Karuizawa Kei frantically pushed open the door, the cold, hollow tone from the other end of her phone still lingering in her ears after Kitagawa Ryo hung up. She hurriedly changed her shoes, moving with such urgency that even Hotaru was startled, lifting her head to gaze in confusion at her not-so-familiar owner.
Why did Kitagawa Ryo suddenly want to meet Uehara Emika alone?
As Kei locked the door and stowed her phone, her instincts screamed that something was wrong. Ryo rarely made decisions without discussing them with her—especially when the matter directly involved her.
He had deliberately left Uehara Emika alone while dealing with the other bullies—he must have a reason. From a legal perspective, Emika had never caused direct harm to Kei. Being a minor, and with no tangible damage, Ryo couldn't easily retaliate against her. Bullying in schools operated in a grey zone between morality and law. Whether cold ostracism or overt violence, authorities often found themselves powerless due to victims being too young, the harm not considered severe enough, or too many perpetrators. Schools themselves typically covered up such incidents to protect their reputation. And so, bullying continued to thrive and worsen, spreading to even younger age groups.
In Kei's mind, a knife appeared—a blade gradually taking form within her thoughts, its edge gleaming and splattering blood.
She didn't know where Ryo and Uehara Emika were meeting, but she decided to visit the hotel and see if she could find Izaki. If anyone knew Ryo's whereabouts, it would be the man he called "Grandpa."
As Kei reached the hotel lobby, gasping for breath and heading toward the elevators, a familiar voice called out from the lounge. The girl had clearly been waiting—a half-finished hot drink on the table and a calm, composed tone:
"Karuizawa Kei, right?"
Horikita Suzune looked up from her book. Her voice pinned Kei in place like a spell.
"Even if you go upstairs now, he won't be there. If he told you about his plans, it's because he has a clear strategy that doesn't involve your interference."
"Let's sit and talk. We probably have two hours before he finishes what he needs to do."
Suzune's voice was firm, commanding. Kei knew her identity but still feigned ignorance.
"Who are you?"
"Horikita Suzune."
No honorifics. No pleasantries.
"Why should I listen to you?"
Kei's body tensed the moment she laid eyes on Suzune. The word "engagement" hung like a steel beam inside her, pushing from her feet to her skull. She stiffly walked to stand before her.
"Because it's what Kitagawa wants."
Suzune didn't flinch at Kei's hostility. When Ryo's name was mentioned, something sharp passed through the air.
"You two must be close. What, you've known each other for a day or two?"
Kei admitted it—her thorns rose the moment she faced Suzune. A nightmare come to life. She feared her, despised her, and was also curious.
"So this is the kind of person you are."
Suzune gave her a cursory glance. Kei's facade cracked. She sat down stiffly, her body still tense.
"You... Horikita-san... Horikita...."
She fumbled through forms of address. She hated girls like Suzune, who exuded natural dominance. They belonged to a different world.
She had already accepted that she could never survive without Ryo. But now, the very person who might take him away had stepped out of fantasy and into terrifying reality.
Kei peered at Suzune. Her sharp violet-red eyes, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders to her waist, one side braided with a slim ribbon. Her appearance was nothing short of top-tier.
"Before meeting you, I sketched a psychological portrait of you based on what Kitagawa told me."
Suzune took the lead.
"I was curious why he wanted me to connect with you—even become your friend."
She looked Kei in the eyes.
"Karuizawa Kei... from what I gathered, you're a girl who holds almost no inherent value."
"So I was puzzled why Kitagawa cared. But then I realized: you were simply there when he needed someone."
"Just a coincidence of timing."
"Aside from shared memories, you hold nothing worth Kitagawa's investment."
Kei let out a weak laugh. Suzune had dismissed her and Ryo's entire history in a few sentences. Yet Kei couldn't refute it.
She had no idea what Suzune's goal was. Or what her true relationship with Ryo was. She had run away from that restaurant before he could explain, but now, Suzune had appeared instead.
"Who are you to judge me? You've known me ten minutes!"
Kei snapped back, cornered like a desperate animal.
"Then why don't you deny it?"
Suzune sipped her drink calmly. Kitagawa's words from earlier had stirred her curiosity—foxes wanting to be roses. Now, she wanted to meet the rose that had tamed Kitagawa.
"To me, Karuizawa Kei, you don't seem like a rose."
"A rose, even when throwing tantrums, stays loyal to her little prince."
"Karuizawa Kei."
Her voice gleamed like a guillotine blade.
"What if—and I'm just hypothesizing here—what if Kitagawa hadn't come back today? What if it was three years later? Five years? What would you have become then?"
She leaned in, examining Kei's trembling figure.
"Bullied through junior high. Still alive, because you're weak yet strong. You'd enter high school hoping for a fresh start. Patch yourself up. Seal away the past."
"You'd realize survival without protection is impossible. And not everyone is like Kitagawa, who protects you just by being there. So what would you do?"
"Abandon dignity. If you're going to be bullied, it doesn't matter anyway. Maybe seduce someone? You're cute enough."
"If you met someone who could protect you, would you cling to him without shame? Bind him to you, afraid he'd leave like Kitagawa did?"
Suzune stared at Kei, now hunched and silent.
"You'd raise your status to protect yourself. Like when you became the center of the girls thanks to Kitagawa's rumor shield. That gave you a sliver of safety, right?"
"To maintain that, you'd have to lift yourself or trample others."
She picked up her book again, lowering her voice:
"Would you become the next bully?"
Kei wanted to scream at her to stop. To stop exposing every shadow in her soul. To stop laying them bare under the sun.
"Karuizawa-san, do you know about parasites?"
Suzune flipped a page.
"They don't cling to one host. They use intermediate and final hosts. Like entering a fish, then through its flesh into a human."
"Sometimes even the host doesn't know which kind they are. Maybe they think giving everything to the parasite is fine. But what if the parasite only saw them as a stepping stone?"
"If I made you uncomfortable... I'm only stating facts."
She looked at Kei's hunched back. Was she crying?
Parasites were invertebrates, most of them. But Suzune didn't say that aloud.
"What do you know?"
Kei's voice was hoarse.
She raised her eyes slowly, looking at Suzune's upright posture. Even sitting, her spine was perfectly straight.
That was who Kei longed to be:
Strong. Proud. Heroic.