"Are you free for lunch? Do you want to eat together?"
"Are you asking Ayanokoji-kun on a date?" Nene asked Horikita teasingly.
"I just asked him a favor that time, nothing of that sort happened." Horikita dismissed her.
'More like blackmail.' Ayanokoji would have rolled his eyes if he can.
During our break, Horikita came up and invited me out.
"It's unusual to get an invitation from you. I feel nervous."
"There's no reason to be. I can treat you to the vegetable meal set, if that's okay with you."
Wait, wasn't that the free meal?
"I'm joking. Seriously, whatever you want to eat is on me."
"That was a joke?" Sato whispered to Shinohara who shrugged.
"What a dry humor." Ibuki scoffed.
"Now I'm definitely scared. Is there some kind of catch?"
An invitation from Horikita was suspicious enough. The suddenness of the request also gave me pause.
"If people can't honestly accept kindness, then mankind will meet its end, won't it?" she asked.
"If it's coming from you, then count me out." Hashimoto also refused. Horikita glared at him.
"I said people, not animals." Horikita retorted back.
"Pfft." The stoic and silent Kamuro suddenly laughed loudly. She held her stomach, bending.
"Stop laughing, it's not that funny." Hashimoto growled.
"For me, it is." Kamuro giggled.
"Well, I suppose so, but..."
With no other plans, I decided to follow Horikita to the cafeteria, where I chose one of the most expensive special meal sets. Together, we sat down.
"Well then, shall we eat?" she asked.
Horikita started at me intently, as if she were waiting for me to begin.
"What's the matter, Ayanokouji-kun Aren't you going to eat?"
"Oh."
There was definitely a catch, no doubt about it. Nevertheless, I couldn't just sit here and not eat. Letting the food get cold would be a waste. I hesitantly bit into my croquette.
"I know this is rather sudden, but I want to talk to you about something."
"I knew it!"
"That seems to be good to be true." Tachibana scratch her cheek, nervously.
"I have a bad feeling about this..."
"You're not the only one." Okitani agreed.
"Bad news seems to come with her when she open her mouth." Hasabe quietly sneak a glanced at Horikita. She sighed in relief when she didn't heard her.
Just as I was preparing to flee, she grabbed my hand. "Ayanokouji-kun, I'll ask once again. Will you listen to me?"
"You're forcing him, Horikita-san." Hirata frowned. "I know you're doing this for the class, but please don't force Ayanokoji-kun if he don't want to help.
Horikita looked at him, "Don't get me wrong. I merely did that for my own benefit, and no one else."
"Ugh..."
"Ever since Chiyabashira-sensei's warning, fewer people have arrived late or talked in class. When I say we eliminated more than half of the reasons our class got into trouble, I'm not exaggerating."
"Yeah, that's true. It wasn't really a difficult issue to begin with, though."
There was no guarantee things would continue in this vein, but at least these last few days had been considerably better than before.
"The next step is to improve our chances of scoring well on the midterm. Hirata-kun started taking action toward that end earlier."
"Thank you for helping us, Hirata-kun!" Sato thanked him appreciatively.
"Yeah, if it wasn't for you and Kushida-chan, our class might not be as united as it is now." Nene bowed at them gratefully.
The two accepted the thanks and made everyone sit up again.
"The study groups, huh? Well, I suppose that a study group certainly could help. Only..."
'He already got a good grasp of her personality and thought process.' Manabu sighed, his sister is so focused on him she forgot to focus on her own development.
"Only what? It sounds like you're implying something. What's the problem?"
"What he was supposed to say is that a person who have superiority complex is not suitable to teach a bunch of students who's struggling academically." Sakayanagi finished for me.
Horikita flinched.
Katsuragi looked at her, "If I have to guess, your study group ended up failing, correct?"
"How did you even know that she was planning to hold a study group of her own?" Ishizaki asked confused.
"Based on what we seen this far, and the way she worded her sentences, she's planning to have Ayanokoji-kun to arrange the three; Ike-kun, Sudo-kun, and Yamauchi-kun, in her behalf, am I wrong?" Kaneda explained, the three mentioned looked dumbfounded at him.
"Wow, he's amazing." Ike whispered.
"No, that only need a few observation and deduction skills." Kanzaki sweat drop.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it. I have to say, it's unusual to see you so worried for others."
"I can't truly imagine failing a test. However, it's true that some students in this world can do just that."
"Some people are not academically gifted like some are, Horikita-san. It's never good to compare two individuals." Ichinose rebutted her. " I believe that hardwork and patience are one of the factors to be successful in our world.
"Sudou and the others, you mean ? You're vicious as ever, I see."
"I'm just telling the truth."
Because students couldn't leave campus, contact anyone on the outside, or even attend cram schools, their only option was to help one another.
"I'm relieved that Hirata-kun set up a study group. However, Sudou- kun, Ike-kun, and Yamauchi-kun didn't join, did they? That worries me," Horikita said.
"Oh, those guys. I wouldn't say they're Hirata's enemies, but they aren't on good terms with him. They wouldn't join."
"Huh? Why not?" Shinohara asked.
"Yeah, why not? Hirata-kun is only helping the class." Karuizawa seconded.
The idiot trio only glanced away from them.
"So, in other words, there remains a high probability that those three will fail. In order to reach Class A, we need to avoid demerits and build toward a positive evaluation, correct? I think it highly likely that good test scores will help with that."
I suppose it's only natural that a student would expect their grade to reflect how much effort they put into the test.
"What if you also held a study group like Hirata's, specifically for helping Sudou and Ike?" I asked.
"Sure. I wouldn't have any objections to that. You probably find that rather surprising, though, don't you?"
"Well, everything about your behavior up until now has been surprising."
I wasn't actually surprised, though. Horikita was doing this all for her own benefit. Personally, I'd never thought that Horikita was that cold of a person.
'People wouldn't also would have thought that you are a heartless person, Ayanokoji-kun.'
"Well, I understand that you want to move up to Class A. However, I didn't think that you'd opt for ordinary methods like tutoring them. Typically, failing students tend not to like studying. Besides, you've kept your distance from the other students since the first day, right? I doubt someone who considers friends unnecessary would be able to bring people together easily."
"Do you need an ice for that burn?" Miyamoto laughed, several people, especially from class C laughed with him.
"On the contrary, I can find befriend someone if I want to, what about you? can you study just as easily?" Horikita countered.
Miyamoto fell silent, he have a red tint on his cheeks.
"That's why I'm asking you. Fortunately, you're already friendly with these people, right?"
"Huh? Hey, wait. You couldn't mean..."
"It'll be quicker if you try to convince them. It shouldn't be a problem; they're happy to say that you're friends, right? Bring them to the library, and I'll tutor them."
"This is insane. Do you honestly think someone who does his best to lead an utterly harmless and inoffensive life would be able to do something that requires actual social skills?"
'Harmless and inoffensive? I'll be the judge of that' Ryuuen mentally scoffed.
"It's not a matter of can or can't. Just do it," she said.
"Is he your dog or something" Ibuki asked her.
Was I her pet dog or something?
Ibuki blinked.
"Coincidence can be freaky." I told her. I put my hand inside my chips, but I already run-out of it. How disappointing. That was a good flavor.
"You can aim for Class A, but don't involve me."
"Huh? you don't want to graduate from Class A, Ayanokoji-kun? Matsushita asked, she looked to be digging some information. Oh, how easy for me to see through you, Matsushita.
"You ate the food I treated you to, right? Lunch. The special set. A wonderful, delicious meal."
"You kind of force him to eat to though." Nishino nervously chuckled.
"I simply received the honest goodwill of another human being."
"Unfortunately, that wasn't out of goodwill. I had an ulterior motive."
"Sorry, I didn't hear a word you said. Here, have some points, my treat. Now we're even."
"I refuse to stoop so low as to accept handouts from others," she said.
