What a coincidence, Miss Kushida

Kazami left Ayanokoji's dorm room with Kushida's phone. Looking down from upstairs, he discovered that Kushida had actually left the dorm building.

Huh? Why had Kushida gone outside this late?

Kazami was a little puzzled. Was she buying a drink? But I still have her phone. Without thinking much more about it, he pressed the elevator button, ready to go down and bring her phone to her.

After leaving the dorm building, Kazami looked around. Kushida was nowhere to be seen by the nearby vending machines.

Where had she gone?

He had not thought anything of it earlier, but now that he considered it carefully, something had been off about Kushida's mood tonight. She had been too quiet. Normally, Kushida was always warm and cheerful. Whenever classmates were around, especially when Horikita was there too, she would always take the initiative to approach them and strike up a conversation. But tonight, even with Horikita right beside her, Kushida had been unusually silent, staying quiet the entire time without the slightest intention of starting a conversation. Although she had seemed happy too, she had practically been a different person from her usual self.

Sudo liked Horikita + Kushida liked Horikita + Kushida was a girl = ...

Countless tiny clues connected in Kazami's mind, piecing together the truth. With all the conditions put together, the answer was obvious.

So that was it. Kushida was jealous. Realization dawned on Kazami, and he sighed inwardly. Sure enough, society's prejudices had left the girl afraid to face her own feelings. Although Kushida usually acted more mature than everyone else, she was still just an ordinary girl. Someone had designs on her beloved, and the gap created by her own identity in particular left her with no choice but to feel jealous.

Sudo, you really deserved to die, hurting our dear Kushida like that.

Back in his room, Sudo sneezed several times in succession. Wait, didn't they say idiots couldn't catch colds? So I wasn't an idiot after all. What a relief.

Having sorted out the whole story, Kazami followed the path toward the secluded area behind the dorm building. After all, people always found a corner to cry in when they were sad. He needed to do something to stop Kushida from making a mistake on impulse. The farther he went, the more distant the surrounding voices became, until only the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze remained.

Just then, a woman's gloomy voice reached his ears in fits and starts.

It was not loud, but it was thick with hostility and resentment.

Kazami lightened his footsteps, quietly approached, and peered out.

Under the dim yellow streetlight, Kushida had completely shed her usual gentle smile. Her expression was grim, her eyes cold. Both hands gripped the railing so tightly that her fingertips had gone white, and then she even kicked it hard.

"You bitch, you rotten bitch! Who are you trying to fool?!"

"So you're a little prettier? So your grades are a little better? What gives you the right to act so high and mighty?!"

"You walk around all day with that cold, dead face, acting like the whole world owes you something. It really makes me sick!"

"With such a twisted personality, treating everyone so coldly, you'll never get married!"

"Disgusting. You make me want to puke. You have nothing, yet you still put on those damn superior airs every day!"

Every word carried resentment that had built up for a long time. She exerted tremendous force with her hands, making the sturdy metal railing rattle and shake without stopping, enough to show just how long the girl had been suppressing her anger. No one would have imagined that the gentle, kind Kikyo Kushida, whom the entire class revered as an angel, would reveal this side of herself in a deserted corner late at night.

Kazami hid in the darkness. Uh, I shouldn't have come here. I'd stumbled onto something serious. Everyone really did have a side no one knew about. Was this what Chabashira-sensei meant by flaws?

Just then, an abrupt ringtone shattered the dead silence of the night.

Kazami went rigid. "!!!"

He instinctively reached into his pocket, assuming it was his own phone ringing. Only when he looked down did he realize it was Kushida's phone.

Let's see which bastard it was. The screen displayed-Matsushita.

Kazami was speechless. Well played, Matsushita! Backstabbing your future king at a crucial moment, choosing this exact life-or-death instant to send a message.

The clear ringtone was particularly piercing in the silent night. There was no way to hide it.

Beside the railing, Kushida, who had been venting her dark side, stopped moving entirely. Her body stiffened, and she called into the darkness, "Who's there?!"

Kazami wondered whether he could pretend no one was there and quietly evade her. But in this open space late at night, with the ringtone having just sounded right where he stood, there was no way to bluff his way out.

Sure enough, before he could agonize any further, Kushida spoke again, her tone carrying a hint of dangerous coldness. "Come out. I know you're there."

Kazami sighed inwardly. Well, there really was no hiding it.

At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

He had just listened to Kushida's entire tirade and witnessed the side of her she most needed to keep secret. With Kushida's personality... no, any normal person would not, and absolutely could not, simply let him leave.

If he got caught now, there was no need to imagine the consequences. It would definitely be a huge hassle, and a hassle was the last thing Kazami wanted.

If I ran at full speed now, Kushida...

People only let their thoughts run wild when they had nothing to do. Once they were busy, they had no time to think about anything else. The best approach now was to run at full speed and flee the scene!

That was what Kazami thought, so that was the plan he made. Without any further hesitation, he turned and ran, not daring to look back the entire way.

Seeing the figure dart out of the darkness and flee in a panic, Kushida naturally had no intention of letting someone who knew her secret get away.

Someone had discovered her darkest side. The jealousy and hostility she hid beneath her perfect persona... someone had secretly heard and seen it all.

He fled. She chased.

After an all-out 800-meter sprint, both of their breathing had fallen completely out of rhythm, leaving only alternating gasps.

But neither gave up, and some more time passed.

The stamina Kazami had built through occasional exercise was completely exhausted. His legs were weak and aching, every step an immense effort. His lungs burned fiercely. He had reached his limit and could not run another step.

He had planned to rely on his physical advantage as a boy to shake off Kushida, find a corner to hide in, and pretend nothing had happened tonight. But he had never imagined that Kushida's persistence and stamina would be this terrifying. She had stayed right on his heels the entire way without falling behind at all.

Kazami could not run anymore, so he simply stopped. If he got caught, so be it. He could not run any farther.

The very next second after he gave up, a force came from behind him. A slender but powerful hand seized the back of his collar in an iron grip.

Kazami stumbled. Well, she caught me. Was this really necessary? There was no evidence. Why be so relentless?

With his clothes held in a death grip, Kazami turned to look awkwardly at Kushida and tried to bluff his way through. "Hey, Kushida! You're out for a late-night jog too? What a coincidence. Who knew we'd be so in sync? Hahahahaha..."