Chapter 7: A wisdom to save all but one. / Atop the mountain she created, the girl reaches for the hand below. (Duet)

Nobody saw it coming, not even Hiratsuka.

In our effort to bring about justice, we have become so focused on achieving our goals that we looked over some small, but crucial details.

After successfully catching the bullies, a scream came from down the hallway. It was a scream that neither Hiratsuka nor the other girls had ever heard, but they still recognized.

"Narita-san!"

Hiratsuka yelled at the top of her lungs as she desperately ran down the hallway, toward what used to be her temporary home, Literature Club.

"Shizuka-san, wait!" Ayaka said as she and Ōmiya ran after the damsel in distress.

The students who were still at the scene all have their attention turned toward the sound of the girls working their feet.

You could see it in their faces – like deprived hunters hungry for food, those young people in black blazers were hungry to paint their mundane life with colors of drama. One after another, they took their first steps.

"Woah! Hold it, guys!" a figure who suddenly appeared in front of the crowd, a man with a short hair who wore a striped tie over a white shirt, said,

"5th period is about to begin, you all should go back to class."

The person who did the crowd control was none other than Kasuga-sensei, who ran toward me right after all the other students started heading back with dissatisfied expressions on their faces.

"Hikigaya-kun, let's go," he said, lightly slapping my back, "Narita-san's in trouble, isn't she?"

With that, Kasuga-sensei and I quickly followed the girls toward the point of attention.

The hallway in which we all ran wasn't exactly that long, and the adrenaline rush made it seem like it took us mere seconds to arrive at the Literature Club. In hindsight, I wish it could have been longer to allow Hiratsuka to prepare for what she was about to see.

In the middle of the room was Narita, who was on her knees as her balance was lost along with any and all hope. The most compassionate girl I had ever met was now an empty shell without a soul.

"Narita-san!"

Hiratsuka, whose face showed only desperation, spared no time to think as rushed to the girl and embraced her tightly. She started caressing the back of the other girl's head along the line where the hair split into pigtails.

"You'll be fine.. you'll definitely be fine..," Hiratsuka said, still running her hand.

".. –pad.. "

"..Narita-san?"

".. Brushpad.. "

All eyes in the room were on Narita as if looking at an infant uttering it's first words. Then again, what else could be a better comparison for when an allegedly mute person suddenly speaks?

"Brushpad.. brushpad.. " Narita kept murmuring, staring straight into nothingness as she rested her on Hiratsuka's shoulder.

From this point onward, her Voice is no longer just a metaphor for her Compassion, although the timing for that couldn't have been worse.

"What are you saying, Narita-san?" Hiratsuka said, not showing a single bit of interest in the girl uttering get first words, "What is this "brushpad"?.."

"Ah," Ōmiya gasped as the answer flashed before her eyes, "The notebooks!"

It was something that we all overlooked when we were rushing into the room – something that would have been overly obvious had we all the chance to calmly assess the situation. It only took me a second to realize what Ōmiya was referring to.

Scattered all around Narita and Hiratsuka were notebooks of various sizes, with piles of paper that looked like they were all ripped from those notebooks. I carefully approached the two girls, kneeling down to grab a sample of the mess.

Aren't these..?!, I spoke to myself, gaining a complete understanding of the situation just by taking a glance at a piece of paper from the piles.

"Those guys," I said, looking at Hiratsuka to show that what I was about to say wasn't a joke, "They destroyed all of Narita's work."

"But that's impossible," Hiratsuka said as both sorrow and denial started kicking in, "Both of the bullies were at Art Club – nobody was here to do this!"

"Then there's only one possible explanation," I tried pulling Hiratsuka back to reality, "there has to be another thug we don't know about."

"I don't think that's possible, Hikigaya-kun," Kasuga-sensei said, walking up to me, "I was in the hallway before you guys started doing your thing. Everybody I saw along the way were our students."

"I can confirm," Ōmiya said, "I only saw black blazers when I patrolled around here."

..but how?

Even if they weren't being subdued by Class 2-B's boys, they still couldn't have possibly done it unless they had telekinesis, which I highly doubt was the case.

