Kushida's True Face

On their way, Luckily they didn't meet anyone from the other classes and they both went to the dormitories.

Surprisingly, Chabashira sensei still didn't plan to tell anyone in the class about the midterm syllabus and failing points.

Horikita wanted to talk to the students but was stopped by Ayanokouji.

"There is no merit in telling them." Ayanokouji only said this and didn't explain her much.

Just like that time passed by and in the blink of an eye, 1 week passed by.

Ike and the others had started listening to the teacher. Only Sudou kept unashamedly falling asleep in class, but no one tried to reprimand him.

Because the class hadn't yet found a method to increase their points, he'd apparently decided not to fix his habits. However, many of their classmates grew to disdain him.

When everyone was about to get up for Lunch, Hirata Spoke,

"Chiyabashira-sensei mentioned that the midterm is coming up soon.

Remember that if you fail, you'll be expelled. Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to form a study group."

Apparently, the de facto leader of Class D had started another project.

"If you neglect your studies, you'll get a failing grade and be expelled on the spot. I want to avoid that. However, studying won't just prevent expulsion; it may also help earn points. If we receive high marks, our class's assessment should improve as a result. I asked some of the students who scored high on the test to help prepare a study plan. So, I would like people who are anxious to come join our group. Everyone is welcome, of course."

Hirata stared directly at Sudou while making his grand speech. "Tch."

Sudou averted his gaze, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes. Ever

since Sudou had stomped all over Hirata's introduction game, their relationship had been rocky.

"Starting today at five o'clock, we will plan to study in this classroom for two hours a day until the test. If you'd like to join us, please come whenever you like. Of course, I don't mind if you need to leave partway.

That's all I have to say."

Immediately after he'd finished speaking, several of the failing students got up and went over. There were three people with failing grades who didn't rush to Hirata, though: Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi. Ike and Yamauchi seemed unsure of what to do for a moment, but in the end, they stayed in their seats.

"What do you think? Horikita? Do you want to teach them?" Ayanokouji asked and Horikita looked at him and said, "What's the point of teaching when it won't even come in the exam?"

"Hmm! Horikita, To be honest, I want you and Ayanokouji to teach Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi. In return, I will also teach Sakura. What do you think? You could at least, teach methods to them?"

Izumi said as he wanted to reenact the scene that happened in the novel. With this, he would get Kushida's video and maybe President's too.

"Why?"

"You want to be a leader. Right? Start from them. And if they don't appear, Just let Ayanokouji talk with Kushida and ask her to come too. She had wanted to get close to you and she might take this chance."

Horikita narrowed her eyes after hearing this, Shhe knew Izumi's relationship with Kushida was bad and he still wanted them to interact with her.

'Somethings' up, he is planning something. Well, Not my problem, it must be one of his tricks.'

"Sure, I will ask them to meet me in the library tomorrow but don't expect too much from me. But in return, I want 10,000 points for each student."

"Hahaha! It seems AYanokouji has been rubbing on you, You also learned his habits. Sure, I can even give you 20,000 points."

'After all, I will get blackmail material on Kushida, It's worth even 100,000 points.'

Horikita nodded and then looked at Ayanokouji.

"Nothing for you Ayanokouji, You just got a Laptop," Izumi said to him.

"Ayanokouji, Can you ask the trio to appear in the library tomorrow for a study group?"

Ayanokouji nodded after thinking.

(Ayanokouji's POV)

Sudou and I weren't close enough that he might accept, but I wasn't sure about the others.

"Hey, Sudou. Have a minute?" I called as he headed back to the classroom after lunch. He was sweating and a bit short of breath. Probably played some basketball during his lunch break.

"What are you going to do about the midterm?"

"Oh, that. I don't know. I've never really studied seriously before," he

said.

"Oh, yeah? Well, I have just the thing. I wanted to form a study group

to meet every day after class, starting today. Want to join?" Sudou stared at me, his mouth slightly agape.

"You serious? If the lessons are a pain in my ass, why would studying

after class be any better? Besides, I have club activities, so it's pointless. Plus, you're going to be tutoring? Your scores were best but I don't think I will understand."

"Don't worry about that part. Horikita is also the tutor."

"Horikita? I don't really know anything about her. That sounds fishy; I'll pass. I'll be fine cramming for the test the night before."

