Kei's POV
"To Kushida-san's downfall~~!"
"You want me to be there?!" I was surprised.
"Yeah!" she was smiling so cheerfully. Honestly, to think she'll have an expression like this while saying something so messed up is honestly disturbing.
"Why? You don't need me to be there!" I asked. There was no reason for me to be there. Kiyotaka was correct in saying that she could easily do this all by herself.
"I want someone to be a witness to her downfall besides me and the cultists." she answered.
"A witness? For what?" I asked.
"Once Kushida-san is expelled from school, there's going to be a lot of people asking questions. I want to have a reliable neutral witness present so that, once people ask about it, you'll be there to answer them."
"I'm not exactly a neutral party here, Yuki-san." I pointed out. "I'm on your side."
"You're right, but in the eyes of the students, you are a neutral party. You are simply Kiyotaka's girlfriend that just so happened to watch me destroy Kushida-san and get her expelled. The reason why you didn't help her is because Kushida-san had betrayed the class to eliminate your boyfriend, but you have no personal grudge against her, and therefore, opted to just watch her suffer."
"That doesn't paint me as a neutral party at all, Yuki-san!" I said.
"It does. You didn't help me, nor did you help Kushida-san. You just watched everything unfold. I'm painted as the bully that tormented her because she betrayed the class because of what Kiyotaka told me, and she's painted as the villain that finally got what she deserved. That is the most neutral way of putting it without getting into confidential territory."
I can understand why she would want a witness. After all, there's a chance that Kushida-san will still be remembered as the kind girl that just succumbed to the bullying she suffered, and Yuki-san wanted to prevent that, so she wants a witness who would tell the truth, but I didn't understand why she would want me as a witness.
"Nobody will trust my story because I'm Kiyotaka's girlfriend! They would never view me as a neutral party here!" I said.
"The fact that you didn't do anything because you're Kiyotaka's girlfriend is already enough to convince everyone of her villainy. Why would you not help Kushida-san if she didn't do those things?"
"Do you have any idea what kind of reputation I have in the school? The students think that I am a headstrong bitch. If I spread that story, people will think that I was just trying to ruin her reputation!"
I have never once cursed the fact that I was a parasite more than now.
"So who should I get as witness then?" Yuki-san was pretty upset. Not that I can blame her. I guess I should suggest her, then.
"What about Horikita-san?"
"Her? Why?"
"She is still our class's recognized leader, and Kiyotaka originally left Kushida-san to her anyway. Bringing her to be the witness is credible since she's the class leader. Hirata-kun is also an option, but he is a pacifist, so I doubt he'll help expel someone." I said.
"Horikita-san, huh? I guess she's a good alternative." Yuki-san agreed. "Fine, we'll contact her tomorrow, then."
"Yeah." I yawned. "I need to go to sleep first..."
"Sure! I'll see you tomorrow, Kei-chan!"
"See you tomorrow...."
With that, I left for my room to sleep.
*****
April 9, 2016
Horikita Suzune's Dormitory
"What can I help you with?" Horikita-san said after serving us both some tea.
Honestly, I still can't get used to Horikita-san with short hair.
Once me and Yuki-san had met up that morning, we headed straight to Horikita-san's dorm to discuss things with her. Although shocked by our visit, she let us in and even provided her with drinks.
"Do you want me to go straight to the point?" Yuki-san said.
"I suppose, what do you want?"
"I want a reliable witness to back me up once I expel Kushida."
The room went silent. I sipped on my tea as I watched Horikita-san's face contort into many different expressions, from confusion, to anger, to irritation, to frustration, to finally an expression as if she understood everything now.
"You were the one who was bullying Kushida-san. Why?" she demanded answers.
"Because the bitch deserved it." she glared at Horikita-san, as if angry at her for trying to defend Kushida-san. "She was a traitor, Horikita-san. She is a worthless trash that tried to take away Kiyotaka's freedom! She doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as Kiyotaka, so I'm giving her the punishment that she deserves!"
