I couldn't get to sleep, so I got up and left. I bought some juice from the lobby's vending machine and headed back for the elevator.
I could see that the elevator had stopped on the seventh floor. Curious, I decided to check out the CCTV, which showed what was happening inside the elevator car. I saw Horikita, still dressed in her school uniform.
While there was no real need to hide, my curiosity on what Horikita, who famously had no friends, would be doing this late at night was insatiable. Perhaps, like me she had wanted a drink, but more likely she had a more private goal in mind.
Hiding myself in the shadows, I followed her for a short distance, however, I instinctively hid again after I turned the corner. Horikita stopped in her tracks. I sensed another person was with her. Taking out my phone, I started to record the situation. On Horikita could prove useful.
"Suzune. I didn't think you'd follow me this far." Ah, so it was Manabu she had a rendezvous with. Logically that should have been my first conclusion since there was no one else in school she could be communicating with, but I had assumed based on his disdain for her character he would ignore her completely.
"Hmph. I'm far different from the useless girl you once knew, nii-san. I came here to catch you." An admirable goal, but something she was incapable of accomplishing. While she cut off other people, she would never be able to reach Manabu's level.
"Catch me, hmm? I heard you were placed in Class D. I suppose nothing has really changed in the last three years. You've always been fixated on following me, and as a result you don't notice your own flaws. Choosing to come to this school was a mistake."
"That's... You're wrong about that. I'll show you. I'll reach Class A right away, then—"
"It's pointless. You will never reach Class A. In fact, your class will fall apart soon enough. Things at this school aren't as simple as you think."
"I will definitely, definitely reach—"
"I told you, it's pointless. You really are a disobedient little sister."
As much as I respected the President, it was disappointing to see how he failed to understand the relationship between the two of them. If he truly wanted her to change, this was never going to be a successful method, simply because she idolised him. In fact, his attempt was likely doomed from the start. For the person one idolises to tell them not to be like them, to stop emulating them would always fall on deaf ears. The only way to ensure that the follow listens and understands is to have a fall from grace, to become realistic again in their eyes. That was something Manabu, with his innate talent could never do. In Horikita's eyes he would always be the ultimate existence, and he couldn't change that view of him, himself.
He grabbed his younger sister by the wrist—she offered no resistance—and pushed her against the wall. This night was turning out even better than expected. Not only leverage over Horikita but Manabu as well.
"No matter how I try to avoid you, the fact remains that you're my little sister. If people around here learned the truth, I would be humiliated. Leave this school immediately."
"I-I can't do that... I will definitely reach Class A. I'll show you!"
"How incredibly stupid. Do you want to relive the pain of the past?"
"Nii-san, I..."
"You possess neither the abilities nor the qualities needed to reach Class A. Get that through your head."
He moved forward, as if about to act. The situation looked fraught with danger. Resigned to facing Horikita's anger, I leapt out from my hiding space and went after her brother.
Before he knew I was there, I grabbed his right arm, which he was using to pin his sister.
"What? Ayanokouji..." He stared at his arm and slowly turned to me with a sharp gleam in his eye.
"A-Ayanokouji-kun?!" Horikita cried.
"That's enough President, you wouldn't want your sister getting hurt, would you? You do realize the floor here is concrete, right? You might be siblings, but you should know the difference between right and wrong"
"Eavesdropping is not an admirable quality," he said.
"Fine. Then let go."
"That's my line."
We glared at each other in complete silence.
"Stop it, Ayanokouji-kun," said Horikita, her voice strained. I'd never heard her voice like that before.
Reluctantly, I released her brother. Instantly, he tried to backhand me in the face. I instinctively took a step back to avoid it. For such a lightly built guy, he was a nasty attacker. He then aimed a sharp kick at my unguarded spot.
I could have dodged, but I had no idea how long he intended to fight for, so I decided to end it then and there. Grabbing his ankle as it sped towards me, I pulled him towards me, and off balance.
As he fell towards me, I launched myself forward, slamming my knee into his stomach and forcing him back onto the wall he had just held Horikita against, gasping in pain.
