Kushida: I'm Just as Good as They Are! / Kushida Kikyo: It's My First Kiss

Upon hearing this, Hashiba Hikaru paused slightly, her expression somewhat puzzled.

He certainly knew what the girl meant by the secret, but it was actually a hidden bomb; otherwise, Kushida Kikyo wouldn't have become a die-hard fan of Horikita Suzune.

"If Kushida is trying to fish for me, I'm not taking the bait." The boy shrugged, feigning disinterest. "I have absolutely no interest in your secrets."

"That's good. I hope you can keep it up."

Kushida tried to make his expression cold and hard, but his heart was filled with a chaotic mix of emotions.

"Here we go again..."

Seeing the conflict in the short-haired girl's eyes, Hashiba Hikaru couldn't help but think of their meeting on the Cruise Ship. At that time, she clearly looked like she had something to ask, but in the end, she didn't say anything.

This time was no different; he could sense Kushida Kikyo's unease, not just because of Horikita Suzune, but perhaps for other deeper reasons.

"What? It's happening again?" Upon hearing this, the pretty, delicate-looking girl with short hair suddenly looked up.

"Seriously, Kushida and Horikita- san are both pretty awkward people, just like me."

Hashiba Hikaru Kushida the warm water in her glass in one gulp and said softly, "I think you probably guessed, Horikita- kun wouldn't be saying anything important during our meeting today, right?"

"There must be a more important reason why you took the initiative to meet with me, but you won't say it outright. Do you want me to guess?"

I don't understand what you're saying.

Kushida's heart skipped a beat. This was the reason for her unease, because Hashiba Hikaru could always keenly sense her inner anxiety, just like she had done several times before.

"Okay, let me guess then, I don't know if I'll be right."

Based on Hashiba Hikaru Kushida Kikyo, this girl has an extremely strong hidden personality. So even if she pretends to be easy to get along with on the surface, you have to touch the things she cares about most in order to get her to compromise.

The secret that Horikita Suzune possessed was an open secret between the two of them, but it was clear that her ambiguous attitude during these communications had nothing to do with Horikita, but was caused by other reasons.

"Hmph, then guess. I'd like to hear how you plan to use your sweet talk." Kushida Kikyo touched her hair, staring intently at Hashiba Hikaru's face.

"Hmm... let me think."

Reflecting on his understanding of Kushida Kikyo, the boy shared his guess.

"My guess is that Kushida might be feeling uneasy right now, and the reason for that unease might be because of our working relationship. Although we've been through a lot together, we're not in the same class, so you know we can't completely share information."

Hashiba Hikaru carefully observed the girl's expression while crafting her words.

His initiative in taking on this topic wasn't out of boredom to offer psychological counseling to Kushida Kikyo, but rather to boost her stock price. After all, with an issuance of 5,000 shares, the returns would be substantial regardless of how much the stock price rose.

"That's why you care about my attitude. After all, fear comes from the unknown and uncertainty. If I lean towards Horikita, you'll worry that one day I might find out that secret and even use it to blackmail you. If I don't lean towards Horikita, you'll worry about how long this cooperation agreement between us will last. If it ends, then Kushida will lose the opportunity to find out about Horikita."

"Whichever it is, it will create uncertainty in Kushida's mind."

After saying this, Hashiba Hikaru stared at Kushida Kikyo's expression, a smile playing on her lips.

"So, was my guess right?"

"..."

After listening to the boy's analysis, Kushida Kikyo was deeply shaken. Although his answer wasn't entirely correct, she had actually guessed most of the points.

Furthermore, by bringing it up so proactively, Hashiba Hikaru was essentially giving the girl a way out, allowing her to accept this line of thinking and express her own inner thoughts.

The other party had done this many times before, so Kushida's earlier memories immediately surfaced in his mind.

Immediately afterwards, she suddenly stood up from Hashiba Hikaru's bed and walked step by step to the boy.

"What's wrong, Kushida?"

"As expected of Classmate Hashiba, he really knows how to charm girls."

Kushida Kikyo felt an uncontrollable urge to get closer to the other person. Although her tone was still firm, she stared intently at the boy's handsome face without blinking.

"I was just doing an analysis, how can that be considered lying?"

