I heard the vending machine whir as it moved the gears inside, until the energy drink I had chosen finally dropped down.
I crouched to pick it up, then started walking through the corridor while taking sips from the cold drink.
There wasn't much time left before the exam ended. All that remained was to convince the other two sides, and then we would settle everything.
I figured Class B would be easy to convince, while Class A was just a bunch of troublesome people.
Seriously, this entire exam was annoying.
I finished my drink and threw it into a trash can before letting out a heavy sigh as I walked down the corridor.
Then I spotted a girl with long blonde hair entering a door at the side. It didn't seem to lead to any restaurant or entertainment facility.
Was that Karuizawa?
Perhaps she was looking for something here, or maybe she was meeting someone else.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket to kill some time, only to find myself still on the class group chat.
They just wouldn't stop sending messages and stupid jokes.
Seriously, couldn't they kill a little time without doing this?
I quickly closed my phone, shoved it firmly back into my pocket, and continued walking.
As soon as I turned the corner, I nearly collided with a group of girls, only managing to avoid them at the last moment.
They continued walking calmly as if they hadn't noticed me, or simply didn't care, eventually passing through the same door.
After moving around this ship so much, I had become familiar with most of its facilities and areas.
Even so, I still thought that door led to the stairs going down toward the lower decks.
I didn't remember there being any restaurant or popular shop among the students down there.
What if there were discounts or delicious dishes there...?
Hmmmm.
That made sense.
People wouldn't go there without a reason.
I stood in front of the door, staring at it with a blank expression as I searched for the slightest excuse not to enter.
Yet every instinct I had was telling me that something was happening in there.
Damn.
I'd become curious lately.
That was a bad habit. I definitely needed to put a stop to it.
Still, I remembered the face of one of the girls who had been with them—the girl with glasses from my group, who was also from Ryuuen's class.
"Tch..."
I reached for the door and opened it easily, only to find stairs leading both upward and downward.
I raised my head and looked up.
There was no sign of anyone going upstairs.
The same was true when I looked down.
"As I thought, I'm just an idiot who overthinks everything..."
I kicked the floor before descending the stairs in search of the supposedly popular shop.
"Come on, look over here..."
I heard the voices of several girls.
They were shouting loudly, as though they were having fun.
With every step downward, my senses became increasingly uncomfortable with the place, as if whatever was happening here had nothing to do with me.
No.
It was more like if I interfered now, things wouldn't go well for me.
The stairs finally ended, but the girls' loud voices didn't.
I leaned against the wall and peeked at them.
The moment I stuck my head out from around the corner, my expression froze.
I couldn't process what I was seeing.
Three girls were holding Karuizawa against the wall while the girl wearing glasses slapped her, laughing loudly as if she were enjoying herself.
"What the hell is going on here...?"
No.
That was a meaningless question.
I understood perfectly well what my eyes were seeing.
But I felt that this was more than just an ordinary case of bullying.
As far as I remembered, Karuizawa was a VIP.
And those girls were from Ryuuen's class.
Had Ryuuen ordered them to do this in order to corner her?
No.
I didn't think Ryuuen was the reason behind this.
On the surface, it looked like nothing more than a fight between girls.
But it was an equation...
An equation that had been prepared beforehand.
And I was merely an unexpected variable who had wandered into it.
Karuizawa arriving here first, followed by those girls...
It was obvious that she had been lured here.
Perhaps the fact that this situation had been planned in advance was exactly why I couldn't accept it.
I tried to ignore my thoughts and leave, but I couldn't make my body move backward.
Instead, I stepped forward toward the girls.
"Hey, girls..."
I shouted loudly as I stood directly in front of them without anything between us.
The girls quickly turned toward me, while Karuizawa remained against the wall, completely exhausted.
I felt like I was being watched.
The eyes staring at me made the empty space around me feel threatening.
Why had I done this?
I should have just continued walking from the beginning.
"Oh, what do you want?"
A girl with short green hair and pink accessories shouted from the front.
She really was from Ryuuen's class.
A thug like this could only belong to that class.
Although her sentence sounded ordinary, there was an implicit threat behind it.
"Well, I was just wondering if this really wasn't the right time to leave..."
I pointed my thumb toward the door behind me.
"You..."
The girl growled aggressively as she stepped forward.
But the girl beside her grabbed her arm tightly.
"What is it?"
She turned toward her, apparently annoyed that she had stopped her.
"Manabe, that's Hikigaya Hachiman. Ryuuen-kun told us to stay away from him."
The girl spoke in a calm voice, almost a whisper.
Seriously, what was Ryuuen telling people about me?
I'd have to sue him later for whatever he was spreading about me.
And this Manabe...
Was she some kind of gang leader?
She was genuinely frightening.
"Is this him?"
Manabe quickly turned toward me again, as though her view of me had suddenly changed.
"Still, it doesn't matter. We're just punishing her for what she did to our friend, so please don't interfere."
Manabe tried to justify their actions as though they were doing something completely ordinary.
"Oh, really?"
I nodded deeply as though I understood what she meant.
Then I pulled out my phone and pretended to fiddle with it before placing it against my ear.
"W-What are you doing?"
Manabe muttered cautiously, clearly suspicious of my actions.
"Oh, nothing. Just continue what you're doing. I'm calling Ryuuen so he can come watch with me."
There wasn't actually anyone on the other end of the phone.
I didn't even have Ryuuen's number.
