『』『』『』『』『』
Their joint study session ended without incident, though not without a few hiccups along the way, and everyone soon began heading back to the dorms.
"Aw, I'm beat..." Ike whined.
For people like Ike and Yamauchi, who could barely focus during normal class hours, an after-school study session was practically hell itself. Though surprisingly, things had gone better than expected. Somehow, the two of them had managed to keep up, even if only barely.
Still, it was an improvement.
"Today isn't the end. We're doing this again tomorrow," Horikita said coldly as she shot them an icy glare.
Realizing there was no escape from their situation, Ike and Yamauchi could only lower their shoulders dejectedly without saying anything back.
Meanwhile, the Class A students simply watched the exchange and laughed cheerfully among themselves.
"Ichinose-san, thank you for today," Kushida said. "I still have a few things to take care of, so I'll be leaving first. Goodbye, Ichinose-san. Goodbye to you too, Horkita-san."
"Yeah, goodbye," Horikita replied.
Kushida left without incident, accompanied by several girls. So she was keeping things calm for now. Ayanokouji had thought she might try something during the study session regarding the exam questions, but it seemed both she and Horikita were still cautiously feeling each other out.
After watching Kushida leave, Horikita turned toward Ichinose.
"Ichinose-san, may I ask you something?" Horikita asked.
"Hmm? What kind of question?"
"I'd prefer if it was just between the two of us. It'll only take a few minutes," said Horikita as she glanced toward the remaining Class A students preparing to leave with Ichinose.
"A few minutes? Sure. Sorry everyone, could you wait for me in the hallway?" Ichinose asked.
"Yeah, no problem. We'll just chat while we wait," one of them answered.
The Class A students accepted her request without complaint, and Ichinose stayed behind with Horikita. Soon after, the rest of the Class A and Class D students left the premise leaving only the three of them.
"Should I stay?" Ayanokouji asked.
"It doesn't matter either way," Horikita replied indifferently.
For a second, Ayanokouji thought she was being sarcastic, but judging from her tone, she was probably using reverse psychology to make him stay.
"What did you want to talk about, Horikita-san?" Ichinose asked.
It felt slightly strange seeing the two of them standing together like this. Ichinose and Horikita were practically opposites in personality.
"Ichinose-san, if a friend or ally was in trouble, you would help them, right?" Horikita asked.
"Um, yeah? Isn't that normal?" Ichinose tilted her head slightly at the strange question.
"I see. And it's kind of Class A to help us with these study sessions. But 'help' can take many forms, just as there are many kinds of suffering. If someone asked for help with studying, bullying, money problems, or even relationships with friends or teachers, you would help them too, correct?" Horikita continued.
"Of course," Ichinose answered immediately without hesitation.
"Then... do you have a clear standard for deciding who is and isn't your friend?"
Perhaps Horikita's conflict with Kushida and Kumagawa was what led to these questions. Maybe she was unconsciously searching for some kind of answer herself.
"Someone who tries to hurt you is your enemy, right? At least, in my case, if someone hurts my friends, then they probably aren't my friend," Ichinose answered firmly once again. "Did I say something strange?"
Horikita looked at her somewhat oddly.
It was an expected answer. A very ordinary answer. Yet she hadn't expected Ichinose, especially someone with her personality, to answer so firmly. Horikita had thought she would say something about not wanting enemies or wanting everyone to get along.
Ayanokouji had thought the same thing.
Especially the Ichinose from before the first special exam. Back then, she probably would have avoided drawing such a clear line between friend and enemy.
Then he remembered what Kanzaki had once said that Ichinose had changed slightly because of Kumagawa.
Was this what he meant?
Someone kind finally finding her own conviction.
"No, you didn't say anything wrong," Horikita replied.
"So that's what you wanted to ask me? How to tell whether someone is your enemy or not?"
"Maybe it was a foolish question after all," Horikita said quietly with a sigh. "Then let me ask another foolish question. Suppose someone in Class A hated you, and your relationship with them became terrible. Would you still be able to like that person? Or would you end up hating them back?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure. That's difficult. If they truly hated me, then there must be some reason for it, right? So maybe I'd try talking to them first and reach some kind of understanding." Ichinose answered honestly.
"And if that person was in trouble?"
"I'd help them," Ichinose answered immediately. "Even if they hated me, even if I did something worth hating, I'm still Class A's ally."
"Class A really is important to you," Horikita noted.
"Yes. Everyone there is genuinely kind. I'll admit that at first, I was disappointed that I wasn't placed into Class A from the beginning. But now that we've reached Class A together, I think this is the best class for me. Don't you feel the same way, Horikita?"
"Well... I suppose home depends on the people in it. Class D isn't that bad," Horikita admitted.
"Oh?"
A small sound escaped Ayanokouji before he could stop himself, immediately drawing Horikita's attention.
"What is it, Ayanokouji-kun? Do you have something to say?" Horikita glared at him.
"Sorry for interrupting, but can I ask you something too, Ichinose?" Ayanokouji asked, trying to ignore the icy glare that Horikita has been giving him.
"Go ahead."
"I understand that your classmates are unconditional allies. It makes sense to stay close to the people in the same boat as you. But what about the students from Classes B, C, and D? Are they your friends too? You seem surprisingly firm about what makes someone an enemy, and in a school built around competition, that distinction becomes pretty obvious."
"What are you trying to say, Ayanokouji-kun?" Ichinose asked.
"Well, I'm just wondering. If it came down to it, would you also help someone from another class? By your definition, the other classes are your enemies since they're competing against your class."
"If it came down to it, then of course I would help them," Ichinose answered without hesitation.
"Huh?"
Ayanokouji couldn't help but feel that something was slightly off.
"Did I say something strange?"
"No, I just mean... aren't they your enemies?"
"And what's wrong with that?" Ichinose tilted her head slightly. "Even if they're my enemies, that doesn't mean I shouldn't help them, right? Friend or enemy, if someone needs my help, then I'd probably help them."
"Even if it's Ryuen?"
"Even if it's Ryuen," Ichinose replied honestly. "Even though he's my enemy, if he needed help, I'd probably still help him. Of course, there are limits to the kind of help I can offer, but I'd still help him in the end."
"In that case... what would you do if Kanzaki-kun and Ryuen had the same problem?" Horikita asked.
"You mean if I had to choose between them?" Ichinose looked troubled even though it was only hypothetical.
"Since I know who my friends and enemies are, then obviously I'd prioritize Kanzaki-kun over Ryuen-kun. But if both of them came to me for help because of the same problem, then I think it would be better to help both of them."
That answer suited Ichinose perfectly. Horikita looked genuinely surprised, but also slightly impressed.
But Ayanokouji didn't feel the same way.
No wonder something had felt off.
Ichinose's reasoning itself was slightly twisted.
She was still kind. That part hadn't changed. However, even after finding her own conviction, the foundation of it felt strangely distorted.
Even though she clearly understood the difference between allies and enemies, and even though she prioritized her class above all else, she still viewed people themselves almost equally.
Friend or enemy, it barely mattered once someone stood in front of her asking for help.
Even if she unconsciously tried to distinguish between them, in her eyes, Ryuen and Kanzaki were fundamentally being weighed on the same scale. She had said she would prioritize Kanzaki, but somehow, the difference barely existed.
The more Ayanokouji thought about it, the more unsettling it felt.