"I think this might be the first time I'm actually angry at you..."
"So what will you do? Cooperate? Or make me your enemy?"
'You're not even worthy of standing at the same pedestal with his real enemies.' Sakayanagi mentally ridiculed Horikita.
Horikita want to kick herself when she remembered what she said to him that day.
Enemies? She must be dreaming. She was nothing but the ground Ayanokoji walked on.
"It almost feels like you're holding a gun to my head."
"No, not 'almost.' I really am threatening you," replied Horikita.
"That's not nice, Horikita-san!" Chihiro gasp.
"Blackmailing your own class? A woman after my own heart." Ryuuen flirted with her.
Horikita only grimaced in disgust, " Don't talk to me, please"
The power of violence certainly was effective. Well...if all I did was gather them together, there wasn't anything particularly wrong with cooperating. After all, due to Horikita's stance against friendship, she wouldn't be effective at diplomacy.
"Class D's leader is like this?" Sakayanagi insulted her.
Katsuragi seemed to agree with her, "A good leader is being a good strategic, and diplomatic person."
Furthermore, it'd taken a lot of time and trouble to become friends with Sudou and Ike. I'd hate for them to have to drop out so quickly. Sensing my hesitation, Horikita pressed me.
"You don't think I've forgiven you for conspiring with Kushida-san and inviting me out under false pretenses, do you?" she asked.
"Conspiring?" Karuizawa asked.
"What's that about?" Matsushita glanced between us.
To clear up the issue, Horikita sighed and was about to answer. "Aya-" she was cut off by Kushida.
"I asked Ayanokoji-kun to helped me befriend Horikita. They appeared to be close as I only see Horikita talking with no one but Ayanokoji-kun." Kushida cut off Horikita. She appeared to be apologetic but I know the truth. She's fuming in the inside.
"Oh, no need to feel sorry, Kushida-chan!" Karuizawa smiled at her.
"You said you wouldn't blame me. Bringing that up is unfair."
"I said that to Kushida-san. I don'tremember saying that to you, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Wow. You play dirty."
"If you want my forgiveness, cooperate with me."
"More like, obey me."
It looked as though I'd never had an escape route in the first place. At this juncture, the only way to avoid a hassle would be to help her.
"I can't guarantee anything. Are you okay with that?"
"I believe you'll find a way. Oh, here's my phone number and email. If something happens, contact me."
"Suzune's contact information." Sudo gripped his armchair tightly.
How lucky.
Although the circumstances were unusual, I'd gotten a girl's contact information for the first time in my high school life. It was Horikita's, though, so I wasn't particularly happy.
"What's that suppose to mean?" Horikita glared at me.
I whistled innocently and looked away.
I glanced around the classroom. What was I supposed to do now? If I said, "Hey, want to study with me after class?" would anyone even come?
Sudou and I were close enough that he might, but I wasn't sure about the others. Well, with nothing to lose, I decided to try.
"Hey, Sudou. Have a minute?" I called as he headed back to the classroom after lunch. He was sweating and a bit short of breath. Probably played some basketball during his lunch break.
"What are you going to do about the midterm?"
"Oh, that. I don't know. I've never really studied seriously before," he said.
"Oh, yeah? Well, I have just the thing. I wanted to form a study group to meet every day after class, starting today. Want to join?"
Sudou stared at me, his mouth slightly agape.
"You serious? If the lessons are a pain in my ass, why would studying after class be any better? Besides, I have club activities, so it's pointless. Plus, you're going to be tutoring? Your scores weren't great, either."
"Don't worry about that part. Horikita's the tutor."
"Horikita? I don't really know anything about her. Sounds fishy; I'll pass. I'll be fine cramming for the test the night before."
"Sorry man, if I had known that Horikita ordered you to gathered us I would have agreed right away." Sudo apologize.
I merely nodded to cut off the conversation. It's not like he will agree after finding out that Horikita forced me. Most likely, he'll join now because he found out that Horikita ordered it.
Sudou had refused to join, just as I'd guessed. If I persisted, it'd fall on deaf ears. Damn, was it really useless? If I tried to press him further, he might punch me. Perhaps there was no helping it. Maybe I should start with someone more manageable. I called out to Ike, who was playing on his phone.
"Hey, Ike, h-"
"Pass! I heard you talking with Sudou. Study group? No way. Not my thing."
"You do know you'll be expelled if you fail, right?"
"Well, yeah. I might have gotten failing grades before, but I'm doing much better now. I'll just cram the night before with Sudou."
Was he really fine with that? He didn't seem to grasp the danger of this situation.
"If the last test hadn't been such a surprise sucker punch, I probably could've gotten, like, forty points."
"I know what you mean, but wouldn't it be better to stick together on this?" I asked.
"A high school student's free time is precious, you know? I don't want to waste it studying."
He waved me off, completely focused on texting with some girl. Ever since Hirata had managed to get a girlfriend, Ike was desperate to find a girl of his own. My shoulders slumped as I returned to my seat. Maybe if I told Horikita I'd tried my best, she'd forgive me.
"No good," she said.
"Uh, what do you mean by that?" I asked.
"I said 'no good.' You really didn't think it would be that simple, did you?"
Damn it. She'd completely ignored my appeal. How shameless.
"No, of course not. I still have 425 plans remaining," I grumbled.
I looked around the room. Contrary to the tension of class, lunch had a friendlier, albeit noisier, atmosphere. I needed a method to get reluctant students to buckle down and work. Also, I needed a way to get them to study during free time, not during class. Normally I wouldn't involve myself, but they were in danger of expulsion. I was sure that Sudou would participate if given the chance. Now I had no choice but to find some kind of incentive. I needed him to think there'd be a juicy bonus he'd get by studying. I'd require something concrete and easy to understand. Something effective. And then it hit me!
Blessed with a divine revelation, I turned, wide-eyed, to Horikita
'Let's see your next course of action.' Ryuuen sat back lazily.
Oh Ryuuen, you're gonna be disappointed.
"Even though you're the tutor, getting Sudou and Ike to study is no easy feat. I'll need more of your abilities. Can you help me?" I asked.
"'More of my abilities'? What exactly am I supposed to do?"
"How about this? If they get a perfect score, you agree to be their girlfriend or something. They'll definitely jump at the chance if we offer that kind of incentive. Girls are great motivation for guys."
"What? No way!"
"You have to be joking, right?"
"Who would agree to that?"
"Ugh! Boys will be boys!"
Almost all of the girls present looked at me in venom. They seemed to be repulsed at the mere thought.
Horikita prepared something from her pockets. I noticed a glint in the thing she's holding.
'Is that a-? No, wait, the teachers said to only bring our phone and ID.'
I slowly held up my hand, surrending.
"Do you want to die?" she asked.
"No, I'd rather live."
"I listened because I thought you had a serious plan. I was an idiot to think so."
No, I truly believed that'd be effective. It'd be the biggest impetus to study they'd ever had in their entire lives. However, Horikita clearly didn't understand men.
"Okay, how about a kiss? If they get a perfect score, you give them a kiss."
"No, thank you!" Ike decline me.
As the same time, Sudo answered with a "Yes! I'll do it!"
Horikita stared at him, aura screaming murder.
"So, you really do want to die?"
"No, living would still be preferable."
Something sharp jabbed the back of my neck. Damn it. Horikita definitely didn't acknowledge the value of my methods. It would be exceptionally effective, though. Well, that meant I had to go back to the drawing board. As I considered this, I noticed someone quite conspicuous. It wasn't Hirata, but another person who might easily rally the class around her: Kushida Kikyou.
She looked great, of course, and she was bright and energetic. She was so sociable that anyone, regardless of gender, could chat with her freely. Also, Ike was madly in love with Kushida, while Sudou and the others at least had a good impression of her. On top of that, her test scores were relatively high. She was absolutely perfect.
Sakayanagi raised an eyebrow. 'Perfect? Don't kid with me.'
