Scheming in the real world? I can also do a little.

Heh, how interesting.

After placing the slippers that were two sizes too small for him back by the door, he put his own comfortable pair back on.

As for the fact that Ryuen Shoko had just stepped on them? Did that even matter?

He wasn't some kind of simp; licking her feet earlier had been forced by the situation, and he hadn't been the least bit willing.

Er... alright, maybe, possibly, should, probably there was a tiny bit of willingness, yeah, really just a tiny bit, a tiny bit the width of two fingers.

But regardless, the fact that he had successfully played Ryuen Shoko made him feel exceptionally refreshed, and combined with a full stomach, this sense of satisfaction was a 1+1 bonus. Even sweeping up the sunflower seed shells on the floor made him feel incredibly happy.

After getting everything cleaned up, he checked his phone to make sure there were no new messages, then hugged the Arrow of Time and went to bed to read.

It was truly great that there was nothing else to do on the third day; how joyous, how joyous.

"Ugh! Mmph..."

What Hoya Chukai didn't know was that Ryuen Shoko had started vomiting the moment she returned to her room.

It wasn't that she had drunk too much, but rather that she had drunk too aggressively.

The food had been so spicy that she simply couldn't handle it.

"Damn it, you really are something, Hoya Chukai."

Splashing water on her face at the sink, Ryuen Shoko forced herself to calm down.

She looked up at her own disheveled reflection; how long had it been since she was like this?

"You're quite the patient one, kid..."

She stripped off her clothes and tossed them into the washing machine, then found a bottle of mineral water in her room and downed it in one go.

Even now, the lingering heat of the spice hadn't faded from her mouth. Her cheeks were flushed like a sunset, but this wasn't from shyness—it was purely from the spice.

Her entire face was flushed, and as she twisted her body, her joints popped with a cracking sound.

"No, I need to calm down."

Taking a change of clothes from the closet, Ryuen Shoko went straight into the bathroom to take a cold shower.

Standing quietly under the spray, feeling the cold water wash over her, Ryuen Shoko couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hoya Chukai, you really are something. Just you wait; sooner or later, I'll make you know who the real boss of Class C is."

A look of obsessive fanaticism gradually appeared on her face. Just the thought of being able to step on Hoya Chukai and force him to thoroughly acknowledge himself as her lapdog made her feel incredibly exhilarated.

Nothing was more interesting than destruction.

"When the time comes, I'll make you a proper dog, a lapdog that only knows how to lick."

As she spoke, her hand couldn't help but drift downward, and before long, soft, suggestive sounds began to emanate from the bathroom.

Perhaps sometimes, people are only a single step away from madness.

Hoya Chukai didn't know he had been targeted by Ryuen Shoko, though in his view, he had probably been targeted a long time ago.

But what did that matter? He just wanted to relax properly for now.

"You really worked hard today, Kushida. I know, Ayanokoji is indeed a difficult little princess to deal with, but with you and Ichinose there, I'm very relieved."

While looking at the Arrow of Time in his hand, he was on a voice call with Kushida Kikyo.

This phone had many functions; besides mobile payments, it naturally had voice calling. He was currently listening to Kushida talk about how she and Ichinose had helped Ayanokoji today.

Ayanokoji had serious issues, so she really needed people's help. Kushida and Ichinose were helping her very enthusiastically, which could be considered a way for her to experience the beauty of friendship as early as possible.

Childhood is the easiest time to shape a personality because they are like a blank sheet of paper, and it's simple to draw on a blank sheet. Once they grow up and become colored paper, it's not easy to change them to another color.

Ayanokoji was the same; having escaped from the White Room, she was currently a blank sheet of paper. If everyone treated her with warmth, perhaps she would become a bit gentler.

But unfortunately, according to the original story, her initial days didn't go very well; she was a fringe character in Class D.

She had also thought about becoming a student who attracted attention, but that pathetic self-introduction led to her complete failure. She was different from Hachiman Hikigaya; Hachiman was unwilling to communicate and chose to seal himself off like a cocoon, while she simply didn't know how to make friends.

She craved friendship, but as she gradually discovered that she could survive without it, she became cold-blooded instead.