"Stop it Ayanokouji-kun! Leave nii-san alone!" It seemed that Horikita had decided to intervene, by moving in front of Manabu, arms spread protectively. Despite being abused by him only moments ago, she was still willing to defend him. This was beyond ordinary familial love, but devotion. No wonder he was fed up with her attitude.
"Don't worry, we're done."
"Good reflexes. I didn't imagine you could evade my blows so quickly and respond with such force. Have you been taught?" After the attacks stopped, the questions began. Groaning slightly, Manabu got back up to his feet.
"Obviously. Piano and Calligraphy were my favourite pastimes."
"Hahaha, I knew you would be entertaining Ayanokouji. I'm glad you haven't disappointed. Suzune, is he perhaps your friend? I'm honestly surprised."
"He's...not my friend. Just my classmate." Horikita faced her brother fully, as if denying him.
"You continue to confuse independence with solitude. And Ayanokouji, I should warn you to stop causing havoc with Kiryuuin. If you flood another store, the punishment will be more severe than paying back private points." With that final warning he walked past me and disappeared into the night.
With her brother gone, the night was silent once more. Horikita sat up against the wall, her head hanging low. She probably needed time to think. I was about to return to the dorms when Horikita called out to me.
"Did you hear everything? Or was it just a coincidence?"
"Oh. Uh, it was half coincidence, I'd say. I saw you when I bought some juice from the vending machine outside." That was a superfluous answer for a superfluous question. This wasn't what Horikita wanted to know, but I would wait and make her ask it.
"Who are you, Ayanokouji-kun?" There it is, finally.
"What do you mean? I'm just an ordinary high school student just trying to enjoy life." Bullshit and we both know it.
"Enough swimming skills to almost break a world record at 15. Strong and trained enough to keep up with nii-san, and as much as I don't want to admit it, defeat him. Incredibly perceptive, able to see through the school system on the first day. And smarter than what I considered humanly possible, finishing a test that quickly. So, I ask again, who are you?" Wow. There was a lot there. She really had been focused on my talent, probably finding my existence an affrontment to her superiority complex.
"Horikita, I'm just a student trying to have some fun in a boring world. There's nothing more to it than that."
"As if I'll believe that. You finished that mock test faster than humanly possible and still got full marks. I didn't even understand one of the questions." Admitting someone is better than her. We had reached the precipice of this before, but now the hurdle was passed, and Horikita could accept others being great. If she couldn't consider others as superior to her then she would never consider them a threat, making her a very boring competitor.
"Horikita, I learned that content years ago. There is nothing this school has to teach me that I don't already know. The only thing that interests me is causing some chaos. So don't try and figure me out, don't try to use me, I do what I want for my own reasons. And there is nothing you can do to change that."
"I suppose I have no choice but to respect your stance. It's something you can back up demonstrably, so I must accept it. But I must ask, will you help me get to class A. Because I will get there, even if I have to drag the class all the way with me." So confident. I respect it, but truly she is incapable of such a thing. Although I won't tell her that since she would ignore it. Failure is a much better lesson than words. And I will teach her failure.
"If it interests me, I may provide assistance. In fact, I already have. Sudou, Ike and Yamauchi have agreed to go back to the library for more tutoring tomorrow with you. I communicated with them your desire to help, so you're welcome." A sour look graced her face at my words.
"Why would you do that. There's no point helping deadweight. It would be better to dump them now, before focusing on Class A." I guess I have to explain everything to her now.
"I'm disappointed you can't see the bigger picture Horikita. There are probably very few advantages, certainly. However, it does help prevent a demerit."
"Demerit?"
"Do you really think that the school hasn't considered this? They've deducted points for students arriving late or playing around during class time. Let's say these students are expelled because no one helped them. How many points do you think they'll deduct from us then?"
"That's—" she began.
"Of course, we don't have any proof that's how it works. However, isn't it possible? 100 points? 1,000 points? They might even deduct 10,000 or 100,000 points. If that happens, it'll be very difficult for you to reach Class A."
"We've lost so many points already, the possible risks we could incur are insignificant compared to the gap between the other classes. If we lose the rest of our points here in order to lose dead weight, that seems a fair trade. After all, we can only lose 120. The situation can't get much worse, and without weaknesses in the class we could rise much faster."
