Vol. 4: Chapter 14 - Parasite

I sprinted out of the Dragon Group's room with haste.

"Oh-? Ayanokouji-kun-?"

I briefly ran past Hoshinomiya-sensei who seemed to be approaching our room. The contract must've been completed and she was going to deliver it to Ichinose.

Students started going out of their respective rooms. Since the hallway was wide, I didn't bump into anyone despite the speed at which I was going. Yukimura messaged me about what he knew. It seemed like Manabe and her friends took Karuizawa to the emergency stairwell. 

Good. It was the only detail that I needed, anyway.

After telling Yukimura to retreat, I gave him and Hamaguchi some instructions to meet up with Ichinose. I'll leave the explanations up to her.

I reached the dark corner on the way to the emergency exit. It was obvious that something was about to happen. Since the elevators weren't crowded, there was no reason to be there. I slowly entered the small hallway and saw the door to the emergency stairwell.

*Ka-chak*

And now it's shut.

I sneaked up to the door and found four female students. They were visible from the small, circular glass window.

Three of them were Manabe Shiho, Yamashita Saki, and Yabu Nanami. They surrounded my friend and classmate; Karuizawa Kei.

Karuizawa and I got along pretty well. It might've been brought on by my knowledge of her past. However, she had Hirata, so we never really got a chance to become closer. Sure, we've gone out to eat with her group many times, but her attention was mostly focused on Hirata for obvious reasons.

I was busy leading the class, and she was busy leading the girls while increasing her reputation for self-protection.

Karuizawa has done a fine job with all of that... However...

"Hey, why'd you bring me to a place like this?!" she protested.

"Stop playing dumb. You did push Rika, didn't you? Start talking." Manabe interrogated her with a glare.

"H-Huh? I already told you, you've got the wrong person!"

The three of them surrounded Karuizawa, forcing her against the wall. She was cornered and had no escape. Yet despite this, Karuizawa offered no apologies. She continued to deny their allegations which would make a normal person consider her innocence.

"Look, I have plans later. Can you please move?" asked Karuizawa.

"Sure, but we'll have to finish up our business first. Let's confirm it right now. I'm going to call Rika and if we really have the wrong person, you're free to go. We'll even apologize for causing you some inconvenience."

Manabe's confident tone meant that she already confirmed things with Morofuji in advance. Karuizawa's eyebrows twitched a little. She's panicking.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'll call the teacher."

"And what will you tell the teacher, exactly? It's not like we're being violent with you or anything. Besides, we can also rat you out when that happens. We'll say you pushed Rika, and regardless of whether the truth is revealed, you'll still get in trouble."

Anyone could guess that Karuizawa's mind is in turmoil, but she was doing a great job at hiding it. Since the other side had no intention of backing down, she had no choice but to try escaping. However, the girls managed to grab her arm and she was pushed up against the wall. One of them took out their phone, probably to call Morofuji.

Seeing this, Karuizawa knew that it was checkmate.

"W-Wait!" she pleaded.

"What? Why should we wait?"

"I just remembered something. I bumped into that girl before."

It was a downward spiral from here.

There was no doubt about it. Driven by panic, Karuizawa's head is now a mess. Her words started to become incongruent and the girls picked up on that immediately.

"You're a total liar. You remembered her from the very beginning, didn't you? Well, whatever. So, are you going to apologize to Rika properly?"

Spite? Pride? Denial? Whatever it was, Karuizawa's response sealed the deal for Manabe and her friends' resolve to vent out their anger and envy.

"No way. She was in the wrong. She's a complete airhead."

Karuizawa knew that her words would upset them more, but she also knew that admitting her fault wouldn't do much. If she took responsibility for her mistakes in this specific manner, her reputation would be shattered, and there's a high chance that things wouldn't stop even after an apology. That's why Karuizawa chose the other route. She'd rather tread the road of broken glass than give them what they want.

"You're seriously pissing us off. We might've forgiven you if you'd actually apologized to Rika. But now, we definitely won't forgive you."

Manabe pressed down on her shoulder. Karuizawa's eyes were shaky, but she still managed to give her a glare.

"Whatever. You probably never planned on forgiving me, anyway."

