"What do you get out of this, Ayanokouji?"
Kanzaki posed a question at me while we were in our group meeting. It was the morning of the third day of this exam, but that only mattered for the fourteen students still having to participate.
"In what sense?"
"I can't understand your logic. Do you want to get to Class A? It would explain why you put so much effort in on the island, but if that's the case you wasted an opportunity here to get even more points, just for fun. It makes no sense."
My reasoning seemed to baffle Kanzaki, who was sitting across from me in the group circle and had been staring at me for the past 55 minutes.
"Kukuku, you really don't get it, do you?"
He turned to Ryuuen, who had interjected himself into our conversation finding Kanzaki's confusion amusing enough for his attention.
"And you do, Ryuuen? Please, enlighten me."
The tyrant leaned forward, vicious grin plastered on his face like always.
"Not everyone thinks the same, retard. You might want to get to Class A, but what's to say that everyone else does."
"Huh? I can't see a reason for someone to not want to get to Class A. It's illogical. Are you claiming that you don't care what Class you end school as?"
It wasn't correct, since I did have an interest in reaching Class A, but Ryuuen raised a very valid point. Kanzaki was too narrow minded to possibly understand the actions of others, which is why he would never be able to beat Ryuuen.
"You're actually retarded, aren't you? Can't even entertain the possibility that someone would have a different reason than you, but you tried to do some shitty little psychoanalysis anyway. Kukuku you really are stupid."
That was the point. Kanzaki couldn't understand the fundamental difference between people, not enough to predict their actions. People who didn't follow logical choices, like Ryuuen and I, would always be beyond him, because we would do things that he wouldn't consider since they made no sense. Things like admitting we were the VIP, or giving up on the island test.
"That doesn't explain Ayanokouji's reasons for his actions. All it means is that he might think differently."
Ryuuen facepalmed at the unyielding nature of the man he was debating. Kanzaki seemed incapable of understanding the point that Ryuuen was making. Ryuuen wasn't trying to explain my actions, he was trying to explain that there was no point in Kanzaki trying to understand them.
"Kanzaki-kun, everyone has a different reason for doing things. Sometimes it's hard to understand that, and you just have to accept that."
"That's something I can't do, Kushida. Ayanokouji, and you, are my opponents at this school. If we're going to compete, then I need to understand how you think."
I sighed. He raised valid points, but refused to accept that his goal was impossible. I had two main focuses: win the class competition, while causing as many problems as possible. Those two seemed to be contradictory, which is why Kanzaki wouldn't be able to reconcile them.
"Don't bother trying, Kanzaki-kun. I've sat next to him for the entire year, and he's an idiot. You can't understand Ayanokouji-kun, and I've given up trying."
Horikita came to my defense with the best solution to Kanzaki's quandary. Just give up, she said.
"Yep, I don't understand him either, I just go with whatever happens. It's easier that way."
The entire group this time seemed shocked, even Ryuuen. To see both my classmates, especially Kikyou, who some people knew we had worked closely together, claim that I couldn't be understood was surprising. To have the faith and support of classmates, even if they couldn't trust or predict my actions in any way was a ridiculous situation.
"Kushida-san... even you don't understand what he's doing?"
"Nope! Not a clue! It's more fun that way, hehe" she answered Ichinose.
"Kukuku to think even your classmates don't understand. You see now, Kanzaki? Just give up and plan to react. Life's more fun that way."
Ryuuen was capable of making complex successful plans, like the one on the island, but I could tell he was intelligent and creative enough to plan on the fly, reacting to a changing situation. Everyone in here could do that to some degree, but because some of us based our strategies around 'wait and see and react', planning became a much more difficult task.
Having a plan ahead of time, and sticking to it was always a good strategy, but only if you had some degree of understanding of how your opponent would react. And if Kanzaki couldn't understand Ryuuen and I, then, like Jazz, we would relax, go with the flow, find a mistake and exploit the situation, the plan falling apart in a moment.
