On the top deck, in a corner, Kushida Kikyo's hand tightened around her coffee cup. Her voice rose before she could stop it. "You said you'd help me deal with Horikita!?"
The two of them had already drawn a few glances because of her cute appearance, and now they instantly became the focus of the scattered people nearby.
But Uesugi Hara wasn't fazed. He calmly said, "Do you want everyone to know about this?"
Kushida Kikyo immediately lowered her voice, still looking bewildered and incredulous. "You just said you'd help me. What exactly did you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounded like." Uesugi Hara stirred the ice in his cup, his tone even.
"But you turned me down so many times before. Why agree all of a sudden?" She still couldn't believe he would agree to help her so easily.
"I can't stand her." Uesugi Hara looked up at her. "Is that reason enough?"
The reason was beside the point. What mattered most was keeping her firmly under control. Uesugi Hara didn't want her suddenly getting carried away and acting on her own, ruining some of his plans.
"That's definitely a reasonable reason."
Kushida Kikyo paused, then nodded. "That's definitely a reasonable reason." But she quickly grew wary again. "Still, you suddenly decided to help me. Don't you have some ulterior motive?"
"I do, but it has nothing to do with you." Uesugi Hara was blunt. "You only need to remember that while we're working together, you follow my lead and don't act on your own."
"How can I be sure you're really helping me?" She still hadn't let down her guard. She wasn't about to foolishly take Uesugi Hara at his word again.
"You can choose not to believe me." Uesugi Hara spread his hands. "We haven't signed a contract.