Then, could it be..?

Somehow, Kasuga-sensei saying that he was around here got him under my radar, but just thinking about it for two seconds made realize my suspicion was completely unfounded. He was also there at the Art Club dealing with the thugs. That's a solid alibi right there.

"In any case, I have to contact Narita-san's parents. There's no way she could go through the rest of the day like this," Kasuga-sensei said, "Can you guys take care of her until they arrive?"

"I'm worried about Narumi-san, too," Ayaka said, "But what about our attendance? The bell already went off."

"I'll inform your 5th period teachers about this situation, so don't worry about it, Urayasu-san." he reassured Ayaka, "For now, please stay here with Narita-san."

"Alright, you got it, sir!" Ayaka said with a salute.

"Then I'll be on my way." the teacher said, hurrying toward the door.

"Kasuga-sensei!" Hiratsuka called out to the teacher, who stopped right at the door.

"Yes, Hiratsuka-san?"

"Thank you."

Rather than a "you're welcome", Kasuga-sensei simply gave her a smile before he started running again, leaving us four to do the emotional first-aid before the real doctors arrive.


"I'm sorry that you always have to look after little Narumi, Hiratsuka-san."

Standing in front of the car where a certain pigtails girl sat, a middle-aged man uttered those words.

"No, I'm the one who has to apologize, Mr. Narita" Hiratsuka said, standing near the school gate alongside Ōmiya and Ayaka, "I should have properly ensured her safety."

"Ah, well, what's done is done, hahaha."

In typical human fashion, Mr. Narita laughed the whole thing off, perhaps trying to rid Hiratsuka of any guilt. Ironically, he was the only person there who smiled. It was an action that made him initially come off as uncaring, but I was sure that wasn't his intention.

"Mr. Narita, would it be okay if I were to tread on delicate matters for a moment?" Ōmiya said, having noticed that Hiratsuka, who would not dare to even look at Mr. Narita in the eyes, had gone still, "I would like to ask you about Narumi-san, if possible."

"Of course, just ask away." he said without any tone of objection.

"Just a little earlier she started murmuring something, but.. we were under the impression that Narumi-san is.. uhh.." Ōmiya said, then paused for a second as if to rethink her steps, "..suffering from a speech disorder."

"Wait, she is?" Ayaka said, looking a bit confused, "I mean, she is pretty shy, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that."

"Do you usually talk to her, Ayaka?"

"Well, she sits right in front of me, so.."

"Ah, so you all have already found out that she's not muted." he said nonchalantly, to the girls' surprise, before holding up his thumb, "Nice work, that's faster than I expected."

"Yes," Hiratsuka said, realizing the friendly gesture, "although, the events leading up to that point was truly unfortunate."

"Well, you see, we moved here from Noshiro when Narumi was very young." he said, flashing an expression of regret before recovering to a neutral face,

"But she still hasn't learned to suppress her dialect by that point, and so kids over here made fun of her because she sounded "funny"."

"So that's why she said 'brushpad' when she meant 'notebook'." Ōmiya said.

"..Young lady.." Mr. Narita said, slowly turning toward Ōmiya in astonishment, "Are you.. by any chance– "

"So mean!" Ayaka said, unknowingly cutting the man off with her temperament, "It must have been so hard for her."

"Ahaha, it really was. Things became so bad, she even considered shutting herself in." Mr. Narita said, looking back at his sulking daughter inside the car, "I haven't scolded her since because I thought it would make things worse."

"So the trauma from the bullying made her too scared to speak." I said.

Or as Yukinoshita would put it: She decided to stop speaking altogether to make herself seem vulnerable. That way, people wouldn't dare judge her, lest they be labeled 'insensitive'.

"That's exactly right, dead fish man," the father said, "and when little Narumi discovered sign language, things just went South from there.."

So, in a sense, she is playing a quiet character.

"Ahh!" Ayaka, suddenly spoke up as she realized something, "The Sociology midterm project! Narumi-san is working with me!"

"When's the presentation date for Class 3-A, Ayaka?" I said.

"This Friday." she said.

"Is there a lot left to do?"

