"Heh heh, you still haven't answered my question. Do I need to remind you?"
As the other person slowly raised his hand, Kushida's eyes widened. She instinctively trembled and covered her cheek. "D-don't hit me. I'll do it, I'll do it. Waaaaah~"
"Oh? Have you changed back?"
Looking at Kushida, whose expression had suddenly shifted back to that of a sweet little angel, Rinya smiled faintly, finding it rather amusing.
Who would have thought that Kushida Kikyo, who had just been wearing a crazed, vicious expression, would be so frightened by the moment he raised his hand that she forced herself back into her usual guise?
"Heh heh~ Since you agree, listen carefully to the rules you'll follow as my tool."
"First, as my tool, you must do everything in your power to find any information I want to know."
"Second, you must carry out my instructions on time."
"Third, and most importantly, if I find out you've betrayed me, this recording won't just be broadcast throughout the school. Your fate will be far worse than expulsion. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes, Rinya."
"Hmm? Do I need to teach you how to address me?"
"M-Master..."
"Hmph. In private, learn to behave yourself."
"Waaah~ Y-yes..."
Seeing Kushida looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment, a glint flashed in Rinya's eyes. Then he spoke coolly. "Still, you don't need to be too discouraged. Since you're my tool, I won't mistreat you."
"The recognition and praise you want—I'll take care of that for you, one step at a time. Not just in your class; eventually, everyone in the school will give it to you."
"And as for Horikita Suzune, the one you want to beat, I can guarantee that one day I'll let you knock her down with your own hands. How does that sound?"
"Why...?" Kushida listened to him in a daze. These were secrets she had never told anyone outside, so how did he know them so well?
Rinya didn't answer her directly. Instead, he leaned close to her face and asked coldly, "Don't you believe me?"
"N-no... I believe you, M-Master..."
"Hahahaha! That's more like it."
The boy laughed and stood up. "I've told you everything you need to know. You can go."
"I..." Kushida seemed to want to say something, but the next second, Rinya cut her off.
"Heh heh~ I know you have a lot of questions, but remember: don't go poking around to find out more about me. Just do what you're supposed to do, or I won't go easy on you."
"M-my face..." Now back to her sweet little angel act, Kushida spoke softly and looked at Rinya with a wronged expression.
"Oh, that's right. I almost forgot. Letting you go out like this really would invite unnecessary suspicion."
"Come here."
"Yes~"
The girl timidly walked over to Rinya.
She had thought he would just apply some medicine or cover up the bruises.
But the next moment, Kushida's understanding was turned on its head once again~
He gently pressed his palm against her swollen, red cheek. Then, something unbelievable happened.
Kushida could clearly feel a wonderfully warm current flowing from his palm. "Mmm, that feels so good..."
The girl's swollen, red cheek began to rapidly return to normal before her eyes.
Before long, Rinya withdrew his hand, and her cheek had completely healed. It even looked more radiant than before.
"Hmm? Something's not right. Why does it look even redder than before?"
After withdrawing his energy, Rinya felt a little frustrated as he looked at her from close up. "Did I fail to control my inner strength just now?"
Just as he was about to reach out and try again, Kushida, already panting, seemed to realize that if she stayed any longer, she would surely embarrass herself.
Before Rinya could move closer again, the blushing Kushida seized her chance and rushed out the door.
"Hmm... She ran off?"
"Wait~ That smell..."
Rinya sniffed the air, then realized why she had fled. He shook his head with a wry smile.
It seemed he really needed to find time to work on how slow he was to react when he got too focused.
And so, morning came the next day. The early-rising boy didn't forget his daily workout.
Running, squats, deep breathing... He never slacked off on any of the exercises meant to strengthen his body.
Perhaps ever since he had entered the White Room, these muscle memories had become an inseparable part of his life.
"Ah!"
A girl's scream rang out and vanished in an instant. An ordinary person might have thought they'd imagined it, but the hurried footsteps fading in the distance were proof enough for Rinya's sharp hearing.
"Who would've thought someone else would sneak a peek at me?"
"Don't tell me it's another one of those boring women. Heh, this is getting old."
To keep his home from being blown up, Rinya had previously made a public threat at school: if he caught anyone doing it again, he'd blacklist them and never deal with them again.
He really hadn't expected anyone to be bold enough to try it anyway. Who could it be?
Rinya opened the door, but froze just as he was about to step outside.
There was a freshly made bento box on the ground, still steaming, with a note tucked underneath it: "Please check your private messages."
"Oh? What's this~"
He didn't have many friends, so when Rinya opened his phone, he immediately saw a private message from Kushida Kikyo. "Master, I've arranged to meet with the suspicious target, Sakura Airi. She happens to be looking for someone to go with her to get her camera repaired today. The time is 9 a.m., outside the school's electronics shop."
"Heh~ You're pretty bold. Aren't you worried someone else will find out?"
"Looks like I'll have to give her a personal lesson about a few things."
Having seen how the story unfolded, he knew this was the occasion when Ayanokoji unwittingly won Sakura Airi's favor.
What he hadn't expected was that after only one day, Kushida had adapted so quickly to her new role. The message that had originally been meant for Ayanokoji had been sent to him first instead.
Even so, Rinya, who had always preferred being alone, decided to leave this matter exactly as it was and let Ayanokoji handle it himself.
After all, he only needed useful pawns, and wanted to have a few more cards up his sleeve for the future, just in case.
"As for those useless things, I'll let Ayanokoji slowly cultivate them for me~ Heh heh."
Rinya thought with an amused smile.
He replied with a 1, then casually deleted the message. He also called Kushida to tell her that from now on, whenever she saw him reply with a 1, she should do the same.
As for anything else he needed to tell her, he said they'd talk that evening.
Before you continue