Chapter 186: Kushida Kikyo: A lap pillow for Shimizu Akira—this is a massive profit for me!
Kushida Kikyo felt that her luck lately had been simply abysmal.
It was bad enough that the title of Class Representative had been snatched away by Hirata Yosuke, but yesterday she had been so provoked by Horikita Suzune that her chest felt tight with frustration. To make matters worse, when she returned from lunch today, she saw a notice on the bulletin board—the school rooftop was temporarily closed due to a broken door lock.
For an ordinary student, this just meant losing a place to eat lunch; they could easily find another spot. But for her, was it the rooftop she really cared about? It was clearly that locked door!
She had worked late yesterday helping to find witnesses for the Sudo Ken incident. She had planned to go to the rooftop entrance tonight to "relax," but with the school's lockdown, that plan was completely ruined. Her perfect way of venting stress was now gone!
'I truly can't understand it! What kind of quality is that crappy door lock? It's so random! It couldn't have been broken by me kicking it before, could it?'
She had ruined a pair of flats just from kicking doors over the past two days.
That rooftop door was a secret she had kept for a long time—every time she was suffocated by class affairs or rendered speechless by Horikita's icy attitude, she would slip to the rooftop entrance under the cover of night and deliver several hard kicks to that rusty iron door. The dull thud of her soles hitting metal felt as if it were smashing the frustration right out of her heart.
Sometimes she kicked so hard her ankles would ache, but the sense of relief after venting was something she could never obtain while playing the perfect girl in front of others.
She even remembered Monday night; when she delivered the third kick, she heard a faint "click." At the time, she thought it was an illusion, but thinking back now... Kushida's brow furrowed tighter.
"What's going on... that's it?" she muttered to the bulletin board.
"I still have so many things I haven't vented yet..."
As she turned back toward the classroom, her footsteps felt heavy. Passing the corner of the corridor, she happened to run into Hirata Yosuke, who was asking a few students from Class B to help look for witnesses.
He was kindly handing them chilled drinks, and his effortless, composed manner made Kushida feel even more stifled.
'Speaking of which, Hirata seems to have gotten information about a witness from Horikita Suzune!
Wait! Since he already knows about a witness, why is he still asking students from other classes to find more?
Could it be... he didn't manage to find out who it was at all?'
Having spent over two months together, Kushida had a fair understanding of Hirata.
This guy was a textbook "nice guy" with a near-pathological obsession with class peace. If he truly knew who the witness was, he would never let his classmates waste their efforts searching.
Perhaps Horikita Suzune gave him false information? But while that woman was an emotionless girl with zero social intelligence, there was nothing to criticize about her personal abilities; it was unlikely she would lie.
Ultimately, it was probably just that he couldn't get any key information out of the witness's mouth, right?
As soon as Hirata finished talking to those students, Kushida instinctively walked up to him.
"Hirata-kun, I still have no leads on my end. Do you have any key witness information? Even if it's just a possibility, could you tell me?"
"...That... actually, there is one person." A hint of hesitation appeared on Hirata's face.
Kushida immediately followed up with curiosity: "Who is it?"
"Sakura Airi. She might know something. But when I asked her yesterday, she was hesitant and refused."
"Sakura-san? She usually looks so quiet; does she actually hold key information?"
Hirata nodded, his brow still clouded with worry.
"Actually, this was a message from Shimizu-kun—because Horikita hasn't added me as a friend, she asked him to relay a piece of key intelligence. It said that when the teacher asked about witnesses, Sakura-san's expression was a bit strange. But when I found her yesterday, she just kept her head down and said 'I didn't see anything.'"
"I see~" Kushida drawled, while her mind calculated rapidly.
Sakura Airi, with that timid and cowardly look, was always the easiest existence in the class to overlook—but the more a person was like that, the easier it was to show a crack when hiding something.
She suddenly flashed her usual bright smile, her tone as light as if she were mentioning something trivial: "Hirata-kun, why don't you leave this to me? Sakura-san and I are on good terms; maybe I can have a nice chat with her?"
Hirata blinked, his brow furrowing reflexively.
"Actually, I don't really like forcing everyone to do things they don't want to do. Since Sakura-san doesn't want to speak, she must have her reasons. Please keep this a secret; can you not keep questioning her? It's best not to bring her extra trouble."
