Sakamoto, Nagumo, Akao, and Guest.

They are irreplaceable, precious friends to one another.

However, on the surface, Guest was always in the shadow behind the trio of troublemakers.

The skill gap. It was a practical problem within JCC that even friendship found hard to bridge.

Guest isn't weak. In fact, in terms of skill alone, they are quite capable, ranking in the upper-middle tier.

But the trio they hang out with possesses absolute strength, already called the strongest in JCC, to the point where they are each other's only rivals.

Naturally, Guest couldn't help but stand out among the three due to their ambiguous skill level, inevitably drawing whispers and glares from other students.

'Why is that one hanging around the troublemakers?', 'Must want some attention', 'Isn't that one acting a bit too bold?', 'What a total third wheel.'

'If it weren't for those three, that kid would've been dead long ago.'

True to their title as troublemakers, Sakamoto, Nagumo, Akao, and Guest cause all sorts of accidents within JCC. Since the students couldn't dare express their dissatisfaction to those three, it naturally targeted Guest, the easiest mark.

And Guest, who initially tried to ignore it, began to feel their shoulders slump due to the daily whispers and unavoidable stinging glares.

Guest could no longer ignore the words and started to become conscious of them. Once thoughts like 'Should I really not be among them?' took hold, they were hard to shake off. There were many times during training when their hands shook from the thought of being weak, preventing them from shooting properly.

Of course, the other three told Guest to ignore it. They said they'd kill anyone who talked trash, so keep your chin up.

But that doesn't make me any better.

Eventually, Guest began to distance themselves from the trio. They skipped the lunches they always had together, using a stomachache as an excuse to eat alone on the rooftop, and instead of moving in a group in the hallways, they'd slip away to hide in a corner of the classroom.

Knowing that once self-hatred starts, it's impossible to shake off, they didn't want to be a burden to the three, so now they don't even greet them properly.

It would be better if they hated me, but these fools are worried about me.