Despair tightened around Karuizawa Kei like a noose, gradually snapping her resolve. After every legitimate avenue she tried had failed, a dangerous thought began to grow wildly in her mind: finding an unregulated lender.
Through several vague intermediaries and many twists and turns, she finally got in touch with a Class C boy who supposedly "knew people." He arranged to meet her in an abandoned Preparation Classroom in the School Building, deliberately choosing a time after classes when few people would be around.
As Karuizawa stepped into the dusty classroom, her heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst from her chest. In the dim light, the Class C boy stood with two companions, all wearing malicious smiles.
"Well, well, Karuizawa from Class D. I hear you're short on points?" The boy in the lead looked her up and down, his gaze roaming over her.
Karuizawa tried to stay calm. "Yes. I heard you could... lend points?"
"Of course." The boy spoke slowly. "But the interest is steep. Borrow three thousand, pay back five thousand next month. How does that sound?"
Karuizawa drew a sharp breath at the loan-shark terms, but she was already out of options. "Could you... lower the interest a little?"
"Think it's too high?" The boy sneered. "Then go find someone else. But I'll warn you, everyone in the year knows Class D is flat broke. Who else is going to lend you anything?"
One of his companions cut in. "Well, if you can't pay back the points, you could always make it up some other way..." As he spoke, he stepped toward her with a leering grin.
Karuizawa backed away in terror, her back hitting the cold wall. Only then did she realize just how dangerous a situation she'd gotten herself into. Their eyes looked so much like the eyes of the bullies in her memories, full of malice.
"I... I don't want to borrow anything!" she stammered, trying to rush for the door.
"You think you can just come and go as you please?" The boy in the lead blocked her way. "Now that you're here, you'll have to pay some kind of price, right?"
At that critical moment, the classroom door suddenly swung open. Kushida Kikyo stood in the doorway with several girls, wearing just the right look of surprise. "Kei? What are you doing here? We've been looking everywhere for you! Hirata said he had something important to discuss with you."
The Class C boys reluctantly stepped aside. Karuizawa practically scrambled out of there, her heart still racing.
Afterward, Kushida "concernedly" asked her why she'd been with those notorious Class C students. Still shaken, Karuizawa revealed a partly true, partly guarded account of how she'd tried to borrow points and nearly been extorted, her voice full of lingering fear and despair.
"Those people are dangerous!" Kushida said, showing just the right amount of concern. "Kei, what kind of trouble are you in? Why do you need so many points? If you trust me, maybe I can think of a way to help..."
Perhaps the brush with danger had shattered Karuizawa's last psychological defenses. Perhaps the prolonged pressure had left her desperate for someone to confide in. At last, she told Kushida some of the truth: she had suffered severe bullying at her previous school, and that experience had left her terrified of being looked down on or rejected. After transferring, she'd worked hard to project a strong image and had chosen Hirata as her boyfriend to protect herself from getting hurt again. But now, her shortage of points meant she could no longer maintain that protective shell, and fear tormented her day after day.
"I absolutely can't... I can't go back to how things were..." Karuizawa choked out. "If everyone finds out about my past, if Hirata looks down on me because of it... I'd rather die..."
Kushida comforted her gently, but inside, he was ecstatic to have obtained such important information.
That night, in Dorm 129, Kushida gave a detailed report on this major breakthrough.
"So the heart of it is that she was severely bullied at her previous school, which explains her extreme fixation on social standing and her image now," Feng Qi analyzed calmly. "Hirata is her current 'umbrella,' and points are the fuel that keeps this whole protective system running."
"Exactly!" Kushida said excitedly. "And I'm certain she's hiding some more specific details. Judging from her reaction, what she went through may have been even more... humiliating than ordinary bullying."
Feng Qi pondered for a moment. Karuizawa's weakness was even more devastating than he'd expected. The fear of bullying trauma often drove its victims to do anything to avoid going through it again, leaving plenty of room to manipulate them.
"It's time." Feng Qi finally made his decision. "Tomorrow, you can 'casually' let her know that you know someone who might be able to help with her current predicament. Don't say who. Just let her know that this 'option' exists."
Kushida nodded in understanding. "I get it. We need her to come to us on her own."
"Exactly." Feng Qi's gaze was deep. "Submission given willingly is always more secure than cooperation forced upon someone."
The next day, Kushida followed the plan and brought it up "offhandedly" while alone with Karuizawa.
"Kei, about what you told me yesterday..." Kushida lowered his voice. "I know someone who might be able to help. Not the dangerous kind of loan shark, but... a more reliable channel."
Karuizawa's eyes instantly lit up with hope, only to dim again a moment later. "Reliable? What would I have to do?"
"I don't know the details." Kushida deftly avoided answering directly. "But I hear this person doesn't look at points when helping people solve their problems. They care about... other kinds of value."
That vague answer gave Karuizawa hope while planting a seed of unease in her mind. What kind of "other value"? She didn't dare think too hard about it, but her instinct for survival wouldn't let her give up this lifeline.
"I... I need to think about it," Karuizawa said quietly, her voice trembling.
Kushida gave her shoulder a sympathetic pat. "Of course. Take your time. But make your decision soon, okay? Opportunities don't wait."
Watching Karuizawa leave, looking utterly distracted, Kushida knew the fish had caught the scent of the bait. Now all he had to do was wait: wait for hunger to overcome fear, and for despair to overwhelm reason.
Back in Dorm 129, after receiving Kushida's report, Feng Qi began preparing for his first "official" meeting with Karuizawa. He needed to carefully plan every detail of the conversation—from when and where they would meet, to his opening line, to how he'd handle every possible reaction.
The hunt was about to reach its climax. And Karuizawa Kei, the girl shrouded in the shadows of her past, was walking step by step toward the crossroads that would change her fate.
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