『』『』『』『』『』
"I'm bored..."
Looking up at the clear orange sky from the rooftop after school, Kushida muttered those words.
Since she couldn't really do anything about Horikita at the moment, Kushida didn't know what to do lately.
No.
That might have been an understatement.
Rather, there was so much she had to deal with regarding her own circumstances that it wasn't just a matter of not knowing what to do. She didn't even know where to start. Of course, even if she did know where to start, it wasn't like she could actually do anything at the moment.
She was no longer in a situation that could be easily contained without asking Kumagawa for help, now that things had already spiraled this far.
This was completely unlike how she normally handled problems. Usually, she would look at the bigger picture first before narrowing things down step by step. But the situation had grown far beyond what she could handle on her own, and she no longer had an army of people she could use to brute-force her way out of trouble like she could in the past.
After all, this school's system didn't allow her to do that so easily.
In a way, while the school system had its advantages, it also came with several drawbacks when it came to social interaction and motivation. Even so, given the circumstances, this was the best she could manage.
Once again looking up at the orange sky, Kushida let out a heavy sigh.
Aside from lamenting her fate, all Kushida had with her was the handheld game console she had brought to the rooftop. Truth be told, she had grown rather attached to it. She never thought she would pick up a hobby like this before meeting Kumagawa, but perhaps because she had always been busy tending to other people's needs and practically became everyone's emotional trash can, she found herself grateful for discovering something she could genuinely enjoy.
Creak...
Just then, she heard a creaking sound.
It was the rooftop door opening.
Peeking over the rooftop bulkhead, she looked to see who had come up at this hour. Not many people visited the rooftop after school. While there were occasionally a few students who came here, it was still uncommon. The only people who regularly came to this place were Kumagawa and herself.
Even so, the person who appeared was far more unexpected.
"Ryuen-kun?"
Looking over the top of the bulkhead, Kushida met eyes with Ryuen.
Now that she looked at him again, Ryuen's eyes really did feel rotten. They looked normal on the surface, yet the impression they gave off was unmistakably rotten. Was it because of her close association with Kumagawa that she had become able to notice something like that? It felt as though she had become more sensitive to that kind of thing, while at the same time growing numb to it.
It really did feel contradictory.
"Kikyou, huh...? It's unusual to see you here alone. Where's your partner? Did he get himself into trouble again?"
"Rather than getting into trouble, he's busy dealing with one."
"So he's in trouble."
"He's solving the trouble."
"That sounds like trouble."
"...."
"...."
Since neither of them had expected to run into the other at this hour, an awkward silence naturally settled between them—but well, rather than awkawrd, it was more that they both wary of each other.
Kushida wariness was for an obvious reasons.
As for Ryuen, he was definitely wary of Kushida because of her association with Kumagawa. On top of that, he had begun to notice that she had changed somehow. She had become more twisted. Maybe it was because they were both rotten by nature, but Ryuen could sense it instinctively, especially after the Sports Festival.
"So, what brings you here, Ryuen-kun?"
"The hell's it to you? Why don't you go play the perfect little partner until you stab him in the back too?"
"Ahaha, that's awfully hostile." She let out a light laugh. "Though... you're here because of your little plan, aren't you? I can see why you'd pick this place. Given the circumstances, it's the perfect spot."
"...What the hell are you talking about?" Ryuen narrowed his eyes.
"You can keep pretending if you want, but your end goal isn't exactly hard to figure out."
Ryuen said nothing.
His eyes remained fixed on Kushida, who sat casually on the edge of the rooftop bulkhead, her legs dangling over the side. After a long moment, he let out a quiet, irritated sigh.
"I get it... That cockroach tipped you off." He clicked his tongue before continuing. "And don't bother denying it. There's no way you'd figure out what I was after on your own. The only one rotten enough to see through it is Kumagawa."
Kushida simply smiled.
An ambiguous smile that neither confirmed nor denied a single word.
Seeing that smile, Ryuen can't help but click his tounge once again. After all, it was true what she was saying about his plan. This place was perfect for the ocassion.
