"Hey, let's make a deal!"
"No."
"Hey! I haven't even said what it is yet!"
Kushida was extremely annoyed. She hadn't even explained anything, yet Hikigaya already had that *I know exactly what you're thinking* look on his face. She hated people who acted so smug!
"I'll admit, I misjudged you. I didn't think you were hiding this deep."
That statement was practically her admitting defeat.
"Misjudged?"
Hikigaya shook his head. "More like you never actually looked at me properly."
Kushida scoffed and ignored his comment, continuing instead, "I've already seen firsthand how sneaky and cunning you are, so help me out with something!"
"Let's take down Horikita and get her expelled!"
Her face turned cold as she spoke, making it clear she wasn't joking.
Hikigaya blinked and then yawned. "That's it? It's getting late, go home already. I'm going to sleep."
"Hiki! Gaya!"
Kushida had considered all sorts of responses from him, but she never expected this—he was completely brushing her off. No, even worse... he was ignoring her, as if saying *Kushida, who even are you?*
But more importantly…
"Why do you keep pissing me off?!"
Kushida gritted her teeth. "I'm being serious! If you help me get Horikita expelled, I'll agree to anything. I mean it—anything! What do you say?"
Hikigaya glanced at her and shook his head again. "You're just worried she'll find out your true nature… or maybe she already has? So now you want to silence her? Does that mean I'm next?"
"I promise, as long as you help me—"
Kushida stopped mid-sentence, her face frozen as if she had just realized something. She looked at Hikigaya in shock.
"You… how do you know…"
"It's simple reasoning. The only thing that could make you react so strongly is your 'little secret'—that you're not who you seem to be. Ever since school started, even though you hide it well, your attitude toward Horikita has always been a bit too forced. Last night, you were also the one who insulted her the most. I think even Horikita has already noticed your hostility. Judging by your expression, I must be right."
"Shut up!"
Kushida yelled in anger and embarrassment.
It was supposed to be a secret she could never let anyone know, yet somehow, this dead-eyed guy always figured it out. Did he have mind-reading powers?
"I don't have mind-reading powers. You're just too easy to read."
Hikigaya had already experienced the worst when dealing with a real 'boss-level' manipulator, so facing Kushida felt like child's play.
"You… I'm going to make you pay for this!"
Kushida finally lost her patience and lunged at Hikigaya, but he dodged her attack with ease, as if he had expected it.
"You're just like Ayanokouji—gloomy, antisocial—but you insist on acting like you know everything!"
Frustrated that her attack failed, Kushida resorted to shouting insults instead.
"Kushida, you're wrong again."
Hikigaya didn't seem to notice her growing anger.
"If you think Ayanokouji is just a quiet, creepy guy, then you're making a huge mistake."
Ayanokouji was the one person in Class D that Hikigaya couldn't quite figure out. In fact, he was the most dangerous person in the class. His actions were often strange and puzzling, but after interacting with him a couple of times, Hikigaya could tell—he was hiding something deep.
And then there were his midterm scores. Every subject hovered around 50 points. Not all of them were exactly 50, but the pattern was obvious. Just like Hikigaya, Ayanokouji had noticed the issue and was intentionally keeping his scores low.
Especially during the Sudou incident, when Ayanokouji tried to subtly 'guide' Hikigaya into making a certain decision. That was when Hikigaya realized something even more concerning—Ayanokouji wasn't just trying to influence him, he was also trying to manipulate Horikita.
"If you think I'm just trying to provoke you, you don't have to take the bait."
Hikigaya continued.
"Take the midterm exam answers, for example. I'm guessing it was Ayanokouji who found them, right? No need to deny it—he probably said something like 'I have no status in the class, no one would believe me' to get you to take credit for it, didn't he?"
Kushida gradually calmed down.
"So what if he did? That guy's a total loner. He walks around with that depressing look on his face all day—worse than Horikita, even. And his brain must be filled with garbage, considering he's willing to be Yamauchi's lapdog. What a useless piece of trash."
If anyone else had heard her say that, they would have been terrified. Was this really the sweet, kind, and cheerful Kushida that everyone adored?
Hikigaya looked at her deeply.
"Sometimes, what you see isn't the truth. It could just be the 'truth' someone wants you to see. Isn't that exactly what you're doing?"
Kushida, who had just cooled down, suddenly got angry again and glared at Hikigaya.
"And one more thing, Kushida—I think you've misunderstood something from the very beginning."
"What do you mean?"
Kushida was already losing her patience.
"You believe that if you become friends with everyone, no one will ever discover your true self. That as long as you keep up this cute, kind, and energetic act, everyone will like you. But does feeding your own vanity really matter in this school?"
"This is my choice. I don't need anyone interfering, and I definitely don't need you lecturing me!"
Kushida warned him fiercely.
"Everyone has their own way of surviving. I have no intention of interfering with yours. But if you ever find yourself in trouble, do you think your so-called friends will come to your rescue?"
"Of course!"
Kushida finally regained her confidence.
"I'm nothing like you gloomy loners. If I ask, people will lend me their points without hesitation. If I say I'm sick, do you know how many people will bring me gifts tomorrow? My phone and email will be flooded with messages of concern!"
This was her confidence—the thing she could proudly flaunt in front of Hikigaya.
"But if your situation was serious enough to get you expelled, do you think your friends would still help you? Would they go all out to save you?"
Kushida fell silent. She wanted to say, "Of course they would," but when she tried to say it, the words wouldn't come out.
"Seems like you already know the answer."
Hikigaya slowly walked up to Kushida. "So even now, you still don't get it. No matter how nice their words sound, the friends who stick to you all the time and call themselves your besties—when it comes to their own interests, your relationship is as fragile as a piece of paper."
"Y-You… what are you trying to say?!"
Kushida instinctively took a step back.
"I mean, it's late. Just go away already. I need to rest."
"???"
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