"Suzune-chan, it seems the time has come for us to say a temporary goodbye," I said, deliberately pitching my voice in a moderate, almost melancholic tone. I made sure it was loud enough for the people around us to hear, as if I were voluntarily giving up my seat for the elderly out of pure goodwill.
The angel mask I had got through of breeding Kushida made sure my words dripped with sincerity.
To the bystanders, I was the perfect gentleman, the selfless classmate. A noble act. A model student.
But was that really the truth?
Of course not.
Leaning closer, I whispered something meant only for Suzune Horikita's ears. "Although I feel reluctant to part with an old friend, well… I just can't stand the pressure from all these eyes. It seems I have no choice but to fold."
Suzune's reaction was immediate.
Without hesitation, she closed her book with a snap and lifted her gaze.
Her sharp eyes locked on Kushida, who was putting on her pitiful act, staring at me with puppy-like eyes. She understood the real reason I wanted to give up my seat: not because of virtue, but because of the suffocating pressure radiating from the crowd.
Unlike everyone else on that bus, who clung desperately to reputation and the illusion of morality, Suzune lacked any of that social pretense. She simply said whatever was on her mind.
"Can you not act so annoying?" Suzune's voice was calm but razor-sharp, each word striking the air with cold precision. "If you wanted someone to give up their seat for the elderly, you should ask nicely, with actual consent. What is with that manipulative look? Are you trying to pressure people through the crowd's gaze? Are you morally blackmailing?"
Her glare didn't stop at Kushida.
It turned outward, sweeping across the faces of the entire bus.
"And you. Yes, all of you," she raised her voice slightly, loud enough to sting the ears of the gawking passengers. "What is with those eyes? Are you not ashamed to force someone to do things for your convenience? You want someone else to take action, someone else to sacrifice, but none of you want to lift a finger yourselves. What a pathetic bunch of trash."
The bus atmosphere froze instantly.
A suffocating silence spread, quickly broken by a red-haired thug-faced guy who shot up from his seat, his voice dripping with hostility. "What did you just say?"
"Am I wrong?" Suzune shot back without a single flinch.
"Classmate, we didn't mean it that way," Kikyou hurriedly interjected, stepping forward as the peacemaker.
Her tone was laced with concern, but her eyes betrayed something darker when you looked closely, irritation, resentment at being exposed.
She wore her false angel act like a mask, but Suzune had already torn holes through it.
That's when it struck me again: this was exactly how I liked to play my game of chess.
If you can't win cleanly, then overturn the board and let everyone choke on the chaos.
Why should I let myself be cornered by their collective moral blackmail?
Suzune was right, if they really wanted to help the elderly, why pile the burden on someone else? Why create a scene to polish their own conscience while making another person pay for it?
This is why I hated people the most. They're only good at pushing others into guilt, forcing others to work for free, and pretending it's noble. It's disgusting.
Living in a world like this, where manipulation hides behind fake morality, makes you sick.
I clapped my hands together, rising to my feet as if signaling the curtain call of a performance.
The crowd had already received the message; there was no need to drag it out further.
"It's fine, Suzune-chan. Let me give up the seat."
But Suzune wasn't having any of it.
Her hand shot out, gripping mine with surprising force, her eyes burning with absolute conviction. "No. I will never allow them to win. And you shouldn't let them influence you either, Ichinose-san. They are nothing but trash. All of them."
Most of the people on the bus, the ones who had been watching the drama unfold, looked as if they wanted it to end already.
I could almost see the relief about to spill out in their sighs, but then Suzune spoke again, and her words crushed the atmosphere flat, dragging everyone's mood into silence once more.
No one dared to refute her. They knew that speaking up against Suzune meant admitting defeat, surrendering their own seat without any argument.
So instead, they buried themselves into their phones, pretending to be absorbed in screens they weren't even really looking at, pretending not to notice anything happening in front of them.
Kikyo Kushida was the only one who didn't seem frozen, though she wasn't immune either. She looked as if she wanted to push Suzune aside, but the moment Suzune's gaze locked onto her, Kushida faltered.
That sharp, dissecting glare of Suzune's stripped her down, filled with scrutiny and doubt.
It was like Suzune could see through every false smile, every layer of sweetness Kushida tried to wear.
The atmosphere was finally broken when an office lady, clearly tired of the stalemate, stood up.
She spoke softly to the old woman still standing, her tone gentle. "Here, grandma. Please take my seat."
"Thank you," the old woman whispered in gratitude.
Kushida, forced to act, guided the grandmother toward the seat, but she didn't dare glance back at Suzune again.
Even then, the old woman thanked the office lady sincerely, as if making sure her voice carried.
Koenji, of course, couldn't resist making a spectacle of it.
He clapped his hands loudly so the entire bus would hear him. "Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! Thank you, boy, and you too, girl, for this beautiful little drama. Truly, you've proven once again that this world is not as pure and shining as it pretends to be. It is ugly, hypocritical, and yet… so entertaining. I look forward to our new days at school, may they be just as 'beautiful' as this."
Most of the passengers lowered their heads even further, wishing they could melt into their seats, pretending not to have heard a single word.
Suzune snorted coldly, refusing to waste her breath on a response, and instead grabbed my hand firmly, pulling me down beside her.
That simple gesture stunned me. I had never expected her to be so openly defensive of me.
Suzune, the girl known for her frosty personality, was acting possessive.
My mind spun with a ridiculous yet strangely convincing thought, could this be the effect of that strange "yandere pheromone" I gained after breeding Arisu?
Could that explain Suzune's sudden defensiveness and possessiveness toward me?
Honestly, it felt like the most reasonable explanation.
So when Suzune tried to withdraw her hand, I refused. I held onto her tightly, deliberately testing it, wanting to see how far this effect would go.
She didn't fight me. She didn't make a scene. Her face stayed icy, but there was a faint flush spreading across her cheeks.
That small betrayal of her emotions was enough to send a thrill through me.
I couldn't help the smirk that curled at the edge of my lips.
Growing bolder, I let my thumb rub gently over the back of her hand, savoring the soft, delicate texture of her skin.
She turned and glared at me, her eyes sharp. "That's enough, Ichinose-san."
But I didn't let go.
Instead, I leaned in slightly, keeping my voice low and calm. "Well, I just want to comfort you in my own way. To thank you, too. Think of it as a massage, easing the aftertaste of adrenaline you must've felt, standing up in front of everyone like that. This way, you won't feel nervous anymore."
My hand never left hers. I kneaded her fingers lightly, deliberately teasing, daring her to actually pull away.
Suzune didn't.
She let out a small hum, but no further words.
No scolding, no thanks, no open resistance.
Only silence.
A silence that wasn't rejection.
And for me, that silence was more than enough.
...
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