Kushida's Reverse Play

Tsukishima's mouth twitched. He scanned the faces of the boys in the class one by one, then stuck out his thumb. "I've discovered that every one of you is quite the talent. I thought I already understood you all well enough, but I never expected—never expected this."

"As for what happened between me and Kushida... what the hell does it have to do with any of you?"

He didn't plan to explain. In truth, it wasn't a big deal—just an emotional issue involving a girl who was popular in the class.

For him, it was even a good thing, because what Kushida showed wasn't fear or resistance, but shyness and delight.

The girls would think it was just Kushida developing feelings for Tsukishima through prolonged contact, at most offering advice while listening to gossip.

The boys, meanwhile, would shift from their original fear and respect toward Tsukishima to envy, maybe even feeling he was more approachable now. They'd probably come chat with him about lewd topics and ask him to teach them how to pick up girls.

In short, Kushida pulling this stunt had actually improved his standing in the class.

Tsukishima placed his hand on Kushida's head, patted it three times, then, under the envious and jealous gazes of the boys, leaned down and whispered in her ear, "We need to find time to talk properly."

"Mm..."

Kushida covered her face and nodded, burying her head even deeper.

"What did Tsukishima say to her?!"

"Could it be... could it be adult talk?"

"No way! What are you thinking?! Kushida is forever pure!"

At noon, Kushida followed Tsukishima away, leaving the boys' shattered hearts behind.

In a corner of the cafeteria, Kushida ate her curry rice with her head down while Tsukishima watched her eat.

The two sat in awkward silence until Tsukishima spoke first.

"Alright, still eating? What, has your persona changed to foodie now?"

"Mmm... because being a model is a bit tiring, so I eat more? Boohoo~ I won't eat anymore, don't abandon me~"

"...So what are you up to again? Helping me improve my class relations while reinforcing your own storyline of sacrificing yourself for the class until you fall into depravity?"

Kushida didn't answer. She cupped her face in her hands, wore a pure smile, scanned the surroundings, then her eyes lit up. "Horikita, over here~~"

Tsukishima froze and turned to look. Horikita Suzune and Kiyotaka Ayanokouji walked over with their trays and sat down beside them.

Horikita Suzune seemed reluctant, but after Ayanokouji said something, she came over.

Ayanokouji sat next to him, but Horikita didn't sit beside Kushida. Instead, she took a seat a little farther away.

Her expression wasn't too pleasant.

"Are you two some kind of bound summoning beasts? Is Ayanokouji always within three steps of Horikita?"

Tsukishima threw out a jab.

Ayanokouji said flatly, "Just a coincidence."

Tsukishima rolled his eyes and gave a dry laugh. "That's not convincing at all."

His eyes were on Horikita, but his hand naturally reached into Ayanokouji's tray, grabbed a big piece of meat, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Horikita's gaze sharpened—she noticed Tsukishima's deliberate move, and also noticed that Ayanokouji made no attempt to stop him.

"It seems someone has betrayed me."

She looked at Ayanokouji, her voice turning cold.

Ayanokouji remarked blandly, "When did I ever pledge loyalty to Horikita?"

The air went silent for a second.

Kushida suddenly stood up, picked up her tray, and sat down across from Horikita.

Horikita let out a cold laugh. "Kushida, I didn't expect you to respond this way. So, are you here to flaunt your victory?"

Kushida's expression didn't change. She pretended to be serious, locking eyes with Horikita Suzune for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Horikita, I'm here to thank you!"

"If you hadn't threatened me with Tsukishima, I wouldn't have made up my mind so quickly to face my feelings.

And also... I wanted you to see with your own eyes how happy I am now, so you can rest assured, right?"

Horikita Suzune was stunned. She furrowed her brows and sneered. "I threatened you, and you're thanking me?"

Kushida shook her head, speaking earnestly. "Horikita, do you know how many people regret it for life because they were just one step short?"

"Even though you threatened me, you also pushed me to take that step! Horikita, thank you!"

Horikita pressed her lips together tightly, and finally said coldly, "Think what you want. Don't hold us back in the midterm study session."

With that, she glanced at Ayanokouji and walked away expressionlessly.

Tsukishima had figured out what was going on. In short, Horikita had threatened Kushida—probably related to him—and today was Kushida's countermove. But judging by Kushida's attitude, she intended to use this to improve her relationship with Horikita?

Sacrificing her perfect saintly image to get closer to Horikita—Kushida was aiming for something big. But what was she after?

He pondered this while reaching for meat in Ayanokouji's tray again.

Ayanokouji quietly shifted his tray, so Tsukishima's chopsticks picked up a piece of Chinjao instead.

Tsukishima chewed without changing his expression. "Ayanokouji, abandoned by Horikita, and now you're protecting your meat."

Ayanokouji shoved the last piece of meat into his mouth, swallowed, and then said, "Chinjao is delicious too."

After a moment of silence, Ayanokouji said flatly, "Horikita seems a bit impatient."

Tsukishima glanced at him. "Then you'd better hurry up and give her some advice, so she doesn't get stabbed by that Compass when she gets back."

Before Ayanokouji could speak, Tsukishima added, "Oh, and by the way, normal humans scream and show pain when stabbed with a Compass. They also get angry."

Ayanokouji's expression remained unchanged. "Is that so?"

Tsukishima sighed and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Hey, you could try watching movies, manga, anime, novels—some entertainment media. It might help you evolve from an AI into a real person."

Kushida tilted her head, watching the two of them, her big eyes full of confusion. "Huh? What are you two talking about?"

Tsukishima waved a hand. "Nothing much. Just discussing some technological developments and social progress."

Ayanokouji looked at them both, picked up his tray, and stood. "I'll give it a try."

Not long after he left, Tsukishima and Kushida walked off side by side.

Walking along the school path.

Tsukishima swept his gaze around—empty, no one in sight—so he lowered his voice. "Did Horikita threaten you?"

Kushida wore a look of innocent shyness, head bowed, voice soft. "Yeah, that bitch..."

She briefly recounted what Horikita had threatened her with.

Tsukishima nodded. "That's her style. As long as it benefits her, she doesn't care about saving face. So that stunt you pulled this morning—was it to counter her? Doesn't seem like your style."

The pure, innocent Saint Kushida having a crush or even a relationship would be a huge blow to her image. If it was just to counter, she didn't need to go that far.

Especially the thanks she gave Horikita at lunch—that clearly cemented the idea of Kushida's feelings for Tsukishima.

If that got out, how many guys would have their hearts broken? How many girls would be gossiping behind her back?

Kushida kept her pure, innocent expression and said softly, "I need to get on good terms with Horikita, to confirm some things. I need a reason to get close to her and make her underestimate me."

Tsukishima nodded. "Getting flustered by a threat and exposing a secret does make you look weak. But with this relationship between us, she's probably not going to trust you easily."

"I don't need her trust. Just her contempt."

"And what exactly do you need to confirm? You don't have to tell me if it's inconvenient. I'm just curious."

Kushida hesitated, then shook her head. "Sorry..."

Tsukishima waved it off. "No problem. Everyone's got secrets. Tell me when you're ready. If you need me to play along, just say the word."