"Oh, right." Kushida tilted her head slightly. "Even if this place is secluded, how exactly are you planning to carry out your little plan with Karuizawa-san? There's a surveillance camera up here, you know."
"You think I didn't notice?"
His eyes shifted toward one corner of the rooftop.
There was only a single surveillance camera installed here, mounted above the rooftop door. It was the only practical place to put one. Even so, that lone camera covered nearly the entire rooftop, leaving almost no blind spots.
The downside, of course, was equally obvious.
If that single camera stopped working, the rooftop would be left completely unmonitored.
It was the same model used throughout the school building. Vandal-resistant, fitted with a durable polycarbonate lens, and protected by a sturdy steel housing that wouldn't break easily.
Of course, smashing it wasn't the only way to disable a surveillance camera.
"Are you planning to use the fact that the school can only monitor a limited number of surveillance cameras in real time?"
"Oh? So you know about that."
"Despite how I look, I'm pretty close to the student council vice president." Kushida smiled. "Although, me knowing that has less to do with how much authority Kumagawa-kun has, and more to do with the fact that he destroyed this very camera once."
Kushida had learned about the school's limited real-time surveillance by accident, thanks to one of Kumagawa's eccentric antics—or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it his natural talent for vandalism.
At the time, he'd claimed that the rooftop was his sacred place, and that destroying the surveillance camera was simply his way of protecting his privacy.
She had assumed the school would discover it immediately and punish him on the spot. Instead, it took an entire day before another student reported the broken camera, and only then was it replaced.
Kushida had found that rather strange, considering how the school usually operated. Still, because of that incident, both she and Kumagawa had accidentally learned one small but useful detail.
The school couldn't actively monitor every surveillance camera at the same time.
"But setting the cameras aside..." Kushida rested her chin on her hand. "Isn't what you're planning to do to Karuizawa-san a little cruel? It's not like I particularly care about her, but as another human being... I can't exactly say I like your sense of... hmm, what should I call it? Violence? Or is it simply pleasure?"
Ryuen let out a low chuckle.
"Kukuku... That's rich coming from you, Kikyou."
"Hm?"
"You already know what I'm about to do to one of your precious classmates. And that's all you've got to say?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your reaction."
He didn't take his eyes off her.
"Me being your enemy is one thing. But you talk about Karuizawa like what she's about to go through is just some story happening to someone else. Like it has nothing to do with you."
"But... it doesn't, does it?" Kushida tilted her head innocently. "She never told me anything. What happens to her has nothing to do with me. No matter how you look at it, isn't this just someone else's story?"
Whatever Karuizawa had gone through in the past, it was, in the end, her story.
It had nothing to do with Kushida.
That didn't mean she couldn't sympathize with her. She did. But that was as far as it went. Kushida had no intention of involving herself in someone else's story when it had nothing to do with her in the first place.
"Kukuku... Is that how you see it?"
"Yeah."
For a brief moment, Ryuen simply stared at her before the corners of his mouth curled upward.
"Well, suit yourself." He let out a quiet chuckle. "I can't say I dislike it."
His grin widened.
"Watching someone slowly become twisted right in front of you... it's surprisingly entertaining."
Kushida had no idea what Ryuen was talking about.
"Well, putting that aside." Ryuen waved the topic away. "Where's that cockroach? What kind of mess is he cleaning up now?"
"Ah... He's helping some second-years with the Winter Cup. He's accompanying the volleyball club outside the school today."
Ryuen raised an eyebrow.
"So he's not on campus?"
"Actually, he hasn't been at school for the past three days. I'm a little surprised you didn't know. I thought someone as wary of him as you would've kept track of that."
She had assumed Ryuen kept tabs on Kumagawa at all times. Especially lately, when he'd been keeping an eye on the members of Class D, both to gather information and to pressure them.
"You think I'd waste people on that while I'm busy trying to smoke out X?" Ryuen snorted. "At the very least, he's not a threat to my plan. I'm not wasting manpower on someone who's got nothing to do with it."
That was true enough.
To begin with, Kumagawa had never shown much interest in Ryuen's plan.
It was difficult to tell what actually interested him and what didn't. Kumagawa rarely acted according to logic. Kushida had even expected him to get involved once Karuizawa became the target, if only because she was a girl.
