Rejected Goodwill

Ever since Natsukawa handed the past exam papers over to Kushida to handle, she had been brimming with joy all afternoon. When school ended, she left in the company of her female classmates, her steps noticeably lighter than usual.

"Kikyo-chan, what good thing happened today? You look so happy," a girl walking with her asked curiously.

Kushida pressed her index finger to her lips, making a playful gesture of secrecy, while her large brown eyes sparkled with a mysterious and delighted glow. "It's a secret~ But you'll know tomorrow!" Her words were filled with certainty, as if she could already see the scene of her classmates surrounding her tomorrow, showering her with endless gratitude.

This sense of anticipation filling her heart caused her to wake up early the next day. The sky had only just begun to pale with the first light of dawn when she walked into the empty Class D classroom, clutching a large stack of test papers that had been printed just yesterday and still carried a faint scent of ink, completely unaware of what was about to happen to her.

There were only a few people in the classroom. Horikita Suzune sat in the back row with a cold, aloof expression, reading a book quietly; beside her, Sakura Airi was also sitting quietly at her desk, head bowed as she previewed her lessons; apart from them, one or two others were slumped over their desks catching up on sleep. The quiet atmosphere only made Kushida feel more like she was the one about to break this silence and bring hope to everyone.

She carefully placed the thick stack of papers on her desk, meticulously straightening the edges as if displaying a trophy, her face glowing with a satisfied and expectant smile.

Just then, the classroom door was pushed open, and Natsukawa Sosuke walked in. He seemed to have arrived earlier than usual today as well. His gaze swept casually across the classroom and quickly landed on the conspicuous stack of printed papers on Kushida's desk, as well as the undisguised excitement on her face.

Natsukawa's footsteps did not falter as he walked straight to the side of Kushida's seat. His shadow fell over the papers on the desk, bringing with it an invisible pressure.

"You aren't thinking of... handing these out to everyone right now, are you?" Natsukawa's voice was calm, revealing neither anger nor joy, but his black eyes were like deep pools, reflecting Kushida's overly radiant smile.

Kushida looked up, her smile still bright, carrying a hint of innocence that was hard to distinguish as real or fake. "Yes! Once everyone has these, they won't have to be so nervous or study so hard! Isn't that great?" She felt as if she could already hear the cheers and thanks she had imagined.

However, there was no sign of approval on Natsukawa's face. Instead, he locked onto her with a gaze that was almost pitying, yet carried a cold, oppressive weight. "Not nervous?... Is that the extent of your thinking?" His tone remained steady, but every word was like a small hammer, tapping gently against Kushida's heart.

The smile on Kushida's face froze instantly, and a trace of bewilderment and confusion surfaced. "What do you mean? If everyone doesn't have to study so nervously and arduously, is there... some kind of problem with that?" She could not understand Natsukawa's questioning.

Natsukawa did not answer immediately, instead taking a small step forward, silently invading the safe social distance Kushida was accustomed to. He was taller than her, and the angle from which he looked down brought a strong, suffocating sense of pressure. Kushida could even smell the faint scent of laundry detergent on him, which made her subconsciously want to step back, but her heels felt as if they were nailed to the floor.

"A problem?" Natsukawa repeated the word, his voice low but carrying a mockery that pierced through everything. "Kushida, do you see it? This atmosphere in the class right now—this atmosphere of being forced to unite due to a shared crisis and pressure—is so... precious." His gaze swept over the few figures in the classroom who had arrived early, whether out of anxiety or diligence.

"This is the first time everyone is truly attempting to unite and cooperate, not for fun, but for survival. Although clumsy, although chaotic, this is the first step they have taken on their own." His gaze returned to Kushida's face, which was losing its color, and he pointed a finger at her, his eyes as sharp as blades. "And you, you want to use these few sheets of paper to easily destroy it. That is the difference between you and me."

He paused, every word clearly striking Kushida's ears: "What you care about is the instant gratitude and smiles you get from them when they receive the papers. But what I see is how to guide them, to let them rely on their own strength to truly, steadily walk toward the future."

Finally, he said it almost like a verdict: "Kushida, kindness without thought is nothing more than the gentlest poison."

Boom--!

It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in her mind; Kushida felt the blood in her entire body freeze in an instant. The vibrant, energetic smile she had carefully maintained shattered completely, replaced by a pallor and panic of being utterly negated. Her excited spirit felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe, and even her fingertips turned cold.

"I... I didn't think that much..." Her voice trembled uncontrollably, her eyes darting away, not daring to look at Natsukawa's gaze, which felt like it could burn her. "I just wanted everyone to not have to work so hard... Is my approach... really that terrible?" The "give kindness, reap favor" model she had always relied on for survival seemed so shallow and... pathetic under Natsukawa's cold dissection.

Watching Kushida in this distraught, shattered state, Natsukawa's tone softened slightly, but the sharpness in his eyes did not diminish. "It's not terrible; it's shallow. You are used to using the simplest, most direct way to trade for smiles and thanks, but you never think about the cost behind it, or whether it truly has any long-term significance. It's like that usually, and it's like that now. It is precisely because of this that you accumulate too much pressure; an explosion is only a matter of time."

He delivered the final blow, the thing she cared about most: "The people who can truly be recognized and relied upon by everyone from the bottom of their hearts are always those who 'teach a man to fish,' rather than 'giving a man a fish.' Kikyo, you are still a long way from that goal."

"Teach a man to fish..." Kushida repeated the words in a murmur, her heart in complete chaos. Self-doubt surged like a tide, drowning her. She had always wanted to gain recognition from others through her actions, but in Natsukawa's eyes, her behavior was so shortsighted and cheap. The "kindness" she was so proud of had been belittled by him as "poison." The massive disparity made her almost unable to stand, and she subconsciously grabbed the edge of the table.

"I understand... then what should be done with these test papers..." Kushida had given up on thinking and began to seek Natsukawa's advice.

Seeing Kushida, whose spirit had been completely broken, her eyes vacant and even carrying a hint of pleading for guidance, Natsukawa knew the heat was just right. He said no more, reaching out to pull three copies from the stack of papers.

"Take the rest back and put them away for now," he commanded, his tone brook no argument.

Like a marionette, Kushida obediently gathered the remaining papers back into her arms, her movements stiff.

Natsukawa took the three papers and turned toward Horikita Suzune's seat. He placed one of them on Horikita's desk.

"These are the papers for the midterm exam," he said concisely.

Horikita looked up from her book, a flash of surprise and deep suspicion crossing her violet-red eyes. "Where did you get these?"

"Kushida bought them from a second-year senior," Natsukawa replied, his expression unchanging.

Her gaze subconsciously flickered toward the distraught Kushida over there. Although she couldn't hear the specific conversation earlier, she had seen Natsukawa's aggressive posture and the way Kushida's expression had turned from sunny to overcast. It was clear at a glance who held the initiative.