Kushida felt a surge of utter speechlessness.
This man was actually planning to give up the questioning just because he didn't want to go against a classmate's wishes?
'What the hell! My side is an act! This guy actually seems to be a genuine idiot!'
The mindset of a "nice guy" was truly incomprehensible. However, she was prepared. She waved her hand and let out a light laugh.
"But this concerns Sudo-kun. Hirata-kun, you wouldn't want to see Sudo-kun being ostracized by the whole class because he was suspended, would you?"
These words hit Hirata's weak spot. He froze instantly, and his expression turned sour. After hesitating for a few seconds, he finally nodded.
"That... then I'll leave it to Kushida-san. Please make sure this doesn't reach the ears of other classes, especially Class C, otherwise it will definitely add a lot of pressure to her. Also, Sakura-san is fragile by nature; if you push too hard, I'm afraid... In short, like you, I don't want to see any classmate in the class expelled."
"Mmh mmh, I understand!" Kushida nodded repeatedly in agreement.
'What is wrong with this guy? Is he stupid or something? Saying he doesn't want to see any classmate expelled...'
Her appearance was a complete act, but the person in front of her looked like he sincerely meant it!
-
-
-
Kushida turned and walked a few steps from the corner. Before she even reached the classroom, her luck turned out to be quite good—she ran straight into Sakura Airi.
Information that Hirata couldn't get out didn't mean she couldn't get it out too. After all, the other party was a man, whereas she and Sakura were both girls; they had not only exchanged contact info but had spoken a few times. Investigating should be much easier.
Thus, wearing her usual cute expression, she walked up to Sakura and asked softly, "Sakura-san... is it convenient to come over here and share a few secrets?"
"...Mmh." Sakura Airi looked up slightly and gave a response as quiet as a mosquito, following her timidly.
The two came to a corner of the stairwell where few people passed. Kushida still wore a kind smile, but her tone took on a testing edge: "Is it convenient to ask if you know anything about Sudo-kun's matter? Actually, just now when sensei was asking on the podium, I saw it—you were the only one in the whole class who lowered your head in a strange way."
"...I don't know," Sakura immediately whispered in protest.
"But this is a major matter for a classmate..." Kushida didn't let up.
"Sorry... I'm really not sure, Kushida-san." Sakura hung her head again.
"Also... Kushida-san's seat is in the front two rows, and I sit in the very back row... you... shouldn't be able to see my expression clearly."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed to remember something important and added that last bit softly. But once it was out, Sakura panicked. she shot a quick glance at Kushida as if realizing she had said the wrong thing, then immediately buried her head and turned to run.
"T-that... sorry... I said the wrong thing... I-I have something to do, I'm going back to class!"
She stumbled away, almost running as she escaped the scene.
"What the hell?!" Kushida froze, watching the other girl's back as her expression instantly darkened.
Bad luck is just bad luck.
Looking at Sakura's reaction, she clearly knew something, but after two follow-up questions, the girl refused to budge.
What was even worse was the meaning behind her second-to-last sentence—it was as if she were saying Kushida was lying!
And wasn't she? Sakura was in the very back row while Kushida sat at the front. With forty people in the class divided into five rows and eight columns, with so many students in between, even if she turned her head, how could she possibly see the expression of someone in the back row?
The only ones who could have noticed Sakura's anomaly were likely the few people also sitting in the back—like Shimizu Akira, Horikita Suzune, or Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. And that was indeed the case; the first one to notice Sakura's strangeness was Horikita Suzune.
Kushida had intended to use those words to pierce the other's disguise and force the truth out, but she ended up shooting herself in the foot. What a disaster! Did everyone have to go against her one by one?
'That woman Horikita! Ruining my plans! As expected, nothing good happens when she's involved!'
She couldn't help but curse Horikita Suzune in her mind again. In truth, this had nothing to do with Horikita, but as the woman's image flashed through her mind, she vented her anger in that direction. She always felt that between her and Horikita—whether in personality, way of doing things, or compatibility—they were like oil and water, naturally unable to mix. She couldn't explain it herself, but they were just so "fated."
