Thinking the farce was over, Star Color closed his eyes, planning to take a short nap.
"Um... I think the big sister is right."
?????
Star Color opened his eyes. His purple pupils studied the Tea-Haired Big-Breasted Girl in front of him.
He wondered, How is there still DLC bonus content? Well, might as well keep observing humanity. It was too noisy to sleep.
"Is this one a pretty girl? Looks like I'm having quite a bit of luck with the opposite sex today."
The way he spoke, mixing Japanese with clumsy English, was unpleasant to listen to. It sounded a bit like the way people from Hong Kong in China spoke. But the problem was... you, with your thick eyebrows and tiny eyes, weren't from there either.
"Since a little while ago, the old woman has looked very uncomfortable. Could you give your seat to her? Um, maybe I'm meddling too much, but I think this would count as contributing to society."
Priority seats had been approved and officially built, recognized as part of society's rules. From the moment they were designed, these seats had been intended to give "priority to the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled." That was written right on them; their purpose was to put that slogan into practice. It wasn't just a simple phrase, either. It carried a certain social significance. More than other slogans, it was an expectation—these seats were, after all, a product of society's rules. But the sad truth was that whether those rules were followed depended on whoever sat down first. In principle, these seats hadn't been designed for people like us, so the Big-Breasted Girl wasn't exactly guilt-tripping him.
Maybe she should have started with the meaning of priority seating, then let her own charm shine through, instead of focusing on the old woman. The point was the meaning of priority seats. That might have moved him more. At least Star Color thought that if it were him, he could have left the Yellow-Haired Gorilla completely speechless.
The Tea-Haired Big-Breasted Girl's approach was very strange. First, she'd raised the issue. Then she'd circled around it with an apologetic tone, putting herself in the weaker position before finally showing her fangs. It was completely amateurish. Making the old woman the central point of the conflict made her argument too hollow. It gave the other person an easy opening to refute her. See...
Star Color looked at the Yellow-Haired Gorilla. He lounged with his legs crossed, then made a show of snapping his fingers to get the Big-Breasted Girl's attention.
"Contributing to society? I see. That's a rather interesting opinion. Giving up a seat to an elderly person should indeed count as a contribution to society. But unfortunately, I'm not interested in contributing to society. I think it's enough to satisfy myself. And another thing: on such a crowded bus, I may be the target of everyone's attention for sitting in a priority seat, but is it really okay to ignore all the others who are sitting there, acting as if it's none of their business and not saying a word? If you really care about the elderly, then whether or not it's a priority seat is just a trivial detail."
He'd shifted the conflict to every passenger on the bus. It was a fairly decent tactic. He was a completely self-centered, selfish bastard. No matter how perfect the other person's argument was—even if it was impossible to refute—he was the type to put on his headphones and ignore her.
"Everyone, please listen for a moment! Would anyone be willing to give this old woman their seat? Anyone at all, please."
This idiot had really been led astray by the Yellow-Haired Gorilla's words... The moment you turned your attention to the regular seats, you'd already lost. You'd been utterly and completely crushed.
The Tea-Haired Big-Breasted Girl suddenly noticed something. She looked at Star Color, who was sitting closest to her, and gave him a slightly bitter smile.
"Um... Could you give your seat to this old woman who needs it?"
At that moment, Star Color felt helpless. Two opposing sides of his thoughts were at war, as the seat-refusers and seat-givers held a trial inside his skull.
The old woman didn't seem to need a seat all that badly. When OL Lady had stepped in right away, the old woman had even tried to hold her back. Perhaps she was fragile and sensitive, the sort of person who didn't want to offend anyone, not even in the slightest.
Besides, her handbag was full of fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat. If she could go to the produce market during rush hour to buy fresh groceries, her stamina was definitely better than Star Color's frail body. If her legs were weak or she was unwell, she could have bought food at a nearby supermarket. There was no need to make a big trip somewhere far away. When she got on the bus, the old woman hadn't shown any signs of trouble walking or illness. And the bus's next two stops were both residential areas...
Star Color's conclusion was that the old woman's so-called discomfort came from carrying that heavy bag full of groceries. Once she put it on the floor, she no longer looked like she was about to collapse.
Star Color noticed that most of the passengers' eyes were fixed on him...
So many people were looking at him, so many people were watching him. His thoughts were in a turmoil, screaming at them that they didn't need to pay attention to him. So, so, so many people's gazes. Their eyes writhed like tongues, licking Star Color's body.
Star Color cursed them viciously. Don't wrap your gazes around me. Don't look at me...
He glared venomously at the culprit behind it all, the Tea-Haired Big-Breasted Girl. She had aimed the murderous weapon called "attention" straight at Star Color's weak point. Everyone was taking aim at his breathing, his heartbeat, his tone, his attitude.
That vicious woman was just like a poisonous spider, pointing her fangs at the even weaker Star Color...
His brain set his own heart in motion, and it pounded loudly: thump, thump.
Star Color had only one wish: to bring divine punishment down upon this woman. He stood up, pretended to stumble, and fell against the vicious woman's chest.
The warm, metallic-tasting liquid clogged his nose. His nostrils turned into gun barrels, spurting blood all over the vicious woman's clothes.
[Star Color's Little Lesson: High blood pressure can raise intracranial pressure, causing the mucous membranes or blood vessels inside the nasal cavity to rupture and resulting in a nosebleed.]
"Hey! Are you all right, classmate?"
Star Color noticed the emotions in the girl's eyes...
Liar. The first thing you looked at was your clothes. You're lying. What you really care about is whether your clothes are clean and whether they smell. You don't care about me at all. There—you hid disgust and murderous intent in your eyes for a split second.
"Sorry... Um, I have a heart condition..."
A faint breath slipped from his throat. He was like a fragile porcelain doll, unable to bear even the slightest force, needing to be handled with extreme care.
Warm tomato juice streamed down Star Color's face. No child looked more like a freshly fried potato.
Star Color saw through the poisonous woman's tactics. She liked to put herself in the weaker position to gain sympathy. So all he had to do was act even weaker. He'd give her a taste of her own medicine. Someone at her level couldn't handle this. Go ahead and swallow this bitter pill, Spider Woman.
The old woman's strong hand pushed Star Color back into his seat.
"Little girl, oh my, you're so frail. Sit back down."
The old woman offered Star Color a handkerchief, then showered him with warm concern as his acting reached its peak.
"Did you have a good breakfast?" "How are you feeling?" "Are you feeling better?" The concern of an elder really was heartwarming.
Star Color had made himself the weaker one in need of care, a weak little villain. People's positions could change so easily. OL Lady no longer cared about the seat; she joined the old woman in fussing over me. Even the Poison Spider Big-Breasted Woman joined in, looking a little embarrassed.
The apologies were all for show, and the forgiveness was just as insincere. That was the relationship between Star Color and the Poison Spider Big-Breasted Woman now.
Just as Star Color had predicted, the old woman got off at the second stop. Before leaving, she even insisted on giving Star Color a few candies.
Orange-red blood flowed out of the bus. They were filled with longing for youth, for a new life, and for an excellent school.
Next stop: Kodo Ikusei University Affiliated High School...
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