7 Vol.11 Chapter 6

[Introduction]

Katsuragi had blessed us with crucial information, but that didn't mean that Class C had taken the upper hand.

Horikita was well aware of this, as she was trying to alleviate everyone's anxiety, one step at a time.

"Wait a moment, Hirata-kun."

After school had ended, Horikita called out to Hirata, just as he was about to head home for the day.

It was the first time she had spoken to him since the Class Vote Exam ended.

Hirata simply stopped in his tracks without looking back to face her.

"I know you probably don't want to talk to me, but just allow me to confirm something. You don't need to practice for any of the events our class chooses, and I'm not planning on having you do anything on exam day either. However, that might change depending on the situation. Sakayanagi-san is aware of your condition, so it's possible that she might throw in several events that require a large number of people."

No matter how much Class C might try to accommodate for Hirata, it's possible that every single student might have to participate.

"If that happens, what will you do? Apathetically hold all of us back? Or are you just going to do the bare minimum required of you? Can you at least answer me that?"

However, Hirata didn't respond. A heavy silence filled the classroom; a silence that was only broken by the sound of Hirata's footsteps as he walked away.

"So he won't even give me an answer?"

Fed up with Hirata, Horikita simply averted her gaze as if she had given up.

"…Hey, maybe… Maybe we won't win after all… With Hirata-kun acting like this and everything."

I could hear anxious whispers coming from some of the girls.

And the boys were probably just as worried. After all, the man who had been leading the class was now gone.

Time and time again, his absence was proving to be a threatening burden on the class as a whole.

Horikita spoke up to me.

"You told me that fixing his problem was a collective effort. But in the end, he still hasn't changed at all."

"I wonder about that."

"What…?"

Horikita looked up at me with a confused expression, but my attention was focused on something else entirely.

"Hirata-kun! Wait!"

At this point, I didn't know how many times I had heard Mii-chan yell out like that. She hurriedly grabbed her bag and followed him out of the classroom.

"Mii-chan still hasn't given up."

"Why she hasn't is completely beyond me."

"Just focus on what you need to be doing, Horikita. Bringing Class C together and improving our chances of winning."

Horikita was currently the only person in the class capable of doing that.

I left the classroom myself, following after Mii-chan.

I found the two of them standing face to face with each other on the way to the dormitories. However, the scene of them together gave a different impression than that of a bittersweet confession.

This was more of an attack. She was on the offensive to get Hirata back on his feet.

"Please, Hirata-kun. Everyone needs your help… So─"

"Mii-chan, just stop. Can't you just leave me alone already…?"

Hirata cut her off with a grumbling complaint, almost as if he was wondering how many times he would have to tell her this for her to understand.

Without a doubt, these sharp words of his had come like a knife cutting deep into her heart.

However, the determination within her eyes didn't waver one bit.

No matter how many times he pushed her away, Mii-chan wouldn't give up.

"I-I won't leave you alone… Not when you're like this Hirata-kun, I just can't!"

"Then, what will it take for you to back down? Tell me."

"That, uhm, if you go back to the way you used to be…"

"Go back? Impossible."

Once again, Hirata's coldhearted response mercilessly cut into Mii-chan.

"No it's not! I… I have faith that you can still go back to the way you used to be!"

"And I already told you it's impossible. This faith of yours is misguided."

"Even so, I still believe in you!"

Hirata clenched his fist. It gave the impression that, depending on the situation, he might start getting violent.

"Then, bring back Yamauchi-kun."

"Eh…?"

"That's how you can make things go back to how they used to be."

Now that Yamauchi had been expelled, he would probably never come back to Class C.

And, in the same way, Hirata would also never go back to how he used to be.

This was the reality that Hirata was looking to convey to Mii-chan.

"That's…"

"I hope you remember this before you try talking to me again."

Hirata turned his back on her and began to walk away, but Mii-chan couldn't help but reach out to him as he left.

She grabbed onto his right arm, desperate to prevent him from leaving.