Sudou had refused to join, just as I'd guessed. Perhaps there was no helping it. Maybe I should start with someone more manageable. I called out to Ike, who was playing on his phone.

"Hey, Ike, h—"

"Pass! I heard you talking with Sudou. Study group? No way. Not my thing."

"You do know you'll be expelled if you fail, right?"

"Well, yeah. I might have gotten failing grades before, but I'm doing much better now. I'll just cram the night before with Sudou."

Was he really fine with that? He didn't seem to grasp the danger of this situation.

"If the last test hadn't been such a surprise sucker punch, I probably could've gotten, like, forty points."

"I know what you mean, but wouldn't it be better to stick together on this?" I asked.

"A high school student's free time is precious, you know? I don't want to waste it studying."

Saying this the trio left.

'It seems I really need to contact Kushida. Ugh! Izumi, you better have prepared something good from this.'

Before I knew it, the class had ended for the day. The time had come to enact my plan. I needed to capture Kushida.

"Hey, do you have a minute?" I called out as she prepared to head back to the dorm. Kushida turned around.

"Oh, it's unusual for you to come to talk to me, Ayanokouji-kun. Do you need something?" she asked.

"Yeah. If it's okay with you, could we talk outside?"

"Well, I was going to meet up with my friends, so I don't really have much time, but…okay."

Smiling, she followed me, not a trace of unpleasantness to be found.

After we turned the hall corner, Kushida waited for me to speak. I was trembling with excitement.

"Rejoice, Kushida. You've been selected as an ambassador of goodwill. Tomorrow, your hard work begins."

"Uh, what? I'm sorry, but what do you mean?" she asked.

Etc., etc., etc. I basically explained to her that I wanted to form a study group to save Sudou and the others. Of course, I also told her that Horikita would also be tutoring.

"I thought that you could use this study group as a way to get closer to Horikita. What do you think?" I asked.

"Well, I do want to get closer to her, but… well, I won't worry about that now. Besides, it's only natural to help out a friend in need."

"But are you sure you want to ask me, You know a.. My relationship with Izumi isn't really good and you all hang out there. Wouldn't there be any problem?

She seemed to truly want to prevent Ike and Sudou's expulsion. I wonder what Izumi knew about her that disgusted her.

"Oh! He won't be appearing in the study group. Izumi told me he had something to do so he was going to be busy for a few days. That's why I wanted to ask. But, Are you really okay with this? If not, I won't force you to join," I said.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't hesitate because I disliked the idea. I hesitated

because I was happy."

Kushida leaned against the wall, gently kicking it.

"It's cruel to expel someone for getting a bad grade. Isn't it awful to have to say goodbye after you've worked to become friends with everyone? When Hirata-kun told us that he was holding a study group, I greatly admired him. But you could say that Horikita has been much more observant than I. She noticed Sudou and those other guys, after all. It's like Horikita is now starting to think of her classmates as friends. I'll do anything I can to be useful!"

Kushida took my hand and smiled. Whoa, she was seriously way too cute! There wasn't a man alive who wouldn't fall for that smile. But something was off, it looked like an act. After being with Izumi, Sakura, and Horikita for a month, I could judge when others were genuine and fake. It seems this was what Izumi was talking about.

Anyways It doesn't matter to me. I just need to use her for now.

I couldn't afford to get carried away, though. I tried to look safe and inoffensive.

"Great! We could definitely use your help. If you're there, our chances will improve a hundred times over."

"Ah, but there's just one thing I want to ask you. I want to participate in the study group, too," Kushida said.

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes. I want to study with everyone."

My wishes had all come true. Kushida's presence would brighten our study group, which would otherwise be pretty glum. However, since she didn't get bad grades, there really wasn't a reason for her to be there.

"So then, when do we start?" she asked.

"We plan on starting tomorrow." In my mind, I added, Horikita does, at least.

"I see. Then I'll have to talk to everyone by the end of the day. I'll contact you later, okay?"

"Oh, do you need Sudou and the others' contact information?"

"It's okay. I already have it. The only people whose numbers I don't have are you and Horikita-san, actually…"

Well, I hadn't known that.

"This might be too forward, but are Horikita and Izumi already dating?" Kushida asked.

"It's a big rumor among the girls in our class, you know. They say that even though Horikita-san is always alone, she only seems to get along really well with you, Ayanokouji-kun, and Izumi Kun, And you guys eat together, after all."