When school started, they happened to be on the same bus. When the classes were assigned, they happened to be in the same class. Even on the street normally, they would run into each other several times.
However, Kushida slowly took a few deep breaths. Regardless, the priority was solving Sudo's fight; maintaining her persona was the most important thing. Maybe she could become Class Representative next month. Then, she began to think seriously.
There weren't many people in this class with truly outstanding social skills. She counted as one, Hirata counted as one, and Karuizawa Kei counted as half a person at most. But the current situation was: she tried, and it didn't work; Hirata tried, and there was no result; as for Karuizawa, her "gyaru" style naturally exerted pressure on a girl with a fragile personality like Sakura's—it would probably be hard to even have a proper conversation.
After thinking it over, she felt there were only two options left.
The first person was Horikita Suzune. In her view, Horikita might be able to get key information from Sakura.
'After all, she was the first to notice Sakura's expression was off; she might have noticed other anomalies too. That woman always goes straight for it; maybe with those two points, she can pry some intel out of Sakura.
But, wanting me to beg her? Heh, impossible! She wouldn't even reveal a single bit of intel to me back then, why should I be thick-skinned enough to beg her now?'
After yesterday's events, Kushida loathed Horikita to the core; she could never put on an innocent face to beg her.
The second option was Shimizu Akira.
This man's emotional intelligence had always been high, otherwise he wouldn't have noticed her anomaly yesterday and pulled her out of the elevator in time.
Furthermore, she saw yesterday at noon that Shimizu had called Sakura away, and Sakura was holding a camera when she left. She had previously learned about the boxing match from Shimizu and specifically went to other classes last night to ask around, obtaining a Boxing Club flyer.
Thinking about it, Sakura was likely asked by him to take photos of the match on the flyer.
As a girl, she wasn't entirely ignorant about Sakura Airi.
This girl looked unremarkable, but her figure was actually quite striking. She once caught her in the locker room with her glasses off, and in that moment, she looked like a different person—clearly a refined and ethereal beauty, far more eye-catching than the seemingly fragile, plain, and dowdy girl she usually was.
Her personality seemed submissive, as if she would agree to everything if someone pressured her a little, but the truth was not that simple. Her soft voice was real, but at certain times, she was quite firm about refusing people. Just like in the first month of school, Kushida had proactively invited Sakura to take some photos of her, but the girl had softly declined, saying she wasn't good at handling cameras.
But now? She could only sneer in her heart.
'Heh, women.'
She would listen to Shimizu Akira. But for her, a fellow girl, her request was only worth being ignored.
But in truth, Sakura's good impression of Shimizu probably didn't exist from the start.
Speaking of this, it likely traced back to the first month—that idiot Yamauchi started a rumor in class that Sakura had confessed to him and been rejected, only for Shimizu to bluntly shut him down.
She saw the scene clearly. Sakura was standing at the door and heard everything. There wasn't a hint of sadness on her face from the rumor; instead, there was surprise and delight, and the light in her eyes couldn't be hidden.
'That fool Yamauchi ended up giving Shimizu a perfect assist!'
Therefore, whether in terms of interpersonal skills or his relationship with Sakura, Shimizu was the best candidate to ask the questions. But asking for his help always came with a price. Last time, she spent 80,000 points for it. And this month's points hadn't been issued yet.
Thinking back, last time he seemed to really enjoy the lap pillow. Then... she would let him rest on her legs for three minutes.
'It's not the first time anyway; I'll let that guy have a bargain this once. After all, he helped me yesterday; satisfying his desire isn't a problem.
That man's EQ is high; he'll definitely see that I'm in a bad mood and might offer a few words of comfort to help relieve my stress.
I can also take the chance to feel out his opinion on the Sudo matter.
I have to maintain this "friendly" relationship with him—after all, that woman Horikita seems to have an interest in him.
Most importantly, he will help me get key intel out of Sakura.'
Kushida was calculating in her mind. This way, she wasn't just breaking even; she was making a massive profit. It was a perfect "five birds with one stone" idea. Thinking this, she walked into the classroom with light steps.
-
-
-
"Sure."
For Shimizu Akira, he had no intention of refusing. He had already planned to talk to Sakura Airi about reporting the stalker. Kushida and Horikita were actually quite similar in some ways—both wanted to ask for his help.
