After leaving the gym, the students of Class D went their separate ways. Since school was about to end soon, and some students had club activities to attend, discussions about the sports festival would have to wait until their weekly class meeting.
Ever since the summer competition, Miyake had gotten busier with his club. He used to take breaks now and then, but now, he rushed to his club every day after school. Because of that, Kanda Shuichi had lost his usual helper for carrying groceries.
On his way back to the dorm, Kanda Shuichi made his usual stop at the supermarket. It was about time anyway.
Cooking had already become a daily habit for him. Eating his own food gave him a sense of actually being alive.
And today's meal was… chicken soup.
Wait, chicken soup again?
Well, it was the beginning of the month, and someone's *relative* was coming to visit.
After taking care of everything, Kanda Shuichi pulled out his textbook for the next semester and popped a memory candy into his mouth. His goal was to memorize all of next semester's material on the first day.
Four hours later, his head was feeling heavy. He rubbed his temples as he walked to the door and opened it after hearing a knock.
Standing there was Kushida Kikyo, her short golden hair catching the light.
"I Hope I'm not bothering you, Shuichi."
…
We've known each other for this long, and you're still acting all polite?
Kanda Shuichi let go of the door handle, rubbing his temples as he walked toward the bathroom.
A quick face wash, wash his hands, then it'd be time to eat.
Meanwhile, Kushida Kikyo made herself at home, stepping inside and shutting the door behind her before starting to vent her frustrations.
Speaking of which, last time she threw my pillow in a fit, but now she's acting like nothing happened?
Shouldn't she at least lift her skirt and apologize?
…Wait, no. Now's not the time for that.
After splashing some water on his face, Kanda Shuichi felt a little more awake. Ignoring Kushida, he grabbed two bowls and poured out some chicken soup, setting them on the table.
"Done yelling? If you're done, eat."
"Oh, feed me."
"Why don't you go to heaven while you're at it?"
My head is already killing me, and you want me to feed you? I swear, I'll pour it straight into your nose.
"And you say you want to date me? You're not considerate at all."
Kushida pouted, looking like a puffed-up blowfish.
"Ah, yeah, yeah. So how about you put the bowl down, and I'll call Masumi to come eat?"
Never give in. If you do it once, you'll have to do it every time.
Speaking of Kamuro, she seemed to be in a good phase these days. Maybe that meant…
"What are you thinking? You're grinning like a pervert."
Snapping back to reality, Kanda Shuichi found Kushida giving him an annoyed look.
She looked so much like Kamuro just now.
Nope, nope. Can't think about that.
"I was thinking about my wings."
"Scumbag."
Kushida muttered before pulling the bowl in front of her and starting to eat.
This time, Kanda Shuichi had added a lot of extra ingredients to the chicken soup, making it even more flavorful. The beef he added also helped ensure it was a filling meal and not just soup.
As she ate, a thought crossed Kushida's mind—if she could eat food like this every day, maybe letting him two-time wouldn't be so bad?
But she quickly pushed that idea away.
No way. She couldn't let this guy win that easily.
After finishing her meal, she gracefully picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth.
Kanda Shuichi stared at her in disbelief.
Now you're acting all refined? Where was this elegance when you were shoving food in your mouth just a minute ago?
Such a fake.
"I'm going to ruin Horikita in this sports festival."
After tossing the napkin into the trash, Kushida suddenly dropped that statement.
"Give it up. You won't beat her."
Kanda Shuichi didn't even have to think—he already knew Kushida couldn't do it.
"You don't think I can?" From her tone, it was clear that Kushida was not happy.
"Of course not. If you want to take her down, you have to do it from the shadows. But with the image you've built, there are a lot of things you simply can't do. There's no way you can win like this."
Working in the dark had its advantages, but it also had its limits. Kushida alone didn't have the power to deal any real damage to Horikita.
So, was she planning to find an ally?
"I've already teamed up with Ryuen."
…
You actually teamed up with Ryuen? Are you out of your mind, Kikyo? That's like making a deal with a tiger—aren't you afraid he'll betray you the moment it benefits him?
Wait, you said you teamed up with Ryuen… He wouldn't believe a goody-two-shoes like you would go after Horikita unless…
"Did you reveal your true self to him?"