But I figured his name alone might be enough to instill enough fear in them to make them back off.
"Okay, okay! We understand! We're leaving!"
The girl shouted loudly before quickly heading toward the exit, followed by the others.
As she passed me, I could feel her hostile gaze practically tearing into half my body.
Scary.
I put my phone back into my pocket before looking at Karuizawa.
She had fallen to the floor and was sobbing.
She really was different from the girl in class.
In class, she looked like a cheerful popular girl who toyed with boys' feelings.
But now, she was simply a girl being bullied until she had fallen to the bottom and surrendered completely.
I sighed quietly and turned around to leave as well.
There was no reason for me to stay anymore.
"You..."
I heard a weak voice mutter from behind me.
"Hmmm...?"
I glanced sideways at her.
She was staring at me with tearful eyes and a hint of hostility, as though the flame inside her was desperately struggling not to go out.
"You're going to tell everyone too...?"
Karuizawa asked while gritting her teeth.
What was this?
Why did everyone think I went around spreading rumors and information?
"No."
I answered briefly, raising my shoulders.
"Huh? Why...?"
She seemed surprised by my answer.
Perhaps she thought anyone would see this as an opportunity to bully her even further, expose her in front of everyone, and drag her even deeper down.
"Hmmm... because I don't care."
I didn't care about someone who hid her true self from others and pretended to be strong in front of them.
Nor did I care about someone who hid the darkness inside her behind a sweet smile that tore down every wall between her and the others.
It was all an act.
And an act was still fake.
That was what I disliked the most.
"You don't care... You really don't understand this feeling, do you?"
Karuizawa buried her face between her knees again and cried harder.
I didn't understand.
Yeah.
That was true.
I couldn't understand the situation of other people, just as other people couldn't understand mine.
Physical bullying might seem extremely cruel, but was it really on the same level as psychological bullying?
Perhaps she had been looking for someone who understood her and understood how she felt.
Or perhaps she wanted someone to protect her.
Someone like Hirata.
He would definitely try to help her.
Maybe that was her way of dealing with things.
"Hey. You're used to being bullied, aren't you?"
I turned toward her and looked directly at her.
"What...?"
She quickly raised her head and glared at me angrily at the question.
Ah.
My question really did sound stupid.
Am I an idiot?
"I mean, if you're used to taking a few hits, then it's fine, right? Let them do whatever they want. In exchange, record them and threaten them afterward however you want..."
I shoved my hands into my pockets.
People were always talking about cooperation and asking others for help.
Fine.
I could accept that idea a little for now.
But it wasn't complete.
The person who understood you best and could help you the most was yourself.
If you saved yourself, you wouldn't be in such a miserable situation.
You wouldn't need anyone to interfere and help you at all.
"Huh? What are you talking about...?"
She tried to stand weakly, unable to keep her balance.
"Wouldn't it be great to threaten them? If they're afraid of you, they won't come near you again."
I looked away.
Well, it made sense.
It might even be fun.
"Huh...?"
Her tears stopped for a moment before falling to the floor again in silence.
I looked down at her as she wiped her tears with her arms.
What?
She still didn't understand?
I really didn't know what else I was supposed to say.
"Have you lost your ability to understand things after getting slapped?"
I stepped forward.
She looked at me, furious.
Maybe I'd gone too far.
"Shut up! Seriously, who the hell are you?"
I stopped where I was and looked around.
Well, that was expected.
Nobody knew me.
That was the rule.
"Hikigaya Hachiman. Same class..."
It was annoying having to introduce myself all the time.
Maybe I should write my name on my back.
It would be easier.
"I know..."
Karuizawa said as she sat quietly in place.
I pulled my hand out of my pocket and wiped it against my pants before extending it toward her.
She stared at my hand for a moment, as though wondering what she should do.
Then she grabbed it and leaned on me to stand.
I quickly turned around and left.
There was no reason to stay here anymore.
I climbed the stairs while hearing faint footsteps following behind me.
I reached for the door, only to find Ayanokouji standing alone behind it.
"Hmmm..."
We exchanged silent glances.
Karuizawa appeared behind me.
Ayanokouji continued staring at her before turning his attention back to me.
"What are you doing here?"
Ayanokouji asked.
Hmmmm.
Was he seriously asking me that?
"I was playing hide-and-seek."
I pulled my hand out of my pocket and extended it toward him.
Ayanokouji took a step backward as though he was wary of me.
"Don't move..."
I muttered as I stepped forward and extended my hand toward him.
Ayanokouji stopped where he was, watching my hand approach him until it stopped at chest level.
I slipped my hand into the small pocket there and pulled out a light novel.
"Ah..."
Ayanokouji muttered under his breath as he looked at me.
"I was going to return it to you."
He tried to justify himself.
"Yeah, yeah. You weren't planning to steal it..."
I put it into my pocket.
I needed to deal with this later. I hadn't forgotten about it yet.
I moved to leave, giving Karuizawa enough space to pass through as well.
She walked away in the opposite direction while Ayanokouji remained standing where he was.
I stopped in the middle of the corridor and looked at the luxurious surface of the ship.
What a coincidence.
A coincidence?
I turned toward Ayanokouji, who was still watching me with his usual blank expression.
"Hey, this kind of story is bad. I don't recommend it."
I shoved my hands firmly into my pockets.
Ayanokouji calmly looked at me before putting his own hands into his pockets.
"It was an interesting experience."