"I don't understand."
Horikita Suzune said calmly.
Even as Kushida Kikyo spoke with obvious hatred, her expression remained perfectly composed.
The hostility wasn't nearly strong enough.
It wasn't even as shocking as the "Are you an idiot?" she had heard from Asakusa Tetsu yesterday at noon.
"I don't understand why you're so obsessed with making friends with everyone. I don't understand why someone like you could cause such a serious incident. And I don't understand why, when you clearly don't want to go out or see anyone anymore, you're just hiding in this room instead of doing anything."
Horikita stared straight at Kushida.
"You're afraid of me. You're afraid of the diary exposing your past and your true self. Then why don't you just withdraw from school?"
"Just drop out and start over. It's only been a month."
Relationships hadn't fully formed yet.
At this stage, it was still possible to integrate into a new environment.
She could still achieve her wish of "being friends with everyone."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Kushida suddenly spoke.
"And what about you?"
"You came here chasing your brother's shadow. You pretend to act like him. You think you've grown, but in the end, you're still stuck in the mud of Class D."
With a cold laugh, Kushida repeated the diary's description of "Low-Budget Yukino."
Just as Horikita could identify "Two-Faced" as Kushida, Kushida could easily tell that "Low-Budget Yukino" referred to Horikita.
"I don't understand either."
Raising her pale neck, Kushida sneered.
"I don't understand what's so great about chasing someone else's shadow. I don't understand how someone with such an amazing brother ended up in Class D. And I don't understand how, after the diary gave you so many clues, you could still do something as stupid as revealing information and bowing to your classmates."
"Oh, I really don't understand."
With extreme sarcasm, Kushida raised both hands and smiled brilliantly.
Sharp words were never lies.
They were truth.
Like a blade cutting into flesh, Kushida gripped the hilt and slowly pushed it into Horikita's body.
Just like the blade she had stabbed into herself.
Come on.
Let's hurt each other.
Why should I be the only one suffering?
Seeing Horikita unconsciously clutch the bedsheet, Kushida's smile widened.
"..."
Instinctively, Horikita wanted to look away.
To escape.
But she forced herself to keep eye contact.
Running away wouldn't solve anything.
Wasn't this why she had decided to change and come here in the first place?
She had to admit her mistakes.
Imitating her brother without gaining recognition.
Falling into Class D.
Bowing in humiliation and still failing.
All of that was her.
Only by admitting it could she move forward.
So Horikita closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I heard you got into Class D."
"What a useless sister."
"Idiot Horikita Suzune."
"Are you an idiot?"
Voices that had once hurt her echoed in her ears.
But when she opened her eyes again, the noise stopped.
"That's why I came to see you."
Horikita stood up from the bed, walked closer, and extended her hand.
"Kushida, please be my friend."
This was the invitation Kushida had once given her during that month of half-hearted diary entries.
But now, Horikita was the one reaching out.
"Slap—"
Kushida knocked her hand away.
Her voice was filled with disbelief.
"Huh?"
"Are you insane?"
"I begged you so many times before and you ignored me. Now that you know my true nature, you suddenly want to be friends?"
Kushida truly couldn't understand her.
Was Horikita's brain broken?
She had bowed to classmates to borrow points.
She had openly shown the diary in class.
She had threatened her to open the door.
And now she was asking to be friends.
Every action Horikita took went beyond her expectations.
Seriously.
Wasn't this woman sick?
"Yes. Please be my friend."
Even after her hand was slapped away, Horikita didn't waver.
She nodded and extended her hand again.
"Please be my first friend."
Her eyes.
Her gaze.
Her words.
Kushida believed she had seen through countless people.
Their masks.
Their lies.
Their fake smiles.
Their true selves behind the scenes.
Their vulnerable expressions when confiding in her.
To her, lies were familiar.
But now—
She couldn't see any falsehood on Horikita's face.
She was serious.
She genuinely wanted to be friends.
What a joke.
It made her want to throw up.
Horikita's face alone was nauseating.
But even worse—
She wanted to take that hand.
Clutching her own right hand tightly, preventing it from moving, Kushida tried to step back.
But the chair hit the desk.
She couldn't retreat.
"Take her hand."
A voice screamed inside her.
Her grip weakened.
Maybe she didn't hate this woman as much as she thought.
"…A reason."
Kushida spoke through clenched teeth.
"I can't understand it. I can't accept it."
"So give me a reason that can convince me."
"..."
Looking at her now, Horikita's lips curved slightly.
For the first time today, she smiled.
Then she softly gave her answer:
"Because you are a two-sided
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