Time quickly passed and it was evening.
Because Hiyori Shiina had something in the afternoon and couldn't go to The Library to read together, Natsuki Subaru, after concluding his business with Arisu Sakayanagi, simply wandered around the school for a bit before returning to his dormitory.
He finished reading the novel Hiyori Shiina had given him last time, the hardcover edition of The Devotion of Suspect X.
"It's truly a carefully selected work."
"Hiyori Shiina... are you deciding to converse with me through your work?"
After finishing the last page, Natsuki Subaru closed the hardcover's cover.
Natsuki Subaru leaned back in his chair, briefly closed his eyes, thinking about Hiyori Shiina's intention in giving him this novel, or rather, what she wanted to tell him through this book.
Tetsuya Ishigami, using the mathematical logic he had believed in his entire life, constructed a flawless deception, a great sacrifice made in the name of love and protection. This method, this self-indulgence, felt familiar to Natsuki Subaru.
An act of paying any price for a supreme, self-determined goal.
"Hiyori Shiina, did you notice anything?"
"Or rather, what do you want me to see in this work?"
Natsuki Subaru mused inwardly.
Hiyori Shiina's face appeared in Natsuki Subaru's mind, those purple eyes almost identical to Emilia's...
What was Hiyori Shiina thinking when she decided to give him this book?
If Hiyori Shiina possessed color, Natsuki Subaru would, at this very moment, be somewhat unable to control his urge to bind Hiyori Shiina to his side, just as he did when he was the Purge King.
Binding Emilia to his side, confining her within a room.
If Hiyori Shiina hadn't lacked color, and if Emilia's eventual loss of color hadn't driven Natsuki Subaru to despair.
Ding!
The sound of a message from his student terminal interrupted Natsuki Subaru's somewhat scattered thoughts.
Kikyo Kushida: [Subaru-kun, are you in your dorm?]
Ever since Natsuki Subaru discovered her true nature last time, Kikyo Kushida hadn't actively contacted him for a long while.
Natsuki Subaru: [I'm in my dorm, Kikyo-san, is there something you need?]
Kikyo Kushida: [I'm at Subaru-kun's dorm door right now, can I come in?]
Kikyo Kushida's statement slightly surprised Natsuki Subaru.
After all, Kikyo Kushida's words were less of a question and more of a direct announcement; having already arrived at the dorm door, a normal person wouldn't possibly tell Kikyo Kushida that it was inconvenient and to go back.
Although Natsuki Subaru wasn't a normal person, he held a decent interest in Kikyo Kushida herself.
Since Kikyo Kushida wanted to come to his dorm to chat, Natsuki Subaru didn't mind talking with her.
Natsuki Subaru: [Of course you can.]
After replying, Natsuki Subaru immediately stood up, went to the dorm door, and opened it.
What greeted his sight was Kikyo Kushida, maintaining her sweet smile.
"Good evening, Subaru-kun."
Seeing Natsuki Subaru open the door for her, Kikyo Kushida sweetly greeted him.
As if everything that had happened before had never occurred.
After speaking, without waiting for Natsuki Subaru to make any further move, she directly, with a hint of urgency, entered Natsuki Subaru's room and sat down on his bed.
"Kikyo-san, what makes you suddenly want to come over here?"
Natsuki Subaru looked at Kikyo Kushida, who had sat down on his bed on her own, and simply smiled, casually closing the dorm door.
Natsuki Subaru probably had some idea of what Kikyo Kushida was thinking, coming to his dorm at this hour.
It was nothing more than that after he discovered her true nature last time, Kikyo Kushida no longer went to that spot by the beach to vent, and had been suppressing the negative emotions in her heart all this time.
Now, having suppressed them for so long, she couldn't hold back anymore, so she might as well vent a little here with Natsuki Subaru.
"It's that damn Suzune Horikita."
"She truly infuriates me; she has something to ask of me, yet she puts on such a condescending air."
Seeing Natsuki Subaru close the door, Kikyo Kushida also dropped her act immediately.
