Kushida Kikyo

I made another deal with Ichinose Honami.

I would help them rise to Class A next month, and in exchange, I asked them to pay another million Personal Points.

Ichinose looked troubled. "I'm sorry, Akasaka. I can't agree to that."

"The million Personal Points we paid this time were pooled together by all forty of us. Paying another million would put us under quite a bit of pressure."

"Besides, we got the information ahead of time, so the gap shouldn't be too big. Even if we fall short of Class A, it won't be by much. We'd be satisfied with that."

"I see... What a shame," I said, unable to keep the pained look off my face.

It really did hurt. There went a million points...

Before long, Ichinose Honami and Kanzaki Ryuji got ready to leave.

Just then, Teacher Hoshinomiya kindly suggested, "It's lunchtime, so why don't we eat before we go?"

No one objected. They planned to leave after lunch.

Akasaka Ryunosuke stood up to leave. He'd accomplished what he came for, so there was no reason to stay.

When Hoshinomiya saw me leaving, she hurriedly called out, "Come by my office after school, okay? I have something to talk to you about."

I stumbled. She had something to talk to me about again? I'm so busy every single day...

Somewhat helplessly, I agreed to Teacher Hoshinomiya's request and left.

Ichinose Honami asked curiously, "Teacher, is there something important you need to discuss with him in your office?"

Hoshinomiya smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out eventually. I wasn't planning to keep it from you. I want to make a deal with him and buy a chance for us to reach Class A..."

"Though I don't know if that guy was just stringing me along."

"But it's still worth taking a chance."

Hoshinomiya Chie's expression turned unusually serious, completely at odds with her usual carefree nature. Then, in an instant, she was back to her old self, smiling brightly.

"Don't worry. I'll pay for it. Besides, if we really make it to Class A, my salary will double, so I'll earn the money back in no time. You don't need to feel pressured, either."

Hoshinomiya hurriedly waved her hand, signaling that Ichinose shouldn't feel burdened. She could earn the money back herself.

Ichinose felt a little guilty. After all, it wasn't quite right to make their teacher pay...

So Ichinose and Hoshinomiya started haggling. The students would pay half. At first, Hoshinomiya refused, but she couldn't stand up to Ichinose's stubbornness and finally gave in.

"Shiho, you really are something. I didn't think you'd be so stubborn."

Hoshinomiya rested her cheek on her hand and grumbled, though she admired how considerate and sensible the girl was. Unfortunately, this was Advanced Nurturing High School, where those were the last qualities anyone needed.

Hoshinomiya was very worried that the girl wouldn't be able to survive at This School in the future...

Meanwhile, on Akasaka Ryunosuke's side—

After lunch, he returned to the classroom and came face-to-face with Kushida Kikyo, who had been waiting there for quite a while.

Akasaka hurried to a stop and turned to leave. He didn't want to be around such a troublesome person.

Kushida had been waiting for Akasaka for some time. When she saw him arrive, her eyes lit up and she was about to greet him. But when she saw him turn to leave, she dropped all pretense of being gentle and kind and grabbed Akasaka Ryunosuke by the hand.

"Please wait!"

When I saw that she had grabbed my hand, I knew I couldn't get away. I had no choice but to turn and look at Kushida. "What is it, Kushida?"

Kushida put on that same fragile, cute, aggrieved look. An ordinary guy would probably have fallen at her feet already, but I wasn't a student from Class One...

"Are you avoiding me, Akasaka? Why? Did I do something wrong and make you angry?"

The students nearby all turned to look, their faces full of curiosity, as if they were watching some unresolved romance.

Tch, this woman... She really was a skilled actress. But I kept my reply calm. "Kushida, I've already made myself clear. I don't want to be friends with you. How much longer are you going to keep pestering me?"

Faced with such a direct answer, Kushida was a little stunned.

How was this guy so different from all the others she'd met? He was so difficult to handle. She'd already lowered herself, and he still wasn't satisfied...

Kushida's expression darkened. This was the first time a guy had ever gotten under her skin.

In the past, she'd managed to wrap every guy around her finger. Why was this one so impervious to her charms?

But she kept up her act, even adding a hint of hurt to push Akasaka into the worst possible position.

"Do you hate me, Akasaka?" As she spoke, tears really did well in her eyes...

That did it... She'd pushed Akasaka Ryunosuke straight into the wrong. The people around them whispered among themselves, some even criticizing Akasaka.

"How could that guy bully Kushida? What a creep," muttered Karuizawa Kei, the leader of the Gyaru Group, unhappily.

The other gyaru quickly chimed in. Even Matsushita Chiaki occasionally added a remark to keep her little group happy.

But privately, she'd already figured out the whole story. Still, to maintain her social standing on the surface, she had to add something.

"Akasaka is going a bit too far... Who does he think he is?" But she didn't take it too far. After that, she fell silent.

She just wanted to fit in better so she could have a normal life, much like Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who hid his true abilities.

To put it simply, Matsushita Chiaki was a low-budget version of Ayanokoji.

Even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Akasaka's only friend in name, had no intention of saying a few words in his defense.

He knew that if he tried to speak up for him now, most of the other students would ostracize him...

It wasn't worth it.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka drew a clear line between things, so all he could do was silently mourn for Akasaka.

Forgive me. I don't want to be ostracized, either. I want to be a normal, ordinary person...

Seeing things take a bad turn, Akasaka's expression darkened. He looked at Kushida Kikyo, who was pretending to be pitiful, and spoke without the slightest courtesy.

"Kushida, how many times do I have to tell you? I don't want to know you. Why are you like a piece of flypaper, sticking to me and refusing to let go? I can't shake you off no matter what I do."

Kushida froze on the spot. She hadn't expected me to be so rude, and hurriedly tried to explain.

"You've got it wrong, Akasaka. I just want to be friends with you."

Akasaka quickly raised a hand to stop her, then glanced around at the classmates who were glaring at him before speaking to Kushida Kikyo again:

"No matter how many times you ask, my answer won't change. I don't want to be friends with you. Please stop pestering me from now on. You're annoying."

After saying that, I returned to my seat. Just like Horikita Suzune, I'd been ostracized by my classmates. But it didn't matter. I wasn't interested in making friends in class. I just wanted to make money.

Kushida Kikyo stood there stiffly. Even after I'd left, she still hadn't recovered. Her eyes were shadowed and filled with malice as she cursed me viciously in her heart.

"Akasaka Ryunosuke, you disgusting creep. Just you wait..."

Before long, the bell rang. Everyone returned to their seats, and class began.