"What did you say?!" The school bully looks straight at me, still red from previous verbal attacks.
The girls all turn back. Their thoughtful eyes are filled with anxiety and worry.
Do not worry, girls. I am just mad!
"I meant every word. What would you do if no one was here to stop you?!"
They may not know whatever crap I just spouted. And frankly, that is a good thing. The past is hideous to look at.
Rachel is frowning deeply after hearing my words. I wonder what she is thinking about. The class rep does not say much but moves one step closer to the bully with her fists clenched tight as if preparing to go all crazy. As for Kurokawa, she moves forward, completely blocking his view. For some reason, she makes me feel like the bookworm is a meat shield...
With that formation, saying they are desperately trying to protect me would not be an exaggeration.
"Beats me! Something fun for the whole gang? But what are YOU going to do about it, you pus? Standing behind these girls like right now? Do you see yourself as a real man? Grow some balls, will you?"
It can be seen he is trying to vent his anger onto an unlucky someone. No doubt my taunt has shifted that attention over here. Maybe the girls noticed that, too.
Still, this is not their fight.
...Wait...it is their fight... I am just a mob... There is no reason for me to be here right now...
Nevertheless...
"I asked him a question, and he's just standing there like a retard. Honestly, what are you girls seeing in him?" The bully points the finger at me. "He has nothing special! Like how a side character should be!"
"...I sure am."
"See! What a pathetic little pussy! Wahahahahah!!!"
Regrettably, neither do I possess superhuman strength like Rachel, an intelligent mind like Kurokawa, or a straightforward attitude like Laura. That is where the difference between a mob and the main cast starts.
He is right. I have no distinctive feature to be proud of.
When I was still busy thinking of ways to escape the bully, Rachel faced him head-on without any doubt. Blondy managed to do something I did not have the guts to do: protect Kurokawa and Laura. In fact, the moment she took her stance, in my heart, there was admiration. She was like an idol or a hero to me, a real heroine.
And that is just Rachel alone.
"Shut the hell up already!" The class rep shouts.
Laura is so straightforward that she does not hesitate to confront anyone if she feels the need to do it. The class rep does not care what everyone thinks of her and does what she thinks is right.
"You didn't hit him hard enough, Rachel." Kurokawa looks blondy.
On the one hand, Kurokawa does not seem to stand out from the three. That is only a facade she created. I understand she does not yet have the chance to prove anything, but that is her strength. No one really knows when Kurokawa will strike.
"...Yeah." Rachel nods.
Unlike these girls, who can do anything they want and will try to get it by all means, I am hesitant. There is a big chance of me messing things up again, and I am terribly afraid.
Right now, it is not me protecting them. It is the reverse.
I am such a coward.
In my hands is none of their strengths, like how a dispensable character should be. That also explains why I could not get anything done in the past.
After so many trials and errors, I have been cursed with knowledge. How things will go, how things will end, how people will be hurt, all of them are inside my head. Because of said experience, it is not foreign to me that things will never work in my favor. It is not simply doubting myself. Concrete evidence has shown me the truth over and over again so many times already.
Occasionally, I wish I had enough strength and bravery to go outside the safe zone and wipe everything in my head. Deleting my memories sure sounds enticing if it comes to maintaining my mental state.
Just Laura's event alone has left a neverending scar in my heart, not to mention the others. I can not remember the number of times I created something worse while trying to get them free. Every time something like that happened, I felt another piece of me whithered.
However, that and this bully before us are two different things. I could withstand the horror the game created in the past does not mean I like to see something similar happening again! Never had I ever been able to look at their suffering without feeling the excruciating pain deep in my chest.
And just now, that bastard... He threatened them to do the same as he did to Laura, for Christ's sake!
Now that they care for me more than ever, I would be a heartless bastard if I abandoned them to follow the original script. These girls deserve better than that. I was allowed to go inside Han's mansion and offered food, a bath, and even breakfast. All those things I have never had a chance to try out before were given to me without much thought.
I may be stupid, but the warmth they showed me should be returned tenfold.
As the face of the school bully becomes the center of my visual field, visions of past failures appear. Immediately, images of Laura being abused both physically and sexually, becoming their toy, and losing her life show up without any invitation.
Her agony, pain, grief, the tears in her eyes, the warmth of her blood on my skin... is ever so vivid. My brain is clearly telling me this is not how I should act, that I should not get involved in this mess to keep myself from falling down the abyss of despair this world has given me. When I look down at my hands, they are shaking intensely.
Always and always, I am hanging by a thread. Once I fall, who knows when I will be able to climb back up this time? A year? A decade? A century? Or perhaps longer?
Is...is this wrong? Is it wrong for me to interfere? Is it wrong for me to help them?
Is it wrong for them to live freely?
Of course not! I want them to break out of this system! Everyone has the right to be free of influence! They should all have the chance to think for themselves!
But what if the script changes and three of them will all be harmed?!
What if I am alone again?
I...
"C?" Kurokawa calls my name.
"Eh?!" Startled, I answered hastily. Once again, I let my thoughts run amok. This is getting more frequent...
"If you're uncomfortable, you don't have to force yourself. We'll be fine. Promise!"
Right after, she shows me the softest smile I have ever seen. The other two also smile at me, completely disregarding the bastard.
Sensing my stunned state, Rachel pats herself on the chest: "Trust me, I will not let anything happen to our precious class rep and bookworm!"
"I am not your bookworm." Kurokawa grunts.
"Forget these two, C. Get back to class first. We'll be joining you later. No need to worry too much, see!" Laura takes out a paper-knife and pushes the blade out. Its sudden appearance instantly makes the bully steps back.
Looking at them like that, I really do feel happy. I want to cherish them and keep them safe from any threats this world has.
I need to do it. No.
I must find a way!
Think, C! Think!
When he was about to hurt Laura, the bully always had company. They all took part in harming her, shaming her, and ridiculing her. No matter how hard I tried to separate them, they would always group up and hurt Laura again, thanks to the system trying to make things right. Even when I told the class rep to run or hide, somehow, the end result would still be her death. She either did not believe me or failed to escape.
The only way for Laura to not die at the hands of the bullies was to be saved by Han.
Wait!
That is it!
The protagonist!