Her entire expression collapsed, revealing an extremely disgusted look, and she said, "And those disgusting guys like Haruki Yamauchi, they truly haven't grown at all; all day long they're either discussing this girl's measurements or that girl's."
"They even eye me lecherously, why don't they just drop dead!"
"They can't possibly think I'd be interested in them, it truly makes me want to puke!"
By the end, a faint retching expression appeared on Kikyo Kushida's face.
It was clear that Kikyo Kushida had endured a lot during this period; with nowhere to vent, her forced endurance had led to some physiological reactions.
"Since it's so disgusting, then just vent it directly at them."
Natsuki Subaru listened to Kikyo Kushida's incessant complaints, smiling gently as he said, "I think Kikyo-san like this is even more charming."
"Huh?"
"Natsuki, what kind of joke are you making?"
Kikyo Kushida completely dropped her act in front of Natsuki Subaru.
Hearing Natsuki Subaru's suggestion, Kikyo Kushida directly showed a 'you must be kidding me' expression, and no longer addressed Natsuki Subaru as 'Subaru-kun,' but directly by his surname.
"Rather than me, Natsuki, aren't you also putting on an act?"
"I saw clearly what happened this morning."
"Haruki Yamauchi did all that, yet you, of all people, could still smile through it."
Kikyo Kushida's tone also carried a hint of incomprehension.
A large part of the reason Kikyo Kushida decided to come to Natsuki Subaru's dorm room today to vent her emotions was because of the Haruki Yamauchi incident this morning.
Kikyo Kushida found that Natsuki Subaru, despite being targeted by Haruki Yamauchi in such a way, still wore an indifferent smile.
Just like herself!
At that time, Kikyo Kushida secretly wondered if Natsuki Subaru was the same type of person as her.
Normally, in the face of such targeting from Haruki Yamauchi, a person wouldn't be able to smile at all. Yet Natsuki Subaru not only smiled, but did so very gently.
Kikyo Kushida ended up somewhat admiring Natsuki Subaru's emotional control.
Kikyo Kushida, for her part, believed that if it were her, she would genuinely be furious.
"Yamauchi-kun did interfere with me a little."
Hearing Kikyo Kushida's question, Natsuki Subaru smiled slightly and explained, "However, I don't have any particular opinion or special emotion towards Yamauchi-kun."
As for what Kikyo Kushida said about being able to smile or not.
Natsuki Subaru didn't know how to explain, because he couldn't remember when it started, but he vaguely recalled a time during a Return by Death save point when he returned countless times.
At that time, Natsuki Subaru was not yet the world-renowned Purge King.
He was on the verge of feeling he would be eternally trapped in that endless cycle. From then on, Natsuki Subaru discovered that he had almost lost the ability to express emotions.
Anger, frustration?
Or joy, sadness?
Natsuki Subaru felt none of these emotions. Even when facing Emilia, who still possessed color at the time, Natsuki Subaru couldn't feel much emotion; at most, she would calm down a restless Natsuki Subaru.
Ultimately, Natsuki Subaru became the Purge King, the one with a perpetual, formulaic smile on his face.
The Purge King who could harvest others' lives with the gentlest smile.
"It only bothered you a little?"
"You really make it sound easy, Natsuki."
Kikyo Kushida suddenly leaned closer to Natsuki Subaru, staring intently into his eyes.
Trying to discern emotions she had never seen before in Natsuki Subaru's eyes.
However, it was very regrettable that even when Kikyo Kushida did this, Natsuki Subaru's face showed no extra emotion. His eyes were like a deep, bottomless ancient well.
One couldn't see the end of it at a glance.
"Or perhaps, you don't think that just because today's incident is over, everything is truly over, do you?"
"Right now, Natsuki, your reputation in those small circles is quite prominent; everyone is discussing your personal points."
As the class's 'little angel' with many friends, Kikyo Kushida's sources of information could be described as comprehensive.
Although Haruki Yamauchi's public outburst today temporarily subsided due to various reasons, everyone's curiosity regarding the source of Natsuki Subaru's personal points would only intensify.
