Karuizawa Kei's Confession

After some contemplation, Horikita Suzune decided to give it a try. She hadn't added Kushida Kikyo to her contacts yet, and the other girl always acted quite enthusiastic in her daily interactions.

Since that was the case, she would find an excuse to add her later and test the waters; perhaps it could break this strange stalemate, even if she had always felt there was something off about her.

Soon, the tedious study session came to an end. Horikita Suzune packed her bag and took the initiative to stop Kushida Kikyo, who was just about to leave.

"Kushida, wait a moment." Horikita Suzune tried to keep her tone from sounding too stiff. "Regarding our future study arrangements, I think we need to stay in touch. Would you mind if I added your contact information?"

Upon hearing this, a look of pleasant surprise instantly bloomed on Kushida Kikyo's face, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time. "Of course, Horikita-san! I've always wanted to be friends with you. Let's add it right now!"

The two pulled out their terminals, and with a soft "beep," the friend request was sent successfully. Kushida Kikyo looked at Horikita Suzune with a beaming smile, her eyes filled with friendliness and anticipation.

Horikita Suzune remained outwardly composed, but deep down, she quickly pulled up her system panel.

However... it was still zero.

That glaring "0" was like an insurmountable chasm, quietly lying between the two of them. Even though they had just exchanged contact information and become friends in name, the favorability rating displayed by the system hadn't budged at all, not even showing a hint of a superficial increase.

Horikita Suzune's heart sank slightly. She finally became convinced that the so-called "friendliness" Kushida Kikyo showed her was entirely a performance floating on the surface.

This zero favorability wasn't just a rejection; it felt more like a cold mockery. No matter how Horikita Suzune played along, in Kushida Kikyo's heart, she would always be an outsider, or even an anomaly that needed to be guarded against.

"Alright, Horikita-san, please take care of me from now on!" Kushida Kikyo waved her hand, bidding farewell in a lighthearted tone.

"Yes, take care," Horikita Suzune replied expressionlessly. She watched Kushida Kikyo's retreating back, the wariness in her eyes growing ever more intense.

After the study session ended, Wu Qiao had originally intended to find a few books to read. Although he no longer planned to grind experience for the Path of Erudition as desperately as before, turning the acquisition of knowledge and the farming of experience into a routine habit had long since become second nature to him.

However, just as he stepped out the door, Karuizawa Kei unexpectedly blocked his path. There was a hint of uncharacteristic hesitation in the girl's eyes, but she eventually mustered the courage to invite him for a walk.

Wu Qiao didn't refuse, though he first took her to the library. After skillfully checking out several thick books according to the reading list Shiina Hiyori had shared with him earlier, the two walked out of the library side by side and began to wander aimlessly.

During this time, Karuizawa Kei kept her head down, her fingers tapping rapidly on her terminal.

Not long after, Wu Qiao's terminal vibrated; Karuizawa Kei had sent him a large amount of intelligence regarding the upperclassmen via a messaging app.

Wu Qiao didn't show the slightest surprise at this. He had known for some time that although Karuizawa Kei appeared scatterbrained, she seemed to possess a secret intelligence network that even he wasn't fully aware of, and at times, she could indeed provide some unexpectedly useful information.

After dinner, the two bought two drinks from a roadside vending machine and sat down on a quiet bench.

The night breeze dispersed the heat of the day, but it couldn't blow away the subtle and stagnant atmosphere between them.

Karuizawa Kei gripped the cold drink bottle tightly with both hands, keeping her head down in silence for a long time before finally gathering the courage to break the stillness. "Wu-kun, how much do you know about me? Please, tell me the truth."

Wu Qiao turned his head and looked at her lazily. "Everything."

Karuizawa Kei's body trembled slightly. She lowered her gaze, her long eyelashes veiling the complex emotions in her eyes. She took a deep breath and continued to ask in a low voice, "Then, do you know what I was thinking when I first enrolled?"

Wu Qiao nodded, as if stating a matter-of-fact truth. "I know. You wanted to find a backer, preferably a powerful and reliable boyfriend, even if it was fake. You needed a shield to establish your position in the class and ensure your own safety."

"So you really did know..." Karuizawa Kei gave a bitter smile, her voice tinged with self-mockery and a sense of resignation.

She slowly raised her hand and, through the thin fabric of her clothes, gently touched the left side of her lower abdomen. There was a hideous scar there, a nightmare from her middle school days that she couldn't shake, and the root of all her pretenses and anxieties.

"Since you know everything, I have nothing left to hide." Karuizawa Kei's voice was somewhat hoarse as she began to slowly recount her experiences in middle school. The dark past of being isolated, targeted, and subjected to long-term bullying poured out of her like a bursting dam. Although she knew Wu Qiao had already seen through it all, revealing these unsightly scars herself still caused her a piercing pain.

Wu Qiao listened quietly, neither interrupting nor showing any pity or mockery. He simply stayed by her side, allowing the girl to shed that hard shell of pretense in the night and reveal her most fragile, authentic self.

Just after Karuizawa Kei finished pouring her heart out, Wu Qiao fell into a brief state of bewilderment.

Because just a moment ago, the experience points for the [Path of Remembrance], which had been dormant for so long on his system panel, had begun to jump frantically, soaring directly to level five!

He had to realize that he had almost given up on this path, as farming experience for it was far too troublesome and nowhere near as stable as the Path of Erudition, which grew steadily just by reading books.

He hadn't expected that simply acting as a quiet listener and witnessing that unforgettable past of Karuizawa Kei would yield such a generous reward.

By the time Wu Qiao recovered from his immense surprise, Karuizawa Kei had already stood up at some point and walked silently in front of him.

There were still traces of dried tears at the corners of the girl's eyes, but at this moment, they shone with an unprecedented, resolute light. She took a deep breath, as if she had made a desperate, all-or-nothing decision, and said in a voice that was trembling yet exceptionally clear: "Wu-kun, I don't need anything. Your threats, that intelligence—I don't care about any of it. I just want to... live properly."

She stared fixedly into Wu Qiao's eyes, as if pouring all her humility and longing into those words. "As long as you can let me stay in this school safely, without being bullied like in middle school, without being abandoned—I'll do anything. I don't ask for Class A, and I don't ask to get ahead. I just... want to live as an ordinary person."

Looking at the girl before him who had shed all her disguises and exposed her most vulnerable weakness to him, Wu Qiao felt a slight stir in his heart. He realized that Karuizawa Kei's confession tonight wasn't just about seeking protection; it was a desperate gamble.

She was betting on whether there was still a crack in Wu Qiao's heart that she could enter.