“That’s not very optimistic.” Mei softly laughed as she teased my cynical view.

  “That’s just how I see things between them. If I was close with Osamu, I’d encourage him to ask her out and to see what happens, but it really isn’t my place. Again, this is all assuming that they do actually like each other.” I gently shrugged as I finished giving my opinion on the situation.

  I would normally avoid going into all that detail for a simple question.

  Most people, even the rest of our friends, would be taken aback by the depth of detail I went into. Some might think I’m “weird” for it and start distancing themselves from me.

  Not them.

  Yori and Mei grew up with me.

  They know that’s just how I think.

  “No need to show off. A simple yes or no would have been fine.” I could tell that Mei’s teasing wasn’t without a hint of discomfort.

  Yori, on the other hand, laughed along, but I caught him staring at me for just a fraction of a second too long. As we held eye contact, I noticed something in his eyes - a recognition of just how much I can see.

  “Yeah, for sure. Now that you’ve explained it, that makes sense, but I never could’ve realised all of that myself though. That takes a different type of IQ and observation.” Yori laughed as he added some praise, but what he said didn’t sit quite right with me.

  “I think that reading people isn’t just about being observant or smart. Empathy is the ability to understand how other people feel emotionally.” They both nodded in agreement, so I decided to continue.

  “I think that in order to truly read people, you need something that transcends empathy.”

  I took a second to think of the best way to phrase this.

  “You need the ability to understand how other people feel psychologically”.

  “What?” The pitch of Yori’s voice rose as he asked the question in pure confusion.

  “I’ve always been fairly observant, but I wouldn’t have been able to give you an in-depth analysis like that when we were kids. A large part of reading people psychologically is having experience around a bunch of different people.” I briefly looked at them and paused.

  “Once you realise that everyone is their own person, dealing with their own problems and insecurities, enjoying their own hobbies, working towards their own dreams, etc, you can start to understand them.”

  “How does that all relate to “reading people psychologically?”” He was still missing the point, so I kept going.

  “The three of us all knew about Osamu getting in trouble with his history homework, but I was the only one who actually thought about why that might happen.

  I took what I knew about his personal life - his affluent upbringing, and I tried to connect those data points.” I quickly turned to look at them before I continued.

  “It’s not that I’m smarter than you guys, it’s just that I actively try to make connections like that because I enjoy learning more about people. I try to understand why people do things, and I genuinely think you’re both smart enough and capable of doing that as well, it’s just that you’ve never actively tried to.”

  There was silence, but it didn’t feel awkward. I’d said a lot, so they were just digesting what they heard.

  “I see. That’s a very interesting way of putting things… I might try practicing that.” Yori smiled as he broke the silence that followed my analysis.

  Again, most people wouldn’t expect me to say something like that.

  They’d see me day dream and stare out of the window during most of our lessons so why would they assume I’m so aware of my surroundings?

  That’s why I loved these guys.

  They know what I’m really like and they aren’t surprised when I say things like this, and they never judge me for it.

  “Me too! I don’t know if it’s something I’ll be good at, but it seems like a useful skill to have!” I softly smiled in response before abruptly breaking eye contact. I quickly started wondering if I’d said too much, but I reassured myself that it’s okay.

  That concluded our conversation.

  We were about to enter the queue for lunch and we all understood that it wasn’t smart to talk about peoples’ personalities or love lives when other people could overhear us. We simply went back to random small talk until we picked up our food and found where the rest of our group were eating.

  Unsurprisingly, Yaeko and Osamu were sitting next to each other.

  Aside from that, it looked like Hibiki, Nobu and Choko had gotten here before us.

  As we sat down, I realised there were two different conversations going on. Yaeko, Osamu and Nobu were all discussing one thing while Choko and Hibiki were talking about something else.

  Hibiki was similar to me in the sense that she wasn’t very close to a lot of people, but she got on fine with almost everyone else. I didn’t know much about her because she’s pretty shy and reserved, but I can tell she’s really close with Choko.

