Thank You

Wu Qiao tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile that revealed a look of unprecedented helplessness on his face.

Although Wu Qiao often smiled in his daily life, those smiles usually carried a hint of casual perfunctoriness or a playful mockery that seemed to see through everything. Yet, the smile he wore at this moment made Karuizawa Kei feel a sense of... peace she had never experienced before.

Karuizawa Kei could not actually forget the way Wu Qiao had threatened her with a cold face back then. That high-and-mighty posture, as if he held her life and death in his hands, had once made her wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, even though she had also noticed his usual gentleness.

However... this was the boy's third state. A coldness stripped of threats, a social mask cast aside, and a smile that held a genuine warmth—helpless, yet accepting.

Wu Qiao shook his head gently, his sigh sounding exceptionally clear in the night breeze: "Honestly, Kei, taking on someone's entire life and the promise that you can do anything for me—these are very heavy things for both of us."

Karuizawa Kei froze, her mind going blank for a split second. She had expected Wu Qiao to analyze the situation with cold logic as he had before, or to finalize this contract through some form of benefit exchange. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, wanting to eagerly express her determination and make Wu Qiao agree to her.

However, Wu Qiao's next action made Karuizawa Kei's eyes widen instantly, all her words stuck in her throat.

Wu Qiao slowly reached out. He did not touch her scar or her chin as she had anticipated, but instead, as if handling some fragile treasure, he carefully cradled Karuizawa Kei's right hand, which was slightly clenched from tension.

"Thank you for being willing to trust me."

Wu Qiao looked into her eyes and said every word clearly.

This sentence was like a thunderclap, exploding in the long-dead world of Karuizawa Kei's heart.

She had thought Wu Qiao would mock her weakness, thought he would exploit her fear, and even thought the boy would turn and walk away with indifference. But the one thing she never imagined was that on this night, when she had been forced to grovel and sell her dignity to seek protection, she would hear such a thing.

Not "I understand," not "It's a deal," and not "You have value as a tool."

But—thank you for being willing to trust me.

Karuizawa Kei's eyes turned red instantly, and the tears that had already stopped began to overflow uncontrollably once more. She bit her lower lip hard, trying to keep herself from making any embarrassing whimpering sounds, but her shoulders could not stop trembling violently.

She had always thought of herself as a parasite struggling for survival in the darkness, forced to cling to the strong to stay alive. She thought Wu Qiao was just like the others, seeing her as nothing more than a tool to be discarded at any time. She thought tonight's confession was merely replacing an old shackle with a new one.

Yet, as Wu Qiao held her hand, there was not a shred of contempt in his eyes.

"Kei, you don't need to do 'anything'." Wu Qiao's voice was low and steady, yet it held a soothing power. "Although you might not be able to completely shake off the shadows of the past just yet, since you have chosen to entrust your back to me, I will not let anyone bully you, nor will I let you be abandoned."

He paused, his thumb gently stroking the back of Karuizawa Kei's hand as if giving her a silent promise: "It is not easy to live securely in this school, but this is not a battle you have to fight alone. This isn't based on threats, and it isn't based on a business arrangement. It is... based on a friendship."

Friendship.

To Karuizawa Kei, this word was both strange and distant. During those dark days in junior high, this word had represented betrayal and harm. And in this school, although she appeared to have many friends and was at the center of the girls in Class D, she knew deep down that it was all a false prosperity.

But now, Wu Qiao had placed this word solemnly before her.

Karuizawa Kei could no longer hold back. She lunged forward, throwing herself into Wu Qiao's arms regardless of everything. She gripped the lapels of his shirt tightly, as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw, or perhaps the only person she could rely on in this life. She buried her face in the boy's chest and began to sob loudly.

She cried out all the grievances she had suffered over those three years of junior high, cried out all the fear and anxiety since she had enrolled. The darkness, pain, and despair that had accumulated in the depths of her heart seemed to be expelled from her body, bit by bit, along with these heart-wrenching cries.

Wu Qiao did not push her away, nor did he offer any words of comfort. He simply stood there quietly, letting the girl vent her emotions in his arms.

The night breeze blew through the treetops, making a rustling sound as if accompanying this long-overdue salvation.

After a long while, Karuizawa Kei's sobbing gradually subsided into intermittent hiccups. She pulled away from Wu Qiao's arms, feeling a bit embarrassed, and wiped her tears away messily. Her delicate little face was tear-stained, her eyes red and swollen, but in Wu Qiao's eyes, she looked more real and adorable than ever before.

"I-I'm sorry... I got your clothes dirty..." Karuizawa Kei sniffled, her voice thick with nasal congestion, her words somewhat incoherent.

"It's fine, I'll just wash them when I get back." Wu Qiao took a tissue from his pocket and handed it to her, his tone relaxed. "Do you feel better?"

Karuizawa Kei took the tissue and nodded vigorously. Looking at the boy before her, a warmth she had never felt before surged in her heart. She suddenly realized that her high-stakes gamble tonight seemed to have truly paid off.

What she had won back was not just the security of survival, but the dignity of being respected and accepted as a human being.

"Wu-kun..." Karuizawa Kei took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions, her eyes becoming exceptionally firm. "Thank you. Really... thank you."

This time, the thanks were not a humble plea, but an expression of equal gratitude.

Wu Qiao smiled and reached out to pat her messy hair: "Alright, now that you've cried enough, let's head back."

"Yeah!" Karuizawa Kei nodded heavily, a smile finally appearing on her face from the bottom of her heart.

The two walked side by side on the way back to the dorms, but Karuizawa Kei felt that the road ahead no longer seemed so dark. Because she knew that from this moment on, she was no longer alone.

Beside her, Wu Qiao watched the girl's face, which had regained its luster, and pondered silently in his heart.

He had originally intended to use Karuizawa Kei merely as a pawn on the board, but tonight, when the girl shed all her defenses and revealed her most vulnerable wounds to him, he realized he could no longer treat her as just a tool.

"By the way, Wu-kun." Karuizawa Kei suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "What did you mean earlier when you said that 'doing anything' was a heavy thing?"

Wu Qiao paused in his steps, turned his head to look at her, and said with a half-smile: "Exactly what it sounds like. If I really let you do anything, what if I told you to go deal with that weirdo Koenji, or go challenge Ryuen to a one-on-one? Wouldn't you cry yourself to death?"

Karuizawa Kei was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into a laugh, the heavy atmosphere from before instantly dissipating.

"Wu-kun! You're so mean!" She raised her small fist and lightly tapped Wu Qiao's shoulder, feigning annoyance.

For Karuizawa Kei, this night was the beginning of a rebirth. And for Wu Qiao, perhaps it was the first time in this school that he had truly, in every sense of the word, made a friend he could entrust his back to.