First Contact with Kushida Kikyo

"You En, here's my contact information. If you ever want to go swimming or talk about anything related to water, you can come find me."

The PE teacher found You En before class ended and said this to him.

You En found it a little strange that the PE teacher had gone out of his way to exchange contact information with him. Had his graceful swimming strokes really moved the man?

Sorry, but he sold his skills, not himself.

The PE teacher, however, wasn't so happy.

On the contrary, he was a little distressed. His curiosity had given the upperclassmen a hold over him, and as a condition for settling the matter, he had to give You En some extra help.

But in a school like this, you had to spend points on everything, no matter what it was. That included upperclassmen interfering with underclassmen, and teachers interfering with students.

Unless the rules allowed it, teachers had to spend points to interfere with students, too.

In other words, if he planned to give You En extra tutoring or answer his questions, he would have to pay a certain price depending on how much information he revealed.

Take the student council president, for example. At the new student ceremony, he had discouraged the rookies from joining the school. It was hard to imagine how many points and how much he had to sacrifice for that one speech.

If he really wanted the new students to withdraw safely, the 100,000 points he had on hand wouldn't be enough. He would have to make up the shortfall himself, and the points transferred from the third-years to the first-years would be greatly reduced.

They were lucky no one had withdrawn. If even a few new students had left safely, the student council president would probably have taken a huge hit.

Swimming class ended.

Both the boys and the girls were so exhausted that they didn't want to move. So the school hadn't scheduled a fourth period, letting the students go home early and rest.

But You En was different. He had an elective scheduled then, and he was the only man in all of Class D with an elective.

When the others heard he'd signed up for one, not a single person understood. A few idiots even made fun of him.

You En didn't care. He just wanted to do his own thing. That was all.

Suddenly, a message arrived in his Student Terminal inbox.

It was from Kushida Kikyo. She had sent a selfie of herself and Horikita Suzune in their swimsuits. Their fair, dewy skin and perfect figures, hugged by their swimsuits, were on full display.

Another message came in.

"Kushida Kikyo: What do you think?"

You En followed his instincts and typed three words.

"You En Tiandai: Send more."

"Kushida Kikyo: Horikita isn't too fond of taking pictures, so this is the only one I have of her. But I have lots of my own, and pictures of other people, too. Want them? I can secretly send them to you."

You En grinned. He might be a pervert, but he wasn't an idiot.

"You En Tiandai: No need."

"Kushida Kikyo: I knew I was right about you. You're such a good person."

"You En Tiandai: You're giving me the 'good person' card before I've even made a move? Sigh, Kushida, you're so cruel."

"Kushida Kikyo: Huh? You En, aren't you pursuing Suzune?"

"You En Tiandai: I want to have a foot in both boats, but unfortunately, Kushida won't even give me a chance to buy a ticket."

It took more than ten seconds for her to send another message.

"Kushida Kikyo: Hahaha, You En, you're so greedy."

You En grinned. He could imagine that if she were in her room, she'd definitely be cursing him out.

Teasing Kushida Kikyo a little was no big deal. She had a strong tolerance for this sort of thing. But he'd touched a nerve: comparing her with Horikita Suzune.

"You En: Now that I think about it, if I were to board one of those boats, I'd rather board Suzune's. You're not my type right now."

Kushida Kikyo really wanted to send him a question mark and demand to know what was going on in his head. After thinking for ages and failing to come up with a reply, she tossed her phone onto the bed.

She punched her pillow to vent, then picked up her terminal and forced down her anger as she typed a few lines.

"Kushida Kikyo: Aw, what a shame. Is there something I haven't done perfectly? Is that why you don't like me very much, You En? I really do... admire you."

If patience were a skill, You En could only say that with the right training, Kushida would soon master it—maybe even become a professional. She might even become a grandmaster and found an entire school of patience.

"You En: Sorry, Suzune's messaging me. I'll talk to you later."

"You bastard!"

For a moment, You En could almost hear Kushida Kikyo cursing him with all her might. It had to be his imagination, right?

"What are you smiling about? You seem happy."

Horikita Suzune walked over. She was a little curious about who You En was talking to, but she didn't lean over to look at the screen of his terminal.

You En scrolled to the top of the chat and held out his terminal.

"See for yourself."

Horikita Suzune was a little surprised. She wasn't used to You En trusting her like this, but her curiosity won out, and she took it.

At first glance, she saw the photo of herself. Her expression immediately turned cold.

"She probably only sent it to me. Don't worry."

Horikita Suzune said coldly, "Who knows who else she sent it to?"

If she'd really only sent it to You En, that was fine. Letting him see it wouldn't cost her anything. But the thought of her sending it to certain other people made her feel sick.

Besides, the issue wasn't really who she'd sent it to. The other girl clearly didn't care about her privacy at all.

Still angry, Horikita Suzune scrolled through the chat. When she saw that You En had turned down pictures of other girls in swimsuits, she nodded in mild approval, and some of her anger ebbed away.

But when she saw the line where You En said he was pursuing Kushida Kikyo, her brows shot up. She looked up, ready to demand an explanation.