Did Kumagawa influence this too?
As for Horikita, whether she realized something was strange or not depended on how well she understood people. Considering her personality, she probably couldn't fully grasp the discomfort behind Ichinose's answer yet, especially since she had only recently started trying to understand others in the first place.
"I don't believe purely good people exist. Humans are cunning creatures who want their kindness to be rewarded," That was Horikita personal philosophy, but after hearing Ichinose's answer, even her own words seemed to lose some of their weight. "But after listening to you... maybe there really are good people in this world."
Ichinose looked slightly taken aback.
"You're giving me way too much credit, Horikita-san."
Until now, she had answered honestly and directly, but this time her eyes wandered slightly. Ichinose quietly stood up and walked toward the library window.
"No, I genuinely think you're a better person than anyone I've met," Horikita replied.
"Haha... is that so? Well, I'm really not that amazing," Ichinose said softly without turning around. "Actually, Kumagawa once told me about someone who was a hundred times more impressive than me. She was only about three years older than us... or maybe around our age? Kumagawa was being vague about it, so I'm not really sure."
"That's hard to believe," Horikita immediately answered.
It was difficult for her to imagine someone kinder than Ichinose, especially someone around their age. More than that, the fact that Kumagawa knew someone like that made the story even harder to believe.
"Haha, right? But because of that, I started wanting to become a little more like her. Though Kumagawa told me it was impossible."
At those words, both Horikita and Ayanokouji were reminded of Kumagawa's conversation with Ichinose back during the cruise ship exam in the Dragon group.
Noticing the subtle change in Ichinose's expression, Horikita decided not to push the topic any further.
"I'm sorry. Maybe I went too far. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Horikita said as she lowered her head slightly.
"It's okay. You didn't make me uncomfortable," Ichinose replied, though she still looked somewhat shaken.
From everything Ayanokouji had seen so far, Ichinose didn't seem like the type whose mood would be affected so easily. But perhaps he had been mistaken.
"Was that all you wanted to talk about? Chihiro-chan and the others are waiting for me, so can we end things here?" Ichinose asked, almost as if she wanted to escape from the conversation.
"Thank you for answering my silly questions," Horikita said.
"No problem. Well then, see you tomorrow."
After Ichinose left, only Horikita, Ayanokouji, several third-year students, and the library staff remained behind.
"Let's go back," Horikita said. "I still have things to do."
"I'm just confirming this again, but what are you planning to do about Kushida? It sounds like you've already thought of something," Ayanokouji asked.
She probably disliked being asked the same thing repeatedly, but he still needed to confirm it.
"She's special. I have to be more careful with her."
"Special?"
"I've been thinking about something," Horikita began. "About the kind of school life Kushida Kikyou would've had if I hadn't enrolled here. Everyone in class would've trusted her and relied on her. She could've enjoyed school normally, studying and playing sports without problems, all the way until graduation. But my existence ruined that future for her. She cooperated with an enemy like Ryuen-kun just to get rid of me. She even attacked her own class without hesitation. Of course, none of that is my fault. We were simply unlucky enough to end up at the same school."
So that was why Horikita had been trying to talk things out with Kushida.
Ayanokouji had thought it was only stubbornness at first, but it seemed more like Horikita was trying to fulfill a responsibility she believed she had.
"I have a suggestion," Ayanokouji said.
"What kind of suggestion?"
"I think I found the missing piece you need if you want to reconcile with Kushida."
"Would you agree that Ichinose is a good person?"
"Yes. Even if I heard unpleasant rumors about her, I probably wouldn't doubt her," Horikita answered immediately.
"Then why not ask her?"
"Who? Ichinose-san?"
"Yeah. With her personality, she'd probably agree, right?"
"Hmm... it's true that I don't think anything meaningful will come from a private conversation between me and Kushida-san. And with Ichinose-san around, I doubt Kushida-san would reveal her true self to someone outside of Class D. But even then, it would still be meaningless unless the mediator is someone who already knows about her true nature," Horikita explained.
"There's Kumagawa though."
He was probably the only person in Class D besides the two of them who knew Kushida's true nature. More than that, Kushida herself seemed strangely comfortable around him.
"Are you suggesting we use Kumagawa as the mediator?" Horikita looked at him as though he had said something completely stupid.
"No. Why would you even seriously consider that? I was just mentioning him...."
Ayanokouji felt slightly bothered by how low Horikita's opinion of him seemed to be.
"Besides, if you had to choose one student in this school for the role, you'd probably choose Ichinose, wouldn't you?" he asked.
"I can't deny that... But even so, I don't think it's right to involve Ichinose," Horikita answered.
"I'm not saying it would solve everything. I'm just saying it would be a step forward. Right now, you and Kushida can't even properly talk to each other."
Horikita shook her head. "You really know how to aim for the painful part. But I can't accept that. I'm going to settle things with Kushida myself."
In other words, she refused to drag Ichinose into the matter.
『』『』『』『』『』
As they walked out of the library, they found Kushida waiting in the hallway.
The moment she saw Ayanokouji and Horikita, she gave a small wave and smiled brightly. Horikita, however, didn't look surprised at all.
"Kushida-san. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's alright. There's still a little time before we were supposed to meet. What were you talking about with Ichinose-san?" Kushida asked.
"Nothing important."
"I'd still like to know. Is it something you can tell me?" Kushida's smile and tone remained gentle, but the tension in the air quietly rose.
"Sure. It's completely unrelated to you, after all," Horikita replied.
After being prompted like that, Horikita began explaining her conversation with Ichinose, though she changed a few details.
"I asked her how I could talk to people equally, without showing favoritism or distinction."
"Oh?"
"I'm not going to lie. I was asking about you, Kushida-san," Horikita said as she looked directly into her eyes.
"Listen, Horikita-san. Even if we don't get along, I'd rather talk about this without Ayanokouji-kun around," Kushida said. "Or could it be that Ayanokouji-kun and Ichinose-san already know something? Is that it?"
Her voice and gaze seems calm and normal, yet there was something eerie about it.
Seeing that look, Horikita turned toward Ayanokouji beside her.
"Sorry, Ayanokouji-kun, but could you head back without me?"
"Looks like I'm getting in the way," Ayanokouji muttered. "I'll get going."
Ayanokouji left the two of them behind and quietly made his way toward the dorms.
Now, only Kushida and Horikita remained.
"Now that we're alone, do you have something to say to me, Horikita-san?" Kushida asked.
"We attended the same junior high school. Because I know about your past, you want me expelled. Am I correct?"
"Well, this is sudden. Why bring up the past? I don't really like talking about it."
"I don't like it either. But we can't avoid it."
"Well, we rarely get the chance to talk alone like this," Kushida replied with a smile. "But yes, you're right. I do want you to disappear from this school, Horikita-san. And yes, it's because we attended the same junior high and because you know about that incident."
That incident.
Something from her past.
Something she didn't regret doing, but also didn't want to remember too much.
"I've thought about this many times. While it's true that I heard about the incident, I never really cared about it. I didn't have any friends back then anyway. All I ever heard were rumors, and I still don't know what actually happened," Horikita said, trying to reason with her.
"But you still know about it, right?" Kushida replied softly. "Whether you know the details or not, the fact that you know is already a problem for me. Besides, how can I know you're not lying? Rather than trying to find out the truth or listen to your reasoning, it's simply easier if you disappear."
