"Redemption" in Desperation

The shattered phone screen was like Kushida Kikyo's heart, falling apart at that very moment.

Fear.

It was utter, uncontrollable fear.

That text message, that casually worded sentence, was like an invisible hand clamping tightly around her throat, making even breathing hurt.

He knew.

He knew everything.

That realization terrified her more than any torture ever could.

The social network she had been so proud of, the carefully woven web of relationships, the countless eyes and ears she used to pry into other people's secrets—all of it became a complete joke before Natsume Yu.

She was like a clown who believed she was putting on a flawless performance, never realizing the audience had seen through every card in her hand from the very beginning.

No.

He was not an audience member.

He was the one holding the strings, controlling the puppet.

And she was that pathetic puppet.

"Ah—!"

Kushida Kikyo let out a scream so suppressed it had reached its limit. Both hands gripped her hair tightly as her body shook violently with fear.

She staggered down from the rooftop, fled back to the dormitory, and locked herself heavily inside her room.

In the darkness, she curled up in the corner, hugging her knees, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

A thought—a mad, vicious thought—sprouted from the darkest corner of her heart.

Get rid of him.

Make him disappear from this world completely.

As long as Natsume Yu died, her secret would remain a secret forever.

Once that thought arose, she could no longer restrain it. It rooted itself in her mind and grew wildly.

She began to think, using every bit of her cunning to devise a perfect plan.

Fabricate evidence and make him leave school in disgrace?

Or arrange an "accident"?

But...

She soon discovered in despair that she could not do it.

She knew nothing about Natsume Yu.

His background, his weaknesses, everything about him was shrouded in fog.

How were you supposed to deal with someone whose very existence could not be investigated?

Even more frighteningly, she had no way of predicting Natsume Yu's countermeasures.

If he could so easily see through everything about her, how could he possibly have failed to leave himself a backup plan?

What if he held a copy of everything and had set up some kind of "dead man's switch," so that the moment something happened to him, her secret would be exposed to the public...

That outcome would be worse than killing her.

She could not afford to lose this gamble.

Her life absolutely could not crash and burn here!

Despair washed over her like a tide, drowning her completely.

Over the following days, Kushida Kikyo lived like a walking corpse.

She still put on exquisite makeup every day, wore her cute school uniform, and offered every person she met a sweet smile.

But only she knew that her mind was already on the verge of collapse.

She did not even dare look at Natsume Yu anymore.

That boy sitting in the corner of the classroom did nothing unusual, yet he made her feel as though the entire room's air was suffocating.

She was going insane.

She could not take it anymore.

The feeling of hanging beneath a blade, waiting for judgment—every second was torture.

Finally, one night, she used a new phone to send a message to that number.

The message was brief.

"Rooftop. Tonight."

Rather than passively wait for destruction, she would take the initiative and walk into the abyss.

She wanted to ask him in person what exactly he wanted from her.

The rooftop wind was even colder that night.

Natsume Yu was already there.

He was not looking at the view. Instead, he leaned against the wall beside the entrance, as if he had been waiting specifically for her.

When he saw Kushida Kikyo, a smile appeared on his face—not exactly warm, but certainly not cold.

"You came."

His tone was like that of someone greeting an old friend he had not seen in a long time.

Kushida Kikyo said nothing.

She walked toward him step by step, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Her nails dug deep into her palms, the sharp pain helping her maintain the last trace of clarity.

She stopped three steps away from him.

"What exactly do you want?"

Her voice trembled uncontrollably, every word seeming to squeeze out from between clenched teeth.

"Money? Or do you want to use me to frame someone? Just say it! As long as I can do it!"

Natsume Yu looked at her, his eyes holding a trace of amusement and a trace of... pity?

"I told you. I only wanted to help you."

"Help me?"

As if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, Kushida Kikyo instantly lost control. Her voice turned shrill.

"You've turned my life into a complete mess! You've been watching me like some ghost! You've made me live in a nightmare every day! Is that what you call helping me?!"

The smile on Natsume Yu's face slowly faded.

He straightened up and walked toward her at an unhurried pace.

One step.

Then another.

Kushida Kikyo instinctively backed away, only for her back to strike the icy railing. There was nowhere left to retreat.

Natsume Yu stopped before her and looked down at her.

His shadow stretched long beneath the moonlight, enveloping her completely.

"Kushida, haven't you misunderstood something?"

His voice was soft, yet it carried an oppressive force that allowed no argument.

"The one making you live in a nightmare isn't me."

"It's your own shameful past."

"I am merely the person who happens to be able to lock that nightmare in a cage for you."

Kushida Kikyo's pupils contracted sharply.

Her lips parted, but she could not utter a single word in rebuttal.

"I can keep your secret for you forever," Natsume Yu said slowly, laying out his terms. "As long as you become my eyes and ears."

"What... does that mean?" Kushida Kikyo's mind had gone blank.

She had imagined countless possibilities: money, power, forcing her to do something dirty...

But never this.

"It means exactly what it sounds like." The curve returned to Natsume Yu's lips. "I want your connections, your intelligence network, that face of yours that makes everyone lower their guard. From now on, everything you see and everything you hear must be reported to me."

"You... you want to control the entire grade?" Kushida Kikyo finally understood, and a chill rose from the depths of her heart.

This man's ambition was far greater than she had imagined!

"Control? No. I only want to make the game a little more interesting."

Natsume Yu reached out one finger and lightly lifted a strand of her hair.

Kushida Kikyo's entire body stiffened, but she did not dare move.

His fingertips were cold.

"Of course, I won't make you give for nothing."

Natsume Yu lowered his voice further, carrying a devilish temptation.

"I know you really hate Horikita Suzune."

"You find that aloof, self-righteous way she acts, like the whole world is trash, especially irritating, don't you?"

Kushida Kikyo's heart skipped a beat!

"As long as you obey. As long as you listen to me."

Natsume Yu leaned close to her ear and, in a breathy whisper only the two of them could hear, spoke the words that utterly shattered her final psychological defenses.

"I can even help you... 'take care of' her and remove her from this school."

Boom!

The words "take care of" were spoken lightly, yet they stirred a monstrous storm within Kushida Kikyo's mind.

This proposal...

This proposal struck precisely at the deepest, darkest, most insane desire in her heart.

Protect her own secret.

And get rid of the thorn in her side she hated most.

And the price she needed to pay was merely "obedience."

Resist?

With what?

Submit?

Then she could obtain everything she had ever dreamed of.

Natsume Yu was not making a deal with her.

He was playing God—no, playing the devil—offering her an irresistible contract that exchanged her soul for her wish.

He had made himself into her only "savior."

All her struggles, all her resistance, all her fear and unwillingness were utterly smashed to pieces at that moment.

Kushida Kikyo finally understood.

Before this man, she had no chance of winning.

Submission was her only way out.

And it was also her best way out.

Her tightly wound body slowly began to relax.

Those eyes, which had stubbornly held on until now, gradually lowered as well, losing all their light.

She lowered the proud head she had always held high.

A long time passed, so long that even the rooftop wind seemed to have gone still.

In a voice so faint it was nearly inaudible, she asked the question that represented her complete surrender.

"What... do I need to do?"

Natsume Yu smiled.

That was exactly the answer he wanted.

He took a folded slip of paper from his pocket and held it out to her.

Kushida Kikyo accepted it with trembling hands.

Several names were written on the paper in black ink, each followed by a different class designation.

"Your first pledge of loyalty."

Natsume Yu's voice returned to calm, but it carried an unquestionable tone of command.

"Before the Midterm Exam ends, I want all of their weaknesses and secrets. Show me your worth, my... Kikyo."