Conflict Erupts

The world in Shiomiya Yo's eyes rapidly faded of color.

His gaze landed on Kushida Kikyo, his tone icy.

"Kikyo, do you want me to leave that badly?"

He knew he wasn't in a good state right now, being swayed by his emotions.

So, he kept warning himself internally.

Enough, don't continue.

"Do you want to get away from me that much?"

Ahhh~! Stop talking!

"Do you... hate me that much?"

After saying those words, Shiomiya Yo immediately regretted them.

That wasn't what he truly thought, but he couldn't control himself, and in the end, he could only respond with silence.

The barrage of questions left Kushida feeling at a loss. She looked at Shiomiya Yo and, noticing his dejected expression, realized—he was having another episode.

Kushida Kikyo sighed, recalling how he had acted on the bus earlier.

She stopped using that affected, cutesy voice and switched back to her natural tone.

"Yo, calm down. Take a deep breath."

Hearing her words, Shiomiya Yo began to regulate his breathing.

Kushida Kikyo simply stroked his back to help him steady his breath, saying nothing more, just watching him with a sense of heartache.

As he adjusted himself, Shiomiya Yo glanced at Kushida beside him.

She was the only color in this black-and-white world, so vivid and moving.

How did we end up like this?

Soon, Shiomiya Yo's breathing gradually leveled out, and his emotions stabilized.

"Thank you, I'm fine now."

Seeing that he had truly recovered, Kushida Kikyo reverted to her fake, cutesy voice to soothe him.

"Shiomiya-kun, are you feeling better? Would you like to go to the infirmary to get checked out?"

Hearing that voice, Shiomiya Yo sighed internally.

Kushida Kikyo's voice was gentle and approachable, but he simply didn't like it.

Shiomiya Yo preferred Kushida Kikyo's natural, more mature voice; back then, what he loved most was when she spoke right into his ear.

"I'm fine, I'm much better now."

Seeing him return to normal, Kushida Kikyo breathed a sigh of relief and said nothing more.

"Shiomiya-kun, you should really think about my proposal."

With that, Kushida Kikyo prepared to turn and leave.

"Wait!"

Shiomiya Yo grabbed her wrist.

"I can answer you right now."

"I won't drop out!"

Kushida Kikyo couldn't help but feel a flash of irritation at his words, but she reined in her emotions and continued to press him.

"Shiomiya-kun, can you tell me why? It should be the same for you at any school, right?"

"This school has something I want," Shiomiya Yo answered honestly.

Kushida Kikyo frowned slightly at this, clearly not believing him.

Faced with this situation, Shiomiya Yo had no way to explain.

Should I tell her I have a system mission to record extraordinary people?

I already have some psychological issues; I don't want to be labeled a delusional mental patient.

Seeing Shiomiya Yo remain silent, Kushida Kikyo assumed he was speechless.

She was already used to him going silent whenever he encountered a question he wanted to avoid.

Kushida Kikyo decided to stop being gentle and instead adopt more forceful tactics.

Kushida Kikyo's voice turned cold, reverting to her original tone.

She grabbed Shiomiya Yo's hand and placed it directly against her own chest.

"Shiomiya Yo, your fingerprints are already on my clothes."

"If you don't drop out, I'll report you to the school for molesting me."

Seeing this, Shiomiya Yo's pupils dilated. He didn't think much of the act itself, but he felt a sense of dissatisfaction with the way Kushida Kikyo was handling things.

It seems that since middle school, not only had his own condition worsened, but Kushida Kikyo's had as well.

She had become even more extreme.

However, this is the Kushida Kikyo I know!

Seeing Shiomiya Yo's widened pupils, Kushida Kikyo assumed her plan had succeeded.

She felt a secret thrill; with one trouble resolved, she was determined to gain everyone's approval at this school.

Shiomiya Yo did not break free from her hold; instead, he used his other hand to wrap around Kushida Kikyo's waist, leaning in to whisper into her ear.

"Kushida-san, you should know this won't work on me, right?"

"Even if you reported this with such flimsy evidence, nothing would happen to me."

"Besides, this charge is much lighter than what you gave me back in middle school, little Kikyo~"

The moment she was held, Kushida Kikyo tried to break free, but she couldn't move at all.

Hearing these words from Shiomiya Yo, she was slightly stunned, but she immediately retorted.

"Of course I know your influence, but this is enough to make it impossible for you to gain a foothold on this campus."

This was a country that excelled at reading the room; anyone who stepped out of line could not survive in a school environment.

This was Kushida Kikyo's ultimate goal!

At this, Shiomiya Yo felt somewhat speechless; Kushida Kikyo was measuring him by her own way of survival.

She wasn't wrong, of course; for the vast majority of people, Kushida Kikyo's methods were effective.

But Shiomiya Yo was not a normal person!

He didn't care about the opinions of others at all—in this regard, he was just like Koenji.

Although he mocked Koenji for being a narcissist, his own level of narcissism was just as high, if not higher.

Two people who grew up playing together—how different could they really be?

One of the reasons he transferred in middle school was that he truly couldn't compete with Koenji in sports; he had already seen his own limits.

So he simply transferred to avoid being mocked to his face by Koenji.

Kushida Kikyo was still immersed in her own victory.

Shiomiya Yo spoke up.

"Do you think I care?"

Kushida Kikyo froze.

"Also, I recorded everything you just said."

Shiomiya Yo took out his phone and shook it, showing the recording interface to Kushida.

Kushida Kikyo wanted to snatch the phone on the spot, but Shiomiya Yo was faster and tucked it away.

"You...!" Kushida Kikyo was furious.

"Let's end this here," Shiomiya Yo said coldly. "And you should be wary of more than just me!"

"What do you mean?" Kushida Kikyo demanded sharply.

Shiomiya Yo didn't answer; he just leaned in close to Kushida's ear.

Kushida Kikyo tried to step back, but Shiomiya Yo pulled her in.

Shiomiya Yo lifted a lock of her hair and took a sniff.

"It was more convenient when you had long hair, but I don't dislike it now either!"

He let go of Kushida Kikyo, and she immediately retreated to put some distance between them, glaring at Shiomiya Yo with intense hatred.

"What did you mean just now?! Who were you talking about?" Kushida Kikyo's expression was incredibly dark.

Shiomiya Yo looked at Kushida Kikyo in this state and smiled.

"I don't know~ I was just making it up."

"You know I love a good show!"

Shiomiya Yo shrugged and spread his hands.

Of course, Kushida Kikyo knew he was a guy who loved to watch chaos unfold.

But he would never be interested in something fake, because that would be too boring.

There must be such a person!

Ignoring Kushida Kikyo's probing gaze, Shiomiya Yo walked straight to the rooftop door, only to find it locked.

Seeing this, Kushida Kikyo seemed to see a new glimmer of hope.

"I have the key. Tell me who that person is right now!"

Shiomiya Yo ignored her.

BANG--!

Shiomiya Yo kicked the door open with a single roundhouse kick!

"Kushida-san, our school life has begun~"

With that, he strode away, leaving Kushida Kikyo alone on the rooftop in disarray.

Was he always this strong?