“No, this guy’s done for. He’s totally looking down on us. Someone needs to teach him his place!”
“Yeah, let’s show him the meaning of hierarchy.”
Seriously—shut up already! You’re worse than kids throwing tantrums over test prep!
Sigh…
I decided to stay calm. Losing my temper would only make me lose this exchange.
“Look, I wasn’t trying to mock you. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve already apologized. And let me make one thing clear—I’m not the kind of person who throws away their pride just because someone tries to intimidate me into groveling.”
Okay, maybe my tone came off more confrontational than I intended.
But considering they clearly weren’t looking for a peaceful resolution, I didn’t think it mattered much.
"Oh wow, 'pride,' huh?"
"'Pride,' that's hilarious! You're so 'cool,' it's killing me!"
I didn’t think I’d said anything strange, but for some reason, they burst into laughter—though it was more mockery than genuine laughter.
What the hell? Even a plain-looking guy like me has pride, you know.
"You know what? Forget it. I gave you a chance, but it seems you're even dumber than I thought. A fool like you can spend the rest of your school life wallowing in regret."
With a face that looked as if she were staring at trash, Sonoyama delivered her parting words. Then she turned her gaze to Adachi-san.
"Well, good for you, Adachi. Congratulations on officially graduating from being an outcast."
"Huh…?"
Adachi-san raised a puzzled voice at the sudden remark.
Sonoyama, wearing a smug expression that screamed “you should thank me,” continued,
"Don’t you get it? Starting today, you’re no longer ignored. In return, you’ll ignore him from now on."
"..."
Of course, I saw that coming.
It’s always easier to shift the target of bullying rather than add more. Bullying two people could lead to solidarity between them, which would be troublesome. And even if that doesn’t happen, having someone else in the same situation can be a huge emotional support.
Sonoyama clearly understood this, which is why she proposed it. She’s clearly experienced at this kind of thing.
But Adachi-san’s response was completely unexpected for everyone.
"No."
"...What?"
To everyone’s shock, Adachi-san flatly refused, standing firm.
“Did I mishear you?”
“You didn’t. I’m not going to obey you. If you want to ignore me, go ahead. But I’m not going to abandon Kawai-kun just because of you. Absolutely not!”
...Wow. That was unexpectedly cool.
Kidding aside, Adachi-san declared this with a fierce expression on her otherwise cute face, causing the six of them to momentarily freeze before their anger boiled over.
“You little…!!”
“You damn brat…!”
“Don’t you dare mess with us!!”
The three guys stepped forward, radiating a dangerous vibe.
This was bad. Really bad.
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