"My part is all done, but her's..", Ayaka said, "If she doesn't send in her own parts by hand, then she won't get any points.."

Kasuga-sensei did say that..

Suddenly, Mr. Narita's expression brightened up along with the light bulb above his head.

"If you need to discuss your work with little Narumi, then feel free to come over!" he said, looking back and forth between Ayaka and the rest of us, "Not just the top hat lady, but you three as well, Hiratsuka-san, hot spring lady, and dead fish man! Feel free to come hang out with little Narumi any time!"

Unsurprisingly, that sudden invitation got Ōmiya and Ayaka to raise their eyebrows.

"Then, would it be okay for us all to come over today?" Hiratsuka, who seemed to have a different idea, said, despite the subtle disapproval from the other two.

"Of course – the more the merrier," Mr. Narita said before Hiratsuka even finished her inquiry, "I'll go out for some Pachinko in the afternoon so you can have the entire house for yourselves."

And just like that, our plan for the afternoon was set.


As soon as the last bell went off, Hiratsuka sprung up from her seat and swept all of her studying materials into her bag, completely ignoring the fact that the teacher still hasn't finished talking. She would allow nothing to slow her down, not even her classmates who all had their eyes on her for this minor act of dissent. Only looking forward, the determined girl walked out of the classroom as she zipped her bag close.

Ōmiya and I quickly followed Hiratsuka out when the teacher was done a moment later. Eventually, all of us who came out after was able to catch up with Hiratsuka on the way to Narita's house.

Our destination that afternoon wasn't so far away: only about 10 minutes walk from school. It was an apartment with a living room, a bathroom, a kitchen and two bedrooms; which I assumed one was for Narita, and the other is for her parents.

It wasn't exactly the sort of place I had in mind when Narita's father said "house", but families owning or renting a flat wasn't exactly uncommon.

"Just make yourselves at home," a certain middle aged man said, placing cups of green tea on the coffee table that we four sat around at each side.

"Sorry for having to trouble you, Mr. Narita"

"Don't worry about it, Hiratsuka-san," the father said, smiling for a moment before he realized something, "Oh, right, little Narumi's been in her room since she came back; I'll try to get her out."

Mr. Narita then walked toward one of the two doors at the side and gently knocked. It was at that moment that I knew exactly why he was so eager to have us over.

"Lil' Narumi, yer buds came over," the father said, "so com'on out and chill with 'em, will ya?"

As he finished talking, a thud can be heard at the door as something soft, presumably a pillow, was thrown at it.

"Leave me by ma self!" the daughter yelled back, her voice muffled as it went through the door.

"Least ya could do is greet yer buds!" the elder Narita pleaded.

"I'm not leaving ma corner!" the girl in the bedroom said.

"Fine," the man said, slowly getting infuriated, "Good luck chatting to yer buds through the woodgate, yer lil' horse rider!"

"Pops is such a giant floppin' dummy head!"

Curious as to how the girls would react to the scene, I glanced back at the table.

All I could see were the faces of denial.

Had they accepted what they saw as the truth, the image that they had built up in their mind would simply shatter. They were probably trying to reason with themselves that it was just another side of Narita Narumi that they hadn't seen before, that "this isn't really the norm".

However, that impression will not fade away, and the next time they meet her at school, it'd still be at the back of their mind that "this isn't really Narita Narumi".

"I'm sorry that you guys had to see that." Mr. Narita said, forcing a smile as he walked away from the door, "I can assure you she usually isn't this angry."

"Everybody has their ups and downs.. I suppose." Hiratsuka said, making a face not that much different from the father.

"Alrighty, then I'll be off," he said, "I'll be sure to get dinner for all of us on my way back."

And just like that, Mr. Narita became the second adult that walked out on us today.

Going for Pachinko at a time like this..

But then again, that wasn't the time to be questioning somebody's parenting. We still needed to have Narita come out and finish that midterm project by Friday or both her and Ayaka will be seeing a big fat zero on their report cards.

"Does anybody have any idea?" I said as an attempt to break the tension. Although, it seemed like the atmosphere was there to stay for good.

