Oh yeah, I never actually tried that." He chuckled before looking at me, "Unity you say? Interesting. But what if a few students are causing this unity to break?"

"Who?"

He probably had a few people in mind and it was better to understand who he was talking about before giving my opinion on the matter.

"Sudo, Ike and Yamauchi."

Involuntarily I frowned. Was this whole conversation really tied back to the incident from the swimming pool? Was Tatsuya really that petty?

"Why Ike and Yamauchi?"

I could understand why Sudo but why was he targeting Ike and Yamauchi as well? That made no sens—

"Do you like to pretend to be blind, Hirata Yosuke?"

His words caused me to freeze as I looked over at his mocking expression.

He was right...

I knew why it would be beneficial to expel Sudo, Ike and Yamauchi.

Objectively, Sudo was too rash and many of our classmates feared him, he was in simple words a bully that minded his business but touch his nerves and he'll try to beat you down.

Ike and Yamauchi were immature perverts. I don't understand why they act like that. Do they not understand their behaviour itself is the reason why they're unable to make friends with the girls?

Not to mention they were causing the majority of the boys' population to be labelled as perverts in the Class by dragging them into their ridiculous plans.

How could I not see how this was dividing the class?

In the future, if there was a dispute between the girls and the boys it would not end peacefully. It would become another annoying chore for whoever would take the class responsibility.

And for that reason, it had to be me.

I would bear this burden.

And that was why I won't look at things objectively. I won't judge people without trying to see if they would change.

Just like how I did.

In the past, I made a rational, objective decision.

Due to that, my friend ended up attempting suicide.

I could never bear to do that again.

That was why I agreed to help Karuizawa by sacrificing my own dating life.

I didn't deserve it.

Helping Class D was atoning for my sins.

That was why...

"I still don't think that's the right way to do things, Tatsuya-kun." I was firm in my decision.

To protect my important friends, I have to protect the class.

If I can protect the class, I can protect my friends.

"So you're saying no matter how much trouble Ike, Sudo or Yamauchi cause you'll try to understand them?"

I thought he would use the word 'protect' but I was never able to guess anything Tatsuya wanted to do from the start anyway.

"Yes. I understand how you might see expelling them as the right decision but does it not matter how they would feel?"

"I don't see them considering how the girls feel when they keep shouting about boobs and pussy in class like degenerates. Or how the other boys feel when they try to not involve themselves with them and get labelled as gay."

I winced at that.

I didn't know what to say.

"But that still doesn't warrant expulsion, right? That would be similar to ruining their career. They will have a black mark of getting expelled from high school forever stuck with them."

The consequences were too great for that.

What if any one of them felt their life was over after getting expelled? Especially Sudo who was so passionate about Basketball?

Would he still be able to have a career with such a label on him? It would be extremely hard.

Sudo isn't one to give up mentally but how am I supposed to know that with surety?

Prevention was better than cure.

"Have you tried talking to them Tatsuya-kun?"

I'm sure he hadn't. In fact, the way this conversation was proceeding I was fearing the worst.

"I don't think they'll listen to either you or me Hirata. They hate us for being Ikemen or something. As for Sudo, he's been ignoring me." He sounded amused for some reason but I ignored that.

"So that means you haven't talked to them yet."

It was better to not let him play with words. My tea had already gone cold, should I still try drinking it? Tatsuya had paid for it, it would feel awkward if I wasted it.

Taking a sip from the tea that had slightly lost its flavour I put the cup back down and waited for his answer.

"Haaa..." He let out a tired sigh, "No, I haven't."

"Then let me talk to them once." I didn't particularly care whether he had the ability to expel them or not, or rather something inside me told me he did.

No, what was important was to drive the notion of expelling classmates out of his mind. It was a dangerous mindset to have.

To discard people because they were worthless was inhumane.

Which was why...

"I'll convince them. I'll make sure they change their  behaviour and turn out for the better." My voice which was full of conviction seemed to annoy him.

"I guess I should've known..." He shook his head, "I won't give you my word for it but do what you want."

Alright, good.

"Excuse me."

But suddenly he called for the waiter, who arrived quickly.

"Can I ask for another serving of Milk Tea?"

Huh?

"Alright, sir." The waiter nodded and left while I looked at Tatsuya with a questioning gaze, his coffee wasn't finished.

Was it really that sweet?

"Milk Tea, when cold, isn't particularly delightful." He glanced at my cup when I realised it was for me.

"You really... You didn't have to do that Tatsuya-kun."

"Just put the cold one aside, drink the hot one."

"But that'll be wasting it for no reason."

"Goddammit Hirata, can you not be troublesome? You're basically telling me that I've annoyed you by getting you another drink."

"Wait no- I didn't mean that. You did it out of goodwill after all." 

Times like this made me relax, having friendly banter without being in a large group was really joyful but I wasn't able to fully enjoy this.

Not while knowing that the close friend I had, sitting in front of me, was planning to expel three students from the class I swore to protect.

All of sudden, Tatsuya's phone buzzed and he looked at it with a puzzled gaze before turning back to me apologetically. 

"Sorry Hirata, I'll have to leave. What bad timing." He sounded annoyed.

"No that's alright, I'm sure you have something important to do. I'll drink the tea don't worry." I joked at the end and he seemed to have found it funny.

Guess that worked.

"Hirata," Tatsuya turned back to me and gave me a sad smile which puzzled me, "No matter what you do you won't be able to stop me."

I froze hearing that.

The unsettling feeling I always felt from him was practically blaring from his body. It was almost like I could feel something intangible like an aura.

He felt detached from us- No.

Everyone apart from him.

It was as if there was a boundary separating Tatsuya from the rest.

"Because I genuinely consider you as a friend, Hirata. I wanted to tell you about this in advance." He paused.

"I can tell something bad happened to you in the past and due to that you're weak to pressure, I don't want you to break down and only because of that I'm even telling you this."

That made sense.

He had absolutely no reason to call me out here just to say that he'd expel our classmates. There was no possible reason for this.

It felt good that he considered me as a friend. I also considered him a true friend, someone that I didn't need to protect but someone who could protect the class with me.

But—

I didn't like it one bit. I didn't like how sure he was.

It was as if no one could stop him from expelling them.

Why did he have so much confidence?

"I know you'll come to hate me after the Mid-terms are over but keep these words in mind, don't let past faults dictate your future. Rather learn from them and use them for the better. Don't let past sins control you."

He stood up from his seat and left promptly not giving me a chance to retort.

He was really too observant. How had he guessed so much just from my behaviour?

I sighed with a heavy heart.

"Why did it have to be like this..."

I whispered as I hoped that I wouldn't lose the one and only person I genuinely considered as a friend.

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A/N- This is an important chapter, keep it in mind for later. I'll expand on this conversation a little more when volume 2 starts.

Who do you think the next SS is gonna be? (PS- Two Characters' SS left before Volume 2 starts!)

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