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Kushida felt her luck had been terrible lately.
Losing the class representative title to Hirata was one thing, but yesterday Horikita had made her so angry her chest felt tight.
And then, at noon today, when she returned after eating, she saw a notice on the message board outside. The school rooftop was temporarily closed due to a broken lock.
For an ordinary student, it'd just mean one less place to eat, and they could just find another spot.
But for her, what she truly cared about wasn't the rooftop. It was clearly the locked door!
Yesterday, she'd worked late trying to find a witness for the Sudo incident.
She'd planned to go to the rooftop door tonight to "relax," but now that the school had locked it, her plan was completely ruined.
Her perfectly good way of venting and de-stressing was now gone!
'This is incomprehensible! What kind of quality is this broken lock? It's so random! Could it have been broken by me kicking it earlier?'
She'd kicked through a pair of flats just by kicking doors these past two days.
That rooftop door was a secret she'd kept for a long time. Whenever she felt suffocated by class duties or choked speechless by Horikita's cold attitude, she'd sneak to the rooftop door under the cover of night and kick that rusty iron door several times.
The dull thud of her shoe sole hitting metal seemed to pound out the pent-up frustration in her heart.
Sometimes, when she kicked too hard, her ankle would ache slightly, but the sense of relief after venting was something she could never get while playing the perfect girl in front of others.
She even remembered that on Monday evening, when she kicked the third time, a faint "click" sound came from somewhere. At the time, she thought it was just her imagination, but now that she thought about it... Kushida's brows furrowed even tighter.
"What the hell...? Is that it?" She mumbled softly at the message board. "I still have so many things I haven't vented..."
As she turned to walk back to the classroom, her steps felt heavy.
Passing a corridor corner, she happened to see Hirata asking some Class B students to help find witnesses, and he even kindly offered them chilled drinks. His composed demeanor made Kushida feel even more frustrated.
'Speaking of which, it seems Hirata-san got information about the witness from Horikita!'
'Wait! Since he already got information about the witness, why is he still asking students from different classes to look for other witnesses?'
'Could it be... he didn't find out who that person was at all?'
After more than two months of interaction, Kushida had some understanding of Hirata.
This guy was a typical good-natured person, with an almost pathological obsession with the peace of the entire class.
If he really knew who the witness was, he'd absolutely not let his classmates waste their efforts searching.
Perhaps Horikita told him false information?
But although that woman was a stoic with zero emotional intelligence, her personal abilities were impeccable, so it was unlikely she'd lie.
Ultimately, it was probably because he failed to extract any crucial information from that witness, right?
Hirata had just finished giving instructions to those students. Kushida, thinking of this, unconsciously walked up to him.
"Hirata-san, I still have no leads. Do you have any crucial witness information? Even if it's just a possibility, could you tell me?"
"...This... Actually, there is one person." Hirata's face immediately showed some hesitation.
Kushida immediately asked curiously, "Who is it?"
"Sakura Airi. She might know something. But when I asked her yesterday, she stammered and refused."
"Sakura-san? She usually seems so quiet, but she has crucial information?"
Hirata nodded, his brows still slightly troubled. "Actually, this was a message from Shimizu-kun. Because Horikita-san isn't my friend, she asked him to relay a crucial piece of information to me. She said that when the teacher asked about witnesses, Sakura-san's expression was a bit strange. But when I found her yesterday, she just lowered her head and said 'I didn't see anything.'"
"I see." Kushida drew out her words, but her mind was rapidly calculating.
Sakura's timid and cowardly demeanor always made her the easiest to overlook in class. But the more such a person tried to hide something, the more likely she was to reveal flaws.
She suddenly put on her usual bright smile, her tone as light as if she were talking about the most ordinary thing. "Hirata-san, why don't you leave this matter to me? Sakura-san and I usually get along quite well, perhaps I can have a good chat with her?"
Hirata was taken aback, his brows unconsciously furrowing. "Actually, I don't like forcing people to do things they don't want to do. Since Sakura-san doesn't want to say, she must have her reasons. Please keep this matter confidential, and could you not press her further? It's better not to cause her any extra trouble."
Kushida suddenly felt utterly speechless.
This man actually planned to give up questioning because he didn't want to go against a classmate's wishes?
What the hell! I'm just pretending! But he seems genuinely earnest!
The thoughts of a good-natured person are truly hard to understand.
However, she was already prepared.
She waved her hand and chuckled lightly. "But this concerns Sudo-kun. Hirata-san, you also don't want to see Sudo-kun being ostracized by the whole class because he's suspended, do you?"
These words seemed to hit Hirata's weak spot, and he instantly froze, his expression turning rather unpleasant.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he finally nodded.
"This... Then I'll trouble Kushida-san. Please make sure this matter doesn't spread to other classes, especially Class C, otherwise it'll surely add a lot of pressure to the other party. Also, Sakura-san is inherently gentle, and if you press her too hard, she might... In short, like you, I also don't want to see any student in our class drop out."
"Mhm, mhm, I understand!" Kushida nodded repeatedly in agreement.
What was this person doing? Was he not quite right in the head?
He even said he didn't want to see any student drop out... Her demeanor was clearly an act, but this person in front of her seemed to genuinely believe what he was saying!
Kushida turned and walked a few steps from the corner. Before she even reached the classroom, her luck was quite good. She ran straight into Sakura.
The information Hirata couldn't get didn't mean she couldn't get it.
He was a man, after all, and she and Sakura were both girls. They'd exchanged contact information and spoken a few times, so she figured it'd be much easier to gather information.
So, she still wore her usual cute expression, walked up to Sakura, and gently asked in a soft voice. "Sakura-san... would you mind coming over here with me for a little chat?"
"...Mm." Sakura looked up slightly, responded in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, and then timidly followed behind her.
The two came to a corner of the hallway where few people passed. Kushida still had a kind smile on her face, but her tone carried a hint of probing. "May I ask, do you know about Sudo-kun's incident? Actually, when the teacher was asking on the stage just now, I saw it, you know. You were the only one in the whole class who lowered your head rather strangely."
"...I don't know." Sakura immediately retorted softly.
"But this is a big matter for a classmate..." Kushida did not give up.
"I'm sorry... I really don't know much, Kushida-san." Sakura immediately lowered her head again.
"And... Kushida-san's seat is in the front two rows, and I sit in the last row... You probably... couldn't have seen my expression clearly." As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to suddenly remember something important and added this softly.
But as the words left her mouth, Sakura suddenly panicked, quickly glanced up at Kushida, as if realizing she'd said something wrong, and immediately buried her head and ran away.
"Th-that... I'm sorry... I said the wrong thing... I, I have something else to do, so I'm going back to the classroom first!"
She stumbled, practically jogging as she fled the scene.
"What the hell?!" Kushida suddenly froze, watching her retreating figure, her expression instantly darkening.
Bad luck is bad luck. Judging by Sakura's reaction, she clearly knew something, but after two consecutive questions, she stubbornly refused to budge.
What's more outrageous!
The meaning of her second to last sentence seemed to imply that she was lying!
Isn't that right? Sakura clearly sat in the last row, while her seat was in the front. With forty people in the class, divided into five rows of eight columns, and so many classmates in between, even if she turned to look, how could she possibly see the expression of someone in the last row?
At that time, the only ones who could've noticed Sakura's abnormality were probably a few people also sitting in the back rows, such as Akira, Horikita, and Ayanokoji.
And indeed, the first to notice Sakura's unusual behavior was Horikita.
Kushida had originally intended to use that statement to expose her pretense and force her to reveal the truth, but unexpectedly, she ended up shooting herself in the foot.
What the heck!
Were they all determined to go against her?
'That woman, Horikita! Ruining my big plans! Sure enough, nothing good ever comes from getting involved with her!'
She couldn't help but curse Horikita in her heart again.
Actually, this matter had nothing to do with Horikita, but her mind inadvertently flashed with her image, so she simply vented her anger on her.
She always felt that between herself and Horikita, whether it was their personalities, ways of handling things, or compatibility, they were like oil and water, naturally unable to mix.
She herself couldn't explain what was going on, but she just had such a "connection" with her.
At the start of the school year, the two happened to take the same bus.
When classes were divided, they just happened to be assigned to the same class.
Even when they were out and about, they'd always run into each other several times.
However, Kushida slowly took a few deep breaths. Regardless, the top priority now was to resolve the Sudo fight incident and continue to solidify her persona. That was the most important thing.