  I don’t know how they became friends, but I’ve noticed that Hibiki’s way more engaged when talking to Choko compared to when she’s talking to the rest of us.

  As for Choko, she got along well with the guys just fine, but she’s particularly close with Hibiki and Mei. She’s very kind, but similar to Hibiki, she’s also pretty quiet around the people she’s not comfortable with.

  Yori joined the first conversation while Mei decided to join the second. I was sitting between both groups so I happily listened to both conversations and gave my input when I wasn’t stuffing down my food.

  “By the way, is everyone still free to meet after school?” I’d forgotten about that, but Nobu reminded us that we all agreed to hangout in the evening.

  “Yeah! I’ve been so excited for this!!” Mei replied instantly.

  “Yeah, me too!” Hibiki added while Choko smiled and nodded in agreement.

  “I’m looking forward to it! I’ve never done karaoke before!” Yaeko cheered.

  “Yeah, me neither.” Osamu softly added.

  “Well Akira, are you coming with us?” Yori asked.

  “Yep.” No one said anything as I continued eating. I blankly looked at him for a few seconds before he started laughing.

  “You don’t sound too enthusiastic.” Everyone else chuckled in response. “You don’t wanna come?” He seemed concerned but he masked it as a joke.

  “No, I do want to come. I’m just tired, but don’t worry, I’ll be there.” I warmly smiled, assuring Yori that I was fine.

  “What, sleeping in class isn’t enough?” Yaeko scoffed as she made her “joke”.

  While the others laughed, I locked eyes with Mei and Yori.

  I gestured to Yaeko with my eyes in a “see what I mean?” type of look.

  In response, Mei rolled her eyes, telling me that “it’s just a joke.”

  Yori quickly sensed the underlying tension and spoke up.

  “Well, when you’re studying as hard as Akira, why does it matter if you sleep at home or at school? He’s still got the best grades out of all of us.”

  I instantly looked at Yaeko.

  She slinked back into her chair as Yori said that.

  Her smile immediately vanished.

  When she noticed we were looking at her, she leaned forward and pretended not to care, but it was obvious.

  Of course, Mei wasn’t watching her. She’ll tell me it’s in my head or whatever, but I know that Yori saw it.

  “Nobu, what time’s the booking again?” Choko quietly stepped in, changing the subject.

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  “Our booking’s at 7:30, so let's meet there at 7:25?” Everyone agreed, so we headed back to our classrooms.

  The rest of my classes were uneventful. I was mainly focussing on watching the clock’s hands tick around slowly and slowly. Eventually, our last class of the day ended and the weekend started.

  “I’m gonna hurry home, I want enough time to take a nap.” I’d packed my bag in an instant while their books were still out.

  “Alright, see you soon.” Yori and Mei both laughed as they waved, and I waved back before leaving the classroom. I only lived ten minutes away, so the walk wouldn’t take long.

  I thought back to our conversation during lunch, and I recalled that Osamu only spoke up about being excited for karaoke once Yaeko did. Since he’s normally more withdrawn and quiet, this was a telling sign.

  At this point, I was confident that Osamu liked Yaeko.

  I also thought Yaeko liked Osamu since she’s been asked out multiple times but keeps rejecting guys. Despite that, she seems particularly casual and close with Osamu.

  I was curious whether or not they’d confessed to each other, but that wasn’t any of my business.

  Instead, I focused on Yaeko’s comment.

  It’s typical Yaeko.

  An insult disguised as a joke.

  She’s too prideful to stoop to a level so low to outright insult me, so she masks it with humour. If it was just a joke, that would be fine.

  I wouldn’t care.

  But it’s not just a joke.

  Even when Yori pushed back, she couldn’t accept that he was right.

  She hates that I get better grades than her because she thinks I don’t deserve them.

  Instead of just being happy for me, asking me for help, or just assuming I study hard at home, her pride manifests as jealousy.

  I’d be fine with that, but that wasn’t my main concern.

  That behaviour is only going to hurt her in the future, and I developed this skill just so I could help people.

