Chapter 100: What Kind of Boys Do You Like?
"Does not have good intentions..." Kushida Kikyo repeated the phrase.
She didn't know who would do such a thing. Furthermore, what was the other party's goal? Helping Yamauchi Haruki get a high score didn't seem like a bad thing for the class. Why exactly... was this happening?
Kushida couldn't figure it out, but Katsuragi Keima already had a fairly solid answer in his mind. This style of operation was very close to his understanding of Sakayanagi Arisu. However, Keima wasn't sure why Sakayanagi would target Yamauchi Haruki.
Was it to disadvantage Class D? No. Keima quickly dismissed that thought. Though their contact had been brief, he had a certain understanding of Sakayanagi Arisu. She shouldn't be doing something like that now—at least, not yet.
Could it be because of him? But what did Yamauchi have to do with him? Keima wasn't clear on that for the time being.
At that moment, Kushida spoke up and asked: "Why did you... stand up and expose Yamauchi today?"
"Because he was too noisy while I was trying to play games."
"...Seriously?"
"I'm joking."
Kushida glared at him. Keima put down his handheld and looked at her.
"Because it was unfair."
"Unfair?"
"Mm." His tone remained flat. "He used improper means to obtain grades and then went to mock those who truly worked hard—even if Ike and Sudo aren't exactly hardworking, they at least took the test themselves. This kind of 'false victory' should not be encouraged."
Keima did not approve of Yamauchi's cheating. It was just like using hacks in a game; if you only chase the result, it becomes meaningless. No matter how hard a game is, no matter if you have to restart dozens or hundreds of times, it doesn't matter. But using hacks makes it pointless.
Kushida was stunned. Unfair. He said it was unfair. Not because Yamauchi was annoying. Not because he wanted to help someone. Just because... it was unfair?
This person was viewing the world through a strange set of logic that resembled game rules. But within that logic, he had his own convictions.
"Katsuragi."
"Mm?"
"You... are really special."
"You've said that once already. But I also know I'm special."
"Honestly, you aren't humble at all." Kushida shook her head with a smile.
Just as she finished speaking, the room fell silent for a second. Then—
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocking rang out again. This time it was much more urgent than when Kushida had arrived, accompanied by a familiar voice:
"Katsuragi! Open up! I bought a ton of snacks! We're going to have a proper celebration tonight!"
Karuizawa Kei's voice.
Kushida's body visibly stiffened. She instinctively looked at Keima, a flash of panic in her eyes—like a thief caught in the act. Keima pushed up his glasses, his expression unchanged.
"Do you want to hide?" he asked.
Kushida blinked. Hide? Hide from what? She had just come to deliver some milk and chat; she hadn't done anything scandalous.
'...Then why is my heart beating so fast?'
"..." She opened her mouth, but after a moment of silence, she nodded. "No, it's fine."
The knocking came again, even more urgent. "Katsuragi! Are you in there? Stop playing games!"
Keima stood up and walked to the door. Kushida sat in the chair, hands cupping the half-finished carton of strawberry milk, her entire body taut like a piano wire.
The door opened. Karuizawa Kei stood there holding a large bag of snacks, a bright smile on her face.
"Katsuragi! Look how much I bought—er."
Her smile froze. Because she saw the person in the room.
Kushida Kikyo. Sitting in the chair in Keima's room, holding strawberry milk, wearing an expression that said "I didn't do anything."
The air solidified for exactly three seconds.
"...Huh?" Kei's voice was several pitches higher than usual.
Kushida's brain whirled at high speed. Although she had just said it was fine, her heart was actually in an immense knot.
'What to do, what to do, what to do? Why did she come? What time is it? What will she think of me being here?'
She forced a smile, but it looked stiff no matter how one viewed it. "K-Kei... good evening..."
Kei looked at her, then at Keima, then back at the strawberry milk in her hand, and finally back at Keima. Her gaze became increasingly subtle.
