The observer's perspective is logical, twisted, and hopeful.

***

That day was an exception — a break from the usual. We didn't watch anime, didn't go to the cinema, and didn't play games all day long. We were going for a long train ride, and our destination was a faraway park. As for a reason behind our trip... Well, unsurprisingly — it was anime. The park we were heading to was where a vital scene from Blooming Youth happened. At least, according to the author, this park served as an inspiration for the one in the story. Obviously, as dedicated fans, the moment the news reached our ears, we decided to go. What? Do you not think that's enough of a reason? Well, the two of us didn't agree. Guess our shared crazy dedication to our interests was why we got along so well.

The train ride came to an end. We left the comfort of the air-conditioned space and ventured outside, heading toward the park. August heat mercilessly rained down on us. Under its strain, our steps were sluggish. Finally, we arrived at our destination. What we saw was —

"It's just a normal park..."

"Yeah... I mean, what did you expect? Of course, it's normal. Even in the story, it was just an ordinary park..."

"I know... Still, there is something special about it. As my gaze jumps around, I keep thinking. Is that the spot where they had a picnic? Or — is that the place where Yukihiro chased after Nagisa? I can't stop those thoughts — so many important scenes happened in that park."

"Heh, maybe you're just a bit too crazy. Going out of your way to visit this park for such a stupid reason."

"Idiot, you're also here."

"Just making sure you don't start stealing grass, screaming — 'this is the grass that Nagisa walked on! ' — or something."

"Shut up, dumbass. And aren't you a way bigger Nagisa fan than me?"

"That's why I don't want you to tarnish her name like that."

"Woah, look at this creep. No luck with 3D, so you're obsessing over a 2D girl... scary stuff."

"Damn, when did you become so sharp-tongued? Anyway, unlike you, I've been in a relationship before..."

"In primary school?"

"Shut up — still counts."

"Can you even call that a relationship..."

On that hot summer day, our banter continued as usual. Perhaps, this time will also become a part of that stupid, inconsequential banter we will fondly look back on. Or — it will become an end.

***
Furukawa Itsuki

The scenery behind the window transformed — intense rain drummed the ground. The landscape, desolated from people and wrapped in water, made a distinctly different impression than usual. My eyes shifted from the cold view seen through the window to the warm scene in the classroom. There, a lively exchange was taking place.

"I've never been to karaoke before..." As the conversation moved toward karaoke, he mentioned faintly, as if speaking to himself. 

Say it louder, dumbass! It's an opportunity, don't waste it.

"Really? Well, we should totally go sometime — I know! How about the next weekend?" asked Nakano. His voice, as usual, contained enough energy to light up the mood. 

Or ruin it for me. Why is he so loud? No, seriously — he's so obnoxious I doubt the sincerity of his character...

"Ah, y-you want to go together?" Surprised by the rapid development, he stumbled and asked, still slightly dumbfounded. 

You didn't need to repeat that like an idiot, you know... You somehow accidentally nailed it. Usually, I would start thinking he's acting, but I know that's not the case.

"Mhm? Yeah, that's what I said," Nakano answered and looked to the side. "What about it, guys — want to go?" His question was directed at the usual group of four.

It's going so smoothly for Shosei that I'm starting to think Nakano is doing this on purpose. Either that, or he naturally has no sense of distance and keeps closing in subconsciously.

"Sure, let's go," Yamada replied amicably.

"Well, if you want to." Kato also didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah, karaoke! Yukino-chan, you refused the last time, so let's go now!" Maeda exclaimed, happy to have this opportunity.

"...No. I'm not in the mood." But Suzuki denied her.

A string of affirmations went by, followed by a singular no.

Suzuki never bends. Is she doing it on purpose? Or is that just how she is?

I began doubting her intent. Was she aware of Shosei's goals? If so, what did she plan to do? Or was I wrong about that?

"Whaaat? Come on, Yukino-chan, let's go, let's go!" Maeda kept pestering her, refusing to accept a second no in a row. She lunged at Suzuki, squeezing her into a hug. That seemingly flustered the Ice Queen, as her reply lacked previous strength.

"I-I said no already, didn't I? Stop being so persistent..."

Attempts at persuasion went on for several more minutes until Suzuki gave in.

She agreed to go, huh? Does that mean she isn't trying to oppose Shosei? Or was she doing that purposefully to make Shosei stay away from her? Although knowing him, he will just search for an opportunity to get closer. Maybe that's what she actually wants? .Perhaps, I was looking at this from the wrong angle, and a reason existed for her to avoid karaoke specifically. ...I guess I might be overthinking this.

***

On the way home, my thoughts were still occupied by Shosei's situation. Cultural festival preparations were to begin next week. It was simultaneously a chance and an obstacle. He was almost at a point where they invited him to hang out. Even if what happened today was just a fluke, if the outing was to go well, it would become a reoccurring thing.

