Kushida was waiting for us. When she saw Horikita and me, she gave a small wave and smiled brightly.
"Kushida-san. Sorry to have kept you waiting," Horikita said.
Horikita POV
This was bad.
I had the foolish hope to expel Kushida-San without giving her the chance to exposes people's secrets.
There was ice in Kushida-San's eyes. The moment she got the opportunity, she would destroy our cohesion. Depending on what happened here, she would probably sabotage us in the next exam as well, as to get revenge.
Ayanokouji-Kun looked as composed as ever. Now it was clear why. Compared to what he went through, this was a no-pressure situation for him. Having been one of the ones to push him to help the class and me, I felt incredibly guilty.
I shook my head. This was not the time to wallow in regrets. I needed to be ready to keep our class morale high. The worst-case scenario has been averted for now, as Kushida-San could not directly air the dirty laundry of everyone.
"It's all right. There's still a little time left before we were scheduled to meet. What were you talking about with Honami-chan?" asked Kushida.
"Nothing important."
"I'd still like to know. Is it something you can tell me?"
Kushida's tone of voice and smile remained unchanged, but the tension rose.
"Sure. After all, it's completely unrelated to you," said Horikita.
"I asked her how I could talk to people equally, without showing distinction or favoritism."
"Oh?"
"I'm not going to lie. I was asking about you, Kushida-san," said Horikita.
"Listen here, Horikita-san. While you and I may not get along, I'd much rather talk about this without Ayanokouji-kun," said Kushida.
"Or could it be...that Ayanokouji-kun and Ichinose-san now know something?"
"And what were you going to do, declare war on Honami-San?" Asked Kanzaki-Kun.
His whole class looked to be ready to defend Ichinose-San.
"Don't think your class is immune to what I'll say. Don't make it worse on yourself, Kanzaki-Kun." Kushida-San.
She started talking in her usual voice, yet her eyes were still cold.
After Ichinose-San's class heard what she said, some had panicked looked on their faces. Kushida-San's popularity was not limited to our class. She was universally popular.
"Our class isn't like others. If there are indeed people who have problems with themselves or others, we will pull together and help them." Kanzaki-Kun said with a finality in his tone.
Kanzaki-Kun's words were like a warm blanket for his class. His charisma was different from Ichinose-San's or Hirata-Kun's. Even in their situation and the disagreement between Ichinose-San and Kanzaki-Kun, they were still the class with the most trust and cohesion.
She glared at us. Horikita, however, didn't flinch.
"Sorry, Ayanokouji-kun, but could you head back without me?" saidHorikita.
"Looks like I'm getting in the way," I muttered.
I left them and made my way toward the exit. After changing my shoes, I headed to the dormitory. En route, I got a call from Horikita and answered it. I heard Horikita's muffled voice through the phone's speaker.
"We attended the same junior high. Because I know about your past, you want to get me expelled. Do I have the facts correct?"
Apparently, Horikita called me with her phone in her pocket. She was letting me listen in.
"Well, this is certainly sudden. Why bring up the past? I don't like talking about that."
"I don't like it, either. But we can't avoid it."
"Well, we've rarely had the chance to be alone like this. But you're certainly right—I do want you to disappear from this school, Horikita-san. And, yes, it's because we were in junior high together, and you know about that incident."
"Although it's true that I heard about an incident, I didn't care. I didn't have any friends back then, anyway. All I heard were rumors. I don't know what the truth really is."
"But there's no guarantee you don't know, is there?"
"You're right. That's why you can't let it go. No matter how much I deny it, you can't be sure I'm not lying. I imagine that you'd like to have me kicked out of school because you can't forgive me for knowing that there was an incident at all."
Kushida didn't deny it.
No one was talking. Every class wanted to know about this incident that was being mentioned. No one wanted to miss a detail.
Sakyanagi-San was grinning like she was watching a movie. This was prime entertainment for her.
"How about we place a bet, Kushida-san?"
"A bet? What are you talking about?"