After all, if she were to let him retreat to his dorm, she wouldn't be able to do anything more to convince him today.

"Let go of me."

"I-I won't!"

Despite Hirata's rejection, Mii-chan continued to hold her ground.

She believed that, as long as she didn't give up, her feelings would somehow reach through to him.

I maintained my distance from the two of them, watching the situation unfold from nearby.

I didn't want to get in Mii-chan's way by getting too close to them.

However, Hirata sighed openly.

And then, he raised his arm up in the air and forcefully swung it down to shake free from her grasp.

"Kya!"

For Hirata, it was a crude, uncharacteristic way of handling the situation.

The forceful, sudden movement, caused Mii-chan to collapse on the spot.

"…Stop bothering me already. If you don't, I… I'll…"

Mii-chan looked up at Hirata from the ground below him.

The anger held within Hirata's gaze hurt Mii-chan's feelings all over again.

"I have nothing left to lose. If you continue following me around like this…"

Nothing Hirata had said so far could possibly be compared to the crushing blow this would leave on Mii-chan.

However, just then, a lone man walked past me.

A man whose blond, flowing hair fluttered in the wind, sprinkled with the scent of cologne.

"My my. It seems you're dawdling today as well, hmm? That's quite an unsightly look on your face."

Kōenji provoked Hirata with light, frivolous words.

As a member of the Going Home Club, Kōenji's appearance here wasn't all that surprising either.

"Oh, don't mind me. Just continue with what you were doing a second ago. I'm only here to watch."

Hirata was by no means stupid enough to continue after being told something like that.

Instead, he began to direct his hostility at the man who had interrupted him.

"You… Is there something you want from me…?"

"Something I want? I don't 'want' anything. After all, I already have everything."

With that, Kōenji began walking past Hirata and Mii-chan, however…

"Though, if there is something you could do for me…"

To Kōenji, this was just something he had come across on his way home for the day.

That's all it was. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Hirata's feelings were completely inconsequential to him.

"You're an eyesore, so could you try and make sure you stay out of my sight? If this isn't your ideal school anymore, why don't you just show yourself the door?"

It was just his style to say something like this. He was suggesting that Hirata simply leave the school instead of continuing to fumble around like this.

"…Shut up. You don't even understand my situation…"

"I don't know, and I don't care. However, I can make a guess. You won't make the choice to leave simply because it'll cause problems for your classmates. Isn't that right? What nonsense."

"P-please stop, Kōenji-kun! Hirata-kun didn't do anything wrong!"

Back on her feet, Mii-chan spoke up, eager to stop Kōenji's relentless badmouthing of Hirata.

"Oops. It seems you aren't happy with what I've said. I do apologize."

Despite the smile on his face, Kōenji still treated Mii-chan with a certain amount of respect.

"However, the sooner you forget about Hirata-boy, the better. He's beyond broken."

Having been pushed to his limit for a while now, Hirata locked eyes with Kōenji and began to shorten the distance with him.

"D-don't, Hirata-kun!"

Mii-chan sensed the obvious change in Hirata's energy and stepped in between the two to stop him, only to be shoved aside by Hirata with even more force than before. Then, without so much as a glance at Mii-chan, Hirata reached out at Kōenji with an extended arm.

He tried to grab Kōenji by the collar of his shirt, but Kōenji quickly seized him by the wrist with his left hand and suppressed his movements.

"Kuh!"

"I don't show mercy to those who come at me, okay? I don't want my beautiful face getting scarred."

An expression mixed with both pain and rage took shape on Hirata's face, perhaps due to the strength of Kōenji's grip on his wrist.

"You're, you're so irritating Kōenji…!"

"You're free to do whatever you want, but I see no reason to take orders from somebody who made a girl cry."

Kōenji let go of Hirata's wrist and glanced over at Mii-chan, who was once again back down on the ground.

"You're the one who knocked her over, so shouldn't you be the one to help her back up?"

"…That's not my problem anymore."

"Not your problem, hm? Well aren't you rather merciless."

