CH 34

There are two main types of people in this world. There are good people and bad people.

The righteous are naturally good people. They are popular with everyone, frustrating the wicked and helping the weak. And the bad guy is the opposite. The bad guy is a terrible person who tries to fulfill his own desires by doing things that would cause trouble for everyone else.

The stories that unfold in books and movies are made up of these two forces, and they tell a painful and slightly predictable story. In short, it is a story that can be enjoyed by all.

But there is one more character to add to the story. They are neither a friend of justice nor a villain, but a common, forgettable presence.

It’s the bystander.

Or, perhaps, a mob, to put it another way. The numerous noises that appear in every story. Sometimes they are victims, sometimes they are perpetrators, sometimes they are in the spotlight. But most of them are forgotten and easily killed from people’s memories.

I was one of those people. I have a slightly distinguished appearance, but that’s all. I was tired of being picked on all the time, being sexually harassed occasionally, and being mildly harassed by people of the same sex. I was able to laugh it off and forgive it, so once I grew up I was able to get along with everyone. Perhaps I had a talent for socializing.

But there are plenty of people who are smarter and better looking than me, not to mention physically capable.

Every day I wasted time consuming myself, not knowing what I existed for. Or maybe I was satisfied with that much peace.

Until that day I saw the light, and that was him.

For the first time, I thought someone was cool. Admiration, awe, and a kind of body tremor I had never experienced before. All sorts of emotions hit my body.

I haven’t forgotten the scene of that day for a long time now. I will never forget that day, because it was my driving force.

※

A few weeks have passed since the incident in the library the other day. The midterm exams are long over, and I received the results today. The number of subjects was 12, and the level of difficulty was fair, as this is a college preparatory school. Probably, the average score of this year’s exam will be much lower than that of the first year.

Incidentally, the results of this year’s exam will be posted in the hallway for those students who rank in the top fifty. The top student in my class was Yukihana. She scored 1185 points out of a total of 1200 points, which was a very good score and earned her third place in her grade.

The second place above Yukihana was a guy in the next class who had nothing to do with me at all. I vaguely remember him as a serious guy with glasses. I’m sure he spends his days studying every day.

And the first place was Shinkai Sakura, with a score of 1200 out of 1200. She must have been traumatized by the incident the other day, but she was unperturbed by it and scored a perfect score in all subjects. I thought it would drag on a bit, but I didn’t expect it to be this good.

(I’m…not in there..)

I tried to push the test very close to the edge this time. I scored around 51-55th place in anticipation of an overall drop in performance. The details haven’t been announced yet, but I’m guessing my score will be somewhere around there.

[You know, you should at least get a good enough grade to have your name posted !　If you don’t do that, you’ll have a hard time getting into college or getting a job.]

Well, I’m sure my step sister will be furious with me. Now that scene is replaying in my brain. Is that what you call foreknowledge of the future with a sense of danger?

When I returned to the classroom with a fearful imagination of the future, I found Yukihana surrounded by many students. It seems that she’s being praised for this test. I heard that she had made all the predictions with a lot of enthusiasm. I received one myself, and it was a wonderful question, completed to a high degree of accuracy.

The cheerful group, with Kisaragi leading the way, began to talk to Yukihana.

“Thanks, Ruri ! Thanks to you, my average score in this class just went up !”

“……Hmph.”

Those two are exchanging bluntly as usual. The end of the mouth of Yukihana is lifted up, although subtly. She’s probably proud that she was able to sell a favor or make a genuinely good prediction question.

Gradually, though, Yukihana is starting to talk more and more with the people around her. I’m sure that in another six months, she will have built up her friendships to the point where she will be able to fit in with this class.

“Thank you, Yukihana san !”

“This test was so difficult, right-“

“If it weren’t for that, we would have finished.”

Everyone in the class was praising Yukihana in this way. The class is very proud of the vice chairperson of the class. The person herself is always expressionless and sharp-eyed, but she can’t hide the fact that she’s not satisfied.

“Well, everyone should be grateful to the kind Ruri chan. She didn’t favor anyone and made it fair for everyone !”

Kisaragi tried to raise her admiration for Yukihana by saying so. It’s just a glimpse, but I feel like she’s looking at me. I knew that she was still holding a grudge over the last incident. I’m sure it’s going to be like this until I graduate.

By the way, Yukihana seemed a little dissatisfied, perhaps because she remembered something about Kisaragi’s phrase, but she hid it well. She seems to be having a hard time with it, too. And I decided not to make eye contact with them and just ignore them. But now it was lunchtime.

(Good grief…..can you please be quiet.)

I can’t even have a leisurely lunch with this much noise. That’s how much Yukihana played a heroic role in this test, but from my point of view, she’s a plague itself.

So I decided to have lunch at a different place, which was unusual for me. Unlike in middle school, I can’t go on the roof, so I have to find a new place to eat.

(Well then…..I’ll start with that place.)

I decided to go to the equipment room where I had my previous secret meeting with Yukihana. No one would be around there, and it would be the perfect place to spend some time alone. So I hurried to the first floor, but the door was slightly opened.

(……No way, someone was ahead of me?)

I didn’t think there was anyone else who wanted to use such a place besides me. Just to make sure, I sneaked a peek inside. Then I caught a glimpse of a thin figure.

“….Nom nom.”

There was a girl with shiny blonde hair, which didn’t suit the dusty equipment room. In this school that is picky about clothes, there is only one person who stands out.

(……Nanase Natsume)

Could it be that she’s a loner or something? Otherwise, she wouldn’t think of eating in a place like this. At least, there’s no sign of an honor student or popular person as seen in magazines or comic books from Nanase. Somehow, it even feels sad.

(……At times like this)

I would have offered to have lunch with her. However, I don’t want to cause such a development as in a romance manga, and I’m sure she wouldn’t like it either. And above all, I’m not the hero of the story.

So I pretended I didn’t see anything and quietly left the place. This was probably the right thing to do. If you don’t get involved in something, you don’t get involved in anything. This is the ultimate truth in human relationships.

In the end, I enjoyed lunch alone that day on the outdoor stairs, looking out at the scenery. Incidentally, I bought two rice balls and a small plastic bottle of tea at the convenience store.

I never thought that soba-meshi would be sold as onigiri in this day and age. I couldn’t help but reach for them along with the salmon onigiri. It seems that marketing in convenience stores these days has reached a new level beyond my expectations.

“……Doesn’t taste very good.”

I had a slow lunch, complaining to myself that it would be meaningless if the soba-meshi I had hoped for was cold. The peace-filled scene is spread out in front of me, so much so that it’s hard to believe that I was attacked by a delinquent junior just recently.

Well, I guess I can relax at least for now. Today is Friday, and school will be closed for two days from tomorrow. Normally, I would be a little happy to make plans for what to do before the day off, or to make a last spurt to sleep as much as I can.

However, tomorrow is the equivalent of a typhoon for me. No, in a sense, it’s more of a disaster than that.

After all, I have a date with my step sister tomorrow.