Room 41

This is the overall forty-second chapter of You-Zitsu manga series.

Summary
Hirata explains to Kiyotaka that Karuizawa is not being herself; her current personality is just a facade because she wants to appear strong to others. He mentions that she would not be able to control her emotions if she showed her usual self. Kiyotaka tells him that he had understood everything he had told him so far, but there is one detail that he still didn't understand: why would he agree to pretend that he was dating Karuizawa. Hirata states that all he wants is for her to be able to live a normal school life, free from bullying. However, Kiyotaka is not convinced by his reason, as he felt that Hirata's show of care for others is undoubtedly obsessive. Hirata takes a deep breath and begins to tell him about his past.

When he started his high school education, he was an average student lacking in popularity. However, everything changed in his second year. Hirata had a friend that he had known since he was a child, and his name was Sugimura. The two were in the same class throughout elementary school, and since they were also neighbors they would commute to and from school together. But when they entered high school, they were placed in different classes. Although they still came and went together, little by little they stopped doing it, and Hirata began to interact more with the boys in his class. And while he was making friends, Sugimura was being bullied. Hirata bitterly remembers that he was asked for help countless times, but despite that he did nothing because he thought it wasn't serious. And when they got to their second year, the two of them were put in the same class, and he could see that his friend had "broken." Hirata watched Sugimura being bullied in front of him, and yet didn't try to help him because he was afraid to become the new target of the bullies. He hoped that his friend would stop coming to school, or that someone else would step in to help him, but nothing happened. Everything continued until one day, he jumped from the window in the middle of the class to try to commit suicide.

Kiyotaka asks if he died, but Hirata replies that he's not sure. He was diagnosed as brain dead but Sugimura's parents are still waiting for him to recover. Hirata feels that by protecting himself instead of his friend, he ended up pushing him to his death. He knows that he will not be able to save his friend, but at least he wants to repent; to achieve this, he thought it would be best to help someone who was in a similar situation. Hirata then asks if he can trust Kiyotaka and Suzune with this matter. Kiyotaka states that as long as he doesn't try to intervene in her plans, she will be willing to do something about it. He muses to himself that with this he has managed to gain Hirata's cooperation, and furthermore, he will no longer be involved in the Karuizawa incident.

Finally, Hirata confesses that he has been hiding something from him: the identity of the last VIP from Class D.

Characters
In order of appearance:
 * Kiyotaka Ayanokōji
 * Yōsuke Hirata
 * Kei Karuizawa (Visual)
 * Nanami Yabu (Visual)
 * Shiho Manabe (Visual)
 * Saki Yamashita (Visual)
 * Sugimura (Flashback)