I couldn't imagine that this was something Horikita just came up with on the fly. She'd most likely planned it.
"You don't like that I'm here. I can't do anything about that, right?"
"Right. As long as you're here, Horikita-san, I can't rest easy."
"But we're both in Class D. If we don't work together, we can't advance to Class A."
"Actually, I think expelling you will solve the problem."
"Do you plan on dropping out, too?"
"Of course not. Only you'll drop out, Horikita-san."
Our class was getting more agitated, but they didn't say anything to Kushida-San. No one wanted to get answered like Shinohara-San.
"Everyone please keep calm." Said Hirata-Kun.
He understood our situation too. Even if his words were to reach only one person that would lash out at Kushida-San, it was better than nothing.
"Exactly. Whatever you do, don't get mad about what's going to happen. This isn't the time to lash out. We're going to talk about this later anyway." Agreed Karuizawa-San.
After that, she flashed Ayanokouji-Kun a smile. Did he ask her to do this? No, it was too quick of a reaction. Karuizawa-San hasn't stayed still. She, like others in our class, has been evolving at her own pace.
I am a bit miffed that she seemed to have a good rapport with Ayanaokouji-Kun.
From their interactions, they looked like friends at the very least. Far more than what I guessed their relationship would be. I would have never guessed that those two opposites would get along well.
I guess it showed how much I knew about Ayanokouji-Kun.
While their voices were muffled, both of them sounded very calm.
"I have no intention of dropping out," said Horikita.
"Then there's nothing we can do. I don't think we can get along."
"You might be right about that. I've been trying to come up with a way we can coexist. But I concluded that, no matter what I do, it's impossible."
"I think so too, Horikita-san. This won't be over until one of us is gone."
"We aren't children. We can't just fight. But you don't trust me."
There was a brief silence. Then Kushida spoke.
"What did you mean when you said 'place a bet'?"
"If I score higher than you on the upcoming final exam, you'll cooperate with me from now on without any hostility. I'm not expecting us to be best friends; I just want you to stop trying to hurt me. That's all."
"That's ridiculous, Horikita-san. I didn't beat your midterm score. Even if we based this bet on our total scores, it would still be hard for me to win. Besides, I'd gain nothing from winning."
"Yes. That's true. So..."
Horikita's voice was barely above a whisper now.
"Let's determine the winner based on one of the eight subjects. You're free to choose whichever subject you're best in. If your score is higher than mine, I'll drop out of school. That's my offer."
Everyone was shocked at my offer. Especially my classmates. As I was still in the school, they could infer that I won the bet or that she didn't agree with it. They were just reacting to the absurdity of it.
I couldn't believe this. Horikita was taking a huge gamble, and she gave Kushida rather favorable conditions to boot by allowing her to choose her best subject. If Kushida lost, she wouldn't need to drop out. She'd just have to stop getting in Horikita's way. On the other hand, if Kushida won, Horikita was done for.
"What is this naive bet?" Asked Sakyanagi-San.
"Naive? It was desperate, but it was the only thing I could do at that point to make her stop hindering the class. She already hindered us once, I couldn't let it continue."
Sakyanagi-San hummed.
"It would seem so. Class D has unique problems compared to other classes. The solutions have to be unique as well."
The bet was the only real way to get her to agree to something like this. If the bet was equal, she probably wouldn't have accepted it.
Even if the deal was in her favor, I had to be confident in my abilities. Kushida-San's only chance was to get answers from class C.
Kushida-San tried to make a deal with Ryuuen-Kun, but it seemingly didn't work out. Why else would she submit the questions for the paper shuffle exam?
She most likely wanted the answers for the math exam, but that didn't happen. He knew that she wanted to expel me and he wouldn't let that happen.
That's what I thought happened. I didn't know the details to be more specific.
"But this is just a verbal agreement, Horikita-san. If you lose, you could act like the bet never happened. Of course, I might not uphold my part of the arrangement, either. Can we both really trust what the other person says?"
