Hearing Ken Kaneki's threat, so characteristic of certain Japanese films, Kikyo Kushida began trembling instinctively, though who knew what had crossed her mind.
She crossed her arms over her chest and edged half a step back, pressing her back tightly against the cold wall.
Kikyo Kushida might have gone so far as to force Ken Kaneki's hand against her chest to threaten him earlier.
In reality, she had always maintained an extremely precise sense of boundaries and had never truly let anyone take advantage of her.
At any rate, she still had her first kiss, and her chastity.
But now it had all gone wrong. Her shameful dark side had been recorded in full, and this man held that leverage over her.
At the thought of her painstakingly cultivated angelic persona being destroyed in an instant, leaving her scorned by every teacher and student at school, Kikyo Kushida felt the world spin around her and almost collapsed to the floor.
The world before her eyes seemed to lose all its color in an instant, turning entirely gray.
Seeing Kikyo Kushida's pitiful expression, as though the end of the world had arrived, Ken Kaneki stopped teasing her.
He put away his smile, his face becoming utterly calm as his slender fingers tapped rapidly across his terminal.
Before long, Ken Kaneki turned his phone around to face Kikyo Kushida.
"Don't be so nervous. I'm not particularly interested in ruining your life," he said flatly, his tone unchanging.
"This is a cooperation agreement. As long as you agree to work for me from now on, I'll not only destroy this video and every cloud backup in front of you, but also promise never to reveal what you just did to any student or teacher at school.
"In return, you'll also receive appropriate payment from me while you're working for me. How does that sound?"
Kikyo Kushida froze for a moment, her gaze falling on the terms before her as a thoughtful look flickered in her eyes.
Since Ken Kaneki already knew about her ugly side, she simply couldn't be bothered to keep pretending to be that sweet, lovable good girl.
She lowered her folded arms, the fear fading from her face and giving way to a cold, distant expression.
"I can work for you, but we have to make this clear first. You can't force me to do anything I don't want to do, especially... that sort of thing."
Kikyo Kushida bit her lower lip and stared into Ken Kaneki's eyes, spelling out her demands word by word.
Ken Kaneki looked at her wary expression, considered it for a moment, then nodded his agreement.
"Don't worry. I won't make any excessive demands. Mostly, I'll just have you use your connections at school to gather some information for me.
"Or pass along a few notices at critical moments and steer the class's opinions. That's all."
Hearing that this was all he wanted, Kikyo Kushida secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement.
Considering that her "dark angel" personality was an absolute secret, the consequences would be unimaginable if it were exposed.
Naturally, she couldn't possibly go with Ken Kaneki to find Sae Chabashira and sign some formal electronic contract.
The two quickly agreed to make do with what they had, and Kushida tore out a sheet of A4 paper from her schoolbag.
Ken Kaneki took a pen from his pocket and concisely listed the terms they had just agreed upon on the paper.
After confirming that everything was correct, they each signed their names on the paper.
To ensure the contract's validity, they also used their phones to record video statements of each other as evidence of this secret deal.
Once everything was done, Ken Kaneki folded the paper and put it in his pocket, then deleted the earlier recording and its cloud backups in front of Kushida.
Then he turned and walked over to the security door that Kushida had left several footprints on, gripped the handle, and gave it a hard push.
With a creak, the iron door opened, and bright sunlight and fresh air instantly flooded the stairwell.
Ken Kaneki stepped outside onto the rooftop.
Kikyo Kushida hesitated where she stood for a moment. Looking at Ken Kaneki's broad back, she gritted her teeth and finally followed him.
Honestly, as she followed behind Ken Kaneki, Kikyo Kushida's feelings were extremely complicated.
When they had first met on the bus on the first day of school, she had thought that this boy was not only handsome but also possessed a unique air.
Later, after spending time with him in the classroom, she had found Ken Kaneki mature and calm, with a steady way of handling things.
And just now, this man had turned the tables on her through utterly despicable means, letting her see the roguish streak in his very bones.
Now that he knew her greatest secret, their relationship had undergone a subtle change.
All these factors intertwined, stirring an uncontrollably intense curiosity about Ken Kaneki in Kikyo Kushida.
On the rooftop, Ken Kaneki walked over to the railing and rested both hands on it, tilting his head up toward the clear blue sky as he let the breeze at that height brush his cheeks and tousle his hair.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, enjoying this rare moment of leisure as though their earlier confrontation had never happened.
Kikyo Kushida walked up beside him. Seeing how relaxed and content he looked, she couldn't help feeling an inexplicable surge of anger.
She rolled her eyes at Ken Kaneki irritably and couldn't resist making a sarcastic remark.
"You certainly have plenty of time to relax. Aren't you worried about our Class Points at all? Our class is going to be flat broke next month, you know!"
Hearing this, Ken Kaneki turned and looked Kushida up and down with a strange gaze, as though he were looking at an idiot.
His gaze made Kushida's skin crawl, leaving her utterly bewildered.
"Are you that short on points?" Ken Kaneki raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Of course I am!" Kikyo Kushida puffed out her cheeks in frustration, then sighed.
"All our class's points have been deducted, after all. I don't even have money for cosmetics or going to cafés anymore. I have to budget every little expense..."
Watching her complain, Ken Kaneki took out his terminal and said, "Send me your account number."
"Huh? What do you want my account number for?" Kikyo Kushida paused and asked in confusion.
Ken Kaneki said nothing, merely looking at her quietly.
Under Ken Kaneki's calm gaze, Kikyo Kushida swallowed and ultimately obediently gave him her account number.
It wasn't something she needed to keep secret anyway, so there was no harm in telling him.
After getting the number, Ken Kaneki quickly performed a series of operations on his terminal.
About three minutes later, the phone in Kikyo Kushida's hand suddenly vibrated.
She looked down and saw a notification from the school's system pop up on the screen:
[Your account has been credited: 50,000 points.]
At the sight of that string of zeros, Kikyo Kushida froze on the spot.
For the students of Class D, whose points had now been reduced to zero and who were utterly broke, fifty thousand points was nothing short of a fortune falling from the sky!
For a moment, she didn't know what to do, and her mind even briefly went blank.
Kikyo Kushida's mouth fell open, and she abruptly looked up at Ken Kaneki, wanting to ask where this enormous sum had come from and why he, a Class D student, could so casually produce so many points.
But when she met Ken Kaneki's still utterly unruffled gaze, she forcibly swallowed the questions that had risen to her lips.
At this moment, not only was she deeply shocked by Ken Kaneki's wealth, but she also felt an almost obsessive desire to learn more about this unfathomable man.
Women were all drawn to strength, and Kikyo Kushida was even more so.
"Do the jobs I give you properly. As long as you behave, you won't be short of points in the future." Ken Kaneki put his terminal back in his pocket and gave his phone a little wave, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
Clutching her phone tightly, Kikyo Kushida looked at the man before her, who had her completely under his control, and nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at grain.
She simply hadn't noticed just how much better her attitude had become compared to before.
Before you continue