She was clearly taken aback by Yuki-san's outburst. She probably never expected this to be her reason. Horikita-san turned to me for confirmation, and I silently nodded.
"Was Ayanokouji-kun... abused at home?" she delicately asked.
"Worse. Much, much worse, Horikita-san." I remarked. "Honestly, Horikita-san, it's wrong for you to even call what he's returning to a home, because that assumes that he has a family that he can return to."
Once again, she was taken aback by the words I said.
"Is his family... dead, perhaps?"
No, Horikita-san, they're probably still here. Unfortunately, I cannot even call him a family member.
Kiyotaka never said anything about his mother, but I assumed that she was absent for all of his life since if she was there, surely Kiyotaka would never have been abused like that. He would have never been subjected to... a hell like that.
While I was still shivering remembering what Kiyotaka suffered through, Yuki-san spoke again.
"Unfortunately, his family isn't dead." she said flatly. "But that's besides the point, Horikita-san. I want to have Kushida expelled, so I want a reliable witness to tell the truth once she does get expelled."
"But she is an asset to the class. If we can acquire her vast social network for ourselves, our class will have a higher chance getting to Class A." Horikita-san tried to explain.
"Unfortunately, due to the current situation, her vast social network is more of a detriment than a benefit to the class. It's better to throw her away now than to have her as a very annoying hindrance later." Yuki-san explained.
"What do you mean?"
Me and Yuki-san looked at each other, undecided on whether we should inform Horikita-san of the situation in advance or not. Being honest with her will make it much easier for us to convince her to our plan, but she will definitely be suspicious if she was informed of it, since the circumstances of the special exam around Kiyotaka is suspicious if you knew enough information. Horikita, stubborn person that she is, will definitely try to look into it more. That is the one thing we want to prevent.
That is why both of us are in a dilemma right now. Fortunately, Horikita-san took the hint that we were deciding on what to do silently, so she remained quiet.
"I'm sorry, Horikita-san, but we can't tell yo-" Yuki-san was about to deny her information, but I stopped her.
"No, Yuki-san." I said. "If we didn't tell her, she'll probably threaten to not help us unless we do tell her about the situation. Horikita-san is just like that. Stubborn, like really stubborn."
Both of them looked at me, surprised. Clearly, they did not expect me to say something like that.
"How do you..." Horikita-san was wide-eyed, while I simply scratched my head in embarrassment.
"I had Kiyotaka... teach me things." I said sheepishly.
After Yagami-kun's declaration of war against Kiyotaka, I asked Kiyotaka to tell me every strategy that he had made during our first year as well as all the personalities and thought processes of all the major students in the school. At first, Kiyotaka was confused as to what I would do with that information, but I only said one thing.
"I want to help you."
Kiyotaka's expression didn't change, but he agreed to help me soon after. By the end of it, I'm pretty sure that my brain was smoking and my eyes were swirling from the overload of information Kiyotaka gave me, but I wrote it all down so that I wouldn't forget them. I then studied them all very intently, in hopes that I can learn something from it, and that's what I did during the past few days.
"You did what?" I narrated all of this to both girls, and they were shocked.
"What is going on, Karuizawa-san? Tell me now!" Horikita-san approached me and began shaking me. "Why would you feel the need to learn from Ayanokouji-kun? You, Karuizawa Kei, the leader of the girls of our class? Why are you helping Naganohara-san expel Kushida-san? Why are you acting so differently from before? Something's happening and I want to know about it."
I sighed, knowing how much of a pain it would be to tell her about the situation. Before I did, though, I got a sudden realization.
"That's right, I can just ask Kiyotaka for permission! I'll be right back, Horikita-san!"
I left the dorm room quickly and called Kiyotaka. After a few seconds, he answered.
"Hello, Kei?"
"Hello, Kiyotaka? Why do you sound so tired?"