"To make things official, I intend to involve a reliable witness."
"A reliable witness?"
"If you would, please...niisan."
"Wha—?!"
Kushida seemed honestly shocked. I was, too. Horikita was so deadly serious about this agreement, she'd brought her older brother to act as a witness.
"I'm terribly sorry to ask this of you, Nissan. But I absolutely need your help."
That's right. She'd actually summoned Horikita Manabu, the former student council president, and her older brother, to the spot.
Everyone looked shocked that Nii-san would be the one to show up.
"Is this type of agreement valid in the eyes of the school?" Asked Sudou-Kun.
"No. This agreement only works if people like Horikita-Senpai or Nagumo-Senpai are the ones witnessing it. They have the reputation to make the person who breaks the agreement pay." Answered Ichinose-San.
Sudo-Kun acknowledged the answer with a quiet 'I see'.
"Are we just going to ignore that Horikta-Senpai is agreeing with a deal that could get Horikita-San expelled?" Asked Shinohara-San.
"Are you doubting my sister's abilities that much? Anyway, In the end, it wasn't my place to meddle in their affairs. I had no interest in that. She was grown up enough to understand the consequences if she were to lose." Nii-San gave a cool rebuttal.
Did they still not understand that that was how my brother was?
"It's been a long time, Kushida," I heard him say.
"Do you remember?"
"I don't forget people."
The Horikita siblings had attended the same junior high as Kushida. But Horikita's older brother graduated before the incident involving Kushida happened, so he couldn't know that she'd caused it.
"I trust my brother the most in this school. You can trust him as well, Kushida-san. Don't worry, I didn't tell him any details."
"I was called to act as a witness, nothing more. I'm not interested in anything else."
"Are you okay with this, Horikita-senpai? If your little sister loses, then—"
"She made the bet. It has nothing to do with me."
"I also swear that I won't say a word to anyone if I lose, Kushida-san. I'd bring shame on my brother's name if I went around breaking promises. I would never do that."
The deal couldn't possibly get any better for Kushida.
"Wouldn't Kushida-San make a deal with Ryuuen? She did help him in the sports festival." Asked Yukimura-Kun.
"Are you dumb? It's fun humiliating Suzune, why would I want to expel her?" Answered Ryuuen-Kun.
At first, it was annoying being this looked down upon, but I now understood that I wasn't an opponent he needed to take seriously. Still, he was as grating as always.
"You're serious, aren't you, Horikita-san?"
"I'm not the kind to wait around for people to strike."
"Fine. I accept your challenge. And I'm all right with the terms of the bet. I choose mathematics. Can I assume that if we end up getting the same score, neither one of us wins?"
Horikita must have nodded. They'd agreed to terms right in front of Horikita's brother. There was no way to back out now.
"I will fulfill my role as a witness. Should either of you violate the bet, you'd best be prepared for the consequences."
Even after retiring as student council president, Horikita's brother still held a great deal of authority. Kushida would honor the arrangement until he graduated, at the very least.
"Thank you very much, Nii-san."
The conversation went silent. Kushida and Horikita were probably waiting for Horikita's brother to leave.
"I'm looking forward to the final exam, Horikita-san."
"Let's give it everything we've got. Both of us."
"Yes. Give my regards to Ayanokouji-kun, too."
Many reacted to that. How did she know? That was the thought going through their heads.
"I must commend you Kushida-San. You are pretty perceptive." Said Sakyanagi-San.
She was. If only she didn't have such an obsession with the past, we would have been much better off.
"Why?"
"Because you told him, didn't you? About my past."
"That's—"
"Ah, you don't really need to answer that. I don't trust you, Horikita-san, so it doesn't matter. I won't violate our bet's terms, so you can relax. Besides, Ayanokouji-kun has seen a little of my bad side."
I felt Horikita's panic through the phone.
"Yes. I told Ayanokouji-kun."
"I knew it. By the way, are you using your phone right now? You see, I've tried calling you over and over for the last few minutes, Horikita-san, but it seems like you've been on a call."
