Chapter 091: Kushida: What do you want to do? Hachiman: I want to!
Kushida had a dark past—one she absolutely could not allow to be exposed after coming to this school.
That was why she was especially wary of Horikita Suzune, who had attended the same middle school as her.
She and Horikita weren't in the same class. In fact, they had never even met in the past.
But… who could say for sure that Horikita truly knew nothing?
To Kushida, this school held extraordinary significance—it was a place where she could start anew, where she could be reborn.
She didn't want… any problems to arise.
But now—
She hadn't even dealt with the issue of her dark past, and yet her true nature had already been exposed.
And on top of that—
Hikigaya Hachiman had recorded her reckless outburst just moments ago.
If he took the lighter approach, he could simply send the recording of her insulting Horikita to Horikita herself, which would instantly sour their relationship.
Kushida couldn't be sure whether Horikita knew about her past, but as long as she got close to her—became her friend or something similar—then regardless of whether Horikita knew or not, she would be within Kushida's grasp.
So—
Hikigaya was now destroying her carefully crafted plan for self-preservation.
And if he took the heavier approach, there was no need to even bring up her past. If he sent the recording of her insults to the class group chat, her reputation would shatter instantly.
In other words—
Hikigaya Hachiman now held the power to completely destroy her.
This kind of situation… this kind of situation…
"What do you want to do?!" Kushida snapped, seemingly feeling like things had become utterly hopeless.
What did he want to do?
Was she worried that he was going to blackmail her?
In truth, Hikigaya had originally been concerned about her. Seeing Kushida alone in a deserted place this late at night, he had thought it would be bad if she ran into trouble.
In other words, he had come here out of goodwill.
And yet, now Kushida was treating him like some kind of villain?
But—
Kushida, seriously, wasn't it you who just exposed yourself with villainous behavior?
Besides—
Hachiman confirmed something else.
Kushida wasn't actually all that smart.
He had only said that he had recorded her cursing Horikita—did that really mean he had?
In reality, he hadn't.
He had only pretended to do so. Yet Kushida didn't even stop to consider the fact that no normal person would immediately start recording after witnessing such an outburst.
So really—
Her brain wasn't processing things properly.
Now, how would she react next?
As he pondered this, Hachiman saw the darkened Kushida take action.
"Smack—"
Hachiman was still lost in thought—no, he hadn't even had time to react.
Because—
The girl named Kushida had suddenly walked straight up to him.
As the class's "little angel," combined with her cute looks, Hachiman had felt his heart race a few times because of her.
But this time—
It was different.
She grabbed his hand.
But it wasn't a warm, affectionate gesture where she held it with both hands to convey her feelings.
Instead… she suddenly pressed his hand directly onto her considerable chest.
For a moment, Hachiman's thoughts completely stopped at the unexpected action—or rather, the unexpected sensation.
However—
"Your fingerprints are already on here."
The darkened Kushida now seemed eerily calm and composed, her expression cold yet utterly persuasive as she spoke in an icy tone.
"Normally, it would be impossible for a guy's fingerprints to end up in this kind of place."
"Unless we were a couple."
"But if we aren't a couple…" she paused for a moment.
"I can easily spread the word that you tried to assault me—and that Horikita is your accomplice."
"In other words, even if you release that recording, I will still be the one who is 'innocent.'" Kushida declared coldly.
…
Hachiman immediately took back his previous evaluation of her.
Because—
She had already come up with a countermeasure in such a short time.
Indeed, Kushida had assumed that he had recorded her, and that if the recording was made public, it would cause huge problems.
Her carefully crafted image would collapse.
However—
If she was the first to spread the rumor that Hachiman had done something bad to her—
Then people would instinctively believe it to be true.
And after that, even if Hachiman exposed her rampage against the railing, others could easily twist the story—
Of course, in reverse order.
The narrative would change to:
Because Hachiman tried to assault her, and because Horikita was his accomplice, that's why Kushida lost control, kicking the railing while cursing them both.
Would people believe it?
They would.
Because—
When it comes down to it, people are far more willing to believe a cute girl than a guy.
People don't believe in justice.
They believe in the side that looks weaker and seems in need of protection.