But it was useless.
With that kind and angelic smile, Kushida completely shut down any possibility of coexistence between them. There was no room left for reconciliation.
She simply wanted Horikita to disappear from the school for her own peace of mind.
"Then, how about we make a bet, Kushida-san?" Horikita proposed.
"A bet? What are you talking about?"
Kushida looked slightly surprised by the sudden suggestion.
Very few people knew this, but Kushida had terrible luck when it came to betting and games of chance. Not as disastrous as Kumagawa's, but still what most people would call below average.
"If I score higher than you on the upcoming final exam, then from now on, you'll cooperate with me without any hostility. I'm not expecting us to become best friends. I just want you to stop trying to hurt me. That's all."
"Are you challenging me personally, regardless of how many points our pairs end up with?" Kushida asked with a questioning look.
"Yes."
"That's ridiculous, Horikita-san. I couldn't even beat your midterm score. Even if we based this on total scores, it would still be difficult for me to win. Besides, I gain nothing from winning."
In terms of academics, Kushida admitted that she was below Horikita. From her perspective, Horikita was proposing a bet where she already held the advantage while Kushida had almost nothing to gain in return.
"Yes. That's true. So..." Horikita lowered her voice slightly. "Let's decide the winner based on only one of the eight subjects. You're free to choose whichever subject you're best at. If your score is higher than mine, I'll drop out of school. That's my offer."
"You? Drop out of school? Are you serious?"
"Yes. I'm serious."
The look on Horikita's face never wavered.
Even if Horikita was academically superior overall, it was obvious that she was the one taking the bigger gamble here. She had even given Kushida favorable conditions. Because of that, Kushida couldn't help but wonder whether Horikita was simply that confident she would win, or if she had some kind of plan prepared.
"But this is only a verbal agreement, Horikita-san. If you lose, you could simply pretend this conversation never happened. Naturally, I could do the same. Can we really trust each other's words?"
"To make things official, I intend to involve a reliable witness."
"A reliable witness?"
"If you would... big brother."
"Oho..."
A figure stepped forward between them.
Horikita's older brother had appeared.
"I'm terribly sorry to ask this of you, brother. But I absolutely need your help."
Kushida already knew a little about Horikita's attachment to her brother because Kumagawa had casually mentioned it before. And knowing how important he was to Horikita, Kushida immediately understood how serious this bet truly was.
The fact that Horikita had even brought her older brother here as a witness proved that.
"Why hello there, Horikita-senpai. Or should I call you Manabu-senpai?" Kushida asked politely. "I didn't expect two people with the same surname to appear at once, so what should I call you to avoid confusion?"
"Just call me Manabu." He replied.
"Then Manabu-senpai it is."
Horikita had expected Kushida to at least look surprised by her brother's sudden appearance, but her expression barely changed.
Was she already expecting this?
Probably not.
Which only meant that Kushida was hiding her emotions extremely well.
As for the somewhat casual way Kushida spoke to her brother, Horikita assumed it was because Kushida was close with Kumagawa, who worked under him as the student council vice president. Because of that, she didn't find it strange.
Even so, for some reason, it still made her feel slightly jealous.
"By the way, Manabu-senpai, can I assume this is also your stance in this situation?" Kushida asked as she looked at him. "It's not like I mind or anything. I just want to make sure there won't be any bad blood between us in the future, considering my circumstances."
Horikita quietly listened beside them, not fully understanding what they were referring to.
"Don't worry. I was only called here to act as a witness. I have no interest in anything else," Manabu replied calmly.
"Then about my past—"
Before Kushida could finish, Horikita interrupted her.
"I trust my brother more than anyone else in this school. You can trust him as well, Kushida-san. Don't worry, I didn't tell him the details of what happened."
While the Horikita siblings had attended the same junior high as Kushida, Manabu had already graduated before the incident happened. Still, he remembered her face.
"But are you really okay with this, Manabu-senpai? If your little sister loses, then—"
"She was the one who proposed the bet. It has nothing to do with me."
How cold, Kushida thought.
"I also swear that if I lose, I won't tell anyone anything, Kushida-san. If I broke a promise after involving my brother, it would disgrace his name. I would never do that."
For a moment, Kushida simply stared at Horikita in silence.
Then she finally spoke.
"Well, why not? I accept your challenge. And I'm fine with the conditions of the bet. I choose mathematics. Can I assume that if we get the same score, neither of us wins?"
Horikita quietly nodded.
The terms had now been agreed upon directly in front of Manabu. Neither of them could back out anymore.
"I will fulfill my role as witness, If either of you breaks the agreement, be prepared for the consequences."
Even after stepping down as student council president, Horikita Manabu still held considerable authority within the school. Kushida knew that as long as he remained enrolled, neither of them could casually ignore the arrangement.
Manabu then turned toward Kushida.
"By the way, did Kumagawa also get involved in this?"
Hearing that name, Horikita flinched slightly.
Knowing that Kumagawa and Kushida had a strangely deep understanding of each other already made the situation troublesome enough. If Kumagawa became directly involved, things would only become even more complicated.
As for Manabu, knowing the strange relationship between the two of them, he had naturally assumed Kumagawa might already be involved somehow.
Kushida simply shrugged without properly answering the question.
But that reaction alone was enough for Manabu to understand.
He then turned toward his sister.
"Good luck, Suzune."
"Thank you very much, brother."
Manabu gave a small nod before quietly leaving the area.
"I'm looking forward to the final exam, Kushida-san."
"I'm certainly looking forward to it. Isn't that right, Ayanokouji-kun?"
She mentioned Ayanokouji even though the person in question had already left quite a while ago.
"...What do you mean, Kushida-san?"
"Don't play dumb." Kushida pointed a finger at Horikita. "You see, I've been trying to call you for the past few minutes, Horikita-san, but it seems you were already on a call."
"I'm not—"
"Don't bother lying, Horikita-san. If you lie to me now, I won't adhere to the bet anymore, you know?"
She offered Horikita a meager smile—kindly teaching her that smiling isn't always a sign of good intentions.
"I could always tell Manabu-senpai that I don't want to make a bet with someone who had another person listening in on our private conversation. In that case, I'd rather cancel the bet altogether. You don't want that, do you?"
"....."
Seeing that she has been caught, Horikita pull out her phone, and the screen show that she's indeed on a call with Ayanokouji. Horikita then proceed to put it on speakerphone.
"—...Sorry, Kushida."
Ayanokouji's voice came from the phone.
It seemed that when Ayanokouji left earlier, Horikita had already called him so he could listen to their conversation.
"Ahaha, don't worry. I never trusted Horikita-san in the first place, so seeing her do something like this isn't that surprising." She let out a small laugh. "Still, don't you know that eavesdropping on a girl's conversation is bad manners, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"—...That's—"
"Isn't that right, Kumagawa-kun?"
Kushida then pulled out her own phone. Just like Horikita, she had apparently been on a call this entire time as well.
"—『Ahaha, so you really were planning to drag me into this, huh, Kushida-chan? Well, it's not like I mind being treated this way, but I'll expect some kind of compensation later, alright? 』
Just like Ayanokouji, Kumagawa's voice came from Kushida's phone.
"Now that we're all involved, why don't we have a long talk as classmates?"
"....."
Honestly, Kushida really had some guts.
