Silent Evidence and Spreading Panic

That night, Kushida Kikyo couldn't sleep.

She lay in her dark dorm room with her eyes wide open, not the slightest bit sleepy.

The ceiling was only a vague outline in the darkness, but Natsume Yu's face, wearing that gentle smile, was terrifyingly clear in her mind.

Every word he had said, every syllable, seemed set on an endless loop, playing over and over beside her ears.

Blog.

Diary.

Secret.

Kikyo.

How could this be?

How did he know?!

The question was like an invisible hand gripping her heart tightly, leaving her unable to breathe.

She frantically searched through the wreckage of her memories, trying to find even the faintest clue as to how she might have been exposed.

A classmate from middle school?

Impossible!

She had already confirmed that there wasn't a single person at this school from that "hellish" middle school of hers.

She had put so much effort into completely burying her past before creating the flawless "angel" Kushida Kikyo she was today.

Could it have been online?

She suddenly sat up in bed, grabbed her phone, and typed in the blog address she had long ago deleted and refused even to remember, her fingertips trembling.

Page not found.

It had been deactivated long ago, wiped clean. It couldn't possibly be found even in the internet's cached memories!

Then how did he know?

Fear spread from the depths of her heart like vines, winding around every limb and bone until her entire body went cold.

Hugging her knees, she curled into a ball in the darkness.

That man, Natsume Yu, was like a massive shadow hanging over her head, leaving her nowhere to run.

The next day.

With faint dark circles beneath her eyes that were nearly impossible to notice, Kushida Kikyo still wore a perfect, sweet smile as she took the initiative to approach Natsume Yu's desk.

Her steps were light and her voice sweet. Anyone watching would have thought she was simply an energetic girl greeting a classmate.

"Good morning, Natsume!"

Natsume Yu looked up, his eyes calm and unruffled.

"Good morning, Kushida."

"Um..." With both hands behind her back, Kushida Kikyo leaned forward slightly and tilted her head, asking in an innocent tone, "Yesterday, you said you had a classmate named 'Kikyo' in middle school too. I'm really curious! What kind of person was she?"

She was probing him.

Using the harmless "angelic" demeanor she was best at.

She wanted to pry Natsume Yu's mouth open and see whether he had merely made something up or truly knew something.

The boys around them nearly melted at the sight, and some even shot Natsume Yu jealous looks.

Yet Natsume Yu merely glanced at her indifferently and did not follow her lead.

He took a folded A4 sheet from his bag, placed it lightly on the desk, and pushed it toward her.

"You might find this interesting."

Kushida Kikyo's heart suddenly lurched.

Her smile remained unchanged, but alarms were already blaring in her mind.

She extended her slender fingers and slowly unfolded the paper.

Printed on it was a screenshot of text.

The font was the blog's default font, one she knew all too well.

And the contents...

[...Why does that bitch get to be liked by everyone? Just because she's pretty? Gets good grades? It makes me sick! I curse you, XX. I curse you to break your leg while walking and choke to death while drinking water...]

Every line was filled with the most vicious, darkest resentment.

Key details in the screenshot, such as names and the school's name, had been crudely blacked out with thick marker.

But Kushida Kikyo only needed one glance.

Just one glance!

She recognized it!

She had written it!

It was what she had written on that anonymous blog back then, cursing one of her classmates!

For an instant, the world spun around her.

She felt as though she were standing naked in a frozen wasteland, every inch of her skin pierced by biting cold wind.

Her blood began turning cold inch by inch from her fingertips, until at last her heart froze over.

"I came across this by accident in the archives of an old forum."

Natsume Yu's voice drifted over lightly, carrying a cruel hint of amusement.

"Very good writing. Full of... resentment."

Kushida Kikyo's fingertips began trembling violently, and she nearly crumpled the paper in her grip.

She wanted to say something, but her throat felt blocked, and she couldn't force out a single word.

Natsume Yu reached out and unhurriedly pulled the paper from between her stiff fingers, folded it again, and put it back into his bag.

His movements were elegant and composed.

Then he raised his head, met her eyes filled with terror and confusion, and gave her a smile that could almost be called gentle.

"Don't be nervous."

He said.

"See? I even blacked out the names and locations. I respect other people's privacy, you know."

Those words were deadlier than any direct threat.

He was saying: I know it was you. I know everything. And now, I have your weakness in my hands.

That gentle oppression filled Kushida Kikyo with overwhelming terror.

Her mind raced, yet it was a complete mess.

Why wasn't he exposing me?

What exactly does he want?

Does he want money? Or does he want to use me for something?

An unknown motive was the most terrifying abyss of all.

She could no longer maintain the smile on her face. Pale as a sheet, she staggered back a step and hurriedly fled to her seat.

From that day onward, Natsume Yu never once took the initiative to speak to Kushida Kikyo again.

He reverted to being that utterly unremarkable "invisible man" in class. Attending lessons, leaving lessons, eating meals—everything was as usual.

But for Kushida Kikyo, the entire world had changed.

Natsume Yu's existence was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over her head.

She could always feel it: amid the crowd, in careless moments, a gaze that saw through everything falling upon her.

That gaze came from Natsume Yu.

Calm and indifferent, yet it made her feel as though she were sitting on pins and needles.

The perfect disguise she had been so proud of began to crack.

During one group discussion, she was smiling as she spoke with everyone when she caught sight of Natsume Yu watching from the corner of her eye. Her heart trembled, and her words caught in her throat, making things extremely awkward for a moment.

During one PE class, someone greeted her, but she failed to respond because she had been distracted. A surprised expression appeared on the other person's face.

Those minor mistakes might have seemed harmless to others.

But to Kushida Kikyo, who pursued perfection, they were a disaster.

She felt like she was about to go crazy.

At the same time, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's investigation had also made progress.

Following Natsume Yu's instructions, he had basically narrowed down the suspected traitor within Class D's larger group through observation and analysis.

"I've narrowed it down to two people," Ayanokoji texted.

"Good," Natsume Yu replied. "Keep watching. Don't alert them."

After putting away his phone, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at Natsume Yu, who was chatting and laughing with classmates in the distance, and felt that this seemingly ordinary classmate was hiding many secrets.

But he did not dwell on it. He was merely carrying out an interesting "game."

He had no idea that he had long since become a piece on someone else's chessboard.

Night.

Deep as ink.

Kushida Kikyo stood alone on the rooftop of the school building.

The night breeze was cold, scattering her hair but unable to disperse the despair in her heart.

She had used every connection she had to investigate Natsume Yu's background.

The result was a complete blank.

His middle school, his relationships, everything about him seemed shrouded in dense fog. She could find nothing.

He was like a ghost who had appeared at this school out of thin air.

That sense of helplessness drove her completely over the edge.

She didn't know how much longer she could hold on.

Just then.

The phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated with a buzz.

Numbly, she took out her phone and lit the screen.

It was a new text message.

Sender: Natsume Yu.

The message contained only one brief sentence.

"The rooftop is cold. Don't catch a chill. If something is bothering you, I'd be happy to listen."

Boom!

Kushida Kikyo's pupils abruptly shrank to dangerously fine points!

He...

How did he know I was here?!

A chill shot from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, freezing the blood throughout her body.

She spun around and fearfully scanned the empty rooftop entrance.

There was nothing there.

Only the howling wind.

"Clatter."

The phone slipped from her powerless hand and struck the cold concrete floor.

Its screen shattered on impact.