"Hmm, but we've gotten off topic. I believe the original question was what do you get out of this, Ayanokouji-kun," Amikura asked?
"I get a chance to cleanse my soul by working hard for others," I joked.
"Literally, not metaphysically please," Katsuragi interjected. It seemed even the Class A students had an interest in the conversation, taking a break from their muttered arguments.
"Who knows?"
There was a lot of grumbling at my answer, but everyone at least had the sense to understand I wasn't going to explain. To be honest I didn't even quite know myself anymore. There were a few reasons, and they were slowly changing every day I spent here.
The topic shifted, but as it did so, my phone buzzed as I got a message. Opening it up, I saw it was the thing I had been waiting for, a message I had been hoping to receive for a while.
"Help"
Karuizawa was in trouble. Finally, although she probably didn't trust me, the box had closed in around her enough that she was willing to risk reaching out to me. Manabe and her friends were close, she couldn't turn to her friends, and Hirata wasn't someone she thought she could rely upon anymore. In the end, I was the only option she had left.
I quickly replied to her, then put my phone away before anyone could notice. Two minutes were left in our group meeting, and until that was over, there was no way I could help.
"Ayanokouji-kun, why were you asking how to take Ryuuen-kun on a date?"
The room fell quiet again at Shiina's innocent words, all eyes turning to me.
"I have no idea what you're talking about Shiina."
"Really? Oh, I'm sorry. I overheard some girls talking about it this morning. I didn't want to make assumptions, but they seemed pretty sure you were asking that." Shiina looked down at my response, seemingly disappointed at my answer.
"Ayanokouji. What the fuck? Have you done?" Ryuuen's eye's bore into me, burning with the rage of a thousand suns.
"I didn't do anything, honest. Someone must have started a rumour as a prank."
"Eh, don't be shy, Ayanokouji-kun. There's nothing wrong with liking Ryuuen-kun. It's pretty hot when you think about it~"
"Ah! Mako-chan stop it!"
The entire room had devolved into giggling and blushing at the thought of Ryuuen and I together. I had no idea what they were talking about, and tilted my head in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Ahaha, you and Ryuuen-kun... together intimately ahahaha"
"I still don't understand."
The room went quiet very quickly, everyone sobering at my words. I didn't understand at all what was so funny about Ryuuen and I being together. And intimate? That made no sense at all. Why would a guy and a guy be together?
"Do... do you not get it?"
"Kiyotaka-kun, have you never heard of... the birds and the bees?"
"You're implying sexual relations, aren't you? How does that work with Ryuuen?"
"Hmm, yes I'm quite curious as well, Ayanokouji-kun. I don't understand what you are all talking about," agreed Shiina, just as confused as me.
A baffled silence filled the room, with no one responding, but staring at the two of us, jaws open in shock.
"No one... ever speaks of this again."
"Agreed."
"Kushida-san, you're close to Ayanokouji-kun. Could you explain it to him later?"
"Me!? W-why would I talk about that! Why don't you do it Ichinose-san!"
"N-no I couldn't possibly. Ah, Kanzaki-kun, you're a guy, you can do it!"
The entire room devolved into simultaneously agreeing to never speak of this, while trying to convince someone to explain what was going on to Shiina and I. I met her eyes, and she simply shrugged, bemused by the situation going on around us.
I could feel death radiating off of Ryuuen right now. Keeping away from him would be a good decision for my health.
Of course, I understood the concept of sexual reproduction, and I knew that it was something that many people, including teenagers, did to experience pleasure. But I wasn't aware of how, or why, it worked with another male. I hadn't even considered that before, since it didn't fit with the purpose of the action. The White Room had only educated me so far, it seemed.
The embarrassing arguments continued, and soon enough an announcement that the meeting was over played over the loudspeakers. I got up quickly and made to leave the room. Only Kikyou noticed as I moved, everyone else tied up in discussion, or in Shiina's case a book, and so I got out of the room without anyone noticing.
