"Celery?"
Hirata Yousuke completely failed to grasp the aning behind Katsuragi Keima's words.
"That's right, celery. Like one of those insignificant antagonist NPCs in a ga," Katsuragi Keima said slowly. "Even the plot points where you cause a shift in the narrative are incredibly forced."
"Katsuragi, don't think for a second that you—"
"That's enough!"
Sato Maya, standing to the side, couldn't watch any longer. With her naturally straightforward temper, she couldn't tolerate Hirata Yousuke's behavior, which seed like he was just looking for a fight. "This has nothing to do with Keima! This was all Yamauchi's own doing!"
"And what does it have to do with you?!"
Hirata Yousuke turned his head with a look of extre displeasure, shouting at Sato Maya.
However, imdiately after that, Katsuragi Keima's hand clamped down on Hirata's shoulder—
"Getting angry at a girl... you really have no manners."
Although the scene was tense and on the verge of violence, seeing Katsuragi Keima speak up for her, Sato Maya's first reaction was: Keima-kun really is so cool.
"..."
"You want to help Yamauchi now, but Yamauchi is gone. You can't help him. The only person you can help is yourself." Katsuragi Keima pushed up his glasses. "Besides, the class did well on the exam this ti; I should be the one who contributed the most."
Even Hirata Yousuke could not refute that point. The study group organized by Katsuragi Keima had significantly raised the class's academic performance. Even if those who attended the study group were only a small portion, the problem-solving thods and explanations of knowledge points spread from one to two, and two to four. Sudo Ken and Ike Kanji were also beneficiaries. Only Yamauchi Haruki had failed to cherish this opportunity.
"Are you actually planning to lay a hand on ?" After speaking, Katsuragi Keima sat back down. "You're rely using Yamauchi as an excuse to vent your own emotions."
He picked up his handheld and continued playing his ga. It was as if nothing had just happened.
Hirata Yousuke stood in place, trembling all over. He looked at Katsuragi Keima, wanting to say sothing, but he couldn't find the words. Because every single sentence Keima had spoken was the truth.
He had seen Yamauchi's issues but said nothing. He was accusing others while not daring to accuse himself. He truly... needed soone to carry the weight of his guilt. And that person had never been Yamauchi Haruki. It was himself.
Hirata's legs gave out completely. He staggered, leaning against a nearby desk to keep from falling.
The classroom remained deathly silent. No one spoke. No one dared to speak. After a long ti, Hirata Yousuke slowly turned and walked toward his seat. His back looked incredibly weary—like a stone statue on the verge of collapse, barely holding itself up.
Karuizawa Kei watched him, a complex swirl of emotions rising in her heart. She wanted to say sothing but didn't know what. Once, Kei had considered making Hirata Yousuke her "umbrella" of protection. But looking at things now, Hirata was almost entirely different from what she had imagined.
Sato Maya felt the sa. Sakura Airi's body was trembling slightly, but for once, her gaze was fixed directly on Hirata. Kushida Kikyo looked at Hirata, then at Katsuragi Keima, sothing in her heart quietly shifting.
Horikita Suzune closed her textbook and looked at Katsuragi Keima. He was already re-imrsed in his ga. It was as if the preceding events hadn't happened at all.
But she knew that what had just transpired would make many people rethink a great many things. Including herself. Yamauchi Haruki's expulsion was like a scab; tearing it off had revealed the true wound underneath.
-
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After school.
The setting sun dyed the entire campus a warm orange-red. Students trickled out of the school building in small groups—so heading for the cafeteria, so toward the dorms, and others lining up at the convenience store.
Karuizawa Kei, Sakura Airi, Sato Maya, Kushida Kikyo, and Hasabe Haruka walked out of the school building together. Today's study group had been canceled—due to what happened during the day, no one was in the mood, so the five of them agreed to wander around and rest for a bit. They had originally invited Horikita Suzune, but she politely declined, saying she still had study materials to organize.
"Sigh..." Sato Maya gave a massive stretch. "I'm exhausted today. Not physically, but ntally."
