As Long as You're Alive, There's Still Hope

"I'm fine. By the way, hasn't our food arrived yet?"

"It should be soon."

At this moment, Kushida had already surrendered, withdrawing his right hand that was gripping Shuichi Kanda, and intended to call a truce.

But how could Shuichi Kanda let her off so easily? You started this war, so it should be up to me to decide when it ends.

Furthermore, Kushida's thighs feel different from Kamuro's; they are more fleshy and have less muscle, making them much softer than Kamuro's.

"Oh right, I don't think I've ordered anything yet." Shuichi Kanda suddenly realized, "Waiter, one order of pork and green onion dumplings."

The dumplings seemed to be ready-made, so they were served quickly, along with a dish of vinegar.

So Shuichi Kanda ate dumplings while playing with Kushida, and hmm, it felt really good. Shuichi Kanda, who usually felt strained after finishing a single serving of dumplings, still felt a little unsatisfied after finishing a whole serving today.

As for Kushida, she was always a little restless under Shuichi Kanda's caresses, and couldn't even eat properly. When Shuichi Kanda finished a plate of dumplings, she didn't even finish half of the fried rice she ordered.

"Okay, I have something to do later, so I'll be going now."

Seeing that Shuichi Kanda had finally withdrawn his clutches, Kushida Kikyo breathed a sigh of relief, then picked up her spoon and began to eat properly.

"Okay, goodbye, Kanda- kun."

Shuichi Kanda felt that Wang Meiyu was intentionally or unintentionally trying to get closer to him, perhaps because he could speak Chinese.

"Kanda- kun is really amazing. Not only can she cook, but she can also speak Chinese, loves Chinese food, and is very kind to others."

After Shuichi Kanda left, Wang Meiyu rested her chin on her hand and began talking to herself, which made Kushida secretly wary.

"But I still prefer Hirata."

Seeing Wang Meiyu's face instantly turn into a lovesick expression, Kushida secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After spending another ten minutes or so eating, Kushida decided to go back to his dorm first.

There's nothing I can do, it's all wet, and the wind always makes me feel chilly.

Chapter 140 As long as you're alive, there's still hope.

After bidding a refreshed farewell to Kushida, Shuichi Kanda arrived at room 236 on the second floor, a room Shuichi Kanda had rented using his personal points.

Today is a rest day, so there won't be any discussion meetings for the exams. Therefore, no one is coming to the second floor at this time.

After entering the room, Shuichi Kanda discovered that it was not a shared room, but rather a single room more like the ones found in schools, only with far fewer amenities.

There was no kitchen, but there was a bed, a table, a TV, a bathroom, and even a refrigerator with some common drinks inside. There were also two sofas on either side of the small table.

Upon entering the room, Shuichi Kanda sat on one of the sofas, waiting for the guests to arrive.

As for who the guest was, it was none other than Hirata's nominal girlfriend, Kei Karuizawa.

Shuichi Kanda suppressed the pleasant mood brought on by Kushida and began to consider Kei Karuizawa's matter.

Knock knock knock!

The long-awaited knock on the door snapped Shuichi Kanda out of his thoughts.

Upon arriving at the door, after confirming the visitor through the peephole, Shuichi Kanda opened the door.

"Welcome, Karuizawa." Shuichi Kanda smiled. "Before you come in, I have a question: what do you want to gain, you have to give up something. Are you prepared to pay the price?"

"I..." Karuizawa opened his mouth, "What do I have to give in return?"

"That depends on your needs."

Equivalent exchange—that's the choice Shuichi Kanda offered Kei Karuizawa. If she simply wants something from Shuichi Kanda, then she can leave now.

I, Shuichi Kanda, am not Hirata Yosuke. Although I am also the gentlest man in Class D, I am not as selfless as Hirata.

After thinking for a while Kei Karuizawa put away the struggling expression on her face, and then her eyes became firm.

"It seems you've made up your mind. Then come in."

Shuichi Kanda stepped aside to let Kei Karuizawa into the room, and then gently closed the door Shuichi Kanda.

"Please sit down."

Shuichi Kanda pointed to the sofa next to him, and then sat down on another sofa.

Looking at the nervous Kei Karuizawa now, and recalling her arrogant demeanor in class before, Shuichi Kanda found it hard to connect the two people.

"Kei Karuizawa has been bullied by other students at school for the past nine years. She came to this school and used Hirata as her protector. She lives like a typical parasite."

Shuichi Kanda begins by analyzing Kei Karuizawa's current situation.

"However, once you lose Hirata's protection, given the right opportunity, you will once again be relegated to the bottom of the food chain."

"No! I absolutely do not want that kind of life!"

Before Shuichi Kanda could finish speaking, Kei Karuizawa immediately screamed, then hugged her arms with both hands, her face showing a terrified expression.

"Please, Kanda- san, I don't want to go back to that kind of life!"

Simply pointing out the current situation was enough to throw Karuizawa into a panic, which alone is enough to prove how cruel Kei Karuizawa's life had been before.

If his past life was darkness, then his present life is light. A person who sees light in darkness would never want to return to darkness, no matter the cost.

This is human nature!

"Yes, I am—a parasite, a weak creature unable to survive alone. But even so, I don't want to go back to my past life, I don't want to experience that situation again. Why did I have to go through that? Why did I have to suffer like this? I just wanted to protect myself, why, what did I do wrong!?"

Kei Karuizawa's tone shifted from self-deprecation to fear, then to doubt, and finally to hysteria.

Karuizawa did nothing wrong, but in this world, weakness... is the original sin.

Everyone in this world strives to overcome fear and to obtain an environment where they can live in peace.

Gaining fame, dominating others, acquiring wealth—all of this is for the sake of power and peace of mind.

Karuizawa chose to gain fame, but merely gaining fame is not enough. Without sufficient power to support the fame gained, it is all just a dream, as fragile as the moon reflected in water or a castle in the air.

Shuichi Kanda simply listened quietly to her speak, waiting for her emotions to calm down. Then, Shuichi Kanda picked up the cold water that had been placed on the table earlier and poured it over Karuizawa's head.

Karuizawa's fragile heart is like a mirror forcibly pieced together; outside this broken mirror, her desire to protect herself acts as a barrier, safeguarding it.

However, given her current situation, this situation will definitely not last long. Eventually, she will be unable to hold on any longer, and an even stronger force will ruthlessly tear down the protective umbrella outside the broken mirror.

Then, she trampled her already fragile heart to pieces.

At that point, Karuizawa will likely choose the same path as Hirata's friend Sugimura —to end his own life.

What Shuichi Kanda had to do was to completely shatter her broken heart before that happened, and then, in her most desperate moment, plant a seed in her heart—a seed that, though initially weak, would one day sprout and grow.

Therefore, Shuichi Kanda needs to know what kind of despair she has experienced, and then bring her that kind of despair!

Soaking her up with water now is just the beginning.

However, this beginning was already difficult for Karuizawa to handle.

Cold water slid down her head to her cheeks, then down her collarbone and into her clothes, as past memories began to assault her relentlessly.

Tears welled up in her eyes without her noticing, and her body began to tremble.

"Don't want..."

"Stop, stop, stop...!"

"Forgive me..."

"I will be good..."

"I will definitely correct it..."

Just being doused with a bottle of cold water completely triggered Karuizawa's painful memories, and she immediately began to ramble incoherently and beg for mercy.

Is this the leader of that small group? You must be kidding me!

Yes, nine years, a full nine years of bullying. Most people would have been finished by now, but Hirata's friend had already broken down and asked for death after just over a year of bullying.

Karuizawa endured that for nine whole years. How many nine-year periods does one have in a lifetime? That's why Shuichi Kanda admired this girl from the bottom of his heart, and that's why he decided to do something.

"What else?"

Shuichi Kanda reached out and lifted Karuizawa's chin with his finger, forcing her tear-streaked face to face him.

But nothing could be seen on that face except for terror.

"Explain."

His calm tone carried an undeniable authority, and large tears streamed down Karuizawa's face.

"What was done to you?"

A smile suddenly appeared on Karuizawa's face, a smile like that of a broken doll.

"What else could happen? Putting thumbtacks in your shoes indoors, putting dead rats in your desk drawers, splashing dirty water on you after you go to the toilet, and writing 'promiscuous' or 'escort girl' on your uniform."

Hair-pulling, punching and kicking—I've been subjected to everything imaginable... so much that I've lost count."

No, that's not all; Karuizawa is hiding something.

Shuichi Kanda, relying on his intuition, sensed that Kei Karuizawa was hiding something. If he didn't figure it out, he wouldn't be able to completely destroy her, and the difficulty of planting the seed would increase dramatically.

What are you still hiding?

"No, no..."

However, her gaze unconsciously drifted towards her left side.

Is it there?

Following her gaze, Shuichi Kanda also looked down at the area below her left breast, and then reached out his hand.

"Don't want!"

Karuizawa, with a strength she didn't know she possessed, covered that area, below her chest.

Let go of my hand.

Shuichi Kanda's emotionless words rang in Karuizawa's ears, but Karuizawa continued to clutch her left side.

"If you refuse, then leave. I won't tell anyone about your past, but you should also be prepared to go back to those days."

"Hirata can't save you, only I can!"

"Now, I'll say it again: let go of my hand."

Shuichi Kanda's words were like the whispers of a demon, gradually devouring Karuizawa's heart. Then her hand fell limply to her side, and her expression froze, like a delicate doll.

Seeing that she no longer resisted, Shuichi Kanda.

Since he didn't know exactly what was going on, Shuichi Kanda chose the simplest approach.

When everything was laid bare, Shuichi Kanda also saw the reason that had plunged Karuizawa into despair.

Beneath her breasts, encased in blue underwear, lay a stark scar that clashed horribly with her beautiful skin. It was a mark resembling a stab wound from a sharp knife, and the wound was certainly not shallow.

So that's how it is. During those nine years of bullying, she did fight back, but telling her parents only emboldened the bullies, and telling the school meant the school pretended not to know.

She tried to resist, but failed, and this potentially fatal scar is proof of that.

Later, perhaps it was a joke played by fate that brought her to this school.

Then she began to change herself, change her lifestyle, actively seek the protection of the strong, and live like a parasite.

Her first host was Hirata Yosuke.

But when Hirata Yosuke was no longer able to protect her, she began to panic, which is why she asked Hirata to use violence to retaliate against Manabe and the other two.

That's why she wasn't so resistant when Hirata brought Shuichi Kanda to see her.

After nearly half a year of observation, she realized that Shuichi Kanda was stronger than Hirata, not in terms of physical strength, but in some inexplicable way.

So when she met with Shuichi Kanda explain her fake relationship with Hirata.

Everything she did was in order to gain Shuichi Kanda's protection.

Even though she was treated this way, she still didn't run away, but instead let Shuichi Kanda do as he pleased.

Looking at Karuizawa, who is like a broken doll, even if Shuichi Kanda took her body here, he wouldn't encounter any resistance.

But that would be so boring.

Shuichi Kanda reached out his right hand and touched the scar that had almost taken Kei Karuizawa's life.