Kushida's Contradictions

As she left Hoshida No's dorm room, a breeze in the hallway ruffled Kushida Kikyo's bangs.

After she closed the door, the smile on her face had already been replaced by a gloomy expression.

She hugged the freshly revised study-group materials to her chest, unconsciously creasing the edges of the papers with her fingers.

"Why did that woman, Horikita Suzune, come over? And what's her relationship with Hoshida No?" she murmured under her breath.

Why did she have to show up just when I knocked over the glass? She remembered the look Horikita had given her when she walked in. What gives her the right to act so superior?

"And Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami, too." Her grip on the materials tightened as she spoke. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to."

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

But what truly unsettled her was the pink handkerchief inside Hoshida No's uniform, which he had inadvertently revealed while cleaning up the spilled water.

Kushida Kikyo stopped in her tracks.

It felt as if something had clutched her heart, and her breath tightened slightly.

Why? Why was he still keeping it? Didn't he already know what kind of person she was? He knew about the other face hidden beneath her smile.

That handkerchief... Shouldn't he have thrown it away long ago, or at least stuffed it in some corner where he'd never see it again?

What did keeping it mean? Mockery? A memento? Or... some possibility she didn't dare think about?

Conflicting emotions churned in her chest.

"...Disgusting." She whispered the words, unsure whether she meant Hoshida No or her own feelings at that moment.

Taking a deep breath, Kushida Kikyo started walking again, a smile she had practiced thousands of times returning to her face. Now wasn't the time to think about this.

Meanwhile, Hoshida No, Karuizawa Kei, and Ichinose Honami were heading to the cafeteria.

The light of dusk stretched their shadows out behind them. Karuizawa Kei walked slightly closer to Hoshida No on his left, while Ichinose Honami kept a little distance on his right.

"Brother No, those strategies Horikita mentioned earlier..." Karuizawa Kei tried to make conversation. "Do you think they'll really work?"

"The general approach is sound, but we'll need to adjust the details 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 menacing grin on his face, but his cold gaze was fixed on Hoshida No.

Ishizaki Daichi and several other boys from Class D followed behind him. The atmosphere was hostile.

Karuizawa Kei instinctively edged half a step closer to Hoshida No. Ichinose Honami frowned slightly, but quickly regained her composure.

"Well, if it isn't Hoshida No," Ryuen Kakeru drawled. "Heading to a celebratory banquet with the two beauties from Class B? Celebrating how you trampled our class?"

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

Hoshida No stopped and looked at Ryuen Kakeru calmly. "What do you want?"

"What do I want? Plenty." Ryuen Kakeru took a step forward, coming so close he nearly bumped into Hoshida No. "I'm just wondering if you've forgotten that we still have a score to settle."

He was referring to their deal to work together against Sakayanagi Arisu.

"The outcome of the war came down to your poor judgment and execution," Hoshida No said evenly. "Besides, Sakayanagi was held in check, so our cooperation is over."

"Ha!" Ryuen Kakeru laughed in fury, his gaze growing even more vicious. "You make it sound so easy. Should I thank you for teaching me that lesson?"

Ishizaki Daichi and the others behind him were getting restless.

Ichinose Honami stepped forward slightly.

"Ryuen, this is a public area. If there's been a misunderstanding, perhaps we can resolve it in a more appropriate way? A violent confrontation would violate school rules and do no one any good."

Karuizawa Kei spoke up as well. "Ryuen, what are you trying to do?"

Ryuen Kakeru glanced at them and sneered. "Don't worry, ladies. I'm not going to lay a hand on anyone today."

His gaze returned to Hoshida No, full of menace.

"Hoshida No, you think winning once means everything's all settled? The words 'let it go' aren't in my dictionary. You, and your class... We'll have plenty of time to play."

He paused deliberately, then grinned. "By the way, I hear you've gotten pretty close to that cripple, Sakayanagi. What, did you tell her about our deal? Must be nice, playing both sides."

Hoshida No's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly. "Our deal is over. My business is none of yours."