I grabbed my phone and opened up the location tracking feature. I had made Karuizawa enable it for specific people, in case something like this came up, and the school was thoughtful enough to transpose it onto the cruise ship. It would have been useless if it only covered the school grounds.
There. She was in a service corridor on the other side of the ship, two levels up, and wasn't moving. She was alone on the map, so perhaps she was hiding. I had almost every student in my contacts now, thanks to my work with Kikyou, so anyone who had their location on would show up, but I suspected the Class C girls would turn it off if they were doing any rule breaking. No, it was very possible they were there with her.
I took off through a side door. My explorations of these pathways earlier on the trip had been worth it. I had to dodge a few workers to ensure I didn't get kicked out, but even with those incidents it was still much faster to travel this way. Direct options were available, and I didn't have to bother with useless questions from people who wanted to talk to me.
I quickly made my way through and up towards the spot she was at. I slowed down as I neared, masking my steps to be silent, ensuring no one heard me as I approached. I couldn't see anyone yet, but muffled voices were starting to make their way down the corridor.
"Hey. why'd you bring me to a place like this?!"
"Stop playing dumb! You did push Rika, didn't you? Start talking."
"H-huh? I already told you, you've got the wrong person!"
I looked around the corner ever so slightly, and took in the scene before me. The three girls surrounded Karuizawa, forcing her back against the wall. They were preventing her from escaping. However, even surrounded, Karuizawa offered no apologies. She continued to deny what they were saying. Maybe she really was innocent.
"Look, I have plans later. Can you please move?" asked Karuizawa.
"Okay, let's confirm it right now. I'm going to call Rika. If it wasn't you, we'll forgive you."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'll call the teacher."
"And what will you tell the teacher, exactly? It's not like we're being violent with you or anything. Besides, if you talk to the teacher, we'll tell on you, too. We'll say you pushed Rika. You'll also get in trouble."
Neither side intended to back down. Karuizawa tried to escape, but the girls grabbed her arm and pushed her up against the wall. One of the girls took out her phone, probably to call Rika.
"W-wait!" Karuizawa pleaded with them to not call.
"What? Why should we wait?"
"I just remembered something. I bumped into that girl before."
"You're a total liar. You remembered her from the very beginning, didn't you? Well, whatever. So, are you going to apologize to Rika properly?"
"No way. She was in the wrong. She's a complete airhead."
I would've thought Karuizawa would take responsibility for her actions, but instead, she refused. She refused despite knowing it would upset them. She was quite resilient it seemed, or had a very important reason to remain strong.
"You're seriously pissing us off. We might've forgiven you if you'd actually apologized to Rika. But now, we definitely won't forgive you."
The girl pressed down against Karuizawa's shoulder.
"Whatever. You probably never planned on forgiving me."
After Karuizawa spat out those words, one of the girls, Yamashita, lost her patience. "Shiho-chan. I've had enough. Karuizawa's unforgivable."
"I know, right? She should understand exactly how Rika felt. Why don't we bully her for real?"
She struck Karuizawa's shoulder with a little extra force. Things were progressing rather quickly. Right now, Karuizawa must be terrified, but she was holding herself together rather well. Perhaps she was resilient, perhaps she was relying on me to come. But eventually she would break down. This could go on for a while longer, and I was content to watch. I had my phone out and was already recording the incident from around the corner. Whatever the outcome, I would have leverage over the three girls in Class C.
More importantly, Karuizawa Kei looked like she was starting to change.
"Ahh...ahh..." She panted as if she were having a hard time breathing. She held her head in her hands as if she were in pain. When Manabe and the others saw her suffering, they weren't sympathetic. The opposite, actually. It irritated them.
I hadn't expected this. Karuizawa was reacting much more extremely than I had expected. She had been terrified about the bullying, that much was clear from our conversation the other day, but I didn't realise it was to this extent. Something was missing from the equation, something that caused this unordinary amount of fear.
"Act as girly as you want, we're still not going to forgive you."