"How about we cheer her up!?" Ayaka broke the silence, suddenly standing up with her usual optimistic smile, "We could tell her nice things, or we could sing her nice songs!"

"No.. I'm afraid that wouldn't work, Urayasu-san." Hiratsuka said.

"Why not?"

"Well.. "

"Let's give it a shot, Shizuka-san!" Ayaka said, pulling Hiratsuka to her feet, "We won't know until we try!"

With one holding the other's wrist, the two girls made their way toward the same door Narita's father knocked on earlier.

"Narumi-san," Ayaka knocked on the door, "Is there anything wrong?"

But what came after was complete and utter silence.

"If you have something on your mind, then you can talk to us!" the top hat lady continued, "We're all here for you, Narumi-san!"

Again, no reply.

"Uhh.. " Ayaka, quickly running out of options, turned to Hiratsuka and whispered, "Shizuka-san, try saying something!"

"Umm.. very well."

Hiratsuka flustered for a moment before giving it a try.

"Narita-san, I know I things haven't been going smoothly for you, but please don't shoulder all of it by yourself." Hiratsuka pleaded, but Narita still would not budge, "Please share your troubles with us. Nobody here will make fun of you for any reason."

Hiratsuka and Ayaka desperately kept going at it for about an hour while Ōmiya and I watched from the side. Those two rotated back and forth, taking turns to comfort the girl who locked herself in, sometimes even trying together.

But after they had gone through all of their attempts, and the sunlight started diminishing into the horizon, it was starting to feel like none of what they did served any purpose.

"Narumi-san.." Ayaka said, looking severely exhausted.

"I think that's enough, Urayasu-san," Hiratsuka said, placing her hand on Ayaka's shoulder, "Even if we keep going, nothing would change."

".. You're right, Shizuka-san," Ayaka accepted defeat, "You have been right since the beginning.. we really can't.."

"Everybody calls her the Voice of Compassion for a reason," Hiratsuka said, "We're simply no match for her in that department."

While I myself have no right to judge, I just couldn't help but agree with her. There is no way you could be kinder than the kindest – you can't outsmart somebody who knows every trick in the book.

Then how do you go about cheering up the "kindest person"?

"I've got an idea." Ōmiya said, approaching the bedroom.

Bang! Bang! – something hit the door like thunder, making both Hiratsuka and Ayaka jump away slightly. The impact was so great, I could feel it back at the coffee table.

"Hey, you in there! Why don't you come out– "

"Ōmiya-san!" Hiratsuka chimed in fiercely, grabbing by the person by the wrist, "What on Earth do you think you're doing?!"

"What?" Ōmiya said, trying to shake her hand loose, "I'm just trying to motivate her."

"What kind of motivation is that?!" Hiratsuka retorted, her eyes practically burning, "You're just going to drive her deeper into the cave!"

"Hey, calm down.." I approached the girls while holding up a stop-gesture.

"We don't know that for sure," Ōmiya said, ignoring me completely.

"I could say the same for your method!" said the mother grizzly, tightening her grip.

"Ouch!... Then tell me, what are you going to do next?" the class rep said, staring back at her classmate, "Are you going to do the same thing over and over, expecting different results?"

"At least I'm not threatening her!"

"Fine, you do your thing!" Ōmiya said, finally breaking free from Hiratsuka's grip, as well as her own patience. Picking up her bag, she added, "Let's see how well that goes for you."

"Miyo-san, wait!" Ayaka said as she followed the other girl who was stomping her way out of the apartment.

Meanwhile, I was standing there like an idiot with my hands up in front of me.

"To hell with it!"

Although, in hindsight, having my hands up was a good idea. At that moment, Hiratsuka had her fist up, ready to strike whatever was in front of her to alleviate that emotion that built up inside her.

Here's the problem, there was nothing else, or to be more specific, nobody else there except a certain dead fish man.

Not again! I flinched, having my guard up and ready.

...

Then again, I should've known by then.. that miracles do indeed happen.

Still not being hit, I decided to pull my hands apart just far enough that I was able to see what was going on.

Did a certain pigtails girl throw herself between Hiratsuka and I once again?

No, that's impossible – that girl was still inside her room.