"There's no guarantee that'd be the case. There could be penalties we just don't see yet. Do you really think it's okay to take such a dangerous risk? Well. I'm sure that someone as smart as you must have thought about that already. Otherwise, you would never have suggested creating a study group in the first place. You would've just abandoned the failures from the very beginning." Prodding her intelligence should get through to her. Finally, she should recognise the error in her previous logic, and focus on helping the three idiot's pass.
"I can't deny your logic, Ayanokouji-kun. I'll help tutor them to a passable result. But don't talk down on me again like that, or there will be consequences." Ah, I failed. Oh well, there is still one more chance in my plans to make her self-aware, and probably a more impactful moment as well. I hadn't considered a scenario as this into my calculations, so this result was actually a net positive. Losing this chance wasn't a complete loss, as the groundwork had been set for her character to explode.
"If that's all then, I'll be off. Enjoy your juice Ayanokouji-kun. And... good work getting the three idiots back." Saying this, she walked back into the lobby to return to her dorm. There was a hesitation in her speaking. Probably going to say thank you but changing to good work at the last moment, still unable to finally accept me as an equal. Oh, Horikita, your mind is so fun.
I stayed a bit longer alone, finishing my juice and contemplating how to refine the second part of my plan. Despite the chill, the evening was rather invigorating, and the sky was a beautiful mesh of lights. It's times like these that I really am gracious for my freedom. The chance to see the outside world, to see the sky, and just look at it, is an opportunity I never had at the White Room.
As I was about to return to the dorms, I saw someone sneaking out of the stairwell and making their way towards the school. Keeping hidden, for the second time tonight I decided to follow them and find out what they were doing.
It seemed luck was working even more in my favour tonight. The opportunity for information on someone was a situation I could not ignore. Especially when it was about someone I was so interested in.
What business could you possibly have at school right now, Kushida?
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I followed her into the school, silently hiding in the shadows behind her. Up all three of the floors, and eventually onto the roof. I followed behind as she went through the door to the outside. Students were free to use the roof during lunchtime, but it should've been locked after class. While I thought it strange, I went up the stairs, trying to hide my presence as best I could in case, she was meeting with someone. Then, I stopped partway.
Someone was up there. I gently leaned against the handrail and peeked through a crack in the rooftop door. Through the opening, I glimpsed Kushida. No one else was with her. Was she waiting for someone?
A rendezvous at such a secluded place... Could she possibly be waiting for her boyfriend? If that were the case, this could be the leverage that I needed over her. If she had a boyfriend the boys in our class wouldn't follow her religiously any longer so it had to be a secret. I took out my phone for the second time tonight to start filming. As I did so, Kushida slowly set her bag down on the ground.
"Ahhh, so annoying!" Her voice was so low that it didn't sound at all like Kushida.
"Those damn perverts, constantly ogling me while I tutor you. Just because I'm nice doesn't mean you get to constantly stare. Fucking disgusting!"
"And Horikita! She's seriously annoying! Makes a big deal about tutoring those idiots, and fucks everything up. Stupid bitch, it'd be better if she just died..." She grumbled to herself, as if chanting the words to some kind of spell or curse.
Finally. This is what I had been waiting for. A glimpse at the dark side of the class angel, the cutest girl in the grade. I had seen this side of her behind her mask, the truth obvious in her eyes for brief moments. But this was even worse than I had imagined.
However, I had no details or greater understanding on why she was this way, or why she pretended to be the opposite of her true self. Understanding that would be essential, but for now...
Thump! I kicked the door loudly, much like an accident, in order to get her attention. Kushida tensed and stopped breathing. I'd instantly become her enemy. Turning, Kushida set her sights on me. I'd been seen.
After a brief silence, Kushida coldly asked, "What...are you...doing here?"
"I got a little lost. Sorry. My bad, my bad. I'll be going now." Kushida looked straight at me, clearly seeing through my obvious lie. I'd never seen such an intense gaze before.
"Did you hear?" she asked.
"Would you believe me if I said I didn't?" I replied.
"I see..."