"Let's meet at the coast near the dorm one hour from now."
There, they would have a long talk.
『』『』『』『』『』
After telling them both Ayanokouji and Horikita to meet at the coast near the dorms in one hour, Kushida arrived there an hour early.
The area was deserted.
Even though the place offered a beautiful panoramic view of the city in the distance, there weren't many people around. Since the school was built on an artificial island, there were plenty of other spots with similar scenery that were far more popular. Most students only used this area as part of a jogging route.
After arriving, Kushida sat down on one of the benches lined along the path and quietly looked out at the view as the orange sky slowly began to fade.
One by one, the street lamps flickered to life.
For some reason, Kushida felt strangely peaceful.
Then—
『Hey there, Kushida-chan. You're pretty early, aren't you? 』
An annoying yet familiar voice came from behind her.
But Kushida didn't turn around. She didn't make an irritated face either, nor did she greet him back. She simply continued quietly looking at the scenic view of the city stretching into the distance.
Kumagawa casually walked over and sat beside her.
For a moment, Kushida thought he might also get absorbed into the atmosphere and look at the night view together with her.
Instead, Kumagawa pulled out a manga volume and started reading.
"Pfft."
『Huh? Why're you laughing? 』
"Ahaha, it's nothing. I just thought that you really never betray my expectations, do you, Kumagawa-kun?"
Doing the things that no one expected him to do,
And not doing things that everyone expected him to do.
Seeing Kumagawa stay completely true to his nature made Kushida inadvertently let out a slight laugh.
"Kumagawa-kun, can I ask you something?" She asked, without looking at him.
『What is it? 』He replied, without looking at her.
"What made you decide to take my side?"
『...What do you mean? 』
"Back then on the cruise ship, you helped me, didn't you? You said that since you're an ally of the weak, you would always stand on the side of the weak. And that's why... you chose to stand by me"
That was his reason.
Because Kumagawa believed that she was weak.
"You call me weak, but in what way exactly?" Kushida asked. "Compared to people like Ike-kun or Yamauchi-kun, or even girls like Karuizawa-san, I'm obviously superior. So why do you see me as weak when there are others who are far worse off than me?"
If that were really the case, then Kumagawa should have been helping Karuizawa instead of her.
With Karuizawa's past involving bullying, it should have been obvious who was weaker between them. Kushida had never been bullied, had a good reputation, and could easily get along with almost anyone she met.
By comparison, Karuizawa should have been the weaker one.
And yet, instead of helping Karuizawa, Kumagawa kept involving himself with her.
Even if he constantly annoyed her, it was still true that whenever he had the chance, he would help her.
Closing his manga, Kumagawa finally looked at her.
『Kushida-chan, what do you think makes someone weak? 』
"Losing," she answered simply. "Weak people are the ones who can never win."
Kushida answered immediately.
That was the first answer that came to her mind when she thought about weak people.
And the first person she thought of was Kumagawa himself.
Someone who never had things go the way he wanted.
Someone who never found success.
Someone who never had any luck.
By almost every definition, Kumagawa Misogi was weak.
And he himself openly acknowledged that fact.
But what about her?
Someone who usually had things go the way she wanted.
Someone who routinely found success.
Someone who often had a fair share of luck.
And yet, despite all that, he still called her weak.
『That's a pretty common answer, but it's also the correct one. Someone who loses is weak. That's how it's been since the dawn of humanity. But even if it's the correct answer, it's not entirely true. Because by definition, someone who loses isn't necessarily weak. Not everything is weakness. But everything is weak. 』
"So does that include you too?"
『Well, I'm an exception of course. I always lose, which makes me weak. And because I'm weak, I never win. And since I never win, that means I'm not strong. If you live your whole life like that from the very beginning, you can't help but think of yourself as weak. 』
"..."
He really was harsh on himself.
But strangely enough, Kumagawa said all of that so casually that it didn't even sound self-deprecating anymore. It was less like an insult toward himself and more like he was simply stating an obvious fact.
He's decided to live his entire life with a sense of inferiority
A proud minus.
『Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that there are different kinds of weakness. And with that mentality of yours, I can't really categorize you as a strong person. Hence, you're weak. 』
"In what way...?"
『Because everything you've built yourself on. Your relationships, your personality, your achievements, your luck, your outlook, your thought, your mentality, and even your life itself. Everything about you is built on nothing but fragile lies, am I right? 』
"..."
What a surprisingly clear description.
That's right.
Everything about her was fake.
Her entire existence had been built upon layers upon layers of lies.
She understood that herself.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she wanted to deny those words from the bottom of her heart. But she couldn't. She couldn't deny it. And she couldn't even argue back.
It was because of her own personal experiences that she couldn't get Kumagawa's words out of her head. When he said her very existence was a lie, his words felt strangely hollow—like a funny story whose punchline she just couldn't make out.
After that, Kushida fell silent.
Several minutes passed before she spoke again.
"Kumagawa-kun, people usually say that humans live according to their ideals, right? It wouldn't be wrong to say that I've also tried to live that way. I tried to live according to my ideal self. And in the end, I did become that person. Other girls say I've been blessed with a beautiful figure; my memory is better than most peoples, and I'm academically gifted. I'm good at sports, confident in conversations, shrewd, adaptable, and I even have people I can use like pawns when I need them."
'What am I even saying right now?'
"But just like you said, it was all built on lies. Even the ideal version of myself was something fake. A constructed persona. A false ideal."
Yes.
She had already realized it herself.
Even the ideal she spent so much time chasing was nothing more than something artificially built through lies.
"Did you know? I've lied so much throughout my life that sometimes I don't even know what's real anymore. I lied as a child so my parents would praise me. I lied in elementary school so teachers would like me. I lied in middle school, and that eventually caused an incident. I lied, and lied, and lied, and even now I'm still lying."
'Stop.'
Because she lied, she became popular. Because she lied, she was loved by her parents, classmates, upperclassmen, underclassmen, teachers, guardians, and even strangers in her neighborhood. When it came to likability, she was almost unmatched.
Because she always lied.
Most people would probably say that Kushida lived a blessed life.
But to Kushida herself, it never felt blessed at all.
She knew how pathetic it sounded. How shameful and foolish it was. If anyone else heard her saying things like this, she would probably want to disappear from embarrassment on the spot.
And yet, here she was.
Somewhere along the way, she had gone down the wrong path.
And before she realized it, she had already reached a point where she didn't even know what "right" was supposed to mean anymore.
That was why, in the end, the only thing Kushida truly cared about was her own desire.
Her personal satisfaction.
"I even lied just so I could win. I hate losing. I hate it more than most people do. And because I've lied for so long, I stopped being honest even with myself. It got so bad that I even ended up vomiting from the stress it caused me."
Kushida smiled.
'Stop it.'
She smiled while looking directly at Kumagawa.
"I've lied so much that I don't even know if I truly love my parents anymore."
She said it.
Her mental anguish.
She had lied for so long that even her feelings toward her parents had become distorted and unclear. Of course, she understood what kind of feelings she was supposed to have toward them.
But could she really call those feelings genuine?
Every emotion she had shown throughout her life was fabricated.
And the frightening part was that she had repeated those lies so many times that even she started believing they were real.
It had nearly driven her into a mental breakdown before.
But she still said it.
