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Helpless People Are Clumsy, so They Can Only Live Their Lives in Such An Uncoordinated Way
On Friday, once the 5th period ended, the school broadcast said that the commendation ceremony was about to begin. For that reason, the students slowly made their way to the assembly hall in a different building. I tried to stay back in the classroom, but there was a chance they might check for presence in the hall, so I reluctantly followed the masses. I was also too scared to look at my phone, which is why I kept it in my bag since yesterday. The entrance of the assembly hall was covered with a black curtain, and so were the windows, so I figured they were going to show some kind of recording. Must be the promotional movie Elias was talking about. And there’s a chance that Aika might join the student council after that. Because of my ability, I stayed the furthest in the back, where I heard voices coming from the front.
“This is basically an event for Ayameike-san, right?”
“The vice president poured all her power into this.”
Meanwhile, I just kept my head hanging low. Aika is probably going to appear on stage. And if I had to guess, she might even look for me in the audience. Since I’m always the outsider, always sitting in the back, she should probably see me immediately. As people were discussing amongst themselves, someone on stage proceeded with a microphone check. I honestly felt like throwing up. Like someone was using my own ability against me. What’s going to happen once Aika shows up? I turned around to see no teachers behind me. I could run away if I wanted. And even if they happened to find me, I could just say that I wasn’t feeling well. They probably don’t care all that much, either way. I probably look pale, too.
Honestly, if I’d known that this would happen, I would have been fine without any friends. If I was going to suffer like that, I’d rather have been a loner. Of course, prematurely wishing for the sweet release of death was exaggerated, but if you gathered 100 other selves of me from parallel universes, at least 5 would have wished for the earth to end right then and there. Of course, I know I’m just an asshole. I act like this is for Aika’s sake, but I just don’t want to get hurt. Thank you, Aika…and, I’m sorry. I looked away from the stage and passed through the black curtain, stepping out of the hall—
“So you’re going to run after all? I knew I was right waiting for you here.”
Outside the door, I was greeted by Takawashi, crossing her arms. But instead of looking down on me for the nobody that I was, she instead resembled a mother scolding her child. From behind me, I could hear someone talking using the microphone. The ceremony must have started.
“This is my way of bringing everything to an end.”
I chose to not look into Takawashi’s eyes because I knew I shouldn’t. It’s definitely not like I simply couldn’t.
“But that doesn’t make much sense, does it? You’re her friend. It’s your job to watch her today. It’s different from me, who broke off everything after our fight.”
Her tone sounded stronger than ever before. I found it surprising that she was so obstinate about this kind of thing.
“I thought this was the right thing to do—as her friend. I’d just get in the way if I stayed next to her. It’ll make it harder for her to make friends.”
Why was I even saying all that when it was obvious I was just making excuses?
“And did you tell her that?”
“No.”
“Then how is she supposed to know that? You can’t just bring things to a conclusion all on your own. You might not realize it, but people really don’t care about others all that much. Asking them to guess how you feel is a fool’s errand.”
I glanced over at her face. She didn’t seem angry. Instead, she seemed almost saddened by this. It’s like she’s trying to cry in my stead.
“Gure-kun, you’re not being kind at all. All this does is leave behind misunderstandings and nothing more.”
Our voices were blocked off by the curtain, not reaching inside the hall.
“I don’t bring any value into Aika’s life. You should know that better than anybody else, right?”
Someone who’s trying to fit in with people doesn’t need a loner like me by their side.
“But you don’t want friends just because they bring something into your life.”
That’s just an idealistic argument. Especially for Takawashi. No, didn’t she say that friends are supposed to help you strive for something higher? She’s just so pure, unable to compromise whenever the relationship isn’t equal.
“Takawashi…At our school, even the guys who get along usually end up scattered once they enroll at university. How many people still are friends with those they got to know in elementary school? Friends are just a tool so that people can have a more enjoyable high school life. And that’s just not for me.”
Saying that out loud, I even felt like crying. After all, I never looked at Aika that way. If I really felt this way, then there would have been no need to make such a decision.
“Gure-kun…I just feel bad for Ayameike-san. But at the same time…I also feel bad for you, Gure-kun.”
I see, so she’s going to come at me with her poisonous tongue now. Yeah, that’s fine. Because I’m just a coward—But then, Takawashi looked directly at me. I close my eyes to not activate her ability. Or was I just scared?
