Hidden Shadows and Kushida's Anxiety

After the Dragon Group meeting ended, everyone gradually dispersed, and soon only Kikyo Kushida remained in the discussion room. The gentle smile on her face finally faded, replaced by deep anxiety and unease. Her fingers clutched the hem of her clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and even her breathing grew somewhat labored.

The sea breeze outside gently stirred the blinds, making a faint sound, but it did nothing to dispel the gloom in her heart. The shameful events from middle school came surging back like a tide. The dark history she had desperately tried to forget and conceal grew clear and glaring once more when she realized that Suzune Horikita had attended the same school as her.

In middle school, she had stirred up conflict throughout the class single-handedly, brought the class down, and caused a serious class-wide collapse. She had also leaked and exploited her classmates' secrets, and had an extremely dark and twisted personality.

After entering Advanced Nurturing High School, she had reinvented herself as a cheerful, outgoing girl who was popular and got along with everyone. By acting like the perfect girl, she earned everyone's favor and concealed her true nature and dark history.

But Suzune Horikita had attended the same middle school as her and knew the truth. To Kushida, she was a ticking time bomb that could destroy her at any moment.

(Kikyo Kushida's memories)

Back in middle school, Kikyo Kushida had always played the role of a gentle, considerate girl who was easy to confide in, hoping to become friends with every student in her class. Everyone was willing to open up to her and tell her all their troubles, secrets, and embarrassing stories, so she ended up learning a great deal of private information about the entire class.

But constantly taking in other people's negative emotions and secrets piled enormous psychological pressure on her. Unable to cope with it, she began posting her classmates' secrets, insults, and other negative information one by one on an anonymous online forum under an anonymous account, using it as an outlet for her stress.

Later, one of her classmates noticed that the details in the posts pointed to Kikyo Kushida as the one leaking the information and confronted her directly.

Once exposed, with no way to cover it up, Kushida's state of mind completely collapsed. She gave up trying to hide it and openly revealed everyone's secrets to the entire class.

Once the secrets were widely exposed, the students began to distrust and hate one another, and their relationships fell apart. Many students were suspended or disciplined, and the entire class completely disintegrated. That was the class-wide collapse.

She had thought that as long as she was careful enough and no one brought it up, that dark history would stay buried forever. She could graduate from this school under a new identity and perhaps even attain a higher class ranking. But she had never imagined that Suzune Horikita would attend the same school as her. Worse, she had no idea whether Horikita still remembered her or those shameful events.

For some time now, she had been discreetly making inquiries, subtly questioning classmates she knew, and gradually confirming that Suzune Horikita had indeed attended the same middle school as her. Each confirmation added to her anxiety. Horikita was strict and exacting, unable to tolerate even the slightest wrongdoing, and always outspoken. If she really remembered who Kushida had been and recalled that dark history, then with her personality, she would never keep quiet about it.

Kikyo Kushida leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. The worst-case scenario played over and over in her mind: Suzune Horikita would expose her past in front of everyone, reveal her disgraceful behavior in middle school, and humiliate her before all her classmates, making her the center of everyone's attention. Then the gentle image she had carefully maintained would crumble completely. Her classmates would avoid her, and she might even be expelled from school, ruining her future for good.

At the thought of it, she couldn't help trembling all over. Fear grew wildly in her heart like vines, coiling tightly around her until she could hardly breathe. She couldn't let that happen. Absolutely not. To protect her image and stay at this school, she had to find a way to stop Suzune Horikita and prevent that dark history from coming to light.

She opened her eyes again, and determination gradually replaced the anxiety in them. A thought surfaced once more: she could use her VIP status to secure help from Yoshikage Kira and Class B. Yoshikage Kira was a central figure in Class B, levelheaded and capable, with considerable influence in the class. If he was willing to act, he would surely find a way to stop Suzune Horikita.

She even considered that as long as she achieved her goal, she wouldn't care if her VIP status was exposed or if she had to pay a price. The best outcome would be for Suzune Horikita to forget what had happened and never mention that dark history again. If that failed, then she would have to find a way to get Horikita expelled and eliminate the threat completely.

But she also knew that Yoshikage Kira wasn't someone who could be easily persuaded. To get him to help her, she would need to offer him a sufficiently attractive bargaining chip. The most valuable things she had were information about the VIPs and other hidden clues from the Dragon Group exam.

Kikyo Kushida slowly stood up and straightened her clothes, putting her gentle smile back on. Yet deep in her eyes, a trace of anxiety and scheming still lingered. She knew she couldn't hesitate any longer. She had to find Yoshikage Kira as soon as possible and make her request. If Suzune Horikita found out about her past and remembered what had happened, it would already be too late.

She left the discussion room and walked slowly down the corridor, warily scanning her surroundings, afraid someone might notice that something was wrong—and afraid she might run into Suzune Horikita. She proceeded with extraordinary caution, and her resolve grew firmer with every step: no matter what it cost, she would keep her secret, stop Horikita, and protect her future.

Meanwhile, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji was hiding around a corner not far away, watching Kikyo Kushida's unusual behavior. He saw her hurrying along with anxiety between her brows, and a flicker of confusion crossed his eyes. She had seemed so calm and composed during the meeting just moments ago. Why had she become so strange as soon as it ended? What was making her anxious?

Ayanokoji didn't go over to disturb her. He simply followed quietly behind. He had a vague feeling that Kushida's unusual behavior might be connected to her secret, or perhaps to the VIP exam in some way. He wanted to see what this Class B girl, who had always put on a gentle façade, was hiding and what she would do next.