[He immediately makes a face at Ryuji's first question, an incredulous, exhausted face. As if someone like Hajime had a secret power that let him go up against people's souls.
Even assuming he could be as defiant and rebellious as Ryuji's describing, what the hell kind of impact would that make? He's not like Natsumi, able to easily rile up the normal students of the Reserve Course against the Main Course with just a few words. He wouldn't want to go up against those students, anyway; Chiaki's one of them. That weirdo he met who thinks they're friends, Gundam Tanaka, he's one of them, too. It's not their fault he's untalented, bitter, resentful that his whole life was leading up to -- nothing. And now, being trapped on this space station for weeks, means his one shot, his one chance at being someone important, at becoming the protagonist of his own life story, has already passed him by. There's no way the Academy would just wait for him to come back so they could start the Project.
He'd tried his minor act of rebellion already, and been punched down for it, reminded of how little he matters in his world.
He's about to point out that somebody who can do things like literally change people's souls hardly get to call themselves "normal," so Ryuji's suggestion that he join them is-]
What?
[He can't help but laugh, more out of bewilderment than anything else.]
no subject
Even assuming he could be as defiant and rebellious as Ryuji's describing, what the hell kind of impact would that make? He's not like Natsumi, able to easily rile up the normal students of the Reserve Course against the Main Course with just a few words. He wouldn't want to go up against those students, anyway; Chiaki's one of them. That weirdo he met who thinks they're friends, Gundam Tanaka, he's one of them, too. It's not their fault he's untalented, bitter, resentful that his whole life was leading up to -- nothing. And now, being trapped on this space station for weeks, means his one shot, his one chance at being someone important, at becoming the protagonist of his own life story, has already passed him by. There's no way the Academy would just wait for him to come back so they could start the Project.
He'd tried his minor act of rebellion already, and been punched down for it, reminded of how little he matters in his world.
He's about to point out that somebody who can do things like literally change people's souls hardly get to call themselves "normal," so Ryuji's suggestion that he join them is-]
What?
[He can't help but laugh, more out of bewilderment than anything else.]
I don't have any magic powers, Ryuji.