As everyone knew.
In the world of anime.
If you really couldn't think of a way to praise someone, then starting with a compliment about how gentle and kind they were was always a safe bet.
That was exactly the method Dokuho Kouya had just used, and it had worked remarkably well.
The girl who had seemed so difficult to deal with froze on the spot when she heard Dokuho Kouya call her gentle, as if she had been deeply shaken.
It was highly effective.
"Kouya, you must have gotten the wrong idea."
Yuki Himeno shook her head, her expression troubled. "Someone like me, who fakes being sick to gain other people's sympathy, should be described as awful."
"...How could that possibly be called gentle?"
The girl's voice grew quieter as she spoke, seeming on the verge of tears.
Perhaps she still felt guilty deep down, and lacked confidence in herself.
Dokuho Kouya reached out and gently stroked the girl's hair. "I told you before, Yuki. You forced yourself to attend the gathering because you didn't want to let other people down."
"When you wanted to leave, you even considered everyone else's feelings. You'd rather lie and say you were sick than tell them what you really thought. Doesn't that count as being gentle?"
Dokuho Kouya paused, then continued to comfort her. "If you think you were lying, then, to me, what you said was a gentle lie."
"And if we're going to talk about who's awful, your classmates are the worst."
Dokuho Kouya changed tack and started badmouthing someone else. "They know you get headaches when you attend gatherings, yet they still want you to go. They haven't considered your feelings at all."
"That's not true!" Yuki Himeno hurriedly raised her head and shouted, her emotions running high. "Yume and the others are only worried that I'm lonely because I'm always by myself, so they invite me to all kinds of gatherings every time."
If she hadn't felt the genuine sincerity and kindness of her classmates from the bottom of her heart, why would she have left the gathering in such an awkward way?
Hearing the girl's angry words, Dokuho Kouya didn't argue any further. Instead, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he gave a self-deprecating smile. "Looks like the worst person here is me, for badmouthing people behind their backs."
"No, that's not it..."
Yuki Himeno lowered her head slightly and murmured softly, "Kouya was only saying that to comfort me, right?"
After she said that, a strange feeling welled up inside her.
She'd been speaking up for other people this whole time.
Whether it was when Yume Kobashi and the others were called awful, or when Kouya made fun of himself, she'd actively argued against it, choosing to see others in a positive light.
Could she really be gentle?
Only then did Yuki Himeno realize that Dokuho Kouya had seemed to lead her by the nose from the very beginning.
She hadn't admitted it out loud, but her behavior just now had undoubtedly fit the image of a gentle person that others described.
"Kouya really is kind of awful." Yuki Himeno took a few light breaths. Her eyes grew listless, and her expression turned a little cold.
This was what she was really like.
She forced herself to smile in order to get along with her classmates, keeping all these less pleasant sides of herself buried deep inside.
Only when she was alone did she let her real self show.
Seeing the twin-tailed girl beside him suddenly develop dead-fish eyes, Dokuho Kouya was a little surprised. "Does that mean you believe me now, Yuki?"
"You're so perceptive, Kouya. You must have known I was putting on an act before, right?" Yuki Himeno replied nonchalantly.
Once he'd seen through her migraines, her good-girl act in class must have stopped working on Kouya anyway.
In that case, showing him her true self would be easier for both of them.
"Actually, Kouya, I don't mind going to gatherings that much."
As they walked back to the dorms, Yuki Himeno began to talk about how she'd felt lately. "If it were once a month, I wouldn't mind. But everyone in class is so enthusiastic, and they hold these big gatherings every so often."
"If I didn't pretend to be sick, I might really not be able to keep going."
Hearing the girl complain, Dokuho Kouya asked, "Have you ever found out how the others in class feel about it?"
From what he'd observed, not all forty students in the class were especially eager to attend gatherings.
They just didn't want to be labeled as antisocial, and found it hard to refuse such enthusiastic invitations, so they went along with everyone else.
"Uh... I guess I have?" Yuki Himeno sounded unsure.
Though she didn't like gatherings, she did have a few friends in class she could chat with.
She'd been too busy having fun with her friends to notice how everyone else felt.
"Quite a few people in class aren't as enthusiastic about gatherings as you are."
Dokuho Kouya smiled at the girl's awkward expression. "Have you tried bringing it up with Honami?"
Ichinose Honami was the most popular person in class, and had also been unanimously elected class representative.
If she ran into trouble, Yuki could go to her.
"I haven't." Yuki Himeno shook her head. "I was afraid they'd be hurt, so I never brought it up."
After she spoke, the girl pressed her lips together, looking a little embarrassed.
She'd just instinctively thought of everyone else again.
"You could trust Honami a little more," Dokuho Kouya said.
Even though Ichinose Honami couldn't seem to lead the class to good results during Special Exams, she was incredibly capable when it came to relationships with people. She'd managed to unite the whole class.
If Yuki brought it up with her, she should be able to find a solution to the problem of having too many gatherings while still taking everyone's feelings into account.
But the girl's expression turned strange. "Kouya, you were called away by Hoshinomiya-sensei earlier, so you didn't notice."
"After you left the classroom, Ichinose organized everyone in class to prepare for the upcoming midterm exams."
"Do you know how many people signed up for the study group she organized?"
Yuki Himeno paused, then answered, "Fifteen."
"Starting today, Ichinose has to tutor fifteen people in class and take care of all the other class business."
"If I burden her with this too, Ichinose will definitely get exhausted."
Yuki Himeno had her own concerns.
"There was something like that going on?"
Dokuho Kouya was a little surprised.
He hadn't expected the class to rely on Ichinose so much.
Wouldn't they turn into giant babies at this rate?
Before you continue