Chapter 148: Chapter 147 - What Are You Good At?

The issue with having friends was quite straightforward.

As soon as they figured out that you have a problem...

This problem magically becomes their problem.

Unfortunately for Kuro, his friends were exceptionally adept at making problems worse.

This time, the trouble began with lunch.

Just as he took a bite from his sandwich, Akari abruptly slammed her palms on the table.

"I’ve decided!"

All eyes fell on her.

Including Aoi’s.

But that was extremely rare.

"We’re going to help Kuro choose a future!"

Slowly putting the bread back, Kuro sighed.

"...I don’t recall saying anything about it."

"I didn’t need you to."

Akari grinned smugly.

"After all, we’re your friends."

"Suddenly I’m understanding why villains prefer solitude."

Rika nodded in agreement.

"She has a point."

Rika quickly scribbled the phrase into her notebook.

"...Please, don’t."

Nope.

---

In no time, all of them gathered at the same table.

Yui provided coffee.

Mina brought some notebooks.

Rika brought three notebooks.

Akari added enthusiasm.

While this may seem useful...

It really wasn’t.

Aoi, who simply attended the meeting, statistically provided the most valuable contribution.

---

Akari pointed dramatically at Kuro.

"Operation: Saving the Future of Kuro officially starts!"

Some students looked at them.

Kuro covered his face with his hands.

"I regret being born now."

"You’ll survive."

Yui smirked.

"After failing so many tests, I can definitely spot suffering."

---

Akari stood up like she was giving a speech.

"Proposal number one!"

Withdrawing a stick from her pocket, Akari drew a stickman on the board.

"Professional fighter."

There was a silence.

Then Kuro blinked.

"...And this is supposed to help me?"

Akari acted as if this question was offensive.

"Kuro doesn’t panic."

"So?"

"Kuro is always calm."

"...Whatever."

"Kuro survives any catastrophe that we cause."

"...Why this qualifies you as an asset."

"In my heart it does."

"Really? Because employers check hearts when hiring employees."

"I think they should."

Aoi adjusted her glasses.

"They shouldn’t."

---

Reluctantly, Akari erased the sketch.

"Well then."

Almost immediately, Akari lit up.

"Spy!"

"Spy is not a profession."

"Okay, bodyguard!"

"...Bodyguard isn’t a profession."

"Zombie-survivor!"

"That too."

"It can be."

---

Withdrawing the boardmarker, Rika pushed Akari aside.

"Now my turn."

Kuro felt even more nervous.

Opening her notebook, Rika smirked.

"I think Kuro should be a romance author."

The silence fell around the table.

And then everyone looked at Kuro.

"...Romance author?"

Rika was deadly serious.

"You accidentally generate romantic stories every week."

"Not every week."

"Every single week."

"But it happens unintentionally."

"So what’s your point?"

"The fact that you understand romance perfectly."

"I absolutely don’t."

"Because you live inside of it."

Kuro froze.

"...What?"

Rika flicked the pages of her notebook.

"I’ve found one hundred and seventeen examples."

"You’ve been counting?"

"No."

"I have categories."

Silence.

"Rika."

"Yes?"

"Don’t seek professional help?"

"I am."

She pointed a finger at Kuro.

"You’re the reason."

---

Laughing, Mina announced.

"I have another suggestion."

Instantly, everyone turned to listen.

Mina was the only rational person among them.

"In my opinion, Kuro should be a counselor."

"A counselor?"

Mina nodded seriously.

"People feel comfortable discussing things with you."

"Hardly."

Everyone stared blankly at Kuro.

"...Why?"

Akari raised a finger.

"I always complain to you."

Rika raised another.

"I always ask for ideas."

Yui raised her finger as well.

"Last month, I told you about my anxiety about taking exams."

Aoi adjusted her glasses.

"Statistically speaking, you discuss my problems more than anyone else."

Staring around the table, Kuro asked.

"...When did this happen?"

Nobody answered.

Because nobody knew.

This had simply happened.

---

After taking a sip of her coffee, Yui smiled.

"To be honest."

Everyone turned to look at her.

"I think Kuro should be a doctor."

Immediately, Kuro spat out the rest of his coffee.

"...Why?"

"He’s perfectly calm in emergencies."

"...Internally."

"But externally?"

"Externally, he pretends it’s alright."

"But that’s because he gives up!"

Yui smiled.

"But patients don’t need to know about it."

Laughter rang in the air.

Continuing, Yui smirked.

"In addition..."

She looked at Kuro.

"...You stood by me at my worst."

The laughter died down.

"I never saw you pitying me."

"You were just..."

"...There."

Blushing, Kuro scratched the side of his head.

"Wouldn’t everyone act that way?"

"No."

Quietly shaking her head, Yui said.

"Nobody would."

Only for a minute, everyone kept silent.

But then...

Bang!

Clapping her hands loudly, Akari interrupted.

"Too mushy!"

Everyone laughed again.

---

"Amy’s turn."

