Chapter 29

I simply stared into her eyes for a while in response. The longer that I make her wait for my answer like this, the more fear will build up within her. Her body shook in anticipation and dread as she waited for my answer.

"From now on, you're going to do everything that I tell you without question. You'll follow every order I give you to the letter."

"W-w-what makes you t-think I'll go along with t-that?!" Kushida tried her best to retort stubbornly, but she was clearly terrified of what was going to happen to her. "N-No matter what you do to me here, it won't help you tomorrow. I won't take orders from you! W-when we get away from here, I'm going to destroy you, you bastard!"

Kushida's mental strength was impressive. Even in this situation, she was able to speak aggressively, insult and even threaten me. Such mental fortitude was to be expected from her though, someone who bottles up their feelings and wears a fake smile all day every day. Unfortunately for her, though, it wasn't enough.

"That's not true. What would happen if everyone found out about everything that happened here? I would certainly be affected a bit, but I think it's pretty widely thought that none of the students in my class are normal by now – my true nature coming out wouldn't hurt me too badly, especially since I only resorted to it after you threatened me."

"What are—" Kushida tried to speak, but I cut her off and continued.

"However, your life would be as good as over. Forget your social standing and reputation, framing someone with rape is a criminal offense. There's no doubt that you'd be expelled from this school and everyone will remember you as that fake bitch who pretended to be everyone's friend, isn't that right?"

Kushida paled as I laid the situation bare. It seemed like she had started to catch on to what I meant, but she still wanted to believe that it wasn't possible. She was clinging on to any hope that she could find. I had to crush that hope to plunge her completely into despair, and make her completely subservient to me.

"B-but you said it y-yourself. There's no cameras here, and, and, nobody will b-be around here this late." Tears began to form in the corner of Kushida's eyes.

I reached into my uniform and pulled my phone out of the pocket. Kushida looked like she knew exactly what I was about to say. I pressed my thumb against the 'record' button, and a high-pitched noise indicated that the recording had been ended.

"I've been recording this whole time, ever since you came into the stairwell. I've just stopped it so even in the full unedited audio, there will be no proof of me threatening you or doing anything to you here. Conversely, there is clear evidence on here of you threatening to frame me, as well as a clear depiction of your true nature. If you disobey me, even once, I'll publicly release this recording for the entire school to listen to."

I pressed 'play' on my phone, and the clear sound of our two voices rung out from it.

If you tell anyone what you just heard, I won't forgive you.

And if I did tell?

In that case, I would tell everyone that you raped me.

She desperately tried to snatch the phone out of my hand, but I quickly pulled away and returned it to my pocket, tightening my grasp on her as I did so.

Kushida let loose, tears streaming down her cheeks and onto my hand as I made her worst fear a reality. I effectively had her life in my hands, so she could do nothing but go with my demands. No matter what kind of fight she puts up, there is no way for her to stop everything she's built up so far from being destroyed by me. Her only option was to appease me and make sure that I don't decide to bring her to ruin.

Kushida's body quivered violently as she cried. Although I didn't loosen my hold on her arm or chin, I waited patiently for her crying to subside. For a few minutes, all that could be heard in the school was the despaired weeping of this girl. Eventually, she somewhat composed herself and her crying quietened down, replaced by broken sobs.

This was because, starting today, Kushida's life would change. Either it would all come crumbling down, or she would be forced to live for me. She probably understood this all too well, which was what caused her breakdown. By now, the collar and chest of Kushida's blazer as well as the sleeve of mine were soaked with tears, but no more were streaming from her eyes. It seemed that now was the right time.

"So, what'll it be? Are you going to do as I say?" I asked her emotionlessly.

After a couple of seconds, I saw Kushida's mouth move, and she made a sound, but it was so quiet that it was inaudible. The faint vibrations of her voice escaped out into the air, but they never reached my ears.

"Could you speak up?"

"I-I'll do it. W-whatever you want. B-but you'll keep your word, right? If I do e-e-everything you ask, you won't reveal anything?" Kushida gave up on escaping, and instead pleaded for me to ensure her safety.

"I promise."

Saying that, I released Kushida from my hold and stepped away, giving her space. Her eyes widened a fraction, and an extremely miniscule hope appeared on her face.

"Y-You're not going to..."

"Violate you? Of course not. Who do you think I am?"

I was after a pawn, not a slave. In truth, I wasn't really planning on changing Kushida's life too much. I just needed her to do things for me when I needed it, nothing more. She should be glad that she ran into me here, I'm sure that there were other boys who wouldn't be so merciful.

"From the way you spoke about the cameras and the isolation, and how you're forcing me to do anything, I thought you were going to..." Kushida mumbled, a trace of relief in her voice.

"I'm not interested in claiming your body, or anything like that. I just want you to do some things for me in the future, that's all."

