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Having fully committed to her belief in Ren's master plan, Kushida acted as a perfect tool, answering every question he asked without hesitation. She recounted the two "whitewashing meetings" Hirata had held, one that morning and one just after school.
The more Ren listened, the tighter his brow furrowed. Communication disorder? A vicious mouth but a kind heart? A negative example for the class to learn from?
Can you actually spin it like that?
No wonder his campaign to generate hatred had failed so spectacularly. The girls showing him kindness weren't "love-brained" at all; they had been completely fooled by Hirata's propaganda. In their eyes, he had become a tsundere with a heart of gold. What a humiliating development.
According to Kushida, the situation had only gotten worse after Hirata's second meeting. Now, it wasn't just the girls; many of the boys were also singing his praises. Praising Ren Ishikawa had apparently become the new politically correct culture in Class D.
The realization hit him with physical force. Ren buried his face in his hands, a mask of pure pain on his features. He wanted to curse someone, and the first name that came to mind was Yosuke Hirata.
"Yosuke Hirata! I'll..."
But the words caught in his throat. He couldn't curse him. As much as Hirata had ruined his plans, Ren couldn't bring himself to hate the guy. In fact, he felt a grudging sense of being... touched.
Everything Hirata had done was to help him. And in doing so, Hirata had put himself in immense danger. His narrative was built on a fragile foundation of lies that would inevitably crumble as the class got to know the real Ren. When that day came, Hirata would be blamed, his reputation destroyed. To think that he would take such a monumental risk just to resolve a conflict and save Ren from being ostracized...
Hirata had painted Ren as a good person who "sacrificed himself" for the class. Ren wanted to find Hirata and say, "Are you talking about yourself?"
He didn't understand Hirata's motives, but he couldn't deny the weight of the favor. Ren hated being indebted to people, and Hirata had just shackled him with a debt so massive it felt suffocating.
At the very least, Ren decided, I have to help him defuse the bomb he planted for my sake. He couldn't help but sigh. I took every precaution, yet I was still shackled by a bond I never wanted. How ironic.
He looked up and saw Kushida staring at him, her eyes shining with excitement, like a puppy waiting for praise after fetching a frisbee. "Ren-kun, is there anything else you want to know?" she asked eagerly. "I'll tell you everything! So... can you consider teaching me?"
Ren did want to know something. He wanted to know why she had so suddenly given up her threat. Was it really just because she wanted to learn his "friendship skills," or was there another reason? He decided to probe for information.
"You want to learn? It's not impossible," he began, seeing her eyes light up. "But are you qualified?" he added, watching them dim slightly. "The fact that you saw through my 'plan' shows you have some talent," he continued, watching her smile return. "But that alone isn't enough to prove you meet the standard."
"Then how can I prove it?" she asked, her expression serious.
"Let me test you," Ren said. "Tell me your complete understanding of my 'plan' today. And don't lie. If you lie, you won't get another chance."
Kushida perked up. The advantage is mine!
She then recounted the entire process of how she'd realized his "grand design." Ren summed it up internally: She got the evidence wrong, lost it through her own carelessness, and because she couldn't admit she was simply an idiot, she imagined I was an all-powerful mastermind to make herself feel better.
It was all just a massive misunderstanding. A misunderstanding he needed to clarify, so she would go back to trying to get him expelled. A shame, he thought. If I hadn't instinctively caught her when she was about to perform that Dogeza, she'd have new evidence right now.
But since the evidence was gone, she couldn't get him expelled. Which meant... Kushida-san, you are no longer useful to me.
"Actually," Ren said, his tone shifting from manipulative to brutally blunt, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't have any secret 'friendship skills.' That was a lie to mess with you. The evidence being washed away had nothing to do with me. It happened because you were too stupid to secure it properly."
He raised his hand and pointed toward the door. "In any case, you're no longer a threat to me. Unless you can get another piece of evidence, don't bother me again. Goodbye." He'd made sure to add that last part as a final, desperate piece of encouragement.
Kushida's face fell, becoming a mask of gloom. It was all a misunderstanding? He's not the mastermind I imagined? He doesn't have the skills I desire? He's not my hope?
I don't believe it, she thought, a frantic desperation taking hold. I can't believe it. I won't. She had finally seen a glimmer of light in the darkness, and she refused to let it go. There had to be a skill that would allow her to be her true self and still make friends. Ren had to be the one who could teach her.
She desperately searched for proof, any evidence that he was still lying to her. And then she found it.
He didn't seem happy when he learned the threat was gone, she realized. He should have been relieved, but he wasn't. So strange... Yes! He must have known all along! What he's saying now is the real lie! The skill exists!
Her gloomy face became fanatical once more. But how could she persuade him to teach her? She slapped her forehead. I'm so stupid! I already figured it out! He's a good person! All I have to do is tell him my predicament!
