Chapter 74

"Didn't you hear from the President? What kind of situation I'm in right now."

Ye Sa-ra sat with her legs crossed, a vicious look on her face, and posed the question.

Disciplinary Committee Member Son A-reum ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠recalled her conversation with the Student Council President.

We're not going easy on Ye Sa-ra. We're ignoring the fact that she's there.

It had been a strange thing to say. The words sounded almost as though Ye Sa-ra wasn't the one harassing students, rather, the rest of the student body was ostracizing Ye Sa-ra.

But there was a reason she hadn't been able to accept that. Ye Sa-ra never once behaved like a "victim" on campus. If she truly was being ignored and bullied by the entire school, as the President had said, why would she walk around with her head held so high, disrupting class with an untroubled expression and tormenting students?

She had tried, in her own way, to understand Ye Sa-ra. After the Student Council President told her a week ago to leave Ye Sa-ra alone, she'd quietly observed her for a week. In that time, Ye Sa-ra hadn't committed any major offenses. Aside from parading around with a girl on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠each arm and boldly wandering the hallways during class time, she hadn't really caused trouble for anyone.

Not that this changed that she was still violating the school rule prohibiting improper relationships.

She had run into her by chance this morning. Usually, Ye Sa-ra arrived much later, flanked at the school gate by the two girls who always waited for her, but today she had come to school much earlier, and alone. Even earlier than Son A-reum, who normally arrived early.

...Fine. I'll watch for the rest of this week.

If Ye Sa-ra caused no further problems, she planned to shift her focus, to consider whether, conversely, Ye Sa-ra herself might be the one being bullied. After all, according to the President, the one being harassed was Ye Sa-ra. No matter which way the ostracism flowed, Son A-reum had a duty as a Disciplinary Committee Member to properly guide the students.

Although normally, at that stage, the matter would have been handed over to the teachers.

So, after observing all morning—

Ye Sa-ra still paid no mind to the eyes around her, striding around proudly with a beautiful girl on each arm. Even during sacred class time, she brazenly walked out of the classroom and roamed the halls. She even deliberately came to Son A-reum's class and disrupted the lesson, without the slightest concern that she was making things difficult for the teacher and the other students!

On top of that, she had come to the park during lunch, driven off the students who were sitting and resting, and set up this spot for herself.

Wouldn't anyone call that tyranny?

...And yet, what the Student Council President had told her still lingered: Ye Sa-ra was the one being ostracized.

"And how do you know someone didn't just make that story up?"

Ye Sa-ra had money. Not just Ye Sa-ra—her mother had money too. Among people with money, they had real money. The rich among the rich. Going by the Bible's description, it wasn't a camel trying to pass through the eye of a needle, but an elephant—no, a brachiosaurus.

Even at a school where most students came from wealthy families, buying people off was surely possible.

"A made-up story, you say."

At that, Ye Sa-ra laughed as if amused.

"You've been watching for the past week. You still really think that?"

"..."

Son A-reum pressed her lips shut. Of course she thought so. She did think so... but she couldn't be one hundred percent certain.

It was true, as the President had said, that the students' reaction was to ignore and avoid her. Looking purely at behavior, it certainly appeared that Ye Sa-ra was the one doing the harassing. The students flinched every time Ye Sa-ra did something unpredictable, and most of them quickly left the vicinity.

During class time, however, it was different.

The school had many teachers. Some were popular, but there were also plenty whom the students disliked.

And when a teacher the students hated fell victim to one of Ye Sa-ra's pranks... the kids couldn't hold back their laughter.

Even at a school attended by children of means, the teachers subtly discriminated. Not by grades, by how much money the students had. Even Son A-reum, who ranked among the top in her year academically and served as a Disciplinary Committee Member, was never pulled aside by teachers ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for conversation.

Of course, they didn't discriminate openly. It was an unspoken disregard. They'd treat students who came to them brusquely, or quietly push classroom duties onto them.

And because the students knew this, they generally disliked those teachers.

So when Ye Sa-ra tormented such teachers, even if they couldn't laugh out loud, they'd struggle to suppress their grins, shoulders trembling. Some had even started to enjoy or look forward to Ye Sa-ra's appearances.

But... but still.

Son A-reum shook her head. That kind of response was what you'd see from someone hoping another person would harass that teacher in their place. If Ye Sa-ra had truly acted for the sake of justice, she would have challenged the teacher's words and actions directly, rather than moving in this way. That would be the right method.

"Still, the fact remains that you're tormenting students."

"Is that so?"

Ye Sa-ra made a show of pressing a hand to her cheek, sinking into thought with an "Hmm..." before speaking.

"In this school, how many people actually pay attention in class? Have you ever looked around during a lesson?"

"..."

It was true—few students properly listened in class. Perhaps they were doing advanced study elsewhere.

