So late at night, and in her pajamas, she had come directly outside the dorms. Her direction wasn't toward the convenience store, but rather the nearby artificial lake.
Could she have taken the failure to make friends so hard that she's planning to jump into the lake and end it all? But, that was obviously impossible. Shikime Natsu immediately activated 'Presence Erasure' and followed behind Kushida Kikyou.
As expected, she really did stop by the railing of the artificial lake.
"Ah, this is so annoying!"
Kushida Kikyou's tone suddenly changed, as if she had become a completely different person, entirely unlike the impression she gave in the afternoon.
"Acting all high and mighty just because she's cute, saying she's always been alone and scoffs at making friends?"
"Bitch!"
The next moment, Kushida Kikyou kicked the railing.
"This is the worst!"
"The absolute worst!!"
"Why doesn't a woman like Horikita just die?!"
With every word, Kushida Kikyou's foot would land in sync on the iron railing, making a series of loud noises.
Fortunately, this spot was quite a distance from the dorms, and almost no one ever lingered here. No matter how much Kushida Kikyou vented her stress, no one would discover her.
Shikime Natsu couldn't help but grow more curious. If Kushida Kikyou hated Horikita Suzune so much, why did she want to be friends with her?
As for her being under too much psychological stress from failing to make friends, that was clearly impossible. From Kushida Kikyou's words just now, it seemed she was also a bit jealous of Horikita Suzune. Jealous of her cuteness?
Hmm... from Shikime Natsu's perspective, both girls were cute in their own ways. Of course, they were both problem children who needed to be properly 'disciplined'.
Now Shikime Natsu finally understood Kushida Kikyou's hidden side. It seemed she was a two-faced angel.
So friendly to others on the outside, yet having a side where she vented her inner stress without restraint. Truly remarkable.
So... should he reveal himself?
Shikime Natsu began to ponder. No matter what, he already knew about this. There were two measures he could take now.
One was not to expose himself, wait for the right day, and then quietly tell Kushida Kikyou that he knew what she did that night and provide a recording, with a 'You wouldn't want...'
Shikime Natsu was also subconsciously recording now. It was a completely instinctive action; after all, seeing something shocking always makes one want to take a picture to commemorate it.
The other was for Shikime Natsu to reveal himself voluntarily, so the two would share a common secret. Of course, this method required hiding the fact that he had a recording.
All in all, two different choices would lead to two different developments. It really was a bit of a difficult decision.
However, if he wanted to raise her affection level, he should choose the second option. The first was basically for raising the 'corruption' value.
As a gal game master, Shikime Natsu chose the second option without hesitation.
First, he deactivated 'Presence Erasure,' then turned off the recording. That was enough for now. Then, he randomly played a ringtone, pretending it was an alarm that suddenly went off.
"Buzz!"
"Who, who's there?!"
Sure enough, upon hearing the sound, Kushida Kikyou's voice immediately rang out. Her tone sounded quite unpleasant. Of course, this was normal. After all, who would be in a good mood after being caught while venting?
"Yo, what a coincidence, Kushida-san."
Shikime Natsu walked out from behind a tree, a faint smile still on his face, seemingly unfazed by Kushida Kikyou's other side.
Seeing Shikime Natsu appear, Kushida Kikyou quickly walked over. Her head was lowered, so he couldn't see her eyes, but of course, he knew her expression had to be awful.
"When did you get there?"
Kushida Kikyou's tone was extremely cold. It was less of an inquiry and more of an interrogation.
[Ding~]
[CG20: The Hidden Other Side (Kushida Kikyou)]
[This is the worst!]
[Congratulations, Host. You've obtained the Skill Card: Bewitchment (Your words are now more convincing. When interacting with others, as long as you show goodwill, you can easily draw out their secrets or get them to do things for you. The effect depends on their goodwill toward you; the greater the goodwill, the better the effect.)]
Hmm... another pretty good skill. As expected, my decision to come out was the right one.
"I've been here from the start (Yes, I've been here the whole time!)"
"You heard everything?"
"Of course, from beginning to end."
Shikime Natsu was very frank, which in turn made Kushida Kikyou feel a sense of annoyance. Was that his only reaction?
After seeing her other side hidden beneath her cute exterior, he was acting this calm? Not even saying a word?
And he still had that incredibly annoying smile on his face. He was smiling on the surface, but he was probably laughing his head off at her inwardly, right?
Thinking of this, Kushida Kikyou's inner fury grew even stronger. Not only was she humiliated by that bitch Horikita Suzune today, but after finally enduring until night to vent, she was caught red-handed. This was truly the worst!
"If you dare tell anyone, I won't let you off!"
Kushida Kikyou walked up to Shikime Natsu, stood on her tiptoes, and stared at him, her expression extremely cold, her violet-red eyes filled with ice.
"And what if I do?"
Shikime Natsu had never cared for others' threats.
"Then I'll just tell everyone that you almost assaulted me."
Kushida Kikyou's tone was flat, instantly packaging herself as a victim.
Eh, that's a bit much, considering I haven't done anything.
"That wouldn't work without evidence, would it?"
Shikime Natsu's gaze was calm as he met Kushida Kikyou's. He wanted to see what method she planned to use to accuse him.
A baseless accusation was completely unfeasible.
Just as Shikime Natsu was wondering what Kushida Kikyou planned to do, she suddenly grabbed his right hand and pressed it directly against her chest.
Kushida Kikyou was wearing pajamas, and it was clearly the very comfortable kind. The cotton fabric was incredibly soft and pleasant compared to the school uniform.
The quality of this clothing had to be quite good; it was very comfortable to the touch.