They grabbed Karuizawa's hair and forcefully yanked her head up.
"I've always hated your face, Karuizawa. I mean, don't you girls think she's just butt-ugly?"
"Yeah, for sure. Don't you just want to cut her face?"
"St-stop. Stop it."
"'St-stop it', she says. What happened to your big attitude?"
The more you envied your enemy, the more you hated them, to the point where you wanted to strip away their advantages. If we were talking looks, then Karuizawa had them all beat. But Manabe, Yamashita, and Yabu wouldn't be satisfied until they'd verbally torn Karuizawa's pretty face apart. Karuizawa trembled, frightened. She was on the verge of tears, still unable to move.
People show their true colors when they're in jeopardy. A little more pressure, and I'd know who Karuizawa Kei really was. The only risk was how far the girls would go. They weren't going to stop with verbal insults that much was clear. This situation was destined to become physical, and now I had to decide how far I let it go.
"This is where you belong, isn't it? On your knees. You're good at that right? Being on your knees?" Manabe mocked Karuizawa.
"N-no, I won't! I've never done that kind of thing before!" Karuizawa shouted.
With an effort I hadn't expected her to still poses, she tried to slip past Manabe, but Manabe snatched her long hair and pulled her back, slamming her into the wall.
They should have agonised over whether to use violence. But in the heat of the moment, when they finally had the girl they despised in front of them, they didn't hold back.
From what they had said, this was about protecting their weaker friend. At least that was what they claimed. But in actuality, they probably didn't care at all about Riku. If they did, they would have been with her now, instead of relentlessly hunting Karuizawa. No, this was about them getting a chance to assert their dominance. They wanted to hurt Karuizawa, and now they had an excuse to do so. They could let out all their dark desires, while pretending to hold the moral high ground.
It was disgusting behaviour. If you're going to be a bad person, at least recognise it.
"Ow, ow! It hurts! Let me go!" screamed Karuizawa.
Karuizawa wept at having her hair pulled, and pleaded, but Manabe only laughed like she was enjoying it. They were in a service corridor, in a part of the ship that was rarely busy, meaning it was highly unlikely they'd be interrupted. Seeing Karuizawa suffer, especially after her proud behavior, probably felt great to them. There was no way they would stop now.
"Agh!" Karuizawa shouted.
"Whoa, Shiho. Don't you think you're hitting her a little too much? Wow, you're harsh."
Manabe continued to drive her knee into Karuizawa's stomach. Of course, Manabe wasn't used to hitting someone like that, so her movements were sluggish. It shouldn't have hurt much. But Karuizawa's pain was Manabe's greatest reward.
"Whap! The sound echoed through the room. Karuizawa looked like she was in pain after that hit.
"S-s-s-stop it!" pleaded Karuizawa.
"Ha ha. This is fun! Ha ha!"
"How does it feel, you fucking whore. This is where you belong!"
"Please, forgive me!" Karuizawa pleaded.
Seeing her like that must have felt euphoric for Manabe and the others"
Karuizawa collapsed in fear, tears streaming down her face. She hadn't even fought back, not really. No, the instant that Karuizawa had been forced into the corner she had broken, fallen apart without much effort. Something in her mind had snapped, and her eyes weren't focused on the situation. They were looking past everything, to some other instance that she remembered.
So that was it. Karuizawa was bullied in her past. She had probably been mercilessly, relentlessly bullied constantly without break previously, and had run to this school to avoid it. She wasn't reacting to the bullying right now. It probably didn't even come close to what she had suffered before, if this was her reaction. She was suffering from PTSD, and it had been triggered the moment Manabe and her friends had dragged her in here.
That was enough, though. Karuizawa didn't have much consciousness left, and I needed her awake for this. I couldn't rescue a damsel in distress, not really, if they weren't awake to fall for their hero.
I put my phone down after I stopped recording, and walked around the corner.
"What's going on here?"
Manabe, Kinoshita and Yabu all froze. They stopped hitting Karuizawa, although Manabe's grip on her hair never loosened, and turned their heads to me.
