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ăâŚI became class rep again. And Kura-senâs immediately pushed something troublesome onto me.ă\n
I sat down next to Asu-nee and explained the Yamazaki Kenta-kun situation.\n
ăAs imperfectly perfect as always, arenât you? Like a clean park where you canât play with fireworks.ă\n
ăThatâs a very roundabout way of putting it. Donât you think itâs better for the park to be clean?ă\n
ăIâm sure that in that park, you wouldnât be allowed to play ball or walk your dog either. The playground equipment, which could cause injuries, would have also been removed. No children around. Just sober adults, reading with sober faces.ă\n
ăâŚThat would indeed be quite the boring place.ă\n
ăIf thatâs what you think, then you just need to change the rules. Thatâs all it takes to make the clean park a fun playground.ă\n
ăItâs hard to change rules once theyâre made.ă\n
ăDo you think so? Pull out the warning signs that are currently there. Thatâs all you have to do.ă\n
ăWe live in a world full of complaints. The moment a problem occurs, youâd be quickly made an example of.ă\n
Asu-nee closed the paperback and put it away in her leather school bag, and then with aăYo-ă, stood up. After staring at the flow of the river for a while, she turned around and peered at my face.\n
ăFor example, if both the girl youâre closest to in class and myself were drowning, who would you save? It doesnât matter if itâs the ocean or a big river, but youâre frantically paddling your bright red kayak. However, the kayak only fits two people.ă\n
ăCouldnât one person just cling to the kayakâŚ?ă\n
ăWell, letâs assume that there are bloodthirsty sharks, piranhas, and crocodiles in the water!ă\n
Asu-nee pouted her lips, holding up her index finger as if admonishing a child.\n
ăI wouldnât have the confidence to paddle to such a dangerous place, you know.ă\n
As if to say that she didnât hear whatever I said, Asu-nee continued.\n
ăIf it was me, I wouldnât hesitate to save you. After all, I like you more than I like the boy Iâm closest to in class.ă\n
ăâŚAnd what about that boy youâre closest to?ă\n
I returned the words, inwardly my heart skipping a beat. However, without a doubt, this âlikeâ was not that kind of âlikeâ.\n
ăWell, of course Iâd pray for him. Something like, âat least, may a shark or crocodile swiftly eat him without a second thoughtâ. Doesnât it seem like itâd be painful to be gnawed at by piranhas, bit by bit?ă\n
Perhaps imagining the scene, she grimaced broadly as she spoke.\n
ăAlthough, if you were drowning with a cat, maybe Iâd save the cat.ă\n
ăIâll make sure to hold the cat so it doesnât fall, so please let me get on board!!ă\n
ăâŚIâm sure that you wouldnât choose between either of us, right?ă\n
Asu-nee crouched down in front of me, holding her knees, and looked straight at me.\n
ăYouâd say, âIâll be fine, so both of you get on insteadâ. Believing that to be the most beautiful correct answer.ă\n
ăAs if. Even I donât want to be gnawed at by piranhas.ă\n
ăAnd then, as your little toe or earlobe gets gnawed off, youâd think to yourself.ă\n
ăOf all places, you chose the really painful ones, didnât ya?ă\n
It kind of felt like she was striking a sore spot, so I tried to dodge, but she continued to say what she wanted to say, as if my words didnât bother her in the least.\n
ăâŚăThis is who Chitose Saku isă.ă\n
See? âŚI thought so.\n
Asu-nee retrieved her school bag from beside me and slung it over her shoulders. It felt unsatisfactory, but apparently that was the end of the story.\n
ăSo, what kind of meaning did that story have?ă\n
ăMeaning? No meaning whatsoever. I just said it because it came to mind. Buf if I had to add one⌠apparently piranhas are edible, so if by chance you were to return safely, we should give it a go!ă\n
ăWith piranhas hanging all over my body? Am I such an appetizing live bait?ă\n