"That's a pretty solid counterattack," Hachiman admitted.
Kushida had already let go of his left hand.
But—
Hachiman lightly clenched his fingers.
Not because he was savoring the sensation—
But because… well… today, his hand had experienced something truly extraordinary.
For the first time in his life, like a typical teenage boy—he had been touched by the opposite sex.
Actually—
This was his first time touching a girl's body.
And she was the one who initiated it.
"If, at this moment, I was thinking, 'Lucky! I got to touch boobs!'—what would you think?" Hachiman forced his thoughts to calm down and asked.
"..." Kushida fell silent.
Of course, she would find that disgusting—she would even feel like she had been incredibly stupid.
She had walked right into it of her own accord.
"Based on your little stunt just now, it looks like you're trying to protect yourself," Hachiman continued. "But Kushida, if this is the best plan you could come up with, then I'm afraid—"
"It's useless."
"Because you just grabbed my hand… um… and made me… press…" Hachiman trailed off.
Saying "pressed your chest" out loud was way too embarrassing.
"It's just touching a girl's chest, right?" Kushida responded coolly. "You can't even say it? Wow, what a pathetic, gloomy virgin."
Oh?
Well, you're pretty shameless, aren't you?
But—
Hachiman noticed that she seemed to be realizing something.
A hint of embarrassment.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed.
After all, that move she just pulled—it was something she came up with in the heat of the moment, a desperate impulsive solution.
Now, she was regretting it—realizing just how crazy it was.
"You wanted my fingerprints on your chest," Hachiman said.
"Then, whether it's framing or accusing me, you'd have fingerprint evidence to make your lie more convincing."
"It's a clever idea." He raised his right hand. "But it won't work."
"Because it's extremely difficult for fingerprints to stick to fabric."
"Also, the conditions for preserving fingerprints on clothing are very strict, so just one brief touch like that is hardly enough to make a case against me."
"Normally, you'd have to make me press multiple times—hold it for longer—so my fingerprint pattern could fully transfer." Hachiman explained.
"Eh?!" Kushida immediately turned to him with a wary and suspicious glare.
It was as if she suspected he wanted to continue what had just happened—in other words… that he was trying to take advantage of her.
"You're misunderstanding." Hachiman, after all, was an expert at observing people, and from Kushida's reaction, he understood immediately.
She was probably seeing him as some kind of pervert again.
Even though the one who had come up with that ridiculous assault scenario and the one who had actively tried to take his fingerprints—
Was her.
She was the truly outrageous one.
"I was simply analyzing whether your previous action was effective or not."
"And the conclusion is—it wasn't." Hachiman stated.
"..." Kushida fell silent.
So…
Did that mean she had just stupidly grabbed a guy's hand and made him touch her for no reason?
Even in her "dark mode," Kushida felt a bit dazed by the realization.
Because—
That was too stupid.
And way too much of a freebie.
Hachiman continued speaking.
"Right now, I have a recording of you cursing out Horikita Suzune. If I release it, your entire image will collapse."
"..." Kushida's expression darkened.
She became even more aggressive.
Super aggressive.
But—
Her aggression had no effect on Hachiman.
Because just now, she had thought he was so dangerous—
Yet the best countermeasure she could come up with was… a move that half-destroyed herself in the process.
A strategy where she sacrificed 1,000 points just to hurt the enemy by 800.
And now, after his analysis—
She hadn't even hurt the enemy by 1, while she herself had already lost 10,000.
Honestly, what she had just done was exactly like what a prostitute would do—offering herself up willingly.
"My goal is to reach Class A," Hachiman stated. "And you, Kushida, are still valuable."
"So, I don't want you standing against me."
"..." Kushida stared at him. "So, you want me to keep working for you?"
"Don't make it sound so bad."
Hachiman replied. "I just hope that, in everyday situations, you can assist me—and when necessary, you'll follow my instructions."
"..."
That—
Was even more demanding than what she had just said.
What did he mean by "follow his instructions"?
"And if I refuse?" Kushida asked. "Are you going to expose that recording?"
"Most likely not." Hachiman answered.
"Oh." Kushida looked at him with suspicion.
But—
He was telling the truth.
Because, in reality—
Hachiman hadn't actually recorded anything at all.