Kanda Shuichi felt uneasy. That was a secret only he knew, and she just casually told someone else? And it was Ryuen, of all people?
Kushida Kikyo noticed his reaction right away.
"Are you upset?"
Kanda Shuichi kept his face blank. "You'd rather go to Ryuen than ask me first. What do you think?"
"So…" A mischievous grin appeared on Kushida's face. "Are you jealous?"
"You've got to be kidding me. Do you really think Ryuen will keep your secret like I do?"
"The only reason he's keeping quiet is because you're still useful to him."
"The moment you lose your value, he'll expose everything. How can you even laugh about this?"
"You…"
But before Kanda Shuichi could continue, he noticed something odd—Kushida didn't look annoyed at all. Instead, she seemed genuinely happy, like she was enjoying this.
She wasn't like Kamuro—she wasn't the type to enjoy being yelled at.
So… she did that on purpose, didn't she?
"You planned this?"
"What do you mean?"
Kushida played dumb, still smiling. But the way her lips curled up told him everything—she had deliberately lied about working with Ryuen.
"You were testing me."
Kanda Shuichi's eyes widened.
"I just wanted to know how important I am to you… It's not like I was really going to work with Ryuen."
"You shouldn't joke about things like that. I was already thinking about paying him off to keep quiet." Kanda Shuichi's face darkened.
"Looks like I do matter to you, huh?" Kushida tilted her head. "And by the way, does this mean you're okay with me going after Horikita?"
At that, Kanda Shuichi let out a sigh.
"Just how much do you hate Horikita? All because she's organizing things for the sports festival this time?"
The moment Kushida walked in, Kanda Shuichi could tell something was different. She was clearly more on edge than usual. And now, her irritation was rubbing off on him too.
"That's right. I can't stand how fake she is. She was useless in the previous exams, but now she's acting like some kind of leader. Why won't she just disappear already?"
Here we go again…
Also, could she stop moving her legs so much while ranting about Horikita? She wasn't wearing shoes, but she'd already kicked him several times.
Suddenly, Kushida stopped mid-rant.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"Then why are you holding my foot?"
"Because you kicked me. A lot."
After a brief silence, Kushida suddenly asked, "Does it feel nice to touch?"
"I don't know about nice, but it definitely has a bit of a smell..."
"Go to hell, you jerk!"
Kushida suddenly snapped, making Kanda Shuichi quickly let go of her.
"Are you trying to kill me, friend?"
"Who told you to run your mouth like that?"
Fine, fine, I won't argue with you.
"So, why are you so set on going after Horikita?"
Kanda Shuichi had wanted to ask this question for a long time.
He knew she didn't like Horikita, but he never understood why. Every time she came here to vent, Horikita was always the first person she cursed.
"That girl went to the same middle school as me. She might know the truth about me."
Kushida's expression darkened.
"That's it?"
"What else did you think? It's not like I have some deep grudge against her."
Kanda Shuichi's expression turned a little strange.
"If that's all, shouldn't you hate me just as much?"
"Shuichi is different."
I'm different? Looks like I hold a pretty special place in your heart.
But just as Kanda Shuichi was about to feel pleased, Kushida's next words immediately wiped the smile off his face.
"Shuichi is a guy, and Horikita is a girl."
That's it?
Give me back my moment of sentimentality!
And seriously, you're still not being honest with me? Kikyo, you're really pushing it.
"You don't need to worry about that. Horikita doesn't care about you at all. Even if she had some dirt on you, she wouldn't use it to threaten you. Besides, she might not even know anything about your past."
"In fact, judging by how other students treat her and how they treat you, even if she did say something, all you'd have to do is act pitiful, shed a few tears, and—well, do I really need to spell it out? Who do you think people would believe?"
"You can't guarantee that. And rumors are tricky. Once one person believes it, countless others will follow."
Kushida shook her head. Even if Kanda Shuichi's logic made sense, she wasn't willing to take that risk—whether it was Horikita not knowing her secret or the idea that no one would believe her even if she spilled it.
"That's where you're still too naive, Kikyo. Do you really think acting friendly with everyone will make everyone like you?" Kanda Shuichi shook his head. "That's impossible. People can be pretty dark. The moment they see someone doing well, they start getting jealous. They'll think you're just putting on an act."
