On a midsummer afternoon, the seaside wind seemed to scorch the entire school.
In a corner of the shopping center's outdoor cafe, several students from Class C were gathered, arguing in hushed tones with grim expressions.
"Hey, we can't live like this, can we? It was bad enough we didn't get points last exam, but we actually had 200 points deducted! If this keeps up, all our points will be gone!"
"It's all that Ryuuen guy... saying he 'absolutely could win,' only to lose so horribly."
"Shh! Keep your voice down, if he hears us, we'll get beaten up again."
"There should be a limit to this rule by violence, shouldn't there? Everyone is really unhappy..."
Kushida Kikyo, sitting not far away, elegantly stirred her iced coffee while keeping an ear open to these complaints.
(Ah... even the Class C bunch is starting to fight among themselves. How boring.)
(That Ryuuen guy is a total waste, too. I thought he was something great, but he's just an idiot who only knows violence.)
The smile on her face remained sweet as she responded to the idle chatter of the Class D girls beside her, but the black sediment inside her heart grew thicker.
"Ne, Kikyo, about that Horikita girl..."
"Yes, she..."
This masked life was like breathing in a room full of poison gas. Every minute, every second, the noxious fumes accumulated in her lungs.
After a long wait, the moment of parting finally arrived.
"Kikyo-chan, should we go to karaoke again later?"
"I'm sorry, I have something else to do later. I'll have to pass this time. Let's go together next time."
"Oh, I see. That's a shame. Well then, let's go next time..."
Saying goodbye to her false social circle, Kushida headed straight for the dorms.
She was going there.
To the "trash can," the only place where she could expel all the poison gas from her lungs... "Beep—"
Pushing open the door to Room 403, Kushida didn't even have time to take off her shoes properly before the malicious words she had held back all day rushed to her lips.
"Ah—I'm so angry! Sōsuke-kun, listen to me!"
She rushed into the room, seeing Natsukawa sitting at his desk as if he were a lifesaver.
"That Horikita Suzune is completely insane! Today in the hallway..."
"Stop."
Natsukawa abruptly cut off her need to vent.
Natsukawa Sosuke turned around, not with his usual tolerant smile, but with a gaze that was cold and almost scrutinizing.
Kushida froze, her mouth slightly open, the rest of her words stuck in her throat.
"What's wrong... Sōsuke-kun?"
"Kushida." Natsukawa put down his pen, his tone so calm it was unnerving. "The way you are right now reminds me of a certain animal."
"Wh-what?"
"A feral cat that catches a dead mouse outside, or gets covered in mud, and then excitedly rushes home, wanting to present the corpse to its owner to seek praise or affection."
Natsukawa looked at her. There was no disgust in his eyes, but that purely rational analysis was more hurtful than repulsion.
"You think this is you showing me your 'true self,' and that it's strengthening the bond of complicity between us. But..."
He pointed to his ear.
"Have you considered whether the 'owner' wants to see that stinking dead mouse? Whether he wants to smell that muddy stench?"
Boom—
Kushida Kikyo's mind went blank.
She froze in place, her face instantly turning pale.
Rejected... despised... (Even he... finds me annoying?)
(Even the only person who knows my true nature is starting to hate the resentful me?)
Fear surged like a tide. If even this place couldn't tolerate her, then she truly had nowhere left to go in this hypocritical world.
"I... I didn't mean..."
Her voice began to tremble, and her eyes quickly reddened. Her confident demeanor instantly collapsed, transforming her back into a little girl afraid of being abandoned.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
"I won't say it anymore... I won't say it again..."
She lowered her head in panic, wringing her hands together. She wanted to flee, yet she couldn't bear to leave this only sanctuary.
Natsukawa sighed inwardly.
'If I don't stop her, she'll habitually dump all her negative emotions onto me. Eventually, she will subconsciously associate me with those unhappy things whenever she sees me, and our relationship will be tied to negative emotions. That's not the outcome I want.'
'However, just like a dog eventually needs to be walked, otherwise the furniture suffers.'