"I went to the karaoke with the Group today along with Shiro. I was tired from singing."
"Aww, I wish I was there to see it!"
"So why did you call me so early, Kei?"
"Way to change the subject. Anyway, you see..."
I then explained what was going on.
"So that's what's happening. Can I tell her, Kiyotaka?"
"You can, although make sure to emphasize to her the promise I told her earlier in our 1st year."
"About what?"
"Not to pry into my life."
"Of course I would promise that! Who do you think I am?"
"I told you, you're my cute girlfriend."
"Ahh mou, stop teasing me like that, Kiyotaka! Now's not the time!"
"Why shouldn't I always tease you? You look so cute whenever I do."
"K-Kiyotaka!"
"Fine, I'll stop for now. Goodbye, Kei. I hope you get Horikita on your side."
"Bye, Kiyotaka, I love you."
After that, he hung up, and I just sighed in exasperation.
Not even an "I love you", huh? Well, it's better than insincerity, at least.
I entered back into the dorm room, and saw both of the girls anticipating my answer.
"Kiyotaka allowed it. He did tell me to remind Horikita-san of the promise she made to Kiyotaka during last year." I said.
"Not to pry into his life?"
"Yes. That's it. So, shall I tell you, then?" I said.
"Oho, Kei-chan's learning some formal words..." Yuki-san said.
"Don't tease me, Yuki-san!" I said. "Anyway, I'll tell you."
I then told her the situation. Of course, I didn't mention anything regarding the White Room. I just told her about the special exam about Kiyotaka. I did make an excuse saying he was randomly selected.
I wonder if that's going to be the official excuse as well.
"This is... insane. What is the school thinking?" Horikita-san rubbed her temples, clearly not happy about the situation.
"So, will you help us, then?" Yuki-san asked.
I can tell that Horikita-san is frustrated. She probably can't let Kushida-san be eliminated because of how potentially beneficial she would be if she decided to side with us. However, we don't have the time, nor the patience to do such a thing right now.
After a long while of deliberating, Horikita-san finally nodded.
"If either of you cooperate with me to get us to Class A, then this is a deal." she said.
"That's what we intended to do in the first place." Yuki-san reached out her hand to Horikita-san's, probably for a handshake. "It's a deal, then?"
"Yes, it's a deal." They shook hand soon afterwards while I sat on the side looking on.
"Well, goodbye to Kushida-san, I guess." I shrugged my shoulders as I looked at this scene.
*****
"You're going to come with us, Kei-chan?" Yuki-san as we followed Kushida-san to her destination silently.
It was currently nighttime, about 8pm, and we were currently following Kushida-san to her destination.
"I decided that I wanted to watch what's going to happen to her. " I said. I don't know what made me want to watch, but I had this feeling deep in my heart that made me think that I was going to regret not watching what happened to her.
Maybe, deep down, I actually had a grudge against her.
"Well, suit yourself, I guess." Yuki-san said as we continued to follow Kushida-san.
Horikita-san was also there, looking very conflicted. According to Kiyotaka, Horikita-san had always been adamant about keeping Kushida-san in the school, so for her to be an active participant to her expulsion must be frustrating her a lot.
"Are you sure about this?" Yuki-san asked me. "I'm going to... bully Kushida-san, you know?"
"Don't worry about it. I'll just leave if I couldn't handle it anymore." I said with a smile.
"Make sure to do that, okay?" Yuki-san said before turning away.
After a few minutes of following, we saw her venting her feelings at the top of the rooftop. It wasn't the same rooftop that I was tortured on by Ryuuen, but it still reminded me of a lot of memories.
"Ahh, so annoying, so fucking annoying! Who is it?! Who the hell is bullying me?!"
"Is it that bitch Naganohara? Is she the one?! Why the fuck is she doing it then? Why? Why? Why?"
