Ch-8 Right To Freedom

[Kazuki POV] 

Truth be told, even though today was the first day of school, it was technically not correct. In truth, the "first" day of school would actually be tomorrow, as today would merely be a day where students could introduce themselves, form bonds, buy essentials and overall, get used to the environment around them. That was the purpose of this day. 

Tomorrow, is when the school actually begins as classes will officially begin for us students and we'll have to start taking our studies seriously. 

We just just finished introducing ourselves so as to familiarise with each other and make a more comfortable atmosphere within the classroom, which was especially needed after the information bomb that was dropped on these defective students. 

I'm starting to sound like Chabashira sensei...

Ignoring this, I took this as time to go buy myself essentials. I was planning on going to the convenience store first. There's no need for me to go to the mall right off the bat. 

I'll buy whatever I need first and then, when I go to hang out with some of my friends, then I'll go to the mall with them. Yeah, that's what I'll do. 

Also, can somebody please tell me why Matsushita-san and Karuizawa-san are eyeing me like that ? 

Now, before you get the wrong idea, I don't think they're in love or anything. That's simply not possible. 

Matsushita-san gives off a mature vibe and her personality shimmers with elegance and radiance, giving her a somewhat regal appeal, making me wonder if she was somehow from a rich background. Or was she just very well mannered ? 

In any case, Matsushita-sans gaze wasn't lovely or lustful. Rather, it was calculating. She was evaluating me, trying to gauge the very extent of the person known as Kazuki Hikaru, that being me! 

Unfortunately for her, she would find nothing on me, even if she stalks me. After all, I have nothing to hide. 

It's not like she's actually going to stalk me or anything. 

My mind then changed targets and began to focus on Karuizawa-san, who has already broken eye contact and was talking to her friends. Occasionally, she would glance in my direction. I noticed this behaviour of hers throughout the homeroom. 

Ever since I started to explain the S System, even before I came up with the complete explanation, her eyes were latched onto me. 

But her eyes were different. 

I have already deemed Karuizawa Kei as a person suffering from a major defect, a massive problem that needs fixing. I had no idea what it could be but I was confident it has something to do with her past, taking her reaction to mine and Chabashira senseis words into account. 

Her face expressed loneliness, despite her outside demeanor. Her eyes held an emotion I wasn't quite able to recognise but a body reacting so fearfully to information like that... She had very clear signs of PTSD. 

.

.

.

.

.

... Either that or she's just very excited and fangirling about me. 

She's eyeing me like she wants me. Not in the way the other girls' are, but I'm a more possessive way. Her sudden liking to me seems forced even. 

But who cares about Karuizawa-san anyways?! 

Let's look out main character! Ayanokouji Kiyotaka! 

Looking at him, a happy and playful smile lingered on my face, seeing a few people approach him and offer to be his friends. 

Me revealing his social anxiety seems to have been enough for people to understand him and now, he has some leeway if he ever messes a conversation up.

After this, the bells rang, signalling the students to head to the gymnasium for the entrance ceremony.

Despite the sheer uniqueness and difficulty of the school itself, the entrance exam was no different than any other normal school. Just the usual. Speeches by the principal and director, and some more minor stuff I didn't care about. 

After the, time passed by fairly quickly. 80-90% of people went straight back to the dorms, and I was no exception

I excused myself from the class by telling everyone that I'm a little tired and I want some time to clarify my thoughts. I also wanted to go look and set up my room after all. 

It seems Ayanokouji had the same thought since he was already up and ready to go. He turned his gaze towards his stubborn seatmate, as if offering her a chance to walk with him, but he was met with silence. 

Sighing to himself, he walks over and out of the classroom right after me, not realising that I'd stopped in my tracks to stay with him. 

"Huh ? Oh, Kazuki. You're still here ?" 

"Yeah, I mean I just left. I noticed how you planned to head back to the dorms like me. So I decided to wait a little for you." I clarified. 

"Tienes algo que quieras decir? Siento que tú sí." (Do you have something you want to say ? I feel like you do.)

My question seems to have gotten his attention. He stared at me for a hot minute with a passive unmoving expression before formulating and answer in the form of a question. 

"Yes... What did Koenji mean ?" 

"About what ?" 

"He referred to you as Freedom-kun, and I got curious as to what it meant. You have history with Koenji, correct ?" 

I laughed. This guy really is amusing. 

"Didn't I tell you we'd talk in Spanish when we're in private, mi amigo ?" I reminded him this quickly, with a sly smile on my face. 

He remained silent.

"Well, to answer your question, yes. Me and Koenji are friends. I met him at a conference a couple months back. It's not anything too deep or anything. As unbearable as he may seem, he is someone worthy of respect. And I'm certain that feeling is mutual." 

I had a hard time formulating a possible assumption of what exactly he was thinking at the moment. Ayanokouji is a very hard person to read, but I'm confident that with time, I'll be able to see completely through him like everybody else. 

"As for the Freedom-kun part... I honestly have no idea. He gives nicknames to all the people around him and that just happens to be mine." I deadpanned as memories of that night flooded my brain. 

Koenji really began to call me that after I explain my philosophy to him. No, it'd be more accurate to say 'after he figured it out'. 

"..."

"..."

"Kazuki... Tengo algo que quiero preguntarte. (Kazuki... I have something I want to ask you.) 

Hn ? 

This ought to be interesting...

"¿Crees que existe la igualdad ?" (Do you think equality exists ?)

Equality ? He wants my opinion on equality ? 

Equity refers to fairness and justice in the distribution of resources and opportunities, taking into account the specific needs and circumstances of individuals to achieve equal outcomes. It aims to address and rectify inequalities, ensuring that everyone has access to what they need to succeed, rather than providing the same resources to all regardless of their different situations.

