Classmate Nishimiya spoke in garbled words, her eyes red, and explained in sign language that only she understood.
Some people in the class looked down on her with suspicion, while others watched the spectacle indifferently, as if it were an amusing joke.
"But I don't think Classmate Nishimiya is that kind of person," said Iroha Isshiki.
After asking the two upperclassmen for help, she left. Only Miura and Hikigaya remained in the clubroom.
"I thought you'd just ask me outright." Hikigaya, his chin propped on his hand, glanced at Miura. "About why Iroha isn't standing up to help."
Miura rolled her eyes at him.
She wasn't stupid.
When an entire class shared the consensus that it was all right to bully someone, Iroha couldn't stand by and watch—but she wouldn't publicly challenge that consensus, either.
In that regard, Iroha reminded Miura of Hayama.
Then, inevitably, she thought of Yukino, too.
Had Yukino once faced those same "consensus" opinions? Had she been unable to defend herself, just like this? Had she ever wanted to explain herself with red-rimmed eyes?
That morning, she'd told herself to avoid Yukino for a while and cool off.
But now, more than anything, she wanted to rush over and hug her.
Even if it was only a gentle hug.
Even Yukino, a hopeless social misfit, had heard about what was happening with the first-years.
The day before, she'd seen Miura leave looking troubled, so she'd casually asked Miura's friend, Junko Kamizawa, about it.
Then, at lunchtime today, when Yukino brought some exam papers to the staff room, she found Teacher Hiratsuka fretting over the situation.
"Teacher Hiratsuka, if you keep frowning, you'll get even older."
This time, Teacher Hiratsuka didn't even have time to punish her.
"Shoo, shoo. Your teacher's busy."
Yukino didn't leave. She tapped on Teacher Hiratsuka's desk and waited until she looked up at her in exasperation before giving a slight cough.
"Actually, Teacher Hiratsuka, I'd like to ask you for a favor."
Miura had just returned from the Service Club and was planning to find Yukino first, but Yukino got to her before she could.
Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka was standing beside Yukino.
Teacher Hiratsuka patted Miura on the head with a smile. "That's the way it is. I'm granting Yukino and you permission to miss class today and look into—or resolve—the situation with Classmate Nishimiya."
She stretched, turned, and walked away, waving to them over her shoulder as she left. "Remember to come to me if you run into trouble."
Hey, hey, this was already the hardest part!
Yukino was carrying her notebook today as well, her expression calm. "If the teacher steps in, it won't solve the problem. It'll only make everyone in that class rebel, and things will get worse."
Miura ran a hand through her hair. "But why did Yukinoshita suddenly get dragged in to fill in?"
"Because I know sign language."
"Huh?" Miura stared at her, stunned. "...When did you learn that?"
She knew Yukino was talented, skilled at both academics and sports—an all-rounder—but this was ridiculous!
Did the daughter of a wealthy family have to learn this, too???
Yukino walked ahead, holding her notebook and looking straight forward. "A long time ago. So I only remember a little now."
---That was a lie.
In truth, after going home yesterday, she'd stayed up late cramming, following videos to learn some simple, common phrases at the last minute.
Yukino had always been quick-witted, able to learn anything and draw all kinds of connections. But everything came too easily to her, and she knew she could never reach a level that surpassed Haruno, so she'd never had much perseverance.
But after all those boosts had unlocked her full abilities, even Yukino didn't know how good her memory had become.
Yukino had barely slept last night. She wouldn't claim to have mastered sign language overnight, but she thought she could manage simple, common phrases and basic communication.
Miura let out a soft breath. "Teacher Hiratsuka really is something. She just asked you to come without a word. Isn't this interrupting your study time?"
More than anyone, Miura knew how determined Yukino was to take first place in the whole school on the next mock exam.
More importantly, she didn't want Yukino getting involved in this. She was afraid it might bring back those awful memories from the past.
Yukino nodded with a stern face. "Yes. Teacher Hiratsuka really is a headache, always taking matters into her own hands."
---Once again, that was a lie.
What Yukino had asked Teacher Hiratsuka for when she went to her office today was permission to work with Miura on this.
She'd gotten the idea yesterday, when she saw Miura frowning all day.
Friends were supposed to help each other out, weren't they?
But there was no way someone as awkward as her would say that to Miura outright.
In fact, when she'd gone to Teacher Hiratsuka's office today, her reason had been perfectly noble: she'd been a victim of school bullying herself, so she couldn't tolerate it happening again at school.
It was such a righteous argument that Teacher Hiratsuka had nearly teared up on the spot.
Yukino thought for a moment. "Is there no lead at all about the wallet?"
"None. There aren't even any security cameras."
Yukino, an experienced anti-bullying expert, said calmly, "The most important thing right now is to stop suspicion and rumors from spreading through Class 1-D. Otherwise, even if the truth comes out later, the malice will keep rolling along under its own momentum."
Miura nodded. "Someone also brought this to the Service Club, so Hikigaya has a suggestion about it, but..."
Yukino turned to look at her. "Is Hikigaya going to make himself a target again?"
Miura nodded with difficulty. "...Pretty much."
Hikigaya's motto had to be: If someone in the world has to get hurt, why can't it be me?
He considered himself someone who could freely accept and bear pain. That wasn't because he was kind—well, to some extent, Hikigaya really was a good person whose words didn't match his feelings.