Hmm, so the girls had already started spreading rumors about us. "That's a shame, because, unfortunately, nothing is going on like

that between Izumi and Horikita."

"So, there's no problem swapping phone numbers, right?"

"Not at all."

(Ayanokouji POV end)

At home, Ayanokouji messaged Horikita after he received the confirmation from Kushida.

Horikita also replied while Izumi sent out a smiling Emoticon.

I guess I will just read a new chapter of Irregular at Magic High School. He seems really like me but I sure am better.'

Ahahah jokes aside.

(Ayanokouji Pov start)

The next day in the library, Horikita and Ayanokouji had secured a long table at the far end of the library and waited for the others.

"I've brought everyone!"

Kushida came over to where we were seated. Behind her was… "Kushida-chan told us about this study group. I don't want to be

expelled after only just starting. Thanks!"

Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou had all shown up. However, they'd brought an unexpected visitor, a boy named Okitani.

"Huh? Okitani, you failed, too?" I asked.

"Oh, n-no. Not exactly. I was just really close to failing, so I was worried… Is it not, er, okay for me to join you? It's a little difficult to join Hirata's group…" Okitani looked up at me, puffing out his cute, slightly reddened cheeks. He was slender, with blue hair cut in a short bob. A boy attracted to anything feminine might have shouted "I'm in love!" right away. If Okitani weren't a man, it would have been dangerous.

"Is it okay if Okitani-kun joins us, too?" Kushida asked Horikita.

Okitani had scored thirty-nine on the test, after all. He likely wanted to participate just to be safe.

"As long as you're worried about failing, I don't mind. But you need to be serious," Horikita said.

"Oh, okay."

Okitani sat down, seemingly happy. Kushida tried to sit next to him, which Horikita certainly noticed.

"Scoring lower than thirty-two means failing. Do you fail if you get exactly thirty-two points, though?" Sudou asked.

"No, you're safe if you score at least thirty-two points. Sudou, you can manage that, right?" Ike said.

Even Ike was worried about Sudou. Of course, those guys would want to know the exact threshold.

"It doesn't really matter. My goal is for everyone to score fifty,"

Horikita said.

"Gah, isn't that going to be too tough?"

"Aiming to just skate by is dangerous. The fact that you can't easily reach that threshold troubles me."

In the face of Horikita's sound argument, the failures simply nodded reluctantly.

"I included most of what will be covered on this test. We only have about two weeks left, but I plan to thoroughly walk you through everything. If you don't understand something, please ask."

"Hey, I don't understand the first question." Sudou glared at Horikita. I tried reading the first problem as well.

"A, B, and C collectively have 2,150 yen. A has 120 yen more than B. Also, after C gives B two-fifths of his money, B would have 220 yen more than A. How much yen did A originally start with?"

A problem with simultaneous equations, huh? The first test question should have been one that a high school student could easily solve.

"Try thinking about it. If you give up right at the beginning, you won't get anywhere."

"Look, I don't know how to study at all," Sudou said. "Everyone got into this school."

This school didn't accept people based solely on test scores, though. Sudou had most likely been accepted because of his exceptional physical ability. If you looked at it that way, wouldn't he likely be expelled because of bad grades?

"Ugh, I don't get it either." Ike, equally bewildered, scratched his head. "Do you understand, Okitani-kun?" Horikita asked.

"Let's see… A plus B plus C is 2,150 yen. So, A equals B plus 120. Then…" Okitani started writing out a series of equations. Kushida, seated next to him, glanced over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, that looks right. Then what?"

"Honestly, first- and second-year junior high school students could easily solve this problem. If you stumble here, it'll be impossible for you to continue," Horikita said.

'Hmm! It seems she really can't handle others.'

"So, what, we're like elementary school kids?" Sudou growled. "As Horikita-san said, it'll be bad if you get tripped up here. The

math problems on the short test were about this difficult, but the last problems were really tough. I didn't understand how to solve them," Okitani said.

"Listen up. This can be easily solved using a system of simultaneous equations." Without hesitation, Horikita picked up her pen and got to work. Unfortunately, it looked like only Kushida and Okitani understood.

"What even are simultaneous equations?" asked Ike. "Are you seriously asking me that?" said Horikita.

Wow, these guys had really never studied at all, it seemed. Sudou threw his mechanical pencil onto the desk.

"Stop. I'm done. This isn't going to work."

