Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Unexpected Development
Seeing Hirata like this, Kanda Shuichi sighed helplessly.
"Hirata, you've said so much about acting for others, but don't you have any desires of your own?"
"My desires?" Hirata paused, then smiled. "As long as everyone is happy, that's all I wish for."
Ah, such a noble wish, Kanda Shuichi thought, but he felt he couldn't do it, nor did he want to.
But Hirata, if your wish is this simple, then there's absolutely no way you'd end up in Class D. So, what's the real reason?
"Hirata, can you tell me why you were placed in Class D?"
Kanda Shuichi cautiously asked the question. If Miyake was clearly lacking in ability, then Hirata must have some hidden reason.
"Sure."
"You're actually want to talk about it...?" Kanda Shuichi froze for a moment. "Did you really agree?"
He thought this kind of thing would be something the person would try to hide, just like Kushida. Even though he knew her true nature, she never mentioned her past. Every time he asked, she would glare at him with a look that said, 'I will kill you.'
So it was completely unexpected for Hirata to agree so easily.
Then, Hirata slowly began to tell Kanda Shuichi about his past.
Hirata had a close childhood friend named Sugimura. The two were supposed to become good friends and attend the same high school—at least, that was the plan.
At this point, a pained expression flashed across Hirata's face.
"It happened back in middle school. While I was living a peaceful school life, Sugimura was getting bullied. At first, when I saw the scars on his body and the bruises on his face, I thought it was just a normal fight. After all, he was the type who easily got into fights with others."
As he spoke, Hirata's face remained calm, but his hand holding the tea cup tightened involuntarily, and the veins on the back of his hand slowly began to show. If the cup weren't of such good quality, it might have shattered by now.
"Later, when I realized it, Sugimura had completely broken down. He became a shell of a person, no longer resisting the bullying—just a walking corpse."
"And me... I was afraid that if I got involved, I'd be bullied too, so I chose to distance myself from him."
Kanda Shuichi just listened, not interrupting. For an ordinary person, Hirata's choice might have been the normal one.
At this moment, Kanda Shuichi thought about what he would do if he were bullied. The answer came quickly—use more decisive measures to crush them.
Perhaps in terms of physical strength, Kanda Shuichi was at an absolute disadvantage, but defeating a person doesn't require brute force. For a mature adult, there are always ways to handle things. At worst, just remove the source of danger from your life entirely.
"Later, Sugimura jumped out of a window during class."
At this point, Kanda Shuichi understood how Hirata's desire to help anyone who asked for his assistance had come about. Was he trying to make up for the regret of not helping his friend back then, and now, he wants to help everyone?
It's like two extremes.
But even if that's the case, Hirata, this alone doesn't explain why you were placed in Class D.
So, you must have done something else afterward, right?
"After Sugimura jumped, he didn't die immediately, but ended up in a brain-dead state."
Brain death means the irreversible cessation of all brain functions, with no independent breathing or brainstem reflexes, putting the person in a deep coma.
Although Kanda Shuichi himself had been in a coma for six months, he could only be considered a vegetative state at the time—still with a heartbeat, brainstem reflexes, and independent breathing.
Brain death, on the other hand, is practically a death sentence.
But with today's medical technology, it's possible to sustain the life of a brain-dead person. However, waking up would require a miracle.
Maybe some kind of advanced medical technology could help him.
"This isn't entirely your fault. Self-preservation, avoiding danger, is human instinct. Back then, you simply didn't have the courage to step forward."
"Although it led to that outcome, it's not a big deal for a person," Kanda Shuichi shook his head.
"As long as you're human, you'll have fear, so this isn't the reason you were placed in Class D. So, what did you do afterward?"
In Kanda Shuichi's view, what happened with Hirata wasn't unusual at all. Bullying happens everywhere in Japan—whether in elementary schools, middle schools, or even high schools.
Even this school is no exception. It's just that, with surveillance covering almost the entire campus, bullying usually stays out of sight.
Sometimes, isolating someone is also a form of bullying.
When it comes down to it, what Kanda Shuichi did to Yamauchi could also be considered a type of indirect bullying. Yamauchi was just lucky to have Ike, an airhead, sticking by him and too slow-witted to realize what was happening.
Hirata looked into Kanda Shuichi's eyes and felt as if he was being seen through. It was true that this wasn't the reason he'd ended up in Class D.
"You're really something, Kanda."
"No, I'm actually the kindest guy in Class D," Kanda Shuichi replied with a smile. However, to the man standing in front of him, the words had little convincing power.
"After Sugimura jumped to his death, I thought all the chaos would finally come to an end. I thought that, seeing such a tragic outcome, bullying would disappear from the school. But I was wrong. What happened after that event showed me just how deep the darkness of human nature can go."
A violent look appeared in Hirata's eyes, something Kanda Shuichi had never seen before, as if a murderous intent was shining through.
"Because your friend Sugimura is gone, they found someone else to target for bullying, didn't they?"
It was easy to guess. Many people show off their higher status by putting others down. With the previous target gone, naturally, they would pick a new victim. Those afraid of being bullied also often join the bullying group to avoid becoming targets themselves.
"Yes, you're right."
"So, Hirata, did you become the new target?"
Hirata gave a bitter smile and shook his head at Kanda Shuichi's half-joking remark. The word "target" was fitting, as bullies usually just pick someone at random to victimize.
"The new…target is my classmate. I felt I couldn't let that happen again, so I took action."
This was the main reason Hirata was placed in Class D and the truth Kanda Shuichi really wanted to know.
"So, I made everyone equally afraid. I used force to rule the entire grade. I placed myself at the top and kept everyone else beneath me. If conflicts broke out, I'd intervene and punish both sides equally, making them feel the pain."
Kanda Shuichi rubbed his temples, finally understanding.
"I can guess what happened after that. You achieved a short period of peace, but over time, the students themselves started to have problems. Eventually, things spiraled out of control, didn't they?"
Hirata nodded. "It's like you saw it yourself. The chaos grew, and the school ended up reassigning the entire grade to different classes. They monitored all of us, especially me, until graduation."
Hearing this, Kanda Shuichi's mouth twisted into a cold smile.
"The same school where someone almost died and no one spoke up was now worried about things getting out of hand."
Bullying isn't unique to Japanese schools. Even in Kanda Shuichi's previous life, this kind of thing happened, and he'd been a victim too.
But back then, he had a fiery personality. If things didn't go well, he'd just fight it out. His dad had told him never to let himself be bullied without fighting back.
And that's what he did. Every time he came home, his dad would ask if he'd held his ground, rather than telling him to bear it. Losing a fight? Then gather some friends, in those days, everyone had an older cousin or two.
If things got out of hand, so be it. It was the school's problem, not theirs.
After talking so much, Hirata seemed relieved. He downed the water in his cup and let out a long sigh.
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