At ANHS's Keyaki Mall, the café with the best reputation among students—Palette—Kushida was, unusually, sitting alone at a table with Yagami.
Because she needed to maintain her persona, Kushida was extremely careful about the distance she kept from boys. With her social skills, she could be friends with anyone.
But Kushida also understood perfectly well what those boys were thinking. Across the whole school, who knew how many guys wanted to pursue her? And after getting together with Cheng Yukio, how could she possibly look at those boys the same way?
On top of that, her persona required her to maintain countless fake friendships. That made it even more important that no rumors spread—because if some emotionally fragile boys got hurt and distanced themselves, how was she supposed to keep being the campus little angel?
It was basically the same principle as idols and celebrities—dating can happen, but it can't be publicly known. Otherwise you lose fans.
So Kushida had always been careful. She almost never spent time alone with a boy, precisely to avoid this kind of thing.
But today, she couldn't avoid it.
Because this underclassman, Yagami—who claimed he came from the same junior high as her—said he needed to talk to her alone about her past.
That instantly put Kushida on maximum alert.
Her "past"…?
Wasn't her past the dirt she'd thrown, the way she'd blown up her middle school class until it collapsed into ruins?
Since Yagami specifically wanted to discuss that, Kushida had no choice but to show up.
She chose a secluded seat in Palette, and since it was evening and there weren't many customers, nobody nearby would overhear.
After Yagami sat down, he started with pointless small talk. Only after the coffee arrived did he smile calmly—like the situation was already in his hands.
"Kushida-senpai, I heard you second-years are doing the Unanimous exam tomorrow?"
"Yes~" Kushida kept her bright, energetic smile, like a friendly big-sister figure. "But why are you asking, Yagami-kun?"
"Heh." Yagami's eyes lost their courtesy, a faint contempt slipping through.
Of course he couldn't possibly be from the same junior high as Kushida—he wasn't even the same species as ordinary middle schoolers in his mind. He was from the White Room. Compared to him, normal junior highs were pathetic.
The only reason he'd worn that same school disguise was because the student data Tsukishiro provided included Kushida's secret, and he wanted to use it as a tool.
"It's simple, Kushida-senpai."
"Help me expel Ayanokoji from your class."
"Tomorrow's Unanimous exam gives you a perfect opportunity. If you agree, I won't go around talking about your past."
"Of course, if you refuse…" He smiled a little wider. "Then your darkness might become something everyone knows."
Come on. Submit.
Do work for me—the greatest genius of the White Room—sitting quietly behind the scenes, controlling everything.
Yagami's heart practically danced with smug excitement.
To him, Kushida was already a puppet on strings. And he was the puppeteer—able to control others however he pleased, using them as he liked.
Kushida couldn't possibly refuse.
Her past was too filthy.
If he exposed it, her "little angel" persona would shatter instantly, and the entire student body would start guarding against her, disgusted.
With that kind of leverage, how could she say no?
Yagami was confident.
So it's that, Kushida thought, her warm smile pausing for the briefest instant.
Back when Yagami first claimed he was from her junior high, she'd already been wary.
No matter how sunny and cheerful he acted day-to-day, she'd never fully dropped her guard.
And now—of course.
Threatening her with that secret. His tail was finally showing.
But why was he trying to expel Ayanokoji? A grudge? Something deeper?
She'd need more information before she could analyze it.
Still… Yagami thought he could control her? Wasn't that a little too naive?
Kushida's expression returned to sweet and friendly, her voice light and pleasant.
"Everything's negotiable, Yagami-kun. No need to be so hasty."
"But before that…" She smiled. "Why don't you take a look at this?"
In the next instant, Kushida's bright smile sank into something deep and vicious. She lifted her phone, showing him the screen.
It was a photo.
In a small wooded area, Yagami looked absolutely pathetic—hugging a tree and gnawing it like a starving animal, wood chips stuffing his mouth, his expression twisted into something deranged.
"You—!"
Yagami was hit so hard he couldn't even react properly.
The smug confidence on his face collapsed into raw distortion, his eyes bulging like they were about to pop out of their sockets.
All that "I control the situation" composure evaporated, leaving only shock—and humiliating, choking embarrassment.
His ugliest moment… had been captured by Kushida?!
How could he accept that?!
Luckily, Kushida had chosen her seat well. There were no other students nearby. Otherwise, that sharp gasp would've drawn attention immediately.
Kushida's demeanor now was closer to a cold-blooded operative than any little angel. Merciless. Dark. Cruel.
You become like the company you keep—she'd been around Yukio long enough that she'd grown teeth of her own.
She could smile sweetly all day, sure.
But if someone provoked her? She would use every method possible to ruin them.
"Surprised?" Kushida's gaze turned sharper, more playful—like a cat toying with a mouse. She even tried to mimic the tone she associated with Yukio. "Confused why I have this?"
"Yagami-kun, don't get so full of yourself."
"And if you're going to threaten someone…" She smiled thinly. "That isn't how you do it."
As she belittled Yagami, she couldn't help thinking: If Yukio-kun were doing this, he'd do it way better than you.
For a moment, she even recalled their first meeting and the way he'd handled things.
Then she snapped back.
"Don't misunderstand. I wasn't tracking you on the uninhabited island. You made a bit of a scene while you were… peeling bark."
"It just happened to be filmed by a first-year girl from another class. She found me and said you seemed really upset—and because she thought you and I were close, she wanted me to comfort you."
Kushida's smile sharpened into a soft, mocking laugh.
"And then I looked into it a little. So the ever-sunny Yagami-kun… lost a knowledge quiz to Yukio-kun, got so embarrassed you ditched your classmates, ran into the woods, and took your anger out on a tree?"
"Honestly…" Kushida clicked her tongue. "That's pathetic, Yagami-kun."
"!!"
Yagami's face twisted to the limit. His features shifted under the strain, warping into something genuinely ugly and frightening.
Under the table, both hands clenched hard around the sides of his knees—so hard it felt like he might crush bone.
Only that pain—only forcing his body to hurt—kept the last thread of his rationality from snapping in the middle of his rage.
Losing to Cheng Yukio was one thing…
But a White Room "genius" like him…
Getting cornered like this by a two-faced girl like Kushida…?!