That unyielding attitude only made Ryuen Kakeru angrier.

"Fine. Very well." Ryuen Kakeru nodded and pointed a finger at Hoshida No's chest without touching him. "Remember what you said today. Let's go."

He swaggered off with his group, deliberately bumping into them as he passed. Ishizaki Daichi intentionally brushed Hoshida No with his shoulder, but Hoshida No didn't budge.

Only after Ryuen Kakeru and his group had gone some distance did Karuizawa Kei let out a breath. Concern showed on her face. "Brother No, Ryuen..."

"It's fine," Hoshida No interrupted her. "He's just a clown."

Ichinose Honami seemed thoughtful. "It looks like Ryuen won't let this go. Brother No, if you need help from Class B..."

"Not for now."

Hoshida No started walking toward the cafeteria again. "His main targets are me and Class C. He won't go after the other classes in the short term. Just stay alert."

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

Horikita Suzune didn't attend. She seemed to prefer preparing by herself or discussing things privately with Hoshida No.

As one of the main organizers, Kushida Kikyo was beyond reproach.

She cheerfully greeted everyone, handed out the newly organized materials, and patiently answered basic questions.

"Here, Kei, I've marked the steps for deriving this formula. Make sure you study them!"

"Hirata, could you go over this section with everyone?"

"Hoshida, people have a lot of different opinions on this problem. Could you explain your approach again?"

She skillfully kept the session moving and naturally steered Hoshida No toward answering the difficult questions, highlighting his value without making him stand out too much.

When Hoshida No explained the problems, his reasoning was clear and concise.

Karuizawa Kei listened especially carefully, nodding now and then. Whenever she couldn't quite understand something, she would quietly ask Ichinose Honami beside her.

Ichinose would explain it again in simpler terms, and then the two of them would look to Hoshida No, waiting for him to confirm whether they had understood correctly.

During the break, Kushida Kikyo passed around some cookies she had brought.

"Thanks for all your hard work, everyone. Have something to eat and take a break! I tried baking them myself. I hope they taste all right."

As she handed a cute-looking cookie to Hoshida No, her fingers brushed lightly against the back of his hand. Then she smiled and moved on to the next person.

"Honami, you should try one too!"

Hoshida No took the cookie, looked it over, and took a bite. It really did taste good.

"What do you think?" Kushida Kikyo had somehow come back to look at him. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"It's good," Hoshida No said.

Kushida Kikyo's smile grew a little more genuine. "I'm glad!"

Karuizawa Kei looked at the cookie in her hand, then at the half-eaten one in Hoshida No's. She quietly said to Ichinose Honami, "Kikyo's really amazing. She can do anything."

Ichinose Honami smiled and nodded. "Yeah, she's very capable."

But her gaze passed over Kushida Kikyo's back and settled on Hoshida No's calm profile.

The second half of the study session was highly productive.

With Hoshida No's targeted guidance and everyone helping one another, they tackled several difficult concepts one by one.

"Let's do our best on the next exam!"

"We couldn't have done it without everyone!"

"Hoshida's explanations are so clear!"

Kushida Kikyo and Hirata Yousuke stood at the door to see everyone off.

After gathering his things, Hoshida No was about to leave when Kushida Kikyo called out to him.

"Hoshida, thank you so much for today!" She pressed her palms together. "I may have to trouble you again at the next study session."

"Sure." Hoshida No nodded.

"And..." Kushida Kikyo's voice dropped a little. Her eyes darted to the side, then quickly returned, her smile still in place. "Thank you for not telling anyone about what happened to me... and for helping me before, too..."

Before Hoshida No could react, she quickly turned and went to talk to Hirata. The tips of her ears seemed a little red.

Hoshida No watched her disappear into the crowd, his expression unchanged.

He reached inside his uniform, his fingertips touching the soft pink handkerchief.

He hadn't thrown it away for a simple reason: he was used to using it, and he was observing her.

He tucked it back into the depths of his pocket and walked away.