Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Class 1-D.
Today was Kushida Kikyo's first day back at school after taking leave.
The classroom was filled with the usual bustle of Class D. Kushida Kikyo took a deep breath to steady herself, then stepped inside.
"Kikyo!"
"You're finally back! Are you feeling better?"
"We heard you'd been out for several days. We were all worried about you."
Almost instantly, the classmates who had been chatting among themselves swarmed around her like iron filings drawn to a magnet. Countless concerned gazes focused on Kushida Kikyo.
Kushida Kikyo's heart began to race. Was she acting strangely? Did her makeup look a little odd today? What a strange feeling...
It was as if she had returned to the day she first chose to change her image. Why did she feel so out of place...? She should have been used to all this by now.
And even though everyone was surrounding her, paying attention to her, and adoring her, she couldn't feel happy anymore... Why was that?
Kushida Kikyo felt something strange in her body.
Ah... So that was it... I don't need everyone's love anymore. No matter how much they praise or adore me, I can't feel a thing. Now I know why—
Kushida Kikyo looked down at the papers she was clutching tightly. The owner's scent still lingered on them, something only she could sense.♡
That's right. The little angel everyone loved is dead now~ The only reason I can still treat you nobodies this way is because it's my master's mission...
You should be grateful.♡
In the eyes of the other Class D students, they couldn't detect the faintest hint of Kushida Kikyo's true emotions:
Kushida Kikyo stood at the center of the crowd, clutching a thick stack of papers with slightly nervous hands. Her face wore that signature, flawless, gentle smile.
"I'm sorry for worrying everyone... It really wasn't anything serious. I just had a bit of a bad cold, and I didn't want to infect anyone, so I stayed home for a few days. I'm completely fine now!"
Her voice was light and bright, with a soothing warmth that put everyone at ease, as though nothing had ever happened.
But only she knew that beneath that perfect disguise, her soul was trembling with fear and exhilaration.
Honestly, Master... You've already ruined my soul...♡
"To make it up to you, and to thank you for caring about me..."
Kushida Kikyo took a deep breath, trying to suppress the frenzied images flashing through her mind, and handed the papers in her arms to Hirata Yosuke, who stood at the front of the crowd.
"These are past midterm exam questions and solutions I got from upperclassmen in exchange for points. I don't know if they'll change the questions this year, but I hope these can help everyone get through the exams!"
"Wow! Kikyo, you're so thoughtful!"
"Having Kikyo in Class D is such a blessing!"
Praise rang out all around them, and Hirata Yosuke gave her a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Kikyo. With these, everyone will have a much better chance of passing."
As she looked at the admiration and gratitude in her classmates' eyes, Kushida Kikyo's smile grew brighter. Her eyes, however, were cold and hollow, and deep within that emptiness, a thrill flared to life in her soul.
Look, this is what I'm worth. As long as I play this gentle idol and win everyone's affection... Master will punish me—
"Little Kikyo must be doing this because of me. She must've wanted to buy me something, so she got something for the whole class... It's that kind of plot!"
At the worst possible moment, those lewd words came from the Black Room Trio's direction, interrupting Kushida Kikyo's fantasy.
"Ugh..."
Kushida Kikyo could barely hold back her physical revulsion. She couldn't help wondering how she had ever put up with fantasizing about these disgusting, wormlike boys. But she still managed to suppress her reaction and put on a pitiful expression.
"Yamauchi... Could you take that back...? I was only trying to help everyone in Class D... When you say things like that, you make me sound so selfish. TT"
Kushida Kikyo's voice quavered as if she were about to cry. Her eyes reddened, and her pitiful appearance, combined with the fragility of someone who seemed to have just recovered from a serious illness, made every boy present's heart race. Then the classroom erupted in accusations against Yamauchi.
"Hey, Yamauchi, you've gone too far!"
Kanji Ike, the second member of the Black Room Trio, was the first to jump in. He usually formed a close trio with Yamauchi and Sudo, but brotherhood clearly meant nothing in the face of Kushida's tears.
"Little Kikyo worked so hard to get real exam questions for the class. You should be grateful, but instead you say something this disgusting? You're a complete jerk!"
"Exactly. Yamauchi, that was so gross."
"I never thought you were that kind of person. It's one thing to brag all the time, but now you're slandering Kushida's kindness, too?"
A few boys who had been watching from the sidelines chimed in, their eyes full of contempt for Yamauchi. In truth, apart from a handful, most of the boys just wanted to score points with Kushida Kikyo. Yamauchi had become a tempting punching bag.
"You... You guys, seriously?! Aren't we supposed to be friends?!"
Yamauchi couldn't believe the unwavering bond between men could be undone by a single word from a woman. He stared in disbelief at his "good friends."
The girls reacted even more strongly. Karuizawa Kei frowned, not bothering to hide her disgust, and snorted.
"Hah? Little Kikyo is sacrificing herself for the class, and you, a perverted otaku who does nothing but fantasize, are acting like she's doing it for you? Just looking at you makes me sick."
The girls around them nodded, their whispers washing over Yamauchi like a tide.
"Seriously, Yamauchi's so gross..."
"I always thought there was something weird about the way he looked at people. I never knew he was this perverted."
"Stay away from him. I feel like it might rub off on you."
Seeing the other girls in the class looking at him with disdain, Yamauchi Haruki was secretly thrilled, yet stammered as he tried to defend himself.
"I... I didn't mean it like that..."
But his voice was drowned out by the accusations. Yamauchi Haruki could only lower his head in humiliation, feeling as if he'd been stripped naked and thrown out into the street. Shame and anger twisted together until he wished he could crawl into a hole.
"Damn you, little Kikyo... When I get the chance, I'll make you my wife! I'll make you call me Master!!"
Amasawa Reigetsu: Sorry, you Black Room guys were too slow this time~
Watching Yamauchi get swarmed by the others, Kushida Kikyo's lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer. She quickly replaced it with a wounded expression and said softly:
"It's okay... Don't blame Yamauchi. Maybe he really was just joking..."
That only added fuel to the fire, pushing Class D's hatred of Yamauchi to its peak. In their eyes, the kinder and more forgiving Kushida was, the more vile Yamauchi seemed.
Two people in the class didn't join the loud condemnation of Yamauchi Haruki—
Ayanokoji Kiyoko and Horikita Suzune.
When Kushida Kikyo saw the emotionless eyes of Ayanokoji Kiyoko, her body began to tremble uncontrollably—
Those were the eyes of a demon, eyes she would never be able to forget...
"Little Kikyo, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? I noticed you've been trembling..."
Hirata Yosuke was the first to notice something was wrong with Kushida Kikyo and hurried over to check on her.
"I'm fine~ Um... I'll go back to my seat now."
Forcing herself not to look at the silent demon, Kushida Kikyo dismissed the crowd, gathered up the remaining papers, and turned toward her seat.