After all, currently everyone's personal points were not much, and with class points at zero, they couldn't expect monthly personal point allocations for some time, so they needed to consider obtaining personal points from other sources.
Clearly, Natsuki Subaru's existence proved the possibility of these other sources.
"So... Kikyo-san, you specially came to find me today just to remind me about this?"
Natsuki Subaru looked at Kikyo Kushida's serious expression, smiling faintly.
"It's just something I mentioned in passing."
"If it weren't for you, Natsuki, boringly sleeping on the lawn last time..."
Kikyo Kushida snorted.
Honestly, at this moment, Kikyo Kushida's psychology was also a bit complex, with an inexplicable quality.
The instant Natsuki Subaru discovered her true nature, Kikyo Kushida indeed felt as if her entire body was freezing. But after this period of time, Natsuki Subaru truly hadn't blabbed about it everywhere.
Kikyo Kushida now felt a slight sense of relief again.
In this school, there was one person who knew her true nature.
She didn't need to constantly maintain that amiable mask on her face.
Such a thought had been circling in Kikyo Kushida's mind for several days. Ever since their last confrontation, Kikyo Kushida had been observing Natsuki Subaru.
Originally, Kikyo Kushida thought that Natsuki Subaru, who held her secret, would at least show a hint of superiority.
Although she had also made Natsuki Subaru put his handprint on her, Kikyo Kushida knew in her heart that it wouldn't have much effect; at most, it was just psychological reassurance for herself.
Kikyo Kushida had already prepared herself for Natsuki Subaru possibly doing something.
She even expected Natsuki Subaru to use it as leverage, making her do things she didn't want to do, or even something unethical or out of line, because only then would both sides truly have dirt on each other.
But ever since that day, Natsuki Subaru hadn't changed at all.
Natsuki Subaru was still the same: gentle, weary, and unenthusiastic about most things.
Occasionally meeting in the classroom, Natsuki Subaru would smile and greet her as if nothing had happened, using the affectionate address 'Kikyo-san,' truly just like herself.
Wearing a mask that no one could see through.
What happened this morning further solidified Kikyo Kushida's decision.
Just like now, she took the initiative to come directly to Natsuki Subaru's dorm door and barge into his dorm.
Venturing her emotions unrestrainedly in Natsuki Subaru's dorm, tearing the sweet mask she had carefully maintained into shreds.
"Hey, Natsuki."
Kikyo Kushida leaned back, falling onto Natsuki Subaru's bed.
Kikyo Kushida's movement carried a deliberate sense of abandon. Her school uniform shirt became somewhat taut from her motion, clearly outlining imaginative curves.
Without deliberately striking a seductive pose, this unguarded, almost self-abandoning recline was, on the contrary, more alluring than at any previous time.
"Do you really not want to do anything to me?"
"I came to your room on my own, anything... is fine."
Kikyo Kushida's words carried a startling allure.
As Kikyo Kushida's words fell, a subtle silence permeated the air. Kikyo Kushida was serious; she wanted Natsuki Subaru to do something out of line, even excessive, to her.
That way, both sides would have a truly shared 'secret.'
At this moment, even Kikyo Kushida herself didn't know whether she was being more genuine or performing more.
She hadn't even considered 'whether doing this was worth it,' but simply thought of doing it, and did it.
"Kikyo-san is very charming."
"If you possessed some special elements, perhaps I truly might be moved right now."
Natsuki Subaru looked at Kikyo Kushida, who was brazenly displaying herself on his bed, and smiled.
"However, just Kikyo-san as you are now..."
"Kikyo-san, who doesn't possess those special elements, isn't enough yet."
Natsuki Subaru's voice still carried its usual gentle tone.
There was no obvious ripple; it was merely a pure statement.
However, Natsuki Subaru had to admit that Kikyo Kushida as she was now, without any pretense, directly showing him a certain 'truth,' truly heightened Natsuki Subaru's expectations.
___
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