-242- The source of everything

Now, it's been just about fifteen minutes since the end of the third discussion.

At this time, Hirata Yousuke must be busily tending to the conditions of the students in each group, and Ayanokouji is surely thinking of ways to turn the situation around. As for Kouenji Rokusuke, it goes without saying that he won't just return to his room obediently after the exams are over.

So, whether fortunate or unfortunate, the room in the direction of the hallway is now empty, without a single person.

"Tap..."

When the faint yet clear sound of the door closing came from behind, Karuizawa Kei's body trembled suddenly.

Immediately after, a calm voice, as if targeting a weakness, came from behind Karuizawa Kei.

"Take off your clothes."

In Karuizawa Kei's mind, the worst-case scenario seemed to be coming true.

"Ugh..."

Karuizawa Kei desperately suppressed the trembling of her body but couldn't find the strength to resist.

(No, it's just like before...)

Since resistance was futile, she could only accept it.

In the past, Karuizawa Kei had always endured like this.

"Just like before..."

As if casting a spell on herself, Karuizawa Kei trembled as she unbuttoned her clothes one by one and took them off.

Before long, a fair and incredibly beautiful body appeared in the room.

Karuizawa Kei could only cover the top and bottom, close her eyes, and wait for the impending harassment.

However, the situation Karuizawa Kei imagined did not occur.

"Just as I imagined."

The completely calm voice of Nanaya Hori entered Karuizawa Kei's ears.

At that moment, Karuizawa Kei felt it.

Nanaya Hori's gaze did not linger on the sensitive parts of her body, nor did it carry any sense of filth. It simply stared calmly and indifferently at one place.

That place was Karuizawa Kei's side.

"Ah...!?"

It was then that Karuizawa Kei remembered what should never be seen by anyone else and abruptly opened her eyes, disregarding the exposure of sensitive parts of her body. She used both hands to hastily cover the side of her abdomen.

But it was already too late.

Nanaya Hori had already seen the secret that Karuizawa Kei least wanted others to glimpse.

"It's because of this that you started wanting to get close to me on the deserted island, right?"

Ignoring Karuizawa Kei's trembling body and frantic movements, Nanaya Hori took a bottle of herbs from the luggage at the head of the bed.

It was something left over from the special exam on the deserted island.

"A scar-removing herb."

Nanaya Hori held the herb bottle in front of Karuizawa Kei and spoke so.

"Your goal must be this, right?"

Upon hearing this, Karuizawa Kei's gaze involuntarily turned to the herb bottle in Nanaya Hori's hand.

Almost reflexively, she squeezed out these words.

"How... how did you know?"

This question prompted Nanaya Hori to respond calmly.

"Because that's the only explanation."

After discovering Karuizawa Kei's true face, Nanaya Hori initially thought that Karuizawa Kei wanted to approach him just like using Hirata Yousuke, leveraging his reputation.

After all, he had achieved a comprehensive victory in the special exam on the deserted island, trampling both Class A and Class C and forming a cooperation with Class B. Coupled with the reputation accumulated in Class D, in terms of influence and authority, he had long surpassed Hirata Yousuke.

Perhaps Nanaya Hori didn't have as much popularity as Hirata Yousuke, but every word he spoke was enough to generate tremendous power.

This could be seen from the situation in the Rabbit Group. Whether it was Machida Koji and his group from Class A or Manabe Shiho and her group from Class C, they were all extremely wary and alert.

So initially, Nanaya Hori thought that Karuizawa Kei wanted to redirect her parasitic target to him, further elevating her status.

But upon closer thought, this seemed unlikely.

"Anyway, Ichinose is now my girlfriend on the surface, and using the fake couple trick won't work anymore."

Moreover, Karuizawa Kei seemed to have no intention of abandoning Hirata Yousuke. Even during the briefing session, she kept mentioning "Yousuke-kun" as if all other boys were unsightly. If Karuizawa Kei really wanted to switch to Nanaya Hori, it would definitely not be a wise move.

Therefore, Nanaya Hori began to understand.

"There's no need to think too complicatedly. Just think about what benefits you could have gained from me in the special exam on the deserted island other than status."

Nanaya Hori held up the bottle of herbs.

"And in the deserted island, other than status, the only skill I displayed was the ability to prepare herbal concoctions, right?"

So, Karuizawa Kei wanted to approach Nanaya Hori for his herbs.

It's as simple as that.

The phenomenon of being too smart for one's own good doesn't apply to Nanaya Hori.

As for why he could guess that Karuizawa Kei wanted the scar-removing herb, that's even simpler.

Because that's the only possibility.

Among Nanaya Hori's herbs, other than this one with scar-removing properties, all the others have alternatives that can be found at school.

Cold, fever, sleep aid, health maintenance—medications with these effects can all be bought at school.

Only this scar-removing herb cannot be bought at school.

Therefore, by process of elimination, that's the only possibility left.

"I think you must have suffered a very serious trauma, otherwise you wouldn't react so strongly when facing Manabe's group."

Only someone who has endured nearly a decade of bullying and still managed to get up and recover would show such exceptional strength, only to be overwhelmed and show unusual behavior in the face of several girls approaching aggressively.

When Karuizawa Kei was in the Rabbit Group, the reason she showed fear and apprehension towards Manabe Shiho and her group has two reasons.

One is the lack of companionship.

Hirata Yousuke is absent.

The group of girls who usually support her is also absent.

In the Rabbit Group, the only classmates with Karuizawa Kei are Nanaya Hori, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, and Yukimura Teruhiko.

Obviously, these three are not Karuizawa Kei's companions.

As a result, Karuizawa Kei only associated herself with her past when she was isolated and without support, thereby feeling fear.

However, Karuizawa Kei wouldn't have been so weak if she had been alone.

The more important reason is the emotional trauma.

Karuizawa Kei must have suffered pain severe enough to become a psychological illness.

In view of this, Karuizawa Kei's inner trauma was exposed in such a situation, making her unable to resist fear and fear.

Indeed, Nanaya Hori's speculation is correct.

"That's the source of everything, right?"

Nanaya Hori focused on the hideous scar on Karuizawa Kei's side.