Karuizawa's Tool Person

The next morning, Tenyo Yuyuki finished washing up and grabbed his schoolbag, ready to head to class.

Though his dorm had a kitchenette, he had been a shut-in in his previous life, and in this one he was the heir to a wealthy family, with maids to wait on him at home. His housekeeping skills were still lacking.

His preferred solution was to spend money at Keyaki Mall.

As long as you had money,

you could live very comfortably at this school.

When he arrived at D Class,

Tenyo Yuyuki immediately noticed something was off.

The entire classroom was shrouded in a strange atmosphere.

Most of the students had gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves and occasionally glancing toward one corner of the room.

Following their shifting gazes,

Tenyo Yuyuki saw Kushida Kikyo, the girl who had wanted to be friends with the entire school yesterday, sitting quietly by herself with her head bowed, her expression hidden.

He went to his seat and set down his schoolbag, then gently tapped Matsushita Chiaki, who sat in front of him, before asking in a low voice, "What happened?"

"Shh!" Matsushita turned around and pressed a finger to her lips, lowering her voice as much as possible. She held out her phone. "Someone posted this yesterday. Take a look."

Tenyo took Matsushita's phone. The post was simple.

It claimed that back in middle school, Kushida Kikyo had won her classmates' trust, then freely posted their secrets online, eventually causing the class to fall apart. It went on to call Kushida a hypocritical little schemer and so on.

"Is this true?"

After reading the post, Tenyo Yuyuki asked in clear surprise.

Matsushita glanced toward Kushida, then lowered her voice. "I don't know. It was posted by an anonymous account, after all. It's just hard to believe that Kushida could be that kind of person. Do you believe what the post says, Tenyo?"

Tenyo shook his head. "It's too soon to judge. I just don't want to suspect my classmate."

The atmosphere in the classroom was bizarre. Everyone was quietly discussing what Kushida was really like.

After all, it was only the second day of school. Even after yesterday's introductions, they barely knew more than one another's names.

They all suspected the anonymous post was probably a rumor.

But better safe than sorry. Just imagining Kushida Kikyo revealing their secrets someday was enough to send a chill down their spines.

Who they hated, who they liked, or painful things from their past might all become a joke to others. At best, their relationships would fall apart. At worst, they could be socially ruined.

Kushida Kikyo seemed harmless, even a little pitiful, but it was safer not to get involved with her!

Behind Tenyo Yuyuki, Horikita Suzune was privately wondering the same thing:

What is this guy up to?

She was absolutely certain that Tenyo Yuyuki had spread the rumor.

After all, they had only signed a contract concerning Kushida Kikyo yesterday, and today they were already hearing rumors about her. How could that possibly be a coincidence?

The key was that Horikita Suzune knew perfectly well she would have to take the blame.

Forget it.

Horikita shook her head and returned her attention to the book in her hands.

She didn't care in the slightest what happened to Kushida Kikyo, nor did she think Kushida could do anything to her.

The atmosphere in the classroom grew even more oppressive. Everyone was quietly speculating about what kind of person Kushida Kikyo really was.

What should I do?

Watching what was happening in the classroom, Hirata Yosuke was anxious.

He had never expected something like this to happen on the second day of school.

He knew very well!

Even if everyone chose to ignore her, the consequences would be irreversible.

Kushida Kikyo would gradually be isolated by the class, sink to the very bottom, and eventually face nothing but bullying!

D Class would end up following the same path as their middle-school classes, ultimately falling apart.

That was the last thing Hirata Yosuke wanted to see. He knew all too well how bottomless human malice could be.

I have to help Kushida!

With that thought, Hirata Yosuke stood up.

But before Hirata could act, Tenyo Yuyuki had already gone over to Kushida Kikyo. "Kushida, are you all right?"

"Hm?"

Taken aback by the sudden concern, Kushida Kikyo didn't react at first.

Her head was bowed, her eyes unfocused, and her heart was shrouded in darkness.