She replayed his words in her mind. After learning she had lost her leverage, all he did was tell her to stop bothering him. He hadn't tried to retaliate. He hadn't tried to use her awe and gratitude to control her. He had simply forgiven her.
He really is a good person. She knew now with absolute certainty. And a good person will help someone in need.
"Can you listen to my story?" she asked, her voice quiet but firm.
Ren stared at her. I just issued an eviction order. Shouldn't you be leaving in a huff? Why are you telling me a story?
"The reason I threatened you is related to this..." she continued, taking his silence as consent. She sat down on the edge of his bed and began to talk.
She told him everything. About her desperate need to be friends with everyone, to be liked by all. About how she became a repository for her friends' secrets and negative emotions, a role that slowly crushed her spirit. She told him about her secret online account, the only place she could vent her true, dark feelings. And she told him how it all came crashing down.
She had been careless, revealing too many details about her life and her school. One day, a boy online had recognized his own girlfriend in one of Kushida's coded complaints about a cheating friend. He had pieced together her identity and, in a rage, had come to her classroom with his girlfriend in tow, exposing Kushida's blog to the entire class.
The "coding" she had used to anonymize her posts was useless once the target was narrowed. Dozens of students began to easily identify themselves and their friends in her rants. It was, as the saying goes, hell. Dozens of hells, all unleashed at once in a single classroom.
Couples broke up. Friendships shattered. The class descended into a vortex of accusations, shouting, and violence. The "Kushida Empire" she had worked so hard to build was destroyed in an instant, and she had been forced to flee to this school to escape.
The leak from Kushida's past had destroyed her entire world. The classmates, teachers, and even parents who had once adored her turned on her in a single day. She had locked herself away until the invitation from the Advanced Nurturing High School offered a chance at a new life. But then she found her former classmate here: Horikita Suzune. The fear of her past being exposed, of experiencing that devastating ending all over again, had driven her to this point.
She finished her story and looked down, dejected, a prisoner awaiting judgment.
After hearing her tale, Ren finally understood. "So, that's why you wanted to befriend Horikita," he summarized. "To find out what she knows. And you agreed to my 'training' because you suspected she had already leaked something to me, and you wanted to test me."
Kushida nodded. "Yes."
"And the threat was to ensure I kept the 'true face' you revealed a secret, and to control me so I could help you get closer to Horikita."
"Almost," she admitted. "I... also genuinely wanted you to practice arguing with me."
"You wanted to use me as a target?"
"Haha..." she laughed awkwardly.
"But what's the point of telling me all this?" Ren asked.
Kushida looked up, her angelic face filled with a desperate expectation. "I hope you can help me! Please, tell me how to deal with the hidden danger that is Horikita. I can't let my dark history be exposed, at least not until you teach me your super skill of being liked without having to suppress my dark side!"
"I really don't have that skill," Ren reiterated.
But Kushida's eyes were firm, as if to say, I believe you can do it.
Faced with her expectant gaze, Ren's mind drifted. He thought of Horikita, who had stubbornly followed him after class, braving the glares of their classmates. He knew she had her own proud reasons, but they had still "shared a hardship." Besides, with his reputation now paradoxically restored by Hirata, he needed a shield again. An unwilling "rumored partner" like Horikita would do nicely. For those reasons, he decided to help her resolve her Kushida problem.
He knew that Kushida, who had been willing to threaten an innocent bystander like himself, would be even more ruthless with Horikita, the actual source of her anxiety. Dropping out of school was a good thing for him, but for a normal student, it was the end of the world.
"I can teach you how to solve the Horikita problem," he said, then immediately added a disclaimer to suppress any potential rise in her affection. "But don't get me wrong. I'm mainly doing this to help Horikita."
"Please teach me!" Kushida nodded eagerly, already accustomed to his irritating way of speaking.
"Actually," Ren said, a smirk playing on his lips, "I've already taught you the method."
"Huh?" Kushida looked confused. "You did? Wait... could it be?"
"That's right." Ren's smile widened. "The solution is to—confront her!"
"Fight her?"
"Yes! Fight her."
"So when you said I had to learn to argue to make friends with her... you were serious?"
"Of course..." he paused dramatically, "...I was lying to you."
Kushida's face fell.
"I told you, I don't know anything about making friends," he continued. "I much prefer studying how to sever connections. My method might not allow you to befriend her, but it will absolutely solve the problem between you."
"Really?" she asked, a sliver of hope returning.
"That's right," Ren said confidently.
"I still don't understand. Can you explain?" she asked, then quickly added, "Don't get me wrong! I'm not doubting you! I just want to learn the secret. If you think I'm not qualified, I'll stop asking."
Ren glanced at her. "In that case, I won't explain. You just need to be responsible for confronting her. As long as you argue with her, your problem will be solved."
And you, Kushida-san, he thought, will soon realize you have completely misjudged me.
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