Sudou had quit before we could even begin. Horikita quietly seethed at this pitiful display.

"W-wait, everyone. Let's give it a shot. If you learn how to solve these

problems, you can apply what you learn to the questions on the test. Okay? Okay?" Kushida said.

"Well, if Kushida-chan says so, I guess I can try. But if Kushida-chan were teaching, I'd probably try even harder."

"U-um…" Kushida seemed ready to ask Horikita about that, but Horikita stayed silent. Her refusal to even answer "Yes" or "No" was troubling. However, if she remained silent much longer, the failures might abandon this study group. Kushida made up her mind and grabbed the mechanical pencil.

"As Horikita-san said, you can solve this problem by using a system of simultaneous equations. So let's try writing them out."

Quickly, she wrote down three equations. It looked like the others were trying their best, but it still seemed hopeless. This was more like detention than a study group. They didn't seem to understand her methods in the slightest.

"So, the answer I got is 710 yen. What did you get?"

Kushida, confident in Sudou's ability to follow along, flashed him a

smile.

"Um, so you used this to get the answer? How?" he asked.

"Uh…" Kushida immediately realized what had happened. None of

them understood.

"I'm sorry, you're far too ignorant and incompetent," said Horikita, who'd been silent until now. "If you can't solve this problem, I seriously shiver at the thought of what the future will bring."

"Shut up. This has nothing to do with you." Sudou slammed the desk, understandably irritated by Horikita.

"You're right. This has nothing to do with me. Your suffering won't influence me at all. I just pity you. You must have spent your whole life running from anything that presented a challenge," she said.

"Say whatever you want. Academics will be useless in the future, anyway."

"Academics will be useless in the future? That's an interesting argument. How do you justify that?"

"I don't care if I can't solve this problem. Studying's useless. Aiming to become a pro basketball player will help me a lot more."

"Incorrect. Once you learn to solve these kinds of problems, your entire life will change. In other words, studying increases the possibility that you'll solve the problems you face. It's the same principle as basketball. I wonder if, so far, you've been playing basketball by your own set of rules. When you struggle in basketball, do you run away from it as you do from studying? I doubt you take basketball practice seriously. You're a natural troublemaker, someone who always causes a disruption. If I were your adviser, I wouldn't let you on the team."

"Tch!" Sudou got in close to Horikita and grabbed her by the collar.

"Sudou-kun!" Kushida grabbed Sudou's arm faster than I could move.

Despite Sudou's intimidations, Horikita didn't flinch. She simply fixed Sudou with an icy glare.

"You don't interest me in the slightest, but I can tell what kind of person you are just by looking at you. Do you want to play professional basketball? Do you honestly believe you can make such a childish dream come true in this world? A simpleton like you who gives up right away could never hope to go pro. Furthermore, even if you managed to become a professional player, I doubt you'd earn an annual income sufficient to live on. You're a fool to have such unreasonable aspirations."

"You!"

It was clear that Sudou was on the brink of losing control. If he raised his fist, I'd have to wrestle him down.

"So, you're just going to immediately give up on studying or on school in general? Then discard your dreams of playing basketball and spend your days toiling away at a pitiful part-time job."

"Hmph. That's just fine. I'll quit, but it's not because it's difficult. I took a day off from my club activities for this, and it ended up being a complete waste of time. Later!" Sudou said.

"What an odd thing to say. Studying is difficult." Horikita took a parting shot at Sudou. If Kushida weren't there, Sudou probably would have smacked Horikita. He stuffed his textbooks into his bag, not even hiding his irritation.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I don't care. It's pointless to care about someone who lacks any motivation whatsoever. Even though he's facing expulsion, he has no will to fight."

"I thought that it was weird for someone like you, who doesn't have any friends, to put this study group together. You probably just wanted to call us stupid. If you weren't a girl, I'd smack you."

"So, you lack the courage to hit me? Don't use my gender as an excuse," Horikita said.

The newly assembled study group was already falling apart.

"I'm quitting, too. Partly 'cause I can't deal with studying, but mostly 'cause I'm annoyed. You might be smart, Horikita-san, but that doesn't mean you can act like you're better than us." Ike, clearly fed up, threw in the towel as well.

"I don't care if you get expelled. Do what you want," Horikita shot

back.

"Well, I'll just pull an all-nighter."