"I don't understand! Why the hell am I being bullied? I've been treating everyone nicely like how I'm supposed to be doing! Is it Ayanokouji?! Is it Ryuuen?! Is it Horikita?! Those fucking bastards!"
"And those boys, looking at me with such disgusting eyes! Those perverts! Those fucking perverts! I hate them! I hate them so much!"
"And those girls! Acting like they had nothing to do with my bullying! I'm pretty sure some of those bitches were actually mocking me behind my back! They'll pay for it all!"
As I hear her scream and rave about her situation, there was something I found odd.
Why is Kushida-san venting here and not in her room? As far as I know, Kiyotaka caught her in this very same rooftop ranting during the first year, which led to her targeting him in the first place. She may be ignorant and overconfident, but she's not dumb. She wouldn't make the same mistake again.
This was when I remembered the time the cultists broke into her room to put those Legos, and I had a sudden realization.
Did Yuki-san make sure that Kushida-san will feel unsafe in her room so that she would rant here instead?
That makes sense. Yuki-san essentially cornered Kushida-san here at this rooftop, just so she can enact her plan without any interference. After all, there's only one entrance and exit in the rooftop, and it would be easy for us to guard it from people trying to come here.
"Whoever it is that's bullying me, I'll make sure to make them pay! They're going to be gone alongside Horikita and Ayanokouji! I swear it, I fucking swear it! In the end, I'll be the winner!"
At this point, Yuki-san moved forward.
"I'll be going now. Did you record everything, Horikita-san?" she asked.
"Yes." Horikita showed us her phone and she was indeed recording it.
"Good. Kei-chan, if you ever feel uncomfortable, you're always free to leave, okay?" Yuki-san said.
"Yeah, thanks, Yuki-san!" I said. After that, Yuki-san began walking towards Kushida-san, while clapping slowly.
CLAP
CLAP
CLAP
CLAP
CLAP
The atmosphere became incredibly tense. Kushida-san was staring murderously at Yuki-san, while the latter was only staring at her as if she were trash, with manic smile on her face.
(A/N: For imagination purposes.)
"Quite the bold statement there, Kushida. I'm impressed."
She continued to walk towards Kushida-san while still clapping. I saw hints of fear in Kushida-san's expression, but she hid it well.
"Did you see everything?" Kushida-san was clearly angry. Her voice sounded nothing like how it normally sounds. It was more deep and cold. Yuki-san was only unfazed by this, however.
"Yes, I did. Every. Single. Thing. Including that amusing joke in that last part."
"What joke?"
"You know, the one where you said that you'll win in the end? It was truly amusing how delusional you can be, you dumb bitch."
Kushida-san immediately tried to charge at Yuki-san to punch her, but Yuki-san simply sidestepped and evaded Kushida-san's attack.
"Oh my, that's dangerous, Kushida. Not that you can hurt anyone with a weak punch like that. Ahahahahaha!"
"Shut up!" Kushida-san shouted.
"Quite hostile, aren't you?" Yuki-san smirked. "Let me tell you a little thing, though, Kushida."
"About what?"
"You want to know something about fingerprints, Kushida?" Yuki-san said. "They don't actually get retained on clothing for long. They're only there for about a year at most, and that's a very generous estimate. Doesn't this rooftop remind you of anything?"
Immediately, Kushida-san's eyes widened.
"This is..."
"Yep. The blackmail material you have on Kiyotaka is pretty useless now!" Yuki-san said while spreading out her arms.
"You...!" Kushida-san glared at her again.
So it was blackmail material. Well, it's not effective against Kiyotaka, that's for sure.
"I was going to do you a favor, but I guess I won't, since you're so hostile to me."
"What favor?"
"Kiyotaka's secret~!" Yuki-san whispered. The beige haired girl's eyes widened at this.
"Are you sure you should be telling me that? Ayanokouji is your childhood friend, right?" Kushida-san was understandably suspicious.
"My reasons doesn't matter to you. All that matters is whether you accept this or not." Yuki-san replied.