"Yeah, perfect." Ike and Yamauchi smiled dreamily.
Then they stop, looked at each other, and scowl,
"Hey!"
They are in sync.
"What do you mean by that?!"
"Kushida-chan is mine!" The two continue to argue. Kushida, who is the center of their argument, smiled. I bet she's seething inside.
"Hey!"
Just as I called out, I remembered that Horikita didn't want to be friends with Kushida. I stopped there.
"What is it?" Kushida asked.
"Oh, uh...it's nothing."
Horikita fundamentally disliked mingling with other people. When Kushida and I had tried to enact Operation Friendship, it had made Horikita furious. Horikita probably wouldn't approve of Kushida's involvement. I'd put my plan on hold until Horikita returned to the dorms.
"Oh, so this is what you mean earlier?" Karuizawa nodded, understanding the scene before.
Kushida made a cute yes.
Before I knew it, class had ended for the day. Horikita quickly departed and went straight home. The time had come to enact my plan. I needed to capture Kushida.
"Hey, do you have a minute?" I called out as she prepared to head back to the dorm. Kushida turned around.
"Oh, it's unusual for you to come talk to me, Ayanokouji-kun. Do you need something?" she asked.
"Yeah. If it's okay with you, could we talk outside?"
"Well, I was going to meet up with my friends, so I don't really have much time, but...okay."
Smiling, she followed me, not a trace of unpleasantness to be found. After we turned the hall corner, Kushida waited for me to speak. I was trembling with excitement.
"Rejoice, Kushida. You've been selected as an ambassador of goodwill. Tomorrow, your hard work begins."
"Uh, what? I'm sorry, but what do you mean?" she asked.
Etc., etc., etc. I basically explained to her that I wanted to form a study group to save Sudou and the others. Of course, I also told her that Horikita would be tutoring.
"I thought that you could use this study group as a way to get closer to Horikita. What do you think?" I asked.
"Well, I do want to get closer to her, but... well, I won't worry about that now. Besides, it's only natural to help out a friend in need."
"Kushida-chan!" Ike and Yamauchi began to sing her praises. They didn't noticed the word friend, Kushida uttered.
"You're such a good person, Kushida-chan!" Ichinose praised her. As a person who will do anything to protect and help her classmates. Ichinose is moved.
"It's nothing! Really! I just want to graduate with everyone."
This girl was just way too good. She seemed to truly want to prevent Ike and Sudou's expulsion.
"Are you really okay with this? If not, I won't force you to join," I said.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't hesitate because I disliked the idea. I hesitated because I was happy."
Kushida leaned against the wall, gently kicking it.
"Kushida-chan, so beautiful!" Ike have hearts in his eyes, he's drooling over the scene.
Some girls inched away from him, disgusted.
'You're making your reputation worst as this viewing program goes on, Ike. Sooner or later, the girls might do smething to you and the others, especially if they found out about the pool incident.' Ayanokoji prayed for them in his mind, well it's not like he particularly cares, if Ike and Yamauchi were to be expelled, the clss will lose some of its less valuable classmates.
"It's cruel to expel someone for getting a bad grade. Isn't it awful to have to say goodbye after you've worked to become friends with everyone? When Hirata-kun told us that he was holding a study group, I greatly admired him. But you could say that Horikita has been much more observant than I. She noticed Sudou and those other guys,after all. It's like Horikita is now starting to think of her classmates as friends. I'll do anything I can to be useful!"
Kushida took my hand and smiled. Whoa, she was seriously way too cute! There wasn't a man alive who wouldn't fall for that smile. I couldn't afford to get carried away, though. I tried to look safe and inoffensive.
"Great! We could definitely use your help. If you're there, our chances will improve a hundred times over."
"Ah, but there's just one thing I want to ask you. I want to participate in the study group, too," Kushida said.
"Eh? Why, Kushida-chan? You're smart, right?" Inohashira hug Kushida's arm to her.
Kushida laughed, "Well, I thought it was a good idea to study the lesson again."
"Huh? Really?"
"Yes. I want to study with everyone."
My wishes had all come true. Kushida's presence would brighten our study group, which would otherwise be pretty glum. However, since she didn't get bad grades, there really wasn't a reason for her to be there.
"So then, when do we start?" she asked.
"We plan on starting tomorrow." In my mind, I added, Horikita does, at least.
"I see. Then I'll have to talk to everyone by the end of the day. I'll contact you later, okay?"
"Oh, do you need Sudou and the others' contact information?"
"It's okay. I already have it. The only people whose numbers I don't have are you and Horikita-san, actually..."
"Wow, you are really popular, Kushida-san." Karuizawa smiled at her, Kushida smiled back but shyly.
"You're pretty popular as well, karuizawa-san!"
Well, I hadn't known that.
"This might be too forward, but are you two already dating?" Kushida asked.
"Wh-where did you hear that? Horikita and I are friends...no, just neighbors."
"Really? But you too appeared to be close." Shinohara commented.
Several girls from our class agreed, except for Karuizawa, she remain quiet.
"We aren't that close." I clarified, "We happen to always run to each other or talk to each other." I watched Karuizawa's reaction in the corner of my eyes. She visibly relaxes.
The girls went, oh.
As a parasite who lived on leeching of other people, for Karuizawa, me, having a girlfriend threatens her safety, and secrecy of her past. She's worried that I would find her useless and disregard her. After all, her life is in my hand. I choose whether she lives or simple die.
Don't worry, Karuizawa. I don't planned to throw you away. You're much more a valuable pawn to me than anyone else, more so than Horikita.
"It's a big rumor among the girls in our class, you know. They say that even though Horikita-san is always alone, she only seems to get along really well with you, Ayanokouji-kun. And you guys eat together, after all."
Hmm, so the girls had already started spreading rumors about us.
"Honestly, how repulsive." Horikita sighed.
Hasabe looked at me, "Aren't you hurt by that, Ayanokoji-kun?" Miyake, who is sitting beside her, also waited curiously for my response.
I shrugged, looking indifferently. "As I said, we're just neighbors. nothing less, nothing more. We only helped each other because she forced me."
"That's a shame, because, unfortunately, there's nothing going on like that between me and Horikita."
"So, there's no problem swapping phone numbers, right?"
"Not at all."
And so, I got another girl's number.
Ike, Yamauchi, and the other boys who have a crush on Kushida, glowered at me.
I was lazing around my room that night when I received a text message from Kushida.
Yamauchi-kun and Ike-kun said okay! (・w・)b
That was fast.
Ike had waved me off when I'd tried to invite him earlier. A girl's presence had likely played a large part in changing his mind. Lust held unlimited power.
I just contacted Sudou right now, but I have a good feeling about it!
(^w^)
Another text message.
Wow. At this rate, we'd probably get everyone together tomorrow. Because of these speedy developments, I thought it'd be a good idea to relay information to Horikita. I wrote a message basically saying I had Kushida's help, that Ike and Yamauchi had agreed to come, and that Kushida would also be participating.
Then I sent the message to Horikita.
"All right. Time to take a bath, I think."
The moment I rose from my bed, Horikita called.
"Hello?" I answered.
"I don't quite understand the message you just sent me," she said.
"It seems to be pretty clear to me." Onodera looked confused.
"Same here." Hondo mumbled.
"What do you mean you don't understand? I wrote it all out plain as day, didn't I? I said those three guys would probably come tomorrow."
"Not that part. The part about Kushida. I didn't know about that."
"What's wrong about that? She helped to bring the guys for you."
"Maybe because Kushida-chan is already smart?"
"I asked her a little while ago. Having someone like Kushida on our side increases the odds of getting everyone together. So I asked her, and now Sudou and Ike and Yamauchi are coming. Okay?"
"Smart," Katsuragi praised me. "It's better to raise the odd of getting everyone together."
"Of course, That's Ayanokoji-kun we are talking about." Sakayanagi followed him
'Um...what exactly did that mean?'