Surprisingly, though, he hadn't shown the slightest interest in Karuizawa herself.
"Anyway, I'm done here."
With that, Ryuen turned around and walked away without another word. A moment later, the heavy door swung shut behind him with a dull clank, leaving the rooftop silent once again.
Then again, it wasn't as if she expected politeness from him.
In some ways, Ryuen and Kumagawa were alike. Both were rotten in their own way.
The difference was that Ryuen's malice was easy to understand. Kumagawa, on the other hand, was something else entirely. Uncanny, unpredictable, and at times downright vile. Comparing the two almost felt unfair.
But...
"Ahh~ It's boring..."
Kushida let herself flop onto the rooftop floor, staring blankly at the orange sky above.
If she had known it would be this dull, she would've gone with Kumagawa and the volleyball club instead. Unfortunately, she wasn't part of the student council yet, so she couldn't simply come and go as she pleased, especially now that the president had started keeping an eye on her.
"I wonder if he's having fun out there..."
Knowing him, he was probably getting himself in trouble already.
『』『』『』『』『』
『Ah, if it isn't Otogami-senpai. 』
Kumagawa lowered the latest issue of Weekly Shounen Jump just enough to recognize the familiar pair of white gloves.
"Geh. What are you doing here?"
His voice carried no attempt whatsoever to hide his disgust.
In a convenience store, a conveniently inconvenient reunion took place.
Kumagawa had simply been standing around reading the latest issue of Weekly Shounen Jump when he unexpectedly crossed paths with his former upperclassman, who had unfortunately been expelled because of him. More importantly, he also happened to be one of Anshin'in-san's terminals living outside the school.
Well, Kumagawa doubted the person standing in front of him had a very good impression of him. After all, he had been expelled because of him.
Not that Kumagawa particularly minded. It wasn't exactly his fault.
"How rude," Otogami said, sounding genuinely offended.
As he spoke, he casually brushed a finger across one of his white gloves, making sure not a single crease remained.
『Hmm? Did you just read my mind? I don't remember Anshin'in-san giving you that kind of setting. 』
"It's hardly mind-reading." Otogami let out a quiet sigh. "Anyone who's spent more than five minutes with you would arrive at the same conclusion. And I'm really not the sort of person who likes to complain, but don't you think deciding someone's expulsion through a majority vote was rather crude? I accepted the result because there wasn't much point arguing against it, but a little sympathy for the person being expelled would've been appreciated. Then again... I'm really not the type to complain. I suppose I should've expected as much from a Minus."
『Otogami-senpai, you've said you're "not the type to complain" twice already. 』
"Exactly. That alone should be enough to prove I wasn't complaining."
『Ahaha. That sounded remarkably like complaining. 』
What an interesting person.
"So? What are you doing out here? Don't tell me you finally got expelled too. It took longer than I expected, but I guess even you can't stay out of trouble forever."
『Don't misunderstand. Even if it's only a matter of time, I still take my game with Anshin'in-san quite seriously. 』 Kumagawa casually closed the magazine. 『As for why I'm here... I'm simply carrying out my duties as the student council vice president. 』
"Your duties?"
Otogami tilted his head.
Rather than asking what Kumagawa meant, he quietly pondered it himself. In that sense, despite his habit of endlessly complaining while insisting he wasn't, his personality was oddly contradictory.
No wonder Anshin'in-san had made him one of her terminals.
Then again, every one of Anshin'in-san's Terminals had their own peculiar idiosyncrasy.
After a few moments, realization dawned on Otogami.
"Ah... It's the Winter Cup season already." He gave a small nod to himself before looking back at Kumagawa. "Not that I'm complaining, but I'm a little surprised Nagumo actually allowed you to leave the school."
『Nagumo-senpai is surprisingly generous when it comes to free labor, but... how did you know he's the current student council president? Weren't you expelled before he took over? 』
As far as Kumagawa remembered, Otogami had been expelled before the previous president stepped down.
Otogami looked at him as if the answer were obvious.