She didn't know what had suddenly come over her. She tried to stop midway, but she couldn't. And even if she could, she felt that she simply couldn't stop herself from revealing everything. Deep down, for some reason, she felt that if she stayed silent now, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
As if she would lose something important that made her human.
『Well, I wouldn't say I'm surprised. Honestly, it's impressive you've managed to stay mentally functional until now. Though I can't exactly call you healthy if you've reached the point where you don't even know whether you love your parents anymore. Ahahaha. 』
He laughed.
Even while she was exposing her vulnerabilities, he still somehow found something to laugh about.
"Pfft... hahaha."
And because of that, Kushida couldn't help laughing too. For some reason, his reaction made Kushida feel that everything wasn't really that important anymore. Or perhaps, even if it was important, it no longer felt heavy enough to suffocate her.
"By the way, Kumagawa-kun, did you know that I'm a greedy person?"
『Of course I know you're greedy. 』
"I thought so. But even if I call myself greedy, there's actually only one thing I want in life. Just one thing, and nothing more."
『And what is that? 』
"I only want one thing."
Kushida reveals a beautiful smile.
"Everything."
『Ahaha, what a greedy girl you are. 』
"And because of that, I want to obtain everything I desire—everything I decide to pursue. Even if it means facing failure upon failure upon failure."
Kushida slowly stood up and turned around.
From the opposite side of the path, two figures were approaching—Ayanokouji and Horikita.
"Yoo-hoo," Kushida greeted them lightly with a wave.
Now then.
It was finally time for their long-awaited talk.
『』『』『』『』『』
As Ayanokouji followed behind Horikita, his gaze first landed on Kushida, the one currently standing in front of them. But almost immediately after that, his eyes shifted slightly downward toward the person beside her lazily waving a hand at him.
Instead of focusing on Kushida, Ayanokouji's attention went toward Kumagawa.
Horikita noticed him too, but this time, her focus remained entirely on Kushida.
"You really got me, Kushida-san. Your insightfulness and ability to take action are truly incredible," Horikita said first.
"Thank you. But really, I'm merely observant," Kushida replied with a smile.
"Why did you call Ayanokouji-kun here and involve him?" Horikita asked. "I thought our conversation was already over. If you're angry that I had him listen in, then just say so."
"I'm not particularly displeased about it. Besides, why are you asking something so obvious? Aren't you the one who involved Ayanokouji-kun first? If you didn't want me involving him, then you shouldn't have called him in the first place."
"..."
Horikita couldn't refute that.
"But speaking of Ayanokouji-kun, I was wondering if you'd mind me adding another condition to the bet," Kushida proposed.
"A condition?"
"If I beat your score, Horikita-san, then I want Ayanokouji-kun to drop out too."
Hearing that, Ayanokouji wasn't particularly surprised.
He had already expected this possibility.
"No," Horikita answered immediately.
Before Ayanokouji could even respond, Horikita rejected the proposal as if she had already reached that conclusion long ago. That was probably why she hadn't originally told him about the bet in the first place. She wanted to avoid dragging him into it.
Unfortunately for her, Kushida had already seen through the trick with the phone call.
"Maybe. But this is my gamble. I can't involve him."
"I think it's a little late for that when you already involved him, isn't it?" Kushida then turned toward Ayanokouji. "So there's no need to look so disappointed, Ayanokouji-kun."
"There wouldn't be a problem if he simply didn't tell anyone, though." Horikita argued.
"If it were really that simple, Horikita-san, then you wouldn't have challenged me to this bet in the first place."
"Well, you're an important person for Class D."
Kushida truly was observant. It was only natural that Horikita would want someone like her on their side.
"You've changed, haven't you, Horikita-san?" Kushida looked at her with an unreadable gaze. "If it were the old you, you definitely wouldn't have said something like that. Did you realize something about yourself after the sports festival?"
"It would be a lie if I said I wasn't affected. But I could say the same thing about you, Kushida-san."
"Is it that obvious?" Kushida tilted her head slightly. "Well, I'm still in the middle of discovering myself out right now, so maybe that's why."
Had the two of them ever spoken this openly before?
They could understand each other, yet at the same time, they couldn't.
Such a tragic fate.
If they hadn't attended the same junior high, Kushida probably would have cooperated with Horikita normally. In that case, she could've reached classmates that even Hirata and Karuizawa struggled with, and Class D might have united much sooner.
"Can I join this wager too? Of course, I'll be on Horikita's side."
Ayanokouji, who had been standing on the sidelines the entire time, finally stepped into the conversation.
"Wait a minute." Horikita looked at him in surprise. "What are you saying, Ayanokouji-kun? This has nothing to do with you."
"It started that way. But now it does involve me. Besides, I already eavesdropped on your conversation. You can't really pretend I'm unrelated anymore."
Horikita clearly wanted to avoid taking on even more responsibility, but Ayanokouji selfishly interpreted the situation in a more convenient way.
Kushida herself had already pointed it out.
If Horikita truly didn't want to involve him, then she shouldn't have called him in the first place.
Besides, even if Horikita won the bet and temporarily escaped Kushida's hostility, Kushida could simply redirect all of her attention toward him afterward. If he dealt with things now, it would save him trouble later down the road.
"I'd be happy to let you join," Kushida said cheerfully.
"But I also have a condition."
"Hmm?"
"I want you to tell me the details of the incident you're trying so hard to hide."
"I want you to tell me the specifics of this incident that you so badly wanted to hide." He was entering dangerous territory. "It's only fair for me to ask that much, right? I don't even know the details, and yet you're trying to have me expelled. You're acting under the assumption that Horikita knows about it, right? Then explain it to us now. If you beat Horikita on the test, both of us will be expelled anyway, and you won't have anything to worry about anymore."
It wouldn't have been strange for Kushida to take offense at that condition considering how sensitive Kushida was regarding her past.
But instead—
"Hahaha, you really don't hold back at all, do you, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Rather than shock or anger, Kushida simply laughed. More and more, she was becoming harder for Ayanokouji to understand.
"Are you serious, Ayanokouji-kun?" Horikita look baffled
Ayanokouji glanced at Horikita before answering her, "Well, I am. I can't exactly accept having my entire school life threatened because of someone else's selfishness."
"Besides, I'm not the only one who should know, right?"
Ayanokouji shifted his gaze toward the boy who had been smiling suspiciously from the sidelines the entire time without saying much.
"I wouldn't say I expected it completely, but Kumagawa was involved in this too, right? Since he's here, he probably knows part of the situation already, just not the details. Isn't that correct?"
In a way, Ayanokouji and Kumagawa were in similar positions.
Both were connected to someone carrying problems from the past.
And both knew about the situation without knowing the full details.
Well, Ayanokouji couldn't be sure whether Kumagawa already knew everything or not. Even Kushida probably wouldn't casually reveal something this personal, no matter how close they were.
『Well, I do admit I willingly got dragged into this one. But what's this about an incident? I've never heard anything like that before. 』Kumagawa turned toward Kushida, 『Did you do something bad in the past, Kushida-chan? 』
Kushida ignored him completely and continued staring at Ayanokouji instead.
"Ayanokouji-kun. It seems Horikita-san still hasn't told you the details, right? I also haven't told Kumagawa-kun about them either. Actually, I've never even brought it up to him before. But if I tell you now, there'll be no turning back. Do you understand?"