He had just bluffed her.
And she believed it.
So, even if he wanted to expose something—
There was nothing to expose.
But Kushida didn't know that.
So, he continued—
"Everyone has a side of them that's different from what they show to others. The way they act on the surface might just be to gain attention, approval, or to present themselves in the way that best ensures their survival."
"And so, they hide their true selves." Hachiman explained. "Which means—what you just did wasn't all that strange."
"..." Kushida fell silent.
But YOU are strange!
Because—
Any normal student, after seeing her completely break character, would be absolutely shattered inside.
They'd feel betrayed—like they had been lied to all along.
It would all be negative.
But what was up with this guy, Hachiman?
Did he not think she was terrifying?
Even after seeing that she was nothing like an angel—he was still completely unaffected?
Or—
Was he actually mad because she had just insulted him earlier?
"..." Kushida was once again reminded—Hikigaya Hachiman was hard to deal with.
Yes—
"I want to be friends with my classmates and spend meaningful times together."
That was the self-introduction she had given when she entered this school.
And it was her true desire.
She wanted friends.
She wanted to be loved by everyone.
She wanted to enter people's hearts.
That was all she had ever wanted.
And to achieve that—
She had set her sights on every single person.
Back on the school bus during admission day, she had already blacklisted Koenji after meeting him.
Then, she saw Hikigaya Hachiman—
A classmate who seemed introverted, lacked presence, and should have been easy to manipulate.
But—
Hikigaya Hachiman was different.
He wasn't like the average student.
His thinking was deeper—but at the same time, a little naive.
Because he still wanted to have a real friend.
And if a real friend was something that could truly exist—
Then she wanted one too.
So, Hikigaya Hachiman had become one of her high-difficulty targets to "conquer."
But now—
He had become even harder to deal with.
Because—
He might just be the first person she had ever met…
Who, after seeing her true self,
Did NOT think she was a monster.
Her middle school black history—
In other words—
The moment her two-faced nature was exposed—
Her entire class had turned against her.
Everyone had judged her.
Everyone had called her abnormal.
Even her own parents thought she was mentally unstable and ended up locking her up.
It wasn't until the school principal informed them about the opportunity to attend Advanced Nurturing High School that she was finally released and sent here.
And in the end—
The only person who didn't think there was anything wrong with her wasn't the friends she had once opened her heart to in middle school.
It wasn't even her parents or family, who were connected to her by blood.
It turned out to be…
Hikigaya Hachiman—the person she found the most difficult to deal with?
"What exactly do you want me to cooperate with?" Kushida asked.
"Nothing too difficult." Hachiman replied. "I just need you to betray the class when necessary."
Oh.
Kushida gave a small nod.
Are you insane?
Because—
What did he mean by "betray the class when necessary"?
Was this some kind of new punishment method?
Was he intentionally making her betray the class just so he could immediately report her to everyone?
He's literally a devil.
.
.
.
Meanwhile—
In her dorm room, Kamuro was having similar thoughts.
At this hour, she had just been released by Sakayanagi Arisu and allowed to return to her dorm.
According to Sakayanagi, since she was paying Kamuro 200,000 points a month as a service fee, it was only natural to demand extra services from time to time.
And today's "extra service" was—
Helping Sakayanagi take a bath.
In other words—
Aside from grabbing her lunch, carrying her bag, and even holding up two umbrellas at once when it rained…
Sakayanagi Arisu was completely treating her like a servant.
That being said—
Her hair was incredibly smooth.
Her skin was like flawless porcelain—if they were just talking about cuteness, she was probably the most beautiful girl in the entire school.
But her personality was absolutely rotten.
And what was up with this "200,000 points a month as a service fee" nonsense?
Didn't she treat Hikigaya Hachiman to meals all the time?
She spent plenty of points on him too, didn't she?
And yet, when it came to him, she didn't demand anything in return…
But with her, she was milking every last bit of service possible?
Kamuro deeply pondered the difference between these two situations.
However—
There were only two days left before the exam.
Even though she had already gotten her hands on the test questions in advance, she wouldn't feel at ease unless she went through them at least 10 times—
So, she planned to go through them an 11th time before going to sleep.