That afternoon, the students of Class D discussed the midterm exam answers in the classroom.
Most of them were puzzled by Sakayanagi Arisu's decision to give Class D the answers for free.
But some people cheered.
Finally, they wouldn't have to study.
What's more, someone said, "Maybe Classmate Sakayanagi gave us the answers because of Chihaya?"
"Classmate Sakayanagi was chatting happily with Chihaya in the hallway a few days ago..."
More than half of Class D agreed with this.
As a result, the students of Class D mistakenly thought Chihaya Rei was close with Sakayanagi Arisu.
They credited him with part of the merit for getting the answers.
Even Chihaya Rei was rather surprised.
Then he neither confirmed nor denied it.
He just chuckled to himself, thinking that Sakayanagi Arisu would probably be furious when she found out.
What's more, if Sakayanagi Arisu didn't explain herself properly after her act of providing Class D with the exam answers got back to Class A, they might consider her a traitor to her class...
Some students in Class D also worried that Sakayanagi might have tampered with the answers.
Just then, Kushida Kikyo volunteered to find upperclassmen and verify whether they were genuine.
The students of Class D unanimously praised her for it.
That night.
As usual, Chihaya Rei went out to buy a cola.
On his way back, he usually wandered around nearby too, looking for a chance to torture someone.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
"..."
As he passed the artificial lake on campus, he heard the crisp sound of kicks striking the railing, one after another.
Chihaya Rei's eyes lit up slightly.
He'd happened to catch Kushida Kikyo letting off some steam!
Suppressing a little excitement, Chihaya Rei followed the sound, approaching quietly.
Soon, beneath a streetlight that cast a white glow beside the railing around the artificial lake,
Chihaya Rei spotted a flaxen-haired figure.
He skillfully took out his digital camera, hung it around his neck, and quietly enjoyed Kushida Kikyo's performance.
It was a shame that he could only see Kushida Kikyo in profile.
"Ah, I'm so sick of this, so sick of this!"
"Do you know how long I've been putting up with you..."
"Horikita Suzune, you bitch! Every time you open your mouth, you piss me off. What's with the attitude? Why act so high and mighty? Who the hell do you think you are?!"
"I've sent you a friend request so many times and you still won't accept it. You're really pushing your luck. Drop dead, drop dead, drop dead!"
Kushida Kikyo opened her mouth wide and cursed loudly without pausing for a moment.
"And you, you bastard band guy Chihaya Rei! You're no better than Horikita Suzune!"
"You act like you know the real me. What gives you the right to know about my past, huh?! Answer me!"
"I don't believe you really know my secret."
As if the railing were Chihaya Rei, Kushida Kikyo raised her leg and kicked it hard twice more.
"I'll stomp you to death, hmph! I know your type best—good-looking guys who play in bands."
"Do you play in a band, or do you play with girls in bands? I bet it's the latter! Bah, scumbag! Stinking band guy."
Chihaya Rei had been listening along just fine, but he hadn't expected to be the next one cursed out.
Though he'd anticipated that Kushida Kikyo might curse him, he was still at a loss for words.
Chihaya Rei figured he hadn't done anything too outrageous to Kushida Kikyo. He'd only said a few mean things. She was definitely taking her anger out on him.
ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh, it was hard being a good person.
Also, he had to set the record straight: what Kushida Kikyo said about bands was pure slander and fabrication.
He did both—played in a band and played with girls in bands.
Kushida Kikyo, let's see if you can keep acting so tough in a moment.
"And Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike, you two stay the hell away from me! Can't you drop out already?!"
"You two brainless, ugly idiots who can't even talk properly disgust me just by looking at you. And you want me to call you 'Kikyo-chan'? That's disgusting!"
"And all those idiots in class who borrowed my points, pay me back already!"
After shouting, Kushida Kikyo kicked the railing hard several more times. Then she bent forward slightly, rested both hands on it, and let out a long breath.
"That's enough for today..."
When she raised her head again, Kushida Kikyo was smiling with that innocent, lively expression.
"I feel so much better. Now I'm everyone's beloved little Kikyo again~"
What a master of changing faces.
