Lin Yan handed Hishiro Chizuru a drink, and she took it and had a sip.
What surprised her was that Lin Yan had unscrewed the cap before handing it to her.
"So? What did you want to discuss?"
"It's about Kariu and Tamari."
"I find it strange. They used to be so close, but suddenly they don't even talk. I was wondering if you might know what happened."
"Sorry. I'm concerned about them too, but I don't know."
"I see."
"Still, I'm surprised that you pay attention to the atmosphere around you too."
"Oh?"
"Because when I think of the day you confronted Kariu head-on, I figured you'd charge straight in and ask her yourself."
"You thought the atmosphere wasn't right for asking her directly, so you went out of your way to come discuss it with me?"
"I see."
"What happened between Tamari and Kariu is the 'conflict caused by being too smart' Tamari mentioned."
"What?"
"It's something on my end. But really, why did I go out of my way?"
"Oh."
"I think it's because it isn't about me. I'm an emotional idiot and often get many things wrong. It would be one thing if I got my own affairs wrong, but this concerns Kariu and Tamari. I can't mess it up like an idiot."
"You don't have to keep calling yourself an idiot."
"Last year, there was a bullying incident in my class." Hishiro Chizuru suddenly remembered it. The incident had caused quite a stir, though in truth, many schools had cases of campus bullying.
Campus bullying was an aggressive act occurring both inside and outside school, involving students as the main participants. It included both direct and indirect bullying. Campus bullying was not the same as campus violence; campus violence included campus bullying, and campus bullying