Brother +1

"Karuizawa, I actually know about your situation."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Karuizawa's face turned deathly pale.

She took two steps back, pointed a finger at him, and said with a trembling voice:

"You... could it be that you're one of them!"

Her heart plummeted to the bottom of the abyss, because only those who had bullied her would know about this matter.

The fact that Bai Ye would say such a thing meant there was a high probability he was one of them, or at least their accomplice.

"Don't be nervous, I heard it through other channels."

"..."

Although his voice was gentle, Karuizawa still wore a look of terror, and she turned her body, ready to bolt.

If he let her run away, wouldn't that be a huge problem?

Bai Ye moved faster, grabbing her and pinning her against the wall.

"Wuu... what are you doing... let me go!"

Karuizawa struggled violently, occasionally scratching his face with her fingernails, causing him a great deal of pain.

Growing increasingly irritated, he quickly grabbed both of her wrists and pressed them firmly against the wall.

"Let go... pervert... wuu... get away... someone help, save me... someone save me!"

Karuizawa screamed at the top of her lungs, making his already agitated heart feel heavy.

If someone passed by, wouldn't he be slapped with a charge of attempted rape?

"Shut up and listen to me."

"I won't listen... wuu... is anyone there... there's a pervert trying to rape me... come save me..."

"..."

He really wanted to slap Karuizawa, but thinking of her pitiful past, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

In the end, he had to resort to his final strategy.

That's right, in this situation, there was only one way to make a girl shut up.

Looking at the boy who had forcefully kissed her lips, Karuizawa's body instantly stiffened, her mind went blank, and tears couldn't stop streaming down her face.

After all, this was her first kiss, and it was happening under such circumstances...

However, thinking of her own goals, thinking of Bai Ye's status in the class, and considering that although he wasn't her type, he was quite handsome, so it wasn't exactly a total loss.

Thinking this way, her resistance weakened, and her tears stopped just as quickly.

Feeling those hot lips, her eyes gradually grew hazy, and she reached out to wrap her arms around his back, her body softening into the kiss.

"..."

Bai Ye had only intended to make her calm down; he never expected Karuizawa to stop struggling and actually embrace him, looking exactly like an intimate couple.

He immediately pushed the girl away, his expression complex:

"Why are you actually enjoying it?"

"This was my first kiss, can't I enjoy it?"

Karuizawa wiped her face, looking at him as if he were her mortal enemy.

In her heart, she was likely wishing she could tear Bai Ye into a thousand pieces.

"Forget it, it was pretty sweet anyway, so I won't hold it against you." He waved his hand with a magnanimous expression.

This expression made Karuizawa's teeth itch with annoyance:

"How can you be so disgusting? You kiss someone and then act like you're doing them a favor?"

"Let it go, if I hadn't kissed you, wouldn't I have been socially ruined?" Bai Ye shook his head, "Can we talk properly now? What is your real goal?"

Karuizawa's past, simply put, was that she had been bullied frequently due to her appearance and personality, and the most severe incident involved someone cutting a deep wound into her abdomen; if she hadn't been rushed to the hospital in time, she likely would have died.

This had left her with deep trauma, which was why she worked so hard at this school to elevate her status, ensuring no one would dare to bully her.

He had already vaguely guessed why she was seeking him out, but he asked again to confirm.

Karuizawa nodded, her face still wearing a bitter and resentful expression:

"Jingu... be my boyfriend."

"Huh? Say that again?"

"I—said—be—my—boyfriend!" Karuizawa screamed right into his ear, making his head buzz, and it took him a long time to recover his senses.

"Are you sick? Is that how you ask someone for a favor?"

"Who's asking you? You just kissed me, don't you have to take responsibility for me?" Karuizawa sneered.

"That was an emergency measure, but whatever... even if I wanted to take responsibility, I have a girlfriend now, how could I be your boyfriend?"

"Just break up with her, then."

"Why should I listen to you?"

"If you don't break up with her, I'll tell her you forced a kiss on me and see what she thinks."

"..."

"Scared now, aren't you? Why don't you hurry up and do as I say?" Karuizawa wore a smug expression; it was hard to tell if she was even the same girl who had been trembling in fear just moments ago.

"...Then go ahead. I trust she won't be angry."

He understood Suzune quite well; as long as he explained the situation, she wouldn't hold something like this against him.

That was why he had nothing to fear.

Seeing his indifferent expression, Karuizawa knew her plan had fallen through.

But she couldn't just give up like that, so she gritted her teeth and said:

"How about this: once you break up with her, you'll date me instead."

Bai Ye said, "Karuizawa, even if I did break up with her, why would I have to date you? Give me one reason."

To his surprise, Karuizawa looked at him as if he were an idiot:

"I'm so cute that I wouldn't even agree if others begged me. What could you possibly be dissatisfied with?"

"While you are indeed cute, your... personality is too poor. I think you're just average."

"Then I'll just act a bit better, won't I?"

"That won't work either."

To be honest, Karuizawa wasn't his type, mostly because she lacked a certain 'feminine charm.'

He found it hard to see Karuizawa as a romantic interest, though she would make a decent bro.

"How about this? You can be my good buddy from now on."

"Huh?" Karuizawa said, flushed with anger, "Are you saying I'm not like a woman?"

"Not exactly, but it's not far off."

"..."

Karuizawa stared at him stubbornly, as if contemplating something.

After a long while, she said:

"Fine, then you're my bro from now on."

"Mm."

And just like that, he had inexplicably become 'bros' with a girl from his class.

He felt a bit of regret, but thinking of Karuizawa's background, he couldn't bring himself to refuse. Even if they weren't a couple, being friends meant he could protect her without any reservations.

After all, he had technically forced a kiss on her; even if there were extenuating circumstances, he still felt a sense of guilt.

After returning to the private room with Karuizawa, Sato said unhappily:

"Why were you two gone for so long? If you hadn't come back soon, I would have gone to look for you."

Horikita also looked at the two of them with suspicious eyes.

A man and a woman alone together—anyone would let their imagination run wild.

Karuizawa explained, "I accidentally twisted my ankle just now, and Jingu helped me out, so it took a bit of time."

"Something like that actually happened... Are you okay, Kei-chan? Do you want to go to the infirmary and get it checked out?"

"No need, it's already better." Karuizawa waved her hand dismissively.

Sato finally let it go, and Horikita nodded as well.

Bai Ye couldn't help but glance at her.

This girl really didn't blush or skip a beat when she lied; there wasn't a single sign of abnormality.

He didn't know which parts of what she said were true, so it was best to keep his guard up.