"Tell me then, right now."
You lost, Kushida-san. You're done for.
"Horikita-san." I turned to the other person, and she was already following the other instructions that Yuki-san told her. The moment Yuki-san starts saying Kiyotaka's secret, she will cover her ears with earplugs and then cover it with her hands to prevent herself from hearing anything. Meanwhile, two people would be arriving to the entrance of the rooftop.
"Amasawa Ichika. What are you doing here?" It was Acting Director Tsukishiro. The person walking with him was Amasawa-san.
"Am I not allowed to be here, Acting Director~?" she said. That voice is seriously irritating.
"I was just wondering why a 1st year like you is involved with a matter concerning the 2nd years."
"Naganohara-senpai invited me here." Amasawa-san simply said. "What about you, Acting Director? Why are you playing along?"
"Kushida Kikyou is not an asset that we can use against Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. However, she is an asset that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka can use against us. Even if she is hostile now, it will be a simple task for Ayanokouji-kun to manipulate her into doing his bidding. In short, it would be better that a potential threat will be gone before she properly becomes a threat." the Acting Director explained. "Also, I want to see what these dropouts from the infamous 4th generation are capable of."
"I see." Amasawa-san then looked at me. "Hi, Karuizawa-senpai!"
"H-Hello." I said. As much as I don't like her, I'm smart enough to know that I shouldn't be too hostile with her.
As we were interacting, Yuki-san told Kushida-san about Kiyotaka's secret, the White Room. I did notice that Kushida-san had a conflicted expression on her face as Yuki-san continued to narrate their experiences in the White Room.
I can understand. Kushida-san may be obsessed with attention and is actually incredibly selfish and arrogant, but she isn't evil. She is capable of sympathy, and hearing Kiyotaka's past will definitely make anyone but the most cruel and cold individuals sad. She is probably conflicted because the guy she had been trying to expel had such a cruel fate awaiting him if he ever gets expelled, and she probably didn't want to doom anyone to a fate like that, even if they were her enemy.
Whether or not she would change her mind doesn't matter, though. In the end, Yuki-san has made up her mind.
She's gone, and that's final.
By the end of it, Kushida-san was tearing up, as if she was about to cry.
"I... I don't know what to s-say..." Kushida-san had reverted back to her high-pitched, cutesy voice.
"Cut the crap, Kushida." Yuki-san said coldly. "Now you're trying to be all emotional to try and get me to sympathize with you? Make me forget about all the things you did? To me, you're just a selfish freak who cares only about her own image and gets turned on by other people's praise."
"N-Naganohara-sa-"
"Shut up! I'm not the type to forgive and forget, Kushida. You tried to hurt Kiyotaka by sending him back to hell. I don't care how ignorant you were, I will make sure to punish you."
"But this isn't right!" Kushida-san was indignant. "I didn't know that Ayanokouji-kun had such horrible cirumstan-"
"And you think I care? You think I care about any of that? You tried to hurt Kiyotaka. Whether or not he is affected by it doesn't matter. I'm going to make sure that you will be suffering because of that."
"W-what are you going to do, Naganohara-san?" Kushida-san asked.
"You know, I forgot to mention something during my story just now." Yuki-san smirked. "You see, Kiyotaka's father is quite influential in the Japanese government. So influential, in fact, that if the secret of the White Room was to come out in public, there would be a major political upheaval. That's how influential he is."
"What are you saying...?"
"Simple, really. Professor Ayanokouji doesn't want anyone finding about his facility, so he'll probably silence outsiders who know about it. Since I was a former student, I won't be silenced for it, but what about you~?"
At this point, Kushida-san has now realized why Yuki-san has even bothered to share Kiyotaka's secret. It was to plunge her entire life to doom.
At this point, I was sure that there would be no incriminating information that will be coming out of their mouths, so I had Horikita-san remove her earplugs.
"N-No...!" Kushida-san started shaking her head.