Friendship? Is it useful? Can't I still live without it?

It was only after gradually realizing the truth that she became so indifferent. After all, her blank sheet of paper had already been dyed gray, so how could it ever turn into a warm-toned sheet?

"Let's leave it at that for today, then? Bye-bye~"

"Alright, goodbye."

After ending the call with Kushida, Hoya Chukai let out a sigh of relief.

Very good. At this rate, Ayanokoji would become increasingly easy to control.

Once she experienced friendship, she would gradually be willing to grasp onto emotions. Besides, in this life, she was still a girl, and girls were more sentimental and easier to handle.

"Beep beep beep!"

Just as he was thinking this, his phone suddenly rang. Someone had sent a text message.

He opened it and took a look; it was from a girl in his class.

'Kushida Kikyo snuck out.'

Hmm? Moving this fast? It seems the pressure I've put on her over the last two days has been quite significant.

Hoya Chukai quickly put on his shoes and hurried out of the room.

"Do you know which direction she went?"

"It looked like she headed toward the playground."

Excellent. With that intel, Hoya Chukai rushed toward the playground, and it didn't take long for him to spot Kushida Kikyo walking there.

The dormitory building housed both male and female students, just separated into two halves. Hoya Chukai had jumped off his bed and slipped on his shoes before dashing out, so catching up to Kushida wasn't difficult.

After all, she couldn't afford to look like she was in a rush; she didn't want to draw any attention to herself.

But she hadn't expected to be exposed so quickly. Someone had tipped Hoya Chukai off, allowing him to notice her movements and tail her from a distance, keeping her in his sights without getting too close.

His method of tailing was simple: he pulled his hat low, draped a jacket over his shoulders, and kept about twenty meters of distance between them. He kept his head down, pretending to play on his phone, but his eyes remained locked on Kushida Kikyo.

Chapter 36: Fingerprint Girl, You're Playing with Fire

Kushida Kikyo's path was very purposeful; it was clear she knew exactly where she was going.

Gradually, Hoya Chukai slowed his pace. They were moving further and further away from the bustling areas.

Where was this? The back hill.

The "back hill" wasn't actually a mountain—after all, the school was surrounded by the sea—it was just a small slope referred to as a hill.

Why the slope existed, Hoya Chukai didn't know, but it was truly deserted here; nobody ever came to this spot.

Unless someone planned to run a lap around the island, it was impossible to stumble upon this place.

Kushida Kikyo's destination was clearly this back hill.

And Hoya Chukai remained not far behind her, secretly observing the situation.

It was very quiet here. The absence of the noisy streets made the area feel desolate, and the only sound to be heard was Kushida Kikyo's cursing.

Yes, cursing.

Kushida Kikyo was different from Ichinose. Ichinose was a genuine little angel, while she was a fake. Everything about her was a facade constructed to make herself popular.

Compared to Ayanokoji's mask, hers was incredibly successful. If no one were to uncover this scene, perhaps no one would ever realize she was actually such a wicked woman.

She cursed many people: the school, The Three Idiots, Koenji, Horikita, Hirata, various girls, and that included Ayanokoji.

"Why the hell did that bastard princess have to escape? Does he have any idea how much of a burden he's added to my plate? Dealing with those bitchy girls every day is exhausting enough, and now I have to look after a naive brat like you. Can't you just stay in your ivory tower where you belong?"

After finishing with Ayanokoji, she moved on to Hoya Chukai, since he was the one who had dumped this trouble on her.

"And you, Hoya Chukai, you bastard. You just dump your problems on me, don't you? Saying it's hard for a boy to handle certain things—what a load of crap. She just doesn't understand social interaction, not human biology. What else do you want to say? All you do is seduce women; you've flirted with girls from all four classes, you jerk. Why didn't that crazy woman Ryuen just beat you to death?"

He hadn't expected to be included, and Hoya Chukai found himself listening even more intently.

He wasn't actually annoyed at being cursed; after all, he had indeed intended to offload the trouble onto someone else by having Kushida Kikyo take over Ayanokoji. But he hadn't expected her to have such a repertoire; she had been cursing him for five minutes straight without repeating a single insult.