"Interesting. Didn't you come here because you can't study?" "Tch…" Even the typically easygoing Ike stiffened under the sting of

Horikita's barbed comments. Yamauchi started putting his textbook away as

well. Finally, the easily influenced Okitani got out of his seat. "I-Is this really okay, everyone?" he stammered.

"Let's go, Okitani."

Ike left the library, trailed by the hesitant Okitani. Now only Kushida, Horikita, and I remained. Soon, even Kushida would probably reach her limit and leave.

"Horikita-san, we're not going to be able to study with anyone if things continue like this…" Kushida murmured.

"I was certainly mistaken. Even if I'd helped them avoid failure this time, we would've faced a similar dilemma soon after. We'd have to go through this irritation all over again. Eventually, they'll fail. I finally understand how unproductive this was. I don't have the time for it."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"I mean that it's better to get rid of the dead weight."

That was Horikita's ultimate conclusion. If the failing students were expelled, then the class's average test scores would go up, and we wouldn't have to expend any extra effort.

"So, that's… H-hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Can you say something?" Kushida murmured.

"If that's Horikita's answer, then isn't it fine?" "You think so too, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Well, I don't want to toss them to the wolves or anything, but I'm not the tutor. There's nothing I can do about it." In the end, I felt similar to Horikita.

"Okay. I see." Kushida grabbed her bag and stood up, her expression darkening. "I'm going to do something. Well, I'll try. I definitely don't want everything to fall apart so quickly."

"Kushida-san. Do you really feel that way?"

"Is it wrong? I don't want to abandon Sudou-kun, Ike-kun, and Yamauchi-kun."

"Even if that was how you truly felt, I wouldn't particularly care. But I don't think that you actually want to save them," Horikita said.

"What? I don't understand. Why do you say things like that, Horikita- san? Why do you try to antagonize people? That's…very sad."

Kushida hung her head briefly, then looked back up at us. She met our

eyes.

"Well then. I'll see you two tomorrow," she whispered.

With that, Kushida left. Suddenly, it was just the two of us again. We

sat in the complete silence of the library.

"Well, that was painful. The study group's already over," I said. "Looks that way."

The quiet grew almost oppressive.

"Hah! Looks like I really messed up."

"Hmm! You really did."

The oppressive atmosphere became normal.

"Are you going back to your dorm?" she asked.

"No, Izumi sent me a message and I need to meet him."

'Follow her.' This was what he had received.

Horikita nodded and left for the dorm while Ayanokouji followed Kushida.

I left the library and chased after Kushida.

Whipping out my cell phone, I asked Izumi where she was?

Izumi didn't reply and Now I had to look for her.

Kushida wasn't around campus, so I continued to search for her. When I got inside the school, I glimpsed someone who looked like Kushida from behind. It was already around six PM, so the only people here should've been involved in club activities. Well, this was Kushida we were talking about.

She was probably waiting for one of her good friends to finish club stuff.

I decided to keep up the chase. I took out a pair of indoor shoes from the cubicles in the hallway but didn't see Kushida. Had I lost her? I thought I had until I heard the faint clack of shoes.

I followed her up the stairs to the second floor. The sound of footsteps continued up to the third floor. The next level after that was the roof, wasn't it? Students were free to use the roof during lunchtime, but it should've been locked after class. While I thought it strange, I went up the stairs, trying to hide my presence as best I could in case she was meeting with someone.

Then, I stopped partway.

Someone was up there.

I gently leaned against the handrail and peeked through a crack in the rooftop door. Through the opening, I glimpsed Kushida. No one else was with her. Was she waiting for someone?

A rendezvous at such a secluded place… Could she possibly be waiting for her boyfriend? If that were the case, I could end up cornered on all sides. While I agonized over how to sneak away, Kushida slowly set her bag down on the ground.

And then… I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Yo! Looks like we got a jackpot. Let's see what her problem with Horikita is."

It was Izumi who came up, he had a bottle of juice with me and a towel too.

"What are you doing with these two things?"

"Just Shut up watch. It looks like it started."

And then they heard. Izumi took out his phone and started to record.

"Ahhh, so annoying!"

Her voice was so low that it didn't sound at all like Kushida.

"She's seriously annoying! God, how irritating. It'd be better if she just

died…"

She grumbled to herself as if chanting the words to some kind of spell or curse.