" too," Karuizawa Kei said weakly. "It feels like today lasted a whole century."
Sakura Airi didn't speak, silently following beside them. Her mind was still replaying the scenes from earlier—Yamauchi Haruki's breakdown, Hirata Yousuke's rage, and Katsuragi Keima's calm yet razor-sharp words.
Hasabe Haruka walked to the side, her hand on her phone as if sending a ssage, but she looked up at Sato's words.
"Exhausted? I thought it was pretty spectacular." Her tone carried a hint of playfulness. "Did you see Hirata like that? A person who's usually so gentle turned out to be so terrifying when he gets angry. I really didn't expect it."
"Haruka, how can you be so gleeful about it..." Kei looked at her, speechless.
"It's not being gleeful." Hasabe Haruka put away her phone. "I just think it's interesting. 'God' shut him down with just a few sentences—isn't that impressive?"
"?" Sato Maya blinked, stunned. "What did you just call Keima?"
"God-sama, obviously." Hasabe Haruka said matter-of-factly. "You only joined the study group recently, so you might not know, but that guy always refers to himself as a God. It's the most interesting nickna."
Hasabe Haruka's nicknas for others often changed, but she kept the 'God' label for Katsuragi Keima consistent.
The others were montarily speechless. Kushida Kikyo couldn't help but laugh. "Haruka, you really are special."
"You bet." Hasabe Haruka wasn't humble at all. "But seriously, what do you guys think about today?" She looked at them, curiosity in her eyes. "Especially that Hirata—his reaction was so weird... I didn't think he would turn out like that. It didn't seem like he was just sad for Yamauchi. Don't you think?"
The girls exchanged looks.
"We think so too," Karuizawa Kei nodded. "Kikyo said he might have gone through sothing similar."
"Oh?" Hasabe Haruka looked at Kushida. "Kikyo thinks so?"
Kushida nodded slightly. "The things he said didn't sound random. Sothing must have happened to Hirata in the past."
Hasabe Haruka nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense. Seems like Hirata has a story, too." She paused. "But it was wrong of him to lash out at God. Yamauchi got expelled because he deserved it; what does that have to do with God?"
"You also think Yamauchi deserved it, right?" Sato Maya asked.
"Of course." Hasabe Haruka didn't hesitate. "Cheating, lying, shirking responsibility, and badmouthing people behind their backs—it's better for the class that soone like that leaves early." She looked toward the distant sky. "And haven't you noticed? With Yamauchi gone, the class's average score will actually rise. Without soone dragging us down, our chances of getting more Private Points in the future are higher."
"While that's true..." Karuizawa Kei was sowhat hesitant. "But 100 Class Points are gone just like that. It still hurts."
"What's the point of hurting?" Hasabe Haruka shrugged. "It's not like it can be changed. Instead of hurting, better to think about how to earn them back."
Sakura Airi said softly, "Hasabe-kun... you're very calm."
"You bet." Hasabe Haruka smiled. "After all, I'm like God—soone on the periphery of the class." She looked at the group around her; if it weren't for Katsuragi Keima, given her personality, she would never have associated so closely with them.
"That's nothing to be proud of..." Sato Maya was speechless again.
Everyone laughed. The tense atmosphere eased a bit.
"By the way," Hasabe Haruka suddenly asked, "what do you guys think of Sakayanagi Arisu?"
As soon as this question was asked, everyone froze.
"Why bring her up all of a sudden?" Karuizawa Kei asked.
"Didn't she orchestrate everything that happened today?" Hasabe Haruka said. "Giving Yamauchi the answers, letting him take the bait, and then kicking him down when he was at his most arrogant—isn't that kind of tactic worth discussing?"
Sato Maya lowered her voice. "You also think it was her?"
"I don't 'think' it, I'm certain," Hasabe Haruka said. "After all, Yamauchi said it himself, and that's the one sentence that didn't sound like a lie. Plus, I saw Yamauchi confront Sakayanagi Arisu earlier. I don't know exactly what they said, but I rember Yamauchi was very agitated." She paused. "Besides, didn't you find the things Chabashira-sensei said strange?"
