On the dim top floor of the School Building, a Kuroya Supreme Godwork lay motionless.
Tennoji Kaede examined the two pieces of high-tech equipment in his hands.
He had no idea how many points Kushida had spent to get them. To obtain solid evidence of Yamauchi's crimes, she hadn't just prepared to sacrifice some of her dignity—she might have borrowed a lot of points, too.
In any case, he was definitely keeping these two items for now.
Kaede held out a hand to Kushida. "Sorry for scaring you, Kikyo. Can you stand?"
"...Ah, y-yes." Kushida Kikyo took Kaede's hand, still covered by a medical glove, and shakily got to her feet.
Kaede could tell from Kushida's hesitant expression that she was still in a daze—or, more accurately, trying to figure out what Tennoji was doing here.
After sorting out his thoughts, Tennoji Kaede spoke first. "Are you all right, Kikyo?"
"Mm..."
Once Kushida had more or less calmed down, he decided to get to the point.
"I happened to see Yamauchi Haruki acting suspiciously as he followed you outside the library, so I came to take a look. I didn't expect him to try something so illegal. It's despicable."
"Thank you so much for saving me, Tennoji... But could you give those two devices back to me?"
Kushida Kikyo kept her head down, her expression hidden. Her tone was very polite.
"You mean these two?" Kaede glanced at the items in his hands, then gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Kikyo, but I'll need to take care of them before I can return them. I did take pictures of Yamauchi at the scene, though. They should be enough to serve as evidence."
Tennoji Kaede seemed to hesitate. After thinking for a moment, he added:
"But Kikyo, putting your own safety and chastity at risk to get evidence was far too dangerous. Did you consider what might happen in the worst-case scenario?"
Kushida still kept her head lowered. Her voice was low, almost tearful. "Tennoji, there's something else I want to ask you..."
Tennoji Kaede cut her off. "It's about what Yamauchi Haruki said—about your so-called true self, right?"
"I heard everything."
At last, Kushida Kikyo raised her head.
Her face revealed her true nature completely: utterly merciless and cold.
But Kushida Kikyo said nothing more.
She merely tilted her head up slightly and closed her eyes. Her beautiful, neat eyelashes trembled gently.
So this is her true face... Kaede thought to himself.
Tennoji Kaede smiled. "Kikyo, are you hurt? Is something bothering you? Then..."
This time, Kushida cut Kaede off. Eyes closed, she said coldly, "You win, Tennoji Kaede."
With her eyes shut, Kushida Kikyo felt nothing else from the person before her in the darkness.
No reaction from the outside?
So what...
What else could she do?
All Kushida knew was that Tennoji Kaede had clearly come prepared. He'd even brought gloves and a mask—items whose purpose she couldn't understand.
And that beast, Yamauchi, hadn't recognized Tennoji at all. All the weapons she'd carried had already been confiscated.
...In other words, all that had happened was that her secret had ended up in the hands of someone even more terrifying.
That left her with only one last bargaining chip.
"You win, Kaede..."
Kushida Kikyo repeated herself, but this time she'd gone back to calling him by his first name.
"I'll give you my body. Please keep my secret."
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[Cause: Kushida Kikyo didn't want to give up the chance to start her life over. Her fresh start at this high school was everything to her... Even though there was already an awful woman like Horikita around!]
[Effect: Charisma +30, XX Technique +50]
Tennoji Kaede: ...
So far, things had mostly gone as he'd expected.
There were plenty of paths he could take from here. What should he do...
"Chhk! Snap!"
A sound she couldn't see made Kushida Kikyo's body jerk in fear.
As expected... her last bargaining chip was still effective...
Kushida Kikyo felt two hands grasp her collar!
Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Your collar's open way too far, Kushida. Yamauchi really is a bastard... And now my fingerprints are on it, too, so you don't have to worry anymore. Why don't you open your eyes and check?"
Kaede was fastening the collar of Kikyo's uniform with both hands.
What?
Her collar?
His fingerprints?
Kushida Kikyo opened her eyes in disbelief.
Perhaps she'd squeezed them shut too tightly. The image before her swam out of focus, and she felt slightly dizzy.
A moment later, Kushida Kikyo came to her senses, but she was still staring blankly at Tennoji Kaede's bare hands...
So that sound had been him taking off his gloves?
Kaede's hands had gently buttoned up and straightened the collar she'd accidentally opened.
Then Kaede calmly withdrew his hands from her neck.
"...Why?"
"Why what? I didn't really understand what you meant just now, Kikyo."
Kaede sighed. "How could I possibly do something to humiliate Kushida? Aren't we friends?"
Kushida Kikyo stammered, "But..."
Tennoji Kaede added, "No buts. Besides, there's someone else I like."
Hearing this, Kushida Kikyo felt oddly reassured. But then, for some reason, she also felt a little empty...
"If you want someone to keep your secret, why do you have to pay such a heavy price?"
"What happened to the most basic trust between people?"
Tennoji Kaede posed a question that cut to the heart of the matter!
Kushida Kikyo froze, her gaze slowly going distant.
Trust between people?
Kushida Kikyo couldn't answer that question at all.
Because she, Kushida Kikyo, had wielded the strongest weapon of all—"betrayal"—by relying on "trust"!
Deep in her soul, she had never truly believed that "trust" existed.
Naturally, she'd never had a friend with whom she could share her true feelings.
That was why Kushida had put on the false mask of a personality that "wanted to be friends with everyone" to protect herself.
Kushida Kikyo was a person utterly incapable of trust, and a pitiful, hateful person too. That was Kaede's firm judgment!
And yet, today...
Kushida Kikyo had handed over her greatest bargaining chip, begging for the right to keep living.
She'd begged this mysterious man for a chance to cling to life, so that one day she could (really) find another opportunity to take revenge!
But Tennoji Kaede had said he liked someone... Being a gentleman didn't mean he wouldn't take advantage of her... But Kaede really hadn't.
He'd also said that people could, in fact, trust one another.
Right before her eyes!
And so, at a moment that should have been filled with despair and pain,
she, Kushida Kikyo, had received a precious thing called "trust"!?
Tennoji Kaede held out his hand to Kushida Kikyo again.
"Kikyo, please trust me."
Kushida Kikyo instinctively raised her hand...
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