It was only the second day of school!

Her past had already been exposed. Some parts had been deliberately twisted, but most of it was true!

Forget becoming friends with the whole school—she probably wouldn't have anyone approach her ever again!

Of course, with Kushida Kikyo's own social skills, she was confident she could still become an important figure in the class. She wouldn't sink to the very bottom, at least. But that wasn't what she wanted.

"Kushida, are you okay?" Tenyo Yuyuki asked again, his voice full of concern.

Like a ray of light breaking through the darkness, his words made Kushida's body tremble slightly. She quickly came back to herself.

"I'm okay!" Kushida raised her head at once, a gentle smile already on her face. "Tenyo, I'm sorry for making you worry."

"Don't worry about it."

Tenyo shook his head and spoke gently. "Whoever spread that rumor, they went too far. You don't need to pay any attention to it, Kushida."

What a fool... Kushida laughed to herself.

The rumor was exaggerated in places, but when ordinary people ran into something like this, their first instinct was to stay out of it, just like the students eavesdropping on them now.

Tenyo Yuyuki had to be an idiot to believe her so easily.

Kushida was already used to—and even enjoyed—being trusted by others, but as she secretly mocked Tenyo, she couldn't help feeling a little happy, too.

It was the same feeling of trust, and yet Tenyo Yuyuki's trust at that moment was somehow different. It was like a ray of light in the night, warm and comforting.

But that was all.

What mattered more now was taking advantage of the opportunity Tenyo Yuyuki had handed her!

"Tenyo, thank you. Really."

Kushida Kikyo gave him a radiant smile. A few tears glimmered at the corners of her eyes, and her voice soon caught in her throat.

"I mean, it's only just the start of school. Why would something like this happen to me? It's so unfair."

As she finished, Kushida covered her face with her hands and lowered her head, hiding her expression from everyone.

She seemed to be seeking comfort from Tenyo Yuyuki.

The entire classroom fell silent at once.

Only Kushida's occasional sobs echoed through the room.

No one had expected a careless rumor to hurt such a kind girl so badly!

Whoever had spread the rumor had gone too far. How could they bear to slander such a beautiful girl?

Most of the students in the classroom all found themselves thinking, Poor Kushida. She's the victim here.

"It's okay, Kushida."

Hirata stepped forward at just the right moment and said gently, "We all know what kind of girl you are, as your classmates."

"Exactly." Wang Meiyu, a Dragon Country girl, bravely took Kushida's hand. "You don't need to pay any attention to someone who spreads rumors behind your back."

"Kushida's such a cute girl. How could she be a bad person? Don't worry, everyone. If I say it, it has to be true."

Yamauchi Haruki of the Foolish Trio confidently patted his chest.

The girls nearby gradually gathered around Kushida Kikyo again, offering her words of comfort.

Hirata hadn't made any definite claims about Kushida's character, but even that was enough.

The classroom was now filled with an unspoken message: Everyone, go comfort Kushida.

Kushida seemed to have pulled herself together, too. She managed a faint smile and thanked everyone for their concern.

Tenyo Yuyuki watched everything unfold impassively, then returned to his seat. He had done enough for now.

Young people tended to trust others easily!

Even when they knew most of something was a lie, they couldn't help feeling a little pleased or hoping it was true.

Whether the students in D Class believed Kushida's explanation, or Kushida believed in Tenyo Yuyuki's "stupidity," it made no difference!

But Tenyo knew very well.

Even if the others believed Kushida's explanation for now, they would think twice before sharing secrets with her in the future.

In other words, it would be difficult for Kushida to wield the weapon known as "the truth" again!

In Tenyo Yuyuki's eyes,

once the other classes learned more about this school, most of them would be wary of students from other classes to some degree.

Very few people would tell Kushida secrets that could be used against them, unless they were the sort to think with their lower halves, like Yamauchi Haruki.

Kushida's weapon was essentially a Treasure Tool that worked against its wielder.