"Who do you think I am? Just because I was expelled doesn't mean I suddenly lost the ability to keep up with current events. Besides, I never involved myself in all that political nonsense to begin with. I was only a temporary student. I never intended to graduate in the first place."
『Really? 』
"Well, I'm a musician."
Otogami slowly raised one of his gloved hands, admiring it for a brief moment.
"Whether I graduated or not wouldn't have changed the path I was going to take." He let out a quiet sigh. "Not that I'm complaining, but Anshin'in-san really does enjoy making my life unnecessarily complicated."
After adjusting the cuff of his glove, he continued.
"As for Nagumo, it wasn't difficult to predict. Anyone who paid attention could tell he was going to become the next president sooner or later. With the influence he had, the outcome was practically inevitable."
"Um... excuse me."
Just then, while the two were still talking, a girl in casual clothes approached them.
She had hip-length light blonde hair tied at the back with a white ribbon, long bangs framing her forehead, bright blue eyes, and a rather well-endowed figure.
『Good grief, Otogami-senpai. If you had a girlfriend waiting for you, you could've told me. 』 Said Kumagawa.
Before Otogami had the chance to respond, the girl hurriedly waved her hands.
"Ah, no! It's a misunderstanding." She gave an awkward smile. "I'm not his girlfriend. Actually, I don't know either of you. I just noticed you were wearing the ANHS uniform, and... well, you both looked approachable, so I was wondering if I could ask you something."
"I can understand why you'd think I look approachable," Otogami said with a small nod. "But him?"
He raised a gloved hand and pointed at Kumagawa.
"No matter how I look at it, there's nothing remotely approachable about this person. So either your judgment is terribly flawed... or your eyesight is. Not that I'm complaining, of course. I'm merely pointing out an objective fact."
"Well... I'm not really sure what you're talking about, other than the fact that it sounds rather mean." She gave an awkward smile "Since I don't know either of you, I'd rather not take sides."
『Ahaha. You're surprisingly fair. 』
"In any case, there's something I'd like to ask you. Do you happen to have a little time?" Her gaze settled on Kumagawa.
『Mm? Sure. Even if I didn't have time, I'd make some. Even if you turned out to be my enemy, you could drag me away as much as you'd like, so there's no need to be so polite! 』
"....."
Both Otogami and the girl looked at Kumagawa with complicated expressions.
Well, it was mostly the girl. Otogami didn't seem particularly surprised. As far as he was concerned, this was simply how Kumagawa was.
"T-Then... would you mind talking somewhere else? I know a café nearby. Since I'm the one asking for your time, the least I can do is buy you both a drink."
Kumagawa and Otogami exchanged a glance.
Without another word, they silently agreed and followed the girl.
Just as she had said, the café was only about a five-minute walk from the convenience store.
It wasn't particularly crowded. Rather than being unpopular, it simply had its quieter hours. At other times of the day, it was actually a fairly well-known café that attracted plenty of customers.
After ordering their drinks and finding a table, the three of them finally sat down.
『So, what did you want to talk about? Though, just so you know, I wholeheartedly agree with my beloved and respected Otogami-senpai here that you have rather questionable taste in judging people. 』
"Let's stop with the 'beloved' and 'respected' nonsense. Since when have you ever respected me?"
『Please, have a little more confidence in yourself. Despite being expelled, you're still a genius musician who accepted a majority vote without falling into despair. That's worthy of quite a bit of respect. Would you like me to go down the list one by one? I'm sure you remember every reason. They're etched into your very bones. 』
"In my bones."
『Yes. I'm talking about your memories.』
"..."
Before anyone realized it, the conversation had drifted completely off course.
the very girl who had invited them here, could only watch with a puzzled expression, having failed to find a single opening to join in. Fortunately, Kumagawa seemed to remember her existence and suddenly turned his attention toward her.
That alone was enough to make her sit up straight.
『Come to think of it, you still haven't told us your name, have you? 』
"A-Ah... Y-You're right. I'm sorry."
She quickly composed herself before giving a polite bow.
"My name is Nanase Tsubasa. It's a pleasure to meet you both."
The girl introduced herself as Nanase Tsubasa.
