He Threatened Me into Being His Mom (Two-Part Chapter)

As the distance drew closer, the girl's aura began to waft through the air.

Although there was an extra layer of shampoo scent, Sakura Airi had sniffed carefully once, could still clearly distinguish the scent from Asakusa Toru among the mixed smells.

... Are you really alright?

A slight conflict arose between her doubts and her complete trust in Kushida Kikyo.

But the conflict soon came to an end.

Trust is the key to victory.

It was Sakura Airi's complete trust in Kushida Kikyo.

Yeah, what are you worried about? That's Kushida know!

Everyone likes her, everyone loves her, she gets along so well with everyone, she's universally loved, and to this day, no one has ever spoken ill of her, and no one has ever taken the initiative to say anything bad about her.

How could Kushida possibly harm her?

"What's wrong?" Seemingly noticing her unusual reaction, Kushida Kikyo tilted her head and asked softly, "You don't look well."

Sakura Airi quickly shook her head:

"No, it's nothing!"

"Let's go first! Let's go to my dorm..." she said, grabbing the schoolbag that Kushida Kikyo had helped her pack, and turning to leave with her head down.

She felt a little guilty.

Although she knew that Kushida Kikyo couldn't read minds and didn't know that she had just suspected her, she still felt a little guilty.

"..."

Sakura Airi walked briskly ahead, her slender fingers gripping her schoolbag strap tightly. Behind her, Kushida Kikyo followed her steps, smiling and greeting other students from Class D or other classes they encountered along the way.

They've become the focus of attention.

I want to get back to my dorm as soon as possible.

My pace quickened again; as long as I lowered my head and pretended not to see, I wouldn't feel too anxious.

Soon, Sakura Airi stepped into the small elevator lobby, where the presence of only the two of them made her feel safe again.

"Call..."

The elevator arrived at the floor. I held the Room Key Card against the door, and with a soft beep, the dormitory door finally opened.

"Please, please come in..." She turned around, inviting Kushida Kikyo to step into her space.

Sakura had been considering whether she should tidy up the room beforehand.

After all, there were quite a few clothes belonging to 'Shizuku' in the house.

But then she thought, since she was already planning to discuss it with Kushida Kikyo, this kind of thing was even less important.

So she opened the door to her dormitory.

Kushida Kikyo stepped inside, followed by Sakura Airi.

Despite it being her first visit to her dormitory, Kushida Kikyo did not show any obvious curiosity or try to pry into her living space.

This made Sakura Airi breathe a slight sigh of relief.

However, when Kushida Kikyo sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the empty seat next to her to signal her to sit down as well, she became nervous again.

"..."

"Alright, you can tell me what's wrong now." She said with a gentle smile, "This matter is troubling Sakura, isn't it?"

"Mmm, mmm..." Nodding, she obediently sat down, following the others' lead.

After hesitating for a moment, without starting with her identity as a print idol or the rooftop incident, she waved her hands to describe Asakusa Toru's physical features.

After thinking it over carefully, Sakura Airi belatedly realized that Asakusa Toru was actually... quite handsome.

"... Kushida, do you... do you know him?" she asked.

"I know him." With a smile, Kushida Kikyo nodded slightly. "You're Asakusa- kun, right?"

As she spoke, she opened her terminal, scrolled through it briefly, and then opened a photo, which she showed to Sakura:

"Is this him? Asakusa Toru?"

On the screen was a face yawning, looking utterly bored, and positioned quite close to the camera.

"Yes, yes!" Sakura Airi nodded vigorously, confirming the matter.

A hint of amusement flickered in Kushida Kikyo's eyes. She turned off the screen, casually put away the terminal, and took another step closer to Sakura.

"Does Sakura like Asakusa- kun? Is that why you came to me for advice because you want to confess to him?"

This wasn't too surprising; she had received quite a few relationship advice requests from her classmates and friends.

However, she vaguely remembered Sakura denying that this was a topic of romance.

"No, that's not it!" Sakura Airi couldn't quite get the words out. "It's... it's that..."

To be precise, she couldn't figure out how to say it or where to start.

Although she had thought about it before coming, when she actually arrived at the scene, her mind went completely blank.

"Take your time," Kushida Kikyo reassured her, beginning to guide her. "If it's not love, then what did he do?"

Sakura Airi: "Mmm, mmm..."

"Is it... about today?" she asked again.

Sakura Airi: "Hmm."

After receiving affirmative answers to both questions, a strange light flickered in Kushida Kikyo's eyes.

Today?

Not to mention that she had checked Asakusa Toru's location every break since morning, from Sakura's perspective, she also remembered that Sakura Airi hadn't left the classroom in the morning or afternoon.