But more importantly, he thought that if he was miserable while everyone else was happy, wasn't that pretty nice?
Hikigaya's plan this time was much the same. He wanted Miura to spread a rumor at school that he was extorting protection money. He already had a terrible delinquent image, anyway.
The wallet that had somehow gone missing had supposedly been stolen by someone in Class 1-D, who'd been threatened and coerced by him into handing it over as protection money, crying all the while.
Then the ultimate villain, Hikigaya, would show up and use his first-rate ability to draw everyone's hatred, redirecting the malice Class 1-D had directed at Classmate Nishimiya toward himself.
"As long as they have a common enemy, humans are quick to put aside old grudges and unite," Hachiman Hikigaya had said. "They might even unite with Shoko Nishimiya."
Hooray! A world where no one but Hikigaya gets hurt—success!
The reason Hikigaya had approached Miura was that she was not only at the center of the school's social influence, but also managed the Campus Forum at Sobu High School. It would be convenient for manipulating public opinion.
"I rejected the idea," Miura said. "I'll never accept a peace that can only be achieved by sacrificing someone."
Yukino stared at Miura for a moment, until Miura started to feel embarrassed.
She turned her head, a little self-conscious. "Why are you looking at me like that...?"
Just then, Yukino pointed at Miura. She held the four fingers of her left hand straight and together, her thumb pointing at her temple, while making a fist with her other hand and holding it near her temple.
Miura froze. "...What does that mean?"
Yukino walked ahead with a solemn expression. "It means you're an idiot."
She kept walking, not letting Miura see the faint smile at the corner of her mouth. "I've already got a plan, so stop frowning."
Yukino's clumsy signs, her exhaustion that she'd been unable to hide all day, and the faint dark circles beneath her eyes—
Those scattered images came together into the right answer in Miura's mind.
She rubbed her eyes, which were beginning to sting.
Seriously.
Yukino was the biggest idiot of all.
"Huh? Where did Yukinoshita go?"
When Yui Yuigahama returned to the classroom after lunch, she saw that Yukino's seat was empty.
That was unusual for Yukino these days. She'd been attending every class without fail for nearly two months.
Had she suddenly fallen ill?
Yukino did look rather slender, and she didn't seem to have much stamina, either.
"Didn't you know, Yui?" Kaho tore open a bag of cookies and looked up when she heard the question. "Yukinoshita got a request from Teacher Hiratsuka. She went with Yumiko to take care of something with the first-years."
Kaho chewed adorably, her cheeks puffed like a little chipmunk, and offered Yui a cookie with both hands. "I don't really know what it was about. Yumiko left in a hurry and didn't explain."
Yui paused, then smiled and reached out with both hands to rub Kaho's head before taking the cookie.
---That's right. She didn't know a thing.
Kaho didn't mind. She flopped into Yui's arms and meowed and cooed as she cuddled her.
Kaho was petite, and her twin ponytails made her look even more youthful and cute. Though they were about the same age, everyone in class doted on her like a little sister.
Especially Junko.
But even Junko, who was so close to Kaho, didn't try to learn everything about her or take up all her time the way Yui did.
Junko watched her with a smile, pretending to be annoyed. "Some people are so heartless. You only give cookies to Yui and no one else?"
Kaho wrinkled her nose. She wasn't fooled for a second.
She immediately covered her cookies with both hands, on guard. "Junko gave them to me, and now you're trying to steal them! Junko's the mean one!"
Kaho covered her mouth as she ate her cookies and quietly chatted with Junko about gossip, her cute face full of innocent, childish worry.
"Yumiko was acting kind of weird toward Yukinoshita the other day. Now Teacher Hiratsuka has forced them to work together. Do you think they'll fight?"
Junko rolled her eyes at her. "Do you think Teacher Hiratsuka and Kaho have been idiots all along?"
"Hey!!!"
"Quite the opposite. Yumiko wouldn't fight with Yukinoshita."
"Then why has Yumiko been acting weird these past few days?"
Junko thought about it, then laughed. She leaned toward Kaho and whispered, "I think even slow-on-the-uptake Yumiko is finally waking up."
"Huh?"
Even though they were trying to keep it discreet, anyone could see how close they were.
Junko and Kaho were childhood friends, and they lived next door to each other, close enough to drop by whenever they wanted. They bickered sometimes, but it usually took only a few minutes for them to get all cuddly again.
Without a doubt, they were each other's closest friends in the world.
Even Miura would probably have to take a step back in the face of that friendship.
Closest. Only. When everyone was still full of innocence, those ideas were alluring.
The one and only, Yukino.
Her retake exam was this Friday. Last night, after typing and deleting her message on Line again and again, Yui had finally sent Yukino a text, awkwardly and hesitantly: I'm so nervous. If I fail the math retake again, I might have to repeat the year QAQ
That's right. As expected, Yui had failed math on the mock exam and needed to retake it.
If she failed the retake, she might have to repeat the year.
Miura had already given her a lot of key points and helped her cram a ton of material, but math wasn't something you could pass just by studying selected topics and rote memorization.
Yukino took a long time to reply. She was probably the type who didn't check her phone often, but her answer made Yui feel secure.
[Which problems don't you understand? Send them to me.]
Yui spent the whole evening talking through math problems with Yukino. She'd never realized that those confusing, complicated problems that gave her such a headache could be so clear and easy to understand.
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