Kushida decided not to ask further, which I thought was a wise decision, and looked to the ground. I had ended up revealing my darkness to Kushida, but there was almost zero risk involved. In her position, Kushida would never even dream of betraying me now. I could end her life at this school any time I wanted, with a few taps of a phone screen. When I return to my dorm, I'll need to back up this recording pretty thoroughly to ensure I don't lose my leverage.

Kushida was still trembling and she hadn't made any movements, even after I let go of her. I needed Kushida to continue tomorrow as normal – she won't be nearly as effective down the line if people notice a change in her. Demanding her to return to normal wouldn't work since she would probably be incapable of escaping from her fears and anxieties. In that case, it would be best for me to reassure her and try to put her at ease. Well, as much ease as one could be in after experiencing what Kushida just had.

"Kushida." She raised her lifeless eyes and pointed them straight into mine, which had reverted to their normal state. "I'm not going to force you to do anything that will destroy the life you've established at this school. You can continue living on as normal - your usefulness to me will diminish if I ruin 'Kushida Kikyō,' after all."

Kushida gave a small nod and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She slowly made her way back up to the rooftop to collect her bag. She came back down and delicately shut the door behind her, taking care not to make a sound. I noticed something that would cause a huge problem for her, if she was seen walking out on campus like this.

"Ah, I'm sorry, your clothes are wet through because of me." It was not only her blazer, but also her undershirt and ribbon were soaked as a result of her earlier breakdown. "That could cause problems if you're seen."

"Y-yeah..." Kushida replied softly.

"I know you hate me right now, but I'll walk with you. It'll greatly lower the chances of you being approached. Plus, it's my fault to begin with, so I'll feel bad if I can't help." I said.

"Y-you... What the hell is your deal? Just a second ago you were acting cold, full of darkness, and now you're back to your usual quiet, considerate self? And why are you putting in effort just to make sure that I'm okay after what you just did?"

"But you're the same, right? We can both swap between our personas just like that," I snapped my fingers as a gesture. "Your transformation was also quite jarring when I first saw it. As for your second question, it's not like I'm evil or anything. I did cause this situation myself so it's my responsibility to help fix it. And it's not like I did all of that just now for fun, you know."

"Then why?"

"I don't think you're the kind of person who would be swayed by verbal promises and emotions like trust alone. If I didn't have a recording to threaten you with, you would target me because I know your secret, right? Think of this whole thing as insurance." I explained my reasoning to her.

Honestly, that was only a small part of the truth. The reality was that I saw an opportunity to use Kushida, and took it without hesitation. The insurance part was just an added bonus. If I said this to her, though, she would probably hate me even more and her usefulness would decrease.

"But why would you make me work for you, then?" Kushida asked in a small tone.

"You're a useful asset to have, I suppose. It won't be all that bad for you, though. I won't be asking things from you often or anything. I know you despise me right now but, if it means anything, you'll also have my protection from now on."

"Protection? What do you mean?"

"You're an asset I'd like to preserve, if possible. Also, I can empathize with your situation since my own is quite similar. I also came to this school seeking an escape and a peaceful life, and I also wouldn't hesitate to do whatever it takes to protect that just like you when you threatened to frame me. If there's ever anything or anyone that's threatening your peace at this school, you can ask for my assistance. I'll gladly help you as long as you continue to be useful to me. Are you okay with this arrangement?"

A complicated expression washed over Kushida's features. It was one that would be impossible to determine, even for someone like me or Sora.

"I see... Yes, I'm fine with that arrangement."

Kushida didn't seem nearly as distraught as she was when I had her pinned against the wall. This was, of course, my plan the entire time. I brought her down into the depths of despair, leaving her uncertain of what I would do to her. Consequently, when I said these comforting words to her, I would be the one to pull her out of that despair, which would cause her to start developing trust in me. Even if was just a tiny amount, it would be a good starting foundation to build on in the future.

"Well, shall we go, then?" I asked her.

She simply nodded, and we began to walk back to the dorms together. As we walked, I pondered the events that had just happened. Which Kushida is the real one? Is the bright and cheery Kushida just a fake created so that she can gain popularity and status? Or is this Kushida I'd just seen merely a way for her to vent, and not her true personality? The mystery called Kushida Kikyō would take me quite a while to unravel, it seemed.

Coincidentally though, just by deciding to follow her on a whim, I'd gained myself quite the powerful pawn. No, perhaps 'pawn' isn't the right word. As far as potential pawns go, Kushida was probably one of if not the best of them all – her social network was vast which made her excellent in gathering information and her personality caused people to drop their guards, making them easy to manipulate or persuade.

Her true thoughts were also similar to my own. She just wanted to live her life here peacefully and feel fulfilled. Because she was so desperate to protect this, she was easy to grasp full control of. Because of all this, if you considered Kushida as a piece on a chess board, she would undoubtedly be the queen, the most powerful piece in play.

As we walked under the blanket of the night, I glanced over to her. The usual Kushida still hadn't returned, and she was staring down at the ground with a frown on her face – her lower lip twitched occasionally. It appeared that Kushida was deep in thought and was still dominated by anxiety. I could only hope that she'd be fine by tomorrow