"Oh—" She drawled the word, a meaningful smile surfacing on her face. "I see~ I see~"
Kushida's face flushed instantly. "Kei, it's not what you think..."
"What am I thinking?" Kei walked into the room smiling, plopping the bag of snacks on the table. "I'm not thinking anything at all~"
As she spoke, she sat down on the bed and crossed her legs, adopting a posture that said "I'll just watch and won't say a word."
Kushida felt even more restless. She could neither leave nor stay. If she left, she would look guilty. If she stayed, she didn't know what to say.
Keima closed the door, walked back to his spot, and picked up his handheld again. "You guys chat," he said, and then truly started playing his game.
"..." The two girls looked at each other. Was this person really intending to just be a bystander?
Kei was the first to break the silence. "Kikyo, why did you come to see Katsuragi?" Her tone sounded casual, but her eyes glittered with the light of gossip.
Kushida took a deep breath, trying to recover her usual state. "I just came over to talk about what happens after the study group..."
"I see." Kei nodded with a smile.
Liar! She was one hundred percent certain that Kushida absolutely had feelings for Keima. And not just ordinary feelings. It was the "coming to a boy's room alone at night" kind of feelings.
Kei's gossip-loving soul was burning fiercely, but she maintained her smile on the surface. "Well, are you guys done talking? I just bought a pile of snacks and wanted to find you guys to eat together~" She pointed at the bag.
Kushida looked at the snacks, then at Keima. "I-I should probably head back..."
"Don't!" Kei grabbed her. "It's fine! I bought so many snacks! The two of us can't finish them all!"
Kushida was caught and couldn't leave. She stole a glance at Keima. That man didn't even look up, focused entirely on his screen.
"Then... alright." After a moment of silence, Kushida sat back down.
Kei immediately opened the snack bag, clattering out a pile of potato chips, chocolates, and cookies. "Come, come, eat whatever you want! My treat today!" As she spoke, she picked up a bag of chips and handed it to Kushida.
Kushida took the chips and ate them in small bites. The atmosphere was a bit subtle. Three people: one playing a game, two eating snacks, and nobody talking.
But Kei's eyes kept shifting between Kushida and Keima. She noticed that every time Kushida looked at Keima, her gaze became a little strange. It wasn't that professional sweetness, but a genuine, unintended softness. Furthermore, the way she sat was slightly angled toward Keima.
Kei had read in a novel before that this supposedly indicated a person was subconsciously very concerned about the other party. Kei was nodding frantically in her heart. Confirmed! Confirmed! Kushida Kikyo definitely likes Katsuragi Keima!
She then looked at Keima. The man didn't look up once, his fingers flying over the buttons as the game character on the screen fought fiercely. But she also noticed that on the table in front of him sat an opened carton of strawberry milk. The one Kushida had brought.
At this point, Kei was basically certain that Kushida did indeed like Keima. But for some reason, a slight, strange feeling soon rose in Kei's heart. Was it discomfort? No. It was as if she was simply very focused on this matter herself.
"Kei?" Kushida's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Ah? What is it?"
"What are you looking at?"
"N-nothing!" Kei quickly retracted her gaze. "I was thinking... about tomorrow's study group! And about the Yamauchi Haruki thing!" She pulled a random topic out of the air.
Kushida nodded, and the two discussed the Yamauchi incident for a bit. Kei expressed her disgust for Yamauchi without any reservation, while Kushida simply kept a smile on her face.
"By the way, Kikyo," Kei suddenly thought of something, "Are you coming to the study group tomorrow? You seemed to have some things going on lately?"
"Mm... if I have time, I'll come, but things have been a bit troublesome lately."
"That's great! Airi will be there, Horikita will be there, it'll be so lively with everyone together!"
Kushida smiled. But she was thinking: Lively? It certainly was. But she didn't come to the study group just for the liveliness. At least, not entirely for the studying. She glanced at Keima. He was still playing his game.
