Aura: Koga Maryuin’s Final Battle

After a day of rest, the mindset that I was enjoying myself when everyone else was going to school started doing its work, increasing my stress when I did attend. Even more so after that ruckus.
I entered the classroom all the while wondering what fate had in store for me.
“Good morning,” For some reason, Kobato-san came to greet me first thing. With a cordial tone, “And good work on your break.”
“M-morning. It’s a break, I wasn’t doing any work…”
Perhaps the day before yesterday was doing its work, as there was no mad charge from the dream soldier battalion. In place of the regular event, even as she was taking notes out of the textbook, Kobato-san had both her table and chair turned in my direction at the ready. Usually, after greeting me, she’d aimlessly wander off somewhere.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing in particular.”
Why did she sound so formal? What was I supposed to do if this was some new way of bullying?
“Have you heard about Yamamoto-kun?”
“Suspension, right?”
“Yeah.”
What did Kobato-san think about one of the mainstays of her own group being suspended? If she actually detested me and in her sinless smile told me, “Satou-kun, you’re lower than a grasshopper~,” or something, the shock would hopper me right through the window glass. To ensure that didn’t happen, I started out with an apology.
“… I’m sorry. I’m reflecting.”
“Eh? Why? That was Yamamoto-kun’s fault. You’re not supposed to reflect.”
From the way she blinked at my apology, that didn’t seem to be a lie.
“No, there’s this and that politically. With the status difference and all. Highs and lows, they say. Like I’m acting impertinent for a mere Nobita-kun, or something. I can’t really phrase it, but I do think I didn’t act perfectly.”
With a hard-to-measure face, she slowly tilted her head around ten degrees.
“I’m the one who should be sorry. I knew I had to stop it, but I couldn’t take any action. I’m sorry”
“Nah, I think you’re better off like that. It’s quite often that forcing your way in just makes things worse, and you might just become the new target. At times like those, you’re probably better off watching along, and lending a helping hand later on.”
“R-really? But just watching makes me uneasy with guilt.”
“Stick up for someone there, and the grudges don’t go away. But just knowing you have an ally in a group you thought was nothing but enemies makes it possible to endure.”
“I see.”
“I happen to be an expert on the subject.”
Kobato-san made a face as if she had just had an epiphany. Crap. I ended up speaking heatedly about my bullying problem. I’ve got to take care.
“… Satou-kun, are you some bigshot in a special organization?”
I did a double take.
“Huh? Why?”
“You’re popular, and you take hits like it’s nothing.”
“Popular? Eh? Pardon? Me? Where? With who? What fictional community?”
“Around half of the class is head over heels for you.”
by the time she said half, I already got the punchline.
“… Before being human, they are soldiers first and foremost and must be excluded from the count.”
“Ah, everyone in our class does love playing around, don’t they~.”
That statement made me wonder if she was actually an extremely strange person.
“I think this goes beyond play pretend, and there are some people you just find a little hard to get along with, right? I’m sure that’s the case with your group’s Yamamoto too. ”
“Yamamoto-kun’s stock’s plummeted~.”
That was the first time I ever heard Kobato-san badmouth someone. While I felt conflicted, I was deeply moved by the fact she was indeed human just like me. The sort of pleasure of teaching bad things to a pure, innocent soul.