In a layman's terms, it is the state of equilibrium between two things or people, a state of perfect balance so that all people may experience or possess the same things or not. 

However...

"Equality doesn't exist." 

My answer was swift, quick, short and precise. 

I didn't give him the opportunity to retort or respond as I immediately dishes out my reasons for believing in such a thing, as true as it may be. 

"La igualdad es, al fin y al cabo, solo una fantasía. Una que está siempre más allá de nuestro alcance humano. El mundo es injusto y no todos viven buenas vidas.

Nadie nace igual. Incluso al nacer, algunas personas nacen con un desarrollo cognitivo superior, algunas personas tienen trastornos o defectos genéticos, algunas están lisiadas, algunas son normales. La desigualdad existe incluso en la etapa del nacimiento.

No todos tienen buenos padres. No todos los padres merecen un hijo. Todos los niños merecen buenos padres, pero muchos no los tienen. Algunos son abandonados. Algunos pierden a sus seres queridos. Algunos nunca los tuvieron desde el principio. Y algunos casi siempre están con su familia.

¿Son todos iguales? Si la igualdad existiera, todos deberían ser iguales, seguir las mismas leyes y reglas, no tener restricciones y, si las tuvieran, deberían ser las mismas. Pero, ¿lo son?

El objetivo último de las personas es llegar a la cima. Un sistema jerárquico que solo existe debido a la práctica de la humanidad. Sin esta desigualdad, la sociedad tal como la conocemos ni siquiera existiría.

Incluso el fenómeno de la selección natural y la diversidad gira en torno a la desigualdad.

Así que, en términos simples, no. La verdadera igualdad no existe y nunca existirá.

Después de todo, no existe tal cosa como la verdadera perfección."

(Equality is at the end of the day, just a fantasy. One that is forever beyond our human grasp. The world is unfair and not everyone lives good lives. 

No one is born equal. Even at birth, some people are born with higher cognitive development, some people have genetic disorders or defects, some are crippled, some are normal. Inequality exists even in the stage of birth. 

Not everyone has good parents. Not every parent deserves a child. All children deserve good parents but many don't have them. Some are abandoned. Some lose those close to them. Some never had them to begin with. And some are almost always with their family.

Is everyone the same ? If equality exists then everyone should be the same, follow the same laws and rules, have no restriction and if they do, it should be the same. But do they ? 

The ultimate goal of people is to rise to the top. A hierarchy system that only exists because of the practice of humanity. Without this inequality, society as we know it, wouldn't even exist. 

Even the phenomena of natural selection and diversity revolve around inequality. 

So in simple terms, no. True equality doesn't exist and it never will. 

After all, there is no such thing as true perfection.)

My Spanish rant took a little while for me to completely go over. I could see the reaction in the eyes of my friend, even though his face doesn't show it. 

He expected such an answer from me. He knew the answer and he knew what I'd say. 

But he likely didn't expect me to go that deep into it. 

I noticed some people throw occasional glances at our direction while walking past us, mostly adorning confused looks upon hearing us speak this foreign language they never bothered to learn.

While we continued our walk, I kept speaking. 

"Ayanokouji, I'll be completely honest with you. I believe in the philosophy that it is every person's basic right to be free." When I said this, I noticed his head snap in my direction, his full attention directed towards me. 

I know it may sound a little... naive and simple minded, at first glance. But I'm not dumb enough to demand or believe in absolute freedom. 

The concept of "absolutism" does not exists either. 

"Elaborate." He said.

"Es el derecho de nacimiento de todo hombre y mujer ser libres. Nacen en este mundo con el derecho de vivir sus propias vidas y no ser controlados ni retenidos por nadie. Ni por la sociedad. Ni por sus padres. Nadie.

Todos deberían tener el derecho de vivir libremente, tener comida, tener agua, tener un techo sobre sus cabezas. Las personas no deberían ser forzadas a hacer algo que no necesitan. Debes considerar sus sentimientos también.

Merecen ser libres. Después de todo, ¿qué es la vida si no puedes ser lo suficientemente libre para experimentarla ?"

(It is the birth right of every man and woman to be free. They are born into this world with the right to live their own lives and not be controlled or held back by anyone. Not by society. Not by their parents. No one.

Everyone should have the right to live freely, have food, have water, and have a roof on their heads. People shouldn't be forced to do something they don't need to. You must consider their feelings as well. 

They deserve to be free. After all, what's life when you can't be free enough to experience it ?)

I then turned to look at my friend, both of us had stopped in our tracks and just stared at each other. I noticed the changes in his eyes. 

I noticed how he was closely and carefully analysing my words, trying to break them apart and comprehend them, almost as if he couldn't understand what I said. 

"I don't know what you went through, Ayanokouji. I have no way of knowing. But I want you to understand one thing." I raised my hand and poked his chest with my fingers while staring at him with a serious expression. 

"Don't let yourself be pushed around. Don't let others tell you what to do. Live your life the way you want to life it. And make sure you live a good one. You must break out of the shackles that bind you to your past and adapt to your new life. Don't think about the past. Let the past be the past. Be better. Make sure to fight. For yourself, and for your freedom. I have always livedy life with this philosophy. I've modelled my entire life based on this philosophy. Now, I'm not telling you to do the same. I'm just telling you to take care of yourself and don't do anything you'll ever regret. Live a happy life and don't give in to fate. No matter what challenges are thrown your way, overcome them and crush them." 

I stared into his eyes, his darkened pupils swirling into my own. 

I wasn't trying to give him a grand

speech or some kind of hero talk or anything of that sorts. 

I was just telling him what I believed in. 

Freedom. 

The ultimate right to all living things.