"I don't remember giving you permission to do that. Her grades aren't even failing."
"Okay, look. By asking Kushida, who's spent more time networking, to help us, our chances of success have improved significantly."
"I don't like it. Shouldn't you have sought my approval first?"
"Why would he do that? You only asked him to gather the three for you, not to sought your approval on how he did it." Kushida 'innocently' asked, but in reality, she lunched an attack on her, it's true that Horikita's popularity in our classroom rose after the 1st special exam, but some still didn't trust her like they do to Kushida. So it's easy for Kushida to rally people to support her, whether they know it or not.
Horikita didn't bother answering her, she exactly knows that whatever she do, Kushida will never let up with her attacks, as long as a person who knows about her past is in a same place with her.
"I understand that you hate outgoing people like Kushida. But isn't this just a means to an end? Or would you prefer trying to gather everyone yourself?"
"Well..."
Horikita seemed to finally understand that getting Kushida on board was a good thing. But, being prideful, she couldn't simply agree to it.
"We don't have much time until the test, either. Understand?"
Come to think of it, we really didn't have much time to make Horikita's plan work. However, Horikita was clearly stuck and unable to make a snap decision. She remained silent for a moment.
"I understand. I suppose anything worth doing requires sacrifice. However, Kushida may only help gather the students. She's not allowed to join the study group."
"But why? That was her condition for helping us. You're being ridiculous," I said.
"Why do you hate me so much, Horikita-san? I only want to help," Kushida's eyes become glassy, it appears she's about to cry. her friends comforted her, hugging her, and whispering soothing words.
"I will not allow her into our study group. I refuse to budge on this."
"Is this about what happened at the café? Are you just getting back at Kushida for deceiving you?"
"How petty of you, Horikita-san." Sakayanagi laughed quietly.
'How did you even know about that? are you a stalker? how scary." Ayanokoji shivered in fear.
"This has nothing to do with that. She didn't fail the test. Inviting extra people will only mean more time spent and greater confusion."
Although her argument sounded logical, I doubted that was her real reason for excluding Kushida.
"Do you openly dislike Kushida?" I asked.
"Who in their right mind would dislike, Kushida-chan?!" Ike wailed, he scrowled at everyone in the theater.
Yamauchi nodding to whatever he said.
"Don't you feel uncomfortable sitting next to someone you hate?"
"Hate is a strong word, Horikita-san." Ichinose placed one hand on her cheek.
'Kushida, huh?' Manabu tried to remember all the encounters he made with the girl.
Kushida on the other hand, silently glared daggers in Horikita's way. Not knowing that someone is watching her every move.
'A two-faced bitch, huh? how interesting.'
"Huh?"
I didn't really understand what Horikita meant. Kushida had tried harder than anyone to befriend Horikita. I couldn't imagine why Horikita actually hated Kushida.
"Suppose the guys decide not to come if Kushida's out?"
"Sorry, reviewing these test materials is taking longer than I expected. I'm ending the call here. Goodnight."
"How rude for a person who asked for help." Ishizaki huffed.
"Why are you even helping her? If I were you, I would ignore her."
Kobashi disagree with them, "But isn't helping someone in need is good?
"Hey, wait!"
She hung up on me, as expected of a misanthrope. However, if we wanted to reach Class A, compromise was necessary. I plugged my phone into my charger and lay down, thinking through everything that had happened since the entrance ceremony.
"Defective product, huh?"
That was what that second-year student had called us on our first day. In other words, we weren't just defective; we were fundamentally failing to serve our purpose. Those were the words they'd used to ridicule us. Even Horikita, who appeared flawless, probably had some defects of her own. I could kind of understand why she'd been angry today.
Horikita, who pride herself as a superior student, was slapped with reality harshly. She was forced to acknowledge her defects and flaws. Her brother's words echoed in her mind.
Ayanokoji, she glanced at the boy her brother have taken a interest. Honestly, she doesn't know anything about him. She's in the dark, especially how he planned out the 1st and 2nd special exam flawlessly,
Nagumo admired President Horikita greatly, he's disappointed to find out that the President's sister was assigned in Class D. It appears she's not as talented as her brother. What a shame. She could have been a good toy to play with.
"What should I do?"
Should I try to force Horikita? In the worst-case scenario, she'd leave. If Horikita didn't tutor the study group, it'd waste everyone's time. With a heavy heart, I called Kushida.
"Hello?"
I heard something like a strong wind blowing into the phone. It quickly died down, though.
"Were you drying your hair or something?" I asked.
"Oh, sorry. Did you hear that? I just finished up, so don't worry."
Kushida had just gotten out of the bath... This wasn't the time to get lost in fantasies.
Boys held their bleeding nose, heart shape hearts drinked the scene before them.
'Scum, all of you.' Kushida fumed, she gripped her armchair tightly.
"Why are you all staring? look away!" Shinohara growled at the people gawking on the screen. Some looked away immediately, some took a while to snap back into reality, and the rest boldly stared.
"Thank you, Shinohara-san."
"Uh, this is really hard for me to tell you, but... Can we pretend that I never asked you to help get everybody together?"
She paused and then replied, "Um, why?" She sounded curious rather than angry.
"I'm sorry. I can't explain right now. Things got kind of complicated."
"Is that so? I suppose Horikita-san was opposed to me joining."
I hadn't implied that, but Kushida had managed to pick up on it. "It has nothing to do with Horikita. It's my bad."
"It's okay. I'm not particularly angry. Horikita seems to really dislike me, so I expected she'd refuse."
You could call it a woman's intuition.
"Anyway, I'm sorry. It's my bad, since I came to you for help and all."
"It's okay. You don't have to apologize, Ayanokouji-kun. But, I... don't think that Horikita-san will be able to bring Sudou-kun and the others together by herself."
"Particularly because of her attitude."
"Who would want to be taught by a person like that?"
I couldn't deny it.
"Hey, what did Horikita-san say, though? Was she against me gathering people, or did she not want me to join the study group?"
Kushida was so dead-on, it was like she'd been standing next to me when Horikita called.
"The latter. I'm really sorry to hurt your feelings."
"What a gentleman" Hiyori paused reading her book.
'How did she sneaked that book inside?'
A goddess.
Ike and the boys gawked at her, she seems to be focused in whatever she's reading, and she's also listening at the same time? What an incredible girl.
"Ahh, it's okay. Really, don't apologize, Ayanokouji-kun. Horikita-san has this kind of impenetrable aura around her, like she won't let people get close to her. I expected this."
She was way too perceptive.
'But not perceptive enough.'
I watched blanky. How am I feeling, you wonder? I felt a bit annoyed, excited, and emptiness.
Who would be happy about people invading your privacy? memories? thoughts? People criticize me fort the smallest things, no matter how big and small. They thought they have the right to have an opinion about my life choices, my reasons. Who do they think they are? They're nothing but tools that I use to grasp full victory. And after running out of usefulness, I will disregard. On the other hand, I feel excited. Excited to face opponents that might bury me. But in the end, it always comes back to feeling emptiness after defeating them. It's a cycle happening over and over again.
How dull.
"Everyone agreed to join because I said I'd participate, though... Couldn't you have just lied and told me that I couldn't join? I'm worried that if they know I'm not coming now, the guys will probably get mad at Horikita-san..."
Kushida scared me a bit. Nothing escaped her.
"Could you leave things to me this time?" she asked.
"Leave it to you?"
"I'll bring everyone over tomorrow. Of course, I'll be coming along, too."
"That's-" I started.
"It'll be okay. Or can you solve all of these problems, Ayanokouji- kun? You know, gather everyone together without me?"
Unfortunately, such a thing was probably impossible.
"I understand. I'll leave it to you, then. I don't really know what's going to happen, though."
"Don't worry. You won't be responsible for anything, Ayanokouji-kun. Well then, I'll see you tomorrow."