Mii-chan averted her gaze from Hirata, unable to look directly at him anymore.

"That's fine then. You're free to decide what you want, Hirata boy."

"Eh, wha, what!?"

Kōenji gallantly swooped Mii-chan up from the ground.

"Since you aren't going to, I suppose I'll do the honors myself."

This was a man who was, by nature, difficult to make sense of, but this sudden, unexpected action left both Mii-chan and Hirata at a loss for words.

"Your heart has been broken, and moreover, you've even been injured. How about I help treat you?"

"W-w-w-wha!? I, uhm, I!? I'm not hurt anywhere!!!"

"Well, there's no need to worry. Despite my appearance, I'm exceedingly gentle."

This is just a guess, but when Kōenji said he'd help treat her, he was probably referring to something more of spiritual nature instead of a physical injury.

Something like her broken heart. I think. Probably.

Kōenji began to distance himself from Hirata, as if he were trying to separate Mii-chan from him.

"Uhm, uh, please put me down!"

"Hahaha! That won't do. You're already mine to take after all!"

"Eeeeeh!?"

Like that, Hirata glared at Kōenji's back.

Kōenji stopped in his tracks, almost as if he had sensed Hirata's harsh gaze.

"Do you still have complaints for me?"

In all honesty, I wish Kōenji would've just ignored Hirata at this point.

"You're never gonna stop tormenting me, huh? Until the very end?"

"No. You're the one tormenting the people around you. At least, I wouldn't be ignoring a girl who shows kindness to me."

Kōenji began walking away once again, with a blatant disregard for Mii-chan's protesting.

When Hirata noticed that Kōenji was headed toward the dormitory, he set off in another direction. It was as if he didn't want to be near the two of them anymore.

For a moment, I wasn't sure who I wanted to follow, but ultimately decided to follow after Kōenji first.

Furthermore, Mii-chan's bag had been left behind on the ground, so I picked it up and set off after them.

Once they approached the dorm entrance, Kōenji tenderly put Mii-chan back down.

"K-Kouenji-kun, why…?"

"Fufufu. Why indeed, hmm?"

Instead of answering Mii-chan's question, Kōenji let show a smile.

"Anyway, you should give up on chasing after Hirata-boy today."

I handed Mii-chan her bag.

"Thank you, Ayanokōji-kun… Wait, where did you come from?"

I would've told her that she hadn't noticed me because I'm good at erasing my presence, but I chose not to say anything.

"I will be right here watching you until you get on the elevator, okaaay?"

"…A-alright."

Even if she went to look for Hirata after this, she doesn't know where he went.

Mii-chan gave up for now and got on the elevator in order to get away from Kōenji.

I stood there and watched as Kōenji took a seat on the sofa in the lobby.

"Now… What can I do for you, Ayanokōji-boy?"

"Why did you start talking to Hirata back there? Were you just adding fuel to the fire? Or did you take action thinking it'd help the class?"

"It seems you still don't understand me, hmmm? Tsk tsk tsk."

As he spoke, he lifted his hand up and lightly shook his finger at me.

"I would never do something for the class's sake or anything like that. After all, I only do what I want to do. Even if my actions have a negative or positive impact on the class… Well, that'd be nothing more than a mere byproduct."

So it's just a byproduct, is it? As a rule of thumb, Kōenji only does what he wants to do. The sole exception to this rule would be if he's at risk of being expelled if the class loses an exam.

"His existence is like a fly, that is, absolutely irritating."

This seemed to be the reason why he had unexpectedly called out to Hirata.

"You're free to do whatever you want, but what will you do if another exam similar to The Class Vote were to happen? To be honest, as it stands now, nobody else would be in more danger than you."

"Fufufu. With potential like mine, it doesn't matter."

After checking the screen for the elevator to make sure Mii-chan had gotten off, Kōenji stood up.

"That's right. If I'm not mistaken, you were chosen as the commander for the exam, yes?"

"Yeah."