"Ugh, I hate stuck-up, snobby girls who think they're so cute. Why is she such a harpy? A rotten girl like her couldn't possibly tutor me."

Was Kushida annoyed with…Horikita?

"Ah, she's the worst! She's just the worst, the worst, the worst!

Horikita, you're so annoying! You're so damn annoying!"

I felt like I'd glimpsed another side of this gentle girl, the most popular person in our class. She probably didn't want anyone else to see this darker side. A voice in my head whispered that it was dangerous to stay here.

However, an odd question arose. Why had she agreed to work with me if she felt such hatred toward Horikita? Kushida should have understood Horikita's personality and behavior perfectly well by now. She could have refused to help, just left the study group to Horikita, or otherwise washed her hands of involvement.

Why force herself into the study group? Did she want to get along with Horikita? Or did she want to become closer to another participant?

None of it made sense. I couldn't explain her reasoning.

No. She may have shown signs of this from the very beginning. I hadn't really thought about it before, but considering the state she was in right now, I had a hunch. Perhaps, Kushida and Horikita were…

At any rate, I needed to get away from there. Kushida probably didn't want anyone else to hear her diatribe. Still hiding, I quickly tried to leave.

But, Izumi said, "Don't worry. I will take care of everything."

Seeing this he pushed me to the door and ran back downstairs.

I'd kicked the door loudly... It'd been unexpectedly loud, really. Kushida tensed and stopped breathing. I'd instantly become her enemy. Turning, Kushida set her sights on me. I'd been seen.

After a brief silence, Kushida coldly asked, "What…are you…doing

here?"

"I got a little lost. Sorry. My bad, my bad. I'll be going now." Kushida looked straight at me, clearly seeing through my obvious lie.

I'd never seen such an intense gaze before.

"Did you hear?" she asked.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't?" I replied.

"I see…"

Kushida briskly walked down the stairs. She placed her left forearm against the base of my throat and pushed me up against the wall. Her tone of voice, her actions, and everything about her were completely unlike the Kushida I knew. This new Kushida wore a terrifying expression, one that I could almost compare to Horikita's.

"If you tell anyone what you just heard, I won't forgive you." Her words were ice, and I didn't think they were an idle threat.

"And if I did tell?"

"In that case, I would tell everyone that you raped me," she said. "That's a false charge, you know."

"That's okay. It wouldn't be false."

Her words had heft and power, leaving me unable to reply. As she spoke, Kushida grabbed my right wrist and slowly opened my hand. She pushed my palm up against her soft breast.

"What are you doing?" I asked. I hurriedly tried to pull away, but she pushed on the back of my hand.

"Your fingerprints are on my clothes. That's evidence of my claim. I'm being serious. Understand?"

"I understand. I really do. So let go of my hand."

"I'm going to leave this uniform in my room without washing it. If you betray me, I'll hand it over to the police."

I glared at Kushida for a while as she kept my hand pressed against her. "It's a promise," she said.

Kushida stepped away from me.

"Hey, Kushida. Which is the real you?"

"That's none of your business."

"I see. Well, I was wondering something. If you hate Horikita, then you don't need to involve yourself with her, right?"

I knew she probably wouldn't like that question, but I was curious about her motivation.

"Is it bad to want everyone to like you? Do you understand how difficult it is to accomplish that? You can't know, can you?" she asked.

"Well, I don't have that many friends, so I guess not."

Ever since the first day of school, Kushida had made an effort to exchange contact information with, invite out, and, of course, talk with the pessimistic Horikita. One could easily imagine how difficult and time-consuming that would be.

"At least on the surface, I wanted to appear to get along with Horikita." "But the stress of that just kept building, huh?"

"Yeah. That's what I want out of life, though. That way, my existence

has meaning." She answered without hesitation. Kushida had a singular way of thinking. Her own internal rules demanded she gets close to Horikita.

"Let me tell you something, while I have the chance. I absolutely despise gloomy, ordinary guys like you."

The fantasy of a cute Kushida that I'd carried until now had been shattered, but I wasn't actually that shocked. Most people possessed both a public face and a private, inner self, after all. However, I felt like Kushida was both telling the truth and lying right now.

"I'm just speculating, but did you and Horikita know each other before

this year? Maybe you both attended the same school in the past?" The instant I said it, Kushida shuddered in response.

"What the… I don't know what you mean. Did Horikita-san say something about me?" she snapped.

