Karuizawa, I Know About You

On the way back to the classroom, Bai Ye ran into Kushida Kikyou, who was waiting for him specifically at the corner of the wall.

The sweet and cute girl hopped up to him happily and pouted playfully:

"You're so slow, I've been waiting for ages."

"What do you want from me again?"

He frowned slightly as he looked at Kushida.

It wasn't that he disliked Kushida, but he felt this girl was too dangerous and shouldn't be engaged with too deeply for the time being.

At least, not until the time came to truly conquer her.

After all, in the original story, this girl was someone capable of betraying her entire class without a shred of pressure; no matter how cute she acted, her true nature could not be changed.

Unlike Horikita, who still held a sliver of goodwill toward the world, Kushida was a pure individualist whose every action served her own interests.

Of course, if she could be like Liu Bei and act as a person of benevolence and righteousness for her entire life, then regardless of her true nature, Bai Ye would still respect her.

Unfortunately, the incident back in middle school had already proven that she lacked the capacity to endure such negative emotions.

Kushida didn't notice his thoughts and reached out to grab his hand:

"About those points earlier... thank you. How do you want me to thank you?"

"No need to thank me, Suzune and Miyu both got some."

"Eh—" Kushida looked slightly surprised. "Horikita is your current girlfriend, and never mind little Miyu, but the fact that you transferred money to me... could it be that..."

Of course, it was just to brush you off so you wouldn't keep bouncing around in front of me.

"What do you think?" he countered.

"I think... mmm... you're mean, don't make me say it out loud~" Kushida tapped his arm lightly, acting spoiled.

"..."

Seeing he had no reaction, a hint of resentment flashed across Kushida's expression, but she quickly adjusted and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.

"That's my thank-you gift, bye-bye~"

The young girl blinked lightly and skipped away.

Watching her energetic figure, he sighed and followed her toward the classroom.

After school, he received an invitation from Sato, who said that to thank him and Horikita for tutoring her, she wanted to treat them to a karaoke session.

Having no reason to refuse, he agreed immediately.

Thus, after he and Horikita finished packing their things, they arrived at the karaoke parlor. As soon as they entered the room, they saw that besides Sato, there was another girl present.

And that girl was none other than Karuizawa Kei from their class.

Bai Ye felt a bit puzzled but didn't ask any questions.

Seeing the two of them, Karuizawa walked over to greet them.

Unlike her cold attitude toward him last time, she seemed much more approachable this time and even took the initiative to invite them to their seats.

After they sat down, Sato began chatting with Horikita, acting like a close best friend.

Through these days of interaction, Sato had realized that Horikita was someone cold on the outside but warm on the inside, so her attitude toward Horikita had become quite casual.

However, as enthusiastic as she was, Sato didn't dare say anything that would cross Horikita's boundaries. She knew that when this person got angry, her attitude became extremely cold, like a massive mountain pressing down, making it hard to even breathe.

Afterward, they took turns singing, chatting, and eating snacks. Under Sato's lead, the atmosphere gradually heated up.

Although Horikita remained expressionless most of the time, she would occasionally chime in, which counted as being part of the group.

Yet, in this seemingly ordinary and warm private room, Bai Ye sensed a hint of unnaturalness.

The reason was Karuizawa; she kept brushing against him, pretending it was accidental—sometimes her chest, sometimes her arm.

He wouldn't have cared if it happened once or twice, but as the frequency increased, he began to suspect her motives.

Karuizawa's expression, however, remained as usual, and at times she would even smile and talk to Horikita, leaving him unable to gauge her intentions.

Halfway through the gathering, Karuizawa finally revealed her true colors. She leaned into Bai Ye's ear and whispered:

"Come outside for a moment, I have something to tell you."

After saying that, she stood up:

"Jingu and I are going out to get some snacks, you guys wait here for a bit."

"Mm." Horikita glanced at the two of them without thinking much of it.

Sato waved her hand with a smile.

Although it was a bit strange, Bai Ye followed Karuizawa out of the karaoke parlor. They kept walking until they reached a dim, narrow alley.

Karuizawa finally stopped, placed her hands behind her back, and turned to look at him.

Her cute little face was tinged with sorrow, and she said in a slightly low voice:

"Would Jingu-kun be willing to listen to my past?"

"..." Bai Ye thought for two seconds, "I don't want to."

He already knew about Karuizawa's past, so there was no point in hearing it again, which was why he had decisively refused her.

Now it was Karuizawa's turn to be troubled:

"Why... could it be that Jingu-san has no interest in me at all?"

"...I suppose not." He was also hesitant; he wasn't sure if Karuizawa would become a mission target.

And because the emotional issues he had to deal with right now were quite complicated, he really didn't want to wade into the mess that was Karuizawa's life.

Even if he felt that Karuizawa's past was somewhat pitiful.

If it were confirmed that Karuizawa was not a mission target, he would give up on her decisively.

Because he had no reason to date Karuizawa; without the existence of the system, he probably wouldn't date anyone, including Suzune.

Others might focus solely on becoming stronger after obtaining a system, but he was different.

He pondered what the point of becoming stronger was—revenge?

Honestly, he didn't have a very strong desire for revenge; at most, he would just complain a little, a thought as childish as a child's.

Since transmigrating, he had always felt somewhat out of place in this world, never truly able to blend in.

It was normal that he couldn't blend in; he wasn't from this country in his past life, so he really didn't have much of a sense of belonging here.

And the other purpose for becoming stronger was to enjoy life.

To be honest, he had already achieved that; he had more money than others could spend in several lifetimes.

The above were just his thoughts before enrolling in the school.

But now, he had people to protect, so he had to become stronger.

He didn't know how powerful those people scheming behind his back were; his true enemies weren't the students of this school, but those behemoths lurking in the shadows.

Without strength, one could only wait for death.

Therefore, for the sake of Suzune and Wang Meiyu, he had to take that step.

So, returning to the matter at hand.

"Karuizawa, actually, I already know about your situation."