Episode 126 – Vague Lead

I think there is a widespread image in the world that feelings of jealousy and hatred are despicable. People who have made no effort at all may envy someone who has succeeded, or they may envy someone who, with only a little effort, displays a talent unrivaled by others. The human mind is easily swayed.

But at the same time, this is the beauty of the human creature. What kind of story will be created by a person who has been burned by the flames of hatred? How does a cornered person despair and what do they do after that? Growing up with a father who was involved in evil deeds, I had such lowly ideas ingrained in my values from an early age.

I never once thought it was a bad thing. There is a wall between the weak and the strong that cannot be crossed, it is a natural phenomenon just like an earthquake or a typhoon. And I just observe and enjoy this natural phenomenon.

There were times when I used my friends and others to bully those who were in a weaker position. But I quickly accepted my despair, and the stories that followed were nothing but boredom. And my friends around me, perhaps intoxicated by the taste of bullying once they had it, would continue to torment the person in question in a concentrated manner afterwards. I don’t mean to be a spoiled brat myself, but the masses that flock to the weak are often a snobbish lot.

It was then that I met him. He happened to be a classmate of mine at the same school. His name is Tachibana Kanata. For a middle school student, he seemed to have a somewhat mature outlook. But more than that, he was a complete human being.

Many of his friends gathered around him and adored him. This was probably due to the fact that he had a superhuman talent that made it ridiculous to count. He could do anything, getting perfect scores on tests was a given, and he would remark that it was hard to find something he couldn’t do.

Seeing him like that, I thought–what a disgusting person.

And at the same time I wanted to see it. I wondered, what kind of story would be spun from there if a person who seemed to have received the favor of God were to fall to the point of depravity. It must be unpleasant to watch. But I would love to see it. I want to see it, and I want to be immersed in the pleasure of seeing it.

That is who I am, Shishiyama Shinya.

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I became friends with Yukihana after a heart-to-heart talk with Sakura. I had been living as plain a life as possible since I became a high school student, and I can’t deny that this was the most intense moment for me in the past few years. At the very least, reconciliation with Sakura was one of the things I had hoped would come true, and although I can’t show it, I was very happy. I was finally able to face myself and move on. That’s why I can face what is about to happen without running away from it.

“……Let’s see.”

I came home after I parted with Yukihana, and I was facing my sister from the front at the table in the living room.

“You know, you’re a high school student, right? If you’re going to be late, why don’t you tell me that you’ll be late?”

“I mean, you know how it is sometimes that unexpected things come up?”

“I’m telling you this because I don’t think you’re going to have any unexpected business. I also called you when I was going to be late because of student council business.”

I feel like I’m being told something cruel, but let’s just let it go for now.

The reason why I’m getting so many complaints from my sister is because while I was on the rooftop with Sakura, it seems that more time passed than I thought it would and I got home late. I was worried because it was the first time since I became a high school student that I had come home this late.

However, her concern was short-lived, as she saw my face, which was now completely relaxed, and she began to release her thoughts and feelings from her stomach. Maybe it was the stress of studying for the exam.

“Even the food gets cold, and you can’t think about that?”

“……Yes.”

I thought about countering with a cryptic argument, but then I calmly concluded that it was my fault, so I bowed my head and waited for the storm to subside.

Then we started to eat, but my sister’s lectures continued. I think she said something like, [I’m sorry I got mad at you] towards the end, but I don’t remember much because I listened to her half-heartedly. But I think it was because we were family that she got angry with me like this. I don’t really dislike it when I think about it.

“Oh, by the way, you have a final exam coming up soon, are you going to cut corners again?”

“I’ll do my best. To the extent that I can barely enter the top fifty.

“……Sigh.”

Perhaps she was astonished to even hear it, my sister let out a sigh as if dropping her shoulders. Thinking back on it, my sister used to say that to me every time I had a test. Because my sister is one of the few people who know that I’m hiding my ability, she doesn’t seem to think well of such circumstances.

“If you didn’t have your grades posted, would you be taking it seriously?”

“Ah, that could happen.”

“…..As I thought, I should have approached it as a student council president then.”