"... "

No, it was Hiratsuka herself that decided to stop.

"..why.." she murmured as the fist she held up trembled.

Hmm?

"..Why does it always happen?.." she pulled her fist toward her face. Using the palm part, she started rubbing between her cheek and her eyelids.

However, with the other half of her face untouched, little droplets flowed freely down her cheek, eventually falling to the ground into a small puddle.

Understanding that the woman in front of me was no longer a threat, I lowered my guard completely. Instead, I chose to do a weaker version of the stop gesture even if it served no purpose.

Suddenly, as if me holding my arms apart was some sort of signal, Hiratsuka dashed forward.

"Hi– Hiratsuka?!" I flustered a little as a girl landed on my blazer. But as she grabbed my shirt, I could feel her hands shaking, and somehow, that put me back to my senses.

"Why is everybody so cruel?" the girl said as she buried her face in, wiping her tears with my uniform, "And now.. even Ōmiya-san.."

"I'm sure Class Rep has a plan in mind." I went ahead with my pathetic attempt to comfort somebody, "I don't think she meant any harm."

Half of that was a lie. I know for a fact Ōmiya wouldn't go around trampling anybody's pride. But whether or not she had a proper, thought out plan? – that was a different story.

"You're just taking her side." Hiratsuka stuttered through her syllables.

"No, just making a logical conclusion based on my observation."

"Your conclusions stink.."

Hiratsuka stayed like that for awhile after we said what we had to, leaving only her weeping noises audible in the end. She wasn't asking for an explanation, nor an answer; she was simply seeking warmth that would put her at ease.

All I could do at that moment was patting her on the back. Nothing less, nothing more.

In our quest to bring a saint back to their former glory, one wise person fell into tears.

But even one person is one person too many.

One thing led to another, and that one flap from the butterfly eventually became the tornado that tore us apart.

Somebody had to get to the bottom of it all...

There will be no more casualties.


After Ōmiya went home yesterday, the other two girls attempted once more to get Narita out of her room. However, the results were the same no matter how hard they tried. Eventually, it was getting late and we all had to go home empty handed.

Even today, things seemed to have not gotten better, although it's not really different from before with Ōmiya and Hiratsuka ignoring completely ignoring each other in the morning.

Over at Class 3-A, things were equally grim with Narita not coming to school at all.

But all of that was about to be remedied as I took a visit to the physician up the mountain.

Somebody who stayed behind when his peers all went out for lunch.

Somebody who knew a thing or two about Sociology.

Somebody.. who had been supporting his pupils non-stop.

"I see, so that's what happened." said the man sitting comfortably at his corner, "Hiratsuka-san is really protective of her friend."

"Kasuga-sensei," I called the man who sat across the desk, "Can you not give Narita-san and Urayasu-san an extension?"

"I knew you were going to ask me that, Hikigaya-kun," the teacher smiled brightly before immediately switching to a serious expression, a contrast that got me a bit startled, "But I can't do that."

"Sensei, what happened to them was beyond their control. You were also at the scene, weren't you?" I said, leaning forward in my chair, "In my opinion, it is only fair that they'd be given more time."

"That excuse doesn't work for this particular assignment," Kasuga-sensei said, placing his arms flat on the table, giving me a stern look, "Hikigaya-kun, when did I assign this project?"

"..Two weeks ago on Wednesday for Class 3-F, so I assume it'd be the following Friday for Class 3-A." I said.

"Two weeks – that should've been enough time to prepare for the presentation." he said, his eyes as cold as ice, "What were they doing wasting away their life in that time period?"

It was a ninety degree turn from his usual cheerful personality, but that isn't to say that he didn't have a point.

While it is true that they had to deal with the bullies, the only red days were Tuesday and Wednesday.. not to mention they only came during lunch time..

"But Sensei.." I said, running out of excuses, "I think– "

"..is what my coworkers would say! Hahaha!"

Huh?!

In just a blink of an eye, Kasuga-sensei reverted to his trademark silliness.

"Man, the look your face!" the teacher said, banging the table as he laughed, "How was my "bad guy" act? Does it measure up to what you usually do?"

