6
I have to stop this.
I thought so, but what could I do?
The easiest thing would be to stand up here and raise my voice.
“Mio’s in trouble. Stop it.” If I just said that, all the attention would be on me, and at least the flow of the situation would stop.
I’m Mio’s boyfriend, and I think there are classmates who have seen us walking home together, even if they don’t know it.
So it wouldn’t be unnatural for me to defend Mio here.
If I asserted my rights as her boyfriend with confidence, wouldn’t I be able to persuade them?
I could do it right now if I wanted to, and I think it’s a surefire way.
But,
“…”
Even though such a scenario came to mind, I couldn’t bring myself to act on it.
I couldn’t even stand up, and I just kept my head down, staring at my desk.
I couldn’t even bring myself to move.
…Because if I did, I knew those gazes would turn to me.
Right now, countless eyes were fixed on Mio.
If all those eyes, filled with a mixture of curiosity and interest, were to suddenly turn to me, the emotions in them would definitely be the complete opposite of Mio’s.
—What is he even saying?
—Read the mood.
—Is he trying to act cool? How gross.
That’s probably the kind of emotions theyd have towards me.
Imagining that made me feel sick.
Of course it would. Who would feel good about someone throwing cold water on a moment like that?
Even if you’re saying something that’s logically correct, whether or not it’s accepted is a completely different matter.
There aren’t many people who can have their actions denied as wrong and immediately change their mind.
Emotions deny things before the mind can even think. That’s just how humans are.
Especially if you have a lot of allies around you, you’re even less likely to admit you’re wrong.
Because the moment you admit it, you’re the one who’s going to be humiliated. There’s almost no doubt that I’d be the one denied and attacked.
I have almost no influence over the class, so if I were to raise my voice alone, I’d just get crushed.
That’s why I can’t do it.
There’s no way I can stop what’s happening.
(This is just an excuse…)
I hated the way I was listing all these reasons just to convince myself.
“—Everyone, calm down for a second. Misaka-san is troubled, isn’t she?”
Just then, the words I wanted to say reached my ears as I bit my lip.