[Intro end]

[Part 1]

I decided to leave the dormitory and search for Hirata.

He probably hadn't gone back to the school building, so he was most likely at Keyaki Mall or at least in the area nearby.

Assuming he didn't want to run into anybody, there was a high probability he was outside somewhere.

Ultimately, I decided to check the entire area.

After about an hour of searching, I came across his distinctive, lonely-looking figure seated on an outside bench.

"Hirata."

I walked up behind the bench and, once he was within an arm's reach away from me, called out his name.

"…Ayanokōji-kun."

His response came out slowly as he raised his head to face me, his eyes still downcast.

It had been a long time since I had gotten a good look at his face like this.

He didn't seem to be getting enough sleep, as there were dark circles under his eyes that I had never seen him have before.

"Can you spare some time?"

Upon hearing my request, Hirata's eyes opened up a little bit more.

"I'm sick and tired of all of this. Of everyone coming after me over and over again. I thought you understood me, Ayanokōji-kun. I thought you'd know to just leave me alone. I'm disappointed."

"Sorry. If you don't like it, why don't you push me away like you did to Mii-chan and run away?"

Despite taking the risk and provoking him, Hirata didn't get up from the bench.

"Spare some time, was it? It doesn't matter. I don't have anywhere to hide at this school anyway. I'm so tired today that I don't even have the energy to run away. But… I don't think I'll be able to meet your expectations either."

In just this short period of time, quite a few other students must've tried reaching out to him.

Regardless of whether they were expressing their concern, or offering him encouragement, it must've been unbearable for him.

Although I didn't know 'who' exactly had reached out to him, I could imagine 'what' they would've said.

I was sure they had all attempted to gently comfort him and heal his broken heart.

There, on a bench on the outskirts of campus, the two of us sat together.

"So… you had something to say, right?"

I already knew how Hirata was going to handle this conversation.

He was going to sit there and listen, letting my words go in one ear and out the other.

"I want you to tell me your story."

"Eh?"

Hirata responded meekly. He had probably expected me to offer him words of sympathy.

"What you were like as a kid, what kind of thoughts you had. I'd like to hear about it."

"…Why?"

"Who knows. I guess I just want to know for some reason. I'm having a hard time giving you a reason for it."

Hirata let out a deep sigh before slowly shaking his head.

"I don't have the energy to reminisce about my past right now. There's nothing to talk about."

"You don't have the energy? Why?"

"Why…? That's…"

He turned and looked at me, as if to question why I didn't already know the answer to that.

"Why is it?"

I repeated the question, ignoring the look he gave me.

"…It's because Yamauchi-kun got expelled."

He was being forced to say things that he didn't want to say.

Hirata spoke as if he had been greatly offended, as he was well aware of my intentions.

"You're making me say some horrible things."

"I was just curious. I apologize if I've offended you."

"…It's fine."

Hirata sighed once again, lacking the motivation to continue the conversation.

He sat with his back hunched over, listlessly shaking his head from side to side.

Pleading for me to leave him alone. Pleading for me to stop caring.

"What does Yamauchi's expulsion have to do with not talking about your past?"

Confronted with my obstinate request for an answer, Hirata let show a dumbfounded expression for the second time.

"My past doesn't matter right now, does it?"

"Not necessarily."

I continued immediately, denying Hirata a chance to shut down the conversation.

"Having one of your classmates expelled is certainly unpleasant. Pretty much anyone would agree with that. But, we don't have the luxury to regret it forever. The Event Selection Exam is already right around the corner. Not just Horikita and Kushida, but even Ike and Sudō are trying to buckle down and fight. But what about you, Hirata? You're so hung up on Yamauchi's expulsion, and even if you tried to cooperate…"

I purposefully stopped speaking for a moment.

And then, I changed the topic to show him I didn't really want to talk about what had happened anymore.

"What I want to know is, what happened in your past that instilled this sense of values in you?"

"What's the point in asking that? Do you really think I'm going to tell you?"

