The True Elites

Chapter 4-8: Karuizawa Kei

Hirata closed his eyes and thought for a moment, presumably choosing his next words carefully. Then, I noticed his fist tighten ever so slightly.

"Then, knowing that, you should've avoided saying such horrible things to her even more so. No matter yours or anyone else's circumstances, such actions cannot be excused."

Hirata was correct on this one, in my opinion. I had no right to say those things to Karuizawa, other than it being the easiest and fastest way to do what needed to be done.

I also felt like Hirata was subtly referring to Karuizawa, too. Although her paranoia and scaredness due to her past bullying was understandable, that didn't give her the right to throw her weight around now, like with that Rika girl.

During their conversation, Karuizawa said that she 'had' to push Rika because of the presence of Shinohara and the others. While it seemed nonsensical at first, if you really deconstruct it knowing all the facts, you can trace Karuizawa's behaviour even down to the very roots.

Karuizawa was not always the popular, gyaru type of girl. In fact, it was more accurate to say that she never was.

Karuizawa's strong-headed, overbearing attitude is just a façade donned when in the presence of the other girls. Why? Because, from her past bullying experience, Karuizawa has realised that the strong prey on the weak.

And so, at her new school, she'd concluded that the most sure-fire way to avoid being the targeted weak again was for her to become the strong, who in turn preyed on the weak.

The weak like Morifuji Rika.

That's also why she'd most likely sought out Hirata to be her fake boyfriend. It was to cement her status in the hierarchy even further, which would decrease the chance of her becoming a target even more.

Now, here's where opinions will differ depending on who you ask – does this justify her current behaviour, of taking acts like shoving Rika, and perhaps verbally taunting less popular girls?

If you asked me, her past certainly did not excuse her actions, however I think that any person with at least a bit of human empathy should be able to sympathise with Karuizawa.

The hellish torment and suffering of having no goals or aspirations, and only wishing for the day to end so it'll all be over. And the fear and paranoia of this torturous cycle repeating all over again. Karuizawa must've lived a horrible life at her previous school, and she was terrified of it happening again.

Hirata had said it in their conversation – 'you aren't that type of person'. Karuizawa understood that it was wrong to target others, most of all because she'd experienced it all herself. However, her fear of becoming the target again outweighed her empathy for those she harassed.

Unless you'd experienced serious bullying yourself, you weren't in any position to criticise the survival methods adopted by victims. It was impossible to understand the paranoia and fear that these people feel.

And speaking from a purely logical perspective doesn't work here, either. Nobody in Karuizawa's shoes would be capable of completely rational thought. All that'd be on their mind would be the overwhelming need to avoid becoming a target.

As well as a person's IQ, there was also EQ; emotional quotient. A metric which represents how attuned you are to the emotions of people. You could be the most intelligent person on the planet, but if you were unable to understand the feelings of people, your opinion on this matter was as good as weightless.

To put it short, while Karuizawa's past does not excuse her behaviour, a bit of thought could certainly justify why she acts like she does. And, at heart, it was clear that she wasn't a bad person. That's what I think.