"But one thing must be clear: Horikita also asked me to ask Sakura-san. Once I get the results, I'll tell her too. In that case, do you still agree to let me do it?"
Shimizu thought about it and spoke bluntly. He didn't want to be the kind of person who intentionally hides things to please both sides. Besides, this kind of thing was too easy to expose—Kushida and Horikita weren't stupid; in fact, they were both incredibly sharp.
There was no need for such an unnecessary move. It was better to just lay it out, which saved trouble.
"She asked you too?" Kushida was stunned. Her instinctive thought was: Did Horikita fail too?
'Heh, is that all?'
Then she realized: Shimizu was quite honest.
She actually liked honest people and hated those full of lies. Interestingly, even though she loved lying herself, she preferred dealing with people who were bad at it—because only such people would never betray her.
But thinking carefully, even so, she still had to ask Shimizu to do it. After all, even if Horikita really found something out, given their relationship, would she easily share key information? Moreover, the words were already out; there was no way to take them back. That wouldn't fit her persona.
However, she still felt a bit disgruntled—not at Shimizu, of course, but at Horikita.
"Mmh... that's fine, I don't mind." She suppressed an inexplicable anger while keeping a smile on her face.
"Just make sure you tell me as soon as you get the intel."
"...Alright." Seeing this, Shimizu didn't say anything more. Since everything was clear and she had no objection, he naturally had none either.
The two returned to the classroom. As soon as Shimizu sat down, Horikita Suzune next to him asked in a low, displeased voice: "What did that woman want with you?"
In her view, Shimizu was just about to agree to her when he was called away by Kushida. No one would be happy about that.
"Same as you, she wants me to scout Sakura for info. I agreed." Shimizu thought about it and added, "But since you were the first to ask, you don't need to bring me lunch bentos this month. I'll give you the intel for free after I ask."
Horikita was also stunned.
'Wait, that woman failed too?'
She originally thought that with Kushida's fake smiling skills, dealing with someone like Sakura would be easy.
Thinking this, her mood improved significantly. At least it showed that the failure wasn't purely due to her own social deficiencies. Hirata couldn't do it, and even Kushida hit a wall; it proved that social skills alone couldn't solve this.
Her second thought was that Shimizu was indeed very sincere. An average person would think about pleasing both sides and charging both, but because she asked first, he proactively offered the info for free. This man's character was as straightforward as her brother's—saying whatever was on his mind. This was one thing she occasionally admired about him.
But she didn't plan on accepting this favor for free. Her brother had just warned her never to take advantage of Shimizu.
"What kind of person do you take me for?" She frowned.
"I'm not like that woman. Since you helped me, you'll get your benefits. I was the one who asked you first."
She wouldn't tell Shimizu that she had already planned tomorrow's bento menu in her head and had even thought about the large batch of ingredients to buy after school. If he refused to eat it, wouldn't all her hard-earned plans go to waste?
Just the thought of her plans being disrupted was enough to annoy her—what she hated most was this feeling of losing control.
"...Fine. Then start making bentos for me tomorrow; I'll eat lunch with you." Shimizu was taken aback for a moment but nodded.
These two classmates were truly interesting. He had made things so clear, yet they were both rushing to "give benefits." Fine, in that case, he would accept them without further ceremony.
"...As long as you understand." Horikita's expression softened considerably. Now that Shimizu had agreed, she felt more comfortable and would have more confidence when facing her brother.
'What is that woman Kushida doing? She's doing it on purpose, right? What was the point of suddenly calling Shimizu away?'
Horikita couldn't help but suspect that Kushida had heard something and was causing trouble on purpose. After all, she had bluntly provoked her yesterday. If she remembered correctly, at last month's study group, that woman had openly tried to pull Shimizu away from her to tutor her. She was the one who first offered to tutor him, yet the woman cut in. Including this time, that made twice.
She already found Kushida's daily chatter annoying; connecting these incidents only made her dislike the girl even more. But Shimizu didn't seem to have any aversion to Kushida; he didn't even care about her obvious fake smile and had even gone on a date with her.
But she couldn't offer any opinion on that. After all, there was no special relationship between her and Shimizu, so what right did she have to interfere in his social life?
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting