Got Her Under Control! That Wretched Kushida!

Is that Morofuji (Rika) from the novel "Morofuji"?

"You believe others but not me?" Hirata's words left Karuizawa dumbfounded.

However, Hirata completely ignored him and continued, "I see. That's why you said those things to me, hoping I would take revenge on Manabe and the others."

This was Karuizawa and more Shuichi Kanda, who was present at the scene.

However, Shuichi Kanda admired Karuizawa's idea: to eliminate the enemy before being eliminated himself.

If it were him, he would do the same. It's just a pity that Karuizawa doesn't seem to have the power to do so and can only rely on others, and the people he relies on are somewhat unreliable at the moment.

No, it should be said that they were too reliable, so they didn't want to cause a bigger conflict because of this.

"Why... why did you have to say it...?"

"Because, given your usual style, you wouldn't normally think of using violence to solve problems, would you?"

"Because..."

Snap!

Upon hearing Hirata's words, Shuichi Kanda understood why Hirata had called him out.

Because Shuichi Kanda asked him a question.

[What would you do if an irreconcilable conflict arose among classmates?]

[If it comes to that, I probably won't be able to make a decision. So, Kanda- kun, can you help me then?]

Shuichi Kanda agreed back then, and now that time has come.

Although Manabe from Class C wasn't a classmate of theirs in Class D, Hirata still considered them friends, so Hirata wasn't willing to help Karuizawa take revenge on them.

Knowing what Hirata had been through, Kanda made a judgment here: this was a problem Hirata couldn't solve, so Shuichi Kanda clapped his hands hard, interrupting their conversation.

"Hirata, you called me here because you couldn't solve this problem, right?"

Neither of them showed any displeasure at Shuichi Kanda's sudden interruption; in fact, Karuizawa's eyes seemed to brighten slightly upon hearing Shuichi Kanda's words.

"That's right, you're really amazing. You could tell just from those few words." Hirata turned to look at Shuichi Kanda.

"No, I didn't know. I just felt that you were having trouble making a decision, so I thought it was my turn to help. After all, I promised you that I would help you when you couldn't decide."

Shuichi Kanda straightened up and walked towards Hirata.

"However, as I've said before, my methods won't be gentle, even if the other person is your girlfriend. Are you mentally prepared?"

Hirata frowned slightly, then nodded.

"Actually, Hirata and I were just pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend."

Karuizawa's words startled both Shuichi Kanda and Hirata Yosuke, who then looked at each other.

Shuichi Kanda felt surprised, while Hirata felt somewhat relieved.

Hirata felt relieved because when Karuizawa said those words, it meant that she had chosen to believe in Shuichi Kanda at that moment.

Shuichi Kanda's surprise was—"So you, Hirata, don't have a hat on your head. No wonder you're not afraid of being cuckolded."

"Pretend?"

Hirata Shuichi Kanda glanced at Hirata, who nodded in response.

Shuichi Kanda felt something was off, then sighed, glanced at the canned drink in Karuizawa's hand, and went to the vending machine next to him.

"Sit down and have something to drink, Hirata. What would you like?"

"Coffee will do."

Knowing that Shuichi Kanda was not short of money, Hirata did not refuse.

So Shuichi Kanda bought a canned drink and picked up a can of black coffee for Hirata as well.

Then, the three of them sat down around a table on the sofa in the rest area.

"Let me tell you why you two were pretending to be a couple. I was fooled for months!"

Shuichi Kanda sip. The tingling sensation from the carbonation made him a little more awake.

However, Karuizawa Hirata didn't know how to broach the subject.

"Kanda, do you remember what I told you about my middle school days?"

"Of course, it was also that night that I promised to help you when you couldn't make a decision."

Shuichi Kanda nodded, indicating that he had not forgotten about Hirata.

"Actually, people who have been bullied often have a similar feeling. On my first day at this school, I noticed Karuizawa..."

Before Hirata could finish speaking, Shuichi Kanda raised his hand to stop Hirata, because Karuizawa, who was standing next to him, was trembling and curled up on the sofa, hugging his knees with his hands, his face filled with terror.

Seeing this, Shuichi Kanda naturally understood that Kei Karuizawa must have been severely bullied in the past, which is why she would act strangely when she heard about this topic.

Hirata may have pretended to be in a relationship with Karuizawa at the other party's request.

By leveraging Hirata's position in the class, Karuizawa's status can be elevated, thereby escaping her subservient position as a bullied individual.

The simplest way for humans to elevate their status is to belittle others. Therefore, Karuizawa desperately tries to demonstrate his strength in order to show his status and avoid returning to the bottom.

She just didn't know when to stop and went a bit too far, which is why she didn't apologize even when she was wrong. As a result, things got bigger and bigger, and it's gotten to this point now.

Shuichi Kanda wasn't sure if his deduction was entirely correct, but based on human nature and logic, it should be pretty close to the truth.

If that's really the case, Shuichi Kanda would have to admire this woman named Kei Karuizawa.

Judging from her reaction just now, the bullying she suffered was definitely not that simple, otherwise she wouldn't have felt scared just from mentioning it.

When ordinary people are bullied to that extent, suicide is the most common course of action, just like Hirata's friend named Sugimura.

However, Karuizawa not only did not attempt suicide, but also did not turn to the dark side. Instead, she rallied and began to enjoy school life.

Seeing Karuizawa like this, even Shuichi Kanda could only admire her. Perhaps she was really weak, perhaps her heart was also shattered, but she managed to piece her heart back together.

However, a heart pieced together like this will eventually break down. If it were to experience that kind of thing again, it would likely shatter instantly.

After a long while, Karuizawa's body finally stopped trembling, but her slightly out-of-breath condition proved that everything that had just happened was real.

"Go home now, I'll contact you again during the day. Give me your phone."

Shuichi Kanda decided to end the conversation there, because asking Hirata in front of him would only put him in a difficult position, and it might not necessarily solve the problem once and for all.

Karuizawa, looking dazed, took out his phone and handed it to Shuichi Kanda.

After exchanging contact information, Shuichi Kanda returned the phone to Kanda.

Then he patted the other person's head and said, "Go back now. I'll help you solve your problem."

Karuizawa looked up at Shuichi Kanda. Although Shuichi Kanda's tone was very calm, the unquestionable certainty in it sounded like a divine revelation to Karuizawa.

The warmth from the hand covering her head made Kei Karuizawa feel at ease.

"Yes, thank you."

After quietly thanking him, Karuizawa stood up from the sofa and jogged away from the common lounge on the second basement floor.

Chapter 139 Successfully Controlled! That Despicable Kushida!

After Karuizawa left, Hirata and Shuichi Kanda also headed towards the boys' room on the third floor.

"Thank you very much, Kanda."

"No, since I promised you, of course I will keep my word." Shuichi Kanda shook his head. "How long has she been in this condition?"

"I heard her say that she went through all of that in elementary and middle school." Hirata's expression was somewhat somber.

"In other words, for a full nine years, Karuizawa was truly both clumsy and hardworking."

"Yes, she really works very hard."

"That's right, she's clumsy, but she works very hard. Although I'm not someone who likes to work hard, I don't dislike people who work hard."

Shuichi Kanda finished his drink and threw it into the trash can next to him.

During the day, this is the third day of the exam, a rest day, so there's no need to attend the discussion meeting.

As for Shuichi Kanda, because he went to bed very late the night before, although he woke up once around eight o'clock in the morning, he went back to sleep after checking the time.

When I woke up again, it was almost noon.

When I got up, Hirata and Miyake were already gone from the dormitory. Miyake had been obsessed with exercising these past few days, while Hirata was busy every day.

Shuichi Kanda got out of bed, stretched, then picked up his phone to check the information and sent a message to Karuizawa before going into the bathroom to wash up.

It was already past noon when he came out of the room, and Shuichi Kanda planned to have lunch. Naturally, the place he wanted to go was the Chinese restaurant he frequented.

Here we must once again marvel at the comprehensive facilities of this cruise ship. It not only has Japanese restaurants, but also France, Chinese, Thailand, and Turkey restaurants.

It's just that Shuichi Kanda prefers Chinese food to other dishes. Because dishes cooked over high heat in an iron wok have a unique wok-like aroma!

"Kanda- kun, over here!"

Shuichi Kanda stepped into the Chinese restaurant, he heard Kushida calling out.

Judging from her cheerful voice, it was as if nothing had happened last night.

Good afternoon, Kushida, and Wang Xiaomei.

"Wang, Wang Xiaomei? Who, who is that!" Wang Meiyu, an international student in the class, instinctively retorted, then suddenly froze, "Eh? Does Kanda speak Chinese?"

Not to mention Wang Meiyu, even Kushida, who was sitting next to Shuichi Kanda and thought he was very familiar with him, was extremely surprised. You can actually speak Chinese?

Ha, not to mention Chinese, even Russian, Arabic, French, German...

I can speak almost any well-known language on Earth. Surprised?

"Well, I've only studied it a little bit occasionally."

With a humble smile on his face, Shuichi Kanda sat down next to Kushida and opposite Wang Meiyu, continuing to communicate with them in Chinese.

"No way? How could someone have only studied it a little bit?" Wang Meiyu's face showed some excitement. "Your Mandarin is really good. If I didn't know you were Japan, I would have thought you were from my hometown!"

Fellow villager...

Upon hearing this word, Shuichi Kanda didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Alright, alright, let's not dwell on this anymore. If we keep talking, Kushida will get upset."

Shuichi Kanda smoothly changed the subject, and Wang Meiyu was also taken aback, a sheepish smile appearing on her face.

"Sorry, Kikyo- chan."

"It's okay. Xiao Mei must be very happy to meet a friend who speaks her mother tongue in a foreign country. I understand."

Kushida wore a gentle smile and waved his left hand to indicate that he didn't care at all.

Can you please let go of my thigh with your right hand?!

Are you possessed by Kamuro? You bastard!

So, Shuichi Kanda placed his left hand on the other's thigh and they started pinching each other.

Come on, let's see who comes out worse off!

However, Kushida didn't care at all. He continued to pinch Shuichi Kanda's thigh with a normal expression while chatting with Wang Meiyu about trivial matters.

Shuichi Kanda also acted as a listener, occasionally chiming in with a few words, while his hands remained busy.

How annoying! Is it because I touched your breasts that you don't care?

And don't you feel any pain?

Since that's the case, don't blame me for adopting a conciliatory approach!

Therefore, Shuichi Kanda hands, and the attack gradually turned into a caress.

At first, Kushida thought Shuichi Kanda had surrendered when she felt the force lessen, but gradually she realized something was wrong.

As Shuichi Kanda moved his hands, Kushida began to feel a lack of strength in his hands, then his whole body felt weak, and his body temperature rose.

"Kikyo- chan, what's wrong? Your face is a little red."

The innocent-looking girl Wang Xiaomei didn't seem to notice their private little interaction. She only spoke up to ask after seeing that Kushida's face was slightly red.