'What I need to do is guide her output, not become her emotional trash can.'
He stood up and walked over to the trembling Kushida.
"Did I tell you to shut up?"
"Eh?" Kushida looked up, her eyes filled with tears and confusion.
"Come with me."
Natsukawa didn't explain. He simply took her hand and led her out of the room... Twenty minutes later.
A karaoke room.
Deafening heavy metal music echoed in the confined space.
Natsukawa placed the microphone into Kushida's hand and pointed to the screen.
"There's no one else here. The soundproofing is excellent."
He sat down on the sofa, picked up a drink, and gestured to her with his eyes.
"Shout it out. Everything you want to curse Horikita for, curse the class for, curse those idiots for—shout it all into the microphone."
Kushida held the microphone, looked at the flashing lyrics on the screen, and then glanced at Natsukawa, who was quietly drinking water.
He hadn't left. He was just sitting there watching.
A sudden, inexplicable impulse surged within her.
"Aaaahhhhhh—!!!"
She violently raised the microphone and let out a heart-rending scream.
This was immediately followed by a torrent of curses, like a breached dam.
"Die! Die! All of you just die!"
"Horikita Suzune, you pretentious woman! Why don't you just drop dead!"
"And those pigs who only know how to gossip! Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!"
Accompanied by the intense music, Kushida Kikyo screamed and jumped in the room like a madwoman, expelling all the toxins accumulated over this period through her vocal cords.
Natsukawa Sosuke watched quietly.
He was like a calm observer watching a wild beast unleash its ferocity in a cage.
Half an hour later.
Kushida was finally exhausted. She collapsed onto the sofa, her throat hoarse, gasping for breath, sweat soaking her forehead hair.
Although her body was utterly exhausted, the heavy stone that had been weighing down her chest had miraculously disappeared.
In its place was an ethereal lightness and relaxation following her total depletion.
A hand reached out, offering her a wet wipe and a bottle of mineral water.
Kushida took the water, drank it all in one go, and then cautiously looked at Natsukawa.
"...Feeling better?" Natsukawa asked.
"Mhm..." Kushida nodded, her voice slightly hoarse. "About... that disgusting metaphor earlier..."
"The meaning remains the same."
Natsukawa looked at her. Although his tone was calm, his eyes had softened slightly.
"You can have negative emotions, and you can vent them. But I am not here to hold your trash."
He reached out and tucked Kushida's messy bangs behind her ear.
"I am the person who gives you a reward after you've dealt with those 'dead mice.'"
As he spoke, he took out the exquisite paper box from his pocket.
Opening the box, a black velvet choker lay quietly inside, with a small silver bell hanging in the center.
"Outside, you are everyone's 'Angel.' You must wear that mask and smile at everyone."
"But when you put this on..."
"You are no longer the class punching bag who has to be nice to everyone. Class trivialities have nothing to do with you."
Natsukawa gently flicked the bell, producing a crisp sound.
"Because here, you are mine. You only need to think about how to spend this difficult time with me."
"After all... the time we spend together is precious, and cannot be wasted on trash."
Kushida looked at the bell, and her heart gave a sudden leap.
The previous fear and anxiety over gains and losses transformed into a more complex emotion at this moment.
He hadn't abandoned her.
He was merely teaching her... how to be an agreeable cat.
The kind of house cat that knows how to clean itself up before snuggling obediently into its owner's arms for affection.
"...Put it on me."
She turned around, her back to Natsukawa, lowered her head, and exposed her long neck.
The cool velvet touched her skin, and the sound of the metal clasp was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
"Jingle—"
As she straightened up, the bell let out a crisp ring.
Kushida touched the choker around her neck, turned around, and looked at Natsukawa.
She still felt uneasy, because she knew this man's affection was conditional.
She still needed to wear a mask to face the world, because that was her way of survival.
But... "Sōsuke-kun..."
She leaned in, resting gently on Natsukawa's shoulder, listening to the pleasant sound of the bell.
"From now on, I will wash my hands clean before coming to you."
"So... don't leave me."