"What? Nothing, right? We were just talking to Karuizawa-san when she collapsed. Yeah?"
I looked down at the girl they were talking about. Her cheeks were red from being repeadedly struck, and it was all she could do to look up at me, snot and tears dripping down her face.
"Ayano... kouji-kun?"
I walked over to Karuizawa, and made an attempt to check how she was. There was nothing immediately concerning from what I could tell, no broken bones or cracked ribs from kicks, but anything was possible.
As I was doing this though, the three girls had turned and attempted to leave.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Huh? What are you talking about, we can do what we want." They were still denying their actions.
"You assaulted Karuizawa. Do you think you'll get away with this?"
Manabe scoffed, a confident look on her face, obviously one she believed was justified when backed with two of her friends, both of whom were relatively fit.
"Oh yeah? And where's your proof? Karuizawa had a little fall, that's all that happened."
"Is that so?"
They were obviously going to deny it to the end. There was nothing else to do but finish the confrontation. I pulled out my phone and held it out, after skipping late into the video. It wouldn't do for Karuizawa to know just how long I waited and let her suffer.
"This is enough evidence to get you kicked out of school. Do you honestly thinkg I'm just going to let you walk away?"
"Grr... fuck you, you bastard!"
Manabe made a leap for my phone, followed closely by Yabu and Yamashita. Two of them went for my arms and legs, while Manabe went straight for the device that could doom them.
I sighed. This really was troublesome. The best solution would be to put the fear of god into them, but I guess I would have to suffice with the fear of me.
Yamashita went for my legs, trying her best to tackle me to the ground. She was an athletic person, and clearly recognised that even in a three on one they would struggle to beat me, but if I fell over, or even just lost balance, the fight would shift. I responded by kicking her in the face, sending her flying across the service corridor, blood dripping from her nose, a dazed expression on her face.
"Damn you!"
"Surely Ibuki warned you about me?"
Yabu had gone for my left arm, the one not holding my phone, but upon seeing her friend being kicked, she changed targets and went straight for my head, specifically the eyes. It was a bold move, and a good one. There was no surefire way to protect your eyes in a fight, but it was an aggressive move, leaving you open from the sides.
My fist swung around and hit her in the temple, knocking her backwards, until she slid down the wall next to Yamashita, holding her head in her hands.
Manabe was desperately clawing at my grip on my phone to no avail, but she gave me a couple of scratches. I tossed my phone up into the air, and when she tilted her head up to watch it, I shot my hand out and grabbed her throat, catching my phone with my other hand.
I held her there, allowing her feet to touch the ground as to not put much pressure on her neck from holding her that it would leave a mark, and as I did so I looked into her eyes, showing her the true darkness inside of mine.
"This plan of yours was stupid. Stay away from Karuizawa, or I'll have to use this evidence. At best, you'll get expelled. But if you tell no one about what happened here, I won't bother you again. Understand?"
"Gkk!"
I took Manabe's choking noise as a yes and let her go, pushing her back to her friends, who had lifted themselves up from the wall.
"Leave."
Fearful eyes tracked me as they walked out of the service corridor, and back into the main hallway. They didn't seem to be injured badly, Yamashita's nosebleed already clearing up, but it would be a while before they were capable of looking at me without flinching.
It was likely they would follow the rules I gave them. The teachers wouldn't have any proof that it happened, and even if they found some, I had evidence that this was in self-defence. No, the real danger came if Ryuuen found out, but I was confident they were more scared of me than they were of him.
Nodding to myself, I turned around and crouched in front of Karuizawa, who had lifted herself up from the ground and was sitting against the wall.
"Sorry I was late. I couldn't get out of my group meeting."
"You... you didn't have to do all that," she whispered, still focusing on where the three girls had been injured just before.
I tilted my head slightly. I understood where she came from, but this was the service I was offering her, and it would be helpful if she understood that.