"There are still some who do listen properly."

A minority, but they existed.

"Have you ever been ignored by other people at this school?"

"..."

At that, Son A-reum's words caught in her throat.

Ever been ignored.

Of course, far too many times to count.

Like when she pointed out a school rule violation and people simply laughed it off. Especially with students the teachers favored, no matter what she said, the higher-ups routinely dismissed her. Even when she told students they shouldn't chatter during class, they didn't so much as listen with half an ear. Even when she brought things up with the Student Council President, she usually got a perfunctory reply before the matter was dropped.

In the first week or so after the semester began, most of the visible rule-breakers were from so-called wealthy families. Among those kids, the ones who would at least somewhat listen to her were vanishingly few.

...In fact, the only person among them who had personally said, "I'll accept the punishment," was Ye Sa-ra.

"Plenty of times, right? You've been ignored. Even Ha-neul here next to me—she went through it. The other kids wouldn't even talk to her because she came from a different middle school. Made it easy to get close to her, though."

It was true; Yu Ha-neul was the top student in their year. Someone from outside the school system might well have been ignored, just like herself.

"Su-a next to me, too. She lost every single friend she had because she's close with me. How would you explain that? Think it's a well-deserved punishment because we've been going around tormenting people?"

Son A-reum shook her head fiercely.

Being bullied did not justify repaying it with the same bullying. Doing so would only make you the same kind of person.

More than anything, she had never once seen Lee Su-a going around harassing other students. They were in different classes, and whenever she saw her face, Lee Su-a was always by Ye Sa-ra's side. She didn't seem the type to actively step forward and instigate things, either.

"Besides, you."

Ye Sa-ra looked straight at Son A-reum and spoke.

"Aren't you actually just following me around because I'm the one who responds to you?"

At those words, she felt her mind go completely blank for a moment.

"Because there's no one else who reacts when you talk. I'm probably the only one who responded to you pointing out a school rule. The only one who stepped up and said I'd accept punishment. When you say something, I'm the only one who answers right away—well, no, the Student Council President would answer too, I'm sure."

Ye Sa-ra's eyes narrowed. Her mouth was curled into a smile. The face that had looked so vicious just moments before had now become one that was simply beaming.

"If you want to have a conversation, you can just come find me and talk. I'm different from the others. I won't run away. And besides, if you keep talking with me, you'll find out. You'll feel it unmistakably—that you're becoming more and more isolated from the kids around you. If you're curious, why not confirm it for yourself?"

"..."

For a moment, Son A-reum stared blankly at Ye Sa-ra, mouth hanging open. Ye Sa-ra was still smiling with her eyes, continuing on.

"What's happening around me right now is far more complicated than you think—"

"No!"

Without listening to any more, Son A-reum let out a shout. Ye Sa-ra's eyes, which had been narrowed for so long, flew wide open as if startled.

"You—y-you-you-you! So this is how you've been going around beguiling people! Public morals violation! Public morals violation!"

Seeing Son A-reum spouting whatever words came out, Ye Sa-ra blinked.

"Public morals violation...?"

Oh no.

Only after she'd shouted without thinking did Son A-reum realize she'd momentarily lost her grip. She covered her burning face with both hands.

"I will absolutely find evidence of your misdeeds! Just you wait until then!"

And then she chose to turn on her heel and flee.

*

"..."

I stared blankly at the Disciplinary Committee Member's back as she sprinted away at full speed, crying out a line that sounded like something a villain from a children's cartoon would shout while ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠making their weekly retreat, the kind of show that's been running for twenty years with one episode per week.

...Why, though?

Ah, did I go too far?

Granted, poking at the trauma she'd developed since coming to this school might have been overstepping. I'd figured we were in similar positions and tried to build a little common ground, but this was how it turned out.

As for her tailing me now—well, judging by what she'd said at the end, it didn't seem like she'd stop, so maybe that was a good thing. At any rate, it was a positive that I now had one more student at school who definitely responded to me. Whether that image was good or bad didn't matter. Right now, I wasn't in a position to be picky.

"..."

I sensed eyes on me from both sides and glanced over to find Ha-neul and Lee Su-a looking at me with strange expressions.

"...What?"

"Nothing."

Weirdly, as if I'd done something wrong, Ha-neul turned her head away sharply with a slightly sulky look.

"...Is something the matter?"

"No..."

Lee Su-a wore a somewhat deflated expression.

...What is this? Seriously, what's going on?

Ah.

Come to think of it, I had brought up both of their stories on my own. Seeing me casually bring up things that were emotional wounds might have disappointed them a little.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I brought that up too suddenly, didn't I?"

"..."

But Ha-neul still had her head turned away, and Lee Su-a still looked a bit deflated.

...What do I do now.