It wasn't just intuition. Kushida had some guts.
"Care to join us, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"I agree. Say what you will about you being a twisted bitch, but you are crafty." Ryuuen-Kun said.
"That's rich coming from you." Kushida-San said.
Like a match made in hell. They were perfect for each other.
It was probably best for me to obey. I headed back to Kushida and Horikita.
"Yoo-hoo!" said Kushida.
Although she had a cheery expression, I couldn't tell what her true feelings were.
"You really got me, Kushida-san. You're incredible," said Horikita.
"Thank you. But, really, I'm merely observant," replied Kushida.
"Why did you call for Ayanokouji-kun?" Horikita asked.
"I thought our conversation was over. If you're angry that I had him listen in, just sayso."
"I'm not particularly displeased. It's just that I'd rather speak to you both face-to-face. I was wondering whether you would mind me adding another condition to the bet," said Kushida.
"A condition?"
"If I beat your score, Horikita-san, I want Ayanokouji-kun to drop out, too."
"Why would Kiyotaka ever agree with that." Wondered Miyake-Kun.
Others also wanted to know.
I also thought so at first. But he wanted to know specifics about Kushida-San. He was already on her hit list anyway.
"I wanted to know what happened." Ayanokouji-Kun said.
"What do you mean?"
"You will see. Just watch."
Miyake-Kun listened to him.
The existence of their group was for the best in the end. The loners that others couldn't be influenced were under Ayanokouji-Kun's banner.
I'd thought that Kushida might propose this.
"No," replied Horikita.
"I want to make everyone who knows about my past disappear. Even if you're no longer here, Horikita-san, if Ayanokouji-kun remains, so will my troubles."
"Maybe. But this is my gamble, so I can't involve him."
"Well, that's too bad. I could've killed two birds with one stone."
"So, you want me expelled too, huh?" I asked.
"Ha ha ha! There's no need to look so disappointed. It's not your fault, Ayanokouji-kun. It's just bad luck that you learned about my true nature."
"There's no problem if he doesn't tell anyone, though," said Horikita.
"If that were all it took, Horikita-san, you wouldn't have challenged me to this bet."
"Well, you're vital to Class D, after all."
"You've changed. You wouldn't have said that before."
"If I'm always fighting with my peers, then I'll never make it to the higher classes. I'll be stuck in a vicious circle," said Horikita.
Had the two of them ever talked this openly before? Yet they couldn't see eye to eye. Such a tragic fate. If they hadn't attended the same junior high, Kushida probably would have cooperated with Horikita. In that case, Kushida would've influenced the classmates Hirata and Karuizawa couldn't reach, and Class D might have united much sooner.
"That is the problem of class D. High potential, but it is riddled with crippling weaknesses." Nii-San commented.
Yes, everyone one of us had a defect.
Well, not really. Ayanokouji-Kun seemed to have one, but it turned out to be untrue. Studious, athletic, communicative when needed and adaptive. Even if he wasn't expressive, that shouldn't have made a student go to class D. Katsuragi-Kun was also very calm, yet he started at class A.
So why was he here? If he had a crippling problem, I wanted to help him deal with it. Just as he helped me.
If not, then something else must have happened for him to be placed here.
"Can I join this wager? I bet that Horikita will win," I said.
"Wait a minute," said Horikita.
"What are you saying, Ayanokouji-kun? This has nothing to do with you."
"It started out that way. But now it does have something to do with me. Besides, I eavesdropped on your conversation."
Even if Horikita won the bet and was temporarily free from Kushida's attacks, Kushida could just focus her offensive on me instead. If I protected myself now, it would make things easier in the long run.
"I'd be happy to have you join," said Kushida.
"But I also have a condition."
"Hmm?"
"I want you to tell me the specifics of this junior high incident."
"So that's what you meant" Said Miyake-Kun.
Others didn't comment. They wanted to know what happened.
Kushida-San started struggling. She tried to speak, but she couldn't. It wanted no distractions at that moment.