"You'll tell me. Because as you are now, you desperately want other people to know about you."

In truth, he probably really does want to get everything off his chest. He had ended up like this because he couldn't find a way to do it.

This time, I spoke to him with my eyes.

I looked at him forcefully, almost as if I were threatening him to speak.

Upon seeing the look in my eyes, a sense of fear welled up in his heart.

"I finally understand the reason, the true reason, why Karuizawa-san decided to reveal everything to you, Ayanokōji-kun. She saw your eyes… no, you showed them to her. Those eyes, and that deep, eerie darkness diffused within…"

I slowly ate away the darkness held within Hirata.

This man wasn't simply waiting to die. Day by day, he had been praying for someone to come and save him.

All he could do was reach for the black spider's silk that dangled before him in order to crawl up from the depths of hell.

"I've told you once before, haven't I…? About my friend who I had been close with since childhood? The one who started getting bullied once we got into middle school?"

"Yeah. His name was Sugimura, right?"

"To think you'd even remember his name…"

It was precisely because I knew about this story that I was able to predict Hirata's mental state.

Back then, he had wanted to help this friend of his, but he was afraid he'd end up getting targeted by the bullies as well.

As a result, he simply ended up watching it happen from the sidelines.

And then─

"My friend… committed suicide by jumping off a building."

He was probably beginning to recollect what had happened back then.

Little by little, he began opening up about it.

"He managed to just barely hang onto his life, but… he's been in a coma ever since…"

Hirata tightly clasped his hands together.

"My decisions caused him to take his own life. The weight of my sins will never go away."

"That isn't entirely your fault. In fact, the blame mainly falls on the bullies."

"Sure, but I think being a bystander makes me equally guilty."

Hirata had said something similar back when we were on the cruise ship. This was the reason why he was always striving to save those around him.

In fact, every time the class ran into problems, Hirata would always be the first one to intervene.

He was the type of man who'd spare no effort to search for a solution.

For example, back when Sudō got into a fight with those guys from Class D, or when he and Kei pretended to be a couple.

However, there were still a few things that hadn't been explained yet.

"I understand that you still have doubts."

Without turning to look at me, Hirata continued.

"Back when my friend attempted to commit suicide. There's actually more to the story…"

He hadn't mentioned this back during the cruise.

"Back when he attempted to commit suicide by jumping from a building, I thought that the whole mess was finally over. That, after making such a heavy sacrifice, there wouldn't be any more bullying in our school. But I was naive. From that day onwards, I saw for myself the unfathomable darkness of human nature."

His body trembled, and I could see something akin to a murderous impulse flash across his eyes.

"The bullies chose a new target, and this time it was one of my own classmates."

As he took a deep breath to suppress his emotions, Hirata began speaking to himself in a hushed tone.

"I couldn't believe it. Something so horrific had literally just happened, and yet the bullying had already started up again. One of my classmates, who had been nothing more than an innocent bystander, began suffering the same treatment as my friend. And what's more is that some of our classmates who previously hadn't been involved with the bullying began joining in on it."

The scope of the bullying had expanded indefinitely.

"If the person at the bottom of the caste system is gone, it's only natural that somebody will have to take their place. In a way, it's part of the natural order of things."

"I knew I couldn't allow history to repeat itself. I knew I absolutely had to stop it."

"So… you took action?"

Hirata nodded his head several times over.

"I did it in a certain way in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes."

Hirata slowly lifted his head and stared out into the distance in front of him.

"Well, to put it simply, I tried to control the class through fear-mongering."

"You did that?"

"Yes. I'm not particularly good at fighting like Sudō-kun and Ryūen-kun. However, there aren't very many people who can seriously hit someone. Even if I were serious enough to throw a punch, nobody would be willing to hit me back. I alone stood on top while the rest of the class sat at the bottom. By doing so, I was looking to get rid of the bullying. Whenever things started getting out of hand, I'd step in. I gave both sides an equal punishment, equal amounts of pain. My actions were no different than bullying. But, there was at least a brief moment of peace."