The only time when you might be able to do anything is during lunch break.

That is, when she confirmed that Asakusa Toru's location was still 'school building'.

What did this man do now?

She bit her lower lip, her small hand unconsciously clenching Sakura's bedsheet, rubbing her fingertips together repeatedly, then releasing it before continuing to speak:

"Did he see your secret?"

This is an unfounded, intuitive deduction.

But it hit the target.

"Yes, yes!" Sakura Airi's eyes lit up; she knew that Kushida was someone who could connect with her on a deeper level!

As expected, Kushida was the right decision!

Taking her hand, Kushida Kikyo turned her head to look directly into Sakura Airi's eyes and asked softly:

"If you could, could you tell me about Sakura's... secret?"

Such sincere eyes, such an honest gaze, such a charming face that inspires trust.

Looking at Kushida Kikyo like this, Sakura Airi couldn't help but let out all the thoughts she had been keeping hidden in her heart.

Loneliness, yearning, and suppressed deep in my heart.

Feelings of inferiority, aspirations, and unspoken desires.

Her 'Two-Faced'.

"..."

Kushida Kikyo listened quietly, holding Sakura Airi's hand, her thumb rubbing against her soft palm, and just listened.

Upon closer listening, it's surprising to Sakura Airi and she actually look somewhat alike.

What she sought was less about avoiding Loneliness and more about receiving attention and adulation like an idol.

In short, it's a sense of superiority.

To admire, to like, to pay attention to.

The resulting sense of superiority.

But this sense of superiority is something that the 'inferiority complex' of Sakura Airi cannot obtain, and this brilliance is something that the shadowy Sakura Airi cannot reach.

So she created a mask, a mask named Shizuku.

... Ah, aside from not causing any major accidents, Sakura Airi actually perfectly fits the description of the Two-Faced Person in the Diary.

That's quite an ambiguous statement.

Kushida Kikyo scoffed inwardly at her initial diary entry and the self she had come to identify with, then shook her head and turned her attention back to Sakura Airi.

"As expected, Sakura is really amazing." She exclaimed with utmost sincerity, "To be a gravure idol in junior high school, Sakura is really pretty, isn't she?"

"If I dressed up a little and went to class sometime, the whole school would be shocked."

"Eh, I, I can't do it..." Although she said that, it was obvious that Sakura was very pleased with the praise.

Who doesn't like being praised? Especially when a girl like Kushida Kikyo says she's pretty.

"But... how did Asakusa-kun discover your secret?" Asakusa Kushida Kikyo frowned slightly, feigning thought. "Did she just happen to find your blog? Or did she see you in a magazine before and realize it when she saw you?"

Asakusa Toru actually has the time to go on blogs looking for print idols; he really has a lot of free time.

"No, I don't know..." Sakura Airi shook her head. "He said he was my fan, and then..."

"It's... that..."

Gritting her teeth, thinking that since things had already come to this point, she might as well say it all at once, Sakura Airi closed her eyes and said:

"--He saw me changing clothes on the rooftop and even took a picture!"

Kushida Kikyo: "...?"

Ha?

Chapter 159 He Threatened Me to Be His Mother (Part 2)

Wait, did Sakura Airi just say something outrageous?

Reflect, recall, confirm.

She heard correctly.

But that makes it even more baffling.

No, huh? How come you were seen changing clothes and even had photos taken?

And... it was on the rooftop?!

... Although she doesn't seem to have much right to say such things.

But the mere mention of the word "rooftop" nearly triggered a stress reaction in Kushida Kikyo.

If it weren't for the fact that she needed to maintain a certain image in front of her classmates, she probably would have already overreacted.

"..." With a slightly stiff expression, Kushida Kikyo said, "Did you see that the rooftop door was open and thought it was a good place to take pictures, so you brought your clothes over to take pictures? But even though the electronic door was powered on and properly closed, he still opened the door and came in while you were changing clothes, saw it, and even took pictures?"

With a swift, breathless cadence, Kushida Kikyo described Sakura Airi's ordeal.

It felt just like being there in person.

Immersive experience.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Sakura Airi thought Kushida Kikyo's description was incredibly accurate, and she nodded vigorously. "It's exactly as you described, Kushida!"

"So I'm really annoyed right now!"

Haha, I'm really annoyed too!

Hearing Sakura's words, Kushida Kikyo chuckled inwardly.

How could it be a rooftop?

Why is it the rooftop again?

... Did this guy's mother secretly install a camera on the rooftop so he could catch any woman who fell into this 'trap'?