This guy! – that was really nerve-wracking.. But then again, it's Kasuga-sensei; I really should have known.

"In all seriousness, I know they have been pushing piles of assignment onto you guys." he said, pointing his thumb at the other half of the faculty office, which was empty at the moment, "That said, I maintain that I can't postpone the presentation."

"Why, Sensei?" I said, "There shouldn't be any problem in allowing those two to present at a later date."

"Because it really isn't an excuse, and you know it." he said but without the pretend-sinister tone unlike what he did earlier,

"Do you remember that Hanasaki-san was absent for two days? Her parents got into an accident so she had to stay by their side. Yet, she was able to present on time."

Good point.. Hanasaki's presentation yesterday was actually pretty good.

"That, and I've got to save my own skin as well, Hikigaya-kun," he said with a weary smile, "If you're really that cynical, then you should know."

"I don't think I do.."

"Somebody's been telling the principal that I'm being too lenient," he said, glaring at the other desks in the room before turning back at me, "So if you don't wish to see a new homeroom teacher next Monday, then let's not discuss about the extension any further, haha."

Why does everybody's got to have their own problems..?

"Then again, I don't think an extension is necessary," he added, "I'm sure you already have some sort of idea, but you're just not sure about the specifics – isn't that why you're really here?"

"Yes, that's.. certainly the case."

"What do you have in mind, Hikigaya-kun?" Kasuga-sensei said, slouching back.

"My idea actually relates to our discussion just now," I said, "I think the best way to get Narita-san to come out and face reality is to instill a sense of responsibility into her, one that would make her look past her insecurities."

"Ooo, I like the idea. How would you go about doing that?"

"That's.. the part I'm unsure of."

Or rather, I'm not sure how to do it without causing permanent damage.

"Sense of responsibility, huh?" he said, thinking for a moment before suddenly sitting up straight, "Oh! Isn't one of your classmates.. "

"Did you just come up with anything?"

"Yup. You wanna hear it?"

"Yes, please."

"Although, let me warn you first, Hikigaya-kun," he said, "With this plan, you and your friends have to be the bad guys for about five minutes. Are you alright with that?"

It was a sincere warning, but somehow, I just couldn't help but grin.

"Sensei, I'm more than used to being the bad guy."

"Good." the teacher smiled back before he began explaining,

"You see, the argument between those two that you told me about at the beginning. That really gave me an idea..."


Continuing from where we left off yesterday, the three of us came over Narita's place once more. Only, Ayaka and I told Hiratsuka that we'll be running a bit late.

"Oh, so you two finally arri– Huh?!"

Of course, there's one detail we had been keeping from her.

"Why are you here?!" Hiratsuka raised her guard as she noticed that detail: a certain banished individual.

"I'm here to motivate Narita-san, of course." said the person who appeared at the door alongside us.

"Again with your 'motivation'!.." Hiratsuka raised her voice, stomping toward the person, "I'll not let you hurt her, Ōmiya-san!"

"Well, too bad." Ōmiya said, casually walking past Hiratsuka.

"Don't you move a muscle!" Hiratsuka said, reaching for the person's arm, "Eh..?"

But of course, having Ōmiya here isn't the only detail we kept from her. As Hiratsuka turned back to see the person who caught her first, she suddenly realized the fact.

"Urayasu.. san?" Hiratsuka said, her eyes widened up just before thunder struck, "What are you doing?!"

"I'm stopping you, of course, Shizuka-san." Ayaka said.

"Don't screw with me!" Hiratsuka said, ready to strike with her unbounded hand, " –Huh?!"

Of course, you wouldn't think Ayaka was the only person in on it, would you?

"Hikigaya-kun..?" she said, horrified as she saw who was holding her other arm, "Not you too!"

"How.. unfortunate!" I said, struggling to utter a word as Hiratsuka tried to shake herself free.

"Shizuka-san, calm down!"

"Do you really expect me to calm down?!" Hiratsuka said, not giving up as she was on the verge of tears, "Stop, Ōmiya-san!"

But it was too late for Hiratsuka.

At that moment, her class representative already had herself before a door. Staring at the flat piece of wood, Ōmiya took a deep breath.

