Classroom of the Elite: The Eroge

by LanceSennin

When Ayanokouji Kiyotaka wished for something that can interest him in his new school, he didn't think it would be something like this. After waking up with some weird texts appearing around him and finding out that he is some kind of 'Protagonist' with the power of raising 'Flags', will he be able to survive what's about to come his way? Inspired by SaintInfernalNeos' fic.

22. It's About Damn Time!

Oh no, some people hate Airi?! This volume is taking too long?! Too bad, you're gonna get more Airi because I say so! No one's gonna stop me from giving this girl a happy ending. There have been too many fics where she is done dirty, but this isn't one of them! Those people probably hate Airi and at the same time, simp for Fuuka. If you're not down with that, then you can kiss my ass or leave this fic for good.

Oh, and this fic actually has a TVTropes page now. Nice.

COTE: The Eroge Playlist: h-t-t-p-s-:-/-/-you-tube-.-com-/-playlist-?-list=PLzapQr6Br4elz3lo7fOkE34DjcBEnJB87

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

Disclaimer: I don't own Classroom of the Elite but if I did, there will be MAJOR CHANGES.

---

It was a fine Saturday afternoon, with the skies clear and the sun shining in the sky. It was also the perfect time for someone to rest and recuperate, especially for those students who were busy during the whole week for various reasons. They had two whole days to themselves wherein they could do what they wanted, without having to worry about schoolwork at all.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the case for Kiyotaka, who was at Keyaki Mall at the moment while waiting for someone to arrive.

Dressed in a white shirt, a green jacket, blue pants, and sneakers, Kiyotaka sighed to himself.

For someone who was severely lacking in free time and mostly spent the weekends getting as much rest as he could, he wouldn't be able to enjoy the warm comfort brought by his bed and room until later this evening. But then again, he had a roommate who may or may not be annoying towards him later, so that's gonna be put on hold…

Anyway, the reason why he was here when he could have spent the whole day resting in his dorm was because of a certain someone who invited him to meet here today. No, there was no possible way for him to refuse her without making her sad, so he was doomed from the start anyway. It's fine, though. A little trip to the mall shouldn't be that tiring and surprisingly, he was actually looking forward to this.

Spotting a nearby bench, he walked over to it and sat down to rest his legs. He was about ten minutes earlier than their expected meeting time, which was still a respectable time for arriving; he wasn't too early that he would get bored the whole time, and he wasn't too late that his companion would be angry with him for making her wait too long.

Hearing his phone ring once in his pocket, Kiyotaka brought it out and saw that the person who was supposed to be with him today had left her home and was now on her way to the mall where he was.

Heh. That person must have spent some considerable time to make herself look good for their little outing. After all, she did think of this as a date, even though they were only going to walk around and search for the witness to Miyake's case.

He didn't consider this a date by any means, despite having no prior experience going on one in the past. Kiyotaka simply felt that a date between two people should be special and should not involve anything irrelevant so as to not ruin the experience. Right now, their class was going through a major problem that they couldn't afford any distractions.

However, his companion would just smile and think otherwise, and he could tell that's what her expression was when they talked over the phone last night.

---

When he got home after the complicated conclusion to Ichinose's planned rejection, he was greeted with a hug by his roommate before she asked how his day went. Surprisingly, Ichika didn't follow him around today and she wasn't even in the classroom for the duration of school hours.

Maybe she was too embarrassed about what happened when they took a bath together. However, it's pretty hard to imagine Amasawa being flustered because of how she usually is.

Anyway, after a relatively normal dinner, the two residents of Unit 401 took a shower (separately this time) and prepared to call it a day. However, Kiyotaka would then receive a call while he was reading a book, prompting him to check who it was.

"Oooh, it's Kushida-senpai~ I wonder why she's calling you at this time?" Ichika teased him as she saw the Caller ID on his phone.

"No idea," he shrugged while wondering about the reason himself. Could it be about Miyake's case? Or something else? Either way, he was curious about why she was calling him.

"Could it be that she wants to invite you to dirty things with—"

Kiyotaka immediately raised his hand to stop her from speaking any further. "Shut up and don't say anything else, please."

Ichika simply threw up a 'v' sign and giggled, while the young man sighed and answered the call.

"I'm sorry for calling you so late, Kiyotaka-kun. Are you still up?" she asked.

"If I wasn't, then I wouldn't have answered the call," he answered rhetorically. "I was thinking of going to bed in a little bit, though. Did you need something, Kikyo?"

"Tomorrow is the weekend, right?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Did you call me just to ask that question?"

Kikyo chuckled. "No, silly. I wanted to ask if you wanted to come with me to the mall tomorrow?"

"Why?"

"Because I want to look for that witness with you, Kiyotaka-kun. I think we have a pretty good chance of finding her if we're together, don't you think?"

"Aren't you already doing that with Suzune?"

"As if I'd be content spending the entire week with that bitch," she scoffed. "I've wanted to team up with you from the beginning, you know? Instead, you were with Hasebe-san for the whole week."

"Are you angry at Hasebe that she took your spot then?"

"Maybe a bit, but I can look the other way for her just this once," Kikyo groaned. "She only wants to help Miyake-kun, and she feels grateful to you for helping out. I'm willing to leave her alone, provided she doesn't think about doing anything else with you."

"Then shouldn't Suzune be the same? She wanted to help Miyake too, and you already know why she wanted your help, specifically. Can't you get along with her for a bit?"

"I still didn't want to get stuck with that bitch for the whole week," she repeated, sounding more annoyed than before. "And did you forget what I said? Horikita-san likes you. There's no way I would get along with a girl who's supposed to be my rival… that includes Matsushita-san and Karuizawa-san."

"I swear, this is getting old… ironically enough, Suzune's the one who considered her a friend. You'd think Kikyo would return the same gesture by now and let bygones be bygones, but it's a far-fetched dream…" he thought to himself. "You could have told Suzune that you didn't really want to be involved in her plan, but you went along with it in the end."

"Details, details," the girl sighed, before reverting back to her innocent voice. "Anyway, want to go to the mall with me tomorrow? We could even eat together at a restaurant if you want~"

He thought about her offer for a moment, before he came up with a reasonable compromise. "You should at least tell Suzune that you want to search for our witness with me. I'll do the same and tell Hasebe about it. They might wonder where we are tomorrow, so it'll save them from asking questions if they do."

"Oh, fine… I'll tell that bitch that I'll be spending the afternoon with you tomorrow so she'll realize that she had no chance of winning against me in the first place," she began to laugh in amusement, and he could only picture the expression that she had on her face right now.

Kiyotaka sighed at her attitude. He honestly wished the system would do something about this eventually. If not for his sake, then everyone else's. Perhaps he could understand why this girl gets jealous easily and doesn't want anyone taking her spot, but he wasn't condoning it by any means. As a matter of fact, it just makes her even more of a walking contradiction than before with how she tries to paint herself as a kind angel to everyone around her.

"So when do you want to meet up?"

"Would three o'clock in the afternoon work for you?"

"I have no problem with that."

"Yay! It's a date, then!" she exclaimed, which made Kiyotaka raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you mean, 'date'? It's not a date, Kikyo."

"Don't be silly, of course it is! We're going to the mall together, just the two of us with no one else. As far as I'm concerned, that's enough to consider tomorrow a date between us!"

"Yeah, but you wanted us to search for the witness to Miyake's case together, didn't you? I don't know the first thing about dating, but I don't think that searching for a person is something that two people do on a date."

"Hush, hush, there's no need to be so shy, Kiyotaka-kun. I promise that we'll have a lot of fun on our date tomorrow~"

He shook his head. It's pointless to keep arguing with her at this rate. "Will that be all, Kikyo?"

After that question, things just grew silent between them. Kiyotaka waited for a response from her, but it seemed like she wasn't going to say anything else… until he heard her take a deep breath before releasing it through the phone.

"...I've been meaning to ask as well, Kiyotaka-kun…" she muttered, while sounding completely unsure all of a sudden. "What exactly do you think of me?"

"Why the sudden question?" he asked, walking outside into the balcony for some fresh air. He looked towards the balcony to his left, which was connected to Kikyo's room. The girl wasn't there, so she was probably inside.

"Uhm… I just want to know! I know that I can be a bit overbearing because I like hugging you and… I also kissed you a week ago in front of the class. I don't really want to make you uncomfortable around me…"

Kiyotaka listened closely to the girl as she opened up about her worries, before giving her his response. "You don't have to worry. The only thing that I can see being a problem was you kissing me in front of everyone. Seriously, you underestimate how popular you are among the guys."

"Wait, you're not upset about it?" she asked, genuinely surprised at the answer she got.

He shook his head and sighed. "I'm not upset that you kissed me. What bothered me was that you did it in front of everyone, like I said. You gave them the wrong idea."

Although he had no way of seeing her right now, he could tell that Kikyo was twiddling her fingers from how she started laughing nervously.

"Well… I wanted to prove Horikita-san wrong when she said that you weren't dating any of us… hehe…"

"But we're not dating, are we?" he deadpanned, earning a cute giggle from the other end. At least she didn't sound sad anymore. "Anyway, you'd think that kissing me would tell the majority of the boys that you're not interested in them but instead, they set their sights on me. Now they're thinking if I'm gone, then they would have a chance with you again."

"Bunch of idiots," Kikyo groaned.

Yeah, she could understand how it felt… after all, she had to deal with those same boys on a daily basis. While they were keeping their distance from her now because of the bold move she made in front of the whole class, she didn't think that those same people would turn their attention towards Ayanokouji instead… and not in a good way.

Oh, if she could only wrap her hands around the necks of those boys for thinking of bothering Kiyotaka even though he has done nothing wrong…

"I know! How about I give you another kiss that would keep them away for good~?" she suggested.

Kiyotaka sweat-dropped. "Please don't make the situation bigger than it already is. We're lucky that both Ichinose and Himeno had no idea that you, Kei, and Chiaki kissed me that day. We're dealing with enough problems right now."

Kikyo clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Then we should get this case over with now so we don't have to worry about it anymore. I'm getting tired of walking around and asking people if they've seen someone at the bathhouse, especially because I've done it with Horikita-san. I'm starting to think this is all just one big goose chase that won't even amount to anything in the end."

"It'll be over in a few days. I'm also getting tired of going through ten thousand words without anything relevant happening in the chapter."

"What…?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion at what she just heard.

"Forget what I said. Anyway, Miyake's case is on Monday. It'll be over soon, whether our class wins or not. It would be better for our future if we won, though."

"Whatever. I just want this to be over…" Kikyo sighed. "I mean, I do want our class to win this but I would rather not spend another day with Horikita because I might not be able to hold back from strangling that bitch."

"Honestly, I'm still weirded out on why you hate Suzune so much when she hasn't even done anything to you."

That was a lie, of course. He already knew why Kikyo abhors Suzune under the innocent mask that she puts up, but he couldn't understand one thing.

According to Kikyo's 'heroine summary', it's not even a confirmed fact that Suzune knows about her and what she did in middle school, whatever it is. Because of that, he couldn't think of any reason for Class D's 'angel' to be angry with 'friend', unless she actually feels paranoid about the possibility of someone knowing her secret.

Or perhaps she disliked Horikita because of her past attitude and simply chooses to hide it behind her mask?

"Well, other than the fact that she likes you, she knows something that she shouldn't, and I hate her for that."

"I still don't get it," he told her, feigning ignorance.

"Okay, fine…" Kikyo spoke in an exasperated tone, as she let out a massive sigh of defeat. "I guess it's fine to tell you the whole story tomorrow."

"You will?"