Kushida briskly walked down the stairs. She placed her left forearm against the base of my throat, and pushed me up against the wall. Her tone of voice, her actions, everything about her was completely unlike the Kushida I knew. This new Kushida wore a terrifying expression, one that I could almost compare to Horikita's. Everything about this girl was fascinating.
"If you tell anyone what you just heard, I won't forgive you." Her words were ice, and I didn't think they were an idle threat.
"And if I did tell?"
"In that case, I would tell everyone that you raped me," she said.
"That's a false charge, you know."
"That's okay. It wouldn't be false."
Her words had heft and power, leaving me unable to reply. As she spoke, Kushida grabbed my right wrist and slowly opened my hand. She pushed my palm up against her soft breast.
"What are you doing?" I asked. I hurriedly tried to pull away, but she pushed on the back of my hand.
"Your fingerprints are on my clothes. That's evidence of my claim. I'm being serious. Understand?"
"I understand. I really do. So let go of my hand."
"I'm going to leave this uniform in my room without washing it. If you betray me, I'll hand it over to the police."
I glared at Kushida for a while as she kept my hand pressed against her. This was ridiculous, to hold me in place for so long. Obviously she wasn't aware of how fingerprints worked, but I suppose I should speed the situation up. Giving her breast a small squeeze, she instantly released my hand, pushing it away with a look of disgust.
As she stepped away from her, I asked her a question. "Hey, Kushida. Which is the real you?" Of course, I knew the answer, but keeping her on her toes would make the coming confrontation so much more intense.
"That's none of your business."
"I see. Now, you told me what would happen if I told anyone about this, but what if I did so anyway?"
"No one would ever believe you. The genius who cares nothing for his classmates or the angel who is loved by everyone, who is more believable?" That was true, at least it would usually be if not for the phone recording the conversation in my pocket.
"Let me tell you something, while I have the chance. I absolutely despise stuck up selfish guys like you." A harsh assessment, but not necessarily false. It just so happened the person I moulded myself into was based on the few people I had interacted with at the time, Kouenji being prominent among them. "But I do believe that you won't tell anyone, Ayanokouji-kun." Yes, I would keep her secret, but not out of fear of her like she thought.
"I don't see any benefit in telling anyone about this, so I guess your secret is safe."
"That's why I said I believed you. Ayanokouji-kun, you're fundamentally indifferent to other people, aren't you?"
I didn't remember doing anything that would make her think so, but Kushida seemed confident in her assessment.
"It's not an out-of-place judgment. Back on the bus, you didn't show any interest in giving up your seat to the elderly woman."
Ah, so that's what she was talking about. She'd picked up on what was happening that first day. She had understood that I'd no intention of giving up my seat.
"If you believe I'm telling the truth, then you won't spread pointless rumours," I said.
"If you were really so confident, you wouldn't have felt up my breasts."
"Well, that's... I was really flustered. I panicked for a second." Her stern expression melted into one of impatience.
"So, Kushida, would I be right to think of you as the kind of girl who lets guys touch her breasts?"
She kicked my thigh as hard she could. Panicking, I grabbed the railing.
"Hey, watch it! I could've fallen and gotten seriously hurt!"
"I kicked you because you said something stupid!" Kushida snapped, her face flushed from anger.
"Hey, wait a minute."
She still looked furious. Kushida tromped back up the stairs, grabbed her bag, then returned wearing a huge grin.
"Let's head back together," she said brightly.
"Wait, one last thing." Saying this I took my phone out of my pocket and began to play the recording, right from the start. In one instant, her face collapsed into a multitude of emotions: despair, shock, horror, and a few more I couldn't identify.
"What..."
"Oh, this? Perhaps this could be why I wasn't concerned about your threat? Everything you said here tonight is recorded, Kushida. No way out." Anger won out on her face, and it morphed into a terrifying glare.
"You bitch!" She jumped towards me, rather quickly too. Nice reflexes, Kushida. She was obviously more fit than most girls in the grade, and decently strong too, as I had felt when she pinned my neck. But there was no way for her to get the phone from me.
I grabbed her outstretched arm, and twisted it behind her, locking both arms together and forcing her against the wall rather firmly, slowly tightening my hold on her arms. After hearing a grunt of pain, I released her and threw her to the ground, leaving her breathing heavily, leaning against the railing, eyes filled with fear.