Oh, wait, she had been at it for an hour, so his share was only one-twelfth of the total—not that much, really.

Still, it had only been three days; was the pressure really that high?

And it was so cold outside; didn't she feel the chill?

Although spring had arrived a while ago, the nighttime temperatures were still quite biting. Hoya Chukai regretted wearing such thin clothing.

His nose felt itchy, and before he could stop himself, he let out a massive sneeze.

"Achoo!"

"Who's there!"

The sound of the sneeze was piercingly loud in the quiet environment. Hearing the noise, Kushida, who had been in the middle of her rant, immediately snapped in anger.

Well, that was that. Exposed.

Hoya Chukai had been wondering when he would be found out, but he hadn't expected it to happen now. He had wanted to hear what else she had to say about him; the woman had a silver tongue, cursing for so long and targeting so many people without ever repeating herself.

This was a precious learning opportunity; he should have paid closer attention so he could teach Albert how to curse Totsuka later.

What a shame. If he'd known, he would have held it in.

Hoya Chukai emerged from behind a fake rock. "Yo. You've been cursing for an hour now—aren't you cold? Achoo! This weather is ridiculous, hot in the day and freezing at night."

"You... how long have you been eavesdropping?"

Upon realizing it was Hoya Chukai, Kushida Kikyo's expression shifted drastically. She knew she had been cursing him for a long time, and she hadn't even moved on to a new target yet—the man himself had arrived.

His words suggested he might have heard everything from the very beginning. If he hadn't sneezed, she might not have known how long he'd been listening.

"How long? Since you started cursing the school, I suppose. And you're not wrong; this school really is a bunch of idiots."

He pulled a tissue from his pocket to blow his nose before continuing. "But I'm surprised. I could sense that your gentleness was a facade, but I never imagined your true colors were like this. Tsk, tsk. If the unsuspecting students found out who you really are, I wonder what kind of existence you'd become."

"You... you stalker! You pervert! You're shameless!"

"Yeah, yeah. Honestly, listening to you curse me earlier, I think you were spot on. Have you considered becoming a talk show host in the future? Or a film critic? Your critiques are sharp, and your delivery is great. An hour of non-stop insults without a single repeat—where did you learn that? Your technique is impressive."

Hoya Chukai genuinely felt the woman had a talent for rhetoric, but to Kushida Kikyo, it sounded like mockery.

"You... you bastard, I'm telling you, don't you dare tell anyone else."

"Uh... you're not allowed to tell anyone else?"

Hoya Chukai tilted his head slightly. "Are you serious? My mouth is on my face, not yours. Do you really think just because you say 'don't tell anyone' that I won't?"

"If you tell anyone, I'll just say you molested me."

"Give me a break. You? Molested by me? Who would believe that? You don't have a shred of evidence."

Watching Kushida Kikyo step closer and closer, Hoya Chukai couldn't help but let out a scoff.

Molested? Who would believe it? Is there any proof? Without proof, it's all nonsense; be careful or I'll have my lawyer sue you for defamation.

"You say there's no proof, right? Well, what about now!"

Suddenly, Kushida Kikyo lunged at Hoya Chukai, and having a beauty fall into his arms caught him off guard for a moment.

To be fair, as a man who has been single his entire life and never dated, what does it feel like to suddenly have a beauty in your arms?

Fragrant, truly fragrant; the scent of body wash and shampoo quietly drifted into his nostrils.

Soft, truly soft; the beauty's supple skin pressed against him, and the few layers of fabric were simply unable to mask that sensation.

"Like this, there's proof now, right? My clothes have your fingerprints on them."

Grabbing Hoya Chukai's hands and placing them firmly against her chest, the fierce, pouty look in Kushida Kikyo's eyes showed she was serious.

But watching this scene, Hoya Chukai couldn't help but sigh. "Do you really think anyone would believe this in a school filled with surveillance cameras?"

"Heh, I've already checked. There are no cameras here at all."

"Is that so? Well, little girl... do you know that you're playing with fire?"

Chapter 37: Suddenly attacking and then suddenly stopping, what exactly are you trying to do?

Bang!

With a dull thud, Kushida Kikyo felt a stinging pain behind her.

What just happened? She... was pushed down?