I slowly stashed the curious magazine under my jacket, making sure to fold it properly to hide its presence. The last thing I wanted was a gorgeous senpai catching a Student Council Member stealing an adult magazine from the storeroom.
But it's not my fault. Why was this even in the storeroom in the first place?
Nevertheless, I felt like the worst scum of the Earth.
Asahina-senpai wobbled over to my position. "You done? Did you find some cool stuff? Did you steal anything? Did you put everything back in its place? Did you ---"
"Yes, I did," I hastily cut in, preventing her from ranting on any further. "I returned everything back to its proper rack. You don't have to worry about anything, senpai." I decided to dodge her second question.
"Such a sweet kouhai~" she cooed, and she stood up on her heels to pat my head. "You can call me Nazuna, you know?"
".....right." I bent down a little to receive more headpats.
"Heh~ you're liking it?" she teased me. "You want your senpai to give you more pats?"
"..... I won't deny that it feels good," I admitted.
"Aww, you're so honest! But I want you to leave you wanting more," she suddenly changed her attitude, and she stopped patting me.
Oh well. I guess all good things come to an end.
I closed and locked the door behind me, and we headed back to the Council Room.
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I headed back to my room after a rather tiring stint at the Council Room. Ichinose-san and I were handed the task of dealing with a complaint that we had received from the Second Year Student Body, and we were discussing on how we were going to go about it.
And that took over 2 hours of my terrific time away, considering that Ichinose-san takes this job very seriously. She made sure not to skip over any of the points that were listed on the sheet of paper. I internally commended her hardworking nature.
But during my usual generic conversations with her while we were returning back to the dormitories, I learnt that she had been accepted into the student council just like how I was — by Nagumo himself.
I narrowed my eyes, and fell into thought. An honor student like Ichinose Honami was accepted into the Student Council without going through an interview? So the past President Horikita did not accept Ichinose into the Council at first.
But what did Nagumo see in Ichinose, that persuaded him to allow her to join the Council? One could say that she was a very capable and responsible person, so having her as secretary would definitely speed things up.
But shouldn't that be true for Katsuragi Kohei as well?
Katsuragi was a straight Class A student. He was rejected by President Horikita during the interview, but even someone whose capabilities rival those of Ichinose Honami's was not accepted by Nagumo? Why then, did he accept Ichinose, and reject Katsuragi?
Furthermore, is Ichinose-san the type to join the Council without taking the proper method? For all I knew, she was someone who valued justice and fair play at all times. It seemed a bit contradictory that she would join the Council in such a half-assed way, the way I did.
But that does not pose a solid argument. Even I, who was adamantly against getting myself involved with the Council, joined the Council at the end. Maybe that was the case with Ichinose-san as well.
I bid goodbye to Ichinose in the lobby, and headed back to my Room. As soon as the elevator stopped at the 4th Floor, I was greeted by a girl with long blonde hair waiting outside the elevator. She was wearing shorts, and a red top. Quite the killer combo.
"You finally came back. It's literally 7pm," Karuizawa-san pouted. "How much work does the Council have on your first day?"
"Quite a lot, in fact," I replied unenthusiastically. "Why're you waiting for me on the Fourth Floor? Wouldn't it be suspicious if someone saw you? This is an all-boys floor after all."
"That's not an issue, I can just say that I was here to visit Hirata-kun's Room," she dismissed me. "Shall we head over then?"
"Wait, my Room?"
"Nope. Room 401." Saying so, she trotted along the corridor to the first Room in display. She looked around the hallways once again. "Cover me up, pretty please?"
I sighed, and stood behind Karuizawa, and potentially hid her from anyone who might suddenly enter the hallways. It looked like she really did not want to be seen.
She knocked on the door twice, and then paused, and knocked again. What, so Ayanokoji had devised some sort of secret knock? But what was the point? There's a camera in every Room that shows the outside of the door, right?
After a few seconds, the door opened, and Karuizawa-san walked in without almost any delay. I slowly excused myself in as well, and Ayanokoji locked the door behind him.
