cote react to

part 19

If she were to openly involve my brother in all this, she'd know that I had nothing left to lose, and be afraid that I'd do anything in my desperation. That was precisely why she came up with this strategy to chase me out instead.

"Do you really think that she can do things to your brother?" Ryuuen asked her in disbelief.

"For Horikita-san who admired her brother, she will be desperate to keep him out of problems." Ichinose argued.

"And add that she's has a major brother complex." Kamuro said quietly.

Hashimoto heard her and laughed loudly earning weird looks.

"Can't you simply ignore me?" I asked.

"You know I don't involve myself with other people or stick my nose where it doesn't belong, right?"

"For now. But there's no guarantee for the future. I want anyone who knows about my past to disappear, so that I can be me. Otherwise, I'll be in trouble," she replied.

"Since Ryuuen's seen your true face, does that make him your prey, too?" I asked.

Are you seriously saying that you will expell me?" Ryuun mocked her, "Quite bold for someone who asked for my help."

"You know, that other version of you is pathetic and laughable." Ibuki sneered at Kushida.

"I will never do that now." Kushida said.

"Because you got exposed?" Ibuki countered. "You will definitely do that if you were never exposed in the first place."

Kushida eyes turned hard, "At the least I'm changing myself for the better now. What about you? When will you stop following your master around like a dog?"

"Huh? What did you say?" Ibuki snarled, she stood up on her seat but one look from her teacher silence her.

"Tch, whatever."

"Yes, I suppose so, depending on the circumstances," she answered. It was a bold move, since she and Ryuuen-kun were supposed to be allies.

"Heh heh. What a shrewd woman. Well, I guess I decided to work with you because I like this side of your personality." Ryuuen-kun snickered.

"Let me tell you one thing, Horikita-san. I will have the school expel you. If I need to make a deal with the devil to do so, so be it," Kushida-san said. She walked past me and stood next to Ryuuen-kun.

"That's really a shame, Suzune," he told me. "Betrayed by such a trustworthy ally."

"You were a step ahead of me this time, Ryuuen-kun. No...I suppose you've been a step ahead for a while. The test on the cruise ship, the one on the island, and the incident with Sudou-kun... I've just kept on losing and losing," I told them. The words poured out of my mouth easily, without pause.

'I don't know where your dear brother would find you if it weren't for Ayanokoji-kun.' Sakayanagi inwardly sneered.

"Time and time again." Horikita gritted her teeth, "How many times do he have to save me for me to learn my lesson?"

"Horikita-san?" Nene called out worried.

"Then I think the time for talk is over," he replied.

"I'll tell you this, though: Kinoshita running into you earlier was a total accident. She didn't have any ulterior motive or ill intent. That's just the way the world is."

"Perhaps so. There's no evidence, so it was obvious that I'd be framed as the aggressor," I replied.

"But let me say this, in turn. You were behind that incident. You ordered Kinoshita-san to make sure I took a fall. I'm sure of it."