Chapter Fifty: Had Kushida Come Here to Clear Her Head, Too?

Haruki Yamauchi and Kanji Ike joined in, too, chewing snacks as they mumbled their praise.

"Horikita's so responsible!"

"Yeah! She's amazing!"

"As expected, Horikita's the hope of Class D!"

For a moment, Suzune Horikita became the center of everyone's praise.

She still wore an expressionless face, but her slightly straighter back and the flicker of emotion in her eyes betrayed that she wasn't entirely unmoved.

Kikyo Kushida stood to one side, still wearing her bright smile. She even clapped as she chimed in, "That's right, that's right! Horikita's amazing!"

But for the briefest instant, her smile stiffened ever so slightly.

A fleeting trace of gloom and jealousy flashed in her eyes.

The emotion passed so quickly it could have been a trick of the eye—but Lin Mu caught it.

He looked at her flawless smile and those still-bright eyes, now seemingly veiled by a thin haze, and gave a quiet tsk in his heart.

He hated how Suzune Horikita acted aloof, yet so easily won everyone's approval.

Her displeasure lasted only a moment before Kushida hid it perfectly.

She put on her gentle smile again, as if nothing had happened, and continued playing the cheerful, considerate, understanding Kikyo Kushida.

The gathering, which had never been particularly lively, finally drew to a close after most of the snacks had been eaten.

It was getting late, and they had class the next day.

Everyone got up to leave, leaving the room littered with snack wrappers, empty drink bottles, and cookie crumbs...

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's dorm room had originally been so neat and tidy that it looked like a model room. Now, it looked as if a storm had swept through it.

Lin Mu looked at the mess, then at Ayanokoji's expressionless face and the others, who were already preparing to leave. After a moment's thought, he offered, "I'll help clean up."

After all, he'd been at the gathering, even if he'd spent the whole time in the background. Just leaving the room full of trash didn't feel right.

At his words, Kikyo Kushida immediately raised her hand, too. "I'll help! Since I was the one who suggested the gathering, it would be rude to leave all this trash behind."

The others—Sudo, Yamauchi, and Kanji Ike—exchanged glances, looking awkward.

They clearly hadn't planned on helping clean up, but with Kushida volunteering, they couldn't just slip away.

"Then... then we'll help, too..." Sudo mumbled, scratching his head.

"No need," Lin Mu cut in evenly. "Besides, more people would only make it harder to clean up.

You can head back. Kushida and I can take care of it."

Haruki Yamauchi was eager to leave, so he immediately went along with it.

"Then we'll leave it to you! Kushida, Lin Mu, thanks for the effort!"

With that, he pulled Kanji Ike and the still-hesitant Sudo out of the room.

Suzune Horikita glanced at Lin Mu, then at Ayanokoji. She said nothing, merely nodding slightly before turning to leave.

In the end, only Lin Mu, Kushida, and the room's owner, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, remained.

The three of them quickly divided up the work.

Kushida gathered the trash from the desk and bed, Lin Mu swept the floor, and Ayanokoji pitched in as well.

Before long, the room was tidy again.

They had gathered the trash in a large bag, which was bulging full.

Lin Mu picked it up and weighed it in his hand. "I'll take the trash downstairs. You two can finish tidying up the room."

With that, he walked out and closed the door behind him.

The dormitory area was quiet at night.

Soft lights illuminated the hallway. Carrying the garbage bag, Lin Mu strolled to the elevator, then headed outside to the dorm's collection point.

He tossed the bag into the sorting bin and brushed off some imaginary dust from his hands.

The evening breeze, heavy with the dampness of the seaside, swept over him and stirred the white strands of hair falling across his forehead.

The breeze was refreshing, with a hint of salt in it, and swept away the lingering smell of snacks on his clothes.

Lin Mu stood beside the trash bins without immediately heading back.

He looked up at the night sky. There was no moon, only a few scattered stars, dim beneath the surrounding glow of the city.

From far away came the faint sound of waves, rolling in a steady, unending rhythm.

Going back to his dorm would be boring anyway.

With that thought, Lin Mu set off toward the nearby shore.

Beneath the night sky, the sea was a deep, inky blue.

Waves lapped gently against the sand with a soft, rustling sound. As they retreated, they carried tiny grains of sand away, over and over.

The entire coastline lay shrouded in quiet darkness, with only the hazy glow of distant streetlights.

Lin Mu leaned against the railing along the coastal walkway, hands in his pockets and a nearly finished lollipop in his mouth.

He gazed at the rolling sea, felt the cool breeze brush his cheek, and let his mind wander.

At a time like this, he didn't want to use any of his abilities.

He just wanted to stand there, feel the breeze, listen to the waves, and lose himself in a moment of peace.

But that peace didn't last long.

Soft footsteps sounded behind him.

They were light and hesitant, stopping and starting. Whoever it was hadn't set out for the shore with any particular destination in mind, but was wandering aimlessly.

Lin Mu didn't turn around, but through Psychokinesis, he had already "seen" the person's outline and face.

It was Kikyo Kushida.

Her head was lowered, and her steps were slow, utterly unlike her usual lively self.

Her long brown hair fluttered slightly in the night breeze, obscuring most of her face.

She walked absentmindedly, not even noticing someone standing by the railing ahead. It wasn't until she was less than five meters away that she suddenly looked up. Their eyes met.

Kikyo Kushida clearly hadn't expected to run into Lin Mu here.

She froze, her expression slipping for an instant. It was a look Lin Mu had never seen on her face before:

Confusion, gloom, irritation, and a trace of vulnerability she hadn't had time to hide.

But the next second, all the negative emotions receded like the tide.

She quickly steadied her breathing, turned up the corners of her mouth, and curved her eyes into crescents. The bright, cheerful Kikyo Kushida was back.

She was so quick that it was hard to believe that moment had been anything but an illusion.

"Oh, Lin Mu?"

Her voice held just the right amount of surprise, as if this really were a pleasant coincidence. "Did you come for a walk by the sea, too? What a coincidence!"

Lin Mu looked at her but said nothing.

His gaze was calm, yet seemed to see right through her, making Kushida's smile stiffen slightly.

A few seconds later, Lin Mu turned back toward the sea and asked softly, "Is something bothering you?"

His voice was gentle, without a hint of accusation. It was just a quiet question.

Kikyo Kushida's smile paused.

She gave a light laugh, feigning ease. "What are you talking about, Lin Mu?

I'm always like this. I don't have any heavy secrets. I'm all light and cheerful."

She walked over to the railing, stopping about a meter from Lin Mu, and gazed out at the sea, too.