"You should have realized it earlier, Kushida. There are some secrets that should remain a secret~..."
"No... No... No..."
"This is what you get for loving to hoard secrets so much, Kushida. A path straight to hell~!"
"NO!" Kushida-san snapped, and she charged at Yuki-san again. This time though, she didn't dodge. The punch landed straight to her face, but Yuki-san didn't even budge. She still had that same demented smirk on her face.
"I was right. That weak punch wasn't going to hurt anyone." she mocked her.
"You bitch..!" Kushida-san continued to punch and kick at Yuki-san, but she never budged. She collapsed while Kushida-san continued to attack her, but she still that same smirk still on her face. It was as if the pain never affected her at all.
Horikita-san made sure to film the situation in a way that the viewer wouldn't see Yuki-san's smile.
"Ahahahahaha, how stupid!" she mocked her again as she blocked a punch from her this time. Horikita-san stopped recording, too. "You really think I had just been taking your punches for no reason?!"
Suddenly, Acting Director Tsukishiro clapped his hands and approached the two. Kushida-san looked at him and she immediately tensed up.
"Kushida, it seems that you have broken one of the most important rules in the school. As the Acting Director, I must uphold the rules of the school." he said in a serious tone.
"No! I..." Kushida-san tried to plead with the Acting Director, but Yuki-san beat her to the punch.
"Please help me! She tried to beat me up in order to find out my secret! I resisted, but in the end, I had no choice!" she said, while tears started to form in her eyes. Real tears.
She is too good at acting, it's really terrifying.
"She knows! She knows about it!"
"I see. She forced you to give away information about that place, huh?" Tsukishiro whispered. "Very well. As punishment for her actions, Kushida Kikyou is now expelled from Advanced Nurturing High School. The guards will be escorting her later."
Kushida-san was speechless, she couldn't say anything. She had realized that she had been set up from the very beginning. She was going to be expelled from the school. She simply collapsed to the floor in sheer shock.
I knew that I had to do something now. So I walked out as well.
"Karuizawa-san...?" she looked at me with empty eyes. Her voice was flat and hollow. She really has lost all hope.
I didn't want to do this, but...
I walked towards her without saying a word.
"Please... tell Ayanokouji-kun to help me..." she said weakly. "Tell him that I'm... sorry, that... I won't... target him again..."
Once I was near enough, I raised my hand and slapped her in the face.
"To think you would ask for help from someone you tried to eliminate. I never thought you would stoop so low, false saint. Wow, the sheer audacity is enough to make me puke." I said.
I'm surprised I can say words like that. I really have learned a lot from Kiyotaka, huh?
"It's too late for regrets now. You did this to yourself." I continued. "As much as I feel sorry for you, your life here in this school is over. Make sure to really start anew next time. Maybe you'll be better off that way."
I sighed, then I looked at her in the eyes.
"Farewell, Kushida-san."
With that, I walked away. I saw Amasawa-san smiling as she walked out of the door as well.
They're going to torment her one last time, huh?
Since I really didn't want to see that happening, I decided to leave. I did notice that Horikita-san had already left. She had probably realized that there was now no point in her staying, so she didn't.
As I went down the stairs, I couldn't help but think about what Yuki-san did back there. Even in the face of Kushida-san's assault, she kept her smile. It was because she was in control of the situation.
But what if she wasn't in control? What would have happened then?
I couldn't get it out of my mind, and I knew why.
Even when she was being overwhelmed by external forces, she held firm. She didn't succumb to it.
Like I did in the past...
As I came out of the building, I inhaled, breathing some fresh night air. Due to Yuki-san's actions earlier, I have an idea now as to how to move forward with myself.
I'll never succumb to external forces again. I will fight back.
I made a silent oath to myself. An oath that will decide my path in this school until the end.
I will make sure that I am worthy to be Kiyotaka's girlfriend and partner.
I swear it.
=end of chapter=