"Of course, I'm not saying everyone is like that, but a lot of people are. Even I sometimes feel envious when I see guys like Koenji or Sudou with their insane physical abilities. It's just human nature."
"So if you're jealous of Horikita, I won't laugh at you for it."
Kushida had been nodding along, thinking Kanda Shuichi was making some good points—until she heard that last sentence. Then, she burst out laughing in disbelief.
"Me? Jealous of that bitch Horikita? Do you even hear yourself?"
"And what about you? You get jealous of people?" Kushida let out a self-mocking chuckle. "Do you even know what kind of existence you are in my eyes?"
"In my eyes, you shine so brightly. You're like the sun—like nothing in the world could ever stop you. From the very first day of school, when you immediately saw through the rules of this place, to how you got the test questions in advance before the midterms, to the insane strategy you pulled off on the deserted island..."
"And even all of that seems small compared to what you did during the VIP exam."
"Do you know how much I envy you? I crave attention so badly that I can't stop myself. I want to stand out so much that I can't control it. I want to be praised so badly that it consumes me. Only in those moments, when I achieve those things, do I feel like I have value—like life is actually worth living."
"But I know my limits. No matter how hard I study, no matter how much I push myself in sports, I can never be the best. And second or third place isn't good enough for me."
"So I thought, why not do something that no one else can? Then I realized that I could be kinder than anyone, that I could get closer to people more than anyone else."
"I have to give my all just to get a little, while you do it effortlessly. How could I not be jealous of you?"
"But thanks to this, I became popular."
Kushida lowered her head, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.
"Both boys and girls like me. I enjoy being relied on, being trusted. Elementary and middle school were great. That's why I can't stand Horikita. That woman is a threat to my way of living."
"Happy?"
Hearing Kushida spill all this in one breath, Kanda Shuichi felt a little moved.
"Are you really happy, though? Do you remember how long you vented the first time you came to my place?"
Kushida Kikyo paused for a moment, then shook her head. It was something from so long ago, and a bad memory at that—why would she want to remember?
"One hour and twenty-seven minutes. Including the time you stopped for water, the total was one hour and twenty-seven minutes."
Kanda Shuichi's precise answer made Kushida freeze for a moment.
"You really remember that clearly, huh?"
And how did Kanda Shuichi know that? It was because later, when he was going through his security footage, he specifically checked the time. Once he remembered it, he couldn't forget it.
"Back then, you basically cursed out the entire class. The part about Horikita? That was only a few minutes—less than ten, even. So the real cause of your stress wasn't Horikita. It was the others."
"Being kind to people sounds simple, but in my mind, only you, Kushida Kikyo, have truly pulled it off."
"Even with someone like Yamauchi, who's basically a parasite, you could still smile and even speak up for him. Do you know how much I admired you when I saw that?"
Kanda Shuichi's words left Kushida silent.
"I'm getting off track. The main thing I wanted to say is that people aren't perfect. I'm only good at certain things, just like you."
"You can smile and get along with everyone, but I can't. If I don't like someone, I won't even bother talking to them. And if someone pisses me off, I *will* get back at them."
After all that talking, Kanda Shuichi felt thirsty. He stood up, grabbed two bottles of oolong tea from the fridge, and handed one to Kushida.
"So, because people are different, and because greed is part of human nature, it's normal to feel jealous. You don't have to feel bad about envying Horikita."
After all that, they were back to the same topic again.
Kushida saw Horikita as an unstable factor that could expose her past, while Kanda Shuichi thought Kushida was just jealous of her.
"Then tell me, what exactly am I jealous of?"
"The biggest difference between you and Horikita is that when you know you can't do something, you just give up. But for the things you're good at, you push yourself to the limit to earn respect."
"Horikita, on the other hand, believes she can excel at anything. And aside from social skills, she is better than you at almost everything. So when you see Horikita, you feel like everything about you is being denied."
Of course, Kanda Shuichi didn't just pull this out of thin air. He pieced it together based on all the times Kushida had ranted about Horikita.
Whether it was tutoring the "Three Idiots" or stopping Chabashira-sensei from expelling Yamauchi, it was always Horikita who took action—or at least, that's how Kushida saw it.
The three fools who couldn't do anything on their own ended up completely tamed by Horikita. Even Ayanokouji was closer to Horikita, which only made Kushida even angrier.