"Katsuragi!" Kei suddenly called out to him. "Don't just play games, come chat with us for a bit!" She smiled at him while holding a snack.
"Chat about what?"
"Anything! For example—what do you think will happen to that cheater Yamauchi?"
Keima lifted his eyelids from his handheld. "It's just a deduction without evidence, so what does it matter?"
"It doesn't matter?"
"After all, if something happens later, it seems he will be the one who has to pay the price."
"You really act like it's none of your business."
Kushida couldn't help but laugh. The conversation between these two was inexplicably funny. Seeing her laugh, Kei started laughing as well.
"See, Kikyo? This guy is like this, always acting like nothing has anything to do with him."
"Mm... but he actually cares about others quite a bit," Kushida said with a smile.
As soon as she said it, she regretted it, because Kei's eyes lit up instantly. "Oh~ 'cares about others'~ how do you know that?"
Kushida's face turned red again. "I... I just feel it..."
"You 'feel' it, huh~" Kei drawled the words, smiling like a fox.
Keima spoke up at the right time: "Are you guys done eating? If you're done, go back. I'm going to sleep."
"It's barely even late and you're going to sleep!" Kei glared at him. "And you're clearly playing games!"
"Playing games is my pre-sleep preparation."
"What kind of logic is that!"
Kushida stood up. "Then I'll head back first." She looked at Kei. "Kei, see you tomorrow."
"Eh, leaving already?" Kei also stood up and pouted. "Then I'll leave too. I won't disturb someone's 'pre-sleep preparation'." She intentionally emphasized those last three words.
Keima remained expressionless. The two girls walked to the door. Kushida stepped out first, with Kei following. At the door, Kei suddenly turned back and winked at Keima. "Goodnight~ prepare well~"
Then she closed the door, leaving Keima alone in the room.
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In the hallway outside, the two girls walked side by side. Kei suddenly spoke: "Kikyo."
"Mm?"
"You... do you like Katsuragi?"
Kushida's pace faltered for a second. "Kei, what are you talking about..."
"Stop pretending." Kei's tone became uncharacteristically serious. "I can tell."
Kushida fell silent. She didn't know what to say. Deny it? Karuizawa Kei wouldn't believe her at all. Admit it? But she couldn't even explain what that feeling was herself. She was supposed to hate Keima, right? Why was she becoming more and more concerned?
"..."
"Alright, no need to explain." Kei waved her hand, returning to her smiling self. "I was just confirming. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Kushida looked at her. "Kei..."
"Kikyo," Kei patted her shoulder, "If you like him, you like him. There's nothing to be afraid of admitting. But—" she paused. "Fair competition. Whoever wins or loses, it's by our own abilities."
Kushida looked at her. Fair competition. Kei was probably referring to Sakura Airi. But... Kushida felt there was another layer of meaning in Kei's words. In Kei's eyes, there was no malice or mockery, only a... strange seriousness.
"Kei, why... are you suddenly saying this?"
"It's normal for girls to talk about romance topics, right?"
"I don't have any thoughts in that direction for now."
"Is that so?" Kei smiled. "But, Kei, do you have a boy you like?"
"Katsuragi? I don't like him," Kei shrugged and said immediately. "He's so weird and plays games all day, who would like him."
"I haven't even said it was Katsuragi yet..."
A silence suddenly filled the space between them.
"Let's hurry, we have class tomorrow!" Kei shifted the topic incredibly awkwardly and then walked away quickly.
Kushida watched her back. She didn't think much of it and followed. Kei's tone sounded light, but Kushida felt something was off. The two disappeared at the end of the hallway.
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In the room, Keima put down his handheld and looked toward the corner. "Come out."
Elsie's figure emerged, looking excited. "Kami-nii-sama, Kami-nii-sama! Kei-chan came too! It was so lively today!"
Keima pushed up his glasses.
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