Girls' Tea Party, Kushida's Acting

Tsukishima soon finished writing most of the story.

He handed the drawing paper to Kushida. "Here. I've written most of it, and left a little blank space for you so it'll look like we created it together."

Kushida glanced over it and sneered. "It really is toilet paper. What a cliché story. A nice, otherworldly male lead who meets a woman and adds her to his harem, with every girl falling in love with him and refusing to marry anyone else."

"Even the party lineup is so formulaic: an elf, a knight, a mage, and a priestess. He changes the Succubus's ways, changes the saint's faith, and there are all kinds of misunderstandings..."

"Looks like you've been pouring plenty of trash into your brain, too."

Tsukishima spread his hands. "Can't be helped. This is what makes a story a classic: everyone likes it. Hey, people just love the setup where a high school student saves the world! Believe it or not, this stuff could even sell. It just needs good art and a little more fan service."

Knock, knock! Knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the door.

Kushida muttered under her breath, "Here they come. They'll pretend they're here to see me, then fish around for what's going on in the room."

She stood up and instantly put on a sweet smile. She was even better at changing faces than a Sichuan opera performer.

What could Tsukishima say? He could only pick up his drawing board, find an unfinished sketch, and start adding some lines.

The door opened. A few girls stood outside, their eyes sparkling with excitement and gossip. Some even had a hint of malice in their eyes.

Kushida's face lit up with delight. "Oh! Come on in. Tsukishima brought some desserts and tea, and I was just about to invite you all."

She led the girls into the room.

Tsukishima glanced up at them and gave a small nod in greeting.

He turned to Kushida, a gentle smile slowly spreading across his face. "Ki—Kushida, since you have company, I won't intrude. It's getting late, too. Make sure you get some rest."

He deliberately paused before saying her name, mainly to guide the girls' assumptions.

One girl's eyes lit up. "Don't go yet! We're interested in manga, too. Why don't we discuss the story together? We've read lots of manga and light novels."

The other girls quickly chimed in. "Exactly! If we all discuss it together, we can make the story even better."

"What do you think, Kushida? We talk about light novels together all the time."

Tsukishima glanced at the girl and spoke in a slightly cool tone. "You'd better not talk about light novels right now. Exams are coming up, and if you fail the midterms, you'll be expelled."

The girls' smiles froze for a moment. One of them opened her mouth as if to say something, but Tsukishima's gaze silenced her.

He put his smile back on and spoke gently to Kushida. "See you tomorrow."

Without waiting for Kushida to answer, he slung the drawing board over his shoulder, picked up his bag, and left.

The girls didn't really dare to stop him.

Kushida followed him out, beaming as she called, "See you tomorrow!"

Tsukishima nodded. From the corner of his eye, he saw her lips move: A bunch of bitches!

He nearly burst out laughing and hurried away.

Keep at it, Kushida Kikyo!

Click. A door opened at the other end of the hallway.

Horikita Suzune came over. Their eyes met, and she asked in a chilly voice, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "Guess."

Horikita furrowed her brows, clearly unhappy with that answer.

He tried to walk past her toward the elevator, but Horikita blocked his way.

Tsukishima asked, "What else is it?"

Without changing her expression, Horikita launched into her speech. "As the class advisor, I have both the authority and the responsibility to assess the class representative's state of mind and make sure no one influences his decisions."

"Unless you can prove you're no threat to Class D, I'll always be on my guard around you."

Tsukishima scoffed and waved a hand. "Fine. Keep watching me if you want. And you know what? I recommended you for advisor because of that attitude of yours. It's a good thing. Keep it up. Just make sure you don't let anyone lead you around, either."

"Let me remind you: even in a class of fewer than fifty people, I had to set up a representative system to pull them together. With the class this ready to fall apart, instead of watching me, maybe you should figure out how to patch things up."

Horikita pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Tsukishima walked around her and headed for the elevator. "Whatever your reason for caring so much about the class, you won't get far trying to use it for anything if you don't solve its internal problems. And collective problems are always just a collection of individual ones. So keep at it. If nothing else works, ask your brother. He should know what to do."

"As for me, why not ask Ayanokouji? He spent every morning with me last weekend, drawing. He must have noticed quite a bit, right? What, he didn't tell you?"

Horikita frowned and replied coldly, "Why would he tell me about his business?"

Tsukishima paused, then suddenly laughed. "All right, fine. The way you two keep each other at arm's length is kind of interesting. Good night. Get some rest."

Back in her room.

Horikita sat on her bed and thought about what Tsukishima had said.

Although she was wary of Tsukishima, she had to admit that the way he looked at things often gave her plenty of ideas.

If she wanted to prove the school had placed her in the wrong class and lead Class D to Class A, she had to make use of Tsukishima. That was why she kept seeking him out.

She needed Tsukishima to offer her new ideas and perspectives.

Of course, she really was wary of him, too.

Now she was thinking about her relationship with Ayanokouji. "Keeping each other at arm's length" really did describe it well.

It seemed that both her brother and Tsukishima saw Ayanokouji in a different light.

She recalled her various conversations with Tsukishima and soon frowned. "He always seems to glance at Ayanokouji, intentionally or otherwise..."

"So, does he think Ayanokouji is the one driving my actions?"

Horikita's frown deepened. She immediately began reviewing her various thoughts, especially how they had changed after Ayanokouji spoke.

"Every time, Ayanokouji's influence affects my decisions..."

The most obvious example was the study group for Sudo. I hadn't planned to take part, but Ayanokouji used my brother as a reason to get me to join.

My attitude toward Class D was off, too. When I first entered Class D, I had no intention of leading it to Class A. Now I'd accepted the invitation to become class advisor, and I was even keeping an eye on Tsukishima.

There were plenty of ways to prove I shouldn't have been assigned to Class D, but I'd chosen this path instead.

She recalled Ayanokouji's assessment of her: You assume people are holding you back and discard them without hesitation. I think that contemptuous attitude of yours is why you were assigned to Class D.

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, the person who influenced and changed my thinking.

Yuto Tsukishima, the person who brought the class together.

She suddenly laughed at herself. "I really am no match for my brother. I've been warned so many times, too."

She lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Tomorrow... I'll try looking at them differently.

Lights out. Eyes closed.

But her mind was still a mess. Ayanokouji's words, Tsukishima's words, her brother's words—all tangled together like a knot she couldn't undo.

She turned over.

What exactly does Ayanokouji want?

She turned over again.

What does Tsukishima want?

She turned over once more.

What does my brother... think of me?

She didn't know how long it took, but at last she drifted off to sleep.