Soon after, my call with Kushida ended.
Somehow, I was even more exhausted than when I'd finished talking to Horikita. Even though Kushida said everything was fine, I had my doubts.
Horikita relentlessly opposed anyone she didn't like, regardless of who they were. It was painfully obvious that this would end in disaster. Feeling anxious, I headed into the bathroom. I decided to stop thinking about tomorrow. No matter how much I agonized over it, tomorrow would come, and it would eventually end. Things would work out, somehow.
Horikita had been sullen all morning. It would've been nice if she got adorable when she was angry. If she puffed out her reddened cheeks, she'd be cute enough to make any man would swoon. However, she remained expressionless and silent, refusing to acknowledge my existence. If I were to ignore her, though, she'd probably take out her compass. After an especially long day, we finally finished class.
"Have you gathered everyone in the study group?"
Her first words to me included "study group." She was most definitely implying something.
"Kushida's bringing them. I wonder if she'll participate," I replied.
"Kushida-san, hmm? I thought I specified that she wasn't allowed to participate..."
Satisfied, Horikita left for the library, and I followed. Kushida gave me a too-cute wink as I left. Together, Horikita and I secured a long table at the far end of the library and waited for the others.
"I've brought everyone!"
Kushida came over to where we were seated. Behind her was...
"Eh? Okitani?" Class D student looked over to him.
'Y-yes?' He squeaked.
"Nevermind."
"Kushida-chan told us about this study group. I don't want to be expelled after only just starting. Thanks!"
Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou had all shown up. However, they'd brought an unexpected visitor, a boy named Okitani.
"Huh? Okitani, you failed, too?" I asked.
"Oh, n-no. Not exactly. I was just really close to failing, so I was worried... Is it not, er, okay for me to join you? It's a little difficult to join Hirata's group..."
Okitani looked up at me, puffing out his cute, slightly reddened cheeks. He was slender, with blue hair cut in a short bob. A boy attracted to anything feminine might have shouted "I'm in love!" right away. If Okitani weren't a man, it would have been dangerous.
"Ayanokoji-kun, do you perhaps-" I cut off Ike before he finished his sentence.
"No, I don't swing that way."
"Oh, I thought..."
"Is it okay if Okitani-kun joins us, too?" Kushida asked Horikita.
Okitani had scored thirty-nine on the test, after all. He likely wanted to participate just to be safe.
"As long as you're worried about failing, I don't mind. But you need to be serious," Horikita said.
"Oh, okay."
Okitani sat down, seemingly happy. Kushida tried to sit next to him, which Horikita certainly noticed.
"Kushida-san, did Ayanokouji-kun not tell you? You-"
"I'm also worried about getting a bad grade," Kushida said.
'What a lousy excuse.' Sakanayagi scoffed.
"You...didn't score badly on the small test."
"Yes, but to tell you the truth, I was lucky. There were lots of multiple- choice questions, you know? So I guessed about half of them. In truth, I just barely passed."
"You're such a bad liar, two-face." Ryuuen rest his legs in front of him. beside him, Ibuki only stared at him in confusion.
It was amusing seeing Kushida's bright and cheerful face turned into something dark and sinister for a moment.
"What did he mean by two-face?"
"Don't call her names, Ryuuen-kun. Kushida-san might be struggling with the lesson and is telling the truth. Please don't start a fight in here, remember , the teachers and President, Vice President, and Secretary of the Student Council is here. Behave yoursefl." Ichinose sharply called over. She appeared to be angry over Ryuuen calling Kushida two-face.
'But, he's not wrong.'
"It's okay, Ichinose-san. But, thank you for defending me." Kushida bowed gratefully, Ichinose just waved her arms.
Kushida giggled adorably, lightly scratching her cheek.
"I think that I'm about on the same level as Okitani-kun, if not slightly worse. So I want to join the study group to avoid getting a bad grade. That's okay, right?"
I couldn't hide my surprise at Kushida's unexpected scheme. She'd first confirmed that Okitani could join the study group, then turned the tables
on Horikita. Now Horikita would have to permit her to join.
"Fine," Horikita growled.
"Thank you." Kushida smiled, bowed, and took her seat. Bringing Okitani had probably been part of her plan all along. She'd effectively used him to justify joining the group.
"Scoring lower than thirty-two means failing. Do you fail if you get exactly thirty-two points, though?" Sudou asked.
"No, you're safe if you score at least thirty-two points. Sudou, you can manage that, right?" Ike said.
"Wrong." Sakanayagi looked exasperated by the dumbness of Class D.
"The class average differ depending on the total of your test results and divided by the number of your subjects." Katsuragi crossed his arms.
Horikita closed her eyes. She was wrong about that too. and she has the nerve to call herself surperior than her classmates.
'You have potential, Horikita. I'll train, exploit, and use that whenever it benefits me.'
Even Ike was worried about Sudou. Of course those guys would want to know the exact threshold.
"It doesn't really matter. My goal is for everyone to score fifty,"Horikita said.
"Gah, isn't that going to be too tough?"
"Aiming to just skate by is dangerous. The fact that you can't easily reach that threshold troubles me."
In the face of Horikita's sound argument, the failures simply nodded reluctantly.
"I included most of what will be covered on this test. We only have about two weeks left, but I plan to thoroughly walk you through everything. If you don't understand something, please ask."
"Hey, I don't understand the first question." Sudou glared at Horikita. I tried reading the first problem as well.
"A, B, and C collectively have 2,150 yen. A has 120 yen more than B does. Also, after C gives B two-fifths of his money, B would have 220 yen more than A. How much yen did A originally start with?"
"But that was an easy part." Kaneda gape, his mind couldn't believe how much of an idiot the three are.
A problem with simultaneous equations, huh? The first test question should have been one that a high school student could easily solve.
"Try thinking about it. If you give up right at the beginning, you won't get anywhere."
"Look, I don't know how to study at all," Sudou said.
"Everyone got into this school."
This school didn't accept people based solely on test scores, though. Sudou had most likely been accepted because of his exceptional physical
ability. If you looked at it that way, wouldn't he likely be expelled because of bad grades?
"Ugh, I don't get it either." Ike, equally bewildered, scratched his head.
"Do you understand, Okitani-kun?" Horikita asked.
"Let's see... A plus B plus C is 2,150 yen. So, A equals B plus 120. Then..." Okitani started writing out a series of equations. Kushida, seated
next to him, glanced over her shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah, that looks right. Then what?"
You could certainly call Kushida bold, or even audacious. She'd claimed to have just barely avoided failing, and she was now teaching Okitani.
"Worst as Okitani in studying, huh?" Kanzaki appeared to become suspicious of her motives as well.
'well...I" Kushida jumbled over her words.
"Honestly, first- and second-year junior high school students could easily solve this problem. If you stumble here, it'll be impossible for you to continue," Horikita said.
"So, what, we're like elementary school kids?" Sudou growled.
"Like Horikita-san said, it'll be bad if you get tripped up here. The math problems on the short test were about this difficult, but the last problems were really tough. I didn't understand how to solve them," Okitani said.
"Listen up. This can be easily solved using a system of simultaneous equations." Without hesitation, Horikita picked up her pen and got to work. Unfortunately, it looked like only Kushida and Okitani understood.
"What even are simultaneous equations?" asked Ike.
"Are you seriously asking that?" Matsushita asked in disbelief.
'Do you know that, Chiaki-chan?" Shinohara asked her back.
Matsushita nodded. "Do you take me as dumb? I practically surpassed almost all the students in this class when It comes to academics.'
"Are you seriously asking me that?" said Horikita.
Wow, these guys had really never studied at all, it seemed. Sudou threw his mechanical pencil onto the desk.
"Stop. I'm done. This isn't going to work."
Sudou had quit before we could even begin. Horikita quietly seethed at this pitiful display.
