Classroom of the Elite:SS Collection

Hate-Sakurako Tsubaki

"So, this time we will be able to expel Ayanokoji-senpai for sure?"

"Yes."

"Hey, we have been working together for a while now. Don't you think it's about you tell me why you want to expel Ayanokoji-senpai so badly?"

When he was just about to leave, that question that I posed to him, stopped him in his tracks.

"Do I really have to tell you?"

"Yes. You have to."

When I looked at him with threatening eyes, he visibly shuddered. His eyes were wandering. He might be thinking up some lame excuse. That wasn't going to work on me. I could peek at other's psyche. I was pretty good at it. There was one expectation, however, and don't think I need to spell it out for you, do I?

He finally realized that all his efforts were futile. As if to imply that he had given up, he heaved a sigh and proceeded to speak.

"There is someone that I look up to,", he had a distant look in his eyes. "She was amazing. A genius on another level. I looked up to her. I enrolled in this school so that I can see her and prove my worth to her. But after coming here I realized." 

He looked at me and continued with a bitter smile on his face.

"She had her eyes set on someone else already. It was as if she yearned for her. What I felt from her was that she had got what she had wanted for a long time. She was ready to do anything to protect him. And it goes without saying who that person is."

He again had that distant look on his face.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

I had to praise him.

"Utomiya-kun, I have spent quite some time with you but I never knew you were such a good actor. I was totally moved."

When I said that, suddenly the air around him changed, as I had expected.

"I don't have any obligation to answer your question."

He had now an imposing attitude and attitude full of arrogance, was it? 

"Yeah. You are right."

"Tsubaki. Now will you tell me why are you dead set on expelling him?"

I brought my hand to my chin as if trying to think of something. I also had thought of playing around like he did. But let's be honest now. I will tell him my exact motive for wanting to expel him.

"I...just hate his whole existence. It's a hindrance to me."

A smile crept its way to his face after hearing my response.

"We are on the same page then."

Saying that he left.

We both had made an alliance to expel him. There was just one reason why we were able to easily join hands even when we didn't know much about the other party. Because we had mutual feelings. Yes, common feeling of hate towards the same person. And not just any hate. We both hated him to the extent that we would even kill him without a second thought.

But I do feel it is kind of unfair. He hadn't done anything worthy of getting so much hate. He barely even knows us and hadn't even interacted with us before.  But he has garnered so much unnecessary hate just by existing. Just simply existing as an extraordinary being, garnered him so much hate.

It is true for everyone, for every human. We, whether we admit or not, just hate someone who is better at something than us. Of course, that hate can propel someone to work harder and lead to many accomplishments but it can also lead to a road of doom. But it is hate nonetheless. 

I feel sorry for those people who receive unearned hate. How truly unlucky they are. Poor souls. I really feel sorry for them.

My feelings towards him, I don't know whether it is hate or not. I don't understand what these feelings and these emotions are but since I am gonna hurt him one way or the other, it feels safe to call this feeling hate.

"How I feel so sorry for you, Kiyotaka."