Chapter 8: Kushida's Past / Contingency Plan

The following days were not very eventful, passing without any club activities other than occasional group meetings to read and discuss our days. Or so it would be if I hadn't discovered a new enemy: PAPERWORK. Luckily, Honami turned out to be one of the most organized people I've ever seen in my life, and she took charge of all the club logistics. And so, the days passed until the end of the month.

During the second period, a math class, Ike was chatting loudly with Yamauchi. It had been three weeks since the entrance ceremony, and in that time, those two, along with Sudou, had earned the nickname "the trio of idiots."

Ranpo: "Hey, hey, want to go sing karaoke?"

Ike: "Sure, let's go."

Nearby, a group of girls was making plans for after school.

Ayanokoji: "Even though they were nervous for a while, it seems like everyone has opened up quickly."

Horikita: "Ayanokouji-kun, haven't you made more friends?"

Ayanokoji: "Eh, a few."

Ranpo: "Why do you care so much about making friends? If someone wants to be my friend, I'll accept without a doubt, but making a great effort to get close to someone isn't worth it."

Horikita: "That's an interesting way to see things."

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You might recall that I said the days passed without anything interesting, but I lied.

Currently, I'm on the school rooftop, leaning against the railing, watching the sunset when slow footsteps started to approach behind me.

Kushida: "I see you arrived early, Ranpo-Kun."

Ranpo: "The president taught me always to be punctual, Kikyo-Chan." *I turn to look at her with the same smile as always.* "Now, let's talk."

Kushida: "First, hand me your phone." *She looks serious.*

Ranpo: *He raises an eyebrow but hands his phone to Kushida.* "What's going on, Kikyo-Chan? Why so serious?" *He remains silent, with the same calm smile on his face.*

Kushida: "Don't play the fool."

Ranpo: "Well, now *he slightly widens his eyes,* tell me your whole past, and in return, I won't interfere in your problems with Horikita."

Kushida: "Ranpo-kun, is there something you're good at and can't afford to lose to anyone in?"

Ranpo: *He remains silent for a moment, thinking.* "Is there something I'm good at that I can't afford to lose to anyone? Hmm...." *He thinks again.* "Well, I'm not the best at many things, but... my 'Deduction' is the one thing I can't afford to lose to anyone. It's something I know I can't lose at in this world."

Kushida: "Then I wonder if you can understand. Don't you think the best moment is when you feel the value of yourself that others can't have? It's like scoring the highest on a test or coming in first in a race. Do you get the idea? Aren't there those moments where someone gives you a look that says, 'so powerful, so cool, so cute'?"

Ranpo remains silent for a while, then sighs. After a moment, he speaks.

Ranpo: *in a lower voice* "I suppose I understand... There's nothing in the world I enjoy more than when the president spoils me." *He looks at Kushida and smiles.*

Kushida: "I think I'm probably more dependent on that kind of thing than the average person. I really want to show off. I can't help but want to stand out, be praised. When these feelings are finally validated, I seriously feel how valuable I am and how amazing it is to be me. But I know my limits. I know that no matter how hard I try, I can't be number one in academics or sports. Being in second or third place probably won't satisfy my need, so I thought, 'Then I'll do something no one else can imitate.' I realized I can be number one as long as I'm kinder and more intimate than anyone else. Thanks to this, I managed to become popular. Someone who is liked by both boys and girls. They trusted me, and I felt the pleasure of being trusted. Elementary and middle school were fun…

Ranpo: "Isn't it painful to keep doing things you don't want to do?"

Kushida: "It's painful. Of course, I'm suffering. Every day, I accumulate so much stress that I feel like I'm going bald. I've pulled out my hair and vomited from anxiety. But I can't let anyone see this side of me to maintain my 'gentle side.' So, I've endured and endured and endured constantly. But my heart reached its limit. It was impossible to keep letting it build up. My blog was where I supported my heart; it was the only place I could open up about this pressure. Of course, everything was written anonymously, but it was all based on real events. I put all my usual stress there, and I finally began to feel relieved. Thanks to my blog, I was able to sustain myself. I really felt happy receiving words of courage from a third party I didn't know... But one day, my blog was accidentally discovered by a classmate. Although I changed the names of the characters, it was impossible not to notice that the content was based on real events. It was inevitable that I would end up hated by everyone in the class."

Ranpo: "So that's how the incident started, right?"

Kushida: "By the next day, the blog's content had spread throughout the class, and I was severely criticized by everyone. Up to this point, I had been of help to everyone, but as a result of this, everyone's attitude toward me changed suddenly. It's selfish, isn't it? The boy who said he liked me hit me on the shoulder. It makes sense; I wrote in my blog that I was tired of his constant confessions and wanted him to die. A girl whom I had comforted after she was dumped by her boyfriend kicked my desk because I wrote about why she had been dumped and mocked her. To put it simply, I felt in danger. Over thirty students marked me as their enemy."

Ranpo: "And how did you resolve it? How did you get out of that situation?" *Ranpo sits there, listening attentively to Kushida's story. Suddenly, an idea comes to him.* "Did you use the truth?"

Kushida: "Yes, I exposed the secrets of all my classmates. Things like who hates someone or who thinks someone is disgusting. I exposed truths that I hadn't even written in my blog—At this point, most of the hatred toward me redirected toward others. Boys started fighting among themselves, and girls were pulling each other's hair and hitting one another. The class was a mess. It was truly amazing—This is the truth."

Ranpo: *He smiles and laughs.* "That's very

clever! People always hate to hear the truth, especially if it's about their own secrets!" *He laughs.*

Kushida: *She laughs too.* "That's all, boring, right?"

Ranpo: "That's not boring! It's very amusing!"

Kushida: *Kushida smiles at Ranpo and scratches her head.* "Actually, I felt really bad about the situation. Everyone hated me in class. All my efforts... so much trust wasted."

Kushida: "It was an interesting talk, Ranpo-Kun." *She hands back his phone.* "Anything else... if for some reason, you betray me... I'll tell everyone you tried to violate me." *She starts to walk away, but her phone suddenly rings, and she stops abruptly.* "W-what..." *She looks horrified as a voice is heard from her phone.* "It's painful. Of course, I'm suffering. Every day, I accumulate so much stress that I feel like I'm going bald. I've pulled out my hair and vomited from anxiety. But I can't let anyone see this side of me to maintain my 'gentle side.'"

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Ranpo: "Just take care of recording everything, Chaba-Sensei."

Chabashira: "Sure, although I wonder what you'll use it for?"

Ranpo: "Kushida is a long-term threat, and the longer we postpone, the more dangerous she becomes."

...

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...

Ranpo: "Realizing that something is wrong and going after it, that's the ability to recognize danger."

The plan is quite simple. Ranpo borrowed Ichinose's phone to call Chabashira from that phone so she can record the entire conversation. This gives Ranpo more power by having Chabashira as a direct witness rather than just having recordings about Kushida's past. As a precaution to ensure Ranpo doesn't prepare anything, Kushida agreed to the meeting place only five minutes before the meeting. She also has Ranpo's uniform with his DNA, even though it may not work.

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Ranpo: *Ranpo smiles and laughs* "Pssst! Kushida-Chan! What's all this talk about rape and betrayal?" *Ranpo becomes serious and stands up on the rooftop, getting very close to Kushida with his eyes slightly widened.*

Ranpo: "I should make it clear, I don't betray anyone, but... I hate it when someone thinks I'm stupid."