I crouched down in front of her and grasped her chin with my hand. There was no resistance from her, as she stared into my true eyes, the darkness fully revealed, boring deep into her soul. There was no chance, no light no salvation available to her, only me. And that realisation had broken her, leaving a scared little girl alone on a rooftop.
"You tried to blackmail me, Kushida. I'm not too appreciative of that. So, what should I do in return?" I posed this question, despite knowing she couldn't respond.
Indeed, Kushida just sat here, hyperventilating, and muttering incoherent words. There was no response she could give in any circumstance, and so she recognised in this situation she had no power. She was completely at my mercy, and that thought broke her.
"Don't worry, I won't reveal your secret. It's much more useful to have you as a tool. It would do no good for people to find out your true nature, just as it would be bad if people found out mine." I pulled her to her feet, standing her up against the railing in front of me.
"In fact, I find you incredibly useful. You are a fascinating existence, Kushida, and so I will protect you. From now on, remember, you are mine." I stepped back to give her some space, and a chance to recover a little in order to answer, to respond in any capacity.
"You... you think I'll help you? You think I'll let you do whatever you want to me?" A brave response. I had to commend this little devil for regaining her resolve so quickly.
"Of course. Because in return I will help you. You want to be loved don't you, Kushida. More than anything. That's why you put on the act, and why you must vent up here, alone, where no one can hear your true thoughts."
"How..."
"You help me, and I will make the class love you. The whole grade will love you Kushida. Work with me, and the school will be yours." Yes, she would be a fine partner in crime. Her value as a social butterfly was incalculable and keeping her on my side was essential. Now that I had leverage over her, she would do my bidding, but a willing participant would be infinitely more valuable on top. Kushida was an incredible person, and to have her as a pawn would make my planning far easier.
"Why would you do that for me. And what do you want in return!" So bold. To demand answers from someone with your life in their hands, although I had told her I wanted to protect her from exposure, so it was reasonable for her to ask such questions.
"Because you are useful. Tomorrow at lunch, come to the cafeteria with me. I need your assistance with a small matter. And when you need to vent, come to my room and vent to me. I don't care what you say about others, so I'm willing to listen." By monopolizing how she vented, there was no chance that a situation where someone could overhear would happen. This would keep her in my control alone.
"Fine. It's not like I have much of a choice. I'm keeping the fingerprints though. Get too bold, and I don't care what you do I will drag you down with me." An empty threat, but I suppose if the security blanket, or blazer, would calm her it was worth allowing her to keep it.
"Do what you want. But betray me," I once again grabber her face and forced her to see the true depth of my eyes, "and I will destroy you." I left her there, half leaning half collapsed against the railing, and went back to my dorms. Kushida had lots to think about, lots to contemplate and decide, but truly there was no decision to make.
She was mine now. Kushida was a valuable tool, someone who could think for herself, and could control even other classes with her fake angel act. And when I fulfilled my side of the agreement and helped her become loved, she would become my willing helper.
And when I was done with her, or if she ever betrayed me, it would be as simple as posting a single video on the message board in order to crush her. Both of us would go down in mutually assured destruction, burning debris that would scorch the school. But hopefully not. There were more interesting things I could do with her.
Together we would control the class, then the grade, then the school, rising to the top. And unlike Sudou, Horikita and even Manabu when I eventually revealed my evidence of the fight in return for a favour, she would be my most valuable pawn.
Authors Notes
So i have a few things to address properly in a separate A/N chapter that i will write after i finish this arc. Basically just a few changes to the way I write, and trying to avoid using the Light Novels as such a big crutch from now on.
This chapter was a lot of fun, but i never seemed to get it right, always felt slightly off. Kushida moment just never felt as good as it could have been, but I've been workshoping it for many moons and it never gets to the point I'm happy with it.
But big reveal, Kushida one of the main characters. I've always found her to be severely underdeveloped and wanted to see more of her so im gonna write it myself. I want to see some more development from her, so she will be a big focus in this fic, so enjoy that. There's not enough Kushida love.
As always enjoy reading!