At my high school, only the top 50 test scores are posted in the hallways. This culture has been controversial in the past because it is a disclosure of personal information, but it has remained because it is directly related to student motivation.

“How are you doing on your test?”

“At least, enough so that you don’t worry about me.”

We finish our meal with that conversation. I was forced to do all the dishes and clean up afterwards, but I was glad to be done with that. My sister went to her room to study some more and went to bed for the night. It’s been like that for a while now.

“……Now then.”

I finished cleaning up and went back to my room. Too many things have happened recently, including today. I’m going to try to sort it out for now to clarify the purpose.

First of all, I want to destroy that parent and child together. Yes, that’s my goal for now.

I haven’t thought about anything beyond that, but let’s think about achieving this first. Besides, Shinya was still unable to figure out what kind of person he was when it came to his father, the chairman. I have talked to him a little bit in the past, but that’s all there is to it.

But now that I have reconciled with Sakura, I can do more than before.

“It was decided that Sakura would somehow take care of Shinya and Yukihana’s engagement.”

Sakura will take care of the tie between Yukihana and Shinya. Her goal is not revenge, but just to break the engagement. I think a lot of bargaining will be necessary, but with the two of them now, I think it’s safe to leave it to them for a while.

And the problem is the board chairman. I need to gather information on this one first. And there are two people who may hold the key to this.

“First, the female student who was suspended from school.”

She is a freshman named Hashimoto Michiko, a student who belongs to the student council. After hearing a lot about her from Sakura, it seems that she is not the type of person who would cause problems in the least. Incidentally, she belongs to 1st year class 2, the same class as Hisui and Nanase.

It might be a good idea to contact her somehow and have a talk with her. I don’t know how her state of mind will be after a while, but the longer I put it off, the harder it will be to talk to her.

–And apart from her, there is one more person.

Haruto Miura……he was the former vice president of the student council and the person who gave me a lot of information, including about the sports festival.

I asked Sakura, who was also a member of the student council, about him.

[Miura senpai? I think he was a very serious person. He was quick to notice little things that other people didn’t notice, and he had excellent insight. In terms of his image as a man of both literary and military prowess, I think Miura senpai is probably the best in the school.]

According to what I hear, Miura’s grades are among the highest among third-year students. He is also a member of the student council and a regular member of the soccer club. As Sakura says, Miura is a high-spec person who is well versed in both the literary and military arts.

“I still don’t have accurate information about him.”

I’m still trying to figure out what information I have on Miura.

Together with my sister, he is considered to be one of the two biggest third-year students, and is the former vice-president of the soccer club. He is a friendly and responsible person who is trusted not only by his classmates but also by juniors. He has a younger sister, and he himself testifies that his sister was also treated badly by Shinya.

But this alone is not enough. I go further back in my brain and find a story about Haruto Miura. It didn’t have to be direct. I recall if anyone was gossiping about him, or if there was any conversation about him.

And then…..I got caught up. As I recall, it was at the sports festival, before the opening ceremony started. It’s a conversation when I changed into a jersey in the changing room. If I remember correctly, Hayama and the members of the soccer team in the same class were talking about Miura.

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[Hey, Hayama ! I just heard that Miura san is going to give the player’s oath.]

[Really ! I knew it ! He’s amazing, that guy.]

[Yeah, and this is just a rumor, but…..Miura san is going to confess to someone after the sports festival is over! !]

[Eh !? He’s been popular since he was a freshman, but he’s always turned down girls’ confessions, right !?]

[Yeah, but I hear it’s solid information.]

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“……Confession?”

I think Hayama and the others were saying something like that. Who was Miura going to confess to on that day? Or is the information itself a bluff?

But as long as an unspecified number of people are gossiping about it, there must be some reason for it.

“……Well, even I don’t know any more than that.”

I can predict it, but it is a bit risky to assume it is true and move on. I need to gather information on whether Miura is really on my side or not. The most likely to know about him is my sister, who is in the room right next door, but asking her is not going to be very helpful.

“No, wait a minute?”

If anything, let’s throw a question about Miura. Perhaps, unexpectedly, that one might work better.