I was entering dangerous territory.
"That's—"
I didn't hold back. If I acted swiftly now, I could secure an advantage.
"It's my right to ask for this much. I don't know any details, and yet you're trying to get me expelled. You're acting on the belief that Horikita knows about the incident, right? So, just explain it to us right now. As long as you beat Horikita on the test, the school will kick us both out, and you won't have to worry."
"I'm not interested in her past," said Horikita.
"Well, I am. I can't accept that Kushida's threatening my whole life here on a selfish whim," I replied.
I couldn't have known the magnitude of his decision then. If he were to drop out, he would have probably gone back to his father. Was he that confident I would have won? While that would have given me a nice feeling, I knew that he always had countermeasures prepared.
So what did he do?
"Let's hear it then. Entertain me fake-girl." Said Koenji-Kun.
He wasn't taking the situation seriously at all. He was one of the few people who didn't interact with Kushida-San at all after all.
But why did he have to annoy Kushida-San now? He understood what she could do perfectly. You could say many things about Koenji-Kun but him being stupid wasn't one of them.
It was probably just something he wanted to say. He had no filter. When he wanted to say something, he would.
Kushida-San looked like she would turn purple from trying to scream something at him.
She knew that it was up. The truth was coming.
"It's true that you're now involved, Ayanokouji-kun. I can't deny that. If Horikita-san really hasn't told you the details, I understand your feelings. But if I do tell you, there'll be no turning back. Understand?" asked Kushida.
"Haven't I already passed the point of no return?" I asked. Kushida had designated me her enemy.
"Yes. You're way past it."
"In that case, tell me why it's worth taking this gamble."
Horikita probably wondered why I was going this far—why I would risk being expelled. Her eyes said as much, but she wouldn't question anything in front of Kushida. Sorry, but I can't do what you want, Horikita. I finally have the chance to expose Kushida Kikyou's past.
"Ayanokouji-kun, is there something that you're the best at? Better than anyone else?" asked Kushida.
"I'm just an average person. What you'd call a jack of all trades, master of none. If I had to pick something, I guess I'm a little faster than average."
Amasawa-San started laughing. The laugh was so loud it shocked some people, as they were focused on Kushida-San's backstory.
"I get that you were lying about it senpai, but seriously?"
"What was I supposed to do, list all of my accomplishments to her when I wanted to be someone unnoticed?"
Was Ayanokouji-Kun using sarcasm? That was rare.
"No, but I can't take it seriously when you say it."
Ayanokouji-Kun sighed.
"Well I can't take anything you say seriously, so it looks like we are even."
Amasawa-San pouted.
Amasawa-San brought out a different side of him. He was rarely like this with others from what I know.
"Then I wonder if you can understand what I'm feeling. Don't you think that the best thing in the world is feeling valued in some special way? When you get the highest score on a test or win first place in a race, everyone's eyes are on you. You know those moments when people shower you with attention?" asked Kushida.
Of course, I understood. People naturally desired the approval of others. Working hard enough to earn praise for accomplishments was fundamental to how human society functioned.
"You say that people want that. You don't?" Asked Sakyanagi-San.
"What others think of my accomplishments is something I don't waste time with." He answered.
"I see. A person confident in themselves needs no validation from others. Is that what you are saying?"
"Take it how you will."
Ayanokouji-Kun gave no anwser to Sakyanagi-San's question.
He thought so though. Even if he praised others and didn't care when others praised him, he was very confident in his own abilities when it came to it. If he weren't he wouldn't have done something as absurd as that bet we had. In the end, he won with a perfect score, so his confidence was warranted.
"I think that I'm probably addicted to that feeling," Kushida said.
"More so than normal people. I can't help wanting to show off. I can't help wanting to stand out. I can't help wanting to be praised. When I am, I truly feel how wonderful it is to be alive. But I know my own limits. No matter how hard I try, I won't be number one in school or in sports—and coming second or third won't satisfy my cravings. So, I thought I'd do something that no one else could—be nicer and kinder than everyone else."
