Kushida's Contradiction

As Hoshida No left the dormitory, the breeze in the hallway ruffled the bangs on Kushida Kikyo's forehead.

After she closed the door, the smile on her face was replaced by gloom.

Clutching the study materials she had just revised, her fingers unconsciously creased the edges of the paper.

"Why did that woman Horikita Suzune come over? And what is her relationship with Hoshida No?" she whispered, her voice tight.

"Why did she have to show up just when I spilled my water?" She recalled the glance Horikita had shot her upon entering. "What right does she have to act so high and mighty?"

"And Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami, too." As she spoke, her grip on the materials tightened. "Don't think I don't know what you're all plotting."

The edges of the study materials dug deep into her palms.

But what truly unsettled her was that when Hoshida No was cleaning up the water, she had inadvertently caught a glimpse of a pink handkerchief inside his uniform.

Kushida Kikyo's footsteps faltered.

Her heart felt as if it had been gripped by something, her breathing turning shallow.

Why? Why did he still keep it? Didn't he already know what kind of person she was? He knew the face behind her smile.

That handkerchief... shouldn't it have been thrown away long ago, or at least shoved into some corner where it would never be seen again?

What did keeping it mean? Mockery? A memento? Or... some possibility she dared not dwell on?

Conflicting emotions churned in her chest.

"...Disgusting." She spat the word out, unsure if she was referring to Hoshida No or her own current state of mind.

Taking a deep breath, Kushida Kikyo resumed walking, her face once again wearing the smile she had practiced a thousand times. Now was not the time to think about such things.

Elsewhere, Hoshida No, Karuizawa Kei, and Ichinose Honami were heading toward the cafeteria.

The twilight light stretched the shadows of the three, with Karuizawa Kei walking slightly closer on Hoshida No's left, while Ichinose Honami maintained a certain distance on his right.

"Brother No, those strategies Horikita-san mentioned earlier..." Karuizawa Kei tried to strike up a conversation. "Are they really useful?"

"The basic direction is correct, but the details need to be adjusted based on the actual exam content," Hoshida No replied.

Just as they were about to turn onto the main path to the cafeteria, they ran into Ryuen Kakeru.

He had his hands in his pockets and a malicious grin on his face, his eyes locked coldly onto Hoshida No.

Behind him followed Ishizaki Daichi and several other boys from Class D, the atmosphere turning hostile.

Karuizawa Kei instinctively moved half a step closer to Hoshida No, and Ichinose Honami frowned slightly, though she quickly regained her composure.

"Yo, isn't this Hoshida No?" Ryuen Kakeru drawled. "Taking two beauties from Class B out for a victory feast? Celebrating how you stepped on our class?"

His gaze swept over Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami with undisguised aggression, making Karuizawa Kei feel uncomfortable.

Hoshida No stopped and looked at Ryuen Kakeru calmly. "Something you need?"

"Need? Of course there is." Ryuen Kakeru stepped forward, nearly pressing against Hoshida No. "I'm just curious, did you forget that we still have a score to settle?"

He was referring to their cooperation in dealing with Sakayanagi Arisu.

"The outcome of the war depended on your lack of judgment and execution," Hoshida No said in a steady voice. "Besides, Sakayanagi was indeed contained; the cooperation has ended."

"Ha!" Ryuen Kakeru laughed in anger, his eyes turning fiercer. "That's easy for you to say. Should I thank you for teaching me that lesson?"

Ishizaki and the others behind him began to stir.

Ichinose Honami stepped forward half a pace:

"Ryuen-kun, this is a public area. If there's a misunderstanding, perhaps it can be resolved in a more appropriate way? Violent conflict violates school rules and benefits no one."

Karuizawa Kei also spoke up at the right moment: "Ryuen, what are you trying to do?"

Ryuen Kakeru glanced at them and sneered. "Don't worry, beauties, no fighting today."

His gaze returned to Hoshida No's face, heavy with threats.

"Hoshida No, do you think winning last time means everything is fine? In my dictionary, there is no such thing as 'letting it go.' You, and your class... we'll play this out slowly."

He paused deliberately, his mouth curling into a smile. "By the way, I heard you've been getting pretty close to that cripple Sakayanagi? What, did you tell her about our cooperation? Must feel great playing both sides, huh?"

