Class-E, The Experiments

Chapter XI: Spider Web

"There is no such thing as a pure introvert or extrovert. Such a person would be in the lunatic asylum." ― Carl Jung.

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Ayanokouji Kiyotaka POV.

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I watch as Kushida stands up from the bed and walks to the door.

"Thank you for listening to me, Ayanokouji-kun. I hope we can do this another time," she says, her voice as sweet and sugary as ever. I only nod, giving her no real response. As she closes the door behind her, I place my empty cup on the coffee table and glance up at the ceiling.

"Kushida Kikyou... A very interesting person indeed," I murmur to myself.

She is fascinating. Despite everything—despite being mentally broken and driven to the brink of despair—she can still act like her usual self. That bright, fake smile never falters. It's impressive, really. A rare gem. All I need to do is polish her, fix her defects, and then she'll be something extraordinary. Right now, she's fractured, barely holding herself together under the pressure of her own lies and stress, but if I rebuild her, reshape her... she'll unlock her full potential.

The question is how. For now, the strategy is simple: provide her with an outlet, a way to vent her frustrations, and in return, she stays compliant. But that won't be enough forever. Her need to know secrets runs deep, like an obsession. I understand the events of her past, but I still don't know what caused this mindset of hers. That's something I'll have to dig deeper into.

Trust is the key, though. Right now, she doesn't trust me, and why should she? She's forced into this arrangement, clinging to me only because I've given her no other option. But in time, I'll have to make her trust me—truly trust me, not out of fear or desperation but out of necessity. And the same goes for me. I don't trust her, not yet. Trust is a dangerous game, and it needs to be earned.

Of course, she doesn't know about the audio bugs I've set up in my room. It's a precaution. Even though she came here of her own volition, I can't leave anything to chance. People like her are unpredictable.

Technology isn't exactly my strongest skill, though I have a basic understanding. I might need to improve that, maybe get help from someone more skilled in that field. Sotomura comes to mind. It's his expertise, after all. I'll consider it when the time is right.

For now, though, I'll keep watching. There's always more to learn.

There was this chat room I'd been invited to by Satou—a lively girl, if I remembered correctly—but I had no interest in replying. Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou were also in it, along with most of the class, but I hadn't bothered to check it. I sighed. It seemed like tonight wouldn't be one for peaceful sleep.

I left my room and wandered to the lobby, where I bought a juice from the vending machine. On my way back to the elevator, something caught my attention.

"Hmm?"

The elevator had stopped on the seventh floor. Curious, I decided to check the CCTV feed. The screen revealed Horikita, still in her school uniform. I wasn't particularly eager to talk to her, so I ducked behind the vending machine and let her pass. But I couldn't help but notice that she was still wearing her school uniform this late, meaning she was up to something.

Once she exited the building, looking cautious, I decided to follow her. However, as I turned the corner, my instincts kicked in, and I hid again. Horikita had stopped.