As for Kumagawa, things between them had already gone too far to turn back anyway. Besides, Kushida had already told him something even more personal earlier, so whether she told him or not about the incident, didn't really matter at this point.
"Haven't I already passed the point of no return?" Ayanokouji replied calmly. "Are you saying you'll spare me if I don't know anything? Can you honestly say you won't treat me like an enemy?"
"What are you talking about? Of course I wouldn't treat you like an enemy if you knew nothing. That's the entire point here. It's simply because of your bad luck that I'm forced to see you as one now."
"....."
Ayanokouji couldn't really deny that.
At the root of the problem was the fact that he knew her true nature.
If Horikita didn't attend the same middle school and Ayanokouji had never discovered that side of her, then maybe they really could've become proper classmates and aimed for Class A together.
But that possibility was already gone.
Ayanokouji glanced at Horikita. She was looking at him with visible concern.
She was probably feeling guilty, while also unable to understand why he would willingly risk himself even further when he was already close to expulsion as it was.
But even so, Ayanokouji couldn't let this chance pass.
He need to know about Kushida's past.
"Do you also want to hear it, Kumagawa-kun?" Kushida asked as she turned toward him. "About the horrible thing I did in the past?"
『Does it really matter? No matter how horrible the thing you did was, how awful you were back then, or how badly the victims suffered, once it becomes something from the past, eventually it just turns into a story. 』
"A story..."
『But if you still want to talk about it, then don't worry. I'll listen. I might not look like it, but I'm actually someone pretty easy to talk to. 』
Kushida did everything she could to maintain her composure. Even then—even under these circumstances, she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of him by showing a relieved look on her face. How vain could she be?
"Ayanokouji-kun, is there something you're the best at? Something you can do better than anyone else?" Kushida asked.
"I'm just average. A jack of all trades, master of none. If I had to say something, maybe I'm slightly faster than average."
"Ahaha, what an obvious lie. There's nothing average about your physical ability, so don't bother with such an obvious lie." Kushida laughed lightly. "Though I don't really mind. I lie all the time too."
"..."
"But let's get back to the topic. What do you think is the greatest thing in this world? The most addictive and potent stimuli humans can obtain?"
"...What is it?"
"It's attention," Kushida answered immediately. "Attention is a kind of drug. A very addictive one. Even having just two people pay attention to you can make someone happy. So what do you think happens when more than ten or twenty or even thirty people start giving you that attention? There aren't many people who can resist something like that."
Kushida smiled faintly.
"And I think I became addicted to it. Do you understand, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Ayanokouji couldn't say he fully understood. But he did understand that humans desired recognition from others. Society itself was built around people working hard in exchange for praise and acknowledgment. And he had already seen how far people were willing to go for that recognition.
"I can't help wanting to show off. I can't help wanting attention. I can't help wanting to stand out," Kushida continued. "But I also understand my limits. No matter how hard I try, I'll never become number one in academics or sports. Eventually, someone more talented than me would appear and surpass me. So I decided to become something no one else could perfectly imitate—a kinder and nicer person than anyone else."
"...Is that the root of your kindness?" Ayanokouji asked without thinking.
It was easier to trust someone genuinely kind but flawed than someone perfectly good who was built entirely on lies. What Kushida was doing wasn't simple at all. Even if someone wanted to become kind and loved by everyone, it didn't mean they could truly achieve it.
"That's right. My kindness was built on lies. But because of those lies, I became popular with both boys and girls. I enjoyed being trusted and relied on. I enjoyed making people see me as kind." Kushida let out a small laugh. "Elementary school and middle school were honestly fun because of that."
"Isn't it painful, though? Lying every single day just to maintain that persona. Doing things you don't even want to do. If it were me, I don't think I could handle it. I'd probably break down."
Even Horikita looked surprised by what Kushida had just admitted.
"Of course it's painful. Every single day, I feel so stressed that it seems like my mind could shatter at any moment. But I just can't stop, you know? That thing called attention is far too addictive." Kushida smirked—a somewhat hollow smile, "That's why I kept enduring it. Enduring, enduring, enduring while continuing to lie, and lie, and lie, until eventually I couldn't take it anymore."
Now even Ayanokouji was surprised.
He hadn't expected Kushida's true nature to be this destructive.
Even knowing it would eventually ruin her, she still kept going. It was a continuous cycle of self-destruction with nothing repairing the damage piling up inside her. How had she managed to maintain her act for so long without completely collapsing?
Kushida then glanced toward Kumagawa, who had remained silent this entire time, simply listening from the side as if none of this surprised him at all.
"You see, I was very popular back in middle school. Everyone thought I was their best friend. Because of that, they told me everything. Their secrets, who they hated, who they loved, their love rivals, what they thought about other people. I knew every secret in the class."
Even though Kushida was speaking toward Ayanokouji, for some reason it felt more like she was talking to Kumagawa instead.
"But eventually I couldn't take it anymore, so I made a blog to vent all my hidden stress. Of course, it was anonymous. I never used anyone's names. But somehow, one of my classmates discovered it. Even without names, it was obvious the posts were based on real events."
Just hearing that much was enough for Ayanokouji to imagine what happened next.
"The next day, the entire class found out about the blog. Everyone condemned me. Even though I'd helped them so much, they all turned against me." Kushida laughed quietly. "Selfish, right? The boy who confessed to me shoved me after reading that I thought his confession was disgusting and wished he would disappear. One girl I comforted after she got dumped kicked my desk after reading how I mocked her behind her back. Even though it was their own fault for telling me their secrets. Over thirty people decided I was their enemy that day."
"So, how did you make it through? Ayanokouji couldn't help but ask.
Kushida's smile deepened unnervingly
"I told them everything."
"...Everything?"
Those were the words that Ayanokouji could only repeat back.
"All the secrets I never even wrote on the blog. I exposed every single one of them without stopping. No one was spared."
"...."
"Because of that, the class completely fell apart. At that point, nobody could trust anyone anymore. Friends became enemies overnight."
Kushida looked toward the distant, beautiful city lights.
"It was pandemonium."
"....."
Neither Horikita nor Ayanokouji had expected something like this.
Truth was a weapon that could only exist through trust. At first glance, it sounded harmless, but in reality it was a sharp double-edged blade. The more trust someone gave you, the deeper that blade could cut once the truth came out.
And Kushida had used exactly that.
The trust she built through lies, and the lies she used to gain that trust, had eventually turned into a self-perpetuating tragedy. A weapon that destroyed the relationships around her while slowly corroding her from the inside.
"It was a mistake to use the internet to vent my feelings," Kushida continued. "Once you post something online, it stays there forever. That's why I stopped blogging and found different ways to release stress."
At first, she vented by muttering things aloud to herself, which Ayanokouji and Kumagawa accidentally discovered.
After that, it gradually turned into these strange talks with Kumagawa instead. Lately, though, she hadn't really needed those moments as much anymore, mostly because Kumagawa's constant nonsense somehow released her stress before it could pile up.
"Do you want to remain the way you are now?" Ayanokouji asked.
"What do you mean, the way I am now?" Kushida replied. "Isn't the current me more important than some future version of myself? Even if everything is built on lies, the feeling I get from receiving people's attention is beyond anything I ever imagined."
Using lies to learn people's anxieties, suffering, embarrassment, jealousy, hopes, and hidden feelings, while using trust to make them willingly hand over the deepest parts of themselves.