Hirata was probably well aware that his actions were by no means justice. That what he had done was wrong.

But even so, he didn't want to acknowledge a world where the people around him were being abused.

"Based on what happened… I find myself wondering if I ended up ruining that year for everyone. They just trudged through each day like lifeless robots who never smiled anymore. At the time, it was the talk of the town back where I lived… It was pretty much treated like a scandal."

"How did the school end up dealing with it?"

"Their response was fairly unprecedented. They forcefully broke up all of the classes for a while, and then redistributed everyone, including me. We were also placed under strict observation until the day we graduated."

With a scandal that famous, it's only natural that it'd end up getting a lot of attention.

In which case, there was no way that this high school hadn't caught wind of it, right?

No, they may actually have chosen to enroll Hirata here precisely because they knew about the scandal.

Either way, I could finally see the reason why Hirata had been placed in Class D.

"You can't forgive yourself for letting Yamauchi get targeted, can you?"

"Yes… Back then, I thought that as long as it didn't come to my attention, I could just pretend not to know about it. I had wanted to just keep quiet about it until the day of the vote."

Ultimately, Horikita's actions back then led to him being marked as unnecessary.

"I'm just useless. I never should've tried to keep the class together in the first place. Despite doing everything I could, I still couldn't protect Yamauchi-kun… You probably knew that already, Ayanokōji-kun. I just can't do it anymore. In order to protect someone, I've even thought about using fear tactics again. I get that I should know better. That it'd be a mistake, and yet…"

Hirata's voice trembled.

His heart was on the brink of collapsing.

He felt like the entire class should share the load, through both the good times and the bad.

He couldn't bear the thought of somebody suffering. Of somebody disappearing.

Yes, he had probably always been questioning himself each time something happened. And he probably always will.

It wasn't clear if he had confided in Mii-chan and the other students and if he had, just to what extent.

However, I could easily imagine what sort of things they'd end up saying to him.

『There's nothing you could've done.』

『It's not your fault, Hirata-kun.』

『Yamauchi only has himself to blame for betraying the class.』

No matter who it was, they would end up saying that Hirata was in the right and somebody else was in the wrong.

That simply wasn't going to change.

And because of this, it's unlikely that the problem would ever be solved.

There was no point in telling Hirata to blame the very person he had set out to protect.

Instead, that would only end up making him retreat back into his shell even more.

"There's something I want to make clear to you. It's not Horikita's fault that Yamauchi got expelled from the school, and, of course, it's not my fault either. You know that, right?"

"…Yes. It was unavoidable. There was nothing we could've done about it. …And I don't blame you either."

He quietly added in that last part.

To Hirata, it probably sounded like I was emphasizing that it wasn't my fault.

It would've sounded like I was asking him if he had some sort of grudge held against me.

"Who do you think is responsible for Yamauchi's departure from Class C? From this school?"

"I think… he has nobody to blame but himself."

This was the conclusion Hirata had come to, though he didn't want to admit to it.

Yamauchi had suffered the consequences of his own actions. Expulsion was the natural consequence of his lack of ability and lazy lifestyle.

"That's not true."

I denied it. I straight up kicked Hirata's naive idea to the curb.

"It's your fault that Yamauchi got expelled, Hirata."

"…!"

He raised his head and looked at me.

The expression on his face was telling me that he couldn't understand what I had said.

"If you really wanted to save Yamauchi, you should've done everything in your power to make it happen."

"B-but- I tried my best! There was nothing more I could've done!"

"Ichinose's Class B didn't lose a single person."

"That- But that's because she was a special case. We didn't have a huge amount of private points like she did!"

"In which case, the problem is that you failed to lead the class like that. You should've been saving up points for the past year like Ichinose so you could save somebody when they're about to be expelled."

As a result, Yamauchi wouldn't have been expelled, and there would still be forty people in our class.

"Impossible. We lost all of our Class Points just after we enrolled here. And, even if we hadn't, there's no way that our classmates would have agreed to hand over their points. You do know that, right?"

