Twists and Turns

And just like that, due to the sensational impact brought about by Kushida Kikyo.

Even Ryuen Kakeru, who had always been deep and calculating, finally decided after much deliberation to temporarily abandon his offensive against Class D and turn his attention toward Class B instead.

While Class D had gained a surge of popularity because of Kushida Kikyo, many students even received extra points simply by claiming to be on good terms with her.

Yet, she herself felt that this dazzling situation was not as joyful as she had imagined. The wish her master had promised her was already halfway to completion before she even realized it.

But looking at the classmates who greeted her with smiles, only to have their expressions darken the moment they saw her master, she felt a strange dissonance.

For some reason, even though she would have previously stepped forward without hesitation to mediate for her master, a flicker of hesitation now stirred within her heart...

Is it because I'm worried about ruining the image they have of me?

Kushida asked herself, falling into a momentary, wordless silence.

On the other side, Hirata Yosuke, the class representative who had first initiated the Study Fund Support Plan, did not seem to have given up despite the interference from Ryuen Kakeru last time.

Only this time, his target was clearly someone new—a girl who had recently caused a sensation throughout the entire school...

"Kushida-san, do you have a moment to talk?" Hirata Yosuke's voice, as gentle as a breeze, sounded softly.

"Eh? Is there something you need, Hirata-kun?" Hearing this, Kushida Kikyo turned her head and replied with a sweet smile.

Seeing this, Hirata Yosuke smiled eagerly: "Haha, it's nothing much. It's just about recent events. As the class representative, I wanted to specifically thank you for the reputation you've brought to the class during this time."

"Not only has it allowed us to receive the respect and treatment we deserve in our daily lives, but it has also made our Class D a beautiful highlight of the entire school."

"Thank you, Kushida-san."

Facing Hirata Yosuke, who was suddenly expressing his gratitude with such sincerity.

Kushida Kikyo was caught off guard and subconsciously replied with polite courtesy: "Eh? Hirata-kun, please don't say that! It's my honor to be able to contribute to the class, hehe~"

Because of her recent surge in popularity, her gentle and sweet voice immediately caused the surrounding students to stop what they were doing and break into applause and praise.

Seeing that the gazes of many students had already turned toward them, Hirata Yosuke, who had finished applauding as well, felt a flash of insight while sighing with emotion.

Looking at it this way, given Kushida-san's popularity, influence, and attitude, she might actually be more suitable than Rinya-kun to lead this beneficial project for the class's improvement.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but voice his thoughts: "Kushida-san, as a core member of our Class D, there is a beneficial project that could contribute to the long-term future of the class. If possible, would you mind taking the lead?"

"Eh, really? If I can contribute to the class, I would be more than happy to," Kushida immediately responded aloud, basking in everyone's praise.

"Is... is that so, Kushida-san? That's wonderful!" Hirata Yosuke, excited, couldn't help himself and grabbed her hands. Although he quickly let go when he felt her resistance, his excited voice did not lower in the slightest.

"Do you remember the Study Fund Support Plan I proposed earlier?"

"Although it was interrupted by some accidents halfway through, now that we have you taking the lead, Kushida-san, I believe this good deed, which will bring long-term contributions to the class, will surely succeed."

His voice was crisp and bright, quickly drawing applause and support from the majority of the class.

However, Kushida, who had just been immersed in joy, stood frozen in place as if her expression had solidified.

It wasn't just her; because the voice was so loud, even Rinya, who had always sat in the back row just watching the drifting clouds outside the window and daydreaming, turned his head halfway in surprise.

Although his cold gaze turned back after only a moment, this scene was caught by Kushida Kikyo, who had just happened to look over with an apologetic expression.

This left her at a loss, her heart filled with even greater panic.

She didn't know how to explain this to her master later, nor did she know how to answer right now.

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

She looked around, seeking help, but her close friends, who usually confided in her, all chose to avoid her gaze.

Looking back and forth in helplessness, seeing that her silence was causing the students who had been praising her to look increasingly confused, she knew that if she didn't make a statement, it would cause resentment. But...

At this critical moment, a cold gaze actively struck her, forcing her to look over.

"Horikita Suzune!" Kushida's face twitched.

The person she had been trying so hard to avoid contact with was now the only girl actively meeting her gaze.

"..."

With a heart full of mixed emotions, Horikita Suzune's gaze signaled for her to take the opportunity to run away.

Just as she was trying to convince herself to ignore her, the other party didn't seem to give her that chance at all.

Before Kushida could react, Horikita Suzune suddenly slammed her desk and stood up.

"Bang!"

The sudden, loud noise made many people tremble, and they turned their heads—some asked in annoyance, while others had faces full of anger.

However, that was all they did; after all, Sudo Ken was still watching from the side, and anyone who dared to spout nonsense would basically have to watch their back on the way home.

"Horikita-san, what's wrong? What happened?" The first to speak were naturally Sudo Ken's subordinates, Yamauchi and Ike, who had been dreaming of beautiful scenarios.

"It's none of your business, go away." Sudo Ken waved his hand.

The two wiped the drool from their faces, and although they were extremely annoyed, they had no choice but to lie back down. Before doing so, however, they naturally had to sneak a peek at their secret crush, otherwise, it just didn't feel right.

As for Horikita Suzune, who had made the loud noise, she saw that Kushida had already snuck out. She had thought she could end it with a casual explanation, but she never expected that she had inadvertently provoked a terrifying existence.

As a clear, high-pitched voice filled with a hint of anger rang out, many people felt their ears buzzing from the sound wave.

"Ah~ my beautiful lady, could you tell me the reason for your shouting just now~"

Looking at the fragmented piece of the precious mirror in his hand, a rare look of regret flickered in Koenji's eyes.

However, that was only one eye, for his other eye was already coldly squinting at Horikita Suzune.

This was the first time Horikita Suzune had ever encountered someone whose two eyes could display such different expressions simultaneously.

While she felt a jolt of alarm, what shocked her even more was that the pressure emanating from the gaze of this man, who usually lived in his own world, was several times greater than that of Ryuen Kakeru when he had cornered her in the past.

She realized in that moment that she might have made a grave mistake; not only had she failed to identify this hidden powerhouse in time, but she had also managed to provoke his hostility.

Horikita Suzune was just about to speak up to apologize and ask for forgiveness, but before the words could leave her lips, a single sentence from him forced her to swallow them back.

"If you cannot give me a reasonable explanation for what just happened, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for me to forgive you~"

"I..." Horikita Suzune lowered her head, momentarily at a loss for words.

A reasonable explanation...

She couldn't possibly tell the truth, but if she were to lie~ Horikita Suzune's intuition told her that she would certainly be found out, and the consequences would only be far more severe.

Turning her head to find that Ayanokoji had no intention of involving himself, she sighed and was just about to stand up to offer an apology, but she was interrupted by Sudo Ken, who angrily retorted first: "Hey, you narcissistic guy, it's just a broken piece of junk mirror, why are you yelling at Horikita-san? Do you believe I'll beat you up!"

Faced with Sudo Ken's darkened face, anyone else who was timid might have chosen to surrender, yet Koenji replied dismissively.

"Oh my, oh my, this reckless young man, why are your words so vulgar and unbearable~"

"The value of this mirror, although I would like to downplay it, is a figure you could hardly imagine even in your dreams~"

If you can't find the book title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has just been changed!

At the request of our readers, we have now launched a VIP membership feature that removes ads.

Click to view