"I told you I'd help you. If you don't want me to get violent, that's fine, but understand that I can protect you, better than anyone else."
"W-why would I need protection? You've already delt with them."
Very quickly, Karuizawa was reasserting herself, faster than I had planned for. I needed to shatter that quickly.
"Because you were bullied before, weren't you? Before you came to this school."
She began to shake again, pulling herself in to a ball as I said that.
"No... no you're wrong."
I moved my hand to her shoulder. She flinched as I did so, but I didn't move it, just left it there as a firm reminder of my presence.
"Karuizawa, it's ok. Your secret is safe with me."
"D-Did you hear this from... Hirata-kun?"
"No, I figured it out myself. You got his help to secure your position, you pretended to be his girlfriend. But it wasn't enough. Hirata wasn't enough. In the end, you still got bullied."
Karuizawa was much smarter than most people thought. She played if off with the ditzy gyaru act, but she had thought through well the situation she had been in before, and how to best prevent it happening again.
"Your only mistake was choosing to side with a man too weak to help you."
"Why are you... why are you saying this!"
I held out my hand, and she tentatively took it, using me to support her as she stood up from the ground. We stood there, eye to eye, and I could see a spark of life left in the dull violet of her eyes.
"I want to help you Karuizawa. I want you to be my friend."
"Why... why the hell would you want that. Don't you know who I am. I... I'm..."
"An innocent girl who's suffered more than she should ever have to."
She didn't speak, didn't move for a while after I spoke, slowly processing the words I said. I didn't do anything, but stand there and let her thing, let her understand my offer.
"No... why should I trust you... you're just like the rest of them, and now you know... you know... get away from me! You're lying! Why would you want to help me?!"
She pushed me back and I let her do so, until I was leaning against the wall on the other side of the corridor. There was only about two meter separating us, but it was more than before, and it seemed to give the panting, panicking Karuizawa a measure of calm.
"You're right. I do want something in return."
"What, are you after my body?!" That was the first thing her mind jumped to? Although it was possible that to her, it was all she had left. For bullying to cause PTSD of that level, it would have had to be terrible. There probably wasn't much she hadn't experienced.
"Of course not. I'm not a monster. I just want a simple favour."
"Oh-h." She lost a little of her wind, before slumping back against the wall. There was still a hint of fear in her eyes, but confusion had taken over most of her actions.
"Karuizawa, I want to be your friend. I promise I'll protect you for the next three years. Whatever happens, I'll make sure to back you up."
"Why would you do that? Why for me?"
Why indeed? Eh, I might as well go with the trend. It wasn't exactly wrong either.
"I want you to keep an eye on Kikyou for me," I admitted.
"Eh?" She seemed baffled by reason, enough to pull her out of her previous fear completely. It was such a strange, benign request that it dissolved all of her previous worries in a moment.
"I'm... worried about her. She's been under a lot of stress in Dragon group, and I know she won't admit it to me. I just want you to listen in class, for any rumours. If she ever says anything or confesses to anyone that she's having a hard time, please let me know."
It was so unbelievably stupid of a reason, even though it was mostly accurate. This was the role I had decided Karuizawa would play. Kikyou was my master of whispers, the one who controlled the class for me, who knew everything. But who watched the watchmen?
Karuizawa took on an amused, if still dubious look at my words. She wiped away some of the tears and snot from her face, having long since stopped crying, to question my request.
"Seriously? You... I honestly don't buy it. You'd protect me throughout school... just to keep an eye on your girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend."
"Not yet at least. Jeez, I swear you two are together all the time. That's all you really want?"
I nodded. "Yes, that's it. I actually just wanted to help you, but you didn't seem to believe me. Even so, could you please keep an eye on her. I am worried."
She took a moment, considering the situation, before ultimately agreeing to the deal. It was incredibly biased in her favour, but that simply made it more appealing.
"I suppose so. I mean, Hirata did get you to take over for him, and I trust him that much. You... you really, really mean it? You'll protect me? I'll never forgive you if you're lying."