"Quite the gathering," I said, as I entered Kiyotaka's Room. It was pretty scarce, and did not have much décor to it. To someone who enters his room for the first time, it would seem as though Kiyotaka is a minimalist. But since I know more about him, I figured that he was probably just too bored to decorate his room.
"Why are we here again?" I asked. I plopped myself down on the bed. Karuizawa-san sat down next to me, and turned to stare at me.
"....."
"Yes?"
"Do you know?" she asked suddenly, and I lifted my eyebrows. Did I know? Of course I knew. Kiyotaka and I are working together, after all. Why would Karuizawa call me all the way to Kiyotaka's Room and ask me this question in front of the said person himself? I was very confused.
"..... I do know," I admitted. "But why are you telling me this now? Couldn't you have just stayed silent about it? I mean, Kiyotaka could have confirmed it himself," I said. "What was the need to ask me about it?"
Karuizawa's face twisted in a frown. "What are you talking about?"
"What are you talking about?" I asked. It looks like we were on completely different wavelengths.
Ayanokoji, who had been watching our pointless debate continue, cut in.
"He doesn't know. But I think it will be better if he did."
".....?"
Ok, now I was really confused. What are these two blabbering on about? They're talking about something that both of them were aware of, but I did not know of.
Karuizawa uncomfortably shifted on the bed. She pensively stared at Ayanokoji, as though waiting for him to say something. Ayanokoji caught her stare, and sighed.
"It's your wish. It's up to you if you want to tell him or not. But I personally feel it is better to tell him about it. Keisuke is someone you can trust."
Karuizawa nodded meekly, and she closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath.
"Takeyama-kun, I want you to listen closely."
"..... go ahead."
The atmosphere set in the Room was a bit heavy. I could feel that whatever Karuizawa was trying to tell me now was something that she held very deeply as a treasured secret.
"I was bullied."
"!?"
I unconsciously gripped the bedsheet a bit tighter. Karuizawa-san, the strong-willed Leader of Class D, the girl with such a powerful influence — is a victim of bullying?
"Bullying? How?"
"It was in middle school," she said quietly. "I was mercilessly bullied. They wrote names on my desk and uniform; things like 'slut' and 'whore'. They stuffed dead animal carcasses in my lockers. They put thumb-tacks in my shoes. They threw toilet water at me in the bathrooms. I was made to confess to boys that I did not even like. They once even pulled down my skirt in front of the entire class."
"....."
I stayed quiet throughout her story. From what I had heard from Daisuke-san, bullying is quite common to those students who fail to stand up for themselves. I had never witnessed anything like it before. I had assumed that bullying would only include things like being a little rude and mean, but this..... this was crazy.
"It hurt," she suddenly said. Her eyes swelled up a bit. "It hurt every time they hit me. Every time they embarrassed me. I was completely left in the darkness. I wanted to break free from these shackles.
So I made a promise to myself. Starting high school, I would definitely stand up for myself. I cannot allow it to happen again. I cannot suffer like how I did for my 2 years of middle school. I had to consolidate myself as the leader. I must stay at the top of the social ladder."
Suddenly, everything made more sense to me. Karuizawa's average grades, even though she has a good head on those shoulders, her fierce and strong attitude.....
..... Hirata Yosuke.
I had finally connected everything. Even though it's been almost 3 months since Hirata and Karuizawa have been dating, they still call each other by their last names, and with honorifics. Everything about their relationship was just so..... scripted.
So fake.
My suspicions were confirmed.
It indeed was fake.
"I guess..... that's all I wanted to say," Karuizawa-san said, as she twiddled with the end of her hair. "I don't want you to tell this to anyone. My life depends on it. Please make sure I can trust you."
I stayed silent for a while.
"Have you told me everything, Karuizawa-san?"
She flinched. "W-why do you ask? I've told you everything about myself."
I glanced at Kiyotaka. He was sitting on his chair, staying quiet throughout. He yawned a bit, and unconsciously scratched his hip.
Which was a pretty weird thing to do.