But touching the clothes felt a little strange, as if something was missing.
But this was normal. He had heard that sleeping with such a thing on was uncomfortable. Pajamas were for comfort, so not wearing it was also for comfort.
This was the first time Shikime Natsu had touched someone so directly. Hmm... Karuizawa Kei didn't count, since that was just her back. This time with Kushida Kikyou, it was hands-on, a completely different feeling.
Shikime Natsu took back his earlier thought that 'the girls at this school are too reserved'.
Of course, this didn't mean Kushida Kikyou had that kind of past. After all, all the girls who could enter his CGs were quite normal.
So, Kushida Kikyou was surprisingly bold.
"Now my clothes have your fingerprints. The evidence is there."
Kushida Kikyou's icy voice rang out again. Although her tone was still flat, it had unconsciously taken on a sense of having victory in her grasp.
Fingerprints?
Hearing this, Shikime Natsu couldn't help but smile.
"It's no use. They won't be able to detect anything."
Seeing Shikime Natsu's expression, which didn't look like he was faking it, Kushida Kikyou frowned. In her mind, fingerprints could be extracted from clothing. This guy... could he be bluffing?
"You're scared, so... you're just bluffing, right?"
Kushida Kikyou's expression didn't change, nor did the movement of her hand. She still held Shikime Natsu's right hand firmly, pressing it against that softness.
Bluffing?
Shikime Natsu didn't know where Kushida Kikyou got that conclusion. He was someone with a cheat ability; as long as he didn't want there to be fingerprints, there wouldn't be any.
Shikime Natsu had already guessed what she would do the moment Kushida Kikyou grabbed his hand, but... he didn't resist. After all, if she was being so proactive, why should he stop her?
His invisible fingerprints could be considered a passive skill. Unless he actively chose otherwise, others couldn't detect his fingerprints.
"No, it won't work. Kushida-san, you can take these pajamas to be tested. Nothing will be found, absolutely nothing."
Shikime Natsu shook his head, a playful look in his light golden eyes.
Seeing Shikime Natsu's expression, Kushida Kikyou's face became quite ugly. Was this guy really telling the truth?
Kushida Kikyou released her grip on Shikime Natsu's hand, but his hand didn't fall. This pervert wasn't letting go? He's really getting addicted, isn't he?
Kushida Kikyou frowned, then yanked Shikime Natsu's hand away.
Tsk, what a shame.
But Shikime Natsu had always been a passive person and wouldn't actively put his hand back. Of course, if he took the initiative, the nature of the act would be different.
"There are no cameras here either. So, Kushida-san, you really found a good spot to vent your emotions."
Shikime Natsu smiled, once again cutting off Kushida Kikyou's escape route. Of course, even if there were cameras, they would clearly show that Kushida Kikyou had made the first move; he hadn't taken the initiative at all.
Shikime Natsu was completely innocent, while Kushida Kikyou would be greatly affected.
His complete composure was also what Kushida Kikyou disliked about Shikime Natsu's expression. Why could this guy take advantage of her and not have anything happen to him?
Of course, she had to get these clothes tested no matter what. Although she also felt that what Shikime Natsu said was true, she still held out hope in her heart that he was bluffing.
His fingerprints could definitely be detected on them.
But... the most important thing now was how to shut Shikime Natsu up. Otherwise, by tomorrow morning, she probably wouldn't be able to stay at this school anymore.
And she hadn't yet learned the secrets of most of the people in her class. Unlike in middle school, where she could drag the whole class down with her after being discovered, now, if this got out, only she would be affected.
There would likely be no place for her in the class, and all she could do would be to drop out of this school.
And it was all because of the Shikime Natsu in front of her!
Kushida Kikyou hated Shikime Natsu to the core. She couldn't help but clench her fists, but she knew that in a contest of strength, she was no match for him.
"You're afraid I'll tell, aren't you?"
Shikime Natsu put his hands in his pockets and looked down at Kushida Kikyou. Because of the height difference, it looked rather condescending.
"What do you want?"
Kushida Kikyou looked at Shikime Natsu with great vigilance. As expected, this guy was after her body, wasn't he?
How disgusting!
"I don't want anything. Kushida-san was the one who made the first move, right? I didn't do a single thing."
Shikime Natsu shook his head.
"Cut the crap! You're just after my body!"
Kushida Kikyou looked at Shikime Natsu with contempt, her face filled with the expression one would have when looking at scum.
"If you think so, you're not entirely wrong, but I'd rather you work for me."
Shikime Natsu spoke slowly. To really make Kushida Kikyou offer her body was impossible. After all, this wasn't an adult anime, where someone would just obediently submit after you discovered their other side. At worst, she could just leave the school.
"Work for you?"
Kushida Kikyou frowned, completely clueless as to what this guy was talking about.
"This school isn't as simple as you think, Kushida-san. No, Kikyou. So, I need you to work for me. Don't worry, I'm not the type to get handsy with people. You were the one who made the first move just now, wasn't it, Kikyou?"
Shikime Natsu looked at Kushida Kikyou, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"If you can complete the tasks I assign you, then I can help you keep this secret. In this school, only you and I will know about it."
Shikime Natsu lowered his head slightly to meet the gaze of the nervous Kushida Kikyou.
"Hmph, I hope you're telling the truth!"
Kushida Kikyou snorted coldly.
"Doesn't this make everyone happy?"
That was as good as an agreement.
"At this school, there's someone else who knows about my other side, not just you. I want you to help me silence her."
Kushida Kikyou's voice turned incredibly icy.
"That person is Horikita Suzune, right?"
___
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