"I mean it. I've dealt with those three girls, and if anyone ever tries anything again, I'll save you again. Although, I can't actually elevate your social standing. I'm not as good as Hirata in that way."
She still looked hesitant, but I could tell that I had her. There was no one else offering to help her. Problems had been continually building up, and I was the only person who seemed to care.
"I... ok fine. I'll keep an eye on your little girlfriend. Just... please. Don't... please protect me." She fell short a little at the end, realising this was the extent of her life. Karuizawa needed others to survive. She couldn't live without them, and had to attach herself to someone, like a parasite to live. First it was Hirata, and now me. I made it clear what I needed from her, and it wasn't much.
"Like I said, she's not my girlfriend."
"Yeah, sure. Listen, no one beats up three people just so someone can keep an eye on a friend." When she put it like that, it did sound suspicious.
I sighed. "I'll protect you, Karuizawa. You don't have to be afraid anymore."
"I... ok. Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun." She smiled at me, a beaming genuine one, the third real smile she'd ever given me, or any boy other than Hirata for that matter. Yes, Karuizawa would stand at my side from now on.
I helped her out of the service corridor, and once I was sure she wasn't too badly hurt, at least nothing a day of rest wouldn't cure, I let her on her way.
Now, I had the second most powerful person in the class by my side. With Karuizawa keeping an eye on Kikyou under the guise of my concern for her wellbeing, there was nothing left to worry about. Every plot and scheme would come by me, and I could finally manipulate the upcoming battle however I saw fit.
But most importantly, I had someone who could watch Kikyou's every move. I made it clear that I just wanted to know if she admitted her worries to anyone else. It wouldn't do for Karuizawa to start stalking her everywhere, just to keep an ear to the ground for anything suspicious.
Now I had someone who would know if Kikyou turned on me. I had only one connection to the social movements of the class, and that was the devil herself. If she betrayed me, even though it was a miniscule possibility now, I would find out from Karuizawa. She was the watcher in the class, the person to watch the watcher.
Now that I had someone who could see her every move, there was nothing to be afraid of. Now, I could finally allow myself to trust Kikyou, to properly grow closer to her. Now that there was no way for her to hide, that I knew every one of her actions, I no longer had to worry.
That's how trust works, right?
Authors Notes:
So, here's Karuizawa scene. Quite a kind change to how he dealt with Kushida, and the canon story of how he dealt with Karuizawa, but it was a lot of fun to do it this way. Kindness begets kindness and trust, and I think in this situation Karuizawa would respond best this way. Ayanokouji already has Kushida, so he doesn't need a number 1, he just needs her to trust him enough to watch Kushida. There's no need to break her down completely.
I want to be clear that I do not share views that I may have expressed in this chapter on relationships. I don't give a shit about whether you're gay or whatever, i don't want to know or care. That being said, I'm confident Ayanokouji would never have been taught that stuff in the white room. Sure, he would have gone through sexual education at some point, but his (probably heavily conservative) Japanese father wouldn't find that to be something worth explaining, let alone believe it. Of course, though, he was well aware of what was going on with Chihiro and Ichinose. How, you ask? I'm sure he read it in a book. That explains everything. Attraction can be understandable, and he's almost certainly read a book where a same-sex relationship was mentioned as a joke, which is what he did last chapter, but to the extent of understanding and conceptualizing it properly is something I don't believe he would he would have for anything other than male/female relationships.
It doesn't quite fit in, yeah i know, it takes a bit of forcing, but it made for a fun chapter to write so just ignore any inconsistencies for the moment.
Y'all really hate Karuizawa, but don't worry she won't be getting too much screen time in this fic. She's more of a main character than most, and she has a part to play, but she's not going to take the role of best girl. That belongs to my queen. I went back to stealing a bit from the light novel, and changed up the original scene where Yukimura bursts in. Bit disappointing that I had to copy and paste again, but it turned out pretty well i think.
As always, hope you enjoyed!