Chapter 138: Karuizawa Kei is a strong person

After reading Hirata's message, Kanda Shuichi waited for him to make a move, and finally, around 1:00 AM, Hirata either woke up or had never gone to sleep. He checked the time on his phone, then slowly got out of bed.

Noticing his movement, Kanda Shuichi sat up as well.

The two exchanged a quick glance in the dimly lit room, then quietly got out of bed, put on their shoes, and left the room.

A few minutes later, they were walking down the quiet hallway together.

"You really made me wait," Kanda Shuichi said. "If it were any later, I might have just gone to sleep."

Once they were out the door, there was no need to be as cautious, and their voices became louder.

"Sorry, we agreed to meet at 2:00 AM," Hirata said with an apologetic smile.

"Eh, it's fine. But with your relationship, you could meet during the day, right? Is there something you can't say during the day?" Kanda Shuichi asked, feeling confused. Hirata gave a somewhat awkward smile.

"You'll understand in a bit."

Kanda Shuichi didn't press further, as it seemed like Hirata intended for him to join the conversation with Karuizawa directly.

For Hirata, everyone was equal, so he wouldn't allow Kanda Shuichi to hide and eavesdrop on his conversation with Karuizawa.

In other words, if Karuizawa didn't want to talk, Hirata wouldn't share anything about her side with Kanda Shuichi. However, if Karuizawa was willing to talk in front of Kanda Shuichi, Hirata would share whatever information he could.

After explaining, Hirata stepped forward in the hallway with a calm expression, showing no signs of nervousness, as though he had been preparing for this moment.

The meeting point was in front of the vending machine on the second basement floor lounge area, located in the middle of the long hallway inside the ship.

Although the area itself was easy to spot, it was far from both ends of the hallway, and because it was a straight path, anyone approaching would be immediately noticed, making it impossible to eavesdrop.

For Kanda Shuichi, even though he wasn't very familiar with Karuizawa, he had no reason to refuse since it was Hirata's request. So, he followed him here.

By the time they arrived, Karuizawa seemed to have been waiting for a while. Since the evening was a bit chilly, she was dressed in sportswear and sitting on the couch.

When she heard their footsteps, Karuizawa turned around and saw Hirata, immediately smiling. But as soon as she saw Kanda Shuichi, the smile quickly faded, and she became a little flustered.

"Why is Kanda coming along?" 

"I asked him to come."

There was no need for Kanda Shuichi to say anything; Hirata explained on his behalf.

"Why? I clearly said I wanted to talk alone..."

"Sorry, but I'm really concerned about what you mentioned on the phone. Even though you want to talk alone, that's not something just the two of us can decide."

Kanda Shuichi leaned against the wall, quietly listening to the conversation between Hirata and Karuizawa. He thought this might be related to what Ayanokouji had told them a few days ago.

Could it be related to the issue with Class C?

The atmosphere fell silent. Karuizawa occasionally glanced at Kanda Shuichi, who was resting against the wall, and several times she opened her mouth as if to speak, but hesitated and didn't say anything.

Finally, it was Hirata who spoke again.

"Earlier, you said you had a conflict with Class C's Manabe and the others. Is that true?"

"Of course it's true. Those guys from Manabe started trouble with me, forced me to a secluded place, and almost beat me up."

As Hirata asked, Karuizawa immediately stopped being silent and began listing all her grievances. But when she noticed Hirata's hesitant tone, she became even more emotional.

"And Yukimura and Ayanokouji saw it too! If you don't believe me, you can ask them!"

Hearing this, Hirata nodded.

Indeed, Karuizawa wouldn't have needed to lie about something like that, especially when such a lie would be easy to expose.

But Kanda Shuichi found it strange. Isn't she your girlfriend? 

At this point, you should just trust her without question, and then go check with the others later, right? Why would you need confirmation from Ayanokouji and Yukimura?

"I understand. If Manabe and the others were the ones bullying you, then that's wrong. I won't allow violence between friends."

Karuizawa's face lit up when she heard Hirata's reassuring words.

"But, I just want to confirm something. Karuizawa, you were the one who was unfairly treated, right?"

"Yeah, they were way out of line!"

After receiving Hirata's confirmation, Karuizawa immediately became cheerful.

But...

Girl, do you know what the consequences will be for lying in front of Hirata?

The conflict between Karuizawa and the girls from Class C, although neither Hirata nor Kanda Shuichi fully understood it, was clearer based on what Ayanokouji had told them yesterday.

This wasn't a one-sided case of abuse by the students of Class C.

The real reason was that Karuizawa had knocked over one of Manako's friends, a girl named Rika, before the summer break.

Afterward, Manabe and the others demanded an apology from Karuizawa, but she refused. This led to Karuizawa almost being assaulted by them.

Based on what Ayanokouji had previously shared and what Karuizawa just said, Hirata had pretty much figured out what happened.

"But I heard that you were the one who started the argument with Morofuji?" 

Morofuji? Is that the girl named Rika?

"You trust others but not me?" Karuizawa looked stunned at Hirata's words.

However, Hirata didn't respond to him and continued, "I see. That's why you said that to me, asking me to get back at Manabe and the others."

It was more for Kanda Shuichi, who was listening in, than it was for Karuizawa.

But Kanda Shuichi actually admired Karuizawa's idea—take down the enemy before the enemy takes you down. If it were him, he would have done the same. The problem was, Karuizawa seemed to lack the power to do so and had to rely on others. And the person she was relying on right now wasn't exactly the most reliable.