Honestly, she didn't need to feel this way. She already had over 80% of the class on her side—there was no reason to stress over just a few people.
"See? You really do know everything."
Kanda Shuichi expected Kushida to argue a little more, but instead, she changed the subject again.
"So, you're really set on taking down Horikita?"
Kanda Shuichi brought the bottle of oolong tea to his lips and looked at Kushida.
"That's right. The reason doesn't even matter anymore—I just hate Horikita." Kushida nodded. "As long as I can get back at her, I don't care if I have to expose my true self to Ryuen. But don't worry, I won't give him anything he can use against me."
Kanda Shuichi was speechless.
What the hell? I've been talking in circles with you for so long just to stop you from revealing yourself to Ryuen, and you didn't listen to a single word I said?!
"Looks like it's not just Horikita—you're underestimating Ryuen too. Do you really think you can come out on top against him?"
"Well…"
Kushida hesitated.
A good chance.
"Anything that happens always leaves a trace. The moment you show your true self to Ryuen, he'll find a way to use it against you. Even if he doesn't have solid proof, what does it matter? He just needs to spread a rumor.
You think people believe Horikita's rumors but won't believe Ryuen's?
Rumors only get worse the more they spread. In the end, they turn into whatever people want to hear, regardless of the truth. And in your case, the truth is already against you."
"Ugh…"
"So after all that, you're back to square one? This time, you paid a price to get Ryuen to take down Horikita. Next time, when you want to get rid of Ryuen, what will you have to give up then?"
"Isn't that what you're here for? You'll protect me from Ryuen, right?"
Kushida's words made Kanda Shuichi laugh in frustration.
"Oh, now you remember me? I really wish you'd come to me from the start."
"So, does that mean you'll help me deal with Horikita?"
Kushida's eyes lit up.
Wow, she really changes fast.
"If you're trying to get Horikita expelled, forget it. It won't happen."
"Why not? You already got four people in the class nominated for expulsion. Adding Horikita to the list shouldn't be that hard, right?"
"You give me too much credit." Kanda Shuichi barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "Don't forget, Horikita Suzune has someone powerful backing her."
That reminder finally made Kushida realize.
"You mean Horikita Manabu, the student council president?"
"That's right. To outsiders, it might seem like they don't get along, but do you really think he'd just sit back and do nothing if something happened to her?"
Kushida fell silent. She had no siblings, so she couldn't say for sure what Horikita Manabu would do in that situation.
In reality, Horikita Manabu actually wanted his sister to drop out. He saw Nagumo from the second year as a real danger, so from his point of view, it might even be safer for her to leave as soon as possible.
That night, he wasn't lying.
As for why he didn't take further action later, it was because, after observing for a whole semester, he realized that Horikita's class had two major threats—Kanda Shuichi and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Did you really think Horikita Manabu brought Kanda Shuichi into the student council just to deal with Nagumo?
That was just a bonus. If Horikita Suzune weren't in this school, do you think he'd even bother with Nagumo? He was already graduating—why would he care about what happens to this place?
It was more like a trade. He used the power of the vice president position to ensure that Kanda Shuichi would protect Horikita Suzune from Nagumo.
"So… there's really no chance?" Kushida asked, unwilling to accept it.
"There is, but only if Horikita Suzune personally initiates a challenge and stakes her own expulsion as the bet. That's the only way you'd have a real shot at getting rid of her."
"I seriously doubt that'll ever happen! Do you take me for an idiot?" Kushida pouted.
"Then you really are an idiot. We're talking about Horikita Suzune here. Do you really think that's impossible for her?"
"Well… I guess you have a point."
"So there's no need to expose yourself to Ryuen just for the sake of revenge against Horikita Suzune. It's not worth it."
Kanda Shuichi tried to reason with her again.
"But seeing her all smug this time really pisses me off!"
"That's easy to fix." Kanda Shuichi smirked. "I'll help you."
"You will?"
"So just drop this whole Ryuen thing. It's not worth it."
"…Alright."
Damn, after all this effort, I finally got this idiot to listen.
Seriously, anyone who can go up against Horikita has to be on her level. And at the very least, this idiot is.
As for why he bothered convincing Kushida—well, that was because after school, Kanda Shuichi got a message from Karuizawa.
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You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu