For example, when Bai Lan rudely told the girls, "You're blocking my way," as he made them move aside, those girls privately said things like, "Bai Lan is so interesting when he's being straightforward."
If I did something similar, and people gave me comments like, "I really like this side of Kushida"...
Then even if, one day in the future, some channel let my friends learn about my dark history, would they not leave me because of it?"
At that thought, all the fear in Kushida's eyes vanished, instantly replaced by an urgent hope for a wonderful future.
Then Kushida eagerly wanted to tell Bai Lan about her own situation.
But soon, she realized that in her moment of excitement, she had accidentally pressed the "Hang Up" button, ending the call Bai Lan had initiated.
Kushida:!!!
Oh no!
She had actually hung up on the call from Bai Lan—the person who had repaid her malice with kindness by giving her two chances to turn back from the brink, who was her greatest hope of resolving her current predicament, and who might even change her future—in such an unbelievably rude manner!
Kushida: I'm such a terrible person!
Kushida hurriedly called him back.
After Bai Lan was hung up on so rudely by Kushida, he was a little annoyed at first.
But looking on the bright side, the fact that Kushida had hung up so rudely meant she had completely lost patience with him, and her determination to make him drop out had grown even stronger.
Besides, he thought back over what he had said earlier. From Kushida's standpoint, it did seem a little provocative.
Kushida had probably been angered by him.
At that thought, Bai Lan's mood immediately improved.
Although Bai Lan wanted to drop out, he was still somewhat displeased at being threatened. It gave him the feeling that he had been bullied.
How could Bai Lan let just anyone bully him?
If he could get a little revenge, then he might as well. As long as it felt good, that was all that mattered.
After his mood had brightened, Bai Lan prepared to go to sleep.
However, his phone rang at that moment.
It was Kushida.
He answered.
"Sorry, Bai Lan. I accidentally pressed 'Hang Up' just now.
"And what happened today was all my fault too. I shouldn't have treated you that way. Hontoni sumimasen!"
Bai Lan: ?
40. Bai Lan: Trying to make me surrender? Kushida: No, I surrender!
"Sorry, Bai Lan. I accidentally pressed 'Hang Up' just now.
"And about what happened during lunch today too—hontoni sumimasen!"
Kushida opened with two consecutive apologies.
This left Bai Lan somewhat dumbfounded.
Bai Lan immediately thought of the worst possibility—could it be that her conscience had gotten the better of her, and she no longer intended to threaten him with expulsion?
Wait!
He couldn't be too pessimistic.
Thinking it over carefully, the possibility mentioned above was actually rather unlikely.
She had threatened him at noon, then regretted it that very evening?
How could it happen that quickly?
Even if her conscience had awakened, shouldn't it have taken a long period of inner conflict and deliberation?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Bai Lan thought for a moment.
That's it!
Kushida must have felt that the things she had said while threatening him during lunch had been too forceful.
Being threatened by a young girl could easily provoke a hot-blooded, prideful male high school student. The riled-up boy might then act recklessly, refuse to back down, and reveal her shameful secret before dropping out, dragging them both down with him, right?
Although Bai Lan still didn't really understand why Kushida would consider it "shameful" that she had merely been tricked by him into saying a few insulting things.
Had Kushida really become this obsessed with her image?
If so, why had she agreed to learn how to insult people from him?
She could have simply refused from the beginning!
He felt that there was something going on here, but he couldn't be bothered to investigate. As long as he could drop out, that was enough.
Thus, Bai Lan felt that the reason Kushida was apologizing was actually because she wanted to deliberately lower herself and give him an out, allowing him to save face. That would make him feel, "She isn't threatening me. She's asking me for help. It's just that this matter is very important to her, and she was afraid I wouldn't agree, so she had no choice but to resort to somewhat excessive methods."