It was most effective against her own class, while its power against outsiders was only a fraction as strong.

"What was the point of doing all that?"

Tenyo Yuyuki had just sat down when Horikita Suzune spoke from behind him.

Her gaze remained fixed on the book in her hands. She clearly wasn't very interested in the matter.

Although she hadn't addressed him or explained what she meant, Tenyo Yuyuki understood.

"We're all classmates. Isn't helping a classmate perfectly normal?"

As he spoke, Tenyo turned to look at Ayanokoji. "Don't you agree, Ayanokoji?"

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Ayanokoji quickly reacted.

When Horikita spoke just now, he had already noticed something strange and considered asking her for information.

Given Horikita's personality, she would almost never start a conversation unless she had a clear purpose.

But Tenyo Yuyuki had interrupted before he could get the chance.

After all,

with a rumor—or the truth—about a classmate emerging on the second day, Ayanokoji was actually the most uneasy person in D Class.

While everyone else was worried about Kushida, Ayanokoji was more concerned about whoever was acting behind the scenes.

Whatever their motives might be!

With the other person's motives and identity unknown, this was not a comfortable environment for Ayanokoji to live in.

And the source of his strange feeling was the relationship between Tenyo and Kushida. The two of them shouldn't have had any connection.

Tenyo wasn't a warmhearted person like Hirata, either. His actions struck Ayanokoji as odd.

Since he couldn't get an answer from Horikita at the moment, he could only try asking Tenyo himself.

Ayanokoji replied casually, "I suppose so. You and Kushida seem to be on pretty good terms."

"Ayanokoji, that's not right. I think classmates should help one another, even if they're not close."

As he spoke, Tenyo Yuyuki glanced toward Kushida and countered, "Do you think Yamauchi and the others went to comfort her because they're close to her?"

Yamauchi Haruki and several other students were gathered around Kushida. With her friends comforting her, she seemed to be gradually pulling herself together.

"Who knows?" Ayanokoji said with a hint of disappointment. "It's a shame. I don't have many friends, so I really can't understand how Yamauchi can get along with everyone."

"You don't have any friends."

Horikita Suzune bluntly exposed his excuse, then explained, "Besides, Yamauchi is just flirtatious. That's not exactly a good quality."

"Is that so?"

Ayanokoji muttered blankly to himself.

Without a reliable point of reference, he couldn't understand how ordinary high school students thought, and it was difficult for him to judge.

Was it normal for two people with no connection to each other, like Tenyo, who was so straightforward, to go comfort Kushida?

Horikita Suzune had no interest in teaching Ayanokoji, and Tenyo clearly didn't want to answer her question directly, either.

Besides,

she wasn't interested in Kushida. She was only a little curious about Tenyo's motives. If he didn't want to answer, so be it.

Tenyo Yuyuki turned back to his seat, too.

Even if Ayanokoji realized he was the one who had spread the rumor, it wouldn't matter. Given Ayanokoji's personality, he wouldn't get involved in things that had nothing to do with him.

Still, Tenyo Yuyuki had taken the minimum precautions.

With Hirata setting the tone,

the class wouldn't discuss Kushida's past again from now on. Otherwise, it would seem like they were deliberately targeting her.

If he missed this chance,

Ayanokoji's self-imposed image as an Avoidance Principle adherent would make it difficult for him to ask Horikita for information again. And the contract also prevented Horikita from revealing information clearly.

Even if Ayanokoji could piece together from a few stray clues that Tenyo was behind it, no one would believe him, given his standing in the class.

Just before class began, Tenyo Yuyuki received a message from Kushida Kikyo.

[Tenyo, thank you so much for caring about me. I want to invite the whole class to Karaoke after school. You have to come! [Cute]]

Reading the message, Tenyo Yuyuki looked up and smiled at Kushida.

Kushida clearly wanted to make up for her standing in the class. Her invitation to him was probably just for show.

But Tenyo knew that his actions had stirred a small ripple in Kushida's heart...