"Only if you promise you'll never tell anyone about it, especially Horikita-san. I have never told anyone about my past before. Not even my parents. You'll be the first one I'll be talking to about it, because I trust you that much, Kiyotaka-kun."

Kikyo didn't speak using her usual cheerful voice, nor was she angry like the times when her switch was flipped. She spoke calmly, although there was a hint of panic in her words, showing how much she feared her secret being known to someone else who's not him. That was enough for Kiyotaka to put on a more serious expression and rid himself from any sign of being worn out for the moment.

"I promise," he answered with no hesitation.

It took a while for Kikyo to respond and when she did, her voice was quiet and yet filled with a lot of emotions.

"T-Thank you…"

"So is there anything else you want to talk about?" he asked after letting the girl have a moment to herself.

"No. That's all I wanted to say. I'll see you tomorrow, Kiyotaka-kun."

"Good night, Kikyo."

With that, Kikyo ended the call.

The young man stared at his phone for a while, thinking about the last part of their conversation just now. From the moment they met, Kiyotaka had never seen the girl being vulnerable with nothing to hide. She always had her mask on and if it wasn't, she'd have a look of fury on her face.

Though he had no way of seeing her right now, her tone was enough to convey the image of her being vulnerable.

Because of this, Kiyotaka had a feeling that their encounter tomorrow will be interesting, and one that he'll be looking forward to.

---

Kiyotaka stared at the message he received from Kikyo again, before another thought crossed his mind. Now he's thinking of whether he should have waited for her to be done preparing herself so they could leave for the mall together, or if he made the right decision to be here before her.

He had no idea which of the two scenarios girls preferred more.

"Either way, Kikyo sees this as a date between us… for some reason. While I'm not gonna try to convince her that it isn't, she has to be careful about her actions while we're out here together at least."

Hasebe and Horikita were both aware that they were together today, but the same can't be said for Karuizawa and Matsushita. If they see even one of them at the mall this afternoon, then it'll no doubt stir up trouble between his heroines.

The best thing he could do right now was keep an eye out for either of those two girls if they're around and make sure they don't notice him and Kikyo. Something like that shouldn't be a problem for someone like him.

"Kiyotaka-kun!"

The young man was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his name being called; upon turning his head, he saw Kushida walking up to him with a big smile on her face.

"Good afternoon, Kikyo."

Shifting his full attention towards the girl, Kiyotaka cleared his throat and returned her greeting with a wave of his own.

"Sorry that it took me this long to get here. Did I keep you waiting?" she asked.

"Not really. I just got here a few minutes ago."

Out of curiosity, Kiyotaka took a glance at Kushida's whole body. Seeing how she treated this as a romantic date between them, there's no doubt that she prepared for this by making sure she looks good for him.

She was wearing a cute yellow sundress with a brown blouse over it, and a pair of sandals for her feet. All in all, Kushida was really cute and she definitely prepared herself for today.

Kiyotaka was so used to being around his heroines while they were in their school uniforms that seeing Kikyo in casual attire for the first time immediately sparked a desire within him to want the same with the other girls.

"This is the first time we've been together while there's no classes, I'm so excited!" Kikyo laughed, and Kiyotaka couldn't help but agree.

"Admittedly, I'm also looking forward to this as I've never gone out with someone on a weekend."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get our date started~"

Kikyo sent him a seductive wink before she made her move; her arms wrapped around his own as she hugged it against her chest. Kiyotaka resisted the easy urge to blush, instead choosing to send the girl a deadpan expression.

"We're supposed to look for the witness to Miyake's case, remember?"

She hugged his arm tighter, making an obvious effort to emphasize her chest through the sundress that she was wearing. "Oh, we can obviously do that while we're on our date, silly."

"Whatever you say," he sighed as they began to walk through the open area of the place. As it was the weekend, there were a lot more people roaming around the mall compared to the normal school days, but not to the point of flooding the whole place. "Where should we start asking around here?"

"Let's walk around the first floor for now. Once we're done, we can move to the rest of the floors. Easy-peasy, right?" Kushida asked.

"From that description, it shouldn't even take us long to be done with the whole place. But I can also tell that you don't want this thing to be over quickly."

"Why should we even let this end quickly? We have the rest of the afternoon to ourselves, and we can do whatever we want once we're done asking the people around here! Unless…" the smile on her face disappeared and was replaced by a sad look. "...you don't want to spend time with me, Kiyotaka-kun?"

Kiyotaka rolled his eyes at her obvious attempt to get a reaction from him. "Don't go putting words into my mouth, please."

As the two teens walked around and asked the people around them for information, there were some students who would occasionally steal a glance at Kushida in her casual clothes. In the case of a few couples that passed by, the girlfriend would appear upset and grab her boyfriend by the cheek. It was honestly amusing to see.

"Hmm, I wonder if I should do that every time I see you flirting with another girl," the girl commented out of nowhere, seeing the reaction that those couples had to them.

"Why would you do such a thing when we're not even a couple?" he deadpanned.

"Are you sure? We definitely look like a real couple right now in the eyes of other people."

Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that what you think? In my opinion, I look a little out of place next to you."

"No, no, that's not true at all. I think we're great together, in more ways than one!" she reassured him.

"Ho? You like me that much, huh?" he asked, leaning closer to the girl.

A tint of red appeared on her cheeks, as Kikyo turned her gaze away from him.

"H-Hey, this isn't the time to tease me, okay?"

"I thought you'd be happy spending time with me?" he asked, teasing her in the same way she tried to do earlier. "Why are you embarrassed now? Is this what other people call 'don't dish what you can't take', Kikyo?"

"L-Let's just get this whole search over with…!" she shook her head and pouted at him, not liking how she had become the subject of his teasing.

Kiyotaka shrugged. "In any case, the couples who've been staring at us aren't good examples to follow, Kikyo. If anything, the fact that the girls who had to snap their boyfriends out of their trance means that those guys don't even take their relationships seriously."

The girl thought about his words for a moment, before she realized how right he was. Now she only felt disgust towards the boys who have been staring at them this whole time, especially those who were with their girlfriends.

"Ugh… you're right. It would be fucking annoying to have to deal with a boyfriend like that," she groaned in displeasure before sending him a venomous look. "I expect you won't be the same as those pigs, Kiyotaka-kun."

"Well, I've never had a girlfriend yet, so I can't really comment."

"I wonder why…" she muttered sarcastically.

For the next hour, the two roamed around the mall while asking the people around if they had been to the bathhouse on the same day as Miyake's incident. Despite their efforts though, they were unable to make any decent progress with their goal.

Kikyo chose to rest their feet at a coffee shop on the second floor, while Kiyotaka simply followed her desire. They chose to buy food here as well, and now they were enjoying iced coffee and a pair of sandwiches in the quiet atmosphere of the cafe.

"This whole thing would be so boring if you weren't around, Kiyotaka-kun. I might honestly lose it if I was still with Horikita-san until now," Kikyo chuckled as she sipped on her iced mocha.

Kiyotaka stared at the girl before him while silently munching on a ham and cheese sandwich.

"You really hate her that much, huh?"

"You have no idea," she rolled her eyes.

He shrugged. "Well, you still haven't told me why you hate Suzune with a passion. I mean, you were the one who was pushing her to be friends with you. I can't really understand your side if I don't know everything."

"Fine," she let out a deep sigh and sat back against her chair. "I suppose I can tell you all about it now."

"The floor is all yours," Kiyotaka leaned back as well and gestured for her to proceed.

"You see, the biggest reason why I hate Horikita-san is because she knows something she shouldn't."

"I'm guessing that you knew her from a previous school then? It's the only way you could know about her and why you hate her now," he deduced, hiding what he already knew about her thanks to her 'heroine summary'.

Kikyo nodded. "That's right. She came from the same middle school that I attended. We weren't classmates, but I knew she was a student from my old school the moment I first laid eyes on her."

"That explains why she doesn't have the slightest clue on who you are, but it does make me curious how you know her. You said you two aren't classmates, yet you're completely sure that she came from the same school as you."

"I know a lot of people from my old school, Kiyotaka-kun. If you think I'm popular around here, then you could say I was even more popular in middle school. I knew the names of almost everyone, whether it's a student or a teacher, someone from my year or not. No matter who it was, I knew who they were."

"Did they treat you as an angel over there too?" he asked.

"You have no idea," Kushida shook her head in amusement. "I realized a lot of things about me long ago. I realized I was blessed with good looks compared to a lot of the other girls there. I was better at memorizing than most students, so I excelled at academics. I was also good at sports and confident when it came to socializing. If the people here see me as an angel, the people in my old school saw me as a goddess."

"Did you like being treated that way? Like a goddess?"

"Are you kidding me? The days when everyone idolized and wanted to be like me… I could never get over it. The feeling I get when everyone around puts me on a pedestal, untouched by anyone who's below me…" she sighed happily while cupping her cheek in a cute pose.

"Is this why you're angry with Suzune? You think she knows that you like to get treated as if you're royalty by everyone around you?"

"Not even close. I hate her for something else," she shook her head and laughed, before a melancholic expression took over her features. "But Kiyotaka-kun, you have to know… even I don't think I'm perfect. I already know there will always be other girls who are far more beautiful than me, people who are smarter than me, and many more who are better at sports than me. Of course, I know that's natural."

"Is that so?"

"However, I also believe there are things people absolutely don't want to lose at, and those are the things that you're great at doing. When you lose to someone in your own area of expertise, I believe anyone would begin to feel frustrated."

"Reality can be cruel like that."

It was at this point that the two stood up from their seats and brought their drinks with them, having finished eating their sandwiches. They left the cafe afterwards and stood by the railing, looking out into the open area down below.

"I'm definitely not a genius, but I was treated like one when I was younger," Kikyo continued to explain. "And it felt intoxicating. Being praised as a genius, called by different people a 'child prodigy', it was all like a drug to me. I wanted more of it, so I kept on working hard to be that girl. I was the best in my class, the idol, and the people praised me for my achievements. I never wanted it to end. I wanted to be praised by people for as long as possible."

"Everything I'm hearing from here on out, these are Kikyo's real thoughts. It's what she really feels under the mask that she shows everyone," the young man thought to himself.

"But when I entered middle school, I started meeting people who were superior to me in every field. I was starting to get hit by the reality that I'm not the best, and I hated it. Every time I lost, my chest would feel heavy. Sometimes I'd throw up from stress. That's how I felt when I was no longer the best. When I was no longer being praised by everyone."

"I can't imagine what it must have felt like for you," he spoke in a sincere tone, before placing his hand on her shoulder gently.

"Wanna know the worst part about it?" she let out a sardonic laugh. "I was surrounded by people that I had no chance of beating. I didn't bother trying, because I knew I would lose horribly. So I searched for a way out. To escape from the suffering I felt. I wanted to find something where I wouldn't lose to anyone. I wanted recognition again. I wanted people to praise me again. However, it couldn't be anything related to academics or sports."

"And the solution that you came up with is being nice with everyone?"

"Pretty close, but that wasn't the point," she shook her head before propping her elbows on the railing. "The answer I thought of was that I would get people to 'trust' me more than anyone else. I wanted them to think of me as someone they can approach anytime. That way, I would regain my place above the people around me… by being more popular than anyone else."

"That sounds exceedingly hard to do," Kiyotaka commented.

"It was, because it came at a price. To get people to trust me, I had to hide myself in return. I had to repress my emotions, put on a fake smile, and spread a false notion that I'm someone you could count on. I extended my hand to boys so disgusting that just seeing them made me feel unpleasant, and to girls so irritatingly ugly it made my stomach turn…"

Kikyo clenched her fists, as she felt an immense wave of displeasure run through her. She thought of the people whom she had to befriend during her years in middle school; many of them were students whom she would never even think of approaching, if she wasn't planning to be popular.