"There's still something you're hiding from me, aren't you?" I asked. Karuizawa-san looked at me with fearful eyes.
"N-n-no, there's nothing. I've already t-told you everything....."
I internally sighed. "Well, I guess I can't do anything if you're not willing to tell me. But maybe I could interrogate you a bit?"
"I-interrogate?"
"Why do you never swim?"
"S-s-swim? Where did that come from?" she asked warily, and she involuntarily scooted backwards a bit on the bed. "Stop it, you're scaring me....."
"You have something right? On your waist?"
She visibly panicked. "H-h-how..... did Ayanokoji tell you..... I trusted him, he'd not tell you....."
"It's just a hunch," I replied, and I moved closer to her as well. "You have a darkness. Something that you're desperately trying to hide from everyone. Something that would tarnish your reputation and drop you to the depths if you do not hide..... am I right?"
"....." Karuizawa continued to stare at me with wide eyes. I slowly moved back, and allowed her some space to breathe. She took the hint, and closed her eyes to calm herself down.
"..... guess there's no point hiding it from you, is there?" she murmured. She slowly stood up, and turned to face me. Then, she lowered her hands to her top, and slowly pulled up her shirt.
My eyes widened. Beneath her top, and on her beautiful, pale skin, laid an ugly scar. A scar that stretched from the top of her navel to her left hip.
I slowly stood up, and and brought myself up to full height. I inched closer to the girl, and she lowered her head. I slowly raised my right hand, and caressed her scar.
"Ah-ha!" she reflexively stumbled back. "W-what...."
"It's around a year old," I whispered, and Karuizawa-san widened her eyes. "Moderately deep, and 7 stitches. Something like this can only be caused by a blade, likely from a sharpener."
"....." Karuizawa-san did not respond, but just nodded. She slowly lowered her top, and covered her scar.
I sat down on the chair, and the 3 of us were enveloped in a comfortable silence. I took in a deep breath, and stretched my legs out.
"Are you okay with telling me about it?" I asked. "From what I've understood, you don't want this to be known by anyone else in this school."
"I realized that, well, since you and Ayanokoji-kun are working together, it would be better for you to know," she quietly whispered. "And you know about Ayanokoji's involvement in the class affairs anyways, so you obviously know that I am currently being used by Ayanokoji as well."
"Used is a strong word, I guess," I said. "But I appreciate your courage. Thank you for telling me, Karuizawa-san. Your secret is safe with me."
She slowly nodded in understanding, and slumped back onto the bed.
"Coffee?" Kiyotaka asked us, as he headed into the kitchen.
"Nothing for me," Karuizawa-san grumbled.
"Black tea," I said, and Kiyotaka nodded before heading into the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea for me.
I stood up, leaving Karuizawa strewn across the bed, and entered the kitchen.
"What's up?" Ayanokoji said, as he placed the kettle for heating.
"You made her tell me?" I asked with a hint of annoyance.
"Not really. I just pushed the idea into her head. Whether she really wanted to tell you or not was completely up to her," Ayanokoji replied.
"But what are you trying to achieve this way?" I pressed on. "Don't tell me you're slowly planning to expose Karuizawa's past to the school?"
"That is not my intention," he replied. "I merely realized that it would lead to unnecessary problems and contradictions if she did not tell you about herself. All conversations that you would have with Karuizawa would be suspicious, to say the least, since you knew about Karuizawa's involvement with me. But she did not know that you were aware of my involvement in the class affairs. It would lead to a complicated situation."
"So you threw all your cards out into the open?" I asked. "Your main aim was to clear any misunderstandings and ill-will that we might have stored up against each other?"
"Yes. In simple words, lay ourselves bare in front of each other," he replied.
"I see. Though that seems to be troublesome, it will help us out in the long run," I said. Kiyotaka handed over the cup to me, and I slowly took a sip out of the tea.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get a review.
I fished out in my pocket, before I took out the thing that I was searching for.
