Am I Hated by God?

"Alright, Mitsurugi Suo. You can do this."

It was Monday morning, 8:10 AM—the time when everyone else had already started their commute. In the empty room of a girl who was a habitual truant, Suo picked up her phone after a long session of self-motivation.

"I can do it! Haa!"

For some reason, Suo’s morning was bustling, even though she had no plans. You could tell just by looking at her outfit.

"Clothes... look okay."

She had tucked her hair behind her ears so it wouldn't be too obvious and was wearing a white dress, which was unlike her. But she had kept her fuzzy sleeping socks on.

"Phew!"

Unless she had completely lost her sense of fashion, this was clearly the small heart of a girl who wanted to look good for someone. With that feeling in mind, Suo took a deep breath and reached her finger toward the call button in her contacts.

"..."

"..."

Suo's fingertip began to slide down the screen. The mess her closet had become was all the fault of this suspicious otaku. "I'm... I'm gonna call."

The reason she had dressed up like this wasn't because of what happened on Saturday. Honestly, since they were now friends who could even talk on the phone, a video call in the morning was... something she could do, right?

'Everyone does this, right? Yeah, friends are all like this!'

It was sad, but the shattered sense of distance was something a loner like Suo couldn't fix on her own.

"I wonder... if he's heading to school now...?"

Suo's fingertip hovered over the video call option. What held her back was embarrassment. Surprisingly, even though she had the warped sense of distance to change her clothes just for a morning video call, she still had a rational side. She was aware that calling someone early in the morning could be a nuisance.

"..."

Would she press it, or would she give up? If she was going to give up, why did she bother changing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into a pretty dress in the first place...?

Just as her life-defining dilemma deepened—

Buzz-

A notification broke the silence.

"Eek!"

The sudden vibration nearly made her drop her phone. With surprising athletic reflexes, Suo managed to keep hold of it. Her eyes widened as she hurriedly swiped the screen to check what had arrived. As expected, the source of the vibration that startled her was that guy.

"...Seriously, you scared me."

...Now, the courage to switch back to a phone call had vanished.

"Haa."

Suo had no choice but to stick to texting. After cleaning up the closet she’d turned upside down and the bed where she’d tossed her clothes, Suo sat down and sent a reply to that guy, feeling a little disappointed.

"Ishikawa, there's something I want to consult you about."

Ishikawa and I were the type of friends who walked to school together every day, sharing useless chatter. After exchanging a few brief texts with Suo, I shoved my phone into my pocket.

"You'll listen, right?"

"...Are you going to consult me on why animals seem to hate you so much?"

"That's not it."

It was true that all sorts of incidents and accidents happened whenever I walked with this guy. Just a moment ago, a cat had eaten my pants. But that was a trivial matter I didn't need to worry about.

"Animals have always hated me. This is a different concern."

"What is it? Tell me, and I'll think about it seriously with you."

To tell him my concern, I took off my glasses. Then, I asked Ishikawa, who had been watching me for over ten years.

"Am I ugly?"

"...?"

This was all a concern born because of Suo. I mean, she’d look at my face and suddenly hang up the phone, and she wouldn't answer that question in texts either. I was so frustrated and annoyed that I’d ended up ordering pizza and burgers on Sunday.

"...Uh, well."

"No, is it really that bad??"

Ishikawa, are you avoiding the answer right now? I felt like he was giving me a silent agreement that I really was that bad, and my stomach turned. Knowing he was too kind to say mean things to people only made it hurt more.

"Well... I mean, you used to be a bit chubby, right...?"

That was true. The Jun from the original work was a chubby, sharp-witted otaku.

"But you started exercising suddenly, and you lost some weight, right...?"

There was a sad story behind that. Back in elementary school, every time I tried to talk to girls, I saw murky auras. Kids were honest with their emotions, so I could understand, but honestly, it was hard to endure.

'I lost weight so I wouldn't have to see that, but so what, Ishikawa?'

Now that I've lost weight, am I handsome or ugly? Ishikawa carefully chose his next words. After staring intently at my face for a while, the sentence he finally chose was:

"It's not... bad, is it?"

Oh, that kind of reaction?

"The world is hateful. Ishikawa is especially hateful."

"W-what! Why!?"

I’m the idiot for asking Ishikawa. I let out a deep sigh at his vague answer and the even more ambiguous color of his emotions. It would be healthier to think about games than worry about my face. Even so, I was still angry, so I punched Ishikawa in the shoulder.

"You have a surprisingly violent side, Jun."

"Ishikawa is a battered wife, so that's how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you have to treat him."

"What kind of metaphor is that!??"

I thought today would pass by just as listlessly. Passing through an alley, I sighed as I watched blue butterflies flutter over a fence.

"Hey! Wait for me~"

"Hurry up, Ayame!"

The sight of young elementary school kids walking to school in high spirits under the warm morning sun. This neighborhood was exceptionally peaceful.

"Ishikawa, we had days like that too. Remember?"

"...I remember you taking off my bicycle training wheels on your own."

"If I hadn't done that, you never would have taken them off."

"...I was scared back then."

As we filled the leisurely walk to school with such boring talk, the school came into view. I always thought it was too far to walk but too close to drive. I wanted to ride a bike, but I’d sold mine to buy a game console...

"...Jun, look there."

While I was regretting selling my bike, Ishikawa poked me in the side.

"What, why?"

Why was he suddenly scared? I looked where Ishikawa was pointing. It was a dark alley we always passed on our way to school. But while it usually only had empty cans or cigarette butts, today was different.

'Delinquents?'

