Operation-Exploit Sympathy

Observing Shiratama Manatsu, who occasionally pressed down the brim of his hat, I once again directed a grateful gaze his way.

“Ugh…”

I gritted my teeth.

This situation was untenable. If I didn’t clarify these tiresome matters immediately, they would only fester and intensify.

“Cough, cough….”

“Right, classmates, as the Disciplinary Committee Head, I feel it is my duty to clarify something!”

With those words, I stepped onto the podium.

Unseen gazes radiated from every corner of the classroom, an intense heat in their eyes, much like a crowd gathered around a blazing bonfire.

“Ugh…”

I struggled to suppress a shiver as uncomfortable stares made my entire body tremble.

Over the years, the collective gaze of a classroom had become as mundane as a simple home-cooked meal. Yet, even such an ordinary sight still compelled me to employ ‘Thoughtflow’ to steady my quivering form.

In my heightened state, the students’ heads below the podium morphed into a grotesque array of rotting coconut fruits, each exuding an unnamed, eerie aura. It was a bizarre presence that instilled profound panic within my mind.

Moreover, when these “coconut fruits,” each plastered with a human mask, converged, it became an unimaginable torrent of mental pollution for someone afflicted with trypophobia like myself!

‘This is why I despise humans!’

Yet, under the subtle influence of ‘Thoughtflow,’ my previously numb and despairing face abruptly seemed to regain a healthy flush. It was now adorned with an expression of ineffable sorrow.

****

“Classmates! I am truly sorry!…. I… I have… something… I haven’t told you all.”

After delivering this line in what I believed to be a truly heartfelt and expressive tone, I bowed deeply to the students seated below the podium.

“So stiff…”

“She’s cute, but the incongruity is just massive…”

“So fake….”

“…My heart remains utterly unmoved. In fact, I almost want to laugh…”

“I…. I!”

Despite the various murmurs, this was a meticulously crafted strategy Youli and I had spent an entire afternoon perfecting!

It was a plan we had grandly named “Operation: Exploit Sympathy.”

A perfect plan that simply could not fail!

“Hoo…. hoo….”

“…Everything is still proceeding as planned. I simply need to relax now……”

As I straightened my back, the long curtain of hair that had shielded my vision while bowing was gone. The atmosphere throughout the room grew noticeably more peculiar.

It was widely believed that the most effective way to make people accept an unexpected turn of events was to leverage one’s “tragic plight.” This would ignite “sympathy” in others, cultivating pity and, consequently, “rationalizing” even the most “irrational” circumstances.

The next phase of the plan involved first recounting my “tragic plight”—a detailed narrative I’d painstakingly concocted in just twenty minutes. Then, I would exploit the classmates’ inherent curiosity regarding rare diseases to generate spontaneous, school-wide publicity.

…In truth, a ‘Gifted’ individual’s conceptual armament, when dormant, possessed the ability to undergo a certain degree of appearance transformation and physical restructuring.

However, this capability was exclusive to ‘Gifted’ individuals! As for my current self, I was merely a person endowed with past-life memories and a ‘Thoughtflow’ that, despite its inherent power, could barely exert any tangible effect on its own.

In essence, I was nothing more than a “normal person”! If one were to insist on a more precise description, I was merely an “anomaly,” slightly more formidable than that fellow, Ye Sakaki.

“I am truly sorry, classmates… I, I forgot to tell you something…”

“Actually, my body isn’t quite as it appears……….,,”

“I… I I….”

Yet, an insurmountable chasm invariably lay between reality and ideals.

While lying was typically effortless, standing in such a public arena, scrutinized by so many eyes, the sheer pressure made it difficult for me to even breathe normally.

More importantly….

I couldn’t continue the fabrication! The elaborate draft I’d painstakingly memorized yesterday had completely vanished from my mind the moment the crowd’s collective gaze fell upon me! And this wretched ‘cute act’ strategy… how utterly foolish was I to ever agree to Youli’s suggestion?!

I vividly recalled the initial discussion when I had sought Youli’s advice on this strategy.

****

I: “Youli, as you can see… actually, in this world….”

I: “…..Blah blah.”

I: “Anyway, this cursed thing simply won’t come off! So, Youli, please help me~”

The plan discussion continued.

I: “Will a plan like this truly work?… It feels… a bit too fake, doesn’t it?”

Youli: (—Pats my head) “It’s alright. At moments like these, all you need to do is smile…”

I: (—With a mysterious expression) “Mmm~ Mmm-hmm~”

Youli: (—Pats my head) “Then the plan is settled~”

****

Time snapped back to the present.

Under gazes that felt like piercing blades, capable of tearing through my very being, the carefully prepared lines I had memorized utterly dissolved into chaos within my mind.

This fundamental flaw in my character proved to be something even the formidable ‘Thoughtflow’ struggled to compensate for.

I had now plummeted into an utterly unimaginable dead end!

“….”

Tap…. tap-tap.

Footsteps echoed softly.

It was Youli!

Youli approached me and gently patted my shoulder.

At this close proximity, I could even faintly discern the lily-like fragrance emanating from Youli’s hair.

“It’s alright~ Little Qi, leave it to me~”

“You…li..!”

What was this inexplicable surge of emotion?

“…..”

“……Classmates, Ye Qi actually suffers from congenital cervical osteoporosis… it appears to be caused by a congenital genetic defect. That ‘cervical spine corrector’ was, in fact, sent back by Ye Qi’s father, who is currently residing overseas… so please, I urge you all not to view Ye Qi with any prejudice…”

****

As I stood there, utterly at a loss, Youli descended upon me like a true savior.

Though she was a savior earnestly spinning elaborate falsehoods, her presence was still incredibly moving, filling me with a profound sense of warmth.

‘It truly is wonderful that I could be in the same class as you in this lifetime.’

“Oh, right~ Also… actually, if Ye Qi doesn’t wear that heavy, five-hundred-gram ‘cervical spine corrector’… sigh, although I’m reluctant to admit it, Ye Qi’s chances of death would skyrocket to five hundred times that of a normal person… In other words, if Ye Qi were to forcefully bend her neck just once….. it could potentially lead to cervical dislocation…. As for the consequences, I’m sure you all learned about them in biology class, didn’t you?”

‘I’m not that fragile, am I?’

“So, everyone, please be sure to treat Ye Qi with kindness!”