I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

If I had not encountered the previous incident, I might just be wondering why that woman came out from the gate of the shabby-looking community and was picked up by a luxury car.

However...

"That person...seems to be..."

Yes, my mind was spinning rapidly.

Even if she wasn't in her school uniform, I'd never forget that face. That unchanging look in her eyes was clearly... the girl I bumped into and slapped last time.

An arrogant and rude young lady in the eyes of her classmates.

A rare student in the eyes of the teacher.

The best person in my eyes...

It seems that it is not what I thought.

"Just pretend you didn't see it..."

As if I wanted to escape from something, I wanted to leave here as soon as possible...but I couldn't think of where I wanted to go.

If that's the case... let's find out... there should be a reason.

"Then, let's go and take a look..."

As if guided by something, I walked towards the community where she walked out.

Line

How can I describe it appropriately?

The word "ordinary" does not seem appropriate to describe the building in front of us, because in some aspects, it is indeed very distinctive.

..."Old", yes, old.

Perhaps only a word composed of two similar characters can express my impression of this living area. Unlike the area I live in, this place may have been forgotten by the urbanization process.

Walls with some exposed bricks, rusty pipes, cracked cement roads, and clothes hung out to dry.

Did she really walk out from here?

I couldn't help but doubt my own eyes. However, when I tried to recall what had just happened, it felt... strange. Even though it had happened just minutes ago, the scene I had witnessed with my own eyes immediately became blurry when I recalled it, and the specific details were completely gone.

But he was absolutely firm in his belief that that person was her.

“…”

I must have made some mistake.

It would be better to say that my idea was wrong from the beginning.

Episode 3 Line

To put it simply, different lives are shaped by different rules.

In my opinion, this is the only explanation.

Being a contemplative and metaphorical person, I could certainly explain my thoughts in fairly easy-to-understand terms. However, everyone's understanding varies... and a principle like this doesn't seem to be able to be expressed in simple terms.

Well, in short, it would be better to use an analogy.

If people are like dough that is soft but has no fixed shape, and their lives are like being placed on a conveyor belt that cannot be easily stopped, then no matter what intersecting lines are in front of them, people will still be pushed and move forward towards those lines.

Those lines are the rules that govern the world. Whether they can be known and spoken of, or cannot be known or spoken of, they will eventually be touched upon, whether by chance or necessity.

As a result, shapes that don't fit the gaps formed by the intersecting lines are cut off as the conveyor belt pushes forward. With each cut, the person changes into a different shape, and what is cut off is what is either actively or passively discarded. How much is discarded, and what shape remains, depends on the exact arrangement of the lines that cross one's path.

Perhaps most people will never encounter some lines in their lifetime.

Because the conveyor belt - that is, life, is not just one.

As I am constantly pushed forward, when I look to the side, what kind of person will I see?

“…”

Regardless, life has reached this point, so I can be sure that those people are incomplete and have lost something.

......

"squeak----"

The sharp chirping of cicadas seemed to awaken my consciousness. The space around me suddenly became brighter, and a feeling of fatigue and a newly noticed heat spread throughout my body.

Why am I standing at the school gate now, and not... not anything else?

Why do I feel this strange sense of disharmony? Whenever I think about something that I care about, my head starts to hurt for no apparent reason, so I don't have the energy to dwell on the random thoughts I have.

In short, I'm still living a confusing life, dwelling on issues that don't really matter to me. I'm still just an ordinary person, living a life that some people consider insignificant.

"..."

After seeing the campus card in my hand and the people passing by, I suddenly remembered that I seemed to be going to the cafeteria to eat and buy a cold drink to quench my thirst.

“Ding Di—”

The whistle. And yesterday...was it yesterday? It happened near dusk, and based on my memory, it must have been yesterday.

All in all, the way the whistle was honked seemed different from yesterday.

“…”

However, it was impossible for anyone other than her to be picked up by the car at that time.

My pace couldn't help but slow down.

Strange, am I looking for her...

When I came to my senses, I had already watched her, a dazzling woman, get into a car. No matter how I judged it, the car looked nothing like the previous one.

"Different..."

What was the point of such a pick-up? If she was a wealthy girl of a higher status than the average person, it would be fine; this wasn't something worth being surprised about.

Perhaps I'm the only one who knows where she lives and has doubts about this. She should be someone of the same form as us, so why does she look like this?

"...Wire..."

