Darkened Kushida

"Can you guarantee that the information about the Target is accurate?"

"Ah~ about ninety percent, that should be the case."

"That doesn't sound very convincing. 200,000 points—do you think points are that easy to come by?" Sakayanagi seemed to doubt the authenticity of the intelligence.

"Then I'll sell it to Class B. You know, Ichinose from Class B and I are quite close. Class A is only leading by 75 points right now, aren't they? If you're not careful, you might get overtaken by Class B."

"500,000 points; they can afford that too. How does that saying go? The fastest fall from grace in Class A history. Hahahaha."

"I've changed my mind. How does 500,000 points sound to you?" Nagami directly tested the waters by raising the price.

After saying this, even though they were separated by a screen, it felt as if the air had turned cold.

When you find that your leverage isn't selling well, selling to the buyer's competitor is a classic tactic to drive up the price. It is used in many business dealings.

"How unscrupulous. Suddenly raising it to 500,000 points—Nagami-kun is unexpectedly a profiteer."

After thinking for a moment, Sakayanagi replied.

"500,000, but there's a condition. This information cannot be told to any other class. Have you told any other classes?"

Sakayanagi said this sternly; it felt as if she were gritting her teeth on the other side of the screen.

"No, I haven't even told Class D."

"Then, the deal is struck."

"I've sent over a simple agreement. Let me remind you once more: you are not to disclose this information to anyone other than Class A. The consequence is expulsion. Once you sign it, send the information over via email."

Some might ask: is it worth 500,000 points just to expose one Target? Is information on the rules of the Targets only worth 500,000? Right now, Class A is in a period of low morale, and the gap is significant; it's hard to accept psychologically. No matter the cost, it seems acceptable.

In negotiations involving absolute pressure, we cannot guarantee that the other party is an absolutely rational actor. This is the biggest difference between humans and machines: humans make mistakes, machines do not.

This is both a strength and a weakness.

After hanging up the phone.

Sakayanagi opened her computer, watched as Nagami quickly signed the simple agreement, and subsequently received the information regarding the Target sent via email to the students of Class A.

She leaned back in her chair, a hint of exhaustion showing in her eyes.

"Then, let's move on to the next phase." The two said in unison.

At this moment, the night outside was deep, and the cruise ship floated quietly on the sea. The moonlight spilled down, illuminating the white hull of the ship and reflecting a cold, pale light.

Suddenly, a figure approached. It was a friend Nagami knew all too well: Kushida.

"How rare, Nagami-kun, to specifically ask to meet me on the deck at night."

"Because Kushida-chan is so popular, I never had the chance to ask you out for a private chat."

"I was looking forward to it, you know."

"Ah~ that's a bit... you should probably just think of me as a normal friend."

Kushida couldn't understand Nagami's ambiguous remark. Judging by his usual behavior, he didn't seem like someone obsessed with school romance.

"Sigh, Kushida-chan. I did something bad and I'm suffering so much inside. I can't sleep well at night, and I want someone to confide in. So, I wanted to confess my actions to you."

"Oh, tell me about it. Maybe I can help you."

What is this? Nagami-kun went through the trouble of asking me out just for something so mundane? I thought it was something else, Kushida thought to herself.

"I, um, accidentally couldn't resist the temptation. Class A tempted me with 100,000 points to report the Target within Class D. In a moment of confusion, I told them."

"Look at my phone."

To increase credibility, he specifically showed his school device, which had a balance of nearly 200,000 points.

At this moment, Sakayanagi's money hadn't been transferred yet.

Kushida looked at the points and felt a flicker of hesitation; it was unclear what she was thinking.

"Hmm, your behavior is indeed inappropriate. Your classmates might suffer great losses because of this incident."

"But you are my friend, so I won't tell anyone else about this. This is a secret between the two of us."

Kushida gazed at Nagami with a smile, looking like a goddess reincarnated from the heavens.

"Kushida-chan, you really are my goddess. But, I have one more bad thing, and I don't know if I should tell you."

There's more? Let's see what else you've done, you jerk, Kushida thought to herself.

"Tell me about it. I can definitely help you."