"This strikes any bells?" I asked, as I handed over the Special Exam Result Sheet from 9 years ago to Kiyotaka. He scanned through the sheet, and looked at me questioningly.
"What is this? Where did you get it?"
"In simple words, its the result of a past Special Exam," I said. "One from 9 years ago. From the looks of it, it happened to the students in their Third Year, and Class 3-C bore quite a hefty damage from this exam. Recovery is almost impossible."
"My second question?"
"Found it in an old archives section while running some errands for the Council," I replied. "Can you possible formulate any sort of hypothesis regarding this exam? I've already searched the entire shelf where I found this file — I could not find the name or the rules of the Special Exam."
"It's hard to come up with something with just the results," he said, as he read through the slip again. "But it does remind me of someone who might know about this."
I smiled. "Looks like we've arrived at the same conclusion, eh?"
Kiyotaka sighed, and folded the sheet of paper, before handing it back to me. "I'll let you do the talking. I don't want to get involved in this, to be honest. Give me a summary of whatever happens."
"It would be rather suspicious if you came along with me as well," I said deplorably. "I'll ask the person myself."
Kiyotaka nodded, and headed back into the room. I followed suit. Karuizawa-san was still sitting there, and she looked at us as we approached. "What were you two going on about?"
"Nothing at all," I replied. "It's getting quite late — I think Karuizawa should head back to her room. It would spark rumors if you were seen any later than now."
"Now that you say it, you're right," Karuizawa-san said, and she stood up from the bed. "Well, I'll get going then, Ayanokoji-kun. Good night, Takeyama-kun."
With that, she swung her hair around like an experienced fashionista, and peeked out of the door. Once she confirmed the corridors were empty, she took the elevator and left.
I watched the young girl leave. This headstrong girl was bullied. But there was no way Kiyotaka would have found that out without any sort of notion from beforehand.
Which can mean only one thing.
Karuizawa-san has been bullied. Inside the premises of Advanced Nurturing High School.
And Kiyotaka used it as leverage to get her onto his side. I glanced at the ever-stoic individual to my right.
"Who bullied her?"
Kiyotaka looked at me without the slightest surprise, as if he had been expecting that question. "Manabe Shiho, Yabu Nanami, Yamashita Saki and Morofuji Rika. All Class C girls. It happened during the Zodiac Exam."
All Class C girls? Does that mean it had something to do with Ryuuen?
No, I can safely dismiss that possibility. The only reason Ryuuen would have asked his classmates to bully Karuizawa was only if he himself knew about Karuizawa's past. But since she usually keeps shut about it, no one else in the school other than Kiyotaka, Yosuke and I should know about her past.
It must have been some sort of girl dispute. The ones that get ugly real fast. I did not dig into the situation any deeper; there was no point in knowing the details.
"Can I assume you threatened these Class C girls with some sort of video footage so that they wouldn't harm Karuizawa again?"
"Yes. A video footage of them bullying her. I sent them out to each of the girls via a private incognito message. Surely they would not hurt her again."
"But how did you get Karuizawa onto your side?" I asked. "Did you..... threaten her as well?"
"..... there was no other way."
That day, I came to unravel a bit more about this mysterious man called Kiyotaka Ayanokoji. A truly heartless person, who is trying to learn what it's like to have a heart.
A man who sees everyone as a tool.
But to be fair, I'm not any different.
But maybe, just maybe, I have something that he doesn't have. I have what is known as emotions. I know what it is like to be happy. What it feels like to be sad. What it feels like to experience pain. Agony. Loss. Joy. Anger. I had them all.
And that is how I will prove to Kiyotaka that you need more than just tools.
A person who cannot understand what another feels like, will never move past a certain threshold capability. He will drown in his own vortex, in a black hole. A completely empty space.
A thought that scares me even now.
"I see. Thank you for having me over, I guess," I said. "I'll get going now."
With that, I left towards my room as well.
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A/N's:
I've got exams starting this week, and they pretty much continue forever. I've got back-to-back assignments, and that means I'll be a little late in posting chapters.
Thanks for reading, and cheers.
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