Inside Sakura Airi's dormitory.
"To summarize."
Hikigaya brought Kushida Kikyo and sat in front of Sakura Airi and Hasebe Haruka.
"I've started dating Kikyo. Honami should have told you about this."
"Yeah, sort of."
Hasebe Haruka looked at Kushida Kikyo with complex emotions.
After all.
Besides Sakura Airi, Kushida Kikyo was once the friend she cared about most.
"I just didn't expect it to be... Kushida."
Once.
She and Kushida also addressed each other by nicknames.
But several months had already passed, and the relationship had eventually grown distant.
"Heh..."
Karuizawa crossed her arms and sneered while sitting on the edge of the bed.
With a face full of sarcasm, she said:
"Some people actually rush to be the third or fourth mistress... I didn't expect there to be such a shameless bitch in the world. Truly a little slut, even I have to admire you."
Karuizawa's eyes glared with fire at Kushida Kikyo.
These were the words Kushida had once said to her. She didn't expect to have a chance to return them.
Hearing this, Hikigaya's face instantly stiffened.
"Kei... even if you're unhappy, there's no need to speak so harshly."
"What do you mean harsh?"
Karuizawa pointed at Kushida Kikyo with a gloomy face.
"These are things she said to me before. If it weren't for this person, how could things have been so troublesome?"
"Is that so?"
Hikigaya turned to look at Kushida Kikyo. Sakura Airi hadn't told him these things.
It made sense.
After all, such nasty words would be hard for Sakura Airi to say; she probably thought it wasn't a big deal.
He didn't expect that.
Kushida Kikyo had actually said such excessive things.
Being ostracized like that by Class D might have been partly due to Karuizawa's contribution.
"Heh, so what?"
Hearing Karuizawa's sarcasm, Kushida Kikyo brushed her hair with a look of disdain.
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not here to be a mistress. Hikigaya and I are just in a physical relationship. When I'm tired of playing with him, I'll dump him."
"What?"
Karuizawa and the others were suddenly dumbfounded.
Anyway, I just don't want face anymore; what are you going to do about it?
"Kikyo, talk properly."
Hikigaya was somewhat helpless; this person only had a stubborn mouth left.
"Hmph."
"Kei, too."
Hikigaya turned to look at Karuizawa, feeling a bit of a headache.
"Actually, Kikyo isn't the kind of person you imagine. That might have just been words in the heat of the moment. Talk it over properly, okay?"
"Hmph..."
Karuizawa let out a cold snort, crossed her arms, and turned her face to the side.
She had worried about that matter for a long time; one false move and she could have fallen to the very bottom of the class.
How could she forgive Kushida Kikyo so easily?
Furthermore.
This person was fundamentally a hypocrite.
How could she be with Hikigaya?
She wouldn't accept it.
"Anyway."
"Everyone calm down. Just give me some face and communicate properly, okay?"
Hikigaya scanned the room, but no one responded.
Clearly, whether it was Karuizawa, Hasebe Haruka, or Sakura Airi, their hearts were conflicted.
After all.
They truly viewed Kushida Kikyo as a friend once, yet they were betrayed.
"I'll wait outside the door. If anything happens, just call me."
After speaking.
Hikigaya got up and left the room. It would probably be better to let the girls talk alone.
Inside the room.
A period of silence suddenly fell.
Several people turned their heads to the side, not looking at each other; no one was the first to speak.
But the problem eventually had to be solved; at least none of them had the thought of leaving Hikigaya.
Only Karuizawa kept staring glare at Kushida Kikyo.
To be honest.
She didn't have much of an opinion.
Rather, she felt that Kushida Kikyo had finally fallen into her hands.
Relying on her current leading position to give this person a hard time.
Unfortunately.
Kushida Kikyo's shameless approach truly left Karuizawa not knowing what to do.
After a long time.
"Kikyo... is there nothing you want to say to us?"
Hasebe Haruka spoke in a deep voice, and Sakura Airi also looked at Kushida Kikyo with expectant eyes.
She called her Kushida just now, but now she called her Kikyo.
The implication.
Was that it was accepted; as long as Kushida Kikyo could apologize properly, she could be accepted as a friend again.
After all.
Hasebe Haruka truly felt the betrayal.
Not only deceiving their feelings but also using their secrets as leverage to threaten her—being able to forgive such a Kushida Kikyo was already generous.
However.
Kushida Kikyo said with total disdain:
"What is there to say."
"Shouldn't you apologize to us?"
Hasebe Haruka suddenly became angry.
"Impossible, impossible."
Karuizawa waved her small hand, saying sarcastically:
"This person deceived everyone because of her own jealousy. Such a terrible person—how could she apologize for this little thing."
It wasn't that she was intentionally targeting Kushida Kikyo; she just really found her a bit unpleasant.
Even though she did something wrong.
Not only did she not apologize, but she also had a posture as if it was all your own fault.
Who could be happy with that?
However.
Slap...
A dull sound rang out.
Kushida Kikyo suddenly slapped the table, staring at the people in front of her.
"Why should I apologize?"
"We clearly treated you as a friend, yet you deceived all of us and threatened us. Shouldn't you apologize?"
"I did deceive you, so what? What about it?"
Kushida Kikyo's eyes were a bit red, tears faintly swirling in them, but she remained stubborn:
"Do you know how much I sacrificed? I had absolutely no private time, having to reply to messages from others until I was insulted every day."
"The next day, I had to suppress my disgust and face those disgusting people with a smile."
Upon hearing this.
Karuizawa was stunned. Hasebe Haruka instead stood up with a "swish," her eyes also turning red:
"Wasn't that all voluntary? Weren't you doing those things for your own vanity?"
"Yes, it was voluntary, but so what?"
Kushida Kikyo also stood up unyieldingly, glaring at Hasebe Haruka.
Among these three.
Her relationship with Hasebe Haruka used to be the best.
"When you used me as a trash can to badmouth people, you praised me as a gentle and kind person. The moment something didn't go your way, you called me the worst person."
"What about you?"
"You clearly treated me as an emotional trash can to be called upon and dismissed at will, yet you called us friends."
"Saying it so nicely, but in the end, it was all for yourselves. Don't make me laugh."
Kushida Kikyo's eyes were red, swearing she would not apologize.
She wasn't wrong.
At least she absolutely wouldn't admit error in this regard.
Hasebe Haruka felt wronged, and Kushida Kikyo felt wronged as well.
In the final analysis.
It was just a difference in perspective.
Standing from each side's position, they both felt they were right.
Kushida Kikyo and Hasebe Haruka glared at each other; neither spoke further.
A smell of gunpowder spread between them.
Karuizawa and Sakura Airi were instantly shocked.