You En had anticipated her reaction. "Don't jump to conclusions. Keep reading, then we'll talk."

As she continued,

Horikita Suzune grew annoyed at some points. When You En said he'd rather board her boat, she felt a little embarrassed and secretly pleased.

But after reading everything, she found it a little funny. She handed the terminal back to You En.

"How do you manage to toy with her like that... No, tease her? That doesn't sound right, either. Whatever. Why are you picking on her so much?"

You En said matter-of-factly, "It's fun."

Watching him look so unapologetic,

Horikita Suzune nodded instinctively, then realized something was off and asked,

"She hasn't offended you, has she? From a guy's point of view, shouldn't you be thanking her for sending you my... swimsuit photo?"

You En gave her a look that said, What kind of person do you take me for? "Honestly, I am grateful. I'm just picking on her out of gratitude. What's wrong with that?"

"You're sick."

Horikita Suzune thought he was seriously unhinged, though she was getting used to it. Still, knowing You En, she suspected there was more to it.

"Do you dislike her? Or is there something wrong with her? What did you mean by 'right now' in your message? That you might like her later?"

Her rapid-fire questions

put a little pressure on You En, so he could only tell her the truth.

"I just thought it was fun. Besides, you know her."

"I know her?"

Horikita Suzune said, "I only met her a few days ago. We're not exactly close."

"Are you sure it's only been a few days?"

You En asked.

Horikita Suzune replied casually, "Hm? What else would it be?"

She suddenly realized what he meant. "Wait, are you saying I didn't meet her at school?"

You En nodded.

Horikita Suzune folded her arms and closed her eyes to think. Then she opened them.

"But I really don't remember her. I don't recall ever talking to her."

You En didn't spell it out for her. Instead, he led her forward a little at a time. "Are you confident in your memory?"

Horikita Suzune answered directly, "Of course. If I'd really talked to her, I'd definitely remember."

You En glanced at the time. There was still a while before his next elective, so there was no need to rush.

"Then let's assume you're right and you really never talked to her. How did Kushida Kikyo know you?"

"...If we never talked, how did she know me?"

Horikita Suzune murmured. If they'd never spoken, there was only one simple answer: they'd come into contact before.

Before coming here, her life had revolved around home and school. There hadn't been a third place, and she'd never joined any clubs.

So it had to have been at school.

She reached a conclusion. "Kushida Kikyo... Did she go to the same middle school as me?"

You En watched the black-haired girl think and found the sight pleasing.

"Yeah. Everything you've thought of is right."

At this point, Horikita Suzune no longer needed any more hints. With You En guiding her, she began trying to discover the problem, understand it, and solve it on her own.

"The same school... But what does that mean?"

Horikita Suzune looked at You En, instinctively hoping he'd give her a hint.

You En asked, "What do you think of Kushida Kikyo's attitude toward you? Think about the messages she sent me."

"Her attitude? Isn't she like that with everyone?"

After saying this, Horikita Suzune felt that something was off. She acted friendly and eager to get along with everyone, but with her, Kushida was even more attentive—and more deliberate.

By now, she understood what You En meant.

The kindness Kushida showed on the surface was fake.

Then the truth had to be the opposite.

Kushida Kikyo bore her ill will.

But why? Just because they'd gone to the same middle school?

Horikita Suzune couldn't figure it out for the moment, so she looked at You En again.

This time, though, You En shook his head.

"You can figure it out yourself. I believe in you."

He wasn't going to give her any more hints. If he did, it would be no different from giving her the answer. But that would seriously undermine her chance to grow.

You En didn't want Horikita Suzune to become a beautiful vase. She still had room to grow. He could find himself a vase for a girlfriend separately, though whether he did or not wasn't that important. A reliable ally was the hardest thing to find.

At that moment, Horikita Suzune felt something about him that reminded her of her brother. It wasn't the first time, but this time the resemblance was especially obvious.

"Fine, I'll think about it myself. If I'm wrong, tell me, but don't give me the answer."

"Okay."

You En made a hand sign, but over the next ten or so minutes, Horikita guessed several times without finding the right answer.

"I'm going to class. You can keep thinking for a while. We'll see each other again later anyway."

Seeing that he'd kept their promise in mind, Horikita Suzune smiled, though she didn't let it show in her words.

"I know, I know. Stop nagging and go already."

You En teased her, "You're really not very likable."

Horikita Suzune didn't get angry. She turned her head, her eyes lowered as a strand of dark hair slipped down to frame her gorgeous profile. With a hint of playfulness, she asked,

"Don't you like me?"

You En answered honestly,

"I don't know."

That answer

left Horikita Suzune thoroughly displeased. "Go to your elective already! You idiot who spent your points so carelessly!"

You En knew that no matter how he answered, Horikita Suzune wouldn't be happy. The time and their relationship weren't right for that yet.

Did he like her? Of course he liked some things about her. Her figure and looks were both top-tier.

But as far as You En was concerned, did he really like Horikita Suzune's personality? Could he accept everything about her?

He felt the question was too troublesome. Better not to think about it.

Now he needed to go see

what this extra elective at the school was all about.