Hashiba Hikaru looked at Kushida Kikyo, who was so close to him, and her familiar scent filled his nostrils.

Unlike Ichinose Honami and Sakura Airi, she possesses a unique allure, a captivating contrast between her gentle and aloof demeanor.

"Hmph, then do you want to see what this is?"

After realizing her own desires, Kushida Kikyo decided to confront him directly.

What is it?

Hashiba Hikaru curiously lowered her head and saw the short-haired girl take out her phone. After she opened the photo album, a clear picture popped up.

"The stalking I just mentioned wasn't a one-time thing."

"..."

Chapter 226 Kushida: I'm no worse than them!

After seeing the photo clearly, Hashiba Hikaru's expression changed drastically.

The photo shows the boy and Sakura Airi embracing on a Luxury Cruise Ship. The shy red-haired girl has her head pressed tightly against his chest, while Hashiba Hikaru has her arms around her waist.

"Well, did I say something wrong?" Kushida smirked as he noticed the change in the boy's expression. "You're already with Ichinose, yet you're still so close to other girls."

When did you take this picture?

"It was on the Cruise Ship. I was bored at night, so I came out for a walk and that's when I saw Classmate Hashiba. I was planning to sneak up on him and surprise you, but I didn't expect to see this."

Kushida Kikyo was indeed telling the truth. After witnessing that scene firsthand, she was quite shocked that her classmate, Sakura Airi, who had always been Akito, actually had such a close relationship with Hashiba Hikaru.

"So what are you trying to say by showing me this photo? Are you trying to blackmail me?"

Upon seeing the photo, Hashiba Hikaru was shocked that this guy actually dared to take pictures. Who knows what might happen if others saw it?

Hearing the boy's voice suddenly turn icy cold, Kushida Kikyo's heart skipped a beat, but she still forced herself to say, "Of course not, I just wanted to say that since we both have sides that can't be known by others, perhaps our future cooperation can be more stable."

"Hehe."

A disdainful smile appeared on Hashiba Hikaru's lips as she immediately retorted, "While I'm not entirely sure what you're up to, I hate being threatened."

"If I remember correctly, this photo was taken before Ichinose and I officially announced our relationship. As for using it as leverage, it might not be very effective, Kushida."

"But you haven't completely cut off contact with Sakura yet, have you?"

Kushida Kikyo continued to defend herself, explaining that she wasn't pulling out the photo to blackmail Hashiba Hikaru, but rather to get a clear statement from her that she would absolutely not end the collaboration.

Similarly, the short-haired girl had another selfish motive. Although she knew that Hashiba Hikaru might be two-timing, she didn't really care. On the contrary, it made it easier for her to get what she wanted.

"..."

Hashiba Hikaru didn't answer the question directly, but said coldly, "It seems you didn't listen to what I just said. I was clearly thinking about Kushida, but you insisted on making the situation so awkward."

"That's not what I meant."

"So what do you want to do?"

Although the current situation isn't a major disaster, this photo could affect the stock prices of both companies, so Hashiba Hikaru has to be extra careful.

After experiencing such a cold and piercing attitude from Hashiba Hikaru for the first time, Kushida Kikyo's face turned a little pale. However, she was also someone who would never give up until she achieved her goal, so she would not back down after going this far.

"I hope you'll always be on my side..."

She took another step forward, almost touching Hashiba Hikaru's chest.

"If you agree, I'll delete this photo immediately. There are no backups of it, and I haven't shown it to anyone else." Kushida lowered his head, his voice suddenly becoming very soft. "Do you understand what I mean?"

"..."

After hearing this explanation, Hashiba Hikaru looked somewhat surprised.

He never expected that Kushida's final point of contact would be here. This statement had no preconditions; Kushida neither mentioned Horikita Suzune nor the class competition.

He simply said he wanted to be on her side.

If that's the case, could it be that she is...?

"Does Classmate Hashiba understand what I'm thinking now?"

Kushida pressed his small head against Hashiba Hikaru's chest, and after the physical contact, the girl immediately felt a sense of security, even though she had no right to do so.

"... Is that how it is?"

After hearing the other party's statement, Hashiba Hikaru realized that she had misunderstood. She thought that Kushida Kikyo was trying to use this method to threaten her into making a compromise in order to eliminate her inner unease.