“I really wish you’d just called me a fool or an idiot, really.”
“When we ended up fighting, you didn’t push me away, right? I’m actually really thankful for that. I realized that there are people who understand what it means to be alone. And right now, you think about it all too much that you end up going down the wrong path.”
“As a loner, I’m rather concerned with these concepts. That’s all there is to it.”
Both Takawashi and I knew that talking down to ourselves was a means of escaping. A means of accepting that we’d be hated. But since she’s a loner like me, that logic doesn’t work on her. That’s why I had to rely on…less favorable words.
“Seeing Aika moving on to become a normie makes me feel…like I’m being left behind…and it hurts. Out of everyone who gathers around her, I stand out. The physical 1-meter distance between us is even greater in my mind. I just…don’t wanna be friends with her anymore.”
Those were my genuine feelings.
“Aika and I can’t live on if we don’t stay away from each other. I couldn’t even take the hand she offered me! I didn’t have the confidence to be friends with someone who is fundamentally different from me! I kept on talking about how I didn’t want to be a loner anymore, and yet I’m trying to go back to how I was before!”
“I’m sure the two of you can overcome that. You respect each other, right?”
Why…Why doesn’t she just leave me alone?
“Just get out of my way.”
“I will absolutely not. Especially after hearing all of that.”
“Who cares what happens to some worthless guy like me? I’m just human garbage! Contribution level 0 waste!”
Takawashi approached me. One step, another step, even breaking the 1-meter wall. For a moment, I thought she was just going to slap me across the face. But instead—she took my index finger.
“I care. Because we formed an alliance!”
I gasped. That is where everything began.
“If my alliance partner is trying to take the wrong path, then it’s my job to stop them. I can’t watch you lose a friend. If you run away here, you’ll forever regret it.”
I always thought that Takawashi Enju pretended to live her life in pride. Her victorious expression, her nasty tone, everything felt like an act. But that wasn’t it. It was all created by Takawashi’s own strength and will.
“I tried to help you make friends. What happened at the karaoke box was unfortunate, but you managed to find Ayameike-san, right? You thought about this all for me, right? And if that wasn’t a lie…Then our alliance still exists!”
I lost completely. I can’t run away now. Not from Takawashi.
“Let me say this as your alliance partner. You have to face her properly. You have to fight. Don’t put it all on your ability. It’s fine if you get hurt. Maybe it’ll work out without anybody getting hurt. And if everything comes crumbling down—”
She let go of my finger and returned to her previous position. Turning around, she put her left hand on her chest, showing me a smile—A peaceful smile.
“Then just come back to me. You’re so easy to see through, I’ll know immediately how you feel.”
I realized that she always thought about me as her alliance partner. Nothing more, but also nothing less. And she’s right. We loners aren’t good with this stuff, yet we try to be diligent. Ahh, dang it. Now that she has sealed off my way out, the best I can do is move forward. That said, just abiding by her orders isn’t my style, so—
“You’re right. I’ll stop trying to run. From myself, and from Aika.”
“Seems like you’ve finally given in.”
“And from you, too.”
While I’m at it, I’ll just charge straight ahead.
“You should face Aika properly, too. If I’m the type to put myself down in order to protect myself, then you’re the sort of person to always go on the offensive to keep yourself safe. You’re going to explain that to Aika and start fresh!”
My words must have really hit their mark because Takawashi didn’t say another word for a while.
“…That’s not fair. You’re changing the point of the argument.”
“You’re calling me a coward already, so don’t try to run away yourself. I’m going to do whatever it takes so that you can find a friend yourself. And all this pressure came down on me because you ran away from her! If you stayed with her…we could have shared the pressure, so…I need you!”
We allied, so we’re going to see this through to the end, whether we end up in heaven or hell. She then adorably cleared her throat and reset our conversation.
“Seems like we’ll have to continue this discussion another day.”
“You tried to sound all cool and yet you’re running away now—”
But suddenly, I heard a girl’s scream from inside the hall. It sounded similar to Aika’s voice. Just what happened? What’s going on? After a few more seconds, students came storming out of the hall. More and more as time passed.
“It appears my premonition was right on the money,” Takawashi said something ominous.
“That reminds me, you said that Aika might be in danger…”
“We’ll have to check for ourselves to know if I was right.”