Male students with cigarettes in their mouths lounging around, and female students crouching down... And one muscular guy, and a green-haired girl talking to him.

'Wow, look at those pecs.'

The pectorals of the man sitting in the middle of the rowdy group were no joke. He looked like an adult, but he was a strange person who was wearing his school uniform properly. The problem was that his muscles were visible even through the uniform.

"...Jun, he's a, a scary person, right?"

"Wow... I wonder how much he benches."

"You...!"

Do you really think a guy who built muscles like that did it to beat people up? He’s clearly a gym rat. Still, getting caught by the guys around him would definitely be a hassle. They looked like delinquents who would spit on the ground.

'We made eye contact.'

Just as I thought that, I made eye contact with the muscle-bound guy. Since we were already looking at each other, I watched him for a moment. I hated troublesome things, and my personality wasn't laid-back enough to give advice to a guy like that. However, there was a reason I didn't look away.

'Wow, I've never seen such a blue color before.'

It was because an immense aura of sadness was spreading around him. I’d seen a color like that once when I went to a funeral.

"Ju, Jun...! What are you doing!"

"..."

The rowdy guys weren't thinking about anything and were just puffing on cigarettes, but only that man was a deep blue, so it caught my eye. And...

"Jun...!"

"Oh, let's go."

The green-haired girl standing in front of that man with her fists clenched tight. Her color was the exact opposite of the muscle-bound delinquent.

'She's practically a flag.'

I’d never seen such a red color in my life. It wasn't an aura of affection, but one filled with pure rage. Getting involved with them would be a real pain.

"Today, we're going to form groups of three."

After homeroom, math class arrived. The math teacher dropped a bomb from the morning.

"Aaaah-"

Just because this was a romantic comedy didn't mean people welcomed group projects. Immediately, students began to protest the teacher's declaration. Of course, it was all just WWE, so there was no real unpleasantness.

"Quiet! It's already decided, and this is a performance assessment."

The math teacher, who usually played well with the kids, scribbled with chalk and wrote kanji on the blackboard. Scratch, scratch, scratch, tap!

'Regional Data Output Competency Test... Ugh.'

The long, pedantic naming sense that made my head spin just hearing it made the surrounding aura restless.

"Three people to a group, calculate various data in our region. Presenting that in front is the entirety of the test."

Even amidst the noise of complaints, I looked at Ishikawa. That guy was praying right now. He was literally putting his hands together. It seemed he wanted to be in the same group as Mitsune Ruri.

'You don't have to pray, you'll end up in the same group anyway.'

Ishikawa was a lucky guy. He possessed a miraculous luck where he was strangely well-connected, especially with the girl he liked.

"Now, draw for groups. There are 30 of you, right?"

Yeah. In my gut, I knew: Mitsune Ruri, Ishikawa. And... one of 'that trio' who genuinely wanted to be in the same group as Ruri would probably get picked.

"Hey, hey, isn't this a total jackpot event??"

"Same group as Ruri-yang... Please, God!"

"My luck is good today... It'll be, good..."

They were reading erotic magazines after homeroom, and they still hadn't improved. They should wish for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠something wholesome like me.

"Please, two nerds."

And what I wanted were two people who studied every day and lived very regularly. If I did it with those guys, it was clear I'd be carried.

'Please, God, give me those two. Please.'

I’d been avoiding even ants lately, so surely you’d do me a favor. Then the teacher put the papers in a box and shook it. The students' auras began to swell with excitement and anticipation. The classroom had become a canvas where soft colors danced.

"Now, come out and draw. Starting from number 1."

And.

The result of the draw, short but filled with everyone's excitement, was shocking. Especially for Ishikawa.

"Ugh...! I should have picked the first one I touched...!"

Ishikawa... didn't get in the same group as Ruri? This seemed like a really big deal.

"Kuaaak! Why, you guys!!"

"No, what kind of probability is this!? This has to be rigged!!"

"Why am I in the same group as you guys...!!"

That trio also miraculously ended up in the same group together. It was to the point where I didn't know what the probability was.

"..."

But the biggest problem right now was me. Looking at the blackboard, I could tell...

Group E. Mitsune Ruri. Yamada Jun. Kayama Akari.

...No, is this for real?

Ruri approached and spoke to me.

"Yamada-san... Yes, please take care of me."

"...Yeah."

No, Ruri was also incredibly discouraged right now. Such an Ishikawa-obsessed girl. I genuinely didn't have any intention of interfering with the two of you. I swear on my mother. But did this kind of development exist originally? This event wasn't in the original work.

I thought it might be a butterfly effect caused by me, but it was true that I was surprised since Ishikawa's luck had broken.

"Yamada is hateful."

"Lucky bastard."

"Jun, I'll curse you."

The trio seemed very surprised too.

"..."

I stared at the group written on the blackboard for a long time. And I thought. Who is Akari?

"Alright! Groups, gather up!"

Students who started pushing their desks headed toward their respective groups. Since Mitsune came this way, it was clear that the remaining student named Akari had to come here too. If I didn't know her, she was definitely an extra. So I decided not to think about it. I just had to treat her like a normal student. And, in fact, Akari came here herself. She came, but.

'...The hair color is familiar?'

Green hair, a very small head and body, and prominent lips. Pale skin and deep, sleepy eyes. Seeing her up close, she had a fatal appearance that made you gasp... And, the smell of cigarettes.

"..."

It was the same hair length as the back of the head I’d seen in the alley.

"Hello, Yamada-kun."

With a light yellowish-green aura indicating interest, she sat down next to me.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The awkwardness was suffocating.

...Am I really hated by God?