"What things?"
"She said the exam questions are the sa every year and that knowing them in advance isn't hard." Hasabe Haruka said. "To think sothing like that existed and we had no idea. How did Sakayanagi find out?"
"If it's true... then Sakayanagi is probably a very formidable person... and she actually pulled sothing like this off." Karuizawa Kei's expression beca incredibly serious.
Kushida Kikyo had remained silent, but Hasabe Haruka's thoughts aligned with her own. That person was indeed not simple.
"But what I really want to know," Hasabe Haruka continued, "is why Sakayanagi helped Keima-kun?"
This question made everyone perk up.
"Exactly!" Sato Maya's eyes lit up. "Why did she help Keima?"
"I... I, I previously saw Sakayanagi... bringing lunch to Keima-kun," Sakura Airi, who hadn't said much, spoke up in a small voice.
"Bringing food? Could she like him?" Karuizawa Kei asked tentatively. She suddenly rembered that the first ti she went to find Katsuragi Keima at noon, she had happened to see Sakayanagi Arisu coming out of his room.
Hasabe Haruka glanced at her. "Like? I sll gossip."
"N-no, that can't be!" Sakura Airi suddenly switched to a "combat face," speaking with extre seriousness.
The others looked at the sowhat agitated Airi and, after a few seconds of simultaneous silence, they all burst out laughing. Airi's face turned beet red instantly.
'So... so... so embarrassing!'
Hasabe Haruka laughed even harder. "Just kidding. I just think that guy—'God'—is really special, different from everyone else. It's not strange at all for Sakayanagi to be interested in him." She paused. "And don't you think? There's sothing about God-sama that makes people want to get closer to him."
Everyone fell silent. They knew it was true. Because they themselves, without realizing it, were drawing closer to that person.
Kushida Kikyo kept her head down, saying nothing. She was thinking about those nights. She thought of Katsuragi Keima coming to her and saying a bunch of nonsensical things. She thought of that perpetually calm face.
"Kikyo?" Sakura Airi asked softly. "Are you okay?"
Kushida looked up and smiled. "I'm fine."
"Do you think," Sato Maya suddenly asked, "Sakayanagi might have her sights set on us too?"
Everyone froze. "Ah..." Karuizawa Kei's voice was uncertain.
"Why wouldn't she?" Sato Maya said. "We're the people around Keima; we might get dragged into it."
Airi's face turned slightly pale. Hasabe Haruka thought for a mont. "It's a possibility," she said. "But I think Sakayanagi's target isn't us."
"Then who?"
"It's God," Hasabe Haruka said. "We are just windows for observing him. She won't waste too much ti on us."
The girls breathed a small sigh of relief. The reason Yamauchi Haruki was targeted was because he spoke ill of Katsuragi Keima, which led to Sakayanagi Arisu dealing with him. She shouldn't have a reason to move against them.
"But we still have to be careful," Hasabe Haruka warned. "With soone like Sakayanagi, who knows what she's thinking." She checked the sky. "Alright, it's getting dark. Do you guys still want to go to the convenience store?"
"Yes!" Sato Maya imdiately raised her hand. "I want to buy pudding!"
"I need to buy so things too," Karuizawa Kei said.
The group turned into the convenience store. Hasabe Haruka followed them in and picked up a bag of potato chips. After paying, they stood in front of the store, drinking their newly purchased beverages.
"Today really was a long day..." Karuizawa Kei mused. "But thinking about how the black sheep is gone from the class, things should get better, right?"
"Yeah," Sato Maya nodded. "At least it's finally over."
Sakura Airi said softly, "Tomorrow... will be better, right?"
"It will be." A smile appeared on Kushida Kikyo's face.
But her gaze drifted into the distance. Katsuragi Keima... that guy really is strange. Kushida Kikyo felt she was strange, too. When she found out Yamauchi had been badmouthing Keima behind his back, she clearly should have been happy. So why did she also feel displeased?
'Seriously...'
Kushida was confused, but her face maintained that flawless smile. And she could sense that Sakura Airi's gaze was falling on her face from ti to ti.
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