  It’d be a waste not to help her, but I can’t break through to her with the others watching.

  The main problem is that I’m not close enough with her to have a one on one conversation. If I get that opportunity, the rest would be easy.

  I’ve already thought in depth about how to weaponise someone’s pride and how to use it against them.

  It’s not difficult.

  You let them think that they’re in control and that they’re above you, just to reveal that’s what you wanted the entire time. This forces them to admit that you’re “better” than them.

  Once their ego takes a hit, they become more malleable. This approach can be used to help them grow past their pride.

  The problem is, while Yaeko doesn’t know the calculating, observant side of me, she already knows I’m objectively better at academics than she is, even if she doesn’t like to admit it.

  If I wanted to force the issue, I could confront her one on one and make her confess why she’d rather invest energy in dismissing me over bettering herself, but I prefer using subtler methods so I can hide that side of myself from the group.

  After all, when people realise what you can do, they start to fear you.

  What type of friendship can survive that?

  That meant I just had to wait for the situation to change until we became close enough where I could talk to her privately.

  No - I don’t like leaving things to luck.

  I need to create that change myself. I’ll see if any opportunities come up during karaoke.

  I reached my home, took off my shoes and instantly went to my bedroom, changing into more comfortable clothes and lying down in bed. It only took a few minutes for me to fall asleep, and I woke up to see a few texts and a missed call from Mei.

  It was only 6:30, so I wasn’t in a rush since I had thirty minutes until I needed to leave. I texted her back so she could stop worrying and then I took a quick shower.

  After that, I laid some clothes on my bed and tried to figure out what I should wear.

  I don’t have much of a fashion sense, so I figured a white shirt with black jeans couldn’t be too bad.

  It’s actually easier having such a simple wardrobe, since it meant I didn’t have to waste time deciding which clothes would look good.

  I was ready ten minutes early and I didn’t feel like waiting at home and doing nothing, so I quickly sent Yori and Mei a text, telling them I’d see them at karaoke. After that, I walked out of the house and put my earphones in.

  As I was enjoying my walk, I noticed a group of kids around my age making a lot of noise, so I removed my earphones so I could hear what was going on.

  They were arguing about something - no, I think they were making fun of one of them.

  He was the only one that wasn’t laughing.

  He wasn’t fighting back with any jokes of his own.

  He was walking a few steps behind all of them.

  His head was down.

  I’d been watching them for about thirty seconds now, and they kept going.

  He just stayed silent.

  One of them noticed this, and I was close enough where I could hear their exact words.

  “Come on dude, it’s just a joke.”

  “Yeah, no need to take it so seriously.”

  The first guy turned back around and continued walking away from him before even finishing his sentence.

  The second guy didn’t even bother to look back at him as he spoke.

  I quickly checked the time on my phone.

  I had fifteen minutes and I was ten minutes away.

  “It’s not just a joke. You guys always make fun of me.” He kept his head down as he spoke.

  “Well, that’s what friends do. No one’s forcing you to hang out with us.”

  “Yeah, if you don’t like it, you can just leave.” They all turned around to face him, but he just kept his head down, unable to say anything.

  Unable to stand up for himself.

  “Maybe he’s just in a bad mood. Let’s leave him alone till he gets over it.”

  “Yeah, you’re right, he’s just in a bad mood, that’s it.” They all started walking away. Each time, it was the same person who had the first response, and then the same guy backed him up.

  The rest watched silently.

  The other kid followed for a few seconds, but started standing still. They quickly noticed and they all turned around to face him once again.

  “You decided what you’re gonna do?”

  His fists clenched, but he still couldn’t speak.

  When a victim feels powerless, it’s difficult for them to stand up for themselves, no matter how badly they want to.

  They need to be empowered to make a change, or they’ll keep suffering until the perpetrator gets bored and discards them.

  “Is everything ok here?” I placed my hand on his shoulder and warmly smiled.

  His fists instantly loosened in response, and I confidently turned to face the rest of the group.