◇[Kashima Kobato]◇
D-class hero Kashima Kobato walked down a luxurious corridor carpeted in plush red.
It looked just like the castle in her favorite fantasy movies.
The first image that came to mind was "medieval European style."
She felt a little disgusted at her own limited vocabulary.
Even so, it was one of the scenes she had always longed to see.
"..."
If the circumstances were different, she might have been thrilled.
She looked up.
Her field of vision shifted from her own feet to the backs of her classmates' heads.
The members of Class 2-C following behind the goddess at the front.
It felt almost like a group tour.
'Before I hand out the unique items, there is one thing I need all of you to take care of first.'
That was what the goddess had said.
Kobato closed her eyes.
With a praying feeling, she clasped her hands together.
(I'm scared...)
The three-eyed wolf that suddenly burst into flames.
At that moment, her heart had been gripped by terror.
After the measurement, Kobato had huddled in the corner of the room.
Shaking in despair along with more than a dozen other classmates.
She understood what was happening at the magic circle.
The terrifying words flying back and forth.
Kirihara Takuto, Oyamada Shogo, even Yasu Tomohiro who had changed completely.
The classmates hurling insults and mockery.
The goddess too.
It was terrifying.
'Die, you shitty goddess.'
(Mimori-kun...)
Tears welled up in her eyes.
(I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I couldn't do anything...)
△
One day, Kobato found a collapsed cat near the school gate.
It looked terribly weak.
Everyone ignored the cat.
The only ones who showed interest were a pair of boys passing by.
They took photos of the cat with their smartphones for fun.
'If this pic blows up on Insta and gets crazy reactions, let's save the cat! It might turn into a big heartwarming story and get TV coverage~!'
Insta was an image-focused social media platform.
In the end, those students never came back.
Kobato stood frozen alone in that spot.
(W-what should I do...?)
For the time being, she searched her phone with keywords "cat" and "collapsed."
Her fingers trembled.
She was always like this.
She could not act without relying on something.
She could not make decisions on her own.
"Ugh!?"
She ended up on images of dead cats.
Her fingers froze on the screen.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
(I can't... I don't want to search anymore...)
"Kashima?"
A voice called out.
A boy's voice.
"Ah... Mimori-kun..."
Mimori Touka from the same class.
She had never spoken to him.
He was an inconspicuous boy.
Somehow... his presence was faint.
Kobato felt a slight kinship with that.
Perhaps that was why.
He did not give off the scary impression of Kirihara Takuto's group.
"Wait, that cat—"
"Ah, yes..."
She explained the situation.
Then Touka said, "Got it."
"Huh?"
"Let's take it to the vet. There's one nearby."
"Ah."
A vet.
Right.
Why had she not thought of that first?
"Is it injured somewhere?"
Touka gently picked up the cat.
"Stay still, okay."
(Mimori-kun... can make that kind of face...)
They went to the vet.
It turned out the cat had injured its leg.
It was also weakened from malnutrition.
The vet said it would be fine with treatment.
Relieved, Kobato left the animal hospital with Touka.
"Mimori-kun... th-thank you..."
"It's fine. I like cats anyway."
"Ah, the money—"
Somehow, Touka had already paid.
She had been fixated on the cat the whole time.
He must have paid while she was not looking.
Kobato hurriedly reached for her wallet.
Touka gave a wry smile.
"It's okay. I was the one who suggested the vet."
"But still..."
"It's fine. I'm not the type to throw money around anyway."
She could not find the words to insist.
She was always like this in such situations.
She ended up accepting the other person's words.
She went along with them.
She preemptively avoided any hint of conflict.
Silence.
(I need to say something... something to talk about...)
She forced an awkward smile.
Kobato was good at "escape" smiles.
"Mimori-kun... d-do you like animals?"
"Yeah, I do."
Touka's eyes seemed to gaze into some distant void.
"More than... humans..."
"...Huh?"
(Mimori-kun...?)
Touka snapped back to himself.
His smile suddenly turned troubled.
"Ah— no, wait, that's not what I meant! I mean, animals don't require as much consideration as humans, right? And I really like my current parents...!"
It felt like an awkward, desperate excuse.
Like he was frantically covering up.
There was apparently a culture (?) among boys of this age where they deliberately claimed to "hate humans" to assert that their sensibilities were different from others.
A psychology of wanting to (or making others think they) see themselves as cool by being different.
She had read that online (the internet was Kobato's lifeline—it kindly answered even someone as poor at talking as her).
But Touka seemed genuinely flustered from letting it slip.
Like he had wanted to keep it hidden but failed.
Something like that.
"Um... a-anyway... y-you're really kind, Kashima."
"Huh? N-no... n-not at all... Mimori-kun, um... w-well... s-see you tomorrow at school..."
"Ah, yeah. Take care, Kashima."
Since then, she had not spoken to Mimori Touka.
She lacked the courage to approach him.
Talking to a boy at school.
For introverted Kashima Kobato, that hurdle was far too high.
Conversely, there had been one time when Touka spoke to her first.
But—she ignored him.
Again, she lacked the courage.
Ever since she ignored him that time, she had always felt some guilt toward Mimori Touka.
By the way, that cat from back then is now a member of the Kashima household.
▽
(Doing that to classmates...)
This class is scary.
When Oyamada kicked Yasu's seat on the bus, Kobato trembled in fear.
She could not even make eye contact with Oyamada Shogo.
If she did, she might die from heart failure.
She was timid.
And that three-eyed wolf...
(Do heroes really have to fight things like that? No way... impossible...)
The goddess felt scary too.
She could not quite explain it, but something about her felt wrong.
On the other hand, she thought Sogo Ayaka was amazing.
To defy the goddess in that situation.
Ayaka was different from her.
The Takao sisters too.
She could never act like them.
Kirihara Takuto, Oyamada Shogo, Yasu Tomohiro—they were all different.
Everyone in this class seemed better than her.
She looked down at her feet.
(A cowardly D-class hero... will I end up discarded someday too...?)
"Kooo~batooo~?"
"Ah..."
She looked up.
"What's with the spacing out? Still anxious?"
"Senjou-san."
The female student walking backward with a bright smile.
"Asagi."
"Huh?"
"I always say in class that I hate being called by my family name, right? If you're doing it on purpose, from now on seventy percent of the girls in class will seriously ostracize you?"
"S-sorry..."
Senjou Asagi.
Her measurement was... B-class, I think.
Oyamada Shogo's A-class judgment overshadowed Asagi's B-class one, but it was still upper rank among the classes.
The top of this class hierarchy was Kirihara Takuto's group.
But when limited to the girls' groups, the one centered on Asagi was the largest faction.
Being targeted by Senjou Asagi was bad.
All the girls understood that.
So they did not oppose her.
They either joined her or flattered her.
Or pretended harmless neutrality.
Kobato had chosen neutrality.
She usually tried her best to become air.
During breaks, she secretly read web novels alone.
"So? I have something I want to confirm with Poppo."
Asagi called Kobato "Poppo."
Probably playing on "hato poppo" (pigeon coo).
"Y-yes... what is it?"
Asagi moved beside her and put an arm around her waist.
Not letting her escape—that kind of atmosphere.
"According to my guess, this class is probably going to collapse soon—"
(Huh...?)
"Collapse...?"