I walked in the direction of the escaping students and entered the hall. Of course, nobody tried to stop me.
Aika stood on the stage, as a large mass of male students came running toward it. Their gazes seemed empty, almost like they were zombies. However, they were mumbling to themselves.
“Ayameike-san…”
“Ayameike-san is the best…”
“I love Ayameike-san…”
I wanted to think this was just part of some event, but I could see Elias standing on the stage, her expression colored in utter disbelief.
“My plan…My wonderful plan to turn her into a student council member and overthrow the president…My plan to take over…All ruined because of some ability!”
She really was just plotting something shady after all.
“Don’t come here! Th-This is not good for you!”
Aika screamed once again while gently pushing away the zombie students, but there were simply too many. The students still themselves were running over to us. However, there were still plenty of students suffering from some sort of brainwashing. The first-year students especially had five whole classes.
“Bingo, it seems. How troublesome.”
Takawashi seemed to be aware of this situation, remaining the only calm person in the room.
“What’s going on here?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Then give me the short version!”
“Her ability is to raise other people’s affection, right? But whenever people with affection form a group, it only heats up from within. Just like sports fans and their passion for the clubs is taken to the extreme.”
“Oh yeah, Aika did mention that people who are already emotionally agitated or excited fall for her charm much easier. And now that she had the whole school in front of her…”
Making Aika stand out here on the stage was a fatal mistake. In a sense, Elias’ plan worked out far too well. However, she miscalculated how effective Aika’s ability could be.
“In terms of ratio, there are more boys than girls at our school, but we have plenty here, too. I guess it just depends on if they have affection for her.”
“All right, I get what’s going on. First up, we have to save Aika.”
Takawashi nodded. The role of military staff should go to her, as she’s infinitely wiser than me.
“As long as she, the target of all their affection, is standing at the front of the hall, the effect probably won’t wear off. Meaning that, if we get her out of here, the effect should weaken eventually. I’d give it like 30 minutes.”
“That is reassuring to hear.”
If this continued for several months, it’d be over for Aika.
“I’m going to create a path to her,” I said.”
“But that can’t possibly be—”
I interrupted Takawashi before she could finish her sentence.
“Oh, it’s very much possible.”
For the first time in my life, I was thankful for this ability I had been cursed with. With my Drain, I can barge into this mountain of people, even without a weapon!
“I see now. I guess this really is something only you can do, Gure-kun.”
Takawashi swiftly understood what I was talking about. Taking step after step, I moved from the center of the hall to the front where Aika stood. Luckily, most of the students who had lost their minds were trying to get up at both sides of the stage, so I could go for a straight line. If the inside of a concert hall had been filled with zombies, this is probably what it would be like. The zombies who’d gotten too close to me swiftly showed dull movement and groaned. I even tried to cling to one directly, and by keeping my absorption level to the greatest, it took the other person only 15 seconds until they fell to the ground. It’s definitely working! If they cling to me for 15 seconds, I can clean them up one by one!
“Please wake up! This is all because of Aika’s ability!” Aika was half in tears, facing the zombies.
Since she was indirectly controlling them, she couldn’t rely on her self-defense abilities and just pushed them away as best as she could. That’s why she was slowly being backed into a corner.
“Is…Is Aika’s ability really the fault of all of this? Should she have just shut up and not do anything…? Wait, over there…You couldn’t be…”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!”
My eyes met with Aika’s, drenched in tears. She looked directly at me.
“Sorry for ignoring your LINE message! Seeing you be accepted by everyone…I thought I wasn’t allowed to say by your side! But…that’s absolute nonsense! I realized this, and so I came back!”
“Of course! Don’t leave Aika for some stupid reason like that! We’re friends after all!”
Despite the situation being in full chaos, we screamed these apologies and reassurances at each other.
“Also, it’s not just me! There’s one more person who came back for you!”
Together with my words, Takawashi looked directly at Aika. Once their eyes met, the electronic billboard showed up behind her.
[Hurry up and run! Jump toward me! I’ll catch you!]
That’s what it read on there as Takawashi moved past the crowd of zombies. She herself didn’t say anything. She just showed Aika what was inside her heart.
[Ayameike-san, I have some resentment toward you. I don’t know if we’ll be able to get along. But…That’s exactly why I can keep my sanity in this situation! I’m going to take you out of here!]
“Erin! So you thought of Aika as a friend…?!”
Yeah, she’s not badmouthing Aika right now.
[None of that matters right now! I just want to save you! And that’s not a lie!]
So screamed Takawashi’s heart as she was being pushed left and right by the zombies. If she really hated Aika, then she wouldn’t have come here to try and save her. Deep down, they’re already friends. This is fundamentally different from just talking about movies or anime you don’t even like or going to places you don’t care about just to please the other person. This is a much more mature relationship.
“Aika! Believe in Takawashi! Jump!”
“But won’t they attack Erin instead?”
“I’ll act as her shield!”
I didn’t hesitate for even a second, and oddly enough, I didn’t even feel scared. Aika then nodded and jumped down from the stage, landing right in front of Takawashi.
[We don’t have much time. For now, we have to get out of this hall. Follow me]
Even during a time like this, the orders on the billboard came in quickly, which was very reassuring. Of course, the zombies didn’t waste much time going after them. He must have thought that Aika would be taken from them because there was one guy who went after Takawashi’s head with his smartphone.
“Don’t go after women like that, you bastard!”
I jumped at him in American football, or rather—rugby style. Honestly, the rules don’t matter. I could feel something entering my body. There was no good or bad with Drain, it just all stuck to me. I’m gonna suck this entire hall dry!
“Thank you, Gure-kun.”
[Thank you, Gure-kun.]
I feel like it’s been a long time since her own words and inner voice overlapped.
“All right, off we go to the exit! If we take our time, we’ll get swamped!”
Those zombies moved a lot faster than I thought. Saying things like “Ayameike-san!” and “Ayameike-san I love you!” and all that.
“O-Oh no…There’s so many…” Aika began to falter at the sheer number of the zombies after us.
If this was fiction and I had any sort of backbone, I’d say “Calm down!” while placing my hand on her head to reassure her. No wonder people would fall in love because of that. However, the only thing I can do…is throw her something I kept in my pocket. Out of reflex, Aika caught it.
“Huh? Is this a piece of chocolate? Why?”
“It’ll help you relax a bit, right?”
She looked at me in confusion, only to show me the brightest smile I’d ever seen—
“Love you, Narihira-kun!” She screamed.
At that moment, the inside of my head felt hot. My ability to reason began to melt away, as my desire to embrace Aika began to get the upper hand—I love you, I love you, Aika, Aika, Aika…But then, a light impact hit the back of my head. Turning around, Takawashi had her hand raised like a beckoning cat, probably after she slapped me.
“Sorry, I saw it as an emergency. I figured it’d raise your grades by five whole points.”
My affection for Aika almost reached a critical level that my heart was about to get ripped out of my chest. What a troublesome ability…
“I don’t think you have that kind of ability, but still, thanks. I almost became one of those zombies. Also, it must have taken a lot of courage to hit me like that, right? That kind of contact must have sapped a lot of energy from you.”
“It’s better than being surrounded by these people. And when I came back into this hall, I was already prepared to get her to safety. If you get brainwashed, it’s all over. It’s about as safe as just laughing at her scornfully.”
What a friend you are…I can’t tell if the situation is good or bad. There are still many zombies around. Even if half of them got brainwashed, there are still 200 people across all student years. Then again, I had already made up my mind.
“Now things have gotten exciting.”
I wasn’t playing tough or anything, it’s what I genuinely felt. Right now, I really am an ally of justice. I’m using my ability to fight. Not some blade or my fists. I’m not physically hurting my enemies. It’s all thanks to my blessed supernatural ability. My thanks go out to God, Buddha, and Aika.
“We’re getting out of here! Keep on pushing!” I took the lead and charged ahead.
I hugged any zombie I came across to drain them of their energy and then pushed them to the side. To the two of them, I was like Moses splitting the sea. Of course, sometimes they do get a punch in, but I just have to grit my teeth and tough it out. I bet Moses went through the same thing himself. Our P. E. teacher took the back and tried to keep more students off us. We finally reached the door, with the exit of the hall in sight. None of them probably thought of the simple idea of blocking the exit in their brainwashed state.
[We’re almost out onto the courtyard. Then we should be safe from the zombies.]
I think she’s mostly correct in that regard.
“However, wouldn’t it be bad if all these brainwashed people started roaming the school?”
“It might hurt our school’s image, but that’s something we have to worry about later!”