"I did all of it to become popular, and I got what I wanted. Classmates, senpais, kouhais, teachers, parents, and even strangers I met while walking the halls… they all knew who I was. It was stressful, but I became someone who was liked by everyone and through my actions, I realized I couldn't lose to anyone anymore. When I realized that, I was truly happy."

Kiyotaka nodded slowly as he took all of it in. "So, in conclusion, you wanted to surpass everyone around you by becoming more popular than them. From there, you started showing everyone your mask instead of your feelings, fooling the people around you into thinking you're an innocent angel. As you got into it, your popularity grew as well and took you back to the top of the social hierarchy. Did I get it right?"

Kikyo smirked at his assessment. "So far, you're right on the mark. But that's not all of it. I still have something important to tell you."

"I'm all ears."

She took a deep breath, before continuing on with her explanation. "After I became popular again, I started to understand something else. As I became known to a lot of people, I earned their trust too. And after I earned that trust, I discovered the one thing that I would continue to strive for in the years that would come to pass."

"What's that?" he asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Trust between two people isn't easily formed, but it can be ripped apart in a snap. Nonetheless, it can be developed with time and care, leading to a bond between those two people. And behind that trust and bond, are the secrets that individuals keep from everybody else."

"I'm starting to get it now…" he thought to himself, though he kept his attention directed to the girl and listened to her for now.

"When someone truly trusts another person from the bottom of their heart, they disclose the secrets they keep inside them. It's what happened to me." At this point, a smile had begun to form on her face. "I knew the secret crush of the most popular boy in class, as well as the unexpected troubles of the smartest person in class. From the most serious secrets to the most trivial ones, I knew them all. I took all of it like pieces in a collection. Every time I made a new friend and learned of their deepest secret, my heart would pound with excitement. Not only did I love to get praised by everyone, but I also derived great pleasure from being entrusted with other people's secrets, things as important to them as their very own lives."

Kikyo then withdrew from the railing and turned around, before she threw her arms out wide and began twirling around in pure glee. It was like watching a child being given some candy for the first time.

"I was the most trusted person around. Everyone loved me. It gave my life meaning, especially after realizing that I could never match the true geniuses and prodigies in my school. But…" She stopped in her tracks all of a sudden, being reminded of one thing she disliked about this arrangement. "...there was something I didn't notice at the time. The 'trust' that I longed for could only be gained from living with a mask. I spent every day living with an enormous amount of stress in my heart…"

Kikyo gasped softly when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind and a sudden weight on the crown of her head, causing her to look up. Kiyotaka let his head rest on top of hers, and it didn't seem like she minded it at all.

The girl blushed deeply at how close he was but at the same time, she felt grateful that he was still here, listening to her. It gave Kikyo the much-needed courage to utter her next words, which she was nervous about.

"And then… that incident happened…"

He raised an eyebrow. "What incident?"

"During my final year in middle school… everything changed. Prior to it, I had a blog where I posted a lot of stuff anonymously, most of them being about my real feelings about everything around me. It was the only place where I could let out what I truly felt within and then one day, it wasn't anonymous anymore." Her eyes became downcast and she shifted her attention to the ground. "I didn't know what to do at first… I had no idea how to save the image of myself that I've built up for three years."

"Did they find out about your mask?"

Kikyo didn't say anything at first, but the way her hands tightened their grip on his arms gave him the answer he needed. "Somehow, there were people who managed to connect the blog to me and told everyone in my class about it. I didn't know what to do, but I knew that the longer I kept my mouth shut, I'd be in bigger trouble. In the end, I couldn't stop myself from letting out everything that I knew."

Kiyotaka tilted his head. "What did you do?"

"Believe me, I didn't want to do it to everyone. But… there was no helping it. Everyone agreed with each other and they all rejected me. I thought that… because they didn't hesitate to hurt me with their words, they can't complain if I hurt them in return. After all, if you get attacked, it's only natural for you to fight back."

"Go on," he muttered, urging the girl to continue.

She took a deep breath, bracing herself for what she would tell him next. "That day, the 'ideal me' that everyone once placed on a pedestal was shattered. Everyone's respect and envy disappeared right away, replaced by fear and hatred. I needed to save myself, because it wasn't the kind of attention I wanted. So, I decided to fight back with the only weapon I had against all of them…"

"You used their secrets against them," he finished for her, realizing what she was about to tell him.

"What else could I have done? Everyone didn't see me in a positive light anymore, and I needed to save myself before something happened," she shrugged, slowly removing his arms from her. "All it took to get them to stop looking at me was revealing their secrets, one by one. I listened to all of their secrets when they revealed them to me, and I simply gave it back to them."

"What happened afterwards?"

"Just as I hoped, they turned their attention from me to each other. Every dirty secret about them and the whole class, it came out. The people who secretly hated someone else in the classroom, they tried to defend themselves but they eventually admitted it. Nobody was safe from having their secrets out in the open. And with secrets so volatile as the ones that some of them possessed, the whole class imploded from within."

Kiyotaka could only imagine what Kikyo meant by those words, but it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that the results of her actions ended in chaos for her classmates. If the secrets she knew about them were as deep as she made them out to be, then the sense of betrayal between them must be grand.

"Is this why you want to get rid of Suzune? You think she knows about what happened to your class and how you were involved in it?" he asked.

"It's impossible for her not to know," Kikyo pointed out, completely sure of her hypothesis. "That incident led to several suspensions for many of my classmates and I was only lucky that I wasn't one of them. Everyone in the school knew about what happened and for someone as popular as I was, there's no way she doesn't know that I was a part of the class that imploded that day."

Despite those words, Kiyotaka didn't look convinced. "It doesn't seem like she does. If Suzune knew, then she would have said something. She doesn't seem to know who you are either. In fact, she may not even be aware that you two came from the same school… unless you've been hallucinating this whole time and Suzune didn't really come from the same school as you."

"That's impossible," Kikyo shook her head stubbornly. "She may not know who I am, but I know who she is. I know which class she was a part of, and I know for a fact that the incident was a hot topic there. Unless she was deaf, then she definitely knows about what happened at least. The only question is… whether she knows or not that I was involved in it. But honestly, I'm not going to sit around and wait to see if she does."

The girl began to walk away from that area, and Kiyotaka quickly followed after her.

"After that incident, I swore I'd never repeat my mistakes. I wanted to be trusted by everyone again. I wanted to regain my place above everyone else again. That's why I was so excited about starting my new high school life here. I was so excited to start over and I was determined not to mess up this time, but… it turned into my worst nightmare instead."

"It's when you saw Suzune again, wasn't it?"

Kikyo nodded. "On the school bus that we were both on, I saw Horikita Suzune. The one person who knows about what happened in my old school… was also going to the same high school. And as long as she's in this place, I'll never be able to start over. That's why… I have to get rid of her. Horikita-san is the only remaining piece of my past that is still in this school, a past that I'm trying to get rid of."

The pair stopped at a bench by the first floor as they threw away their empty drinks in a trash bin. Kiyotaka only stared at her after she finished her explanation, already thinking of what happens now.

"So… what do you think? Now that you know everything, now that I've told you about my past, what do you think of me now?" she asked slowly, feeling nervous about the answer she would get from him. Even though she was willing to tell him about her past now, it didn't make her prepared for what he might say to her afterwards.

Will Kiyotaka hate her now? Will he decide to stay away from her? Will he choose Suzune over her? These questions were slowly filling her mind, but she had no answer to any of them. All she could do was hope that he would still be accepting of her and what she's like…

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Kiyotaka took a deep breath and uttered his response.

"My answer doesn't change. You're still one of my friends, Kikyo. I can't just forget about that."

A massive wave of relief filled Kushida's entire being. She felt relieved that he didn't hate her or worse. She had become very fond of Kiyotaka by now that she had no idea what she would have done if he started to avoid her…

"R-Really? You don't… hate me for being like this? Or even afraid of me?"

"No, why would I be?" he asked rhetorically. "Knowing these things about you doesn't invalidate the time we have spent together. If anything, I feel glad that I know a lot more about you now, Kikyo. And like what I told you before on that night, I prefer seeing you like this. No lies, no masks, just the real you."

"Kiyotaka-kun…" she whispered in a dreamy voice. At that moment, the girl felt the sudden urge to tackle him to the ground and kiss him like there's no tomorrow. The only thing preventing her from doing so is the fact that they were in a public place, but she was starting to care less and less about that…

"However, I will say this. What you're planning to do with Suzune…" Kiyotaka sighed. "...it's pretty dumb. I think you're being worried for no reason. Suzune has done nothing so far that points to the possibility that she knows who you are. Even if you say that she knows about the incident in your school, she has never brought it up. She's more focused on her goals in this school, and you know it."

Kikyo blinked a few times upon hearing Suzune's inclusion in the conversation, as she snapped out of her temporary trance.

Ugh, now her mood was ruined. Stupid Kiyotaka! What a Kiyobaka!

She folded her arms across her chest and put on a deadpan expression. "You're not convincing me, Kiyotaka-kun. If there's even the slightest chance that Horikita-san knows something about me, then she has to leave this place."

"I understand that. But your problem is that you are overthinking it, leading to you becoming paranoid. It doesn't help that you keep on complaining to yourself about how much you hate her existence," he explained.

"What, did you expect me to like her? Horikita-san has been the same cold and frigid bitch that she's always been. We weren't classmates before, but I know enough about her to be sure that I could never be around someone like Horikita-san. I'm only pretending to be her friend because it's the only way I can get her trust."

"You and I both know that Suzune is trying her best to change her ways. She wouldn't have accepted your offer of friendship if she wasn't trying to change. I wouldn't call myself her friend if she didn't have even the slightest intention of becoming a better person. I'm sure even you can say that the old Suzune would have never accepted you as her friend."

"Tch…" she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "So what? She's the same, deep down inside. I know she is. She hasn't changed at all. People like her don't change. No matter what, she'll always be the same girl who thinks she's so high above everyone else."

"You know, I can honestly see a little bit of Suzune in your real personality. Or at least, what she used to be. Pushing people away, not wanting to get close to other people. You act like her in some ways."

"I-I am nothing like that bitch…!" she sputtered, unable to even consider the very idea of being similar to Suzune in any way.

"True. You're nothing like Suzune. As of right now, she's better than you." Kiyotaka pointed out, causing Kikyo to glare at him. For a moment, he thought of stopping now before he goes too far and makes her sad, but he felt that this girl needed to hear him out despite what she feels. "At the very least, she's actively making an effort to become a better person. She's slowly learning to accept other people as friends, and several of our classmates have praised her abilities as a tutor. It won't take long for her to fully adjust to the class and become someone whom our classmates can rely on. What about you, Kikyo? Are you making an effort to become a better person yourself? Or are you still the same girl who wanted everyone's trust in your old school?"

"Shut up…" she growled, clenching her fists tightly.

Deep down, Kiyotaka was already feeling nervous about the possibility of the system activating at any moment because of what he's doing but again, he shook his head to snap himself out of that thought. It's not like he was doing this for the sake of making Kikyo feel miserable. He was telling her these things for her own good.

"I understand why you're putting on a fake persona and fooling the people around you, Kikyo. I can get why you want to feel superior over the people around you, and I can comprehend why you get a kick from learning their secrets. What I can't understand is why you feel the need to make a problem bigger when the other person hasn't done anything wrong yet."

Kikyo didn't say anything else, but she kept on glaring at him because of his words. She couldn't believe that he was comparing her to Horikita, of all people.

