Chapter Text
The instant Jiro opened the door, loud voices made him want to close it again. Covering his ears, he clicked his tongue, already sick of this.
He had only been living in the dorms for two weeks and he already wanted to drop out college. He didn't even agree to moving there… If not because Riko and Lopt were also staying in the dorms, he wouldn't have accepted his parents' decision.
In any case, no dorm should ever be that loud, to his knowledge. Before he could close the door again and give up on leaving the building for now, a familiar girl approached him. Reluctantly, Jiro removed his hands when she started talking, her voice loud enough for Jiro to hear.
''Nito… Is it happening again?''
''Yeah. Someone needs to do something about it, seriously…'' He heaved a sigh, but Riko shook her head.
''It's pointless… We have tried many times already, but his 'followers' are too many. It seems like he's influential too, so the supervisors are trying to avoid getting involved.''
There was another sigh from Jiro, more exasperated than the last. ''They're all fucking useless…'' If he didn't do anything, there was no telling just when would all of that ordeal end. There was no choice— he would have to act instead. He wasn't like those pitiful adults who avoided confrontation, and of course he wouldn't ignore someone causing so much ruckus and disrupting their peace.
''Just wait, Tadashi Kunai.''
After that, Jiro ended up going back to his room at least until the noise subsided. Thanks to the cooperation of the small group of people Riko and him had gathered, Jiro was notified when all the students surrounding Tadashi started scattering, signaling that his speech or whatever was ending.
It was time. He got up from his bed and left his dorm, the halls much calmer now. One last message from Hisanori notified him of Tadashi's approximate location and Jiro quickened his pace towards the place.
Soon, he could spot that dark, long hair in a ponytail and an eerie smile on his face as Tadashi waved his hand at the last student left, who nervously ran off with their cheeks red. His pitch black eyes met Jiro's, recognizing him immediately. It wasn't the first time they talked, but Jiro was sure to make it the last.
''...Do you need anything from me?'' Tadashi played dumb, Jiro's brows furrowing in anger. The distance between them shortened with his wide steps, and Tadashi's smile disappeared for a moment, replaced by a curious expression.
''You can bet I do. I'm sure I already told you, but you have to make this stop. I'm not gonna let your little cult slide anymore.''
''Cult? Oh, please.'' Tadashi chuckled, shrugging as if he was unrelated. ''It's only some students asking me for advice. They are all very pleased with my guidance so they keep coming back asking for more. Is it illegal to help out fellow students, mister Leader of the Revolutionary Army?''
''We're not using that name anymore. Even I know that was unrealistic, and it ended up in ways that I regret. But just because I'm not their leader anymore doesn't mean I won't try to stop anything like what you're doing. You said it's just giving advice, but it's clear that's not the case. So much disturbance doesn't happen over some advice.''
''You're still sharp, and still have a strong sense of justice. I wish you wouldn't involve me in those views of yours, though.''
Just from talking to someone like him, Jiro felt more and more annoyed. ''I'm telling you that you can't make so much noise and assemble so many people in the halls. If you wanna give advice or whatever, make appointments in your room or somewhere else.''
With a hand on his chin, Tadashi grinned mockingly. ''Or what?''
Jiro knew he was no threat to Tadashi. He had everyone on his side from his pure charisma alone, and Jiro had a very reduced number of friends. As a teenager, he would have done anything to stop the current situation, but now it was different… He couldn't pull something so risky again. That didn't mean he would simply give up, though.
What Tadashi was doing was akin to controlling the masses. There was no telling where this would go if they left it alone, because Jiro knew that he wasn't a good or trustworthy person. He wasn't helping others out of kindness, but to feel controlling and superior. Tadashi couldn't care less about those students.
However, Jiro was missing an important piece of information.
That someone like Tadashi, who was faking all the time with anybody would be this honest when talking to him, even if it was to piss him off— it wasn't a normal occurrence. But, blinded by his only goal of stopping Tadashi, he was unable to notice that.
And there was another thing that made him a complete fool in Tadashi's eyes. How did Jiro not realize how similar they actually were? They had both involved people in selfish plans. Their only difference was that Tadashi accepted his own selfishness, while Jiro denied it, using 'justice' as his justification and shield.
Tadashi was also missing a piece of information. As much as Jiro and him could be similar in some aspects, what made them truly alike was how oblivious they could be sometimes in the middle of their arrogance and self-righteousness.
''If you want to try something, go ahead and try.''
Now, to Jiro, this was a declaration of war.
''...''
Sounds of scribbling were all that could be heard in the small room. That was until—
''...Rahh!!'' Jiro's angered groan made his roommate jump a little from his bed. He sat up on his elbows, wondering what was wrong, and Jiro spoke before he had the chance to ask. ''...Sorry, Naro. I'm just kinda stressed.''
''Are you involved in something weird again?'' Before, Naro would have said those words in a scared tone, but now it was a daily occurrence for him. Their relationship had a rocky start, but as roommates, they ended up getting along over time despite their very different natures.
Jiro dropped his pen on the table in front of him, huffing. ''I guess… I'm trying to figure out how to stop that damn weird cult.''
''That noisy group? Well, it's true that they're annoying… But don't you think it'll end at some point? There's no way they can keep doing that all year…''
''I wonder.'' Knowing Tadashi, anything was possible. If only the damn supervisors did their work, Jiro wouldn't have so much trouble… ''I'm sick of it. I seriously wanna drop out.''
