Campus Building Game

In the library, those who had already come to Horikita's study group were—

Kushida, Sudo, Yamauchi, Ike, and a little femboy named Okiya.

Kushida stopped Horikita's hostility by saying that her passing grade had been a fluke and that she might fail next time.

However, the remaining Three Idiots were genuinely stupid, their academic ability only at an elementary school level. Horikita spoke bluntly and sharply, calling them "incompetent"—

"Sudo, you really are foolish. You can't even solve problems that a sixth grader could handle."

Sudo flew into a rage as if triggered, and even when the furious Sudo grabbed her by the collar and looked ready to punch her, the Down syndrome child Horikita—

Continued striking at his weak points. Unable to endure Horikita's mouth any longer,

The trio left the café with Okiya.

Only Kushida, Ayanokoji, and Horikita remained.

Kushida completely failed to understand Horikita's behavior. When she tried to interact with her, Horikita struck at her just the same.

Kushida left the library.

Out of the feelings of an ordinary student, Ayanokoji chased after her.

From afar, he saw Kushida enter the school building.

It was on the third floor of the building.

A loud sound of someone kicking the railing came from there.

"This is so annoying! That bitch should just die already. This is the worst..."

Still in her school uniform, Kushida viciously kicked the railing, continuously cursing Horikita under her breath.

For Ayanokoji, who had only recently left the White Room, the sight was undeniably shocking. He merely watched everything unfold with perfect calm.

Then Kushida noticed him.

"What did you just see?"

"Would you believe me if I said I saw nothing?"

Kushida erupted with an aura completely unlike her earlier angelic, adorable side. She pinned the White Room's greatest prodigy against the wall and began threatening Ayanokoji not to tell anyone what had happened here.

"I'll tell everyone that you molested me here."

As she spoke, Kushida grabbed Ayanokoji's wrist and slowly moved his hand toward her chest.

Click.

A burst of white light and a sound came from the fourth floor. The two froze, then looked up at the same time.

"Oh my, things got a little noisy."

In a corner of the fourth floor, Sakamoto held a camera and put on a troubled expression. Shrouded in shadow, his face could not be seen clearly.

"You've interrupted my viewing pleasure. I had wanted to quietly watch the entire process to the end."

Sakamoto came down from the fourth floor and stopped before them. Light fell across his face, revealing a guy wearing brown-tinted glasses.

Ayanokoji's expression remained as still as an ancient well, as if he were not involved at all. Kushida, meanwhile, lowered her head, hiding her expression.

"Hello, Ayanokoji. I'm Sakamoto Shunichi from Class A."

After saying that, he turned and stared at the bowed Kushida. "Kushida Kikyo, right? Kikyo?"

Kushida did not say a word.

"Kushida, I recorded everything that happened here."

Sakamoto looked down condescendingly at Kushida standing before him.

His voice gradually drew closer to her ear. "Everything."

Kushida turned her head away, unwilling to look at his face.

"Falsely accusing a classmate is enough to get you expelled. If everyone found out that the little angel Kushida they adored was actually a twisted, two-faced girl, wouldn't that be awful..." Sakamoto's voice was gentle, yet it carried a strange power.

Kushida remained silent, but her hands were clenched tight.

Anyone with eyes could tell that something was wrong with Kushida Kikyo.

As Ayanokoji considered whether to speak, he turned toward Kushida. "Hey, Kushida..."

"Enough. Shut up..."

Kushida's voice was terrifying, utterly unlike her previous warm and approachable image. It was exceptionally gloomy.

"What do you want?" Kushida's dark expression did not change in the slightest.

"It's not about what I want. It's about what you want."

"I was merely chatting with Ayanokoji-kun. Does that count as breaking any school rules?"

Kushida adamantly denied that she had tried to frame him. As long as she had not broken any school rules, she would not be expelled. As for the other students, as long as she continued showing them her angelic face, those idiots would soon stop caring.

"Ayanokoji might not see it that way. Or are you two lovers, Ayanokoji?"

The question was thrown toward the harmless-looking Ayanokoji.

Kushida also stared fixedly at Ayanokoji with a threatening gaze. Her expression clearly said—

Say it. You're my boyfriend!

She had worked so hard to hide what happened in middle school. She was just about to begin a new life, yet now she was going to be expelled like this? Wouldn't all her efforts until now have been for nothing? Absolutely not!

Ayanokoji stared at Sakamoto with a blank expression. No one paid attention to Kushida beside them, whose eyes were darting around with hidden thoughts.

This is a trap. He wants Kushida to drag me down with her.

Even if Ayanokoji admitted that they were in a relationship, the recordings and photos in Sakamoto's hands would not disappear.

And there was no telling how much leverage he had over Kushida. Taking a risk on something so uncertain was too dangerous.

Is this guy from the White Room...?

Through his brown-tinted glasses, Sakamoto was also observing Ayanokoji.

Did he notice? Though with Ayanokoji's lack of common sense, he probably wouldn't think that far.

Just Kushida maliciously damaging public school property alone was enough to condemn her. She had kicked with such force that the iron railing had bent.

"Kushida and I are not in a relationship."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kushida looked at Ayanokoji in disbelief.

"Don't you like me, Ayanokoji? Why won't you help me just this once?" Kushida's eyes clung to Ayanokoji's face as if she wanted to bite a piece of flesh from him.

"You can't do that, Kushida. Are you trying to hurt Ayanokoji too? That would only add to your crimes."

"What do you want?!"

Kushida grabbed Sakamoto by the collar, standing on tiptoe as she pressed herself against him and stared directly into his eyes through those brown-tinted glasses.

Her frightening appearance resembled a wild beast.

Sakamoto's smile turned icy.

"I already told you. It's not about what I want, but what you want. How this is resolved depends on you. Room 404, nine tonight."

He gently pushed Kushida away, then left the scene with Ayanokoji, his hands in his pockets.

Boom!!

A bolt of lightning crashed straight down, and in an instant, torrential rain began to pour.

Kushida stood there like a puppet, letting the rain soak her.

Is this really my only choice? Kushida struggled inwardly. Submit to him? Submit to Sakamoto Shunichi? That man... my life...

To maintain her position, to make herself appear even more perfect, Kushida even had to consider her perfume in the radio drama. She had been painstakingly careful to ensure she would never match anyone else—a perfect life.

My life... has he completely taken control of it just like that?

Campus Building Game