Chapter 65Group Chat
There are claims that games and light novels don't help with learning from a brain science perspective, but what's the real situation? Thanks to games set in wartime and certain light novels with historical genres, I could answer questions from the Azuchi-Momoyama Period to the Edo Period in my middle school days. There was even a miracle, where the answer to the question given by the teacher to get a perfect score was one of the items usually used in the games. I still remember the excitement of correctly answering a question that the smartest kid in the class didn't understand.
The same thing happened with the fantasy stories I had just read. I remember how often political issues in the country where the story was set would be the theme and I would Google it and ask, "What about Japan?" It's not uncommon to find that a policy that we thought only existed in the game applies in the real world. In modern literature, a character's emotions can now be predicted to some extent without having to search for the answer.
I say this to all the students who avoid subcultures with prejudice and study with reference books in their hands. Surrounded by formality, I said to them, "How could you stay motivated with that?".
I couldn't, I kept playing games.
"Ah~, it's relaxing..."
I only managed to advance the storyline by mindlessly slicing through enemies. This game doesn't have any elements that can be used as feedback for learning... ...This game is for all ages, right?
Even so, it's a lot of fun... ...Ah, I'm dead.
"Ahhh... ah?"
If you don't use your head, your consciousness will float in the air. While I was immersed in this dangerous sensation, my smartphone on the table vibrated and made loud jingling sounds. Sometimes it makes a very loud sound that scares me.
"Oh my... ...when did that happen?"
When I ignored the notification that popped up on the screen and switched to the home screen, the messaging app displayed the horrible number '999+'. What was this? Did I suddenly make more friends? Seriously, it's so hard to be a positive character!
"Class chat group, huh?"
I turned off the notifications every night before going to bed in the group chat. Since summer vacation, it was annoying that some of them kept chatting from midnight until morning... ...What? I got a direct personal message, I didn't notice it. Hmm... What? Iihoshi-san? That's very unusual. She's a very rare character.
[I tried to invite you and the other guys I picked out, but the other girls declined. (;´ãƒ¼`) I'm sorry.]
O-Oh... I see... (;´ãƒ¼`)
Oh, I see... I guess it's normal for some of them to be a little annoyed, because I've been making noise for more than half a school year, and I was part of the midnight chatters on the first day of summer vacation, so I can't blame them. But by "other girls", you mean a girl, right? Well, I don't want to hear it.
[It's okay, I'm a noisy person too.]
I'm not worried about my impression, but I don't want to be disliked either. It was fine as long as there was Natsukawa, but right now I'm more concerned about my appearance than other people's impressions... ...It's hard enough to find a girl who's criticizing you... ...Big Sis, I'm not a match to be a student council member, you know.
[On the contrary, why did you decide to add me?]
Iihoshi-san must have seen me participating in the midnight chat. I wonder why she decided to add me. Ah, already read it.
[Isn't Sajou-kun the kind of guy who likes to see other people's reactions? You're passive even when they're noisy at night. If it were you, I don't think there would be any problems.]
Eh...? Is that what you think of me? I don't know if it's because you're the Class President, but Iihoshi-san is considerate of others anyway. I'll be careful when we sit near each other in the future...
[Is Natsukawa in the group?]
[Of course. Ah, Ashida-chan also declined you.]
Yeah, it's only natural if Natsukawa is here... ...Eh? Ashida? What kind of judge is that girl? She's loud, but I get the impression that girls rely on her... ...That's weird.
[Oh, you did it, Sajou-kun! When Natsukawa-san declined you and left the group, the other friends follow her step too! I guess there won't be any new groups this time!]
Eh, wait... What kind of sudden development is that? I wonder what Iihoshi-san did at that moment...? ...Well, I can't deny that I'm rather happy... ...but Natsukawa has already left the group. It's indeed hard to be in a group that was declined by Ashida. Even so, Natsukawa's 'influencer' status has grown to this point, I'm glad to hear that.
[Did the judge girls earlier play the 'Pom Pom' song without telling anyone?]
[Who are those judge girls (Hehe)? Well, you secretly declined as well, didn't you? Ashida-chan is indisputable, but when things get a bit weird, she'll be there to blow it up. She is indeed an indispensable presence.]
Right, that's it, you're good at reading the atmosphere very well. Well, the secret decline might be a bit annoying. Maybe they got carried away by the "noisy people can't come in" rule, but Ashida is the most energetic among the "girls who aren't vulgar". No wonder no one could strike back at her.
No, but those judge girls will have a hard time right now, they might look at their smartphone screens and turn pale. They might be trembling with fear of how they will behave in the second term.
[Those judge girls, they're going to be in trouble.]
[I'll follow up on the favor message that made you cry, so I'll follow you.]
[Oh, that type.]
Do you also handle that kind of thing, Iihoshi-san... ...I don't feel like she's the central figure in the class, but I wonder if she's controlling the girls somewhere. I really can't go against her...
[But you've also been ignoring my messages lately, haven't you, Sajou-kun? That's quite a negative reputation among girls, you know?]
[Eh, reputation?]
Gosh, that came out of nowhere. Eh, is it just me who's like that? Aren't there other guys who don't participate in the conversation at all? I can't accept this if I'm hated for that kind of thing.
[Ashida-chan talked about this three times, but you probably didn't see it, right? Everyone followed Ashida-chan's lead, and theories about Sajou-kun's death began to circulate.]
[Theories of my death?]
Wasn't there one a while ago? What was it about her that spread the theory of my death so quickly? Since when did I become so sickly before summer vacation? I have a strong feeling that I might faint again from catching a cold. I have to be extra careful, this is very different than usual.
[Please revive me, because I'm crying, Ms.]
[Okay.]
[Don't move my body.]
I don't care if it's a theory or not, it's a cruel counterattack. You're going to help me too, right? Please support me too, Ms. President...! I'm so scared that I'll be antagonized by the central figure of the class! I don't like being the center of attention, but I don't like being insulted either!
Iihoshi-san urged me to look at the 999+ incoming messages. I can understand why you're fed up, especially at midnight, when kids keep talking about things that are a bit out of the norm. Ah, do you guys go to karaoke with a bunch of boys and girls at night? They also do things that are out of control, right? So, yesterday was...
[Sajocchi, you just saw it, didn't you?]
[... (T^T)]
No, I'm sorry, Ashida. You can chat with me during the day. If you also don't hear from me for a day after that, just ignore me. It was indeed a bad impression. There aren't many high schoolers who don't open their smartphones. Should I reply immediately while I still can?
[I'm sorry, Ashida. I met a pretty female college student and we had a good time.]
Yes, it's okay.
[K has removed Sajou from the group.]
Ah.
Author's Note: Ah.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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