"This train of thought will only lead you to make the same mistakes you made in your old school, Kikyo. The more you think about Suzune and your plan to expel her, the more likely you'll slip up and repeat history. You never know, someone else other than Suzune might catch on to your trail and expose you, all while you had your attention on someone who's not even doing anything. With that, history had repeated itself because of your own carelessness—"

"Fine!" Kikyo snapped at him. She continued to glare at him for a few moments, before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "You win, Kiyotaka-kun. I won't do anything to Horikita-san. I'll leave her alone for the time being like a good girl. I'll even try to co-exist with her, if that's what you want. But the moment that I see her being suspicious of me, all bets are off. I'm expelling her, whether you like it or not. Anyone who's not you, I'll get rid of them if they know my past."

The young man nodded slowly. That was a fair compromise, and something he could agree to. However, he'd make sure that things won't escalate to that point.

"I doubt Suzune would jump straight to conclusions without thinking about the situation clearly. And I'm sure if she ever becomes suspicious of you or if she remembers you from her old school, she'll inform me before doing something else and ask what would be the right course of action."

"You and Horikita-san must be really close if she goes straight to you for advice…" she seethed quietly.

"We simply trust each other, Kikyo. All Suzune wants is for our class to become the new Class A. Nonetheless, she won't do anything that will affect your placement in this school if it comes down to it. If Suzune ever remembers the incident in your old school and begins to have suspicions about you, I'll know about it and inform you right away."

Kikyo rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Good. At least I'll be able to get rid of her before things blow up again."

"There is no need for things to escalate to that point. I'll find a way to satisfy both sides without anyone getting expelled. Again, I don't believe that Suzune would think of exposing you, so you don't have to worry about anything. I'll try to get her to talk to you instead so you can tell her not to tell anyone about what she knows. After all, you two are friends, even if you hate her."

"Sure, whatever you say…" she scoffed and looked away with a pout. Honestly, Kikyo couldn't believe that she was giving him what he wanted.

The things people do for love…

"You're lucky I like you more than I hate that bitch…"

[You gained 5 Affection Points with Kushida Kikyo!]

"She doesn't believe me at all…" he sighed and looked down in disappointment, but also felt a bit relieved upon seeing that recent notification. Probably the first time in a long time that he felt something positive about his dating sim power. "Well, at least I made her change her mind regarding Suzune. Just have to make sure it doesn't reach the point where she'll go crazy."

The two became quiet afterwards, with Kikyo continuing to seethe in her mind while Kiyotaka gave her some much-needed space so she could calm down. It continued to be that way until the girl noticed someone familiar in the distance, someone who was from the same class as them.

"Isn't that Hirata-kun?" Kikyo muttered, seeing one of the most popular students in their class not far from them.

Kiyotaka quickly turned to the direction where his heroine was looking at, and he blinked a few times in

"Huh. I wonder what Hirata's doing here…" he muttered to himself before turning his attention back to Kikyo, who was already worried beyond belief. It also seemed like she was about to hyperventilate at any moment. "Relax. He's so far away from us. I doubt he could even hear the two of us talking from here. He didn't hear you, I promise."

In an attempt to soothe her nerves, the young man reached out and began to pat Kushida's head, which was successful in calming her down. She took several deep breaths while reminding herself over and over of what Kiyotaka just said. Kikyo found some solace in his touch as well, as she always did whenever he would pat her head like this.

"Okay…" she murmured, finally managing to calm down. She looked towards Hirata again, trying to see if they caught his attention but luckily, he was too busy talking with other people. "Maybe… we should talk to him just to be sure?"

"I'm still sure that he had no idea that you were throwing a tantrum earlier, but it's up to you," Kiyotaka shrugged and gestured for her to do as she pleased. "I'm right behind you."

Reassured by his words, Kikyo stood up from the bench and began to walk towards the blonde-haired soccer player of Class D with Kiyotaka following behind her. She knew that there was absolutely no reason for her to approach Hirata when her companion was telling her that he didn't see anything, but she had to be sure. She didn't want a repeat of what happened in her old school.

"Good afternoon, Hirata-kun!" she called out to their classmate, who turned towards them as soon as he finished speaking with a girl who was presumably a second-year student.

"Oh, Kushida-san. Ayanokouji-kun. What brings the two of you here today?" he asked, flashing his usual smile at them.

"That's a question we should be asking you," Kikyo giggled. "I wanted to keep on searching for the witness to Miyake-kun's case today, and I asked Kiyotaka-kun if he could accompany me."

"I see," Yosuke nodded, before he let out a soft chuckle. "Funnily enough, I had the same intention as you, Kushida-san. I wanted to continue looking for the possible witness to the case today, even if it's the weekend. Miyake-kun's trial is on Monday, so I thought that we had to redouble our efforts to help him. Fortunately, I had nothing else to do today."

While the beige-haired girl took a moment to sigh in relief upon realizing she was safe, Kiyotaka sent a nod towards their classmate out of acknowledgement.

"You're a good guy, Hirata. I'm sure Miyake would appreciate this."

Yosuke shrugged as he rubbed the back of his head. "I wish I could do more, honestly. Maybe I should have done as Kushida-san did and asked someone if they would be willing to help in finding our mystery witness."

"There's no need for you to do that, Hirata-kun. Helping out on your own is already enough."

"It would be more productive if I was with someone right now, though I'm not sure if any of our classmates would want to spend their weekend searching for someone. Many of them value the days when there are no classes, after all."

While Kushida and Hirata talked about the latter's contributions to this whole case, Ayanokouji noticed the presence of someone hiding behind the walls of a diner near them. His gaze was subtle, so that person had no idea that she had been caught in the act.

He blinked a few times upon realizing who it was, even more so when he noticed where she was looking at. A plethora of questions filled his mind right away, with the most prominent being why this person was here with them. However, because her attention was directed to Hirata for some reason, it already gave Kiyotaka the answer he was looking for.

"So how long have you two been walking around this place?" he asked, cutting the ongoing conversation between his two classmates completely.

Hirata raised an eyebrow at him, genuinely confused by that question. "...is that a question that you are asking yourself, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"No, I'm asking you."

"There's no one with me, though. As I have said, I should have gone and asked someone else from our class if they want to walk around and ask the people here if they've been to the bathhouse recently," Hirata tilted his head while explaining his situation.

"That's an interesting response, considering that someone seems to have been following you around for some time now," Ayanokouji revealed.

That got Yosuke to freeze in surprise.

"What?"

Instead of answering right away, Kiyotaka turned to the nearby diner with his usual impassive look. "You heard me right, Wang. So why don't you come out of your hiding place already? You weren't doing a good job of concealing your presence, anyway."

Upon hearing those words, Mei-Yu Wang poked her head out of her hiding spot right after Kiyotaka spoke, her eyes wide in shock and her mouth wide open at being exposed just like that.

"E-Ehhhhh…?!"

"Why not join us here instead of eavesdropping on our conversation, Wang? After all, we're classmates and this concerns our whole class."

With her face still burning red, Wang stepped out into the open and began to walk slowly towards them. It should be noted that her face was being shadowed by her hair, and her hands were behind her back as if she was hiding something. On the other hand, both Hirata and Kushida looked at the newcomer in surprise, especially now when Ayanokouji just revealed that she was listening to them this whole time. But for what reason, though?

"Mii-chan? What are you doing here?" asked Kushida, being the first one to find her voice.

"I… I was just…"

"What were you doing there, Wang-san?" Yosuke spoke up as well.

All of a sudden, Wang raised her head and straightened her posture, before she looked at Hirata with a flustered expression on her face. "H-Hirata-kun…! I was just here because… because…" she stuttered, ultimately failing to give a coherent response due to how flustered she had become.

"You've been following Hirata around, haven't you?" asked Kiyotaka.

Yosuke's eyes widened at his words, before he turned towards the Chinese girl for some kind of confirmation.

"Y-Yes…" she spoke with a beet red face to the point that steam was starting to emit from her head. She might even faint at any moment out of embarrassment.

"Why were you following me around, Wang-san? Were you perhaps too nervous to approach me?" asked Yosuke.

"Uhm… I… I saw Hirata-kun asking the people around here and… I thought you might be hungry so… I… b-bought a burger and a soda for you…"

As she uttered those words, Mei-Yu brought out her arms from behind her and revealed what she had in her hands, which was a small paper bag that had a burger and soda in it. She bowed her head, if only to hide her face from the three.

All Yosuke could do was stare at her in surprise as the girl slowly walked up with her head low, offering the bag to him.

"Wang-san… you really didn't have to, but I appreciate the thought. Thank you," he offered her a genuine smile after snapping out of his surprise.

"Y-You're welcome…" she blushed.

"Since you're here with Hirata-kun now, would you mind accompanying him in looking for our witness, Mii-chan?"

"There is no need for that, Kushida-san. I'm sure Wang-san doesn't want to be bothered because it's the weekend. I'll be fine on my own."

"A-Actually… I wouldn't mind accompanying Hirata-kun." Upon realizing that this was her chance of not only helping her classmates but to also spend time with her crush, Mii-chan raised her head to look at him. "I want to help too."

Hirata sent her a look of concern. He didn't really want one of his classmates doing this against their will out of pressure, but he wasn't going to outright deny the offer either. "Are you sure about that, Wang-san? I won't refuse your help, but I'm not going to force you into doing this, either."

"I'm sure," she nodded again, showing her full intention to lend a hand and ease his burden. "I want to help my classmate as well."

"Well, would you look at that? You found a companion after all, Hirata," Kiyotaka remarked.

A soft chuckle escaped Yosuke's mouth as he rubbed the back of his head. "I suppose so, even if it's only a product of a coincidence."

"I'm sure Mii-chan will be a lot of help to you, Hirata-kun. She looks really determined there," Kikyo added, sending a teasing look towards the twin-tailed girl who blushed furiously at being the center of attention at the moment.

"K-Kushida-san…"

"I do feel more confident that we'll be able to make progress together," Yosuke smiled warmly before turning towards his new companion. "As a matter of fact, I think we should get started right away so we could cover more ground before the day ends. Shall we go, Wang-san?"

"Y-Yes," she gave him a quick nod before averting her gaze shyly. "And… please just call me 'Mii-chan', Hirata-kun. It's what my friends call me."

"Very well, Mii-chan."

With a nod of affirmation, Yosuke uttered a quick word of farewell to their two other classmates before walking off with Mei-Yu by his side. The girl did the same, although she was more shy and couldn't even get the words out of her mouth properly, too overwhelmed by the fact that she's with her crush.

"See you in class, Hirata-kun! Mii-chan!"

"Is Wang interested in Hirata?" Kiyotaka muttered out loud.

"You only noticed that now? Almost all the girls know she has had a huge crush on him ever since classes began," Kikyo looked surprised at the fact that the young man wasn't even aware of it. "But I suppose none of the guys are aware of it since they're trapped within their own little world. Oh, this is just like how you told me that Sudo-kun likes Onodera-san back then!"

"In my defense, I was too busy with my own problems to notice these things. Problems that happened to include a handful of girls who made my life in this school a lot more complicated," he deadpanned at her, while Kikyo almost gave in to a burst of laughter, knowing the meaning behind his words.

"Pfft! I guess you have a point," she covered her mouth to stifle her amusement, before grabbing his wrist firmly. "Come on, let's continue our date, Kiyotaka-kun~"

The pair explored the rest of the floors, doing their best to ask other passersby if they were anywhere near the onsen on the day of the incident. To Kikyo's disappointment, they still made no progress and weren't any closer to finding out the truth. Even though she was giving it her all to help their classmate, it still wasn't enough and now it's becoming more likely that Miyake will lose this case against him and he'll be expelled.

If she could, she'd let out a scream of frustration. As much as she wished to help despite her initial reason for asking out Kiyotaka, it was all for naught which also meant that her efforts would be nothing but a waste of time!