That was Kushida's forbidden fruit, and she had already become addicted to its taste.
"So? That's what she said, Kumagawa. What do you think?"
Ayanokouji turned toward Kumagawa, who had been silently watching the entire time.
From what he saw earlier, Kumagawa clearly hadn't known the details behind Kushida's past. He knew about her true nature, but not the specific incident itself.
Would hearing all of this change how he viewed her?
『What is there to say? You're making it sound like everything that happened was entirely Kushida-chan's fault. Are you cornering her? If that's the case, then as vice president, I can't just sit here and ignore such injustice. 』
He said.
Ayanokouji briefly wondered if they had somehow heard completely different stories.
Since objectively speaking, the unfair side of this entire situation was the punishment tied to the bet itself. Maybe because Kumagawa was standing on Kushida's side, the scales naturally tilted toward her, but even so, nothing about this felt fair.
『Even if what Kushida-chan did in the past was terrible, in the end, the past is still just a story. A tale. 』
A story.
A tale.
『And clearly, that tale still needs an ending. 』
The story of Kushida's past.
The story of her lies.
And the story of the consequences created by those lies.
『Still, this feels a little one-sided in our favor, doesn't it? So I'd like to propose a new deal. Since Ayanokouji-kun is standing on Horikita-chan's side, then naturally I'll stand on Kushida-chan's side. Is that alright with you, Kushida-chan? 』
"You can do whatever you want," Kushida replied with a light shrug. "As long as the condition about Horikita-san and Ayanokouji-kun dropping out stays the same, I don't really mind."
『Ahaha, I see. Well said, Kushida-chan. But be careful. You can't fight without understanding what your opponent considers justice. But the moment you start believing justice belongs to them, you lose the ability to fight at all. 』
Kumagawa then looked toward Ayanokouji and Horikita.
『Have you ever heard of the term zero-sum game? It's a fairly well-known concept and is common in fields related to games and entertainment. 』
It was a familiar concept.
A game where one side's victory could only exist through the other side's defeat.
For someone to rise, someone else had to fall.
If one side won, the other side lost.
If one side survived, the other side paid the price.
There was no compromise, no middle ground, and no ending where everyone walked away satisfied. Every gain was carved directly from someone else's loss.
Horikita and Ayanokouji silently nodded.
『Good. Then this will be simple. What I'm proposing is basically the same thing. Kushida-chan and I will bet everything on this exam. 』
Kushida didn't look surprised at all after hearing that.
This clearly wasn't something they had discussed beforehand. It was entirely Kumagawa's own decision. And yet, for some reason, Kushida didn't look anxious in the slightest.
Right now, she looked strangely accepting of everything.
『If Horikita-chan wins, then Kushida-chan and I will both drop out of this school. But if Kushida-chan wins, then Horikita-chan and Ayanokouji-kun will drop out instead. A proper zero-sum game where everything is decided by a single exam. 』
"..."
Neither Horikita nor Ayanokouji expected that proposal.
Especially Horikita, whose expression visibly stiffened.
"No," she answered immediately.
『Why not? 』
"Even if Kushida-san wants me expelled, I don't want to expel her. I only want her to stop interfering with me and betraying the class while I aim for Class A."
That was Horikita's true objective from the beginning.
She wanted Kushida's cooperation, not her removal. Even if their relationship was built entirely on hostility from Kushida's side, Kushida was still an extremely valuable existence for Class D, and Horikita was confident she could defeat her academically.
『Yikes. Looks like she really does want to use you, Kushida-chan. 』
"Ahaha. I already know that," Kushida replied lightly.
Horikita looked directly at her. "Are you really just going to let him drag you along like this? The original conditions already favored you. Why would you willingly turn that advantage into a disadvantage?"
But Kushida only shrugged again without answering.
『Hmm. If you're going to stay stubborn about this, then why don't we ask a third party to settle the issue for us? If you would please. 』
As soon as Kumagawa said that, another figure approached from the opposite direction, holding a phone in his hand while slowly walking toward them.
"Brother..."
It was Horikita Manabu.
"Didn't I already say I intended to remain neutral in this matter?" Manabu said coldly. "I have no intention of involving myself in their wager."
『Hey, hey, I haven't even asked for anything yet. I just want your help resolving the dilemma we're currently facing. It's not like you'll be directly participating. This is exactly the sort of thing a neutral third party is for, isn't it, former president? 』
Manabu stayed silent for a moment before lightly gesturing for Kumagawa to continue.
『Well, the original condition of the bet is that if Kushida-chan wins, Horikita-chan drops out, right? And if Horikita-chan wins, Kushida-chan stops interfering with her. What do you think about that bet? 』
"It's unfair," Manabu answered immediately.
『Right? 』
"The consequences aren't balanced."
『Right, right? 』
"But I don't see anything wrong with it. Even if the terms are unequal, both parties agreed to them. As long as neither side violates the agreement, there's no issue."
Even Manabu acknowledged that the punishment heavily favored one side, but he viewed the situation objectively as a neutral third party.
『So changing the conditions is fine too, right? 』
"As long as both parties agree to the revised terms, the contents of the agreement can be changed as many times as necessary. But if no consensus is reached, then the original agreement remains valid."
『That's what he said, Horikita-chan. 』 Kumagawa turned toward Horikita. 『What do you think? 』
"....."
What does she think?
Of course Horikita intended to reject whatever ridiculous proposal Kumagawa came up with. As long as she refused, the original agreement would remain intact. That was exactly what Manabu had just stated.
"So? What part of the agreement are you trying to revise?" Manabu asked.
『The punishment.... We'd like to change the condition so that if Horikita-chan wins, Kushida-chan and I will both be expelled. Basically, we'll match Horikita-chan's risk—ah, and Ayanokouji-kun already agreed to join as well, so now it involves the four of us. 』
Hearing that, even Manabu slightly raised an eyebrow.
Although Kumagawa was impossible to fully understand, Manabu genuinely hadn't expected him to intentionally make the situation more difficult for himself while dragging Kushida along with him.
So Manabu looked toward his little sister.
"No. I can't accept that," Horikita declared immediately.
She still needed Kushida for the future.
Class D was only beginning to develop properly, and losing Kushida now would be a serious blow.
『But what happens if we fail to reach an agreement and one side decides to cancel the wager altogether? Is there any penalty for that? 』
"Perhaps I didn't explain it clearly enough earlier," Manabu replied. "If either side breaks the agreement after accepting it, they will automatically be considered the loser. In other words, be prepared for the consequences."
So if either Horikita or Kushida backed out now, the punishment would immediately take effect. There was no middle ground.
『I see. In that case, Kushida-chan, can you withdraw from the agreement if Horikita-chan refuses my proposal? 』
"What!?" Horikita shouted in surprise.
『Hey, don't look so shocked. Wouldn't that actually make things easier for you? If Kushida-chan backs out now, then you won't have to worry about getting expelled anymore. You'd still get what you originally wanted too. Sounds beneficial for you, doesn't it? 』
"...."
Horikita couldn't deny that.
Objectively speaking, it really would be advantageous for her.
But she still didn't understand what their objective was here. The fact that she couldn't figure out what Kumagawa wanted, combined with how Kushida showed no disagreement toward such an absurd proposal, only made Horikita even more uneasy about whether this was truly advantageous for her or not. Their complete lack of clear intention made her unable to stop suspecting that the two of them were planning something behind the scenes.
