The Angel's Mask

The air in the Class D girls' dormitory hallway had frozen solid.

Kushida Kikyo stood outside Room 404, pulling a suitcase. She still wore that sweet, harmless smile, but the chill in her eyes was enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine.

Kei Karuizawa stood in front of the door, with Airi Sakura behind her, pale-faced.

"Move aside, Karuizawa," Kushida said lightly, as if she were commenting on the lovely weather.

"Where are you going?" Karuizawa asked, not budging, her arm braced across the doorframe.

"Transferring dorms." Kushida tilted her head, her chestnut hair sliding over her shoulder. "The Student Council has already approved it. Starting today, I'm moving to the Class C dormitory. All the paperwork's done."

"Why?"

"Why?" Kushida repeated, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Karuizawa, that's such an innocent question. What kind of future is there for me in Class D? It's a class that only managed to reach second place through sheer luck, and it's falling apart from within."

She took a step forward, stopping barely half a meter from Karuizawa. "Especially you, Karuizawa. You think you're so impressive, don't you? You've attached yourself to Ayanokoji and call all the shots in class. But do you know what people say about you behind your back? 'Kei Karuizawa, Class D's social butterfly, a slut who climbed the ranks by using boys—'"

Karuizawa clenched her fists.

Airi Sakura tugged at her sleeve.

"What? You want to hit me?" Kushida's smile widened. "Go ahead. Then everyone can see for themselves what sort of girls Class D has. By the way, my phone's recording."

She shook the phone in her pocket.

Quick footsteps sounded from the other end of the hallway.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka arrived.

He stopped five meters from the three girls and glanced at Kushida's suitcase. It was twenty-four inches, packed full, but its wheels rolled smoothly. She had clearly kept the weight under control. She wasn't leaving in a hurry. She'd been planning this for a while.

"Ayanokoji-kun." Kushida turned to him, her sweet smile unchanged. "You came to see me off? How thoughtful."

"You're going to Class C?" Ayanokoji asked.

"Correct." Kushida snapped her fingers. "Ryuen is happy to have me. He says Class C needs 'talents' like me. Unlike certain people who have ability but insist on hiding it, pretending to be modest."

Her words were pointedly aimed at Ayanokoji.

"What are you taking with you?" Ayanokoji asked, watching her suitcase.

"Oh, the way you put that makes it sound like I'm going to steal something." Kushida put on an injured expression. "I'm just taking my own things. Clothes, makeup, study materials... and a few little keepsakes."

She pulled a small USB drive from the inside pocket of her coat and spun it around her fingertips. "Like this, for instance. It has some interesting chat logs and photos. Mementos of Class D's 'youth,' you might say."

Karuizawa's expression changed.

Airi Sakura began trembling all over.

"What are you planning to do?" Karuizawa's voice tightened.

"What am I planning to do?" Kushida put the USB drive away, her smile bright. "Protect myself, of course. I'm transferring to Class C, after all. If everyone in Class D gets angry and comes after me, I need some way to defend myself, don't I?"

She looked at Ayanokoji. "Isn't that right, Ayanokoji-kun? You're so smart. I'm sure you understand what I mean."

"Name your price," Ayanokoji said.

Kushida froze for a moment, then smiled even more broadly. "I like talking to smart people. But sorry, I'm not selling this time. These things are my 'insurance.' As long as Class D leaves me alone, they'll stay on my encrypted drive forever."

"But you'll show them to Class C, won't you?" Ayanokoji said calmly. "Ryuen won't take you in for nothing. You'll need to prove your loyalty."

Kushida's smile faded slightly.

"So," Ayanokoji continued, "what you really want isn't for us to 'leave you alone.' You want us to 'accept your betrayal and not retaliate.' Because if we do, you'll make those things public."

The hallway fell silent for a few seconds.

Then Kushida started clapping.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Her applause echoed through the empty hallway.

"As expected of you, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka." Her eyes turned completely cold. The angel's disguise shattered like glass, revealing the sharpness beneath. "But you got one thing wrong—I don't need you to 'accept' anything. Because once those things are made public, Class D is finished."

She took a step toward Ayanokoji, leaning close. Her voice dropped so low that only the two of them could hear.

"Records of Karuizawa bullying her classmates in middle school. Candid changing-room photos of Airi Sakura—oh, don't worry, I didn't take them, but I have copies. Yosuke Hirata and the ugly business with his ex-girlfriend. And then there's you, Ayanokoji-kun..."

She paused, the corner of her mouth curling into a cruel smile. "You're not the original Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, are you? I don't know what happened, but your behavior, abilities, even your microexpressions are completely different from when school started. What do you think would happen if I submitted this 'suspicion' to the school and asked them to conduct a 'thorough background investigation' into you?"

Ayanokoji's pupils contracted slightly.

But his expression didn't change.

"Are you finished?" he asked.

Kushida narrowed her eyes.

"You're right. If those things go public, Class D will be in a lot of trouble," Ayanokoji said. "But have you ever wondered why I was able to figure out that you have a split personality?"

Kushida's smile froze.

"I didn't 'figure it out.' I 'confirmed' it," Ayanokoji corrected her. "From the first day of school, when you asked me to praise your legs in front of everyone, I knew something was off. Someone who genuinely wanted to maintain an angelic image wouldn't draw attention to herself that way."

He took a step forward, and Kushida instinctively backed away.

"After that, you kept gathering information. Everyone's interests, habits, weaknesses. You made it so obvious that even a pushover like Hirata started getting wary of you." Ayanokoji's voice was level, but each word cut like a knife. "You thought you were hiding it well? No. You were simply taking advantage of people's unwillingness to think the worst of others."

"So what?" Kushida lifted her chin. "I'm the one in control now."