Kikyo didn't want to accept that she wasted her time. She didn't want to accept that she spent the whole week roaming around the campus with the person she hated the most for nothing! They have to find a crucial piece of the puzzle before the day is over!

While they were by the last section of the uppermost floor, the pair of Class D students took notice of a girl with red hair and glasses standing in front of an electronics store, someone who looked very familiar to them that they were able to recognize her with one look.

"Hey, isn't that Sakura-san outside of that store?" asked Kikyo, pointing to the girl curiously.

"You're right. It's her," Kiyotaka nodded as he stared at his red-haired heroine in the not-so-far distance, where he noticed that she was wearing a mask over her mouth. "I wonder what she's doing there… and why she's wearing a mask."

"Hmm… maybe she's sick or something," the girl rubbed her chin while thinking of a possible reason for that question. She then turned towards Kiyotaka with a curious look. "Want to say hi?"

Kiyotaka gave her a blank stare. "I'll leave that decision up to you. I can tell that you'd be pissed if I tried to talk to Sakura while I'm with you."

"I'm not like that," she pouted, taking offense at that assumption when it's completely far from the truth. "I'm only angry with girls who like you the same way as I do. Sakura-san isn't like Horikita-san, Karuizawa-san, and Matsushita-san. I don't mind you having a normal conversation with her."

"You and Kei are gonna be so disappointed when the time comes," he sighed in his thoughts, feeling a twinge of sympathy for this girl and her wrong assumption. That being said, he couldn't deny that there was a part of him that felt interested in seeing how she and Kei would react to Airi having feelings for him too. "All right, I'll talk to her for a bit."

With that, he walked towards Airi and noticed that she was strangely fixated on the inside of the store, as if she wanted to go in but there's something that's preventing her from doing so. He also noticed the camera in her hands, and that was when he remembered from her 'summary' that this girl had a hobby of taking pictures.

Could it be that she's here to buy a better camera? Or is she planning to have hers repaired because it was broken?

"Sakura. I'm surprised to see you here on a weekend," Kiyotaka called out to her, making the girl jump in surprise at hearing her name and causing her to quickly turn to him out of panic.

"G-Good afternoon, Ayanokouji-kun…" Airi spoke after taking a moment to calm herself, seeing that it was only Kiyotaka and not someone she didn't know. She then noticed that he was accompanied by someone else, when a beige-haired girl walked up to stand beside him. "You too, Kushida-san…"

"Same to you, Sakura-san!" Kikyo said with her usual bright smile. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you dressed like that?"

Airi averted her gaze, embarrassed about being seen like this by her two classmates. "U-Uh… I just… wanted to blend in with everybody here…"

"I mean no offense with this, Sakura-san, but I don't think you're blending in at all. Honestly, you look kind of suspicious, hehe…" she chuckled nervously at the redhead's thought process.

"Rather than looking suspicious, I think you actually stand out more with that outfit," Kiyotaka added.

"Y-Yeah, I suppose so. I think I do stand out, especially here…" she sweat-dropped, realizing just how pointless her approach was after hearing their opinions. Hanging her head in embarrassment, she removed her mask.

Kiyotaka and Kikyo immediately noticed that she didn't seem to have a cold. While the girl realized that Sakura only wore a mask to avoid attention, Kiyotaka started to wonder if he overestimated Airi's potential to be better within the span of a week. If she's still this nervous about being around other people, then there's no hope of her speaking up as a witness for Miyake's trial… although he could just think about this later. The day wasn't over yet, after all.

"What are you doing here, standing outside of the store?"

Airi looked towards the brown-haired teen and raised her camera for them to see. "Oh, I… was actually planning to get my camera fixed. I've been having some trouble turning it on, so I thought I should have it repaired."

"Then why haven't you gone inside yet?" asked Kikyo.

"T-That's because… it's just that…"

"You're too nervous to go inside and have your camera fixed, right?"

The red-haired girl could only nod shyly as a response, taking a moment to mentally scold herself for having Kiyotaka finish her sentence instead of it being her own effort. He didn't have to, especially for someone like her… someone who can't even speak up for one of her classmates…

"Then why don't we go with you inside? It shouldn't be hard to do when you're with people you know, right?" Kikyo offered with a smile.

Airi quickly waved her hands in front of her, the red hue on her face becoming deeper as a result. "Oh, y-you don't have to, Kushida-san. I don't really want to bother you and Ayanokouji-kun."

"No need to worry, Sakura-san! We can spare some time for you. We're not in any hurry, so let's get your camera fixed," Kikyo insisted, with her male companion nodding in agreement.

Seeing that she wasn't going to win this battle, Airi sighed and simply bowed her head in gratitude.

"O-Okay, uhm… thank you both."

With the knowledge that her two classmates were now with her, Airi felt a surge of confidence in her that allowed her to finally go inside, knowing that Kiyotaka and Kikyo were right behind her.

However, the two didn't move from their place. Not yet, anyway. Kiyotaka shifted his attention towards Kikyo first and raised an eyebrow at her.

"I thought you wanted to spend time with me today," he pointed out, a bit puzzled with her decision to help Airi out of nowhere.

"Now, now, Kiyotaka-kun… I'm just being a good classmate towards Sakura-san. After all, I promised to be a good girl, remember?" she smirked while reminding him of her earlier words when they talked about Horikita. "Of course, unless you feel jealous and you want to treat this as a real date between us?"

"She's gonna lose her mind when she finds out Sakura also likes me," he sighed to himself before following Airi into the store. "Fine, do what you want. Just don't blame me if you ever feel that you didn't get to spend more time with me today."

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about~ we won't really take that long here," she giggled before following her two classmates inside.

The store itself wasn't particularly massive since most of the customers were students, although it sold a variety of electronic devices for everyday use. It even had repair services for its own products, earning them good feedback from their customers, as shown on the posters that were on the walls.

"Where should we go, Sakura-san?" the beige-haired girl asked the person who already had prior knowledge of this place.

Airi took a moment to think about that question, before shaking her head in disappointment. "I'm not really sure… this is the first time I've been here to repair my camera."

"Then let's ask at the counter," Kiyotaka suggested.

Airi quickly nodded at that. She led the way to the counter, only to see that there was no one there… or at least that person wasn't in his appropriate post. The person who was supposed to be behind the cash register was busy reading a book with his back turned against the counter, so he didn't notice the three students walking towards him. Seeing this, Airi knew that she would have to get that person's attention so he could tell them where she could have her camera repaired, but someone else had spoken up before she could even think of what to say.

"Excuse me," Kikyo asked the cashier, causing him to look up from the book he was reading. "Can we ask if this is where we can get my friend's camera fixed?"

"Oh, the counter for repairs is at the back. Just head there if you want your camera to be repaired," the cashier pointed to the other counter at the back of the shop, before going back to reading his book without a care in the world.

Despite the despondent tone in the man's voice, Kikyo still smiled at him and uttered a quick "thank you" then turned her attention to the back of the shop. Before she could head there though, Airi's voice made her stop and look at the redhead.

"You didn't have to ask him that, Kushida-san… I could have done it," she muttered.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-san. There's no need to force yourself to speak if you're too nervous," she flashed the red-haired girl another bright smile, before continuing on her way.

While Kushida headed towards the back of the store, Airi sighed at her own incompetence once again. Truly, she was so hopeless that her classmate had to speak up for her just to get the message across without failing…

Kiyotaka came up to her with his usual impassive look and placed a hand on her shoulder, drawing out a cute squeak of surprise from Airi. "Don't worry about it. Kikyo is naturally like that, helping other people as much as she can. There's no need to think badly of yourself simply because she spoke before you."

The girl slowly nodded, using his words to calm herself because there was some truth in them. "I wonder if they'll fix it right away…" she then mumbled, looking rather anxious as she held her digital camera tightly.

"You really love your camera, don't you? I've seen you taking pictures a few times while I was tutoring you and Kei at the library," Kiyotaka pointed out.

"Yeah. It's weird, isn't it?" she turned her head away and blushed deeply, embarrassed that someone else now knows about her interest in photography. What's worse is that it's the boy she secretly liked! What will he say about her now?!

Will he think that taking pictures is weird? Pointless? Lame?! Ahhh, her mind's gonna go crazy from this question alone!

"No, not at all. It's a good hobby to have, isn't it? I'm not someone who's that interested in photography, but I do show appreciation for pictures that are shot really well," he explained his stance on the topic. "Since it's your hobby, it's understandable to be passionate about it. With that, I hope that your camera will be fixed as soon as possible, Sakura."

Airi couldn't stop the smile that slowly formed on her face after hearing those things from Kiyotaka, though she still blushed and felt embarrassed about it.

"Y-Yeah, I hope so too… thank you, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Why are you two just standing there?" Kikyo's voice interrupted the two in their little conversation, as they turned to the beige-haired girl. She stood before them with a confused look on her face, wondering why the two haven't moved from their place at all. "Sakura-san, we're supposed to repair your camera, right?"

"Y-Yes…! I'm sorry for being distracted, Kushida-san!" Airi spoke in alarm, bowing her head in apology as she quickly walked up to Kikyo's side.

Feeling relieved that Kikyo hasn't flipped the switch towards Airi as of yet, Kiyotaka followed them to the back of the shop. He opted to keep his distance from the two and simply watch them, mainly because he was also interested in the products that this place had to offer. Sure, he wasn't materialistic and didn't need a lot of things taking up space in his already-cramped dorm unit, but that doesn't mean he can't determine the usefulness of a particular device in the future.

Of course, he wasn't going to buy anything right now, but it wouldn't hurt to keep his eyes open on any potential electronics that would be helpful in the future. A laptop of his own would actually be great for its many uses, though

"Ah…"

For some reason, Airi suddenly stopped in her tracks, which both Kiyotaka and Kikyo took notice of. He walked in front of her to see what's wrong, while Kikyo raised an eyebrow at her. They then noticed the expression of fear and revulsion on her face, like something in front of her had upset her quite a bit. However, when Kiyotaka followed her line of sight, there wasn't really anything out of the ordinary.

"What's the matter, Sakura-san?" Kushida asked.

"Ah, umm… Well…"

Although it seemed like she was about to say something, all the girl did was shake her head and take a deep breath to calm herself.

"It's nothing."

Donning an earnest smile, Sakura continued to walk to the repair counter as her two companions exchanged looks of confusion. Her behavior didn't seem like nothing was wrong but for now, they'd believe her. Perhaps she's just nervous about leaving her camera here to be repaired or something…

Upon reaching the repair counter, Kikyo stood in front of Airi so she could do the talking in place of the red-haired girl. Meanwhile, Kiyotaka stood behind them and looked at the electronic devices around him to see if there's something here that's worth saving up points for.

"Good afternoon! My friend's camera seems to be broken and now she can't use it. Can we have it repaired?"

"Oh, most certainly! You can leave the camera here with me and I'll have it fixed as soon as I can!" the clerk replied in a rather jovial tone, as though he was having the best day of his life.

Airi couldn't help but feel envious of how Kikyo treated this like it was child's play. Her ability to ignite a conversation almost seemed otherworldly, and she could only wish that she could do the same without any difficulty. Even though it was Kushida's first time meeting this clerk, she was soon talking to him as if they were longtime friends. In her case, she only spoke up when she needed to give her consent or to clarify something that her classmate would bring up.

On the other hand, Kiyotaka noticed that this particular clerk appeared pretty fired up, the complete opposite of the one they encountered earlier. He aggressively engaged Kikyo in conversation, without even pausing for a breath. What caught his complete attention and almost caused his eyes to narrow though, was when he tried asking Kikyo on a date. He asked her if she wanted to see a certain female idol's concert, which he had a couple of tickets to.