"I like Ichinose-san from Class B so much that I'm going crazy. I miss her so much that it feels like ants are crawling all over my body whenever I don't see her."

"I love her so much. I really am the person who likes her the most in the whole world."

"So, so... sob sob sob sob~"

If you think this book is good, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

Nagami put on a look of a crazed fan, scaring Kushida into shifting her seat further away.

"So, what happened?"

"I secretly planted a pinhole camera in the spa to film them changing clothes."

"Ugh!"

Kushida could no longer hold back a cry, beads of sweat the size of beans breaking out on her forehead as her face twitched on the verge of losing composure.

"Little Kushida, you must think someone like me is total scum, right!"

"Cer... Sigh, Chang Shui, you can't do things like this in the future. I'll keep your secret this time, but destroy the footage. If there's a next time, I will definitely drag you to the security office."

"You're really indulgent, little Kushida."

Chang Shui's tone shifted abruptly; his perverted expression instantly transformed into that of a cold, aloof god, radiating an aura that warned others to keep their distance.

"Eh? What's going on? Suddenly..."

Chang Shui's face changed so fast that even a social butterfly like Kushida couldn't react in time.

"Tell me, is what you're doing right? I'm a voyeur and a despicable traitor, after all."

"Why aren't you thinking about correcting me or getting me expelled?"

"Eh, Chang Shui, I don't quite understand. It sounds like you're asking me to get you expelled right now."

Kushida couldn't fathom why Chang Shui wanted her to treat him so harshly; shouldn't he be begging her to keep his secret?

"Then, do you think it's right for you to tolerate my behavior?"

(Tolerating every sin until the psyche reaches its breaking point and overflows, causing the "good person" persona to collapse. The cold, ruthless inner personality takes over the host. This is Kushida's ending.)

(Assuming my psychological analysis is correct.)

Chang Shui's question left Kushida lost in thought.

"I can only be a listener and help my classmates. I'm not powerful enough to save others."

"Kushida, let me tell you a story."

"Do you know why a good person has to be good their whole life, yet is criticized for doing one bad thing? While a bad person only needs to do one good deed to be praised?"

Kushida shook her head.

"Because being a good person doesn't grant you the privilege to do bad things, and a bad person doing a good deed is still a good thing. You are undoubtedly a good person to most people, whether in this class or the entire grade."

"But to the victims, you are indeed a bad person, because you are a bystander to the perpetrator. In a sense, being a bystander makes you part of the harm."

"You don't want to be a perpetrator, and you know what is right, which is why you feel so distressed. Yet, you lack the ability to change any of it."

"Am I wrong?"

Kushida's eyes widened; shock, confusion, fear, and worry were all reflected in her gaze.

She hadn't expected Chang Shui to so easily see through the contradictions and struggles hidden deep within her heart, especially when she felt she had hidden her emotions so well.

Seeing Kushida's expression, Chang Shui knew his words had taken effect.

"Kushida, you've been suppressing your true thoughts, haven't you? You appear to tolerate everything, but in reality, you are already overwhelmed. Once everything reaches a critical point, your personality will head toward destruction."

Chang Shui said slowly.

A silence fell, and both remained quiet.

"So Chang Shui noticed... I... I don't know what to do."

Kushida's body trembled slightly, as if her vital point had been struck.

"I'm just reminding you that you need to face your own feelings and be a little selfish for your own sake. Think more about yourself."

"As for your 'good person' image, I won't advise you to change that."

"Returning to what you said earlier, I cannot save you; I can only help you."

Chang Shui stood up and sighed softly.

(People are creatures of habit; the insecurity brought on by a drastic change in personality is no good thing.)

"Think more about myself..." Kushida remained silent for a long time before slowly raising her head, the light returning to her eyes.

"Chang Shui, thank you. I didn't expect you to be so unexpectedly sensitive. At first, I thought you were just a muscle-brained idiot."

"To be honest, your perverted behavior really makes me lose all interest in you."

"If you do it again, I'll twist your head off," Kushida said with a smile.

"Uh, I was just joking with you earlier. You didn't actually believe me, did you?"

(Why does she always refer to herself as 'I' [laoniang] when talking to me?)

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