That way, Bai Lan could save face, transforming from a "heated-up man" into a "submissive man," and then, with the lofty attitude of "I'm not afraid; I'm just softhearted. I'm not being coerced by you; I'm only helping you," accept the threat that had been packaged so attractively.
It was a tactic often used when trying to make someone surrender.
Yes, it had to be that!
She wasn't apologizing because she intended to "give up threatening him." She was apologizing to increase the success rate of her "attempt to make him surrender"!
To verify his guess, Bai Lan asked in a tone that suggested he understood nothing. "Kushida, what are you talking about?"
"Huh? Of course, it's..." Kushida instinctively followed Bai Lan's question and began explaining her "mistake," but then she suddenly stopped and realized what was happening.
They were on the phone!
Calls had recording functions...
No, no, no!
That wasn't it!
That wasn't the important point.
In Kushida's view, if Bai Lan, with his almost supernatural calculating ability, really wanted to make her unable to remain at school, he had no need to record anything at this moment.
He only needed not to deliberately leave an opening and warn her back then. There was no need to go to so much trouble.
What Kushida thought was that Bai Lan was pretending not to understand her apology because he was unwilling to accept it.
Why wouldn't he accept her apology?
Because Kushida was apologizing over the phone.
Kushida realized it.
She had only wanted to apologize as soon as possible and end her adversarial relationship with Bai Lan, so she had chosen the fastest method of communication—calling him.
She had committed such a serious offense by threatening him with a sexual harassment charge, yet she was only apologizing over the phone. Wasn't that too insincere?
For such a serious mistake, shouldn't she at least prepare a table full of good food, then apologize to him face-to-face with a "hontoni sumimasen" and a dogeza, before offering him a substantial gift with both hands?
Thinking of this, Kushida did not continue explaining. Instead, she said, "Bai Lan, are you free right now? There's something I want to tell you in person."
Hearing this, Bai Lan couldn't help but slap his thigh.
That's it!
Exactly!
As expected, she wanted to lure him out and carry out another "attempt to make him surrender."
He had already made up his mind.
During the conversation, he would let Kushida witness his determination to die rather than submit!
He would make her abandon her fantasies and hurry up and report him!
"I'm free right now. Where should we talk?" Bai Lan accepted her invitation to meet in person.
Soon, instead of directly telling him where to meet, Kushida asked, "Where are you right now?"
Bai Lan: "The dormitory."
Kushida: "Wait for me! I'll be right there. See you soon."
Kushida thought it over. Although preparing a table full of food would show sincerity, there were cameras everywhere at school. Although there were blind spots, places with large crowds and plenty of trouble, such as cafeterias and restaurants, definitely weren't among them.
And what Kushida needed to say in her apology involved matters that could not be exposed to the light of day, so it would be inconvenient to discuss them beneath a camera.
A student's room was private space without cameras, making it a good place for a face-to-face conversation.
As for the apology feast, she could hold it after apologizing and explaining everything.
Although entering a boy's room at night could affect her ability to make friends in the future if someone happened to see her, the fact that she was willing to risk that and go to Bai Lan's room to apologize in person would better demonstrate her sincerity. It was somewhat like carrying thorns on her back to ask forgiveness.
Therefore, Kushida intended to go to Bai Lan's room and apologize in person.
Kushida had just finished speaking.
Before Bai Lan could say anything,
Beep, beep, beep~
Kushida hung up on him again.
"She's coming to my room? What's going on? Isn't she afraid of being seen by someone she knows and ruining her image?" Bai Lan was extremely surprised when he heard that Kushida was coming to his room.
A few minutes later, Bai Lan heard a knock on the door.
Bai Lan opened the door.
It really was Kushida.
He had no idea how she had found out which room Bai Lan lived in.
But when he remembered that she was Kushida, he felt that it was perfectly normal for her to have found his room so quickly.
After all, she was the angelic Kushida who intended to become friends with everyone.
With her network of connections, a little casual inquiry was all it took to find out.
Before you continue