I didn’t join their conversation and just turned around, standing inside the door.
“You two go on ahead, I’ll stop them!”
It sounds almost unreal, right? This is the scene where the side character dies to protect the protagonist.
“Stop acting like a moron and come with us!”
I heard Takawashi’s voice. However, I had already made up my mind, no pulling back now.
“I’m perfectly serious here. With my Drain, as long as I stand in the door, I’ll be able to keep them in here as long as we need.”
Honestly, there’s no better way to use my drain ability. After all, I get to help out my friends.
“Takawashi, Aika, you two are my friends. And I’m going to use my ability to protect you.”
I didn’t know what it meant to be true friends or the feelings of friendship. That’s why I wanted to leave the hall earlier. However, right now, I’m willing to get in harm’s way to protect them. Overcoming benefits and demerits is where true friendship waits. If this isn’t friendship, then it doesn’t exist in this world.
“Gure-kun!”
I turned around for a moment and glanced at the two. Since I could hear all the zombies mumbling Aika’s name, this sight was a lot more comfortable.
“We’re not friends, okay?!”
“Do you really have to correct me now?!”
I mean, I guess we’re supposed to be partners in the same alliance, but can’t you just go with the flow? Oh, whatever. On her billboard, it did read [Still, we’re partners] so I can accept that for today.
“Takawashi, I think I was born to act as the guardian here.”
“So you’re going to die once your duty is over?”
Can you not jinx me?!
“Anyway, you two run away. I think you’ll be fine if you stay around her, Takawashi.”
“That makes sense. I can’t biologically stand her, after all.”
“Erin, that’s gotta be a joke, right?! If not, Aika’s gonna cry again!”
“Biologically, it might be too much, but I’ll do my best to deal with it.”
I guess…we’ve said everything there is to say. I grabbed one of the boy’s heads with my hands, trying to accelerate my ability.
“We’ll meet up later. And then, I’ll be there to act as the intermediary until you become friends.”
I couldn’t afford to look back anymore, but I had no issues imagining the kind of face Takawashi must have had at that moment.
“All right, got it!”
“Thank you very much!”
I could hear them running away behind me.
“Right…I’d love to keep these guys in check for at least ten minutes. That should be enough time.”
I pushed my hands ahead of me and then opened them up—Effectivity range, increase! I did my best to range the radius of my Drain to roughly three meters. The weaker guys already start staggering before they even get close to me. But they must have realized that they wouldn’t be able to get to Aika if they didn’t make it past me, so they kept on storming. I met them halfway. If I stay too far away, they’ll just try to knock me out with punches. Of course, they were fighting to get past me. Surely, they’d rather not have a loner like me clinging to them.
“Just please put up with it…”
This was all to protect my friends. Next came a girl. I didn’t like doing this, but I still hugged her.
“Sorry! This is just self-defense!”
Another boy tried to break past me, so I switched over to him. But then, he kicked me. He must be part of a sports club because that hurt like hell. He’s not using some physical strengthening ability, right? Please let that be a thing that they can’t use their abilities. But since he was already wobbly on his knees, I just put him to sleep right away, all the while apologizing to him like I did to everybody else.
“Comparing this to the five minutes I fought the urge to piss until recess rolled around, this is nothing!”
However, I soon reached my limit. The large, bear-sized captain from the judo club made his way over to me.
“Just to let you know, but I could easily win the gold medal against anybody if I just tried!”
I charged right at him. This was all I could do. I didn’t have any skills that could help me. But then, I could feel myself flying through the air. He must have thrown me because I got slammed down onto the linoleum floor. Both my legs and butt hurt and shook like crazy. For a few seconds, I couldn’t even breathe properly. I guess my supernatural ability isn’t all-powerful after all. Can’t beat someone who’s trained in judo. But that’s all, really.
“Don’t think this is going to keep me down! I’ve suffered being a loner far too long to go down this quick! We loners have our endurance on max level!” I clung to the judo club member from behind. “You’re fighting for your own sake, right?! Well, I’m fighting for my friends! And so, I will win!”
His resistance weakened, but I stuck to him. Now that it’s come to this, it’s all about stubbornness. Run away, you two. Just run. Far away from here…Oh, I’m floating again.
“This one might be ba—”
My consciousness was cut out before I could even finish my sentence.
CClaw Translations 