I Really Wish I Could Stab You to Death

(PS: Image of Kushida Kikyo)

"Next, it's my turn."

The self-introductions continued as a golden-haired girl stood up.

A white headband adorned her hair, her upper body tightly wrapped in a wine-red uniform that accentuated a figure beyond her years, and her lower white pleated skirt swayed with the motion of rising.

She flashed a radiant smile and spoke softly, "My name is Kushida Kikyo. Since none of my middle school friends entered this school with me, I'm all alone."

At that point, Tenyo Yuyuki keenly noticed Kushida sneak a glance at Horikita.

Kushida Kikyo continued, "So, my goal is to quickly become friends with everyone. After the introductions, please feel free to exchange contact info with me!"

By the time Kushida Kikyo finished speaking, several girls had already gathered around her.

Tenyo Yuyuki quietly observed. Kushida Kikyo's acting was practically on par with an Oscar winner.

If he hadn't seen the original work, it would be hard to imagine that such an angelic bishojo could harbor a dual personality.

Relying on others' trust to maintain her own sense of fulfillment, she would, without hesitation, have anyone who might expose her past expelled.

As for Kushida Kikyo's earlier glance at Horikita Suzune, this little angel, currently laughing with her classmates, was likely already scheming about how to get Horikita Suzune expelled.

"My turn. I'm Yamauchi Haruki. In middle school, I was the ace pitcher for the baseball club, jersey number 1. But I got injured in a high school league match and I'm still recovering. Everyone, nice to meet you."

The introductions continued as the guy named Yamauchi Haruki spoke up.

Tenyo Yuyuki was a bit speechless.

This guy probably meant to say he was the fourth batter and ace hitter, and high school league matches only exist in high school anyway.

Tenyo Yuyuki still remembered.

In the original work, this guy was one of the worst-performing idiot trio, easily manipulated by A Class's leader Itagaki, leading him to betray D Class and get expelled.

Even now, Yamauchi Haruki's impression on everyone had already sunk him to the bottom of the class.

Half-baked lies only gave off an impression of being "quick-tongued" and "frivolous."

Thus, self-introduction was an extremely important step, tied to one's future standing in the group and class.

Finally, after a long wait, it was Tenyo Yuyuki's turn to speak.

Tenyo Yuyuki stood up, the corner of his mouth lifting into a confident smile. "My name is Tenyo Yuyuki. I'm pretty good at photography. If anyone needs help with photos, feel free to ask me. I look forward to your guidance from now on!"

"So, can we leave all the class photography work to you from now on, Tenyo-kun?"

"Yeah, and I'm really interested in photography too. Tenyo-kun, could you teach me sometime?"

With Matsushita Chiaki's half-joking lead, a few girls also gathered around Tenyo Yuyuki.

This was the advantage of socializing. With Matsushita Chiaki taking the lead, Tenyo Yuyuki smoothly integrated into the group, and mostly because Tenyo Yuyuki was genuinely stunningly handsome.

Just then, an out-of-place cold laugh rang out.

"Tenyo Yuyuki, put away that fake smile of yours. Your ugly soul isn't beautiful at all."

Kouenji Rosuke, who had already introduced himself earlier, casually propped his legs up on the desk.

Unlike the other classmates, Kouenji was well aware of Tenyo Yuyuki's true nature—a guy who only cared about profit and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Most importantly, as fellow conglomerate powers from Sakurajima, their families maintained a surface-level harmony while stabbing each other in the back behind the scenes. As a kid, Kouenji had been bullied plenty by Tenyo Yuyuki.

The entire classroom fell silent, still processing the sudden conflict.

Though Kouenji seemed a bit narcissistic and eccentric, he clearly wasn't the type to casually lie.

Could it really be, as Kouenji said, that this Tenyo Yuyuki with his cheerful smile was actually a hypocritical scoundrel?

Seeing the class sink into distrust, Hirata broke out in a cold sweat and quickly stepped in to mediate. "Kouenji-kun, is there some misunderstanding between you and Tenyo-kun? If there's a problem, feel free to talk to me. We're all classmates from now on, so let's try to get along, okay?"

However, Kouenji completely ignored Hirata's words.

