"Ugh… my whole body hurts."
Yesterday ended with the entire class being forced into swimming practice. The instructor insisted that everyone learn, even those who weren't interested, claiming it would be useful.
Will there be future evaluations based on swimming or our physical abilities?
Honestly, there were quite a few talented people in our class. Among the boys, there's Hirata and Sudou, who clearly has an athletic build. I heard him bragging before about playing basketball.
At least there's something he's good at.
There's also Kouenji, who outperformed everyone—even Ayanokouji, who didn't show much effort. Still, I'm sure what I saw in the pool… his technique was refined.
Is he hiding his real abilities?
As for the girls, there was Yukinoshita. Even though she doesn't have high stamina, she still did well. Horikita too, and that short red-haired girl whose name I forgot.
As for the rest… most of them were somewhere between average and bad.
Even I realized my fitness isn't in the best condition. Should I start doing some morning exercises?
I used to be pretty good at sports like tennis, judo, and even running. But if you don't practice for a while, it's meaningless.
I'll think about it later.
Ah… the swimming class passed without any issues thanks to Yukinoshita's intervention. No one wants to get involved with her.
Hmm… even I tried not to look too much. She might actually call the police on me.
Or deal with me personally.
Anyway, she saved the class from collapsing. Even Hirata, the so-called peacekeeper, couldn't do anything.
But it's clear he has influence, considering the girls thought of asking him for help first.
He might be useful.
Anyway, no time to think about that.
It was lunchtime, and the tension in the class was high.
Is it all because of what happened yesterday?
People don't forget that easily, do they?
I decided to take care of something I've been putting off since enrolling in this school.
Finding a private place to eat.
It's important to have your own place—especially if you prefer solitude.
A place to relax, think, and stay away from others.
I headed to the cafeteria first to grab some food.
I had planned to cook for myself before, but the results were disastrous.
My skills had deteriorated over the years since Komachi took over everything in the kitchen.
See, Komachi-chan? You've successfully ruined your brother.
I grabbed a cheap sandwich and headed behind the school.
I haven't been here much, but it's clearly not a place many people visit.
There's shade at this time, and it's quiet…
Seems suitable.
Though it's not on the same level as my spot back at Sobu.
Nothing beats eating while watching Totsuka practice on the tennis court.
I wonder how Totsuka is doing.
Is their situation at Sobu better than ours?
Definitely.
I placed the paper bag down carefully and took out my sandwich along with a can of Max Coffee I bought this morning.
It had already lost its chill.
Whatever. It's the taste that matters.
I started eating in silence, enjoying the occasional breeze brushing against my face.
No one passed by since I sat down.
Mission complete. I found the perfect spot.
After finishing my meal, I took out a light novel from my jacket pocket to pass the time before class.
The atmosphere was extremely calm. The only sound was the rustling of leaves in the wind.
It really was peaceful.
That silence continued—until three people appeared from around the corner in school uniforms.
I didn't recognize two of them. Just ordinary-looking students—the kind you forget immediately.
But the third one…
Who wouldn't recognize that red hair and loud voice?
It was obvious they were arguing.
I glanced around. There were few cameras in the area, and where they stood was a blind spot.
Did the school intentionally leave these places unmonitored?
A space for settling disputes through violence.
"Even if you're older, don't act all high and mighty!" Sudou shouted, his face red with anger.
Does he have episodes or something? Does he explode like this every time he's provoked?
The others were clearly older students.
As expected, they probably lured him here to settle things physically.
Spending more than a year in this school does have its advantages.
"I don't know why you're yelling. Do you need help learning some manners?" The two burst out laughing, which only fueled Sudou's anger.
If this keeps going, things could get out of hand.
I looked around—no one was there to intervene.
When I looked back, both sides were preparing to fight.
Damn…
No choice.
I sighed and stood up quickly.
No time to waste.
"Hey, Sudou, why don't you stop?"
Honestly, I don't even know what I'm doing.
Provoking him will only make things worse. I'm not good with clever words to resolve situations like this.
I wish I had learned how to handle this kind of thing… though I doubt it suits me.
I'll just try.
"Hah… you again? Came to join them? Fine. I wanted to settle things with you too."
Looks like Sudou hasn't forgotten what I did yesterday.
This will only make things worse.
But I have no choice.
"Uh… yesterday wasn't what you think—"
I tried to calm him down, but that only made him angrier.
At least his attention shifted from them to me.
"What? You denying it?" He grabbed my collar and pulled me toward him like I weighed nothing.
He's seriously strong.
"Doesn't matter. I'll remind you what you did."
Looks like I'm about to get hit.
"See? Just like we said—a complete idiot. I wonder if you even have a brain."
"How did someone like you even get into this school?"