Kumagawa and Otogami introduced themselves as well before Kumagawa returned to the matter at hand.
『Then, Nanase-chan. 』
"...Chan?"
『Why don't you tell me why you were looking for me? Just so you know, even though my heart already belongs to someone, my body doesn't. Ah, and I have a soft spot for girls who act all hot and bothered. 』
Nanase froze for a moment.
Being called "Nanase-chan" by someone she had just met had already caught her off guard. The words that followed only left her even more bewildered. She did her best not to let it show, but she couldn't completely hide the discomfort on her face.
"Um... Kumagawa-san." She hesitated for a brief moment before continuing. "You're a student at ANHS... right?"
『That's right. 』
"Then... what are you doing out here? I thought students enrolled there weren't allowed to have contact with the outside world."
That was, after all, the common perception of ANHS.
Aside from its reputation for guaranteeing its graduates a successful future, the school was equally famous for its strict policy of cutting students off from the outside world. Once enrolled, they were essentially isolated on an artificial island in the middle of Tokyo.
Of course, the public knew nothing about the school's inner workings. Things like the special exams or the fact that only Class A received the school's full benefits remained hidden from the outside world.
Considering human nature, that alone was rather surprising.
Kumagawa couldn't help but wonder if every graduating third-year had to sign some sort of confidentiality agreement with the government before leaving the school.
『Well, I'm out here on student council business. That's why I'm allowed to leave the school. 』
"Student council business?" Nanase repeated. "From what I've heard, the school is extremely strict with its rules. If you're allowed to go outside because of that... does that mean the student council has a lot of authority within the school?"
『Heeh~. You catch on quickly. 』
The corners of Kumagawa's mouth lifted into a smile.
『Are you planning to enroll there? 』
"...Something like that." Nanase nodded. "I mean, who wouldn't want a school that guarantees admission to any university they want?"
『Heheh. Is that so? I can't really relate. I've transferred from one school to another my whole life, so the idea of being attached to a single school feels rather flimsy to me. 』
"Why do you make it sound like you hate being enrolled in such a prestigious school?"
『I dislike schools in general, but "hate" would be an overstatement. It's not like I dislike them enough to keep transferring because of it. 』 He shrugged lightly. 『Besides, it's not as though I hate the memories I made there. A school only lasts for three years, after all. 』
"That sounds tough."
『Mm? Not really, It's not all tough. Whether I stay at one school or ten, people leave all the same. Three years pass by surprisingly quickly. Before you know it, everyone's walking a different road. 』
For some reason, Medaka-chan came to mind.
With her personality, even if she ended up walking a completely different path from everyone else, he was sure she would still live her life to the fullest. Zenkichi-chan would probably be following right behind her—No, he was probably already walking beside her.
How many months... or perhaps even years had passed over there by now?
Although he had never asked Anshin'in-san, there had to be some kind of time dilation between dimensions, right? After all, she was the kind of person who would pay attention to little details like that.
"Ah... maybe you're right. But can I ask you one more thing?"
『What is it?』
"From the rumors I've heard... it's easy for students to get expelled from that school, isn't it? Is there some special rule that makes it so easy?"
『Rules, huh...』
Come to think of it, Nanase really didn't know anything about ANHS.
Everything she knew came from rumors.
Rumors really were scary things.
Since students were isolated from the outside world as soon as they enrolled, there had never been any need for a rule forbidding them from revealing the school's secrets. There was no one they could tell in the first place. Even students who left the campus for competitions or other official activities were usually accompanied by teachers.
If there really was some kind of confidentiality agreement, it probably wasn't signed at the beginning.
Having students sign something like that before they even knew what they were agreeing to would only make the school look suspicious.
More likely, it was something they signed shortly before graduation, after spending three years within the school's system.
At least, that was Kumagawa's guess.
His own situation was an exception.
But whether he should tell her...
『Well, there's no rule stopping me from talking about it... but I don't think I should.』
"If it isn't against the rules, then what's the problem?"
Nanase was being surprisingly bold.
Almost as if she was desperate for something.