Perhaps next month she could become the class representative.
Then, she began to seriously ponder.
In this class, there weren't many people with truly outstanding social skills. She was one, Hirata was one, and Karuizawa was at most half of one.
But the current situation was that she'd tried, and it didn't work. Hirata had also tried, and likewise got no results. As for Karuizawa, her gyaru demeanor naturally carried a sense of oppression toward a soft-spoken girl like Sakura, making it probably difficult for them to even have a proper conversation.
After thinking it over, she felt there were only two candidates left.
The first person was Horikita.
That's right, in her opinion, Horikita might be able to extract crucial information from Sakura.
'After all, she was the first to notice Sakura's unusual expression, and she might even notice other oddities. That woman is always straightforward, so perhaps with these two points, she could pry some information out of Sakura.'
'However, me asking her for help? Haha, impossible! She wouldn't even reveal a single piece of information to me back then, so why should I shamelessly go and beg her now?'
After yesterday's incident, Kushida already detested Horikita to the extreme and would never put on an innocent expression to beg her.
The second candidate was Akira.
This man's emotional intelligence had always been high. Otherwise, he wouldn't have noticed her abnormality yesterday and pulled her out of the elevator in time.
Moreover, she'd seen Akira call Sakura away yesterday at noon, and Sakura was holding a camera when she left.
She'd previously learned about the boxing match from Akira, and last night she specifically went to other classes to inquire, obtaining a flyer for the boxing club.
Presumably, Sakura had gone to take photos of the match on the flyer at his request.
As a girl, she wasn't entirely ignorant of Sakura.
The girl looked unremarkable, but in fact, her figure was quite outstanding. Once, she bumped into her in the changing room when she took off her glasses, and that moment was like a complete transformation. She was clearly a beautiful, ethereal girl, much more striking than the seemingly fragile, ordinary, and rustic girl she appeared to be before.
Her personality seemed docile, as if she'd agree to anything if someone pressured her slightly, but the truth was not that simple.
It was true that she spoke softly, but at certain times, she'd refuse people without hesitation.
For example, in the first month of school, she'd proactively invited Sakura to take some photos for her, but she gently declined, saying she wasn't good at handling cameras.
But now?
She could only sneer inwardly a few times.
Heh, women.
She'd listen to Akira.
If it were herself, her requests would only be treated as idle talk.
But in fact, Sakura's affection for Akira probably wasn't there from the beginning.
Speaking of this, it probably dates back to the first month of school. That Yamauchi guy spread rumors in class that Sakura confessed to him and was rejected, but Akira bluntly shut him down.
She saw the scene clearly at the time.
Sakura stood at the door, hearing everything.
There was no hint of disappointment on her face from being slandered. Instead, there was a touch of surprise and delight, and the light in her eyes couldn't be hidden.
'That idiot Yamauchi actually ended up being a convenient assist for Shimizu Akira!'
Therefore, whether it was Akira's interpersonal skills or his relationship with Sakura, from any angle, he was probably the best person to ask questions.
But asking him for help always came with a price.
Last time, she spent 80,000 points for it.
And this month's points hadn't been issued yet.
Recalling it, he seemed to have enjoyed the lap pillow last time.
Then... let him rest his head on her lap for three minutes.
'It's not the first time, I'll let that guy off easy this once. After all, he did help me yesterday, so satisfying his desire is fine.'
'That person has high emotional intelligence, he'll definitely be able to tell I'm in a bad mood, and he can also comfort me a bit and help me relieve some stress.'
'I can also take this opportunity to sound him out on his views regarding Sudo's incident.'
'I still need to maintain this "friendly" relationship with him. After all, that Horikita woman seems to be interested in him.'
'Most importantly, he'll also help me get crucial information from Sakura.'
Kushida calculated in her mind.
This way, she wouldn't just not lose out, but could even be said to be making a huge profit.
This was simply a brilliant idea, killing five birds with one stone.
With that thought, she walked into the classroom with light steps.
"Okay."
For Akira, he had no intention of refusing.
He was already planning to talk to Sakura about reporting the stalker.
Kushida and Horikita, in some ways, were actually quite similar. Both wanted him to take action.