People looked at the screen horrified. Especially those Kushida-San was close with. They now knew the full reason she was close with them. They were just a rush to her.
That was the root of Kushida's kindness? It was better to be a genuinely kind, helpful person who made mistakes than someone two-faced who just bragged about being perfectly good. A kind but flawed individual was more honest than a saintly liar.
I agree. Everyone had flaws. A person like Ichinose-San who stole was infinitely better than Kushida-San whose kindness was fake.
"Thanks to that, I became popular with both boys and girls. I took pleasure in being trusted and relied upon. Elementary school and junior high were really fun," said Kushida.
"Isn't it agonizing, though? Doing things that you don't want to do? I fit were me, I couldn't take it. I think I'd break down," said Horikita.
"Of course it's agonizing. Day after day, I'm under so much stress I feel like I'm going to go bald. I've pulled my hair out and vomited from anxiety. But I can't let anyone see that side of me. That's why I continued to endure, and endure, and endure," said Kushida.
How had she kept this act up for so long?
"My blog saved me. It was the only place where I dumped out this hidden stress. I could tell it all my most painful secrets. Of course, I posted everything anonymously, you know? But I wrote the facts just as they were, and it made me so happy when I received encouragement from people I didn't even know. Then, one day, a classmate discovered my blog. Even though I hadn't named anyone, it was clear my posts were all based on real events."
"That's how this incident started?"
"The next day, my posts were shared with the entire class. Everyone condemned me. I'd helped them so much, and yet they all turned on me. Selfish, right? The boy who'd told me that he liked me actually shoved me. It was understandable, though, since I'd posted that his romantic confession grossed me out and I wanted him to die. One girl I'd comforted after she was dumped even kicked my desk. I'd posted in detail about why she was dumped and made fun of her. Over thirty students decided I was their mortal enemy that day."
"So, how did you make it through? Violence? Or lies?"
That was the mystery that Horikita and I still didn't know the answer to.
"Neither. All I did was tell the truth. I revealed all my classmates' secrets. Who hated who, who thought who was a disgusting creep. I exposed truths I hadn't even written on my blog."
Of course. The truth was a weapon that you could only obtain through trust. Horikita and I didn't have that. Although truth might seem harmless, it was actually a powerful double-edged sword, only usable at the cost of more trust.
And the same would be done to our class. I was unsure how much she knew, but she probably had enough to sow chaos through the whole class now. The best thing to happen now was to have it happen after this was over.
Such a headache.
"At that point, my classmates stopped being angry at me and started hating each other. The boys got into fistfights, the girls pulled each other's hair and shoved each other over. The entire classroom descended into complete chaos. It was honestly incredible."
"So, that's how it happened."
"Because of everything I exposed, the class could no longer function. The school rebuked me, but my blog was anonymous, and all I technically did was tell my classmates the truth."
Kushida spoke indifferently, but every word she uttered carried weight.
"I still don't know that much about my fellow Class D students. However, I know enough to destroy a few people. That's my only weapon."
Some students' faces paled.
Seeing their reaction. Kushida-San's smile turned predatory.
She still couldn't talk though.
A threat. If we told anyone about her, we should prepare for the consequences. If Kushida felt it was necessary, she would tear a rift in Class-D right after we'd finally started bringing everyone together. If that happened, the harmony we'd established would disappear.
"You kouhais are really amusing."
I was unsure, but her name was probably Kiryuuin-Senpai from what I remembered.
She was quiet after talking at the start for a bit.
"Although I loathe to do it, I agree with you. If only you kouhais were a year older, I could have more fun." Said Nagumo-Senpai.
He was truly detestable, thinking that he was better than Nii-San.
"If anyone from Suzune's year that is impressive was in your year, you wouldn't have such a stranglehold. I would count your blessings instead of wishing that you had different opponents." Said Nii-San.
