The Bus Scene

"So then, I believe that all of you wonder whose life you'll be reacting to!"

I would expect most students to have that thought, but I feel like I already know the answer.

"The person's life you are reacting to is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class D!"

"Who?"

"Why is it a class D student?"

These were the questions most students were asking, and even the ones who weren't asking were probably thinking about it.

"I guess it is you Ayanokouji," Horikita whispered to me.

I had a thought about where these videos could start. If they started at the beginning of the year then the part where I met Horikita on the bus is a possible candidate, but that's if the tapes go in chronological order. If they go in something like an order of importance, we could have any videos from any point of the year.

"Yes. It seems like it is." I sighed deeply.

"So then let's begin, all of you will be reacting to a scene with Ayanokouji on the bus on the first day of school."

"Hey guys, look, It's Ayanokouji and Horikita!"

Ike yelled out, but I feel like that was kind of obvious considering what the voice just said.

[ If I may, I'd like to pose an interesting question: "Are all human beings truly equal?" These days everywhere you go there's a talk about a fight for equality. ]

"What interesting thoughts you are having ayanokouji," Sakayanagi was giggling as she said this almost as if she saw an animal at a zoo do something funny.

"Kiyopon, is this the kind of stuff you think about?" Haruka asked this with an eyebrow raised.

I could lie and say no, but considering hearing a human being's thoughts being recorded is possible it must be in my best interest for me to say the truth. "Yes. It is," I told her bluntly.

"Woah, I didn't know you think of this stuff Kiyopon. Looks like my friend is a philosopher, we might have to change your nickname to Kiyosopher."

What a weird name, but I've accepted that she's usually the type of person to say what's on her mind.

[ "As a wise man once said, "Heaven does not create one person above or below another." People like to throw these words around. but That's not the whole quote. It goes on to say that "... while we are all equal at birth, pretty soon, things begin to change. The academic effort is what sets some people apart to rise above the others." ]

"Kiyotaka, why are you thinking of stuff like this on a bus?" Yosuke asked with a warm smile.

"I've been alone by myself a lot, so I just have discussions within my mind I guess."

"I see. Well, your thoughts are very interesting, also I'm sorr-," before Yousuke could continue with his sentence the video kept playing.

[ "At any rate, humans change over time based on their actions. Truth be told, at the end of the day, equality is just a fantasy. And most of us go through life denying the fact that we live in a meritocracy." ]

"What an interesting thought process you have, Ayanokouji," Horikita said in her normal voice, but it almost felt like she was mocking me.

[ "Excuse me, but shouldn't you offer up your seat?"

My eyes, which were about to close, snapped back open. Huh? Could this person be angry with me? But I realized that it was someone else being scolded.

A young, well-built blond man of high school age had sat down in one of the priority seats. The elderly woman stood right next to him, and another woman beside her. This second, younger lady appeared to be an office worker. ]

"Oh Ayanokouji, you were there as well," Kushida was the one to break the silence first, "But why didn't you give up your seat if you heard the lady say it?"

Kushida knows that her true nature will be exposed sometime in the future, so she must be trying to antagonize me as much as possible. If it helps her to minimize the damage to herself then she would do anything.

"I'm sorry, Kushida. I heard her, but I wanted to see if anyone else would give up their seats first. I understand that what I did was selfish now." Admitting what you did in the past was wrong is a good way to get people to easily see past your negative action.

"O-oh no problem then" Kushida's voice is getting quieter with every interaction it seems.

[ "Hey, you there. Can't you see that this elderly woman is having trouble?" the office lady said.

She seemed to want the young man to offer up his seat.

Her voice carried quite well throughout the quiet bus, attracting several people's attention.

"That's a crazy question, lady," the boy said. ]

"Good to know that my past self is also a perfect existence just like I am," Koenji looking up from his reflection in the mirror made a passing comment on the situation.

[ I wondered whether this boy was angry, unobservant, or just painfully honest. In any case, he grinned broadly and crossed his legs. "Why should I offer up my seat? There's no reason for me to do so." ]

"Huh? Of course, there's a reason. You do a good action and give a seat to an elderly person," Sato said angrily, and most other people shared the same sentiment.

