There's a saying: "The poor harm each other."
In internet slang, it means "You can't stand seeing your friend suffer, but you're also afraid of him driving a luxury car."
It reflects a certain psychological struggle.
Most victims of bullying are like Sakura—quiet and timid. But there are also those like Karuizawa, who were once bullied but later started doing the same thing to others.
At the beginning of the school year, Yamauchi and Ike, the "monkey duo," often mocked and belittled Hikigaya. Their goal was to push Hikigaya to the bottom of the class hierarchy so that he could take their place as the bullied outcast.
Karuizawa was once a victim too. But after escaping that environment, she didn't want to end up at the bottom again. So, she started pushing others down, making them the weakest instead. That way, she could stay safe.
This is the complexity of human nature.
Hikigaya had seen it firsthand. No, He had experienced it himself.
But in his case, he was the one who got betrayed. The other person, desperate to escape bullying, had no hesitation in selling him out.
Can you say they were wrong? Can you say they made the wrong choice?
People are selfish. This kind of thing is complicated and hard to define.
Hikigaya wouldn't say he had seen all the darkness in people, but he had experienced enough to understand Karuizawa's mindset.
Karuizawa felt completely exposed by Hikigaya's words. At the same time, she found herself unexpectedly admiring this dead-fish-eyed guy in front of her.
She knew all too well what kind of hell it was. She had even hurt herself because of it, and her body had been scarred by it. But Hikigaya had endured it, come out stronger, and even changed for the better.
Meanwhile, she was just barely surviving, like a lowly insect.
"How… how did you do it?"
Karuizawa gritted her teeth and asked. She wanted to know how Hikigaya had managed to climb out of that hell, while she kept sinking deeper.
"I already told you—bullying is just a group of people exploiting and crushing one person. Why? Because they realize the only way to prove their worth and strength is by picking on someone weaker."
Hikigaya's deep eyes locked onto Karuizawa, and for some reason, she found herself staring back. At that moment, a chill ran down her spine.
"And the only thing you need to do… is become stronger than them—so strong that they can't even feel jealous of you."
"Become stronger?"
Karuizawa muttered to herself.
"They bully you to break you, to make sure you never get back up. But what you have to do is stand up every single time they knock you down. Show them that they can hurt you, they can even try to destroy you, but they will never defeat you."
"They can hurt me… they can destroy me… but they can't defeat me?"
For some reason, something inside Karuizawa stirred. It felt like an electric shock running through her entire body.
"You may have escaped from their bullying, but look at yourself now. This is exactly what they wanted—to turn you into one of them. To make you just another weakling who only knows how to step on others to prove their worth. To turn you into their kind."
"Karuizawa, do you really want to become just like the people who bullied you?"
"I… I don't! I don't want to be like them!"
Karuizawa shouted, her voice trembling. She looked at Hikigaya with desperate eyes. "Then what should I do? Can you… can you tell me?"
Right now, Karuizawa was like a drowning person who had suddenly grabbed onto a lifeline.
She had been lost, confused. After escaping from that hell, she thought everything would go back to normal. But she realized there was no going back. She couldn't even see the road behind her, and the path ahead was covered in fog.
That fog felt like a monster, waiting to swallow her whole. She had been too scared to take a step forward.
But now, in the middle of that fog, a faint light had appeared—like a lighthouse in the distance, showing her the way.
"Face your past, take responsibility for your mistakes, and have the courage to move forward."
That was Hikigaya's answer.
...
"...Do you guys know what I just saw?"
Hikigaya was reading in his room at night when Hondou Ryoutarou rushed in from outside, unable to hold back his excitement as he shouted at Hikigaya and Miyake Akito.
"What happened?"
Miyake Akito asked, confused.
"Karuizawa—you know, that bossy and aggressive girl? The one who was super annoying during the deserted island exam? She actually apologized to a girl from another class! And she was really sincere about it!"
Hondou looked as if he had just made a groundbreaking discovery.
Miyake Akito only responded with a casual "Oh," while Hikigaya didn't react at all.
"Hey, aren't you guys surprised? We're talking about Karuizawa here! Have you ever seen her lower herself and apologize to someone like that?"
Hondou was frustrated by their lack of reaction. It made him feel like he was overreacting.
"I'm not really interested in the girls in our class."
Miyake Akito shrugged.
"What about you, Hikigaya?"
Hondou turned to him.
"Was she alone?"
Hikigaya put down his book.
"Uh… let me think… Oh yeah, Hirata was with her. Ah, I get it now! It must've been because of Hirata. There's no way a tough girl like Karuizawa would apologize on her own!"
Hondou suddenly understood.
"What happened after she apologized?"
Hikigaya asked again.
"I don't know. I only saw it from a distance and ran back here to tell you guys right away."
Hondou said as if it was the most natural thing.
"Still, it's probably best not to spread this around."
Miyake Akito spoke up. "Since Hirata was there, something must've happened. If we go around talking about it, it might cause trouble for him."
If it were about anyone else, Hondou wouldn't care. But when it came to Hirata… He had received Hirata's help many times, and deep down, he respected him for everything he did for the class. So, he nodded in agreement.
Just then, Hikigaya's phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message.
[Hirata Yousuke: Karuizawa has already apologized to Rika from Class C. There were some difficulties, but in the end, everything worked out. Thank you.]
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