I didn't know much about the third-year students, but there certainly were no people like Sakyanagi-San and Ryuuen-Kun there. Nagumo-Senpai was a very capable individual, but if he were placed in our year, I didn't think he could be able to dominate as he has.
Nagumo-Senpai didn't like what Nii-San said, but he didn't disagree.
"It was a mistake to use the internet to vent my feelings. Everything you put up there is saved forever. That's why I stopped blogging. Now, I blow off steam by saying what's on my mind out loud when I'm alone."
Like the first time I'd seen that other side of her.
"Do you want to remain as you are right now?" I asked.
"This is my reason for being. More than I love anything else in the world, I love everyone respecting and noticing me. When people trust me with their secrets, I feel joy that surpasses my wildest imaginings."
Knowing the anxiety, suffering, embarrassment, and hopes that people held deep within their hearts was Kushida's forbidden fruit.
That was her defect. If not for that she would have been in a higher class from the start.
"Boring, isn't it? But to me, it's everything."
Kushida's smile disappeared. Now that she'd told us about her past, we became true enemies in her eyes. From this point onward, she wouldn't show us the slightest compassion.
"Don't forget. If I score higher in math, both you and Ayanokouji-kun will drop out."
"Yes," said Horikita.
And that was that. Satisfied, Kushida left to return to her dorm. I turned to Horikita.
"Are you sure about this? Kushida's involved with Ryuuen."
"If you knew it was dangerous, why did you join? Because you believe I won't lose?" Horikita countered.
"Well, yeah."
Truthfully, I went along with the bet because I had some ideas of my own.
Ryuuen laughed.
I sighed.
"The thing with her uniform was really good. You actually predicted how their whole conversation would go, you monster."
Huh?
"Just leave it Horikita. In the grand scheme of things, it is unimportant."
Although I wanted to know the truth, Ayanokouji-Kun didn't feel like sharing and I couldn't trust Ryuuen-Kun to tell the truth.
If we were alone, I would have demanded an explanation from him, but I will let Ayanokouji-Kun off for now.
Karuizawa-San looked proud for some reason. I didn't want to know what was going on in that girl's head.
"Even though Kushida might be able to help Ryuuen-kun, I really have to wonder whether it'll come to that," said Horikita.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think that Ryuuen-kun really wants me to drop out?" she asked.
"It's doubtful."
Ryuuen wanted to entrap Horikita, but he wasn't trying to get her kicked out of school. He hoped to see her brought low, and her expulsion would end those aspirations. Besides, would he really let Horikita go without finding out who was working with her in secret? Would he let her get expelled without exposing me first?
"Nah, I wouldn't have. That would have taken my fun away." Said Ryuuen-Kun.
It was all a game to him.
"But what if Kushida lies to get the questions from him? She might say that she wants to improve her personal score, and keep our bet's details secret," I said.
"Ryuuen-kun would see through something like that. If Kushida-san asked for the math answers, he'd want to know why," said Horikita.
"You're probably right. But this is dangerous."
"There'll always be a danger. It helps to have things you're willing to put on the line."
"There's no turning back from this. We definitely need to win."
"Of course."
Horikita was making her biggest gamble yet.
Video ends.
"I can finally talk! So how does it feel? Knowing that I care less about you than the dirt under my shoes?"
I had a feeling of unease while looking at Kushida-San. Her eyes looked wild.
She started laughing to herself.
"This stupid thing isn't letting me talk, but rest assured. Since you know about my biggest secrets, everyone will know about all of yours. Fair is fair. Right?"
The way she was talking was eerie.
It was like Yamauchi-Kun right after the vote that expelled him.
This was the consequence of everyone knowing her warped personality. She had nothing to lose anymore. She will go off like a bomb and leave us to deal with the pieces.
If such a thing happened in the first year, it wouldn't have been as bad. She had way more time to get people's secrets.
But our class was way less united then.
With the help of Hirata-Kun and Karuizawa-San, we had a chance to weather the coming storm. I hope.
A/N: Thank you for 100K reads!