My legs carried me along the road until I reached a bookstore. I entered it and habitually went to the new releases section. I picked up a volume and opened it. After looking through a few lines, I closed it and headed to the register. I purchased the book and went home.

Finally, I reached my house. After taking the stairs, I approached the door to my apartment. My hand hesitatingly reached for the handle. I opened the door silently. As usual, silence greeted me in return. The apartment was empty like it always was. I changed into my home clothes and slumped into the sofa.

I glanced at the clock and, realizing what time it was, hurriedly turned on the TV. After finding the needed channel, I focused my gaze on the screen. There — an anime was airing. I perked up and stared intently, taking in every frame.

A few minutes passed. Disappointed, I slumped into the sofa. Unable to watch that mess even a moment longer, I turned off the TV and stared at the ceiling. 

Another horrible adaptation, huh? Nothing goes my way recently.

Suddenly, I remembered the volume I had bought before. I dragged my school bag closer and pulled the book out of it. I flipped the first page open and lost myself amidst lines of text...

***

I closed the book with a satisfying *thump*.

A few hours passed. I binged the entire volume in one go. Well, to be fair, I did stop to make myself a cup of tea and go to the toilet, but my mind was pretty much occupied by the story this whole time. I stayed silent for a good minute, gathering my thoughts. After a while, a few words slipped from my mouth.

"...It was good. So good I'm struggling to gather my thoughts..."

As I mumbled that, I lifted my head and sluggishly looked around. Obviously, no answer followed. Once again, only silence surrounded me. I heaved a sigh and went to the kitchen, searching for something to eat.

Suddenly, my phone rang, interrupting the suffocating silence. I looked at the screen to see a familiar number displayed.

I hope I'm not getting invited to the cinema again...

The call reminded me of a conversation from a week ago.

***

The movie ended, and we walked down the street. My voice was clear as it pierced the surroundings. At least, I wanted to believe so.

The story of a downfall — that's what I called it. I wonder where a fall begins? is it when one starts going down? Or perhaps when their ascension ends, foreseeing the inevitable decline? Maybe the first step already makes the fall inevitable. I'm sure everyone has a different answer.

Regardless, this tale commences with a paired project. 'B' and 'I' decided to work on it in 'I's house since circumstances prevented them from doing that at 'B's home. Inevitably, 'B' was exposed to the other boy's interests. Once, he came to a meeting too early and ended up joining 'I' in watching an anime airing at the time. From there, everything else followed. Light novels, games, you name them.

"Hey, this main character is really like you, isn't he?"

"We're nothing alike. I despise those shows where so-called losers are somehow handsome, sporty, and intelligent. Unless it's of their own will, they would never end up as loners. What's wrong with such a portrayal? Those works are delusional and unrealistic."

"Wow, it sounds like you know a lot about them... that's cool. I don't really understand anything about them, or more like, I can't quite put it into words, so I envy how much you have to say."

"...It's nothing special. You don't know your stuff if that much impresses you."

"Still, I do wanna know more. After all, I feel like I stepped into a fascinating new world."

"I-if you want to, I'll teach you. I don't have much to do anyway."

"Really!? Thanks, as I thought, you're a nice guy."

They grew closer, and the day of unintended betrayal slowly crept up. 'B' and 'I' finished the project and submitted it. Their connection didn't end there, and they kept spending time together. But there was a big difference between the two — 'B' had many friends to hang out with, so he couldn't spend much time together. He had a weird sense of obligation for the bonds he had built and made sure to keep up with his friends. Luckily, 'I' was okay with that. There was no desire to monopolize 'B,' and he was fine being alone. Sadly — the other boy wasn't in agreement. And so he had an idea. The most shallow, hopeless, and delusional decision was made.

"Listen, you don't have to be alone all the time. You can just join everyone else. Let's go! We can hang out together — all of us."

"But... I'm not sure... I don't think I can fit in — besides, I'm comfortable by myself..."

"Listen, are you planning to waste all your adolescence in solitude? I love spending time with you: diving into all kinds of stories, playing various games, and enjoying peace and quiet. But — hanging out with others is also fun!"

'B's voice was pleading, desperate, and yet reproachful.  Hearing his frantic cries, 'I' staggered backward.

"Going places, getting to know different people, and creating one-of-a-kind memories... Come! I know you want to try that as well. You can't keep delaying your decision, thinking there is always tomorrow — at some moment, there will be no tomorrow! By the time you realize it, you're at the point of no return... Do you want that!?"

"...No, I don't! I know that without your telling me. J—just give me a bit of time, okay?"

And that's when things started going awry. The moment 'I' allowed 'B's baseless, illogical, childishly idealistic mockery of an argument to reach his heart.

"..."

