Part 5

On the way back to the dorms, we came across Hirata sitting on one of the benches wearing the same listless expression on his face.

If somebody else were to see him like this, theyd probably reconsider any ideas to call out to him.

After all, nobody had ever seen him like this before.

He looks pretty defeated.

Yeah Hes completely different from usual.

Both Haruka and Akito immediately recognized how surreal the situation was.

I think Ill try talking to him a little.

Give it up Kiyotaka. Wouldnt it be better to just leave him be right now?

Maybe, but theres something thats been bothering me.

Something thats been bothering you?

Sorry about this, but you guys can head back without me. I dont feel like hed be willing to say very much if we tried to reach out to him as a group. If hes going to get angry with somebody, Id rather it be just me instead of all of us.

Alright, but the vote happens tomorrow, so just dont do anything to rub him the wrong way. Theres honestly no way of telling who Hiratas going to vote for right now.

I nodded in response to Akitos advice and separated from the group.

I was grateful that they were able to read the situation and head back to the dorms without looking back.

Before I did anything else, I took a picture of his defeated appearance from a distance and sent it to Kei with a few other details.

Hirata.

In order to make the most of this opportunity, I called out to him immediately after I hit send.

Ayanokji-kun.

Do you have a minute?

Yeah sure. I, uh, also wanted to talk with you.

It was possible that he had been sitting here waiting for me.

Otherwise, thered be no point in choosing to sit in such a cold place.

Furthermore, he was sitting off to one side of the bench, quite possibly with the hope of having someone else to sit together with him.

I sat down in the open space beside him.

A warm spring will be coming soon.

Yeah.

I believed that everyone would be able to welcome that spring together. No, even now, somewhere inside my heart, I still do.

Hirata spoke passionately, even though the class had nearly gone through a collapse not too long ago.

Even though everyone had witnessed his foolish, ugly behavior back in the classroom, this core part of his personality still hadnt changed.

Having to leave someone behind I hate it.

Theres nothing we can do about it. Whether its me, Yamauchi, or someone else entirely, somebody has to be the sacrifice.

Hiratas expression still didnt carry any hints of emotion.

Could I entrust it to you?

Entrust what?

Class C. I want you to lead everyone in my stead from now on.

Dont be so reckless. I wouldnt be able to do something so outrageous. Hirata, if you want to protect the class, you need to do it yourself.

Thats impossible. I just cant do that anymore.

He was probably frustrated with himself for being unable to come to a decision. These kinds of thoughts were probably the only thing he had on his mind.

But that wasnt everything.

I made the same mistake again. I even reflected on it back then, and yet

Immersed in bitterness, tears began to well up in the corner of his eyes.

I found myself wondering just how much anguish Hirata had gone through because of this exam.

Id be able to feel at ease entrusting the class to someone like you.

He sighed, his white breath dispersing into the cold air.

There was nothing dazzling or enviable about the look on our class leaders face.

This special exam. Cast one censure vote for me and one for Yamauchi. Itd be fine for you to cast your last one for Horikita if you want.

So youre telling me I should leave the decision in the hands of the rest of the class.

There was no need for Hirata to explicitly choose someone.

He could choose to leave it to the other 39 students in the class instead.

You really are amazing, Ayanokji-kun.

Im nothing special.

I was approached by both Horikita-san and Yamauchi-kun as Ive sat here. Horikita-san told me to vote for Yamauchi-kun, and Yamauchi-kun told me to vote for you. They both claimed to want something different than the other. However, youre the only one who hasnt tried to throw someone else under the bus. Thats not something just anyone can do.

That was only because, from a strategic standpoint, it was better to not say anything.

In this situation, it wasnt a very good idea to try and force Hirata to vote along with you.

Its just that I had come to this conclusion ahead of time.

Im glad I talked with you. I I really feel like I might be able to find an answer now.

Is that so?

Hirata stood up.

It seemed as though he had found his own way to get through the exam.

But, I wasnt about to agree with his way of thinking.

Wanna head back?

At his suggestion, the two of us began walking back to the dormitories without exchanging another word.