No, it might be that she was overly reliable, and didn't want to create any bigger conflict over this issue.

"Why say it out loud..." 

"Because, with your usual approach, you wouldn't think to solve things with violence, right?"

"B-because..."

*Clap!*

As soon as Kanda Shuichi heard Hirata's words, he understood why Hirata had called him out.

It was because Kanda Shuichi had once asked him a question.

[What would you do if an irreconcilable conflict arose in the class?]

[If it came to that, I probably wouldn't be able to make a decision. So, Kanda-kun, could you help me then?]

At the time, Kanda Shuichi had agreed, and now was that moment.

Although Mako from Class C wasn't in their Class D, Hirata still considered her and the others as friends, which was why he didn't want to help Karuizawa take revenge on them.

Kanda, understanding Hirata's situation, made a judgment. This was something Hirata couldn't handle, so Kanda Shuichi clapped his hands together, interrupting their conversation.

"Hirata, you called me over because you couldn't solve this problem, didn't you?"

Neither of them showed frustration at Kanda Shuichi's sudden interruption. In fact, when Karuizawa heard his words, her eyes seemed to shine a little brighter.

"That's right, you're amazing. You figured it out with just a few words," Hirata turned to look at Kanda Shuichi.

"No, I don't really know. I just felt like you were having trouble making a decision, so I thought it was time for me to step in. After all, I promised you that if you couldn't make up your mind, I would help."

As Kanda Shuichi spoke, he stood up straight and walked over to Hirata.

"But I also said, my methods won't be gentle. Even if it's your girlfriend, are you ready for that?"

Hirata furrowed his brow slightly before nodding.

"A-actually, Hirata and I are just pretending to be a couple." 

Karuizawa's words made both Kanda Shuichi and Hirata Yosuke freeze for a moment and then glance at each other.

Kanda Shuichi was surprised, while Hirata looked somewhat relieved. 

Hirata felt relieved because Karuizawa's confession meant she was choosing to trust Kanda Shuichi now.

Kanda Shuichi's surprise was because—so Hirata doesn't have a girlfriend after all? No wonder he wasn't worried about being cheated on.

"Pretending?" 

Kanda Shuichi looked at Hirata, who nodded in response.

Kanda Shuichi found it a bit odd, then sighed. After glancing at the can of drink Karuizawa was holding, he walked over to the nearby vending machine.

"Come on, let's sit down and have something. Hirata, what would you like?"

"Just coffee is fine."

Knowing that Kanda Shuichi wasn't short on points, Hirata didn't refuse.

So Kanda Shuichi bought a canned drink and grabbed a can of black coffee for Hirata.

The three of them sat around a table on the couch in the lounge area.

"First, tell me why you pretended to be a couple. You've been fooling me for months."

Kanda Shuichi pulled the tab on a canned drink and took a sip. The fizzy sensation made him feel a bit more awake.

But when faced with this question, Karuizawa and Hirata didn't know how to respond.

"Kanda, do you remember what I told you about my middle school days?" Hirata asked.

"Of course, it was that night when I promised I'd help you when you couldn't make a decision," Kanda Shuichi nodded, showing he remembered Hirata's words.

"Actually, people who have been bullied often have a certain feeling. When I came to this school on the first day, I realized that Karuizawa..." Hirata started to speak, but Kanda Shuichi raised his hand to stop him. Karuizawa was shaking on the couch, hugging her knees, her face full of fear.

Seeing this, Kanda Shuichi understood. Karuizawa Kei had probably been severely bullied in the past, which was why she reacted so strongly to this topic.

Hirata was probably pretending to be her boyfriend at her request.

He must have used his position in class to help raise Karuizawa's status, so she wouldn't be seen as a bullied person anymore.

To elevate one's own position, the simplest method is to bring others down. To avoid going back to the lowest level, Karuizawa had to show a strong side. 

But she didn't manage to balance it well, going too far, which led to her refusal to apologize even when she was wrong. As a result, the situation escalated and got to this point.

Kanda Shuichi wasn't sure if his guess was entirely correct, but based on human nature and logic, he felt it was pretty close.

If that was indeed the case, he had to admire Karuizawa Kei. From her reaction earlier, the bullying she went through must have been severe, otherwise, she wouldn't have been so scared just hearing about it.

Most people who are bullied that much usually end up thinking about suicide, just like Hirata's friend Sugimura. 

But Karuizawa didn't resort to that; she didn't fall into darkness either. Instead, she picked herself up and tried to enjoy school life.

Seeing Karuizawa like this, even Kanda Shuichi had to admit some respect. Maybe she was weak, and maybe her heart had been shattered, but she had somehow put herself back together.

However, this patchwork heart would eventually crack again. If she faced the same situation, it might shatter instantly.

After a while, Karuizawa stopped shaking, though she was still breathing heavily, proving that everything earlier was real.

"Let's just go back for now. I'll contact you during the day. Give me your phone."

Kanda Shuichi decided to end the conversation there, as asking her about it in front of Hirata would only make things awkward, and it might not solve the problem in one go.

Karuizawa handed her phone to Kanda Shuichi, her face blank.

After they exchanged contact information, Kanda Shuichi returned the phone to her.

Then, he gently patted her head. "Go back. I'll help you with your problems."

Karuizawa looked up at Kanda Shuichi. Even though his tone was calm, the undeniable certainty in his words felt like a divine command in her ears.

The warmth of his hand on her head made Karuizawa Kei feel at ease.

"Thank you," she whispered.

After thanking him softly, Karuizawa stood up from the couch and hurried out of the public lounge on the second basement floor.

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