Kikyo Kushida's Inner Diversity! Ignored Text Invitations?!

After finishing his exchange with Masumi Kamuro, Shin Akiyama did not linger and headed straight toward the dormitory building.

Suzune Horikita followed silently behind him, still processing everything she had just witnessed.

The near-savage intuition and precise psychological control Shin Akiyama displayed left her feeling both wary and involuntarily drawn to him.

Arriving in front of the dormitory, the two looked up.

A modern high-rise building came into view, its exterior clean and sharp. Through the signs at the entrance and the information on their terminals, they learned the room allocation rules: the building had ten floors with sixteen rooms per floor, corresponding exactly to the 160 students in each grade.

What was slightly unexpected was that the building used a co-ed model, though not on the same floors; it was clearly divided, with floors one through five for boys and six through ten for girls.

Although he did not know the school's intention behind this design, Shin Akiyama did not care. To him, this was merely a place to stay, nothing more.

He glanced at the dormitory information displayed on his terminal.

Room 501.

It was located on the top floor of the boys' section and near the elevator, which was a decent spot.

Suzune Horikita, who followed behind him, had Room 601 displayed on her terminal.

The two were exactly one floor apart.

Stepping into the empty elevator, the metal cabin rose slowly in the silence. In the enclosed space, there was only the faint sound of mechanical operation.

Suzune Horikita looked at Shin Akiyama's tall, distant back in front of her. In the end, she could not suppress the curiosity and desire for inquiry surging in her heart.

The question regarding Masumi Kamuro scratched at her thoughts like a feather.

"Akiyama-kun."

She cleared her throat, her voice sounding exceptionally clear in the cramped space.

"How... exactly did you figure out that Kamuro... was stealing?"

Shin Akiyama did not turn his head, his gaze calmly fixed on the changing floor numbers, before he replied in a flat tone devoid of emotion.

"Perhaps... my dynamic vision is just better."

Suzune Horikita was choked by this answer, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Good dynamic vision?

What kind of explanation was that?

Could it be that he caught her extremely subtle movement of hiding the item in an instant?

What kind of keen observation skills would that require?!

She looked at Shin Akiyama's matter-of-fact demeanor and suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.

It seemed that any incredible thing that happened to him could ultimately be attributed to his own ability, making even questioning him seem pale.

She pursed her lips and changed the question, a more core issue that concerned her more.

"Then... regarding the rules of this school, how did you discover them in the first place?"

She wanted to know the starting point of his thinking and catch a glimpse of the trajectory of that terrifying insight.

Just then, a soft ding sounded, and the elevator stopped steadily at the fifth floor.

The elevator doors opened slowly.

Only then did Shin Akiyama turn his head, looking at Suzune Horikita with those dark red pupils.

His gaze was calm and waveless, yet it seemed to carry a power that could penetrate the heart.

"That is something you need to explore for yourself."

Leaving behind this short but weighty sentence, he stepped out of the elevator without a moment's hesitation.

The elevator doors closed slowly behind him, cutting off his departing back.

It also left Suzune Horikita alone in the enclosed space, staring blankly at the cold metal door.

Need to... explore for myself?

She ruminated on these words, her heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

There was the frustration of being rejected and the anxiety of the unknown, but more than that, there was a fighting spirit that refused to admit defeat.

He was right; relying on others for answers would never lead to true growth.

Shin Akiyama found Room 501 according to the instructions and swiped his terminal to enter.

The room was not large, but it was fully equipped, clean, and tidy—enough for one person to live in.

He simply organized the daily necessities he had just purchased, hung up his school uniform, and prepared to enjoy some rare solitude and rest.

Just then, the terminal on the bed suddenly vibrated, and the screen lit up.

He picked it up to see a friend request; the applicant's name was Kikyo Kushida.

Shin Akiyama raised an eyebrow slightly.

His friend list had only a few people so far.

Only Sae Chabashira, Suzune Horikita, and Masumi Kamuro; he had never proactively given his contact information to anyone in the class.

Did she get it from Teacher Chabashira?

He speculated.

As the homeroom teacher, it was reasonable for her to have a contact list of the entire class, and Kikyo Kushida's personality—eager to build connections with everyone—perfectly matched the behavior of requesting the list and adding them one by one.