"W-wait, everyone. Let's give it a shot. If you learn how to solve these problems, you can apply what you learn to the questions on the test. Okay?"Kushida said.
"Well, if Kushida-chan says so, I guess I can try. But if Kushida-chan were teaching, I'd probably try even harder."
"U-um..." Kushida seemed ready to ask Horikita about that, but Horikita stayed silent. Her refusal to even answer "Yes" or "No" was troubling. However, if she remained silent much longer, the failures might abandon this study group. Kushida made up her mind and grabbed the mechanical pencil.
"Like Horikita-san said, you can solve this problem by using a system of simultaneous equations. So let's try writing them out." Quickly, she wrote down three equations. It looked like the others were trying their best, but it still seemed hopeless. This was more like detention than a study group. They didn't seem to understand her methods in the slightest.
"So, the answer I got is 710 yen. What did you get?" Kushida, confident in Sudou's ability to follow along, flashed him a smile.
"Um, so you used this to get the answer? How?" he asked.
"Uh..." Kushida immediately realized what had happened. None of them understood.
"I'm sorry, you're far too ignorant and incompetent," said Horikita, who'd been silent until now. "If you can't solve this problem, I seriously shiver at the thought of what the future will bring."
"Shut up. This has nothing to do with you." Sudou slammed the desk, understandably irritated by Horikita.
"You're right. This has nothing to do with me. Your suffering won't influence me at all. I just pity you. You must have spent your whole life running from anything that presented a challenge," she said.
"Say whatever you want. Academics will be useless in the future, anyway."
"Academics will be useless in the future? That's an interesting argument. How do you justify that?"
"I don't care if I can't solve this problem. Studying's useless. Aiming to become a pro basketball player will help me a lot more."
"Incorrect. Once you learn to solve these kinds of problems, your entire life will change. In other words, studying increases the possibility that you'll solve the problems you face. It's the same principle as basketball. I wonder if, so far, you've been playing basketball by your own set of rules. When you struggle in basketball, do you run away from it like you do from studying? I doubt you take basketball practice seriously. You're a natural troublemaker, someone who always causes a disruption. If I were your adviser, I wouldn't let you on the team."
"That's harsh, Horikita-san." Ichinose was saddened by the things Horikita told Sudo. "It's one thing to chastised him severely, and another to say that about his passion."
Sudo waved is away, "It's fine! it's all in the past." He laughed nervously.
"Tch!" Sudou got in close to Horikita and grabbed her by the collar.
"Sudo-kun!" Hirata stood up. He was shocked by the anger Sudo displayed. Although Horikita insulted him, it's never a justified reason to act violently.
"I already apologized, Hirata. We're okay now." Sudo calmed down Hirata who listened.
"Sudou-kun!" Kushida grabbed Sudou's arm faster than I could move.
Despite Sudou's intimidations, Horikita didn't flinch. She simply fixed Sudou with an icy glare.
"You don't interest me in the slightest, but I can tell what kind of person you are just by looking at you. You want to play professional basketball? Do you honestly believe you can make such a childish dream come true in this world? A simpleton like you who gives up right away could never hope to go pro. Furthermore, even if you managed to become a professional player, I doubt you'd earn an annual income sufficient to live on. You're a fool to have such unreasonable aspirations."
Sudo might had said that it was all in the past, but I'm sure hearing Horikita insults his passion, calling it a childish and unreasonable dream still hurts. I saw him flinched, as if he was puched in the stomach.
Class D can only watched as Horikita insulted Sudo, It may be true that Sudo is a trouble maker, and have cause a number of problems for the class, but seeing and hearing him bring downgraded like this is saddening. Ichinose and her class sent Sudo multiple looks, varying from sad, pity, anger, and comforting gaze.
Horikita might have lead Class D to victory during the 1st special exam and also almost the 2nd one, but that will never erased the hurtful things she had said to them. Her position as the class leader is still isn't stable. It's shaky at best. If this kind of scene about Horikita keeps being shown, I fear that her reputation and standing in class may crumble.
'I can't have that. She's still useful to me. I might have to intervene in the future using logical and irrefutable facts, or I can twist some words.'
"You!"
It was clear that Sudou was on the brink of losing control. If he raised his fist, I'd have to wrestle him down.
"So, you're just going to immediately give up on studying or on school in general? Then discard your dreams of playing basketball and spend your
days toiling away at a pitiful part-time job."
"Hmph. That's just fine. I'll quit, but it's not because it's difficult. I took a day off from my club activities for this, and it ended up being a complete waste of time. Later!" Sudou said.
"What an odd thing to say. Studying is difficult." Horikita took a parting shot at Sudou. If Kushida weren't there, Sudou probably would have smacked Horikita. He stuffed his textbooks into his bag, not even hiding his irritation.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"I don't care. It's pointless to care about someone who lacks any motivation whatsoever. Even though he's facing expulsion, he has no will to fight."
"I thought that it was weird for someone like you, who doesn't have any friends, to put this study group together. You probably just wanted to call us stupid. If you weren't a girl, I'd smack you."
"So, you lack the courage to hit me? Don't use my gender as an excuse," Horikita said.
The newly assembled study group was already falling apart.
"I'm quitting, too. Partly 'cause I can't deal with studying, but mostly 'cause I'm annoyed. You might be smart, Horikita-san, but that doesn't mean you can act like you're better than us." Ike, clearly fed up, threw in the towel as well.
Horikita thought back to all her past actions.
It's not wrong to show your superiority over others, but it's wrong rubbing it to others faces, and insulting them because of their intelligence.
"I don't care if you get expelled. Do what you want," Horikita shot back.
"Well, I'll just pull an all-nighter."
"Interesting. Didn't you come here because you can't study?"
"Tch..."
Even the typically easygoing Ike stiffened under the sting of Horikita's barbed comments. Yamauchi started putting his textbook away as well. Finally, the easily influenced Okitani got out of his seat.
"I-Is this really okay, everyone?" he stammered.
"Let's go, Okitani."
Ike left the library, trailed by the hesitant Okitani. Now only Kushida, Horikita, and I remained. Soon, even Kushida would probably reach her limit and leave.
"Horikita-san, we're not going to be able to study with anyone if things continue like this..." Kushida murmured.
"I was certainly mistaken. Even if I'd helped them avoid failure this time, we would've faced a similar dilemma soon after. We'd have to go through this irritation all over again. Eventually, they'll fail. I finally understand how unproductive this was. I don't have the time for it."
"Wait, what do you mean?"
"I mean that it's better to get rid of the dead weight."
"Narrowed-minded." Sakayanagi simple stated two words.
"Kukuku, this is Class D's leader? I seemed to have been wrong. You and Ichinose aren't even a threat." Ryuuen laughed.
Kanzaki didn't let that passed. "What do you mean not a threat?"
"What? wanna say something? Ryuuen glared at him, "You can't expect me to take on a bunch of class and its leader who's all about trust and friendship, do you?"
"I beg to disagree, Ryuuen-kun, cooperation play a major role in the outside world. We succeeded because we help and believe in our colleagues." Ichinose stood by principle.
"That may be true, but cooperation and trust will only take you far. The outside world is cruel and harsh. Do you think a person will prioritize someone over their self? no ones that truly noble. In the end, us humans are greedy creatures. we exploit, used, and devoured another to win in the end. That stupid and unrealistic fantasy of yours is nothing but a childs dream." Ryuuen mocked Ichinose.
That was Horikita's ultimate conclusion. If the failing students were expelled, then the class's average test scores would go up, and we wouldn't have to expend any extra effort.
"So, that's... H-hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Can you say something?" Kushida murmured.
"If that's Horikita's answer, then isn't it fine?"
"You think so too, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"Well, I don't want to toss them to the wolves or anything, but I'm not the tutor. There's nothing I can do about it."
In the end, I felt similarly to Horikita.