The older students took advantage of the situation to mock Sudou again.
I know that feeling well.
I've experienced it before.
Being looked down on… being treated like you're beneath everyone else.
I know it all.
And I found my own way to deal with it.
Just don't care.
But someone like Sudou wouldn't be able to do that.
Even if I told him, "I understand how you feel," he'd probably take it as mockery.
That would just make him angrier.
I looked into Sudou's eyes.
He was about to do something he'd regret—something that could cause trouble for the entire class.
"Sudou, I'm not here to make fun of you, okay? They're clearly just provoking you."
A desperate attempt.
How pathetic.
"Don't mess with me…"
He let go of me and turned back toward them.
If I can redirect his anger toward me, I might get hit instead…
But that's better than him fighting them.
They understand the rules here.
We don't.
But… that would make me the victim again.
Is that fine?
No choice.
"Sudou-kun."
A soft voice cut through the tension.
It sounded almost angelic.
A girl with short blonde hair stepped between Sudou and the others.
I've seen her before—always surrounded by girls in class.
"Sudou-kun, please stop. There's no need to get angry."
Her words were similar to Hirata's.
Another peace ambassador?
"Kushida… don't interfere."
Even Sudou began to calm down when she spoke.
Is he weak against kind girls?
So this is Kushida… the one Yukinoshita mentioned.
"No, Sudou-kun. I won't move."
She turned to face the upperclassmen.
"Senpai… um, I'm sorry for my classmate's behavior."
She smiled sweetly with her eyes closed.
Even the older students were visibly affected, their faces slightly red.
"No need to apologize. We were just trying to correct his behavior."
One of them began backing off.
"Yeah, well… he's got enough trouble waiting for him anyway."
They both quickly left.
I was honestly surprised.
She changed the entire atmosphere instantly.
Even so, Sudou wasn't fully convinced.
"What do you mean trouble?! Get back here!"
He tried to chase them, but someone stepped in front of him.
"Sudou, it's over. They're gone."
Ayanokouji had appeared, trying to calm him down.
But seriously… what did they mean by "trouble"?
Sudou himself?
Or the class?
"Tch… fine."
Sudou walked away, still irritated.
The situation was resolved with just a few kind words.
No need to complicate things.
What a skill.
"Um… Hikigaya-kun, right? I'm Kushida Kikyou. We haven't talked before, but we're in the same class."
She introduced herself, breaking the silence.
A sweet smile, kind words, angelic voice.
No matter how I look at her… she feels fake.
I don't know why, but that's what my top-tier observational skills are telling me.
Since she already knew my name, I stayed silent—but she kept trying to start a conversation.
"I want to be friends with everyone, so let's get along."
She said with teary eyes and a bright smile.
Ah… I've heard about this from Yukinoshita before.
What kind of goal is that?
It's human nature to get along with some people and not with others.
It's impossible to be friends with everyone.
No matter how good your social skills are.
So if you want that so badly… what kind of mask are you wearing?
I didn't sense hostility from her.
But she's definitely not genuine.
Just sweet, fake behavior.
Maybe I'm wrong… but that's what I think for now.
"Oh… okay."
I decided to ignore it for now.
But why are she and Ayanokouji here?
It can't just be because of Sudou.
I don't really care, but if people start coming here during lunch…
I'll need a new spot.
"So… what are you two doing here?"
I looked at Ayanokouji, who had been silent the whole time.
His blank expression is annoying—but still better than her artificial one.
"Uh… it's not what it looks like."
Kushida jumped in quickly.
Does she think I'm assuming they're dating?
I just want to know if the place is free.
"I just asked Ayanokouji-kun to help me, and we happened to come here."
She laughed awkwardly.
"She asked me to help her get closer to Horikita."
Ayanokouji added.
Seriously…
No one cares.
I just want to know if this place is available.
"Yes… Horikita-san is always alone and refuses to talk to me, but she talks a bit with her seatmate, so I thought he might help."
If she refuses you, shouldn't you just give up?
And Horikita talks to Ayanokouji?
I thought they only exchanged insults.
"…I see."
Silence again.
It'd be better if they just leave.
I want to go back to my novel.
"Nice meeting you, Hikigaya-kun. I should head back to class."
Kushida left politely.
Ayanokouji stayed behind.
Isn't he leaving?
I stayed silent.
It seemed like he wanted to say something… but changed his mind.
"See you."
He muttered, then walked away.
Finally… my place is safe.
I sat back down, but couldn't focus on my novel.
It's only been less than a week, yet the class is already falling apart—lateness, absences, disrespect, fights.
If this continues…
Our class points will be disastrous.
I want a decent allowance.
Yeah… for the allowance.
I've had enough.