Chapter 80: Jealousy makes his face distorted
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Rin Matsuoka was particularly bad at dealing with people who were proactive and enthusiastic toward him. Now, he could only look at the two groups of girls standing on opposite sides, clearly divided, with a throbbing headache.
Why are they arguing for no apparent reason?
Narration!
Where's the narrator? Someone save me!
[Oh.]
The narration, which hadn't frozen, did appear—but just as quickly, it vanished with a sigh.
Rin sighed inwardly. This is useless...
While Rin was silently pleading for help, Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji were seething with jealousy.
"Why is Rin Matsuoka so popular with the girls? Yeah, he's handsome. Great for him. But I'm not bad-looking either, so why don't any girls come to me?" Haruki muttered through gritted teeth, his face twisted in envy.
Ike, who was a bit more self-aware, shot a glance at Haruki and said bluntly, "Why would any girl want to eat lunch with you? What do you think—because you look sour and tasty?"
Rin almost burst out laughing at ike's sharp remark.
Sour food does whet the appetite... And it goes pretty well with rice too—hahaha!
"You're going too far, Ike! How can you insult me like that!" Haruki shouted, slamming his desk in frustration.
Ike Kanji, on the other hand, didn't think he had slandered him at all. Instead, he was becoming increasingly convinced that Haruki was not only thick-skinned but also full of misplaced confidence.
Seeing Haruki's indignant expression, Ike patted him on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.
"Haruki, we shouldn't be upset about this," Ike said. "If anyone should feel bad, it's Hirata Yosuke. Look at him—there isn't a single girl around him right now."
That comment made Haruki turn toward Yosuke Hirata.
It was true.
Not a single girl was standing near Hirata.
Haruki's jealousy toward Rin eased slightly after noticing Hirata's situation. If someone like Hirata Yosuke isn't surrounded by girls either, then maybe it's not just me...
"Ike, let's go talk to Hirata!" Haruki said suddenly, eyes lighting up.
"What for?" Ike asked, raising a brow.
"Let's ask him how he feels about all these girls flocking around Rin. I want to see if he's also jealous of Rin," Haruki replied gleefully. "If he is, maybe I'll feel a bit better about myself."
After all, as the saying goes—happiness is built on the suffering of others.
Haruki grinned at the thought of seeing Hirata's envious expression, eager to gain some comfort from it.
Ike hesitated. Asking Hirata how he feels about this sounds... bad. But honestly, I kind of want to know too.
Besides, the girls ignoring them wasn't exactly a great feeling, and Ike looked like he was ready to leave his seat anyway.
"Alright, let's go talk to Hirata."
"Yeah, let's go!" Haruki cheered, leading the way.
Meanwhile, Hirata Yosuke was calmly reviewing his notes for the next math class. That peaceful moment, however, didn't last long.
"Hirata!" Haruki and Ike called out in unison, rushing over to him.
Hirata turned toward them, his expression composed. Seeing their excited faces, he showed no signs of annoyance or discomfort. Instead, he greeted them in his usual gentle tone.
"Oh, it's Haruki-san and Ike-san. What's up?" Hirata asked warmly.
Haruki, wasting no time, blurted out his question. "Hirata, weren't you really popular with the girls before? But now, they're all surrounding Rin. How do you feel about that?"
When Hirata Yosuke heard this, he glanced in Rin Matsuoka's direction. Seeing so many girls surrounding him, a look of approval crossed his face.
"It's great that Matsuoka-san is so popular," Hirata said warmly.
"...Ha?"
Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji exchanged bewildered looks. They had come expecting Hirata to be angry, envious, jealous, or even bitter. After all, the girls who used to surround Hirata were now gathered around Rin Matsuoka.
But to their disbelief, Hirata actually said it was great?
Is there something wrong with our ears? Or has Hirata Yosuke lost his mind?
Who in their right mind would say such a thing?
"Hirata, we're just like you—no girls around us," Haruki said stubbornly. "Come on, drop the act and tell us how you really feel about the girls swarming around Matsuoka."
"But I truly think it's a good thing that Rin is popular with the girls."
"…"
"…"
The conclusion was clear: something was definitely wrong with Hirata Yosuke's brain!
Haruki sighed in disappointment, frustrated that he hadn't seen the twisted expression of jealousy he had hoped for. "Let's go. This is boring."
"Yeah, let's go."
As Haruki and Ike turned to leave, Hirata called out after them, "Yamauchi-san, Ike-san, wait a moment. There's something I'd like to say."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Could you please follow the class rules? Don't sleep, don't play on your phones, and it'd be best if you didn't talk during lessons." Hirata's tone remained gentle, with a touch of genuine sincerity in his voice.
But his words immediately irritated Haruki and Ike.
"That's our choice, isn't it?" Haruki retorted. "Besides, the teacher doesn't care, so why are you acting like you do? You're just sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
Even with the harsh response, Hirata showed no signs of anger or annoyance. His expression stayed calm, as if unaffected.
Hirata Yosuke wasn't just a nice person—he was the kind of nice guy who never got angry, no matter what.
"But if you act like that, it disrupts everyone's learning," Hirata continued, still maintaining his calm demeanor.
"If they get distracted by us, it just shows they aren't paying attention," Ike Kanji said with a smirk.
What a perfectly flawed argument!
After all, if someone was truly focused on class, how could they possibly be distracted by anything else?
Hirata was momentarily stumped by Ike's retort, unsure how to respond.
In the end, it didn't matter—Haruki and Ike had already walked away. Hirata stood there, watching their retreating backs, a sigh escaping his lips. His usual gentle gaze became tinged with something deeper.
Like Kikyo Kushida, Hirata Yosuke had experienced something unpleasant during junior high.
Back then, one of his friends had been bullied relentlessly. Hirata, too afraid to intervene, had stood by and watched. The bullying escalated until one day, his friend jumped out of a window, attempting suicide.
Though his friend survived, he fell into a vegetative state and remained unresponsive until Hirata began attending this school.
Consumed by guilt, Hirata vowed never to stand by helplessly again. From that moment on, he made it his mission to help everyone around him.
Even after the attempted suicide, the bullies didn't stop. They merely shifted their attention to another student.
This time, Hirata refused to stay silent. In order to put an end to the bullying, he resorted to extreme measures—taking control of the class through force and intimidation, making himself the only bully.