'Even though he knows about the s system? He did say that he was not aiming for the higher classes, so maybe he felt that way.' Manabu who have been quiet, observed everyone around him.
"Okay. I see." Kushida grabbed her bag and stood up, her expression darkening.
"I'm going to do something. Well, I'll try. I definitely don't want everything to fall apart so quickly."
"Kushida-san. Do you really feel that way?"
"Is it wrong? I don't want to abandon Sudou-kun, Ike-kun, and Yamauchi-kun."
"Even if that was how you truly felt, I wouldn't particularly care. But I don't think that you actually want to save them," Horikita said.
"What? I don't understand. Why do you say things like that, Horikita- san? Why do you try to antagonize people?That's...very sad."
Kushida hung her head briefly, then looked back up at us. She met our eyes.
"Well then. I'll see you two tomorrow," she whispered.
With that, Kushida left. Suddenly, it was just the two of us again. We sat in the complete silence of the library.
"Well, that was painful. The study group's already over," I said.
"Looks that way."
The quiet grew almost oppressive.
"I suppose you were the only one who understood me, Ayanokouji- kun. You're at least somewhat better than those worthless idiots. If there's some subject you're struggling with, I could teach you."
"How thoughtful of you, but I think he'll have to pass, no?" Sakayanagi smirked in my directions.
'It seemed she indeed know something about me, but I doubt it's the whole story.'
"I'll pass, thank you."
"Are you going back to your dorm?" she asked.
"I'm going to find Sudou and the others and have a chat with them."
"There's nothing to be gained from associating with people who'll likely be expelled soon."
"I just want to talk to my friends. Do you have a problem with that?"
"How incredibly selfish. You call them your friends, yet you simply stand by and watch as they're expelled. From my point of view, you're cruel."
'You're right, Horikita-san. Far more than you think.'
Well, I certainly couldn't deny that. Horikita wasn't wrong. In the end, studying was just the test of and individual's self-motivation.
"I won't deny what you've said. I can also understand why you'd call someone like Sudou stupid. However, Horikita, shouldn't you try to understand Sudou's situation? If he only hoped to become a professional basketball player, then choosing this school in the first place makes little sense. Don't you think you'd understand him better if you considered his reasons for enrolling?"
"Not interested." Horikita dismissed me and returned to her textbook. Alone.
I left the library and chased after Kushida. I wanted to thank for her working so hard to get the study group together, and to apologize. Besides, I
wanted to do everything possible to get along with such a cute girl, you know?
Hashimoto and Kamuro who's sitting beside Sakanayagi felt a murderous aura.
'Don't tell me you have a thing for two-face bitch girls, Ayanokoji-kun?'
Whipping out my cell phone, I pulled up Kushida's contact information. Although it was my second time calling, I felt nervous contacting her. The phone rang twice, then three times. However, she didn't pick up. Did she not notice me calling? Or was she refusing to answer it?
Kushida panicked, the whole first year students, the student council members, even the teachers will know her past. 'No! my life will be ruined! stupid government, damned memories, screw you, Ayanokoji!' Kushida internally screamed in her mind.
Kushida wasn't around campus, so I continued to search for her. When I got inside the school, I glimpsed someone who looked like Kushida from
behind. It was already around six PM, so the only people here should've been involved in club activities. Well, this was Kushida we were talking about. She was probably waiting for one of her good friends to finish club stuff.
I decided to keep up the chase. If she were busy, I'd talk to her again later. Bearing that in mind, I pressed on. I took out a pair of indoor shoes from the cubicles in the hallway, but didn't see Kushida. Had I lost her? I thought I had, until I heard the faint clack of shoes.
I followed her up the stairs to the second floor. The sound of footsteps continued up to the third floor. The next level after that was the roof, wasn't it? Students were free to use the roof during lunchtime, but it should've been locked after class. While I thought it strange, I went up the stairs, trying to hide my presence as best I could in case she was meeting with someone. Then, I stopped partway.
Someone was up there.
I gently leaned against the handrail and peeked through a crack in the rooftop door. Through the opening, I glimpsed Kushida. No one else was with her. Was she waiting for someone?
A rendezvous at such a secluded place... Could she possibly be waiting for her boyfriend? If that were the case, I could end up cornered on all sides.
Ike and Yamauchi stayed quiet, they are still affected by the scene earilier. They just focused watching the screen.
While I agonized over how to sneak away, Kushida slowly set her bag down on the ground.
And then...
"Ahhh, so annoying!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Is that Kushida-san?"
"She seemed to be different."
Students looked over at the girl, she's currently looking down, her hair covering her face. If you saw her face, you'll probably gasp in shock. Her face is so dark and sinister, it will send shivers down to whoever looked at her.
Her voice was so low that it didn't sound at all like Kushida.
"She's seriously annoying! God, how irritating. It'd be better if she just died..."
"Is she talking about Horikita-san?"
"Wishing someone to die just because of that? That's scary"
Every class rubbed their arms, Class D especially is frozen in shock. They don't know what to do, to act, or even to say.
She grumbled to herself, as if chanting the words to some kind of spell or curse.
"Ugh, I hate stuck-up, snobby girls who think they're so cute. Why is she such a harpy? A rotten girl like her couldn't possibly tutor me."
Was Kushida annoyed with...Horikita?
"Ah, she's the worst! She's just the worst, the worst, the worst! Horikita, you're so annoying! You're so damn annoying!"
'Is this the reason why Ryuuen-kun called Kushida-san two-faced bitch? This is not the Kushida-san that I know.' ichinose can only watched in shock and daze. Seeing Kushida like this must have shock her to the core.
I felt like I'd glimpsed another side of this gentle girl, the most popular person in our class. She probably didn't want anyone else to see this darker side. A voice in my head whispered that it was dangerous to stay here.
"Get out of there, Ayanokoji-kun!" Kanzaki frantically screamed.
'This already happened. i can't change the past.' I flatly looked at the people screaming at me to get away.
However, an odd question arose. Why had she agreed to work with me if she felt such hatred toward Horikita? Kushida should have understood
Horikita's personality and behavior perfectly well by now. She could have refused to help, or just left the study group to Horikita, or otherwise washed her hands of involvement.
"A split personality?" Katsugari who's always composed suggested unsure.
"An ulterior motive?" Sakayanagi on the other hand, said that
Kushida only glared icily at the two.
Why force herself into the study group? Did she want to get along with Horikita? Or did she want to become closer to another participant?
None of it made sense. I couldn't explain her reasoning.
No. She may have shown signs of this from the very beginning. I hadn't really thought about it before, but considering the state she was in
right now, I had a hunch. Perhaps, Kushida and Horikita were...
'He guessed it that fast?' Kushida gritted her teeth. 'How annoying!'
At any rate, I needed to get away from there. Kushida probably didn't want anyone else to hear her diatribe. Still hiding, I quickly tried to leave.
Thump!
"You have got to be kidding me!" Kanzaki stared at me in disbelief.
'Why is he so invested in this scene? How creepy.' I shuddered, but people appeared to have mistaken it as a shiver in fear.
The number of people yelling at me got louder.
I'd kicked the door much louder than I'd anticipated. It'd been unexpectedly loud, really. Kushida tensed and stopped breathing. I'd instantly become her enemy. Turning, Kushida set her sights on me. I'd been seen.
After a brief silence, Kushida coldly asked, "What...are you...doing here?"
"I got a little lost. Sorry. My bad, my bad. I'll be going now."
Kushida looked straight at me, clearly seeing through my obvious lie. I'd never seen such an intense gaze before.
"Did you hear?" she asked.
"Would you believe me if I said I didn't?" I replied.
"I see..."
Kushida briskly walked down the stairs. She placed her left forearm against the base of my throat, and pushed me up against the wall. Her tone of voice, her actions, everything about her was completely unlike the Kushida I knew. This new Kushida wore a terrifying expression, one that I could almost compare to Horikita's.