Even Ayanokouji was thinking the same thing as Horikita.
With Kumagawa taking the lead, it was impossible not to be cautious as he couldn't predict Kumagawa's intentions. If he couldn't understand the purpose behind this proposal, then there was a high chance some kind of trap had already been prepared somewhere by either Kumagawa or Kushida.
There was no room left for careless decisions.
Especially now, when he was already standing in two separate situations that could both lead to his expulsion.
"Well, I can do that, but if I withdraw and can no longer interfere with Horikita-san, then can you do it in my place? Recreate what happened back in middle school. I know plenty of secrets about the girls in class. You could do it, right?" Kushida asked casually.
『Well, sure. 』
Kushida then turned toward Manabu.
"Well then, senpai. I sup—"
"Wait."
Horikita immediately interrupted her.
"I don't know what you're planning, Kushida-san, but..." Horikita slowly clenched her fists. "I accept."
Horikita really didn't have much of a choice anymore.
At the rate things were going, if she refused Kumagawa's proposal, there was a real possibility that Kushida would actually use him to recreate what happened back in middle school. By now, Kushida probably held countless secrets about Class D's students, and if Kumagawa became involved in spreading them, the result could become even more terrifying than what happened in the past.
But if she accepted, then Class D would lose one of its most valuable weapons.
Kushida's social influence was overwhelming. In some ways, it even surpassed Ichinose's. Her popularity came not only from her personality, but also from how aggressively she built relationships with everyone around her. There was almost no one she couldn't approach.
Still, if she had to choose between the two outcomes, then the answer was obvious.
『Well, there you have it, Manabu-senpai. Why don't you approve the new conditions now that both sides have reached an agreement? 』
"...Okay."
Even if it looked dangerously close to blackmail, Manabu had no intention of interfering beyond his role as a witness. After confirming the agreement, he quietly turned around and left the area, leaving only the four of them behind.
"What are you planning?"
It was Ayanokouji who spoke.
He stared directly at Kumagawa as he asked that question.
『Hmm? What do you mean? 』
"The agreement. Why would you do that?"
He truly didn't understand.
No matter how logically he tried to analyze it, or how many different angles he considered, he still couldn't find even a single clue as to what Kumagawa was trying to accomplish. To be fair, even from the very beginning, Ayanokouji had never been particularly successful at understanding him.
『What? Do you think this new agreement is entirely a disadvantage for us? 』Kumagawa asked her
"Well, I mean..."
『Ah, sorry, don't misunderstand, Horikita-chan. I'm not mocking you or anything. It's only natural that you'd think that way. 』Kumagawa replied casually. 『But without properly understanding her, someone like you could never really understand this. Even if I explained it with words, you probably still wouldn't be able to comprehend it.After all, that's your glaring weakness.』
A radiant smile insisting on perfection.
An inky darkness harboring pure malice.
Kushida's true nature was far more complicated than that.
Even if Kumagawa tried explaining it, it would probably sound meaningless to anyone who hadn't experienced something similar themselves. He understood the contradiction and self-destructive tendencies buried deep inside Kushida, perhaps even more than Kushida herself realized.
Still, eventually, she would probably come to understand it too.
Just not anytime soon.
"Understand Kushida... Are you saying it's because I'm socially inept?"
『Ahaha, why are you trying to probe me like that?』 Kumagawa laughed lightly. 『You should already realize what kind of glaring weakness you have, right? With that mentality of yours, even if I explained everything to you step by step, you still wouldn't have the heart to truly understand it. 』
"....."
Ayanokouji couldn't help but fall silent after hearing that.
He painfully understood what Kumagawa was implying.
While it wasn't necessarily a problem for him personally, being told that he "didn't have a heart" by someone who himself clearly lacked one was still strangely irritating. Still, if Kumagawa was capable of saying something like that so confidently, then it meant he understood more than he let on.
Especially when it came to him.
Kumagawa's absurdly sharp insight was undoubtedly dangerous.
Either that, or it had something to do with that elusive figure 'Anshin'in-san.' Kumagawa had mentioned before.
Either way, it was something Ayanokouji needed to keep an eye on.
『That's why, if you don't have the prerequisites to understand it, then the only thing I can do is equalize it. That's why you're going to face us through an equal bet, equal terms, and equal consequences. 』
Kumagawa said with a smile.
It was a smile with no emotion behind it.
『I'll drag it down to the point where both sides become equally worthless... and equally precious. 』
"...Is that so."
There was no point trying to clarify a statement like that.
Whether Kumagawa truly meant those words, or whether he was simply saying things for the sake of it, Ayanokouji had no particular desire to think too deeply about it.
However, one thing he understood clearly—
From this point onward—this was the opponent he would have to face.
Ayanokouji silently resolved himself to stand against Kumagawa Misogi.
This was the first time he had directly opposed him, and it would probably not be the last. After all, they still had more than two and a half years left at this school. It almost felt like a joke, pitting an ordinary student against an incalculable man, and yet, this was the reality he faced here at ANHS.
『Is that all you wanted to say?』
"No."
But it wasn't Ayanokouji who answered.
Horikita decided to join the conversation.
But not the conversation between Kumagawa and Ayanokouji. Even though she was interested, halfway through, it had already taken a direction she could no longer understand.
So instead, she turned toward Kushida, who had remained silent for quite a while now.
"I don't understand what Kumagawa-kun is trying to accomplish, and he probably wouldn't explain it to us even if we asked," Horikita said matter-of-factly. "But are you really okay with this? If you lose, you'll be expelled. This situation has already gone in a rather extreme direction."
From the original bet to the new one, the situation had taken a far more extreme turn for Kushida.
"Well, it wouldn't exactly be right to say I have no problem with it. But didn't people say that fate favors those who are bold? Even if this situation is disadvantageous for me, that doesn't necessarily mean you're going to win, right?"
"....."
"Besides, this situation was already extreme the moment we entered this school. So if this situation is extreme, then it only makes sense for it to have an equally extreme conclusion, right?"
Kushida spoke the words with a nasty smile.
Her smile looked nothing like anything she had ever shown before.
"My tale needs a proper ending."
A proper conclusion to her story.
It had begun with a proper prologue.
So it also needed a proper epilogue.
Even if it put her at a disadvantage, even if she had thrown away the upper hand she originally held, Kushida no longer cared about things like safety or reason.
She knew this behavior was unlike her.
She knew it was irrational.
Stupid, even.
But she still wanted it.
A proper sense of closure.
And just like that, the confrontation between both sides truly began.
『END』
『』『』『』『』『』
Holy...
Usually, I categorize my chapters as either good, bad, or just meh based on how satisfied I am after writing them, but honestly, I don't really know what to think about this one. I just wrote whatever came to mind without thinking too much about it. Not like I usually do—I genuinely couldn't think straight while writing this chapter.
It all felt kind of fuzzy. You could even say it was more instinct than actual planning. I didn't really have a proper draft to begin with; I just kept writing whatever came to mind, and somehow this chapter came out of it.
So... what do you guys think?
I genuinely can't tell whether it's good or just meh, but really, what do you think?
Anyway, that's it for today's chapter.
Hope you enjoyed it.
[Thanks for reading!]