[ "You're sitting in a priority seat. It's natural to offer up those seats to the elderly."

"I don't understand. Priority seats are just that: priority seats. I have no legal obligation to move. Since I'm currently occupying this seat, I should be the one who determines whether or not I move. Am I supposed to give up this seat just because I am young? Ha! That reasoning is nonsense."

He didn't speak like a normal high school student. His hair was dyed blond, which made him stand out. ]

Sato and the other people in the hall also had some frustrations with Koenji, but they weren't able to argue with his logic.

[ "I'm a healthy young person who certainly wouldn't find standing inconvenient. However, I'd expend more energy by standing than I would by sitting. I have no intention of doing such a pointless thing. Or are you suggesting I should act a bit livelier, I wonder?"

"Wh-what kind of attitude is that to take with your superiors?" she demanded.

"Superiors? Well, it's obvious that both you and the old woman there have been alive longer than I have. There is no doubt about that. However, the word 'superior' implies that you're referring to someone of a higher position. In addition, we have another problem. Even though ages are different, wouldn't you agree that you have an impertinent attitude and are being extremely rude?" ]

Most students were in shock at Koenji's rudeness to his elders. Some were in shock due to his boldness and others were in shock as to how someone could speak like that to their elders, but a select few people had different reactions. Ryueen saw this as an amusing spectacle and was laughing while Ichinose Honami was sad for the elderly lady in question.

[ "Wha- You're a high schooler, aren't you?! You should be quiet and listen to what adults tell you!"

"It's f-fine, whatever..." the elderly woman mumbled. ]

Koenji was the target of most students' ire, but he seemed completely unaffected by this. I salute you Koenji, you are truly a brave soul.

[ She didn't want any further commotion and tried to calm the office lady. But after being insulted by the high school student, the young woman still seemed very upset.

"This elderly woman is more perceptive than you, which is nice. Also, I haven't given up on Japanese society yet. Please enjoy your remaining years."

After flashing a pointlessly vigorous smile, the boy slid his earphones in and began listening to rather cacophonous music. The office lady now clenched her teeth in frustration Though she tried needling the boy by arguing further, his smug, self-important attitude remained fixed.

At any rate, I had to at least partly agree with this boy. ]

Most of the students saw me as the same as Koenji even if I said that I only partly agreed with his words. "I said partly agreed," I replied with no hesitation.

[ If you ignored the question of moral imperative, it was true that he wasn't legally obligated to give up his seat. ]

The looks were gone and the student's daggers weren't piercing me anymore.

[ "I'm sorry..." Desperately fighting back her tears, the office lady apologized to the elderly woman.

Well, it was all just a minor incident on the bus. I was relieved that I hadn't been caught up in the situation. Honestly, I couldn't care less about giving up my seat for an elderly person.

The egotistical boy had won. At least, everyone secretly thought so. ]

"You don't seem like you care," Ryueen snickered when he said this. He was having fun being my opponent in the open if everything was going to be revealed.

"I just want to avoid trouble if I can."

"So if you could avoid trouble by not participating, would you take it?" This time Sakayanagi was interrogating me and although she wasn't laughing she was enjoying herself.

"Sure, I guess."

"That doesn't sound like you care about your class."

"If I can help, I will, but if I don't need to, I won't. It's as simple as that."

"I see. So if someone were to force you to do something you would try your best," Ryueen was back again with his interrogation.

"Ryueen, Sakayangi, I think we should stop asking Ayanokouji these questions. I'm sure he tries his best," Ichinose chimed in to stop the double-rammed attack. The 2 leaders didn't explicitly look satisfied, but they stopped with the questions.

[ "Um... I think that the lady is right." ]

It seems it's Kushida's time in the spotlight. If she wasn't worried about being exposed she would probably enjoy this.

[ The woman received unexpected support from someone standing alongside her. The helper, a girl wearing my high school's uniform, gave her brave and frank opinion to the boy.

"And the new challenger is a pretty girl, eh? It would seem that I'm rather lucky with the fairer sex," the boy said. ]

Most girls were disgusted when Koenji said this while the rest simply ignored him.

