It was true that she had lost her means of threatening Bai Lan.
But this might not necessarily have been the result of Bai Lan's scheming. It was quite possible that Bai Lan did not know she had lost the evidence she could use to threaten him.
As for Bai Lan's strange remarks...
Right!
Bai Lan wasn't good at Japanese.
With his poor Japanese and improper word choices, wasn't it only normal for him to say strange things?
What exactly had Bai Lan said at the time?
"A deal is a deal?"
"I won't submit?"
Perhaps what he really meant was: "I agree" ("A deal is a deal"), and "I won't break my promise" ("I won't submit")?
Had Bai Lan actually accepted her threat?
Otherwise, what benefit could Bai Lan have gained from saying those strange things at the time?
If Bai Lan was really that good at scheming, didn't he know that if he wanted her to keep sweating, all he had to do was practice arguing with her a little longer?
Using words that would arouse her suspicion to lure her into running—wasn't that just gilding the lily?
It didn't make sense.
That's right. That guy had only gotten lucky!
Just then, Kushida's phone rang.
She took a look.
Bai Lan was calling.
Kushida answered the phone and eagerly said, "Bai-san, what business do you have with this 'friend' of yours?"
Kushida placed heavy emphasis on "friend," wanting to test him.
Bai Lan soon replied:
"Well, I just wanted to ask, Kushida-san, when exactly are you planning to report me and get me expelled? Could you let me know in advance?
"That way, I can budget my living expenses. It would be bad if I hadn't spent all my money by the time I got expelled—or if I'd spent it all and still hadn't been expelled."
The moment Kushida heard Bai Lan's first sentence, she had already confirmed the "truth."
"Kushida-san, when exactly are you planning to report me and get me expelled?"
It was easy to see.
Bai Lan had said this on the premise that Kushida would report him.
That fearless attitude, as though he didn't care about being expelled at all...
In other words, Bai Lan wasn't afraid of Kushida's threat at all.
Not fearing the threat = knowing Kushida's evidence was useless = everything was under Bai Lan's control = everything was part of Bai Lan's scheme = Bai Lan's scheming was invincible!
Kushida was instantly filled with terror: I actually tried to threaten someone like this! I'm practically asking to die!
39, Kushida Understood Everything and Suddenly Saw a Brighter Future
Kushida: I actually tried to threaten someone like this!
He'll definitely take revenge on me later, right?
I'm finished!
What should I do? What should I do?
Thinking this, Kushida's gaze darkened, and she began muttering to herself:
"As expected, he already figured out that my threat wouldn't work on him—that my evidence of his sexual harassment was completely useless?
"He even dared to use this matter to toy with me!
"Everything was part of his scheme.
"Heh~
"Now that I've lost the leverage I could use to threaten him into keeping my secret, what am I supposed to do..."
Kushida still hadn't given up on her desire to survive.
After refusing to give up, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed Kushida's mind.
Wait!
If Bai Lan's scheming really was invincible, then were those strange, superfluous remarks truly just because his Japanese was poor?
If not, what other reason could there be?
Other than making her suspicious for no reason, what use did those words have?
What did that scattered phrase mean?
Could it be...
Her suspicions had also been part of Bai Lan's scheme?
Bai Lan had deliberately made her suspicious!
Once she became suspicious, she would, just like now, realize that reporting him over the jacket might be judged as making a false accusation, and then give up on reporting him.
If she didn't report him, it would mean nothing had happened.
But once she reported him, there was a possibility that she would be charged with making a false accusation in return!
Although it was only a "possibility," in Kushida's eyes, given Bai Lan's inhuman level of scheming, that "possibility" would definitely become a "certainty"!
In other words.
Bai Lan had deliberately made her suspicious!
Bai Lan had been reminding her?!
Bai Lan had used this method to repay her grudge with kindness, giving someone who wanted to harm him—her—a chance to turn back from the brink...
No, two chances.
This phone call was the second!
If not for this phone call, Kushida might very well have taken "Bai Lan's scheme" for mere luck and then tried to continue threatening Bai Lan with nonexistent evidence...
When that happened, Bai Lan would only have to record the process of Kushida threatening him and expose it.
And Kushida wouldn't be able to produce any evidence with which to threaten Bai Lan.
When that happened, the one who would suffer would still be Kushida herself!
At that moment, Kushida understood everything.
Kushida had no intention of continuing to rely on luck. She was going to seize this opportunity!
Previously, although Kushida had heard Hirata explain that Bai Lan was actually a very good person, having witnessed the darkness of human nature, she had been more suspicious than convinced.
Even if she believed it, she had believed very little.
The main reason she was willing to believe it was that the general trend had forced her to act as though she believed it.
After all, Kushida's persona was that of a gentle, kind, innocent little angel. So many "heartless" people in the class had expressed their belief in him—how could an angel with a pure heart continue suspecting him?
Another reason was Horikita's problem.
Bai Lan was the only person Kushida could think of who might be able to establish a connection with Horikita.
She simply had no other choice.
Therefore, Kushida had not placed her hopes in Hirata's judgment that "Bai Lan is a good person."
If Kushida had still been suspicious of Bai Lan before, then at this very moment, she had completely believed it.
It could be seen from Bai Lan's actions today.
Kushida was now utterly certain—
Although Bai Lan liked insulting people, looked down on them, threatened them, left early, skipped class, and taught girls swear words... he really was a good person!
And not the sort of pitiful yet detestable good person who had nothing but kindness, even bringing trouble upon himself and harming himself and those around him.
He was the kind of truly impressive good person who could help others while also protecting himself and those around him flawlessly!
What Kushida envied most was that Bai Lan didn't need to spend vast amounts of time and energy pleasing others every day like she did. He clearly did whatever he wanted every day, argued with people at the drop of a hat, treated men and women alike, and showed no mercy even to his own relatives, yet he could win the goodwill of so many people—even their respect!
On the surface, it seemed to be because of Hirata.
But now that she had experienced Bai Lan's "scheming," Kushida always felt that things couldn't be that simple...
This might also have been part of Bai Lan's scheme!
Just how had he done it?
Kushida was extremely curious. At the same time, she thought, It would be great if I could be like Bai-san too. If I'd had methods like this before, how could my 'Kushida Empire' have been destroyed just because people recognized me after I argued with them online?
Kushida imagined that if, in the future, she encountered something unpleasant, she wouldn't have to keep it bottled up like she did now. She could say whatever she wanted to people, and after arguing with them, they would instead like her even more...
What kind of heavenly life is this?!
This ability of Bai Lan's.
I want it so badly!
Wait!
A glint flashed through Kushida's eyes, as though she had thought of something.
"If I'm willing to tell him about the desperate situation I'm facing, could he teach me how to break out of it?
"Perhaps I could even ask him to teach me how to stop suppressing my dark side, yet still easily earn other people's goodwill and respect!
"If that happened, would I no longer need to hide my dark side to make friends with others?
"If I exposed my dark side and still made other people come to like me and remain willing to be friends with me...
"Could I even make them come to like my dark side..."
Before you continue