Karuizawa was smart enough to notice that from the start. After she spat those words, Yamashita and Yabu lost their patience and spoke.

"Shiho-chan, I've had enough. Karuizawa's unforgivable."

"I know, right? She should understand exactly how Rika felt. Why don't we bully her for real?"

"Good idea," smirked Manabe.

She struck Karuizawa's shoulder with a little extra force.

"Agh-!" Karuizawa staggered back and nearly lost her balance. "Ahh... Hah..."

She was panting in suffocation and held her head as if she was in pain.

"Oh, please. Act as girly as you want. We're still not going to forgive you."

She was strong-headed alright, but her current behavior doesn't add up. That's why I can confirm it with an 80% guarantee now. Karuizawa's past as a victim of bullying was indeed the truth.

However, this may or may not be a part of a facade that I'm not seeing. Was she waiting for a perfect opportunity to counter them physically? Did she call some of her other friends in advance and try to buy time until they arrived? Who knows? Let's see how things develop.

They grabbed Karuizawa's hair and forcefully yanked her head up.

"I've always hated your face, Karuizawa. I mean, don't you girls think she's just butt-ugly?"

"Yeah, for sure. Don't you just want to cut her face?"

Karuizawa's expression contorted in fear.

"S-Stop it... Stop it..."

"'S-Stop it', she says. What happened to your big attitude?"

Manabe and her friends' insecurities were obvious. They envied Karuizawa, and in turn, hated her. In terms of looks, Karuizawa had them all beat. So of course, you'd want to tear off your enemy's advantages. They wanted to turn Karuizawa's pretty face into a pathetic display of snot and tears, probably even planning to take some pictures of it.

She was afraid and on the verge of crying. The three girls noticed this, and with their frightening intuition, they arrived at the worst possible conclusion.

"Hey, Shiho-chan. Isn't this weird...? Karuizawa doesn't look like she's acting."

"Yeah, is she really that scared?"

Under normal circumstances, a girl of Karuizawa's temperament would bite back with an angry expression while hurling curses at them. But right now, she was nothing but a terrified little girl.

At that moment, the three of them thought of the same thing.

"Ohh? So that's how it is. You were bullied in the past, weren't you, Karuizawa?"

"Wha—?!"

The past that she desperately buried came creeping back at her.

"Woah, would you look at that! I hit the nail on the head!"

"Yeah, seriously?"

"Wow... And now she's trying to act high and mighty? Isn't that, like, pathetic?"

Karuizawa's reaction gave it away. And now, I was also 100% sure that the general contents of her past were true. Manabe and the other two started mocking her. The tears that welled up around her eyes started to flow.

"Geez, you should at least know your place, you bitch. You had the gull to hurt others when in truth, you're just a coward?"

"Maybe you need to reminisce about your past so you won't act like a bitch again."

"N-No... That's not true! You're wrong!" They had the strongest possible psychological weapon in hand. Karuizawa's weak retaliation didn't matter to them.

"Heh. Why don't you get down on your knees then? You're good at groveling on the ground, right? Maybe you'd even plaster your forehead on the floor while begging for forgiveness."

"I-I won't!"

One of them grabbed her hair with force.

"Ugh-"

"Aww... Look at that miserable face. It would be a shame to..."

*Slap*

She slapped Karuizawa's face before finishing her sentence.

"Agh-! L-Let me go!"

Hmm... I can't let this go on any further or my plan won't work.

"Woah, let me in on it, too!" said the other girl.

I opened the door before another slap could connect.

"Alright, why don't we stop it right here?" I said in a fairly loud voice.

"What—?!"

Obviously, all of them looked surprised.

"Ayanokouji-ku—"

"Stay silent for a bit, Karuizawa. That's not part of the script."

"Hah? Script? What the hell are you talking about?" asked Manabe.

I raised my phone and showed them the screen. A video of all the events up to the first slap was playing with very clear audio.

"You walked right into our trap. Now you're in really deep trouble."

They immediately understood the hell that awaited them. The three girls stepped back in disbelief.

"W-What...? So you were just acting all along?" Yamashita turned to Karuizawa, who was wiping the tears off of her face.

"Huh? Of course, I was. Did you seriously think that I, of all people, would have such a past?" Karuizawa responded instantly.

Perfect. Now that the situation was completely in her favor, Karuizawa got back on her feet once more... Or at least, that's what I wanted to say. Since Manabe and her friends were panicking, they failed to notice the lingering damage they dealt to her psyche. Karuizawa's hands were still trembling in anxiety.

"Tch. What the hell?! This is crazy!"

"Everything was going smoothly, but I never expected you to slap our actress, so I had to step in. You guys have gone too far."

They couldn't say anything at this point. Everything was caught on camera. Denying their actions would be pointless.

"Why... are you doing this? We were just..." Manabe tried to justify their actions, but she immediately realized how carried away they got.

"Karuizawa kicked your friend out of a line, and you're trying to stand up for her. I'm not against that at all... But this isn't about that anymore, is it? You were just trying to take your insecurities and frustrations out on her. It became very clear with the contents of your insults and acts of violence."

"This... This wouldn't have happened if she just apologized!" snapped Manabe.

"And that's exactly why we made this plan. Karuizawa and I never believed that you'd stop harassing her even after she apologized. And looking at the results, it seems like our gut feeling was right," I said. "Karuizawa intended to apologize from the start, but you were hounding her with blatant hostility. If she apologizes to Morofuji, you'd think you're the one who pushed her over. And when the news spreads, it will stain her reputation."

Karuizawa looked surprised, but since the other three were looking at me, they never noticed her reaction.

"Karuizawa will apologize of her own free will because she felt bad, and the three of you would have nothing to do with it. After she patches things up with Morofuji, that'll be the end of it. This video will act as a countermeasure should you bother her even after that."

They understood what I wanted to say. I won't use the footage unless I need to. That said, saying that Karuizawa will apologize should ease their animosity.

"Before you go, I want you to apologize. You hurt Karuizawa way more than she hurt your friend."

I was the person who held absolute power in this situation. They had no choice but to oblige.

"Sorry..."

The three of them were reluctant but sincere. They still hated Karuizawa's guts, but my words made them realize their hypocrisy.

"..." Karuizawa could only receive their apologies in silence.

To be honest, I couldn't have asked for a better response from her.

"Don't worry. I'm not trying to be a villain here. If Karuizawa didn't intend to apologize, I'd be siding with you three instead."

Manabe Shiho, Yabu Namami, and Yamashita Saki walked away with gloomy expressions and heavy steps. After the three of them left, Karuizawa's legs finally gave out.

I looked at her with cold eyes, and that's when she realized that I wasn't there to celebrate with her. I slowly approached the confused and frightened girl.

"Do you understand now, Karuizawa?"

"W-What...?"

"You're the one who caused this. You just reaped what you sowed."

"I..."

"But don't worry. Even though it came at a price, Manabe and her friends will never bother you again. I managed to keep your past buried under wraps, too," I said.

Karuizawa couldn't respond immediately. She kept staring at me with a puzzled and intimidated look on her face.

"Are you... really Ayanokouji-kun...?" she asked.

"Ah... That's right. This should be the first time that I've talked to you like this."

Karuizawa desperately tried to wrap her head around the "me" that was standing right in front of her. My actions had been cruel and my words were cold. It was completely different from the silent yet friendly Ayanokouji Kiyotaka that she knew.

"You've started acting a bit gloomier ever since the midterm exam, but..."

"I've never really acted this way towards anyone, apart from a few people. I can understand that you're surprised." I glanced at her face with a small sigh. "Sorry, Karuizawa. I'm not the nice and thoughtful class leader that everyone knew. Even Hirata is not aware of this 'me'."

Karuizawa's pupils quivered. She was starting to comprehend the situation... and the real Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

"Yeah... You just watched as they tormented me earlier. You didn't really care even if they got more violent, did you? However, they'll get suspicious of your plan if you let me get hit more than once. That's probably the only reason why you stopped them after I got slapped." Karuizawa replied with a self-deprecating laugh.

If Karuizawa gets psychologically crippled, she might not be able to recover even after I revealed myself. If that happens, Manabe and her friends wouldn't believe that she was just acting. Since I didn't know the extent of what I could allow, I immediately stepped in after the first act of violence.

Amazing. As soon as I showed her my cruel self, Karuizawa deduced the true nature of my plan.

"That's right. To me, it was the fastest and most effective way to solve your problem. You can resent me if you want. I can accept that."

The only thing she could do was turn away with a conflicted look.

"This wouldn't have started if you didn't do anything in the first place. You know that, right?"

"I-I couldn't help it! My friends were all there..."

"And because they were there, you put on a show of strength by preying on the weak? Isn't that a bit hypocritical?"

Karuizawa looked down as she bit her lip.

"I understand that you're just trying to protect yourself. That's why I even helped with your plan to go out with Hirata. But do you remember what I said back then? I told you to not create trouble."

"I..."

"You're probably aware of it already, but you're just acting like the ones who bullied you in the past— like Manabe and her group. Is that really how you want to protect yourself, Karuizawa?"

"I didn't know what else I could do... Whenever I emulate what they did, it worked. It just became a habit."

This utter desperation to protect one's self didn't make sense.

I stared straight into Karuizawa's eyes, trying to look for that one missing detail. She held her head, once again. But I lightly grabbed her chin, forcing her to lock eyes with me. She was broken, down to the depths of despair. What happened? I needed to know.

"Karuizawa, there's something strange about all this."

"Strange...? What are you talking about?" Her body started to tremble involuntarily.

"I don't know... But you should."

"N-No..."

A morbid memory has resurfaced from the depths of her mind. Karuizawa's eyes started to tear up once more. She's repulsed by that certain memory with every fiber of her being.

"You've been bullied since you were young, so I can see where you're coming from. You've relayed all of your horrible experiences to me and Hirata, so we can at least sympathize with you and assist you... But that's not all, is it? Why are you so desperate to gain the power to protect yourself? You value your current position more than anything else, right? If someone got a hold of the information about your past, you'd do anything to make them keep it, wouldn't you?"

Karuizawa has suffered a lot in the past. They'd put tacks in her shoes and fill her desk with roadkill. They'd vandalize her stuff, steal them, or even destroy them. They wrote things like "whore" or "slut" on her uniform. Even the bathroom was hell for her since she'd get splashed with murky water all the time. Karuizawa was bullied every day. She suffered every day, but she never quit school. Such a strong girl would need to go through something more inimical to be this desperate.

"T-That's right... I'll do anything..." Karuizawa gasped for air as she forced out an answer.

"And that's why I came to the conclusion that you're still hiding something."

"That's..."

"What is it, Karuizawa? A darker form of your suffering, perhaps?"

Karuizawa clenched her chest which severely crumpled the fabric of her uniform. Like before, she was having a hard time breathing. She looked down as her eyes instinctively wandered towards her left side.

I touched that part of her body, over her uniform, without missing a beat.

"S-Stop-!" Karuizawa almost yelled on reflex, but she managed to stop her voice from getting loud.

At the same time, she clutched my hand and tried to move it away. I grabbed her uniform and pulled it up. There, on her silky white skin, was a grotesque scar. It was a deep scar caused by a deliberate yet amateur cut, executed using a very sharp blade.

"U-Ugh...!"

I traced my finger over that scar.

"This is it? This is your darkness?"

"W-Why..."

Something like this could not have been brought on by simple bullying. Her scar was the result of a life-threatening physical assault. Karuizawa Kei was burdened with such a past, and this scar imprinted those dreadful memories onto her, permanently.

"I've known you for a long time now, Karuizawa. You've had traumatic experiences with bullying, but you still held on. You're tenacious. That's why it's always been a mystery to me. What shattered your spirit? What could make such a strong girl so desperate for protection?"

So this was the reason.

I spoke softly to the point where it can be considered whispering. However, because our faces were very close to each other, Karuizawa understood each and every word that I said.

And that's when our dark eyes met. Ah, there it is. That's a familiar-looking pair of eyes. They're the kind of eyes that have seen what true darkness and despair are.

People who carry darkness are attracted to each other. Karuizawa, Kikyou, Hirata— they've all been exposed to it at some point in their lives. All of them were putting up a front to conceal the truth, but they were slowly eroding themselves. Ironically, that is also the reason why they can readily embrace the darkness of others.

Even though she was hateful and paranoid, Kikyou entrusted herself to me after and I showed her who I am. Hirata must've had something that made him everyone's altruistic hero, and he vowed to tell me everything after getting a sense of my true mindset. And of course, I've forcefully freed Karuizawa from the shackles of her hideous past.

"Who... are you...?" she asked with trembling lips.

"I'm the same as you... if that's what you wanted to hear."

My words were true to some degree. However, there are things in this world that are profoundly darker. Even Karuizawa was not aware of them just yet.

She sat in a kneeling position, so I bent my knees and crouched to her level.

"Now that I've gained a new level of understanding of your situation, I'm not sure if Hirata would be enough to protect you."

"Hirata-kun...?"

"He's everyone's ally. That's why he's not useful when things escalate to this level, at least not for—"

"A parasite like me?" The darkness in Karuizawa's eyes swirled as she wallowed in self-deprecation. 

"Yeah, a parasite like you won't survive by latching on to a host like Hirata."

Karuizawa's eyes indicated her discordant thoughts.

"Don't worry, I'll be working closely with you from now on. However, you have to stop hiding things from me— only then can I truly help you." Karuizawa understood the value of my words. Regardless of what happened, I produced results. "I'm not the right person to reprimand you. I did something detestable too— letting you suffer through most of your trauma tonight. However, I can call you out for targeting some of the girls in our class." 

She gazed down with a guilty look.

"They're my friends. Even if I don't have a problem with your way of things, you should tone it down a bit. You're the leader of Class B's girls. If anything, you should be the one who'll stand up for them— the one they can rely on."

Karuizawa silently listened. She reflected on herself while burying her face on her knees. I silently accompanied her until I felt something inside my pocket.

I stood up and took my phone out.

"Are you leaving...?" she asked.

"Not yet. First, I'm going to 'save' you."

"What...?"

After pressing the send button, I sat back in silence beside Karuizawa. A few seconds passed before, our phones vibrated simultaneously. She took hers out and read the notification.

[The test has now ended for the Rabbit Group. Those in the Rabbit Group are no longer required to participate any further. Please do not disturb the other students.]

"Eh-?"

For Class B, the only people who knew about the plan were the four members of the Dragon Group. Karuizawa's confusion was understandable.

"We made a deal with Ichinose. In exchange for the 500,000 private points, I sold out one of our VIPs. I gave her your name so the Rabbit Group members won't have to meet up with each other again," I explained. "Don't worry, you'll still get your money."

After I received a copy of the contract from Ichinose, I sent Karuizawa's name to Hamaguchi.

I checked my phone after feeling another vibration.

[Karuizawa.]

Hamaguchi forwarded his answer to me. Excellent. It seems like everything went well.

"I see... You can't let Hirata-kun know about how you made me endure their bullying, so you ended the Rabbit Group's test, using it as an alibi. At the same time, you fulfilled whatever deal you had with Class C..." Karuizawa chuckled bitterly. "You easily killed two birds with a single stone. I guess that's to be expected from you."

Karuizawa was quick on the uptake. But the reason I saved her and ended the test wasn't for that purpose only. I also needed another accomplice to complete everything.

"You're right, but I actually wanted to kill three birds. I have one more job for you, Karuizawa."

2nd Day, 9:34 PM.

Karuizawa and I walked out to the main hallway and found a handful of freshmen and employees strolling around the 2nd deck. Around this time, most of the students were already having dinner or resting inside their respective rooms.

With everything settled, the two of us sauntered towards the elevator.

"Sorry about all this..." she said.

"You don't need to apologize to me. I did something horrible to you, you know?"

"Hmm... If it weren't for your plan, I wouldn't be able to realize how unnecessarily destructive my actions have been. In the end, you saved me, and I'm grateful for that."

This time, I was the one who could only respond with silence.

Karuizawa Kei's secret was kept safe, and I also found out the whole truth about her past. I don't know what that means for the both of us, but she might've turned out to be an ally that I can trust to some degree— or at least, that's what I feel.