『No particular reason. But why are you so determined? Don't tell me you're acting like this because you remembered I like girls who get all hot and bothered, and you're trying to charm the answer out of me. If so, you're completely off the mark. 』
"....."
『Why are you so fixated on expulsion anyway? 』
His smile didn't change.
『Are you perhaps up to something? Or... are you trying to get someone at that school expelled? 』
"T-that's..."
Such an ambiguous question.
It could be interpreted in far too many ways.
『Well, don't worry too much. If you end up enrolling there, you'll get plenty of chances. Not just to expel people, but even to drive them into despair. And it wouldn't even be your fault. 』
Kumagawa said.
That had to be some kind of exaggeration.
At least, that's what Nanase wanted to believe.
Yet somehow, the way Kumagawa spoke left Nanase with a faint sense of unease. She couldn't quite put her finger on why—No, she knew exactly why. He spoke so casually, as if driving someone to despair through expulsion was no different from commenting that there was a tree outside the window.
It was honestly really unsettling.
But, deciding not to dwell on it, she shifted her attention to the other person at the table.
"And what about you... senpai?"
"Hmmm?"
Otogami looked up from the frappe latte he had been quietly enjoying.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but... I heard you mention being expelled earlier. Were you a student at ANHS too?"
"That's right. I'm a former student... and also the victim who somehow ended up getting expelled because of this person right here."
He reached over and poked Kumagawa's cheek rather forcefully.
"...You were expelled by him?"
She looked at Kumagawa incredulously.
"What's wrong?" Otogami asked.
"Ah, it's just... knowing that you were expelled because of him, shouldn't you hate him for it? After all, you lost your chance to graduate, didn't you?"
That was the impression she got.
She could tell from Otogami's body language and the way he spoke that he disliked Kumagawa.
But strangely, it didn't seem to be because he had been expelled.
"It's not like I'm complaining, but the fact is that I was already expelled." Otogami took another sip of his drink. "Besides, why would I hate him over that? I have nothing against him in that regard. I already dislike him for a completely different reason. There's no point adding another instrument to an orchestra that's already playing."
"Is... that so?"
Nanase couldn't help but feel something was off about his sense of priorities. She had already concluded that Kumagawa was strange, surely Otogami wasn't the same... right? Or was everyone who attended that prestigious school just... wired differently?
『Ahaha. Don't say that, Otogami-senpai. It's not exactly my fault. 』
"You really don't have a conscience, do you?"
『No, really, it's not my fault. Weren't you the one chosen through a majority vote? I didn't even participate in it. Everyone else voted for you because they disliked you, right? So rather than asking whether it was my fault, shouldn't you be asking why your classmates hated you in the first place? 』
"..."
The fact that he said all of that without even a trace of sarcasm was precisely what made Kumagawa a Minus among Minuses.
An abnormal even a god-like being had taken an interest in.
"Well okay," Otogami took another sip of his drink. "It's not that I'm complaining about being expelled. The result itself is already in the past. But if I were to complain about anything, it would be the majority vote itself. Majority rule is, without question, one of the ugliest formulas humanity has ever created. It disguises itself as fairness simply because more people agree with it, when in reality it merely grants legitimacy to numbers. No matter how wrong, how cruel, or how foolish an opinion may be, the moment enough people support it, it suddenly becomes justice. Whether the majority is actually right or wrong no longer matters once the minority loses the right to object."
He took another sip of his frappe.
"Not that I'm complaining, of course."
『Ahaha. What an extreme argument─madly rushing from one extreme to the other. That's no different from saying everything that sells well is trash. 』
"Maybe. Maybe I'm being dumb. But if a million people showed up to agree, even my dumb opinion becomes right. I learned that you can mass-produce all the justice you could ever want─that justice arises from numbers. It's about establishing a majority. That's why—"
"No."
Nanase cut him off before he could continue.
"What?"
"I don't agree with that."
For the first time since they had sat down, Nanase spoke not as someone asking questions, but as someone challenging the answer she had just heard.
"I do think the majority can be wrong," she said. "History has already proven that much."
"History?" Otogami repeated. "You mean the same history where the strong are praised as strong and the weak are dismissed as weak? Justice has always been something that can be manufactured. A majority vote is simply one method of producing it. The weak are the ones who get voted out. It's really that simple."