But now that he knows what she's thinking, the boy feels that he's always had the upper hand and has never lost it.

"Aren't you going to answer my question?" Kushida Kikyo felt the warmth of the other person's embrace and squeezed forward again.

"Oh, I see. So I misunderstood Kushida just now?"

Hashiba Hikaru dropped his earlier cold attitude. He wasn't stupid; since Kushida had already gone this far, his meaning was quite clear.

"And the answer?" Kushida Kikyo kept her head down, because she felt her heart beating very fast and she didn't dare to look into the other person's eyes.

"Alright then, I agree to stand by Kushida's side from now on. Our cooperation will continue, so you don't need to worry that I'll give up halfway."

"Really?"

Kushida Kikyo looked up, and only then did Hashiba Hikaru notice that the short-haired girl's face was flushed, and her eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Real."

"Alright, I'll delete the photo right away." Kushida Kikyo deleted the photo from her phone as quickly as possible, then handed her phone to Hashiba Hikaru for inspection.

"It seems our cooperation has deepened again. Building a stronger relationship of trust wouldn't be a bad thing."

After carefully examining the other person's phone, Hashiba Hikaru quickly returned it to her.

"Indeed, that puts my mind at ease."

After putting her phone away, Kushida Kikyo stared intently at Hashiba Hikaru's face.

"Aren't you afraid I'll change my mind?" Seeing the watery light in the girl's eyes, the boy suddenly wanted to tease her.

"Heh, if you go back on your word, you'll only be the one who suffers."

Why do you say that?

Hashiba Hikaru didn't quite understand at first, but he quickly grasped the meaning of those words.

Because in the next second, Kushida Kikyo had already squeezed into Hashiba Hikaru's arms. The girl stood on tiptoe, stretched out her arms and hooked them around his neck, her soft, warm, and proud body pressed directly against his chest.

"As for those two-timing perverts, I'm no less than them."

Kushida Kikyo rubbed her body against Hashiba Hikaru's chest, a seductive smile playing on her lips. At first, the girl was a little timid, but after truly embracing Hashiba Hikaru intimately, the burning passion in her heart told her the answer.

"I see."

"And the answer?"

The short-haired girl's gaze was fixed directly on Hashiba Hikaru's face. Ever since she first realized that she didn't mind being intimate with him, this feeling had become more and more real.

"I won't go back on my word."

"So... aren't you going to hold me tight?"

Although Kushida Kikyo's voice isn't loud, it's really hard to resist when combined with her gentle and charming tone.

Hashiba Hikaru reached out and wrapped his arms around the other person's slender waist. He glanced at the System Bar, where two new messages had popped up.

[After your therapeutic talk, Kushida Kikyo's anxiety has lessened considerably, and she cares about you even more. Kushida Kikyo Stock has risen by 30, currently standing at 140.]

[After Kushida Kikyo's confrontation, your response satisfied her. Kushida Kikyo intends to confront her inner desires and hopes you will always be on her side. Kushida Kikyo Stock rose by 40, currently standing at 180.]

After reading the system message, the boy's feelings suddenly became very complicated. He never expected that today's private conversation would take such a dramatic turn and end in this way.

The first photo in the "Life Album" already revealed the future; if things continue like this, it's possible that we'll really reach that ending.

After the last divination, Hashiba Hikaru has decided to confront her own heart.

"Then please take care of me from now on, Classmate Hashiba." Kushida Kikyo gave him a sweet peck on the cheek, her face beaming with a charming smile.

"... Um."

Chapter 227 Kushida Kikyo: This was my first kiss

Although he had hugged Kushida Kikyo several times before, those times were under completely different conditions than this time. That is, after she revealed her true feelings, although it was not explicitly stated, the distance between the two of them had genuinely changed.

The previous interactions weren't without effect; Hashiba Hikaru didn't dislike Kushida Kikyo, and even found her personality quite interesting. After learning about Kikyo's feelings, the transition in their relationship went relatively smoothly.

Gently holding the soft body in his arms, the boy was sorting out his thoughts.

He might regret not making a choice, but since he has made a choice, he should strive for a perfect future. This is what he thinks in his heart now.