[ "This poor woman appears to have been suffering for quite some time now. Won't you offer up your seat? While you might consider such courtesy unnecessary, I think it would contribute greatly to society."

Crack! The boy snapped his fingers.

"A contribution to society, you say? Well, that is a rather interesting opinion. It's certainly true that offering up one's seat to the elderly could be viewed in such a positive light. Unfortunately, I have no interest in contributing to society. I care only for my satisfaction. Oh, and one more thing. You're asking me, the one in the priority seat, to give up his spot, but couldn't you simply ask one of the other people seated on this crowded bus? If you truly cared for the elderly, then something like priority seating would be a rather trivial concern, wouldn't you agree?"

The boy's haughty attitude remained unchanged. Both the office lady and the elderly woman simply wore bitter smiles in response. However, the girl didn't back down.

"Everyone, please listen to me for just a moment. Won't someone give up their seat for this woman? It doesn't matter who. Please."

How could someone pour so much courage, determination, and compassion into so few words? That was no simple feat. The girl might have seemed like a nuisance to those around her, but she appealed to the other passengers earnestly and without fear. ]

It seems my comment on kushida earned me a few glares from the boys.

"Kushida is never a nuisance, Ayanokouji," a boy called Hondo said. He seemed to be friends with Ike, so he also probably has a crush on Kushida. Honestly, I almost feel bad for him.

"This was my first time meeting her, and I didn't call her a nuisance to myself. I just thought some people might find it disruptive," this seemed to quiet down everyone.

[ Though not in a priority seat, I was near the elderly woman. I imagined if I raised my hand and offered my spot, then the matter would be settled.

However, like everyone else, I didn't move. None of us had thought it necessary to move. The boy's attitude and remarks aside, everyone on the bus had, for the most part, agreed with him.

Now, of course, the elderly have undeniable worth to Japan. But we, the youth, will continue to support Japan into the future. Also, considering that our society ages more and more every year, you could say that our youthful value only increases. So, if you were to examine both the elderly and the young and ask yourself which group is more valuable, the answer should be obvious. That's the perfect argument, wouldn't you say? ]

"I guess that is logical and accurate, but I still don't like it," Shinohara sighed.

[ But still, I wondered what the others would do. As I looked around, I saw two kinds of people: those who had pretended not to have heard anything and those who looked hesitant.

However, the girl sitting next to me was different. She alone wasn't swept up by the confusion. Her face remained expressionless.

While I unintentionally stared at her, our eyes met for an instant. Even without speaking a word, I could tell that we shared the same opinion. Neither of us considered it necessary to give up our seats. ]

"Oh, it's Suzune. So you met her on the bus, Ayanokouji," Sudo didn't say this in the excitement of seeing Horikita as I expected him to, but he said it in a surprised tone.

[ "E-excuse me. You can have mine." Shortly after the girl's appeal, a working woman stood, unable to bear the guilt any longer, and offered up her seat.

"Thank you very much!" the elderly woman said.

The working woman smiled, lowered her head, and guided the elderly woman to the now-vacant seat.

The elderly woman expressed her gratitude repeatedly and slowly sat. Watching the scene unfold from my peripheral vision, I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. Soon, we arrived at our destination, and all the high school students began to disembark.

"So then how did you like the first viewing," ]

There isn't anything that I can do to stop these. It's a situation completely out of my control, so all I can do is watch as my life gets destroyed in front of my eyes. However, it isn't all bad. It's an opportunity to get a new perspective on life.

"There will be plenty more videos, so the fun's just beginning"

Left with that ominous statement, the screen faded to black. The teachers asked us to head back to our dormitories. I was asked to do some stuff, but they all believed my excuse of me being tired after what just happened. I got back to my dorm and started thinking about how I could get out of this situation.

"What a mess."

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Check out my other novel:

'' IS IT TRUE THAT I WAS MISUNDERSTOOD BY THE SCHOOL FLOWER? ''

'' Build A Scientific And Technological Civilization ''

'' SERIALIZED THE PLOT IN THE BOOK, THE HEROINE COLLAPSED ''

'' Revelation Of An Ordinary Life ''

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