"..."
"Not that I'm saying the majority vote itself is right. No matter how you look at it, it's one of the ugliest formulas humanity has ever created. But that's precisely its nature. It has the power to turn 'wrong' into 'right.' That contradiction is both its greatest strength and its greatest flaw."
Nanase quietly lowered her gaze.
"But... if we follow your logic..."
She slowly looked back up.
"If numbers alone decide what's right and what's wrong, then a large group bullying a single person would be justice instead of cruelty. And if that's true..." Her voice gradually softened. Then... someone's misfortune could be called justice. Someone's end could be called justice too... even if that person had done nothing wrong. Isn't that... just another form of injustice?"
『But Nanase-chan, hasn't that always been the case? 』
"Huh?"
『I don't really know much about justice, morality, righteousness, or compassion. But didn't you just say it yourself? "History has already proven that much." History is full of people calling someone else's misfortune "justice." Wars, revolutions, witch hunts, people are surprisingly good at giving suffering respectable names. At the very least, that's something even I know.』
He idly stirred the ice in his drink with his straw.
『Just like how people would rather be the culprit than the victim, at the end of the day, they'd rather be the one killing than the one being killed. 』
Those words sounded incredibly questionable.
Yet Nanase couldn't bring herself to deny them outright.
The comparison itself was grim, but there was a truth hidden within it.
When people were forced to choose between becoming the victim or the culprit, most would instinctively choose the latter. It was especially apparent in something like a majority vote, where the line between those casting judgment and the one receiving it was painfully clear.
When faced with those two choices...
Very few people would willingly choose to become the victim.
"But even if it's something flimsy, even if it's something that can be mass-produced, its nature hasn't changed at all. Flimsy justice and manufactured justice aren't justice in the first place. They're manipulation. They're propaganda."
Nanase paused for a moment before continuing.
"I'm not trying to say something idealistic. I know reality doesn't always follow ideals. But facts don't change just because the majority chooses to believe something else."
『Hmm? 』
"If everyone simply accepted that way of thinking, then nobody would ever stand on the side of the victim. In the end, it comes down to personal accountability."
"Then..." Otogami spoke up. "Let's assume there's a situation with a clear victim and a clear perpetrator. To resolve it, the matter is put to a majority vote. In that case, who do you think should bear the blame?"
"...The perpetrator," Nanase answered after a brief pause.
"Correct. In a situation where the victim and the perpetrator are clearly defined, personal accountability dictates that the perpetrator should bear the responsibility. If the matter were decided by majority vote, then naturally the majority should arrive at that conclusion."
"Right..."
"But now let's change the situation."
Otogami folded his hands on the table.
"What if the victim chooses to resolve the situation by dragging an uninvolved third party into it, making that person the scapegoat instead?"
"..."
"If we're talking about personal accountability, then who should be held accountable? The original perpetrator? The victim who chose to sacrifice someone else? Or... should the innocent scapegoat simply accept their fate?"
A case of like repelling like—of victimhood rejecting victimhood.
How was she even supposed to answer a dilemma like that?
In the first place, all she had been trying to do was offer her own view on the concept. It wasn't as if she was forcing her beliefs onto others. That would be nothing more than another form of violence. But even so, she hadn't expected to be cornered like this.
On the other hand, Otogami hadn't intended to corner Nanase at all.
Complaints aside, he was genuinely curious about her answer. It wasn't every day that someone would openly challenge the views of a person they had only just met, especially after approaching them simply to ask a few questions. In ordinary society, that alone could be considered rather rude.
Yet she had done it without hesitation.
That alone told him quite a bit about her sense of justice.
"...I don't know. I've never experienced something like that."
Those were the only words Nanase could manage.
The question itself wasn't difficult.
It was the assumption hidden behind it that made it difficult.
If she blamed only the original perpetrator, then the victim's choice would become exempt from accountability. If she blamed only the victim, then victimhood itself would lose all meaning.
"Is that so?"
Otogami nodded quietly.
He didn't sound disappointed.
"...Maybe I'm oversimplifying it."