"Between ending up with zero Class Points and failing to lead the class, either way, it's still your responsibility."

No matter how much Hirata may try to escape, the fact that it was his fault wouldn't change.

"Unreasonable. That's unreasonable."

"Yeah, it's unreasonable. But it can't be helped. You chose to walk down that path. You should've kept this fantasy you have of wanting to save everyone to yourself. That way, no matter who ends up expelled from school, the blame wouldn't fall on you. But, if you keep projecting your feelings on the people around you, you have to bear the full responsibility when it doesn't end up working out. You should be resolved for at least that much."

"I-I'm-!"

"I had the wrong idea about you. I thought you were an honor student, a man of character who was well respected by many of our classmates. But, I guess you're not. You're just a shallow, incompetent student who boasts about things you can't even do. That, Hirata Yōsuke, is the type of person you are."

This was an excessively extreme argument followed through to its logical conclusion. He was by no means an incompetent person.

Hirata was such an exceptionally talented person that his capabilities went well beyond what's expected of a first-year high school student.

There was nothing wrong with him saying he wanted to protect everyone, and just because he failed to do so doesn't mean that he's responsible.

But even so, I still blamed him.

I forced the blame on him until the bitter end.

I put him under heavy pressure, relentlessly driving him into a corner until he was about to break.

Was I doing this for Hirata's sake? No.

Was I looking to empower him so that he could better protect everyone? No.

There was no way he could protect everyone.

And, there would definitely be even more expulsions at some point later on as well.

I was doing this because, when that time comes, Hirata would be necessary to keep the class operating smoothly.

"Just how long are you going to keep dreaming?"

Hirata simply hadn't moved on from how things were back in middle school. He hadn't moved on from doing only what was required of him.

It was up to you to decide whether or not you'd continue your education into high school, and it was up to you to decide whether or not you'd stay there.

"This… This is your true nature, isn't it? Your words are so terrible, ruthless, cold…"

I could see tears start welling up in Hirata's right eye.

And before long, he sat there crying in front of me.

"You're free to wish for whatever you want. But if you really want to see your wishes come true, you at least need to fight for it until the very end. Strive to do whatever you can. There's no other way. If there end up being expulsions along the way, you have no other choice but to accept it. Even so, you still have to keep moving forward."

"How cruel…"

"If you stop now, the students around you are going to fall behind and disappear one after another. That's why, if you keep walking forward, if you keep your eyes on your goal, then there will surely still be people standing behind you after everything is over."

It takes an awful lot of courage to lead others.

You never know what kind of obstacles you may face, and you could always fall down at any moment.

"But… Then… How do I vent frustrations…? Do I have to keep moving forward all alone? Bottling up everything deep inside?"

"Not at all. When you're feeling troubled, you can rely on your classmates. Horikita, Kushida, Sudō and Ike, Mii-chan and Shinohara, it doesn't matter who. You can vent your frustrations to whoever it is that you rely on. We're all in this together."

There's no such thing as a rule stating that leaders aren't allowed to show weakness.

The people who stand behind them can always be there to lend a hand in case they're about to fall.

Our classmates should be more than willing to listen to Hirata vent his frustrations.

"I… I… I wonder… if it's okay for someone like me to lead everyone…?"

"It's alright. As you are now, it's okay for you to take the lead."

I placed my hand on his shoulder.

With this small gesture, even more tears began to pour.

To bury the past.

To get rid of the huge, cumbersome burden that Hirata had been carrying once and for all.

He, who had been stuck and unable to move, could once again stand up on his own two feet.

"Thank you… Thank you, Ayanokōji-kun…"

He hung his head, countless tears falling from his face.

Men are troublesome, difficult creatures who can't cry in front of others very easily.

That's why I also wanted a friendship where nobody was forced to hide their tears from one another.

As for this, no more words needed to be said.

All that he needed was a friend at his side, somebody who would lend him their ear and hear out his frustrations.