Leaving her book on the table, Aoi smirked.

"Having analyzed your personality objectivelly..."

Kuro immediately paled.

"...You’re good at observation."

"I am?"

"Because you quickly detect behavioral changes in others."

"Everybody does."

"No."

She continued.

"You efficiently resolve any interpersonal conflict."

"By accident."

"But still."

So?

"I suggest data analysis."

Silence.

"...How did we come here?"

"Amy, because you can recognize patterns."

"I hate spreadsheets."

"So do I."

"Then why are you suggesting data analysis?"

"They suit your abilities."

"They drive me crazy."

"...Fair enough."

Even Aoi conceded the point.

---

An hour later...

They came up with dozens of suggestions.

Police officer.

Chef.

Photographer.

Lawyer.

Tour guide.

Video game developer.

Detective.

Philosopher.

Nothing of the above sounded appealing.

But eventually...

They became quiet.

Reclining in her chair, Akari frowned.

"This is impossible."

"And finally..."

Kuro sighed in resignation.

"...I agree."

---

The group packed up and headed to the train station.

Walking under the sunlight, they made little conversation.

Each of them was deep in thought.

Until they passed the school’s front gate.

There was a terrified looking first-year student who was desperately holding a paper.

Spotting Kuro, the student immediately cheered up.

"Senpai!"

Turning, Kuro blinked.

"...Me?"

"Can you help me find my classroom?"

Glancing at the paper in his hand, Kuro noted.

"You have it upside-down."

"I do?"

Righting the document, Kuro indicated a building.

"It’s in this building."

Nodding eagerly, the boy smiled.

"Thank you very much!"

He bowed deeply and quickly left.

Watching the entire performance, Akari remarked.

"...That was fast."

Not waiting for the rest of the group...

Another student approached.

"Can you show me the lost-and-found office?"

"Just next to the gym."

"Thank you very much!"

The student dashed away.

Looking at Kuro and then at everybody else, Yui asked.

"...Did that happen again?"

Only a few meters further...

A teacher who was carrying boxes approached Kuro.

"Could you give me a hand?"

"Of course."

Instantly, Kuro took the heavier box and brought it to the teachers’ lounge.

Coming back in five minutes, he apologized.

"...Sorry."

"Don’t worry."

Mina smiled softly.

"...It suits you."

"How?"

"You help."

"...I was just carrying some boxes."

But not long after...

An elderly janitor with a ladder in his hands approached Kuro.

Before anyone else said anything...

"I will hold it."

"Thank you, young man."

"No problem."

Waiting until the janitor finished his job, Kuro rejoined the group.

"...What?"

Everybody looked at him suspiciously.

"I did nothing special."

No reply.

Because to Kuro, these deeds had no significance.

They were ordinary.

Trivial.

Insignificant.

He had never bothered to remember any of them.

---

Returning home in the evening, the group gathered at the rooftop.

Once again, they talked about careers.

Or more accurately...

About Kuro.

"We still haven’t figured it out."

Akari whined.

"At least, I know what Kuro isn’t good at."

"All of it?"

"Exactly."

The rooftop’s door opened.

Minami stepped out with a huge pile of papers in her hands.

Stopping when she saw everyone on the rooftop, she asked cautiously.

"...Am I interrupting?"

"No, we’re figuring out Kuro’s future career."

Mina clarified.

Minami looked at Kuro and then at everybody else.

Finally, she smiled.

"I heard you discussing for the past five minutes."

Kuro immediately sighed.

"...Of course."

"However..."

Minami rested her elbows on the balcony.

"You’ve all been asking the wrong question."

Silence fell around the rooftop.

Turning to Minami, Akari cocked her head.

"...What do you mean?"

Gazing at Kuro...

Minami continued in a soft voice.

"You’re constantly asking what future career fits Kuro."

She stared right into his eyes.

"But it’s not that."

A soft breeze wafted over the roof.

Minami spoke softly again.

"Any of you have noticed anything?"

All of them were puzzled.

Minami laughed.

"When one of us gets troubled..."

She stopped speaking.

"...what happens then?"

There was no reply, because the answer came simultaneously into everybody’s heads.

Yui thought of the library.

Rika thought of her trouble with writing.

Mina thought of endless chats with him.

Aoi thought of turning to his advice more often than any other person’s.

Akari even squinted slightly and turned to look at him.

"...Hmm."

Minami put her arms together on her chest.

"No matter if it’s a fellow student, your teacher, first year students, or you yourselves..."

She laughed.

"Everybody goes to Kuro to talk things over."

A heavy silence filled the roof.

Kuro looked puzzled himself.

"...They do?"

All the girls looked back at him.

And sighed in unison.

In some strange way, the fact that he did not know about it himself seemed to emphasize Minami’s words even more.

Underneath them, the lights of the evening city started glowing softly.

And for the first time after the career aptitude test...

They finally found their first serious clue to Kuro’s future.

It was not a profession, of course.

But at least, there was something to start from.