"What the hell is he trying to do…" he said mentally, keeping a close eye on this interaction to see what this man's intentions were. Was he actually trying to make moves on Kikyo? And why were idols the only things he kept on rambling about?

"I'm sorry, but I'm not really interested in going to a concert! Plus, I don't really have time for things like that when I'm a student."

"Oh, that's right! How silly of me, I got too excited talking to a beautiful girl like you, ojou-chan~"

"For some reason, I have the sudden urge to punch this guy in the face…" Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes at this man, although no one noticed the growing displeasure on his face.

Despite the rejection, the clerk still looked excited over talking to such a cute girl, although their conversation didn't proceed any further than the offer he made her. Kiyotaka noticed that Kikyo began to feel uneasy as the discussion continued, which almost prompted him to speak up in concern. However, she managed to retain her beaming smile and turned to urge Airi to hand over the camera so they could conclude their business.

While reluctant, Airi did as she was told. When the clerk opened up the camera to confirm the contents, he explained that part of it had been damaged from a fall.

"Sakura-san, did you drop your camera somewhere?" asked Kikyo.

Airi hung her head in embarrassment, feeling ashamed of her blunder that apparently led to this whole thing in the first place. "Y-Yes, I did… yesterday, while I was transferring some files to my laptop. I… caused it to be knocked over my desk while I was standing up to get a drink."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Sakura," Kiyotaka decided to show the girl some support by patting her shoulder a few times, which was somewhat effective when she raised her head to look at him. He simply gave her a nod, telling her that it's okay to make mistakes like this.

"W-Well, that explains why it wasn't turning on… now we just have to pay for repairs!" Kikyo chuckled nervously, regretting asking Airi that question as all it did was remind her of her mistake.

"Oh, there's no need to worry, ojou-chan~" the clerk was eager to correct the girl for her little mistake. Too eager, in fact, to the point that his eyes were strangely filled with glee. "Repairs are free of charge as long as the owner has her warranty card!"

Both teens turned towards Sakura; she looked hesitant at first, but pulled out a card from her pocket nonetheless, which was her warranty card from when she bought her camera.

"Ah, you have one! That's good, that's good! Now, if you could just fill this paper with some important information, hehe~" the man flashed a goofy smile as he brought out a customer's information sheet and placed it on the counter before Airi.

"I want to punch that smile off his face," the young man clenched his fist, ready to strike at a moment's notice but he kept himself where he was. There's just something about this man's enthusiasm that was rubbing him the wrong way.

Airi stared at the form in front of her, unsure of what to feel about this. On one hand, all she had to do now was fill out her contact information, and it'll be over. There's no need for them to be here any longer after providing her contact information for this form. But on the other hand, there was something within her that's screaming not to do it, which prevented her from grabbing the nearby pen and answering the information sheet. There was visible fear in her eyes, and her entire face conveyed discomfort as well.

"Sakura-san?"

Kikyo, noticing that her classmate was taking a considerable amount of time in the simple act of filling out a form, called out to her. The girl noticed that Airi was stuck in some kind of trance that was making her hesitate to do anything further, so she tried to snap her out of it through words.

Meanwhile, Kiyotaka shifted his attention to the only thing that could have caused his red-haired heroine to be like this.

The store clerk, who was previously absorbed in his conversation with Kikyo, now had his full attention on Airi. Both girls had their attention elsewhere, so they didn't notice the man's unsettling eyes. Even men would find it to be creepy if they saw them, but it would be pointless if those eyes lose all signs of life in them…

…because that was the exact moment when Kiyotaka's patience with this man reached its limit.

['To Protect That Smile' has been Activated!]

"Can I see that for a second?" he asked, which actually snapped the red-haired girl out of her little trance.

"Huh?"

Not even bothering to wait for an answer, Kiyotaka stood next to Airi and grabbed the pen that was intended for her, before quickly scanning the form for what he had to fill out. Sakura didn't seem to understand what his intentions were, so she only watched him curiously, and the same went for Kushida.

"Once the camera is repaired, please contact me," Kiyotaka stated, looking up to face the clerk after he was done reading through the form.

For the first time, the smile on the clerk's face disappeared, all because he was denied of what he wanted.

"H-Hey, wait a minute. Contact you? She's the owner, isn't she? That would be—"

Kiyotaka gave him a blank stare. "The manufacturer warranty explicitly shows where the item was sold and the date of purchase. Also, I doubt there'd be any legal problems with me putting my information down. It should be perfectly fine if the user's name is different from the purchaser's."

Before the clerk could say anything else, Kiyotaka wrote his name, unit number, and contact number into the required fields.

"Or, is there a reason why she specifically has to enter her information?" he added, setting the pen down as he stood back upright.

"S-She's the owner, it has to be her information that's on the form," the clerk argued, albeit nervous.

"That's a shame. Here I thought we'd be able to complete a transaction without trouble. Now then," the young man shook his disappointment, before sending a death stare at the clerk that promised a world of suffering and despair for his victim. "How do you want to die?"

The clerk's pupils shrunk. "W-What…?"

"I asked you a simple question. And I expect an answer."

He continued to stare at the man like it would be his last day being alive, and the clerk was an easy victim. It seems that for all the eagerness that he had earlier, he was a coward when it came down to it. It's almost disappointing to see.

Overtaken by fear, the only thing that was on the clerk's mind was getting out of this situation. His eyes darted to a button under the counter which, if pushed, will cause an alarm to go off and invite the nearest security guards to the store. He can then report this kid for disturbing the other customers in the store and the brat will be out of his hair! Yeah, this will teach the kid a lesson for messing with him!

"I wouldn't press that button if I were you," Kiyotaka warned him, noticing the man's action as soon as his hand moved. "My hand can break your wrist before you can even touch it."

He froze for a moment, realizing that he had lost the element of surprise against this boy, and now he was hesitant to go further. However, since this was his only shot at getting rid of the brat, it's not like he had any other choice.

Ignoring Kiyotaka's threat, he tried to reach for the button, only for the boy to spring into action faster than him. Before the clerk's hand could even get close, Kiyotaka immediately grabbed it and kept it from going anywhere, earning a look of horror from the bastard who tried to hit on his heroines.

"I told you so."

With that, Kiyotaka applied pressure on his grip and began to twist this pathetic worm's hand the other way, which was already enough to make him cry and plead for mercy, but the boy didn't care at all.

Meanwhile, the two girls only watched the scene that was playing out before them, choosing not to do anything. Airi was tempted to tell Kiyotaka to stop before he goes too far, but she couldn't deny that there's a part of her that felt sick pleasure in seeing this man get his comeuppance, so she didn't do anything to stop her classmate. In Kikyo's case, she wanted to stop Kiyotaka before he could end up making a bigger mess, but the look in his eyes stopped her from doing anything. His gaze alone was enough to tell her that trying to talk sense into him right now is a bad idea, so she kept silent as well. That being said, is this what he's like when he's angry?

"P-Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry…!" the clerk raised his other arm in surrender as he tried to remove himself from Kiyotaka's grip, but all that did was make things more painful for him when the boy increased the pressure.

In actuality, his words only seemed to further fuel the young man's ire towards him, until he spoke again.

"I was thinking about killing you slowly instead, but since I don't want to make a mess in front of them, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself." He took a quick glance at the girls who were watching him, before narrowing his eyes at the clerk again. "Her information's not going to be written on the form. Mine will. Understand?"

"Y-Yes sir, I understand…! P-Please let me go already!" he cried out while nodding his head furiously, feeling as if his wrist could end up being dislocated after this, and that's actually the least of his worries. Screw scoring a date with either of these girls, he didn't want to die!

Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes at him and continued to keep the pressure for a few more moments, before finally letting go. As the clerk tended to his wrist that may very well be broken, Kiyotaka proceeded to complete the form and handed it over with the camera.

Airi gently patted her chest and let out a massive sigh of relief. When Kiyotaka asked how long it would take for the device to be repaired, she learned that it would take two weeks for the camera to be repaired (even when he threatened the clerk about lying), she felt discouraged. However, she quickly got over it by reassuring herself that two weeks isn't that long.

With their business in the electronics store completed, Kiyotaka gestured to the two girls that they were leaving, to which they complied right away. As they left, he made sure to keep his eye on that damn clerk and ensure he stays in his place, otherwise there's nothing that can stop him from destroying that subhuman's face right here and now.

"That clerk sure was something else. He kept on talking with such incredible passion, I almost had a hard time catching up with everything he was saying," Kikyo spoke as soon as they stepped out of the store.

"You didn't feel disgusted?" asked Airi, a question that caught her classmate off guard upon hearing it for how strange it was.

Kikyo stared at her for a moment, thinking of what she should say as a response before finally shaking her head. "N-No, I wasn't disgusted by him. Do you know something, Sakura-san? About that clerk?" she asked, hiding her true feelings behind that friendly smile of hers.

Airi gave a meek nod. I guessed that something had been off even when she first purchased the camera. Turning to me, she asked, "What do you think, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"I want to kill him," he stated in a matter-of-factly tone, as if any other scenario is unacceptable. This made the girl slightly unnerved, at least until he waved his hand to show that he was kidding. "Jokes aside, I get the feeling that he's someone who's hard to approach with his strange attitude. Especially for girls."

The girl nodded slowly in agreement. "It's why I was scared of having my camera repaired in the first place…when I bought my camera here after our first day of classes, he was standing right beside the person who was at the cashier and stared at me the whole time…"

Upon hearing that explanation, a wave of realization washed over Kikyo. She turned towards the young man with wide eyes.

"Wait, did you know about this, Kiyotaka-kun? Is that why you volunteered to give your information instead of Sakura-san?"

"It's not that complicated. Sakura's normally shy and nervous around other people, so it's not hard to think that she'd be reluctant to write down her personal information. Plus, she needed our help before to even step inside the store," he explained while shrugging. "On the other hand, I'm not really bothered by the thought of giving away my contact information to a store."

"Th-thank you…Ayanokouji-kun. You really…saved me. Even until now… even though you don't have to help me outside of the classroom… you still helped me," she bowed her head in gratitude, and to also hide her flustered expression.

[You gained 5 Affection Points with Sakura Airi!]

[You protected a heroine's privacy! You gained +20 in Aura!]

Kiyotaka ignored the two notifications since they'll disappear after a while, anyway. "I appreciate the gratitude, but I didn't really do anything big. I just wrote down my information instead of yours so that that clerk wouldn't bother you. Once he contacts me about your camera, I'll tell you right away, Sakura."

"I don't think threatening another person can be described as something minor, though," she chuckled nervously.

He paused for a moment and observed Airi's face as she said those words, realizing that he may have committed a little blunder for that scary display he put on earlier in front of them. If Airi's bringing it up right now, then he may have just caused this girl's perception of him to change… and he didn't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. He could only hope that it doesn't become a hindrance to their relationship, because it would throw a wrench in his plan regarding Miyake's case.

"I'd rather just forget everything that's related to that guy, Sakura."

She continued to chuckle, replaying those events in her mind. "You say that, but I think you enjoyed saying a lot of mean words to him, Ayanokouji-kun. I wasn't expecting you would actually threaten him… you looked kind of scary back there while you were talking to him."

Kiyotaka scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to respond to that at first. He needed something that wouldn't make him sound like someone to be feared.

"I was only trying to scare him. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable, Sakura."

Airi shook her head and smiled shyly. "I-It's okay. I… wasn't uncomfortable, so there's no need for you to apologize, Ayanokouji-kun."

While Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow at her calm response, Kikyo was more vocal about her reaction to Airi's strange answer. For as long as she knew the red-haired girl, she stutters a lot and gets nervous about almost everything but somehow, she's not bothered with Kiyotaka's earlier demeanor? It's honestly hard to believe.

