Vent

Horikita went to the supermarket on her own.

Suzuki Tsubame headed in the opposite direction.

Behind the dormitory, not far from the seaside, a continuous line of railings wrapped around almost the entire coastline.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Damn it! That bitch Horikita Suzune! Just because she's got a slutty face, who does she think she is, acting all high and mighty!"

Bang!

"And Suzuki Tsubame! You piece of trash! Two-faced bastard! Pretending to help me, only to make me watch you two dogs flaunt your love!"

Bang! Bang!

"And Ike and Yamauchi! You garbage! Scum of society! Go die already!"

These two had Kushida Kikyo this riled up in just three days—truly Kuroya Keisaku's handiwork.

Seeing that Kushida Kikyo had almost cooled down, Suzuki Tsubame figured it was time for him to make an entrance.

"Kushida-san, so you're here."

Suzuki Tsubame looked out of breath, raising a hand to wipe sweat from his forehead that had never been there.

"I saw you were upset earlier, searched for you for ages, finally found you. Are you okay?"

...Silence.

"Haha, thanks for your concern, Suzuki-san."

After a moment, Kushida Kikyo turned around with a smile, slowly approaching Suzuki Tsubame.

"You look really tired, Suzuki-san. Was it hard finding me?"

It was hard indeed—the shopping district was no short distance from here.

Poor thing, finding such a good spot in so little time.

Kushida Kikyo stepped closer, gently cupping Suzuki Tsubame's right hand with concern, her rose-red eyes brimming with care.

"I'm not..."

"But you know, Suzuki-san..."

The girl cut him off.

"There's not a single drop of sweat on your forehead!"

Her tone shifted abruptly.

The once caring, kind voice turned instantly sinister.

She grabbed Suzuki Tsubame's right hand and yanked it hard, pressing it firmly against her own chest.

Even with Suzuki Tsubame's peak human physique, he had no chance to resist!

"Huh?"

Feeling the soft, plush sensation against his right hand, Suzuki Tsubame was momentarily at a loss for words.

Thanks for the meal? Anyway, he was a bit stunned. Though, to be fair, this situation was entirely his own doing.

From the start, when Kushida Kikyo came to him for help, his intention had been to just breeze through the plot—after all, stalking wasn't exactly his forte.

Plans changed when he got the Universal Surveillance as a system reward yesterday; Suzuki Tsubame immediately wanted to test it out.

Horikita really was her nemesis—with her around, a little provocation was all it took to make her snap.

"This shirt already has your fingerprints on it. I'll keep it forever. If you dare tell anyone what just happened, I'll report you for assault and get you expelled!"

That line... Should I call this girl brainless?

Only someone naive would be scared. Forget that there's no camera in this dump, and ignore the obvious physical gap between a man and a woman—even if you think you're stronger than Suzuki Tsubame.

I came out so blatantly—aren't you worried I might be recording?

Because Suzuki Tsubame was taller, Kushida Kikyo had to look up to speak.

They were extremely close, almost pressed together.

The girl's warm breath, carried by her breathing, sprayed onto Suzuki Tsubame's face. His nose itched, and a faint, elusive fragrance drifted through the air.

"Uh, Kushida-san, I should remind you—this school uniform is made of very high-quality material. Ordinary fingerprints are hard to leave on it."

After saying that, Suzuki Tsubame, as if to prove it, casually rubbed the fabric.

"Mmh—you!"

A flush spread across Kushida Kikyo's face. She reached out both hands, trying to shove Suzuki Tsubame away.

But Suzuki Tsubame was faster, wrapping his arms around her and locking her tightly against him.

"You... let me go! Do you believe I'll scream right now!"

Kushida Kikyo panicked, her hands trapped in Suzuki Tsubame's embrace.

Her immense terror was also being compressed, like two flattened pancakes, making Suzuki Tsubame feel quite comfortable.

"Well, you picked this spot on purpose, didn't you? There's not a single person around for miles."

"You're really dumb, you know. Fingerprints and stuff aren't enough as evidence. I actually know a method that would definitely get you convicted outright."

Hearing this, Kushida Kikyo's heart turned ice-cold. She understood perfectly.

Why was her luck so terrible!

She'd finally managed to leave her old class, only to run into a former schoolmate. The worst part was that this person ended up in the same class as her.

Even worse, she'd been blind enough to choose this creep for help.

"Aren't you afraid Horikita will find out about this?"

Kushida Kikyo stubbornly spoke, never expecting... she'd have to borrow that damn woman's influence. She hoped he'd at least show some regard for his relationship with Horikita Suzune.

"Why would I be afraid of Suzune finding out?"

Suzuki Tsubame knew what she was asking, but that's how the script was written—he had to answer.

"Isn't Horikita your girlfriend? Doing this to another girl behind your girlfriend's back."

"Where did you get the idea that Suzune and I are dating?"

Suzuki Tsubame's face was full of question marks. After she made the same expression, he continued:

"Suzune likes cooking. I just transfer points to her and ask her to make a portion for me too."

"Then... then why did you say next month you'd..."

"It's because I made a bet with her. If I lose, I become her slave; if she loses, she becomes my maid."

So that was it. It seemed Horikita hadn't told him about her own matters—she'd misunderstood everything.

Kushida Kikyo's heart was filled with bitterness.

Thinking about it now seemed useless. Her leverage was completely in his hands. Her college life hadn't even started, and it was already shrouded in darkness...

While the girl was lost in her thoughts, Suzuki Tsubame was thinking about something else.

Kushida Kikyo's venting sessions were completely irregular because of his arrival, and since Universal Surveillance still had major uses and couldn't lock onto her for long periods, he'd decided to seize her leverage early.

First, he'd arranged to meet both her and Horikita at a café, then provoked Kushida to make her find an empty place to vent, while Universal Surveillance tracked Kushida Kikyo the whole time. This made it very easy for Suzuki Tsubame to find her.

To avoid arousing Horikita's suspicion, Suzuki Tsubame deliberately had Kushida Kikyo arrive late. By the time Kushida wanted to leave, Horikita's drink was almost finished.

As for why Suzuki Tsubame wanted to trigger Kushida Kikyo early, it was simple.

You see, in Ayanokoji's hands, Kushida Kikyo was nothing but a tool, with zero growth. She was used entirely as a whetstone for Horikita Suzune, then discarded once the sharpening was done.

Suzuki Tsubame's goal was simply to complete the quest tied to her. After all, the system was so generous—if he got one hundred percent completion, wouldn't he be invincible!

Completing the quest was actually simple. Kushida Kikyo loved being praised by others and enjoyed being adored by the crowd.

But her personal ability wasn't enough, so she settled for making friends with everyone to gain that adoration and liking.

The most effective way to complete the quest was to make Kushida Kikyo excellent on her own.

Her current misfortune stemmed entirely from a lack of ability.

As long as he supported her and made her the class leader, being adored was inevitable.

Their thoughts diverged, and an awkward silence fell between them.

"Speaking of which, what exactly happened between you and Horikita?"

His question broke the silence between them—that atmosphere was torture for both sides.

The softness of certain parts of the girl, combined with a scent that could be sweat or perfume, made Suzuki Tsubame almost unable to hold back his rising urge.

"I didn't know Horikita before. Can you let me go first?"

Suzuki Tsubame didn't do as she wished.

"From the way you two treat each other, it's hard for anyone with eyes not to notice."

"Well, just tell me. Maybe I'll help you?"

"Help me? Is this how you're helping me? Do you think I'd believe you?" the girl said with disgust.

She couldn't trust the guy in front of her anymore.