Tenyo Yuyuki's smile didn't waver as he said with a hint of resignation, "Kouenji, it's better not to bring family feuds into school. No matter what, we'll be living together in the same class for three years. Even if we can't get along, let's at least try not to bother each other. How about that?"

Hearing Tenyo Yuyuki's explanation, Matsushita Chiaki and the others suddenly understood.

Since it was a family issue, everything made sense, and it actually made Kouenji seem a bit petty. Of course, given Kouenji's extreme narcissism, he probably wouldn't care about that.

And once Matsushita Chiaki and the others had what they considered a reasonable explanation, any counterargument would seem weak and pointless.

Even if Kouenji directly exposed Tenyo Yuyuki's past right there, it would only make him look aggressive, or even like he was making things up.

Though it sounded like a concession, Kouenji really had no choice. At this point, anything he said would be wrong, since Tenyo had already gathered a certain number of allies around him.

Kouenji was well aware of this too.

"Not bother each other? Tenyo Yuyuki, your credibility with me is zero."

He let out a cold snort. Whether explaining or seeking others' approval, it all seemed ugly—not beautiful. Though he knew Tenyo Yuyuki's strength, he wasn't afraid.

With that, Kouenji didn't leave the classroom but instead continued gazing at the stunning beauty reflected in the mirror he held.

Anyway, if he wasn't embarrassed, the embarrassment was on everyone else.

Tenyo Yuyuki didn't press further. With Kouenji's interruption, the class fell silent again.

Matsushita Chiaki leaned slightly forward, looking up at Tenyo Yuyuki from below, which made her seem rather cute.

She shifted the topic at just the right moment, feigning curiosity: "Kouenji-kun is the heir to the Kouenji Zaibatsu—could it be that Tenyo-kun is also rich? Don't tell me you're the heir to the Tenmyouin Zaibatsu? Just kidding, of course~"

As she finished, Matsushita Chiaki waved her hand downward, brushing the topic off as a half-joke.

After all, the Tenyo Family was far too terrifying; this zaibatsu had its fingers in every industry across Sakurajima. If Tenyo Yuyuki were the heir to this family, he would be the perfect choice, fitting Matsushita Chiaki's ideal partner criteria to a tee.

"Well." Tenyo Yuyuki awkwardly pressed his index finger to his lips. "Keep it a secret from the other classes, okay?"

Such a thing couldn't actually be kept secret—it was just a social tactic. Sharing secrets could quickly close the distance between him and these girls.

"Really?"

"The Tenmyouin Zaibatsu? So amazing."

The girls who had been gathered around Tenyo Yuyuki pressed in even closer, nearly clinging to him, staring at him as if he were prey.

The class atmosphere improved once again. Hirata let out a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to a boy with dyed red hair.

"Then, next up—"

"Cut the crap. You think we're kids? If someone wants to introduce themselves, they can do it themselves."

With that, the red-haired youth slung his bag over his shoulder and walked straight out of the classroom, taking a batch of students who also didn't want to introduce themselves with him.

Tenyo Yuyuki remembered this guy's name should be Sudo—a hot-tempered fellow.

"What's with that guy?"

"No, it's not his fault. It's my fault for forcing everyone to introduce themselves."

Facing the support from those around him, Hirata smiled indifferently, shouldering all the blame himself.

"How could that be? Hirata-kun did nothing wrong. Don't mind a guy like that—let's continue?"

"Hm, then—!"

At the classmates' urging, Hirata turned his attention to the next student.

Just as Hirata was about to speak, Tenyo Yuyuki spoke up with a hint of apology: "Hirata, I have some personal matters to attend to, so I'll leave now. Is that alright?"

"Of course. Personal matters are very important too. If you ever need help with anything, feel free to discuss it with everyone. What do you all think?"

"Of course, Tenyo-kun, you can tell us anytime if you're in trouble."

Hirata replied with a smile, and the girls in the class chimed in agreement. Tenyo Yuyuki nodded with a smile and turned to leave the classroom.

However, Perhaps it was the Butterfly Effect. Horikita Suzune, who should have already left, was still in the classroom.

Horikita clenched the compass in her hand, the needle gleaming with a cold, white light.

Watching Tenyo Yuyuki's retreating back, Horikita followed directly after him.

She had to stab him at least once to feel satisfied.