After casually leaving the library, Natsukawa realized... Why had he left? Hadn't he been studying in there? Still, he didn't immediately turn around and go back. That would ruin his image (not really). More importantly, he was worried Horikita might come to her senses and stab him with a compass. It was better to let her cool off in there for a while.
Since Airi's been getting a headache from studying sociology these past couple of days, I'll let her relax with a science subject.
Having made up his mind, he turned toward the school building, intending to grab his chemistry book from the classroom.
After school, the corridors were especially empty. The faint sound of indoor shoes against the polished floor carried a long way through the silence. Just as he stepped onto the stairs leading to the upper floors, a strange, dull thud came from above, accompanied by the faint, muffled sound of a girl's sharp voice.
"...Bang!...Damn it...Bang!"
Natsukawa stopped and listened. The sound seemed to come from the landing above, near the stairs leading to the rooftop. The heavy thuds sounded like someone was kicking the thick door to the rooftop, which was kept shut after school. And that voice...
He had a few guesses. Slowing his steps, he went up quietly. The closer he got, the clearer the sounds became.
"...Horikita Suzune! You self-righteous bitch! Who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty? You don't know a good thing when you see it!..." It was Kushida Kikyo's voice. But the sweet, honeyed voice she usually had was twisted now, filled with undisguised hatred and anger. Every word seemed to be forced out through clenched teeth.
"Bang!" Another hard kick slammed into the iron door, sending a tremendous echo through the stairwell.
"And that bunch of idiots in class! Karuizawa's little clique chatters all day like a bunch of hens! Osabe acts like she's so important, too! And the boys are a pack of morons. They really think I don't know what every last one of them is thinking..."
Her insults grew more and more vicious, nothing like the sunny, adorable little angel she seemed to be every day. Natsukawa stopped at the turn in the stairs. From there, he could hear everything happening above without being easily spotted. His face showed no surprise. If anything, he looked calmly unsurprised.
He silently took out his Personal Terminal, unlocked it with a deft motion, and opened the video camera. Then he turned the screen inward and carefully slipped it back into his uniform pocket, making sure the camera lens peeked over the edge of the pocket and pointed toward the source of the sound. Once he was done, he leaned against the cold wall, folded his arms, and quietly "enjoyed" the one-woman show upstairs like a spectator who had nothing to do with it.
Kushida didn't seem satisfied with just yelling. With every vicious curse, she followed it up with a hard kick to the iron door. The repeated bangs echoed through the empty stairwell, making his eardrums feel as if they were vibrating. Natsukawa could even picture her now: her cute face twisted with anger, her eyes, usually curved into crescents, probably filled with a frighteningly vicious glare.
Perhaps he was too "engrossed" in watching and had forgotten to stay hidden. Or perhaps, after kicking the door again and again, Kushida had finally grown wary of the noise she was making and instinctively glanced around.
Whatever the reason, when Natsukawa noticed a cold gaze fall on him, he looked up and met the eyes of Kushida Kikyo, who had peered over the edge of the landing. She was no longer hiding the shock and murderous intent in them.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.
The fury and contortion on Kushida's face instantly stiffened, then receded like a tide, replaced by a chilling, sullen expression. She slowly came down the stairs, each step unhurried but carrying an invisible weight. Her large brown eyes fixed on Natsukawa. There was none of her usual sweet smile in them now, only naked menace.
"You... heard everything?" Her voice was low, with a faint rasp, a side effect of her shouting.
Natsukawa straightened up. His face remained expressionless as he calmly looked at her, neither admitting nor denying it.
When he didn't answer, Kushida's lips curved into a cold, almost cruel smile. "Natsukawa Sosuke, I'm warning you. If you dare tell anyone even one word about what you saw or heard today..." She stepped closer and looked up at him, her gaze like a poisoned dagger. "I'll use every means at my disposal to make sure you can't stay at this school. I'll make you drop out. I mean it."
Faced with such an open threat, Natsukawa suddenly chuckled. The laugh was quiet, but in the silent stairwell, it rang out clearly.
"Don't worry, Kushida. I'm not interested in spreading other people's secrets. Besides..." He paused, his gaze seeming to pass through her and settle on something far beyond. "What you're showing me isn't much, as far as I'm concerned."
Kushida's pupils contracted. She clearly hadn't expected that reaction. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Natsukawa said, his voice carrying the indifference of someone who had seen much of the world, "everyone has another side they don't want others to know about. Wearing different masks to survive is perfectly normal in certain situations." He deliberately made his words sound ambiguous, as if he, too, were burdened by a difficult past. "Compared to some truly dark pasts, the way you're venting your feelings even seems a little... 'youthful.'"
He'd successfully diverted Kushida's attention with a "misunderstanding," while also revealing an "iceberg" of his own experiences.
Sure enough, the murderous intent and wariness in Kushida's eyes gave way, just a little, to uncertainty. She scrutinized Natsukawa, as if trying to find a flaw in his calm, unreadable expression. "Who... who are you, really?"
"Just an ordinary student like you, trying to find his place at this school." Natsukawa deftly sidestepped the question, steering the conversation deeper. "But I'm curious, Kushida. You're so determined to be friends with everyone, even if it means suppressing your true self... What is it you ultimately want? Is it just the feeling of being surrounded by everyone and needed by them? Or is there... some other, more important goal?"
His question was like a key, trying to pry open the safe deep inside Kushida's heart.
Kushida fell silent for a moment, her expression shifting with conflicting emotions. Natsukawa's reaction was completely different from what she'd expected. His seemingly casual question had hit the heart of the matter, and there was something about him—something completely unlike anyone her age, something she couldn't quite make sense of. All of it stirred a trace of... curiosity in her, despite her anger.
"...I crave... recognition." She finally spoke in a low voice, with a faint, almost imperceptible vulnerability. "Everyone gets praised for things like coming first in exams or running fast when they're young, right? And I've always craved that praise—recognition—more than other people."
"So you're afraid they'll find out you're not perfect, right?"
That was the root of her warped ideal.
Natsukawa looked at her and slowly shook his head, his tone almost cruelly calm. "Building your sense of self-worth on other people's affection and need is like building a house on quicksand. The moment you can't maintain that perfect image, or someone more 'popular' comes along, everything will collapse. True strength and security come from having value and abilities that can't be replaced, not from an illusion built on relationships sustained by pleasing others."
His words crashed down like a heavy hammer on the belief Kushida had always relied on to survive.
"What was I supposed to do? I've known my limits for a long time. I want to be strong, too. It's not like I don't! I can only do the things no one else wants to because I can't keep up with them in grades or sports!"
Seeing Kushida lose her composure slightly, Natsukawa knew the first blow had landed. At the right moment, he steered the conversation elsewhere. "No, Kikyo. You've already become incredibly capable. The social skills and warmth you've honed through all your interactions over the past few years are beyond what most people can manage. The effort you've put in isn't just about pleasing others! It's a kindness unique to you, Kushida—something only a few people can understand!"
"That bunch of people in your class only use you as an emotional dumping ground. I'm the only one who's seen how much you're worth. Don't worry. You don't have to suppress who you are around me. This will be a secret between just the two of us."
Before you continue