"I'm surprised you could say these things, Sakura-san. Earlier, you were so nervous about the whole thing, but now you're talking about it like it's nothing."

"Well, any normal person has his or her own limits. I wanted to stay away from that person from the moment I saw him, but I didn't have any choice today," Airi shrugged while turning her head away. "Again, it's only because of you two that I was able to go in the store and have my camera repaired."

"And you're not bothered by Kiyotaka-kun saying those threats to that person?" Kikyo asked, wanting to be sure that what she's hearing from Sakura right now is no fluke. Why? Because she felt the complete opposite compared to her. "Honestly, that shit caught me off guard. Who knew Kiyotaka-kun could be so… intense? That clerk looked like he was going to piss his pants when Kiyotaka-kun was threatening him earlier."

"I'm just surprised that he could scare someone else by threatening them, because he's always calm about everything. But since he was only trying to look scary, I don't really feel bothered by it. He did it for my sake, after all…"

"Hoh? Are we perhaps seeing the start of a change in your personality, Sakura?" asked Kiyotaka as he wondered if this could possibly lead to the girl finally overcoming her biggest flaw.

"Well… I-I wouldn't say that. It just happened that I didn't like being around that clerk earlier and I wanted to be away from him right away. I couldn't stand his presence," a look of annoyance crossed her face for a brief moment, before she went back to her shy demeanor. "But if you two weren't there with me, I'm not sure if I could even stand up to him. The thought of it… even though I want to… it's still nerve-wrecking for me."

Kikyo stared at her for a little while, before turning towards their other companion. "You really looked out for Sakura-san, Kiyotaka-kun."

"If I had to be honest, I had a bad feeling about that clerk the moment I saw him. With how much he kept on throwing compliments to the both of you while bringing up idols and concerts, he's someone who's easily infatuated with girls."

"I agree, Ayanokouji-kun."

Kikyo continued to bear a look of surprise at Airi's newfound behavior, completely unlike what she was accustomed to seeing from her shy classmate. On the other hand, Kiyotaka understood why she's like this, considering her earlier reason about every person having their own limits when it came to their patience and tolerance for someone else. In spite of her nervousness to even interact with other people, it's a relief to know that Airi wouldn't tolerate the overstepping of boundaries.

"It's not just Ayanokouji-kun, though. You helped me out a lot today as well, Kushida-san. Even though you didn't have to speak up on my behalf, you still did. Because of you, I didn't have to talk at all. Thank you," she then faced Kushida and bowed her head out of gratitude. She wasn't sure of it earlier, but now she can say that if she had talked to that clerk on her own, it would have resulted in her running off to get away from the man.

"Oh, no need to thank me, Sakura-san. If you're okay with my help, then I'm happy to lend a hand any time," Kikyo flashed her usual smile. "You must really like your camera to at least try and have it repaired despite being nervous, huh?"

Airi nodded in confirmation. "That's true… I've liked cameras ever since I was little. My dad bought me one before I entered junior high, and I absolutely fell in love with it. Or I suppose you could say that I just love taking pictures… I'm not really an expert in photography and everything about it…"

"I think being knowledgeable and liking things are separate matters. It's wonderful to be so passionate about something, Sakura-san."

"Thank you, Kushida-san."

Kiyotaka stared at the two of them as they interacted with each other, before shifting his attention solely towards the redhead. "Sakura, you usually take pictures of landscapes, right? Do you ever take pictures of people?" he asked.

"Huh?!" Airi took a step back as the red hue on her face came back in full force, causing Kiyotaka to tilt his head curiously.

"What's with that reaction? I just asked if she takes pictures of people. Was that question too personal for her?"

The girl was silent at first, too embarrassed to get anything out of her mouth. She needed a few moments to calm down and when she was done, Airi knew that she would have to give Kiyotaka a response of some sort. "W-Well… I don't really do that, unless they're a part of the scenery. Taking pictures of other people is just embarrassing. And wrong too, if you don't have their permission."

Kiyotaka didn't say anything in return. He only stared at her after she spoke, while Airi looked down on the ground to avoid his gaze. In the span of a few moments, the girl went back to being the Sakura they knew, who was shy and incredibly nervous around other people. It was almost a wonder that she went on for so long without being like this.

Just when he was about to respond to her statement, Kiyotaka felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Upon checking it, he noticed that Suzune was calling him, which must be about something important. The girl mostly used text messages to communicate with him and there hasn't been a previous instance where she called him, making this the first time.

This must be for an important matter, and it's something he can't ignore.

"Someone's calling me. Would you two mind it if I excuse myself so I can take this call?" he asked his female companions.

The two girls shook their heads.

"You two can do whatever you want while I'm talking with this person."

Kikyo chuckled. "I'll just wait for you to be done. It's just a call, right? It shouldn't take long."

Airi nodded in agreement. "I-I'll wait too. After all, you and Kushida-san helped me with my camera. It's the least I can do. I don't really have anything else to do, anyway."

Kiyotaka sent a nod towards them before walking off to the side to answer Suzune's call. Even though he was away from them, Kiyotaka continued to observe them, especially Airi. Surprisingly, they began talking to each other as if they're two close friends this whole time. Once again, Kikyo's ability to ignite positivity and connections with everyone is something to be admired, in spite of her less-than-pleasant attitude under the mask she puts up.

Because Airi and Kikyo seemed to be having a perfectly normal conversation, Kiyotaka decided to focus on the person who was calling him for now.

"Suzune. This is the first time you called me on the phone, so I'm guessing this is urgent?" he asked his dark-haired neighbor on the other line.

"Are you still with Kushida-san right now?"

He took a quick glance at Kikyo, before shifting his attention back to Suzune. "I am. Is something wrong?"

"Will it be a bother if I ask the both of you to go to where I am right now? I am going to proceed with my plan and see if the owner of the bathhouse knows who is our witness. Or, at the very least, be able to describe what she looks like. It would be helpful if you two were here so we can discuss our findings right after."

Ah. So that's what this was about. If he had to be honest, Suzune's plan had completely flown over his head while he focused on Kikyo and just a while ago, Airi as well. Now that he thought about it again, it's actually more preferable to be by Suzune's side right now because her plan had merit and he was interested to see if it would end up as a success. It certainly beats just walking around and talking to random people.

Then again, the decision's not up to him. If he even attempts to take matters into his own hands without consulting Kikyo, not even the system could possibly save him from her subsequent reaction.

"I have no problem heading to the bathhouse to meet you, but I'm not sure about Kikyo. She looks pretty determined to make some progress today regarding the witness to the case, so she's been talking to people left and right without stopping. And, uh… we kind of ran into Sakura along the way. We helped her in getting her camera repaired."

"Sakura-san?" asked Suzune, confused by this turn of events.

"Yeah. Apparently, her camera suffered a fall and needed to be repaired. But she was too nervous about going inside the electronics store, so we helped her out. We're done with it, though. Kikyo will probably go back to walking around and asking people."

Kiyotaka then heard a sigh from the other end. "Never mind then. I shall continue on my own. I'll discuss my findings with you immediately after I'm done here."

"Are you sure? I can still ask Kikyo if you want us to go there."

"No need. You keep on your efforts with her. It is more efficient for us to cover multiple bases at once."

"Well, if you ask me, I'm starting to think that asking random people is getting us nowhere. The owner of the public bath though, that's a different thing entirely. I hope that he did see who was with Miyake after he got knocked unconscious, since there were no cameras behind the building for him to have witnessed the fight itself."

"He has to. I am confident that we are close to the truth."

"You're doing a great job so far, Suzune. I have a feeling that you'll be able to get crucial information from the owner himself. Out of everyone, I think you have the biggest chance at finding out the identity of our mystery witness."

There was silence for a few moments from the other end before he heard another deep sigh from the girl. "...let's hope I do. Until then, Ayanokouji-kun. I will contact you again later on."

With that, Suzune ended the call. Kiyotaka stared at his phone for a few moments, before pocketing it and returning to his two female companions afterwards.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he told both girls, who turned their heads towards him.

The two had just exchanged phones with each other, all so they could punch in their contact information in each other's contacts. Even though he was only away for about two minutes, Kikyo had already gained Airi's trust enough to have the red-haired girl's contact information, as compared to the creep behind the repairs counter earlier. It's just a testament to the girl's skills in socializing with people.

"Who were you talking to, Kiyotaka-kun?" asked the beige-haired girl.

"Suzune," he revealed. "She was asking if we could go with her to ask someone important if they noticed someone suspicious by the bathhouse, but I told her that I should ask you first, You're the one who wanted me to go with you, anyway."

And just like that, Kikyo's interest dwindled down and she stopped listening to him entirely, shifting her focus on Airi's phone. Just from hearing Suzune's name, Kikyo didn't want to listen anymore because it would only ruin her mood. Why the hell would that girl even ask for such a thing? Kiyotaka already told that bitch that he'll be with her for the rest of the afternoon, right? Horikita just can't understand that, it seems…

"Guess that's a clear no," he sweat-dropped.

"Oh," Airi blinked in surprise. "You were looking for that witness with Kushida-san, Ayanokouji-kun? Is that what you two were doing before you saw me here?"

He turned to face the redhead. "Yeah, but don't worry about it. You needed help with your camera, and we had no problem lending you a hand."

All of a sudden, Kushida froze while looking at Sakura's profile, her eyes slowly widening in surprise.

"Sakura-san, have we met somewhere before?" she asked, slowly raising her head to look at her classmate.

Airi felt confused and caught off guard with that question. It came so out of nowhere that she didn't know how to respond at first. After getting over her surprise, she thought about what Kikyo asked and no matter how much she tried to dig deep through her memories, she couldn't recall a time she met her classmate prior to attending this school. She didn't even think that they went to the same middle school together.

"N-No, I don't think so…"

"Sorry. It's just that when I look at you, I get this feeling that we've met before, Sakura-san…" Kikyo smiled sheepishly, before flashing her usual innocent smile. "Hey, this is gonna be a weird question, but could you try removing your glasses?"

"What?! U-Uhm… I can't, really… if I did, I wouldn't be able to see a thing…" Airi reacted rather strongly, waving her hand before her and signaling to Kikyo that she did not want to.

---

Suzune didn't think that this would be how she'd spend the weekend, but it certainly beats sitting in her dorm and reading a book all day. As much as she loved reading and how it provided a means to escape for the people who open a book whenever they can, now isn't the time for leisure and enjoyment.

With less than 48 hours left before Akito's case against Ishizaki, Komiya, and Kondo of Class C, she had to work even harder if they wanted to make any significant progress regarding this whole thing. If Suzune had to be honest, her own attitude towards this whole issue left even herself surprised. Never in a million years could she have predicted that she would go this far to help a classmate.

That's why, upon reaching the Heaven on Earth bathhouse, Suzune simply walked in and went to the counter with one goal in mind: to know something significant regarding this case. She's not going to step out of this building without knowing something important, not if she can help it!

Suzune felt glad upon seeing him there, the same person who greeted her and her companions when this building opened for the first time, the same person whom she needed to talk to about a few things. He stood behind the counter, unaware that she had entered his establishment because he seemed to be busy with his phone.

"Excuse me," she called out while walking up to the counter. "Tomose-san."

"Huh?" Hearing his name being called, the man looked up from his phone and was met with a familiar sight. "Oh, I remember you! You were one of my first customers! You were with those other girls along with your teacher and that one guy!"

"Y-Yes, you would be correct. I am surprised that you can still remember me," Suzune admitted, feeling a bit surprised that he can still remember something that happened a long while back.