BANG! BANG! – Ōmiya hit the door with all her might.

"Ear up, ya lil' spoiled cricket in there!" she spoke up, "Do ye know yer making trouble for others?!"

At that moment, the violent shaking on our end suddenly stopped.

The manner in which Ōmiya spoke, even though harsh, somehow got Hiratsuka to finally stop struggling.

"Yer classmate's in pudding fer two days cause 'o ya!"

So, to answer my own question from earlier: How do you cheer up the kindest person?

"'Voice of Compassion' yer mother! Yer just another lil' floppin' goody two shoes!"

Well, in this case you.. don't?

"Are ya tryna get yer fellow paddy-walker in the pudding as well?!"

Narita knew that even if she wasn't there, Kasuga-sensei would still give Ayaka a perfect score.

It wouldn't hurt anybody but herself.

"It took seasons fer me to get 'ere. I won't idle by while ya tarnish our name!"

But by introducing somebody with a common origin as her to the equation, Narita is suddenly held directly responsible for what was going to happen.

"So, get outta there 'n tell me straight in ma face, good lady Narita," Ōmiya said, taking another deep breath before giving her final punch,

"Are yer gonna lay down in mud, or are ya gonna walk front wi' me and show 'em what Noshiro women are made of?!"

If she allowed this to go on, people would think that others from the paddies, like Ōmiya, might do the same eventually. It's a breeding ground for stereotypes.

Would the girl regarded as the most compassionate allow somebody else to suffer, especially by her own actions? This is a part where we'll all see for ourselves whether Narita Narumi is the real deal, or if she's simply a "goody two shoes".

No amount of suspense will ever be worthy to unfold this moment, and that is because we're all doing this for Narita. In the end, it's her choice whether or not to accept it.

But at this point, I'm sure we all know the outcome.

Like tiny flames that dances across the dark horizon, tiny squeaks came about from the hinges that held the door up straight.

Slowly but surely, the door opened, and from the dimly lit room, a girl who had her pigtails even at home slowly made her way outside.

It was the moment for Hiratsuka to just run in and embrace the girl the same way she did yesterday. However, my future homeroom teacher would not move a muscle, not even that of her face to express the relieve that she surely must have felt.

And no, it's not because of Ayaka and I; we let her go a moment ago, but Hiratsuka would still not move. Instead, she chose to watch the whole thing in awe.

But if there's anybody who rushes to somebody else, it's got to be Narita, who, as tears rolled down her face, quickly found herself within Ōmiya's embrace.

"Ma bad for being 'bit harsh," Ōmiya said, padding the girl's back the same way Hiratsuka did for her, "Yer plenty strong, good lady Narita.. I know we can manage it tagether."

I'm sure the warmth they gave each other reminded them of the grassy slopes, the yellowish green rice paddies, and the sounds of nature that they had parted ways with a long time ago.

Those of us who stood at the other side of the living room, having walked on concrete our whole lives, probably wouldn't be able to understand that warmth.

"Hikigaya-kun.. Urayasu-san.."

I've said it myself that "not understanding is scary". However, admitting that you don't understand is the first step toward attaining that wisdom.

"It seems like the only cruel one here is me.."

"You were really scary, Shizuka-san! But who wouldn't want to protect their friends."

"I agree with Ayaka on both points.."

"Jeez, you two.."

In the end, Narita and Ayaka were able to prepare for their tomorrow's presentation, and as far as I have heard, Kasuga-sensei did not give out any zeros.

One more thing that was equally important was that Hiratsuka and Ōmiya were finally on good terms again. From next Monday forward, there wasn't a single morning where they would not engage in a small banter.

Everything seems to be going well so far..

Except..

With things going so well, it really begs the question, "What am I doing here ten years in the past?"

Sure, Yuigahama told me at the beginning to "save Hiratsuka-sensei", but even after going through this for the past month, I'm still wasn't sure how.. or what am I supposed to save her from, for that matter.

But perhaps, maybe it's best to just let things be for now. I'm sure the answer will gradually present itself as I turned the pages in this chapter of Hiratsuka-sensei's life.