Chapter 2: Youth Is a Lie
Youth is a lie. It is nothing but evil.
Those who rejoice in youth are perpetually deceiving themselves and those around them. They perceive everything about the reality surrounding them in a positive light. Even life-threatening mistakes will be remembered as single page proofs of their youth.
I'll give you an example. If such people were to dabble in criminal acts such as shoplifting or mass rioting, it would be called 'youthful indiscretion.' If they were to fail an exam, they would say school is not only a place for studying. Their pursuit of 'youth' excuses even distortions of commonly held beliefs and social norms.
Under their discretion, lies, secrets, crimes and even failure are nothing but the spice of one's youth. And in their corrupt ways, they discover something peculiar about failure. They conclude that while their own failures are generally a part of relishing in youth, others' failures should be shot down as just failures and nothing more.
If failure is seen as proof of one's youth, isn't it strange not to consider those who fail to make friends as experiencing the height of their youth? Not that they acknowledge that.
It amounts to nothing. This is simply opportunism. Therefore, it is a sham, full of damnable lies, deception, secrets and fraud.
They are evil.
That is to say, ironic as it is, those who do not glorify their youth are the truly righteous ones.
In conclusion: riajū, go blow yourselves up.
[Shinomiya Kaguya, confused, asked the president and secretary Fujiwara: "Why did the TV suddenly turn on? Is this your prank?"]
[Shirogane Miyuki shook his head first, then turned his gaze to Chika Fujiwara.]
[Ishigami Yu: "It's definitely Fujiwara's prank again. Blow yourselves up.. it's so true! By the way, why did you just skip me?"]
[Kaguya: "Ishigami, you're too twisted. You're not the type to pull this kind of prank."]
[All three turned their gazes to Fujiwara Chika.]
[But, unfortunately, she shook her head in confusion, then clung tightly to Shinomiya Kaguya.]
["I swear, it's not me! Could it be… a ghost?"]
[In the student council room, panic ensued. The four huddled together, watching the inexplicably playing video.]
Hikigaya looked around. He was now sitting on a bus, wearing an unfamiliar school uniform.
What on earth was happening?
Despite the drastic changes around him, Hikigaya, the logic monster, remained calm.
On the bus, many other students were wearing the same uniform, meaning his destination was likely the same as theirs.
Hikigaya frantically scanned his surroundings, his exaggerated movements catching the attention of Horikita Suzune, who was sitting nearby.
The girl turned her head, clearly not wanting to deal with the boy next to her.
"Ah, sorry for bothering you, but what's going on here? A mass teleportation jutsu?"
Hikigaya still hadn't figured out the situation when a voice came from the bus.
Kushida Kikyo was helping an elderly woman without a seat, asking a blonde boy, Kōenji Rokusuke, sitting in a priority seat, if he could give it up.
Naturally, Kōenji Rokusuke calmly refused, and the girl's earnest gaze turned to the other passengers.
Kushida Kikyo: "Excuse me, could anyone give up their seat to this elderly lady?"
'Hey, even if you ask like that, I don't want to be the center of attention. Should I just pretend I didn't hear her?'
"Is there really no one who can give up their seat for this elderly lady?"
Hikigaya secretly glanced around again. Not a single one of these classmates, all wearing the same school uniform as him, stood up to offer their seat to the elderly lady in front of them.
'It seems everyone is just like me, choosing to be a bystander to avoid drawing attention.'
[Yuigahama Yui cast a somewhat resentful glance, clearly showing that her gentle nature led her to act completely differently from the others.]
[Isshiki Iroha also spoke up: "Ugh, senpai, you're too harsh! Look at how pitiful this grandma is."]
[Hikigaya saw through such clumsy manipulation in a second, but he didn't understand why he was appearing in that video.]
["It's just a video," Hikigaya replied.]
[At the same time, the video began playing in Class 1-D as well as other classes.]
[Sudo: "I've never seen this guy before. He's probably not in our grade, right?"]
[Sudo's words broke the silence in the classroom, prompting the class to start discussing. However, no one had ever seen this boy before.]
[Horikita Suzune looked at the video in disbelief, as she was certain that the person sitting next to her at the time was Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, who was now sitting right beside her.]
[Since Horikita Suzune, Kōenji Rokusuke, and Kushida Kikyo also appeared in the video, the three of them quickly became the center of attention.]
[However, no matter how hard they tried to recall, none of them could remember such a person.]
[Ayanokōji Kiyotaka sat calmly in the corner of the classroom. Even though no one could remember clearly, he was certain that he was the one sitting in that seat at the time.]
['Could this be an assassin sent by the White Room… trying to erase my existence?']
[With this thought, the boy's already expressionless face grew even darker.]
['If it's an assassin from the White Room, then bring it on.']
On the bus, despite Kushida Kikyo's request, the crowd remained unmoved.
Hikigaya felt as though a hundred needles were piercing his heart. Although everyone was pretending to ignore the situation just like him, this was happening right beside him. It was his business, and he couldn't just sit idly by.
Hikigaya adjusted his posture, resting his chin on one hand and flashing a faint, indifferent smile.
"If no one has a seat to offer, I don't mind giving mine up. But to ask me to give up a seat I got up early for, with so many people watching and mocking me, that's a bit too much. Look, everyone's the same—we're all selfish."
The boy's voice wasn't loud, but in the confined and quiet space, it undoubtedly reached everyone's ears.
"Um, if you don't mind, please take my seat."
A man who appeared to be a working professional raised his hand.
Under Kushida's guidance, the elderly lady finally sat down.
As she passed by the boy, Kushida Kikyo glanced at him and then… gave a faint smile.
'I've been completely seen through…'
There were no other sounds on the bus, but now, Hikigaya could feel all sorts of gazes directed at him.
[Seeing this scene, Yukinoshita Yukino let out a helpless sigh.]
["No matter where you are, your methods never change one bit."]
(End of this chapter )