Tomose grinned and laughed heartily. "No way I'm forgetting the faces of my first customers! Even though there were a lot of you, I remember all of them."

"I see. Then, would you mind if you—"

"You know, I was really surprised that you girls brought a guy with you to the bath. It's not everyday that you see a bunch of girls being fine with a boy going with them to an onsen, even though this place is supposed to be a mixed bath."

Suzune stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"You'd be surprised at the fact that even though this place is for everyone, boys and girls never take a bath together! It's always one group after another, and not altogether. The girls never want to have a relaxing time with guys… well, except for you and your friends that day! T'was the only time so far that I've seen a boy enjoying a hot soak with other girls and they weren't complaining about it!"

"I'm sure you have a lot of stories to tell, Tomose-san, but I came here for something more important," the girl deadpanned while doing her best to keep herself from blushing at the memory of that day, which was probably the most embarrassing day of her life.

"Oh. You gonna have another dip, ojou-chan? You're gonna have to share with a bunch of second-year girls if that's the case."

"No. I want to ask you about an incident that took place within the premises of this building last Sunday," she revealed, causing a more serious look to appear on the man's face. "My classmate was assaulted by three other students behind this building, leaving him in a bad state by the time they were done that he needed to be treated at the school clinic. Do you know anything about it?"

The man nodded grimly. "Yeah, I saw him after he got beaten up. So that kid was your classmate… is he doing okay? His face was banged up when I saw him. And he had to deal with three? Damn, I didn't know that at all. It's a miracle that his face didn't get destroyed by the whole ordeal."

"He is fine. However, he will be going through a hearing next week. Somehow, despite being the victim, he is being framed by his own attackers as the perpetrator of the conflict, making him at risk of being expelled if he's found guilty. We are trying to look for clues and possible witnesses that can turn the tide in our favor."

"A hearing, huh? Look, I think I get what you want me to do, ojou-chan, but I'm not gonna be of much help. I have no idea who attacked the guy. I saw him after he got beaten up. Having me as a witness won't do anything. I sure hope that he wins that case, though. I may not know the full details, but even I could smell the bullshit from a mile away…"

"That is not what I wish to inquire about. My classmate mentioned that before he went unconscious, he heard two voices. One of them was undoubtedly yours, Tomose-san, and there was another. We determined that a girl's voice was what he heard."

He snapped his fingers upon remembering something important. "Oh yeah, now that you mention it, there was a girl! When I checked the back because of the noises I kept on hearing outside, there was a girl who was wiping the blood off the kid's face. She asked for my help as soon as she saw me, so I took him inside this place to clean the blood off his body, while I told her to contact the school clinic so they could get the poor guy there and take care of him."

Suzune's frown deepened as she donned an even more serious look. She could tell that she was close. "What can you tell me about this girl, Tomose-san? What did she look like?"

"Eh, she had red hair and was wearing glasses. I think she was also with you as part of my first batch of customers. That's all I can really remember without making a mistake. I have a bad habit of mistaking two different people as one sometimes…" the man hung his head in embarrassment at his one great flaw.

However, there was no need for him to go into further detail.

Right after hearing his first statement, Horikita didn't bother listening any further because a mental image of that very person had already formed in her mind. There was only one person who fitted that description and even if there were similar-looking girls around the school, only one would even be concerned for the well-being of Miyake Akito.

"Red… hair… and glasses…?" she mumbled, her eyes widening in realization.

"Yeah. Do you know who she is?"

Suzune had figured it out, the identity of their person of interest in this wild goose chase.

Almost immediately, she fished out her phone from her pocket to send a couple of messages to one Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, telling him to stay where he was and wait for her to arrive there.

She also asked him if Sakura Airi was still with him and Kushida, for she would be having a couple of important questions that only the red-haired girl could answer.

---

"Oh," Kikyo was surprised at her newfound friend's reaction, and she began to laugh nervously as a result. "Forget what I just said then, Sakura-san. You don't have to do it if you don't want to, hehe. I just thought that maybe you'd look better without glasses…"

Airi took a deep breath to calm herself, as though she had just dodged a massive bullet. "Thank you for understanding, Kushida-san."

Unbeknownst to the girl, Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow at her. "She got pretty defensive about her glasses… Sakura must have realized that Kikyo possibly knows about the idol 'Shizuku' and thought about how she looks similar to our classmate."

"We should hang out together, Sakura-san. Not just with me, but with my other friends, too!" the 'angel' of Class D exclaimed in an attempt to change the conversation, not wanting to make the other girl feel nervous being around her.

"That's…" Airi looked like she wanted to respond, but nothing came out of her mouth. The thought of being around Kikyo and other people was nerve-wracking, even though there was a part of her that didn't mind it. She was already friends with Kei and Kiyotaka, so there's really no harm in being friends with a few more of her classmates.

"You don't have to feel overwhelmed. Kikyo's just extending an offer to you. If you still feel uncomfortable being around other people, then you can decline," Kiyotaka spoke up to reassure her that she wasn't being forced into doing anything, and that she can do what she wants.

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. I… I guess I'll try, Kushida-san. Thank you for the offer."

"Sakura-san, you can talk to me normally, you know? You already see Ayanokouji-kun as a friend, right? You can treat me the same. And we're classmates too! It just sounds a little weird when you speak so formally to me," Kikyo giggled.

Airi blushed deeply from that accurate assessment of her speech pattern. "I don't really mean to sound that way. I just don't want to be disrespectful."

Kikyo waved her hands in front of her, quickly getting Airi's attention before she takes it the wrong way. "It's not really a bad thing! I mean, it's never a bad thing to be formal to other people. I'd be happy if you didn't speak so formally to me, though."

"Ah— o-okay… I… I'll do my best," the redhead muttered shyly, making a mental note on the advice that she was given.

Kiyotaka watched the ongoing interaction between them with eyes full of interest; he had thought that Airi would just remain quiet because of her shyness, but she actually managed to squeak out a few words of agreement. Despite her flaws and even though they haven't even interacted for very long, Airi genuinely looked like she was considering Kikyo's words.

It was completely different to how she became comfortable with him and Kei, which was a product of circumstance. This time, she was choosing to be open with somebody else of her own volition.

"You don't need to force yourself, though. If you're more used to being formal, then I don't really mind, Sakura-san."

"I-It's okay. I… will. I want to."

Sakura kept her eyes down as she spoke. Partway through her sentence she began to sputter, and her words faded so much that we couldn't hear them. However, it didn't seem as though she felt uncomfortable. Kushida smiled in satisfaction, but didn't try to coerce anything more from Sakura.

That specific distance felt exactly right for where they were at the moment. If you tried to strong-arm people who weren't good at socializing, it could backfire. Rather than be grateful, they'd probably find it off-putting. Rather than draw them nearer, being overbearing would probably end up pushing them further away.

"Well then, I suppose we should get going. I'm sure you want to head back home to your dorm already, Sakura-san. We'll see you at school on Monday. Okay?"

With that, Kikyo offered her one last smile and turned to walk over towards Kiyotaka, gesturing to him that they're leaving to which he only nodded. However, before the two could go anywhere, Airi's small voice would stop them in their tracks as if she just shouted instead.

"Wait!"

Both Kiyotaka and Kikyo turned back towards Airi as their gazes locked with hers. It was taking a lot out of the girl to not falter with their combined gazes but nonetheless, she made sure to convey her next words properly for her two classmates to understand easily.

"About Miyake-kun… I know that it's wrong of me to only speak about this now, but if you wouldn't mind someone like me helping… I can help you with his case."

Kiyotaka and Kikyo exchanged glances, having the same thought in their minds. In her own words, Airi just told them that she was the witness they're looking for this whole time.

"Does that mean that you saw Miyake-kun fight with those other students?" the young man asked, feeling skeptical of that statement as he raised an eyebrow.

Airi lowered her head before nodding, finally breaking off eye contact between them. "Yes. I saw everything. It was a total coincidence… but I was there. I understand if you don't believe me, Ayanokouji-kun. Kushida-san. I didn't raise my hand when Chabashira-sensei asked if someone saw what happened, after all."

"No, we do believe you. Why did you decide to tell us now, though? Personally, I'm glad you did, but you didn't have to force yourself," Kikyo remarked.

The red-haired girl shook her head. "From the start, I really, really wanted to help. When I saw Miyake-kun being attacked by those students from another class, I wanted to shout at them to stop right away. But I couldn't find it in me to say something that would get me attention. I had no choice but to watch what happened because of my own flaws, but I still wanted to do something to help Miyake-kun. I used my camera to record everything that happened."

Kiyotaka remained quiet as he digested this information, while Kikyo's eyes widened in alarm.

"But… wouldn't that mean you don't have the video right now? Your camera is being repaired, and it'll take two weeks before you can get it back. The trial is on Monday, so it'll be too late for us to help Miyake-kun by then."

"Not necessarily," Airi shook her head again. "Before my camera fell, I was transferring the video file of the fight to my laptop. I recorded the whole thing when it happened, but I didn't know what to do with it. I thought about coming clean with what I knew right away, but I felt too nervous. If I spoke up as a witness, then…I would definitely stand out. I hated the thought of that…"

"You're not forcing yourself to do this, are you?"

"A bit, but I have to. If I kept quiet about this and just never said anything, I'd regret it so much. I… don't want to cause any more trouble for my classmates, not after I was too helpless to stop those other students from beating up Miyake-kun. I'm sorry."

She bowed her head in apology, feeling nothing but shame and embarrassment for her own actions until now. Her silence regarding this case was inexcusable, and she had no one to blame but herself. Airi had already accepted in her mind that this whole thing blew up because of her inability to speak up when the situation demanded her to, nothing more.

Seeing the distress that this girl was in, Kiyotaka walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. If she continues to feel sad, then the system's overpowered skill will definitely activate at any moment and he didn't really feel like going through it again.

"It's okay, Sakura. You're here right now, aren't you? You're telling us about what you know and that's what matters. For someone like you, it still takes a lot of effort to speak up and the fact that you did only shows that you're better than what you think you are. It's gonna be okay."

"No, it's not," she stated firmly, fully convinced that it's her fault and ignoring his attempt to cheer her up. "Maybe if I had enough courage to just say something that time, I could have stopped the fight from happening. I could have saved Miyake-kun from being attacked by those students. All of this wouldn't have happened… Miyake-kun wouldn't be in this position… if I just had the courage to say something…"

As Airi apologized over and over, Kikyo decided to walk up to the young man and join him in comforting this poor girl.

"Don't worry, Sakura-san. I'm sure Miyake-kun will be really happy. After all, if it wasn't for you, Miyake-kun wouldn't get help after he got attacked."

"But it's also because of me that he had to be taken to the clinic—"

"I may not know him as much as Hasebe-san, but I'm sure that he won't blame you for anything. He'll probably just thank you for helping him out and that's it. You're going to show everyone the video you took, right?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"And if you have to testify for him during his trial? Would you speak up on his behalf?

"O-Of course," she nodded again.

"Then I don't really see what's the problem here, Sakura-san. If you have to put the blame on someone, Sakura-san, then the three students who attacked Miyake-kun deserve it."

"But still…"

As Kikyo continued to reassure a crying Airi that this mess wasn't her fault in any way, Kiyotaka felt pleased with this turn of events. He wasn't expecting to run into Airi today, so when he and Kikyo saw the girl standing outside of the electronics store, he was truly surprised. He also wasn't expecting Airi to actually come clean with what she knew, right after having to deal with a creep who was willing to go past certain boundaries that he shouldn't cross, but he wasn't going to complain about this development.

One way or another, they now had their witness.

His gamble had paid off… or to be more precise, his faith in Airi bore fruit.

Numbers of days before Akito's trial: 1

---

MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*

-Lance