Chapter 479: 3.2

After enjoying the bath at the large bathhouse for about an hour, I returned to my shared room with the three who came with me.

Then, I saw the third-year student, Tatebayashi, standing in front of a room, looking displeased and fidgeting with his right foot. He seemed quite irritated.

"You finally came back..."

Tatebayashi's gaze wasn't directed at us, but further back.

It was Kōenji, who had been doing as he pleased all day.

It was expected, but judging from Tatebayashi's behavior, he hadn't been able to make contact even after all that time. He didn't care about the irritated senpai and went to the front of the room.

"Could you move? You're in the way."

"What the hell are you—"

Before the lecture began, Kōenji pushed Tatebayashi's shoulder and entered the room.

It wasn't that he had forced his way in, but rather that he had overpowered him with his superior physique and strength.

Rumors about Kōenji should have spread enough among the third-years, but if you didn't have any direct experiences with him, you'd just feel some irritation. Without even trying to close the open door, Tatebayashi followed Kōenji who disappeared into the room.

"Hey, are they going to fight?"

Shintoku, a first-year, looked at Hashimoto for instructions on what to do.

"Kōenji really is a handful. Should we just watch for now?"

If the door had been closed, they could have ignored it, but it was left wide open.

Everyone casually peeked inside.

Kōenji, who had entered the shared room, was already on the futon at the far end.

Three first-years and... it seemed that all the second-years except Kōenji were out.

He started stretching as if he ignored Tatebayashi, who was standing and looking down.

I wondered what feelings Shintoku and Toyohashi had when they saw this.

"I don't want to get involved with Kōenji-senpai..."

"Same here..."

Disgusted, they said such things without thinking.

"What have you been doing until now!"

Tatebayashi, who had a reputation as a leader, questioned him.

"Me? It's obvious, isn't it? I'm polishing myself."

"Huh? Polishing yourself? Don't talk nonsense!"

No matter how loud he shouted, it wouldn't resonate with Kōenji.

"Cooperate properly tomorrow! We're on the edge here!"

"That's an impossible request."

Kōenji answered without looking at Tatebayashi at all.

The eyes of the first-year students peeking in at Kōenji were beginning to turn cold.

It was hard to adapt to this guy in a short period of time.

The kōhais in the same room were silent, seemingly unable to move. The atmosphere was heavy.

"Impossible request? Do you even think about the group?"

Tatebayashi continued his relentless attacks.

Without caring about his group mates, Kōenji turned over the futon on the spot.

"Then I'll sleep at the edge."

"Don't decide that on your own! I'm supposed to decide where to sleep!"

When Hashimoto quietly entered the room, he asked the first-years in the same room to stop Tatebayashi.

He quickly stood up and rushed to Tatebayashi's side, trying to calm him down with soothing words.

Tatebayashi, who was breathing with both shoulders, noticed the presence of the kōhais and regained a little calmness.

"Okay? You still must obey the leader's instructions, right?"

But—

"I refuse. I hate going through unnecessary steps. Can you be quiet now?"

That was the last straw.

Tatebayashi, who had been comforting the kōhai, pushed them aside and shouted.

"It's not that I hate it!! There are first-years here too, I can't set an example as a senpai!!"

"Don't you know the saying, 'One should undergo hardships in their youth even if they have to pay for it'? At times like this, young people should take the lead and give the better place to their seniors."

"Ah, yes, that's right. Don't worry about us... yes."

If a second-year student told them to give way, most first-year students would have no choice but to obey.

"Then I, a third-year, will order you. Undergo hardships!"[8]

[TL/N: There isn't really a good way to translate this, basically just telling them to actively seek out and embrace challenges/hardship]

"Come on, Senpai, calm down."

Hashimoto stopped Tatebayashi, who was about to raise his fist in anger, by putting his arm around him.

He then turned his attention to us and asked us to go back to our rooms.

"Let's go back."

"But, is it okay?"

"Hashimoto should be able to handle this situation."

Leaving Hashimoto behind, we returned to our shared room.

Ten minutes later, Hashimoto returned to the restless first-year students.

"Was everything okay?"

"He calmed down. It seems he was desperate because he really wanted to win."

Class 3-D had little money to spend freely due to the tribute to Nagumo and their low class points. Because the rest of their school life was just nearing its end, they seemed to want every bit of pocket money.

"Nagumo-senpai and the other senpais took most of the good students, so they didn't have much leeway. So they took Kōenji from the leftovers and aimed for a one-shot reversal, and that's what happened."

If he could've handled him, he might've been able to make him take action. It was no wonder he was angry if such faint hope was betrayed.

"It must be hard for you, Ayanokōji-senpai... having someone like that as a classmate."

I didn't think anything of it, but I gained some newfound respect from the first-year students.

"Well..."

From here, we started preparing for bed, but there was still a problem that Hashimoto hadn't solved.

That was who would sleep where.

Like Kōenji and Tatebayashi had been arguing, it was a trivial but unavoidable part.

I remembered that when students slept together, there was often a fuss about where to sleep.

Especially on school trips, it was a big deal when Ryūen and Kitō had a pillow fight.

"Let's decide the issue fairly here. To avoid something like Kōenji, right?"

Hashimoto volunteered to take on the unpleasant role.

"No, we really don't mind where. Right?"

"Yes. If anything, Ayanokōji-senpai can decide next!"

"No, no, why Ayanokōji? You're fine with treating me badly?"

Hashimoto retorted with a bitter smile.

"It's not like that... Ayanokōji-senpai is our aspiration!"

"Me too, Ayanokōji-senpai! I respect you!"

Shintoku and Toyohashi, with their eyes shining, revered me.

"...You seem to be admired in a short time."

"Well, even if you say that..."

I was the one who was most confused.

Until just a moment ago, there was no such thing.

Shintoku and Toyohashi, who had drastically changed their attitudes, were just tilting their heads, as were Kobayakawa and Yanagi, who were also first-year students.