Clap, clap, clap!
Chihaya Rei applauded, his claps keeping a steady rhythm.
At the quiet lakeside, Kushida Kikyo heard him at once.
She whipped around.
Chihaya Rei stood there with a warm, amiable smile, holding out the cola in his hand as he asked,
"Classmate Kushida, looks like you've finally finished venting. Want some cola to soothe your throat? It's cold."
For an instant, Kushida Kikyo's pupils contracted and her expression darkened frighteningly, while Chihaya Rei simply kept smiling as if he hadn't noticed.
"Heh, heh..."
Kushida Kikyo's teeth ground together audibly, and her voice turned colder than ever.
"You saw everything, didn't you?"
"Every last bit of it."
Chihaya Rei said with a hint of admiration, "Your voice sounds much nicer now, too."
Her cutesy voice reminded him of an old band acquaintance, so he preferred hearing Kushida Kikyo's real voice.
But to Kushida Kikyo, his words sounded like a blatant provocation.
She strode toward him, reaching Chihaya Rei in just a few seconds. Her face twisted as she threatened him,
"I want you to promise that you won't tell anyone what you just saw. Otherwise..."
"I can't promise that. Otherwise, what?"
Chihaya Rei smiled calmly, unconcerned.
"Then I'll go to the school and..."
As Kushida Kikyo spoke slowly, she swiftly grabbed Chihaya Rei's right hand.
She laid her palm over the back of his hand and deliberately pushed it toward her chest.
The move was quick.
But Chihaya Rei's hand stopped abruptly just a few centimeters from Kushida Kikyo's chest.
Chihaya Rei smiled faintly, his gaze teasing.
If he didn't want his hand to move, how could Kushida possibly move it with her meager strength?
Kushida Kikyo froze, but she reacted quickly.
Since she couldn't force Chihaya Rei's hand to move, she immediately thought to slam her own body into it!
Chihaya Rei's eyes narrowed slightly as he realized what Kushida Kikyo was planning.
He reacted even faster, clenching his palm into a fist.
A muffled thump came from Kushida Kikyo, and she let out a soft groan.
That collision had packed quite a punch.
And then Chihaya Rei saw his fist buried deep in the soft flesh in front of Kushida Kikyo.
[Torture Kushida Kikyo, obtained 3666 Torture Points]
For a moment, the air fell silent.
The evening breeze swept across the artificial lake, then washed over them, ruffling their hair.
Kushida Kikyo's expression was first one of shock, but she soon felt the pain in her chest. Her brows knit, and her face showed how much it hurt.
Chihaya Rei's expression turned rather complicated too.
That punch had caught him by surprise.
But the feel of it was undeniable: softer than every pillow he'd ever slept on.
Besides, he'd only meant to stop his palm in front of Kushida Kikyo's chest, then watch her panic when she couldn't move it no matter how hard she tried.
He hadn't expected Kushida Kikyo to react so quickly and slam into it with her body.
Fortunately, he'd reacted just as fast.
"Classmate Kushida, your plan failed."
Seeing that Kushida Kikyo still hadn't recovered, Chihaya Rei withdrew his hand himself.
Feeling the strange sensation against her chest disappear, Kushida Kikyo instinctively pressed a hand against it. Then she glared up at Chihaya Rei, furious. Her face flushed red with embarrassment and anger.
"You shameless jerk! You took advantage of me, you bastard!"
"Didn't you bring it on yourself?"
Chihaya Rei raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone playful.
"You wanted to collect my fingerprints so you could threaten me. If I didn't keep your secret, you were going to falsely accuse me of assaulting you, right?"
"How did you know?!"
Kushida Kikyo's gaze froze, and the words slipped out before she could stop them.
She hadn't even said what she was planning to do yet.
"So you admit it. Good, now that you've admitted it."
Chihaya Rei's lips curled up as he took the digital camera out of his pocket.
Under Kushida Kikyo's utterly horrified gaze, Chihaya Rei tapped the camera a few times and played the footage for her.
"For the record, I also got your plan to falsely accuse me on camera."
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