"No, I had the impression that this was the first time you'd met. But something seemed strange."

"Strange?"

I recalled the first time Kushida had spoken to me.

"You learned my name only when I first introduced myself, right?"

"So what?" Kushida responded flatly.

"Well, where did you learn Horikita's name? Back then, she hadn't

introduced herself to anyone yet. The only person who knew was Sudou, but I doubt you'd met him by then."

In other words, Kushida wouldn't have had the chance to learn Horikita's name.

"You got close to me so you could spy on her, right?"

"Just shut up. Hearing you talk irritates me, Ayanokouji-kun. I only want to know one thing. Do you swear you'll never tell anyone what you learned here today?"

"I swear. Even if I did, it's not like anyone would believe me. Right?"

The entire class trusted and loved Kushida. The difference between us was like night and day.

"Okay. I believe you, Ayanokouji-kun." Kushida closed her eyes and slowly exhaled.

"Horikita-san is rather unusual, isn't she?"

"Yes, I'd say she's really unusual."

"Other people don't influence her, or rather, she keeps her distance from everyone else. She's the complete opposite of me."

Kushida and Horikita really were polar opposites.

"You know, Ayanokouji-kun, you're the only one other than Izumi that Horikita-san opens up to."

"Wait a minute. She doesn't open up to me. Absolutely not."

"Even so, she seems to trust you and Izumi more than anyone else. Out of all the people I've ever met, Horikita seems the most wary of others and yet also the most self-confident. She certainly wouldn't trust anyone worthless, even if they were unbelievably kind."

"So, you think she has good instincts for people?"

"That's why I said I believed you. Ayanokouji-kun, you're fundamentally indifferent to other people, aren't you?"

I didn't remember doing anything that would make her think so, but Kushida seemed confident in her assessment.

"It's not an out-of-place judgment. Back on the bus, you didn't show any interest in giving up your seat to the elderly woman."

Ah, so that's what she was talking about. She'd picked up on what was happening that first day. She had understood that I had no intention of giving up my seat.

"If you believe I'm telling the truth, then you won't spread pointless rumors," I said.

"Well, that's… I was really flustered. I panicked for a second." Her stern expression melted into one of impatience.

"So, Kushida, would I be right to think of you as the kind of girl who lets guys touch her breasts?"

She kicked my thigh as hard as she could. Panicking, I grabbed the railing.

"Hey, watch it! I could've fallen and gotten seriously hurt!"

"I kicked you because you said something stupid!" Kushida snapped, her face flushed from anger.

"Hey, wait a minute."

She still looked furious. Kushida tromped back up the stairs, grabbed her bag, then returned wearing a huge grin.

"Let's head back together," she said brightly. "Oh. Sure."

Her attitude had drastically changed, like something out of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. It was so drastic that I wondered whether I'd had a bad dream. She was her usual sunny self once more. I couldn't tell which Kushida was the real one.

(Ayanokouji Pov End)

As she was leaving, Izumi kept himself ready with Juice. As soon as he saw her coming, he started to walk while focusing on his phone.

Then he stumbled on her and dropped all of the juice on her dress.

"Oh Sorry Sorry, I wasn't seeing... Oh, it's you. Sorry. I will be leaving. Use it if you want."

Izumi first said with a sorry expression which soon changed when he looked at Kushida and later became indifferent.

"It's okay Izumi Kun, I also wasn't seeing straight. but why are you always indifferent to me or even hate me."

"Why? Indeed Why?"

Izumi came close to her ear and said in a cold voice, "It's because I can see your shitty mask and two faces. I am disgusted by that. If you want to talk to me, come straight. I hate your cheerful face."

Hearing this, Kushida narrowed her eyes and then said in a cheerful voice, "What are you talking about Izumi Kun? I don't understand."

"Sure Syre, Keep your drama in. Just don't mess with me because you are not the only one who knows everyone's secret."

Saying this Izumi left with a laugh while Kushida was left alone and her expression kept on changing.

A few minutes, Ayanokouji came and then went to Izumi and kept his hand on his shoulder, and asked, "What was that about?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you push me there?"

"Don't worry, I saw everything. It's not like you lost anything I understand."

"Izumi, What was that about?"

"Hah! Her true nature. And don't worry, I spilled all the juice on the dress so no need to worry about anything."

"You planned everything?"

"You aren't the only planner here."

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