''Don't do that, or I'll be alone! What if they make me share this room with a weird guy?!'' Naro reached for Jiro and tugged on his sleeve from his bed, whining.
''...You really got comfortable around me lately, haven't you…'' Jiro moved his arm away, not really angry at Naro but putting some limits. People usually saw him as cold or rude because of that attitude, but Naro seemed to be used to it.
''That's because I thought you were a bully at first.''
''What part of me looks like a bully, huh?!'' This time, it was Jiro who leaned closer to him, pinching Naro's nose, earning another whine from him. ''Anyways… I gotta do something about it, but I just don't know what.''
''Hm…'' Naro sat down next to him, examining Jiro's notes. He never directly took part in Jiro's plans, but he didn't mind brainstorming a bit with him in his free time. ''From what I've seen, Tadashi also feels like a bully, in a different sense…''
''He's an idol to the students, though.''
''That's precisely why…! It's creepy! He's like an evil boss in a videogame who can use spells to make your party unable to fight. You know what I mean?''
''Kinda…?'' Jiro wasn't big on video games, but he could imagine what Naro meant. ''How would you beat a boss like that if this was a game?''
''How…? Well… The only two ways I can think of are either having a party member who can cancel that effect, or the party breaking free of the spell after enough battle turns pass. Those spells never last for long.''
''So… either using an external person to stop it forcefully, or waiting. None of those options really work…''
As Jiro grumbled, Naro put a hand on his shoulder, smirking. ''You don't get it, don't you?! That's the key!'' He was getting arrogant seeing that there was a topic he knew better than Jiro, and it was annoying as hell. ''The key is that no matter what, the spell will end sometime. So all you have to do is speed up that process a little!''
''But how…?'' Then, Jiro gasped at his own realization. ''We have to find a way to make the students realize that Tadashi is a boss, and not a party member.''
''N-Now you're speaking like me…'' Even Naro was shocked at that, but Jiro kept mumbling to himself, ignoring him.
''But it's a huge group… How can we convince them…? Maybe if I had proof… Or…''
Naro watched him for a bit, but seeing that Jiro wasn't reaching a definitive conclusion, he sighed and waved his hand in front of him. ''...Earth to Nito? I still have more ideas, if you wanna hear them…'' At those words, Jiro finally snapped out of it, looking at Naro again, urging him to keep going. ''You see, normally a large group like that would seem harder to influence, but it's the opposite. A small, devoted group is more held together… But the people around Tadashi are never the exact same everyday. There must be people who stopped asking him for advice too, even if it's a small number.''
''Meaning… We should find those people and have them join our side. They could have proof that Tadashi is actually not what he appears to be…''
''It's even simpler than that. Even if it's just a feeling, like the one I had when I saw him, people will doubt him more and more. The people who always listen to him are already superstitious… it shouldn't be hard to influence them if we do it the right way.''
''Are you speaking from experience there?'' Naro elbowed Jiro, who just chuckled. ''...But you have a point. Plus, it's only been two weeks… Their loyalty can't be that intense yet. If we stop it now, it won't be too late. If we find more people who have a bad feeling about him and spread rumors, maybe…''
Naro nodded. ''Only the ex-Revolutionary Army isn't enough people, but if we find some other students who stopped relying on Tadashi and spread the word, I'm sure it'll work out.''
''Yeah.'' It had been rather simple advice, but Jiro appreciated it, since working alone sometimes gave him tunnel vision. In fact, having someone who was unrelated with the ex-Revolutionary Army like Naro support him was probably a first for Jiro. He never expected to make friends like that in college, but he was grateful, even if he'd never express it.
''...Actually, stop calling it 'ex-Revolutionary Army' already!!''
''Well… I just needed someone to listen, and he was kind…'' A girl with pink ponytails had said in a shaky voice. ''I might have been a bit desperate…''
''He never gave me a good feeling…'' A timid-looking white haired boy had confessed.
''I'm curious about what he's doing, but it's definitely gonna end up in disaster…'' A gray haired boy had snickered, a notebook between his arms. ''I'm actually investigating it a little myself.''
Jiro heard many testimonies, as many as possible. There were all sorts of people with different opinions, but just as expected, many were distrustful of Tadashi or even found it bothersome like they did. It seemed like Naro's idea would be more doable than expected. Just from telling the doubtful followers to pay closer attention to Tadashi's body language and choice of words, their doubts grew. They started realizing that they had been strangely fixated with a complete stranger, and that it wasn't healthy for them to fully rely on Tadashi to solve their lives for them. Of course, there were still many people devoted to him, but Jiro expected the number to keep decreasing.
He couldn't have done it alone. Naro and Jiro himself assembled people who outright disliked Tadashi or his actions, and it was thanks to many people joining that any progress was made at all. It made Jiro acknowledge his own powerlessness, but it was also a change of pace to see so many people joining for one same goal. Things were definitely different from when he was a rebellious teenager working along with his friends, and remembering those times left a bitter feeling in his mouth.
Leaving that aside, he was confident that things would go smoothly. During that time, keeping himself busy with spreading the rumors and listening to many students, Jiro didn't see Tadashi that much and had no idea of how he was taking all of that.
Because this was war, after all— Jiro never tried to understand his enemy's emotions. That didn't matter to him as long as peace came back and students regained their freedom. But that, too, was a mistake from Jiro, and a flaw in his personality itself.