The process of learning was always enjoyable.
And enjoyable times always seemed to fly by.
By the time Yamada had talked himself hoarse, Tsukishima's notebook was filled with notes.
He looked up at the dark sky. "Tsukishima, let's call it a day. Learning doesn't happen overnight, so take it one step at a time."
Tsukishima nodded and rubbed his aching head. "Thanks, Yamada. I never realized drawing manga was this difficult."
Yamada patted him on the shoulder. "Take your time. Don't rush. You already have a foundation in drawing, so you're learning much faster than I did."
"All right, go get some rest. Make sure you manage your time well, and don't neglect your studies."
Tsukishima nodded. "I'll be going, then. Thank you for teaching me, Yamada."
Yamada waved him off.
The campus was quiet at night.
As the night wind blew, the tension in Tsukishima's nerves slowly eased.
The calls of unfamiliar little animals helped soothe him.
"That blonde bitch Karuizawa... All day long it's 'Hirata-kun~ Hirata-kun~,' like some cat. Isn't that disgusting?"
"And the way she looks down on you when she talks to you... 'Kikyo, come play with us~'—Who wants to play with you, idiot? You think everyone wants to revolve around you?"
Huh. It seemed he'd stumbled onto something he wasn't supposed to hear.
That voice... Was it Saint Kushida Kikyo?
Tsukishima pulled out his phone, started recording, and slowly approached the source of the voice.
"That scheming Matsushita thinks I can't tell she likes Hirata too? Every time she looks at Karuizawa, it's like she's stabbing her with her eyes. Hilarious!"
"I hate those stupid 'girls' circle' rules the most! You're friends with one girl today, then ignore another tomorrow. What is this, kindergarten? And I have to play along. I'm so tired, so tired, so tired!"
"That creep Yamauchi! Every day it's 'Kushida-san~ Kushida-san~,' buzzing around like a fly. He's practically drooling on my desk! So disgusting!"
"And Ike! Those two are like a pair of toads! They get together to talk about gal games, thinking they're so trendy? Ugh—"
"He asked me to go sing karaoke this weekend again. Who wants to go? But if I don't, they'll say I'm stuck-up... This is so annoying, so annoying, so annoying!"
"That ice-cold Horikita! What's she so smug about? 'I'm fine on my own'—the hell you are!"
"I've been smiling all day... My face is twitching. Why do I have to work so hard? Why do I have to deal with all those idiots?!"
Kushida Kikyo's voice fell silent, leaving only her panting after the vigorous exertion.
A smile slowly spread across Tsukishima's face as he stepped out.
"How frightening."
"I never imagined there'd be countless tally marks beneath the Saint's pure white robes."
"By day, the Saint showers everyone with holy light. By night, she becomes a succubus spreading desire."
Kushida stood frozen in place, instinctively forcing a smile. "What are you talking about, Tsukishima-kun...?"
Tsukishima looked at her, his back to the moonlight. He tilted his head.
"Your Holiness, a goblin has discovered your secret."
Kushida Kikyo's expression turned cold.
As she walked toward Tsukishima, she asked, "Did you hear everything?"
Tsukishima nodded. "I do agree with what you said about Yamauchi and Ike. As for the girls, I can't really say."
They stopped face-to-face.
Kushida's expression grew even darker. "What do you want?"
Tsukishima raised a hand to his chin and looked her up and down. "I do have a few needs."
The disgust on Kushida's face deepened. Taking him by surprise, she grabbed his hand and pressed it hard against her body. "Now we're even. Your fingerprints are on my clothes. If you dare tell anyone, we'll both go down!"
Tsukishima's hand moved of its own accord. "Kushida-san, what did you eat growing up? How did you develop like this?"
"By the way, would you be interested in working with me on a breast-enhancement diet plan? With you as a living example, it'd sell like crazy!"
The dark aura around Kushida stalled. She seemed unable to make sense of Tsukishima's approach. "You..."
Before she could finish, Tsukishima cut in. "Don't worry. I have no intention of telling anyone. You work so hard every day, dealing with those idiots and keeping them happy. It's perfectly normal to find somewhere private to blow off steam at night."
"Honestly, I admire you. You can get along with practically everyone. You're a social genius. That'll make everything easier for you in the future."
Tsukishima took out his phone with his other hand. "But right now, you should think about how to make sure my fingerprints stay on your clothes permanently."
Kushida tightened her grip on Tsukishima's hand, as if she wanted to crush it against her chest. "Delete the recording! Otherwise, we're going straight to the Student Council!"
Tsukishima sank deeper into the soft sensation.
"Kushida-san, don't get so worked up. You wouldn't gain anything by exposing me, would you? We each have leverage over the other now. We're natural allies, aren't we?"
"Working together benefits us both. Fighting will only hurt us both, Kushida-san."
"How about this? I'll tell you the school's point system. You can use it to win over whoever you want. In return, you'll be my practice model. I've been learning how to draw manga lately."
Kushida immediately caught on. "You're the one who gave Ichinose the information she sold?"
Tsukishima smiled and nodded. "What do you think? Now you know my secret, and I know yours. We're natural allies."
As he spoke, he tested her conscience again. "What do you think, Kushida-san?"
"I don't think much of it. What do the school rules have to do with me? Why should I believe you won't send the recording to someone else?"
"You don't have to believe me. As my model, we'll have time alone together, and you can always gather more evidence. We can keep holding each other's secrets over one another."
"That's disgusting. You want to use this as an excuse to take advantage of me forever?"
"Hey, I don't want to either, but neither of us trusts the other, so this is the only way, isn't it? The dorm's about to close. You'd better decide quickly."
Kushida gritted her teeth. "Fine, I agree! I'll just think of it as being bitten by a dog!"
She didn't want to agree, but she had no choice. She'd exposed herself to her entire class in middle school, and had finally found a new high school where nobody knew her, so she could start over. If something went wrong again, she'd truly have nowhere left to go.
By comparison, being taken advantage of was a minor matter.
Tsukishima laughed. "Woof, woof! Then let's work well together, Kushida-san."
"The school rules."
"Of course..."
The two of them headed for the dorms, and Tsukishima told Kushida all the rules he'd deduced.
"See you tomorrow, Tsukishima-kun."
At the dorm entrance, Kushida had already put her smile back on.
"See you tomorrow, Kushida-san. Sleep well."
Before you continue