Hm? Yeah, 'B' does remind me of a certain someone. They are pretty similar, aren't they? But I don't believe 'B' was necessarily wrong. Or rather, while his argument was correct, it had nothing to do with the situation present. Sure, you can't waste your time away, but that doesn't mean 'I' was to be accepted into the group. Sadly, 'I' was yet to figure it out back then.

Soon, they began their attempts to integrate 'I' into the group in earnest. On the surface, it went well. 'B' always naturally included 'I' in the conversations, and — every time he was invited to hang out, he would ask permission for 'I' to join as well. Face-to-face, others never objected. When it seemed like the loner's presence caused discomfort or strained the atmosphere, 'B' would shrug it off and repeat the same words.

"Don't worry. It simply takes time for people to get used to you. Nothing in life comes easy after all."

Again and again. And. Again.

He hid behind an idealistic front and refused to face reality. Empty reassurances and meaningless justifications kept streaming from his mouth. However, unlike his never-changing delusions, malice refused to wait. It started with the slightest nudge and escalated uncontrollably. Maybe someone felt 'I' was a convenient scapegoat for their frustrations. Or 'I' made a minor mistake. Or maybe their dissatisfaction just overflowed and spilled over. I don't know, and it doesn't matter either way. The end would be the same regardless.

After that, malice became unstoppable. In the minds of the majority, 'I' kept intruding on their normalcy and selfishly brought unrest within. It wasn't technically wrong. What was supposed to be their enjoyable time with friends turned into an unpleasant space where they were forced to accommodate someone they disliked. Soon, the bullying began. Masses decided to isolate 'I.'

Oh, I by no means think everyone participated. It's always the extreme minorities that make sure malicious words are followed by malicious actions. The rest didn't do anything — just accepted the minorities' actions. Accepted and enabled them. Ruthlessly, shamelessly, without a shred of guilt. After all — they were innocent. I mean, they didn't do anything, did they?

In a sense — it was nothing special. Just the stuff people often do as species. And that's why it's so scary. There is no going back once you realize humans use numbers to justify their righteousness. Even though they are the same people who complain about society confining them, they still find solace in that same society agreeing with them. In their eyes, whoever opposes the masses becomes arrogant and self-righteous. How can you disagree when everyone agrees? Do you think you're better than everyone else?

Heh, there is logic in that sentiment, but I want to say, you know? People are pretty stupid — both those that are rebelling and those that are complying. Both are often wrong. But hey, people can't help but project what they've learned, trying to apply the same idea even where it doesn't fit. After all, that is the foundation of their pride and sense of self. No one likes their everything to be denied, right?

Of course, that applies to me as well.

Speaking about the past makes me ten times more cynical, doesn't it? Let's get back to 'I' and 'B.'

Their friendship suffered greatly after that. 'I' had to leave the group, but the harassment remained for some time. Meanwhile, 'B,' shocked by the malice he witnessed, distanced himself from everyone else. 'I' was disappointed in 'B,' who hid behind ideals, unable to face the world as it was. If their last conversation is anything to go by, 'B' didn't learn anything.

'I' came to say goodbye, to cut the bond he shared with the other boy. Even if it was short, disappointing, and tragic, he felt obligated to do so.

"This is a farewell. It was on me that I believed you, so I won't blame you. Also, thank you for being my friend. Even if that friendship turned out to be brief."

"We don't have to stop being friends, you know."

"I can't be friends with someone who refuses to face reality."

As he said that, 'I' began to walk away. 'B' refused to accept such a result and desperately shouted.

"I—I don't think I was wrong to try! Maybe it didn't work out, but that doesn't mean it's mistaken at its core!"

"...I'm tired of your delusions. Is there really any worth in your ideals? Now I understand. People should learn to appreciate what they have instead of losing everything in a greedy pursuit of their delusions."

Confidently, he made one step after another, calmly denouncing 'B's final argument.

"...I... I don't know if I was right... But... But at least I believe that our friendship was genuine!" 

'B' screamed, desperately struggling to make sure his words reached 'I.'

"Even if it's not anytime soon, I'm sure you will find someone you can connect with! Don't give up on people!"

A moment of silence passed. After waiting for 'B' to finish, 'I' left, leaving their friendship far behind — in the past.

What do you say? Did you enjoy this depressingly ordinary little tale? How do you feel about it? About the story of the most shallow man.

"..."

Heh, you really are sharp. What do I think, huh? Well, after causing that mess, 'B' had the audacity to say that he was right. Damn it, thinking about it still annoys me to no end. I guess some things just don't change — my reaction to that is still annoyance and frustration. I hate that people keep projecting their expectations. Just like 'B' projected his ideal on the world, just like a certain someone is projecting his dreams right now.

"..."

At least those final words reached their destination, huh? ...Yeah, I guess you could say that. Anyway, the story of the past has ended, so let's talk about the present instead.