As long as he did- he could start walking forward once again.

[Part 1 end]

[Part 2]

With the break of dawn, the next day had come.

The final special exam of the school year was fast approaching.

By the time I arrived at the classroom, Hirata was nowhere to be seen. Mii-chan's expression was also still somewhat clouded over.

Despite the fact that everyone was trying not to think about him, nobody could stop themselves from worrying.

And then he, the indispensable figure for all of Class C, showed up at the classroom.

By this point, everyone was reluctant to so much as look at him.

"G-good morning… Hirata-kun."

But, sure enough, Mii-chan reached out and greeted Hirata before anyone else.

She held back her sadness, giving it her all to force herself to smile.

Having noticed this himself, Hirata drew closer to her.

"!"

Mii-chan froze up for a moment, reminded of the events that had taken place the day before.

Upon seeing her reaction, Hirata whole-heartedly bowed his head to apologize.

"Good morning, Mii-chan. I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. I've done something very terrible to you."

"…Eh?"

Hirata's apologetic words were filled with emotion.

"And, I ignored you even though you went to the moon and back trying to comfort me. I'm so sorry."

"T-that's, uhm… I completely…"

It wasn't just Mii-chan, the entire class had been left speechless by Hirata's sudden change in behavior.

"Everyone else too… Good morning!"

Hirata had come to school with a smile so bright and full of energy that his past actions felt like nothing more than a hallucination.

"H-Hirata-kun?"

"I'm okay now. Really, everything is alright."

As he spoke, he reassured Mii-chan with a gentle smile on his face. Then, he turned and lowered his head to the entire class.

"It may be too late to apologize at this point, but… if it's alright with everyone, I'd like to do what I can to help the class once again from today on."

Hirata spoke without raising his head.

For several seconds, everyone, boys and girls alike, exchanged glances with each other, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

But─

"Hirata-kun!!"

At first, a few of the girls rushed over to Hirata's side, but before long, he had been surrounded by most of his classmates.

Presented with Hirata's long-awaited return, every single student in class was over the moon.

"What happened?"

Horikita turned and asked me. She had stayed in her seat, unable to make sense of the scene playing out in front of her.

"I told you it was a collective effort, didn't I?"

"That's… true, but… don't you think he might be forcing himself?"

"Is that what it looks like to you?"

"Well, I guess not."

"Different people take different amounts of time to get over something. On the day after getting into a huge fight, most people tend to get along with each other as if nothing had happened in the first place."

Human relationships were just like that.

After accepting a warm welcome from the rest of the class, Hirata turned and approached his final opponent, Horikita.

"Good morning, Horikita-san."

He stared at Horikita with honest, clear eyes.

"Y-yes. Good morning."

Perhaps Horikita was shaken by how unexpectedly radiant Hirata was right now.

"I don't think I was wrong during the class trial the other day."

"…I see."

"But… I don't think you were wrong either. Or, no, I should say that what you did was right."

This was something he simply couldn't accept at the time.

But now, he had come to terms with it.

"I just didn't realize it at the time."

"Did you hit your head or something? You're completely different today than you were yesterday, and it doesn't seem like you're just putting up a bold front either…"

Despite Horikita's suspicions, Hirata simply let show a carefree smile.

"I'm going to do my best to earn back the trust I've lost. I'd like it if you'd fill me in on the details of the special exam later."

"I understand. I'll let you get a grasp of the situation and test to see whether or not you're actually up to the task. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes. Of course."

Hirata extended his hand as a final notion of reconciliation, to which Horikita reached out and accepted.

After that, Hirata was once again swarmed by his peers, one after another. The classroom had become so bright and cheerful that it was hard to imagine that it had been immersed in such a pitch-black, gloomy atmosphere only just a few minutes ago.

"Anyway, I guess this means we're finally ready to face the special exam."

"I guess so."

It might be fair to say that Hirata's return was the best support Class C could've asked for.

Kōenji, on the other hand, was the only one who didn't seem affected by it.

[Chapter end]