When you squint at the glaring sunlight, you'll see... rays of light radiating everywhere. A line is straight, unaffected by anything. Even if it were to change, it wouldn't be because of a simple person.

The reason why people live differently is because there are different lines... Didn't I think of it a long time ago?

So, what exactly was the thread that changed her?

. . . . . . . .

“…Tsk.”

It doesn't seem to be because the food in front of him is not to his taste.

Looking at the side dishes I'd chosen and the half-eaten rice in front of me, I realized I was already in the cafeteria. ...Already? So, I was just...

"Tsk..."

Yes, that's the feeling. It's like it's preventing me from thinking about something, forcing me to give up the things I care about. And the things I care about are very few. Apart from the girl who I initially thought was my superior, there seems to be nothing else I care about in particular.

"Hmm..." "Hey, why is she here..." "Hmm, she's coming this way..." "Hey, hey..."

There seemed to be some commotion not far away. But that kind of thing had nothing to do with me, so I just had to eat in peace, then, taking advantage of the languor that washed over me, quickly return to the classroom and lie flat on my desk until I woke naturally. No one would wake me, I was quite confident of that.

"..."

No, that doesn't seem to be the case.

"Oh, what's going on?" "Who is this boy?" "Why are you looking for him..."

I should have thought of it earlier.

Is there anyone else who could cause such a commotion besides the young lady in everyone's eyes? It's impossible.

And this person who would never appear in the cafeteria now appeared here for the first time.

Not only that, but now he was standing before someone like me, someone so ordinary that they couldn't possibly be noticed. He was looking down at me with the same condescending eyes as before, as if I were an ant.

"...Well..."

Even though those eyes are filled with contempt, it still does not affect its beauty.

My heartbeat quickened, and my cheeks grew hot. It was just an illusion, but I couldn't help but let my mind wander.

"Hey...is the detective game fun?"

As far as I can remember, it seemed like this was the first time she had spoken to me. Even in class, the teacher never asked questions. So, it was the first time I heard her voice.

How should I put it? Just like her appearance, cold yet with a hint of...something that is hard to describe.

"Eh?"

However, I couldn't fully understand what she said.

Of course, it is even less likely that the people around you will understand.

Whispers linger in my ears.

"Yeah, since it's just a classroom, there's nothing we can do about it. Then don't let me see you anywhere else."

"....Eh...I...I don't seem to understand..."

"Whether you understand or not..."

As she spoke, she looked towards my table. Then, she reached out and picked up the egg drop soup I had left aside. It came with the meal, but I didn't really like the salty taste of the soup, so I set it aside and took it to the dish recycling area after dinner.

"Wow——"

A warm liquid with a slight fishy smell mixed with kelp and eggs slowly flowed down from the top of my head.

Suddenly, I realized that I was the dumbest person alive, just thinking about this. But what was strange was... I wasn't angry.

Consider it karma for wasting food. It's going to be thrown away anyway... This way seems like a good idea.

"Just do as you're told."

“Bang—”

The empty bowl was thrown down and hit the side dish that I had not finished eating, and the little soup left splashed on my school uniform.

"...Understood?"

As she asked again, I seemed to suddenly remember something.

It was like an experience that appeared out of thin air in my mind... In order to quell my curiosity, these days I always walk to the road where I accidentally discovered her after school, and then try to find out where her home is, and whether I really made a mistake.

Perhaps, she discovered me when I was doing something that had no value to me.

"Yeah...I know."

Even without looking up, I knew she still had a blank expression on her face. Her gaze was simply elsewhere, the direction she was leaving.

But she didn't know what I meant by "understanding clearly." It wasn't just that she didn't want me to play the so-called "detective game."

"..."

The more she cares about this, the more it proves that what she's trying to hide is actually there. Thanks to her, I can finally confirm... she's not, as I thought, born superior.

"..."

He set the bowl aside, then picked up his half-eaten bowl. He picked up the side dishes that hadn't been contaminated by the egg drop soup and chewed them carefully.

“Ugh, he still wants to eat…” “What’s wrong with this guy?” “Go away, go away…” “So disgusting——”

There was nothing wrong with the food.

If it were a coin, even if it was crumpled and trampled, someone would still pick it up. So what if it were food? Besides, it wasn't dropped on the ground... These people are clearly just like me, yet they insist on pretending to be different... It's quite unreasonable.

“…”

And that guy was the same, he just shaped himself, or was simply shaped like that.

"Next time...no egg drop soup."

So, I muttered to myself.