He did not hesitate much and clicked accept. Having an extra information channel was not a bad thing; as for how to handle it, the initiative remained in his hands.

However, less than ten seconds after he accepted the request, before he even had time to put the terminal down, new notification sounds rang out one after another.

He picked up the terminal again, and several messages from Kikyo Kushida popped up on the screen instantly.

[Kikyo Kushida]: Akiyama-kun! That's great, you finally accepted! (◍•ᴗ•◍)

[Kikyo Kushida]: Why did you leave early today in class and after the entrance ceremony?

Everyone did their self-introductions later, it's such a pity you weren't there (´･ω･`)

[Kikyo Kushida]: Is something the matter?

If there is anything you need help with, please be sure to tell me!

[Kikyo Kushida]: Oh, right! Everyone is discussing having dinner together tonight to get to know each other better!

At the restaurant right next to the school cafeteria, you'll come, right, Akiyama-kun? I really hope you can come! (★ ω ★)

The string of messages, filled with cute emoticons and seemingly sincere concern and invitations, perfectly matched the angel image she had carefully crafted.

Shin Akiyama browsed through this useless spam without expression, his finger hovering over the screen for a moment.

In the end, he did not reply, simply pressed the screen off, and tossed the terminal back onto the bed.

He needed rest now, and he had no interest or energy to deal with this kind of hollow social performance.

He lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and tried to block out all external interference.

Meanwhile.

Inside a room on the sixth floor of the girls' dormitory.

Kikyo Kushida sat cross-legged on the bed with her terminal spread out in front of her. The screen clearly displayed her chat box with Shin Akiyama, the screen filled with the green bubbles she had carefully edited and sent.

Opposite her, there was only a glaring, empty void.

One minute passed...

Five minutes passed...

Ten minutes passed...

No reply.

The sweet, cute smile on Kikyo Kushida's face stiffened, solidified, and finally disappeared completely.

Deep within her eyes, which were always filled with smiles, she was gradually replaced by a twisted anger and jealousy.

"Heh... hehe..."

She let out a low, cold laugh.

Suddenly, she grabbed the terminal beside her and slammed it onto the carpeted floor with all her might.

Although the carpet absorbed most of the impact and caused no damage, the violence contained in the action formed a shocking contrast to her usual image.

"Asshole! Who are you acting all high and mighty for!!"

She lowered her voice, squeezing out vicious curses through her teeth. Her face, which usually looked as cute as an angel, was slightly twisted with anger at this moment.

"A poor, pathetic wretch! Relying on a little bit of cleverness to put on airs! Do you really think you're someone?! You ungrateful piece of trash!"

She grabbed the pillow on the bed, hugged it tightly, and kneaded and beat it with both hands, as if the pillow were Shin Akiyama himself.

She needed to use this to vent the negative emotions surging in her heart that were about to break through her disguise.

"Isn't it just that you're a bit good-looking? What's the big deal! Am I not a beauty too?!"

"How dare you ignore me... how dare you leave me on read...!"

"Damn it... damn it! I will definitely make you regret this! I'll make you kneel and beg me!"

She cursed incessantly, her voice sometimes sharp, sometimes low, echoing in the empty room.

If anyone saw her now, they would never be able to associate this girl with a twisted face and foul language with that sunny, cute, and helpful little angel.

After cursing for a while, her anger seemed to subside slightly, but another deeper anxiety and resentment welled up; she thought of someone else.

"And Horikita... Suzune Horikita!!"

She gritted her teeth as she said the name, her eyes filled with a complex mix of fear and disgust.

"Why is she here too?! Like a ghost that won't go away!"

"Does she know something? Will she tell people about me?!"

"No... I absolutely cannot let her ruin the life I have now! Absolutely not!"

Intense paranoia plunged her into deeper agitation. She gripped the pillow tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, and her mind had already begun to calculate how to guard against, or even strike first against, Suzune Horikita.

And while she was immersed in her dark inner world, struggling in agony...

Room 501.

Shin Akiyama had long since blocked out all external disturbances, his breathing steady and long as he fell into a deep sleep.

To him, Kikyo Kushida's one-woman show wasn't even worth wasting a single thought on.