Let's rewind the clock just a little.
Kushida was out on patrol, chatting and laughing with her classmates.
"Congratulations, Kushida-chan! You finally made it into the Student Council," one of the girls beside her said, her tone bright with excitement.
Even though Kushida was effectively a "dark angel," her popularity was immense, trailing only slightly behind Hirata in their class. Those words hit a sweet spot in her heart, causing Kushida to break into a wide, beaming smile.
"Oh, it's not that big a deal. It's just my duty as part of the disciplinary committee. I don't actually have any real power in the Council," Kushida replied with practiced humility.
"But you're still a member, and that's way more impressive than the rest of us," another girl chimed in with a sigh. It was obvious they were envious, which thoroughly satisfied Kushida's bottomless thirst for recognition.
Since childhood, she had always craved the center stage. Initially, her extraordinary grades earned her the admiration and praise she desired. But as she entered middle school, her academic standing began to slip, and with it, the attention she lived for. This was the primary catalyst for the "darkness" that took root during her junior high years.
Beset by the relentless intrusion of her classmates—who treated her as an emotional dumping ground and confessed their deepest secrets to her—Kushida eventually found herself holding all the cards. She had enough information to destroy every single one of them.
One day, she snapped. At home, she flew into a blind rage, smashing things to pieces and clawing at her own hair.
"Aaargh! I've had enough! Stupid Tamurako—if you're heartbroken, why do you have to tell me?! You're the one who didn't have the guts to confess, but you made me deliver your love letter. Then I ended up being the one the guy asked out, and now I'm getting blamed by both sides. I'm sick of it!!!"
She yanked at her hair until several strands came loose.
"And that disgusting Hirayoko! Every time he talks to me, his greasy hands are always touching me. Do you not realize how revolting you are?! You delusional fat pig, how dare you set your sights on a girl like me! I'm absolutely fed up!!!"
"And you, Class Rep—you have a crush on me, don't you? Then why did you look away? You said you liked me, yet to satisfy your pathetic lust, you went to a hotel with another girl. Hehe, I'm done with all of you. You're all bastards!"
"Since you told me everything, don't blame me when we all go down together."
Shortly after, the school's web portal was flooded with the dark secrets of nearly every student—including Kushida's own. She had intentionally leaked her own secrets so people wouldn't immediately suspect her. However, they knew it was her regardless, as many of those secrets had been entrusted to her alone. Ultimately, Kushida was ostracized—a fate she had truly earned.
From then on, she spent the remainder of her middle school years in isolation until she arrived at the Advanced Nurturing High School to start anew. She was horrified, however, to discover that Horikita Suzune, who came from her previous school, had also enrolled there. Panic set in instantly.
She lived in terror that Horikita would expose her past and make it impossible for her to stay. Her first instinct was to destroy her or get her expelled! That was the reason Kushida had shown such hostility toward Suzune from the very beginning. In reality, it was all her own paranoia; Suzune wouldn't have dreamed of stooping so low.
One day, while she was venting her rage by kicking a fence on a deserted street—as was her habit—she was caught red-handed by Ryunosuke and Ayanokouji. That was how their paths first crossed.
From that moment, Kushida began to cling to Ryunosuke. Since he was close to Suzune, she wanted to use him as a bridge to see if the girl still remembered the incident from years ago. She was terrified Suzune would betray her; if that happened, she would have no place left at this school.
To keep Ryunosuke's mouth shut, she had even forced him to touch her chest to frame him for harassment. In truth, she loathed the man, just as she loathed all men who she believed thought only with their "lower heads." That was until the day Ryunosuke showed up at her apartment, claiming she had a fever.
By all logic, in such a weakened state, Ryunosuke could have done anything to her and she wouldn't have been able to fight back. She had felt a surge of despair, regretting that she had ever let him in. But when Ryunosuke ignored her body and instead took the clothing containing his fingerprints (which Kushida was using as blackmail evidence), her view of him shifted.
He went from "disgusting man" to "idiot." A total, complete idiot.
(My body is right in front of you, yet you'd rather focus on destroying evidence? Is that "thing" of yours broken?) she had thought at the time.
Then, Ryunosuke said the one thing that truly shattered her ego: "My goal in coming here was the fingerprints on your clothes. Because when you're at your weakest from being sick, that's my best chance to get into your room. So, I'm sorry, Kushida. This is the last time."
"Sorry my ass! You bastard!! &&"
Kushida had broken down right then and there, sobbing into her bed. She hadn't lost her purity, he hadn't touched her, but her ego was in ruins. Ryunosuke didn't want her secrets, and he didn't want her body. As a girl, she felt insulted. She was the popular, beautiful girl—how could this average-looking jerk not be interested in her?
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Back to the present.
Kushida had been patrolling with her friendly mask on until she was intercepted by Yagami and Ichika. She had thought about running the moment she saw their unfriendly expressions, but before she could act, the pair had neutralized her two companions and seized her.
Kushida was utterly confused. Why her? She didn't think she had any beef with them. Her confusion was only answered once she was dragged before Ryunosuke.
(Ah... I see. So you want to use me as a hostage? Too bad for you, this guy doesn't care about me at all... your plan is going to fail...)
But just as Kushida thought that, Ryunosuke said the unthinkable:
"Let her go. Name your terms."
Hearing that, Kushida was genuinely stunned. Yagami didn't waste time with pleasantries.
"Akasaka, we're using Kushida to negotiate. Let us hide in your castle, or I won't hesitate to hurt her."
Ichika punctuated the threat by yanking Kushida's hair. Ryunosuke finally relented. That was the sequence of events that allowed them to infiltrate Ryunosuke's castle. Although he was seething, Kushida was still his classmate. He was forced to set aside personal grudges and let them in.
Kushida didn't know what was going through Ryunosuke's mind, but she felt a strange sense of wonder.
(It turns out this guy.... actually cares about me quite a bit...)
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