Hoshida No's eyes flickered imperceptibly, and he said indifferently, "The cooperation is over; my business has nothing to do with you."

This unyielding attitude only served to infuriate Ryuen Kakeru further.

"Good, very good." Ryuen Kakeru nodded, poking his finger at Hoshida No's chest. "Remember your words today. Let's go."

He led his group, swaggering past them. Ishizaki deliberately bumped his shoulder against Hoshida No, but Hoshida No didn't budge an inch.

Not until Ryuen Kakeru's group had walked far away did Karuizawa Kei let out a sigh of relief, her face showing worry. "Brother No, Ryuen, he..."

"It's fine," Hoshida No interrupted. "Just a clown."

Ichinose Honami was thoughtful. "It seems Ryuen-kun won't let this go. Brother No, if you need help from Class B..."

"Not for now."

Hoshida No continued walking toward the cafeteria. "His primary target is me and Class C; he won't target other classes in the short term. Just keep your guard up."

A few days later, on the weekend, the joint study session between Class B and Class C was held in the library.

Horikita Suzune did not attend; she seemed to prefer preparing alone or discussing matters with Hoshida No privately.

Kushida Kikyo, acting as one of the primary organizers, performed impeccably.

She greeted everyone with enthusiasm, distributed the reorganized materials, and patiently answered basic questions.

"Here, Kei, I've highlighted the derivation process for this formula for you, make sure to focus on it!"

"Hirata-kun, I'll leave it to you to help everyone sort through this section!"

"Hoshida-kun, there's a lot of debate over this problem, could you please explain your thought process once more?"

She skillfully managed the atmosphere, naturally pushing Hoshida No into the position of the problem-solver, highlighting his value without making him stand out too excessively.

When Hoshida No explained the problems, his logic was clear and devoid of unnecessary chatter.

Karuizawa Kei listened with particular intensity, nodding from time to time, and whenever she truly didn't understand something, she would whisper a question to Ichinose Honami beside her.

Ichinose would then explain it again in a more accessible way, and the two of them would look toward Hoshida No together, waiting for him to confirm if their understanding was correct.

During the intermission, Kushida Kikyo brought out the cookies she had brought to share with everyone.

"Everyone has worked hard, let's eat something and take a break! I tried baking these myself, I hope they're to your liking."

As she handed a cute-shaped cookie to Hoshida No, her fingers inadvertently brushed lightly against the back of his hand before she turned to the next person with a smile.

"Honami, you try some too!"

Hoshida No took the cookie, looked at it, and took a bite. The taste was indeed quite good.

"How is it?" Kushida Kikyo had turned back to look at him at some point, her eyes bright and filled with anticipation.

"It's good," Hoshida No offered his assessment.

Kushida Kikyo's smile became a little more genuine: "That's good then!"

Karuizawa Kei looked at the cookie in her hand, then at the one Hoshida No had already half-eaten, and whispered to Ichinose Honami: "Kikyo is really amazing, she can do everything."

Ichinose Honami nodded with a smile: "Yes, she's very capable."

Her gaze, however, swept past Kushida Kikyo's back and landed on Hoshida No's calm profile.

The second half of the study session was highly efficient.

Under Hoshida No's targeted guidance and the mutual assistance of the group, several difficult knowledge points were conquered one by one.

"We must do our best on the next exam!"

"Thanks to everyone!"

"Hoshida-kun's explanations were so clear!"

Kushida Kikyo and Hirata Yousuke stood at the door saying goodbye to everyone.

As Hoshida No packed his things and prepared to leave, Kushida Kikyo called out to him.

"Hoshida-kun, thank you so much for today!" She pressed her hands together, "I might have to trouble you for the next study session too."

"Mm," Hoshida No nodded.

"Also..." Kushida Kikyo's voice dropped slightly, her eyes drifting to the side before quickly snapping back, her face still wearing a smile, "Thank you for not telling anyone about my situation... and for helping me before..."

Having said that, she didn't wait for Hoshida No to react, turning quickly to speak with Hirata, the tips of her ears appearing slightly flushed.

Hoshida No watched her back as she quickly merged into the crowd, his face devoid of any expression.

He reached into his uniform, his fingertips touching that soft pink handkerchief.

He hadn't thrown it away, for a simple reason: one was the habit of using this handkerchief, and the other was observation.

He pressed it back deep into his pocket and stepped away.