"Excuse me?" I felt Horikita's icy glare. "Please don't compare me to...her"
"If you tell anyone what you just heard, I won't forgive you."
Her words were ice, and I didn't think they were an idle threat.
"And if I did tell?"
"In that case, I would tell everyone that you raped me," she said.
"That's a false accusation!" Nene gasped.
"That's a false charge, you know."
"That's okay. It wouldn't be false."
Her words had heft and power, leaving me unable to reply. As she spoke, Kushida grabbed my right wrist and slowly opened my hand. She pushed my palm up against her soft breast.
Boys yelled, girls glared. it was chaos. The student council and teacher tried to calm everyone down.
"What is it with you and being always blackmail?!" Ibuki asked.
"I don't know!" I appeared to be frustated even if didn't shown on my face and voice.
"Oho? You seemed to become talkative after starting this screening program, Ayanokoji-kun." Horikita tilted her head, eyes glinting something.
"What do you mean? I'm always talkative when talking to you, and I can't just walked up to people and be like this, am I wrong?"
"What are you doing?" I asked. I hurriedly tried to pull away, but she pushed on the back of my hand.
"Your fingerprints are on my clothes. That's evidence of my claim. I'm being serious. Understand?"
"Bitch!"
"Why are you in our school?!"
"Good thing I'm not close with you!"
"You're really are the worst!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Kushida seemed to have enough. She lost her cool. She glared at everyone, including our classmates who inched away from her. She stood up, walking to the far corner opposite of mine and sat down.
"I understand. I really do. So let go of my hand."
"I'm going to leave this uniform in my room without washing it. If you betray me, I'll hand it over to the police."
"That finger print will disappear if you didn't left it in a air tight room."
"Why tell her that, stupid?"
"Well, the President and the teachers knows right? She can't counter against that."
I glared at Kushida for a while as she kept my hand pressed against her.
"It's a promise," she said.
Kushida stepped away from me. Even though this was the first time I had felt a girl's breasts, I found I couldn't remember the sensation.
"Hey, Kushida. Which is the real you?"
"That's none of your business."
"I see. Well, I was wondering something. If you hate Horikita, then you don't need to involve yourself with her, right?"
I knew she probably wouldn't like that question, but I was curious about her motivation.
"Is it bad to want everyone to like you? Do you understand how difficult it is to accomplish that? You can't know, can you?" she asked.
"Well, I don't have that many friends, so I guess not."
Ever since the first day of school, Kushida had made an effort toexchange contact information with, invite out, and, of course, talk with the
pessimistic Horikita. One could easily imagine how difficult and time-consuming that would be.
"At least on the surface, I wanted to appear to get along with Horikita."
"But the stress of that just kept building, huh?"
"Yeah. That's what I want out of life, though. That way, my existence has meaning." She answered without hesitation. Kushida had a singular way
of thinking. Her own internal rules demanded she get close to Horikita.
"Let me tell you something, while I have the chance. I absolutely despise gloomy, ordinary guys like you."
The fantasy of a cute Kushida that I'd carried until now had been shattered, but I wasn't actually that shocked. Most people possessed both a public face and a private, inner self, after all. However, I felt like Kushida was both telling the truth and lying right now.
Those who can relate, including me knows Kushida's pain, feelings, and experiences.
'But it's not like a have any emotion to relate over with that.'
"I'm just speculating, but did you and Horikita know each other before this year? Maybe you both attended the same school in the past?"
The instant I said it, Kushida shuddered in response.
"What the... I don't know what you mean. Did Horikita-san say something about me?" she snapped.
'So, I was right. It was during that time.' Manabu glanced between his sister and Kushida.
"'President?" Tachibana expressed her worries. "Are you okay?" after all, no matter how indifferent he may act, that is still his sister.
"No, I had the impression that this was the first time you'd met. But something seemed strange."
"Strange?"
I recalled the first time Kushida had spoken to me.
"You learned my name only when I first introduced myself, right?"
"So what?" Kushida responded flatly.
"Well, where did you learn Horikita's name? Back then, she hadn't introduced herself to anyone yet. The only person who knew was Sudou, but
I doubt you'd met him by then."
'I slipped.' Kushida mentally slap herself.
"How perceptive of you, kohai-kun" Nagumo smirked amused at events being played.
In other words, Kushida wouldn't have had the chance to learn Horikita's name.
"You got close to me so you could spy on her, right?"
"Just shut up. Hearing you talk irritates me, Ayanokouji-kun. I only want to know one thing. Do you swear you'll never tell anyone what you learned here today?"
"Uh...we now know it." Ishizaki raised his hand up.
"Eh?" Hiyori glanced at him before continued reading.
Ibuki pinched her nose, irritated. "Bring your hand down, dumbass."
"I swear. Even if I did, it's not like anyone would believe me. Right?"
The entire class trusted and loved Kushida. The difference between us was like night and day.
Class D didn't try to say anything back. They knew that they'll believe Kushida over Ayanokoji because of the difference of popularity and impression. It didn't help that the girls in their class is extremely opinionated.
"Okay. I believe you, Ayanokouji-kun." Kushida closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. "Horikita-san is rather unusual, isn't she?"
"Yes, I'd say she's really unusual."
"Other people don't influence her, or rather, she keeps her distance from everyone else. She's the complete opposite of me."
Kushida and Horikita really were polar opposites.
"You know, Ayanokouji-kun, you're the only one that Horikita-san opens up to."
"Wait a minute. She doesn't open up to me. Absolutely not."
"Even so, she seems to trust you more than anyone else. Out of all the people I've ever met, Horikita seems the most wary of others and yet also the most self-confident. She certainly wouldn't trust anyone worthless, even if they were unbelievably kind."
"So, you think she has good instincts for people?"
"That's why I said I believed you. Ayanokouji-kun, you're fundamentally indifferent to other people, aren't you?"
"I'm just an ordinary guy trying to live a ordinary life in a not so ordinary school." I commented in a monotone voice.
"Why are you so fixated of having a ordinary life?" Ike asked.
I sighed, then stared at the ceiling, "Because I never had one."
I didn't remember doing anything that would make her think so, but Kushida seemed confident in her assessment.
"It's not an out-of-place judgment. Back on the bus, you didn't show any interest in giving up your seat to the elderly woman."
Ah, so that's what she was talking about. She'd picked up on what was happening that first day. She had understood that I'd no intention of giving up my seat.
"If you believe I'm telling the truth, then you won't spread pointless rumors," I said.
"If you were really so confident, you wouldn't have felt up my breasts."
"Well, that's... I was really flustered. I panicked for a second."
Her stern expression melted into one of impatience.
"So, Kushida, would I be right to think of you as the kind of girl who lets guys touch her breasts?"
"What?"
"How bold of you, Ayanokoji-dono." Professor eyes glint, It seems he also knew something.
She kicked my thigh as hard she could. Panicking, I grabbed the railing.
"Hey, watch it! I could've fallen and gotten seriously hurt!"
"I kicked you because you said something stupid!" Kushida snapped, her face flushed from anger.
"Hey, wait a minute."
She still looked furious. Kushida tromped back up the stairs, grabbed her bag, then returned wearing a huge grin.
Many students flinched at the sudden turn of emotion.
"It's like a damn switch"
"It's so natural for her."
"How creepy."
"Let's head back together," she said brightly.
"Oh. Sure."
Her attitude had drastically changed, like something out of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. It was so drastic that I wondered whether I'd had a bad dream. She was her usual sunny self once more. I couldn't tell which Kushida was the real one.
-x-
Previous Chapter: 50 points Across the Board.
Next Chapter: Piano and Calligraphy.
Word Count: 12342
Hi guys! I was supposed to post this earlier, but it took me longer to write the chapter. So, here it is! Thank you for supporting, and reading my story! You guys are seriously amazing!
Again, Merry Christmas, everyone!
Sayonara!
Asteria_Writer