She smiled bitterly.
"It's just... I've seen someone who suffered even though they hadn't done anything wrong. And ever since then, I've wanted to believe that someone has to be held accountable. Otherwise... it feels like their suffering simply disappears."
She slowly tightened her grip around her cup.
"Maybe my way of thinking is naïve. But I still can't bring myself to believe that nobody should answer for something like that. Otherwise... every tragedy that enough people approved of would become righteous. And I can't accept that."
"Well, don't overthink it too much," Otogami said. "It's not as if I'm forcing you to answer it. My circumstances were rather unique, so you don't have to beat yourself up over it."
"So... it's based on your own circumstances?"
Nanase couldn't help but glance at Kumagawa with disapproval.
If that was the case, then based on Otogami's own scenario, wasn't Kumagawa both the perpetrator and the victim at the same time?
The victim who became a perpetrator by dragging an innocent third party into an expulsion.
"Now, don't look at him like that." Otogami let out a small sigh. "Despite his obvious flaws, and despite how vehemently I dislike him as a fellow human being, I don't blame him for that. Though I do hate him, that fact isn't going to change."
"...Right."
『Ahaha. Calling yourself the victim while hating the victim in the same breath... I can only prostrate myself before the genius musician. 』
What a scathing piece of sarcasm.
"Nevertheless, it seems you've misunderstood the concept a little, so allow me to enlighten you with one completely useless fact."
He placed his drink back on the table.
"Not that I'm complaining, but a person's circumstances don't erase the consequences of their actions."
"Victims can become perpetrators. Perpetrators can become victims. The two aren't mutually exclusive."
"..."
"So if you ask me who should be held accountable..."
Otogami answered without hesitation.
"All of them."
The original perpetrator for creating the situation.
The victim for choosing to sacrifice someone else.
And the people who knowingly accepted the scapegoat.
"As for the scapegoat..."
Otogami looked down at the melting ice in his drink.
"Well... they're simply unlucky."
"Unlucky, huh...."
The grip around her cup, already tight, tightened even further.
More than anything, Nanase seemed appalled. Angry, even. The idea that the scapegoat would end up bearing everything simply because of something as arbitrary as luck...
Unlucky.
Someone else's misfortune.
It was appalling in more ways than one.
Thankfully, after a few moments, she managed to compose herself, despite the complicated emotions only she understood.
"Thank you... both of you." Nanase lowered her head slightly. "It was a really interesting conversation, even if it wasn't what I expected when I came over to ask a few questions. Still... I think I learned something today. Even if I still can't agree with everything."
『Don't worry. I doubt everyone is capable of agreeing with, or even accepting, someone else's point of view. 』
"Really?"
『Well, there may be someone who can. But they'd probably fall into the category of something beyond human. A completely impartial existence that can accept both sides at once. Someone who can look at black and white, or the victim and the perpetrator, and treat them as equal. 』
"..."
What a dangerous way of thinking.
It really was the kind of conclusion only someone standing outside humanity could reach.
After chatting for a while about completely unimportant topics with Otogami and Kumagawa, Nanase slowly stood up from her seat.
She wouldn't say she had grown any closer to either of them. Rather, she felt that would be impossible. It wasn't because they were incompatible or anything like that, but because they were simply on completely different wavelengths that she couldn't comprehend, especially when it came to the way they thought.
Even so, she couldn't deny that the conversation had been worthwhile.
"Anyway, thank you again for taking the time to talk with me. I won't keep you any longer."
『Mm. Safe travels, Nanase-chan. 』
She gave them one last bow before leaving the café. The small bell above the door chimed softly as she stepped outside.
Watching her disappear through the window, Otogami let out a quiet sigh.
"Well, she's certainly an earnest one. Not that I'm complaining."
『..... 』
"..."
What now?
『END』
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Here you go, peasants. Another chapter.
I should upload the next chapter tomorrow, or maybe the day after. I think I need to polish it a little more, so you'll have something to look forward to. (You should also keep in mind that I take great pride in my lies, so...)
Anyway, that's it for today's chapter.
Hope you enjoyed it.
[Thanks for reading!]