"But there's something I need to make clear: Horikita also asked me to inquire with Sakura-san. I'll tell her the results after I find them out. If that's the case, do you still agree to let me do it?" Akira thought for a moment and spoke frankly.
He didn't want to do things that involved deliberate concealment and trying to please both sides.
Moreover, such matters were too easy to expose. Kushida and Horikita weren't foolish. In fact, they were both shrewd, so there was no need for such an unnecessary action.
It was better to be direct, which would save trouble.
"She asked you too?" Kushida was instantly stunned, her immediate thought being: Did Horikita also fail?
'Heh, is that all?'
Then she realized: Akira was quite honest.
She actually liked honest people and detested those who were full of lies.
Interestingly, she herself was a liar, yet she preferred to deal with people who weren't good at lying. Because only such people would never betray her.
But thinking about it carefully, even so, she still had to ask Akira to do this.
After all, even if Horikita did find out something, given their relationship, would she easily tell her the crucial information?
Furthermore, once words were spoken, there was no taking them back. That wouldn't fit her usual persona.
However, she still felt a bit annoyed. Of course, this dissatisfaction wasn't directed at Akira, but at Horikita.
"Hmm... okay, I have no objections." She felt an inexplicable anger simmering in her chest, but a smile remained on her face. "Just tell me the information as soon as you get it."
"...Okay." Seeing this, Akira didn't say anything more.
After all, everything that needed to be said had been made clear, and since she had no objections, he naturally had none either.
The two returned to the classroom. As soon as Akira settled into his seat, Horikita, with a hint of displeasure, asked in a low voice, "What did that woman want with you?"
In her opinion, Akira was almost about to agree to her, but was called away by Kushida midway. No one would be happy about that.
"The same as you, she wants me to inquire about Sakura's information. I agreed." Akira thought for a moment and added, "However, since you asked first, you don't need to bring me lunch this month. I'll tell you the information for free after I find it out."
Horikita was also stunned after hearing this.
'Wait, that woman didn't succeed either?'
She'd originally thought that with Kushida's fake smile skills, she could easily get the truth from someone with Sakura's personality.
Thinking this, her mood immediately improved considerably.
At least this showed that the failure wasn't simply due to her own lack of social skills.
Hirata couldn't do it, and even Kushida hit a wall, which proved that this matter couldn't be resolved by so-called social skills alone.
Her second thought was that Akira was indeed honest enough.
Most people would try to please both sides and charge both sides, but he proactively offered to provide information for free because she'd asked first.
His personality was as straightforward as her brother's, saying what he thought. Which was something she sometimes particularly admired about him.
But she didn't intend to accept this favor for free.
After all, her brother had just warned her never to take advantage of Akira.
"Who do you take me for?" She frowned. "I'm not like that woman. Since you helped me, you'll naturally be rewarded. I was the one who asked you first."
She wouldn't tell Akira that she'd just planned tomorrow's bento menu in her head and even calculated the large amount of ingredients she needed to buy after school.
If he refused to eat, wouldn't all her painstaking efforts be wasted?
Just the disruption of her plan was enough to annoy her. What she hated most was this feeling of losing control.
"...Okay. Then you can make me lunch from tomorrow, and I'll eat with you at noon." Akira was momentarily stunned, then nodded in agreement.
These two students were really interesting.
He'd made himself so clear, yet they were all eager to "offer favors."
Alright, if that's the case, then he wouldn't decline out of politeness.
"...You know best." Horikita's expression softened considerably. With Akira's agreement, she finally felt relieved and more confident when facing her brother.
'What is Kushida doing? Is she doing it on purpose? What does it mean to suddenly call Shimizu Akira away?'
Horikita couldn't help but suspect that Kushida might've heard something and deliberately came to cause trouble.
After all, she'd bluntly rebuked her yesterday.
If she remembered correctly, at last month's study session, that woman had openly tried to take Akira from her to tutor him.
She was the one who first proposed to tutor Akira, but then Kushida just jumped in.
Including this time, this was already the second time.
She already found Kushida annoyingly noisy on a daily basis, and recalling these incidents, her dislike for her increased even more.
But Akira seemed to have no aversion to Kushida, not even caring about her obvious fake smile, and had even gone on a date with her.
However, she couldn't offer any opinions.
After all, she and Akira didn't have any special relationship, so what right did she have to interfere with his social interactions?