Chapter 116: Kushida Kikyo's Past!
"Kikyo, didn't you say the fingerprints weren't clear enough?"
"If I hold you like this, won't that leave even more fingerprints on your uniform?" Yuto answered with a smile.
"You... You have a point."
It was as if Yuto's excuse had completely convinced Kikyo. She buried her face in his chest, breathing in his scent.
This was something Kikyo had always wanted to do, but absolutely could not allow herself to do.
After using his mind-reading ability to understand Kikyo's inner thoughts, Yuto gained a deeper understanding of this little angel who wore a mask.
He even learned about her desire to become his girlfriend.
So, Yuto pulled Kikyo into his embrace.
As she breathed in his scent, Kikyo's body temperature rose, her cheeks burning with a feverish heat, and her heart pounding with the palpitations of a young girl.
Weakened by this surge of emotion, she no longer had the strength to keep holding Yuto's hand, allowing him to easily withdraw it.
However, instead of letting her go, Yuto did something that surprised and delighted Kikyo. He wrapped both arms around her softened body, pulling her tightly into his embrace.
Just moments ago, Kikyo and Yuto had been locked in a tense interrogation, yet the scene had quietly transformed into an intimate embrace between a couple.
"Maintaining a smile and preserving relationships with everyone must be exhausting," Yuto said gently.
"It is exhausting."
Kikyo hesitated before speaking softly.
"Yuto, you don't seem... surprised by how I acted earlier."
Kikyo felt that instead of being shocked or disgusted, Yuto had become even gentler after seeing the side she had hidden.
"That's because I noticed long ago that you had another side," Yuto said with a soft laugh.
"But that was the first time I ever vented like that. How did you notice before?"
"Hmm... It was when you asked for my contact information at the student dormitory."
"Wasn't that our very first conversation?!"
Kikyo looked miserable.
She had believed Yuto had never noticed her hidden nature.
She had not expected him to see through her from their first interaction.
Kikyo did not think Yuto was boasting or lying.
After all, the boy before her was known throughout the school as an undefeated demon.
He was so capable that seeing through the side she had hidden seemed perfectly normal.
Besides, whenever Kikyo met Yuto's clear eyes, she sometimes felt as though he could see straight through every layer of her.
"If you already knew my cheerful personality was partly an act, why did you continue treating me kindly?" Kikyo asked anxiously.
"Then let me ask you something, Kikyo."
"Why do you assume that knowing your true nature would make me stop being friendly with you?" Yuto asked.
"Isn't that obvious? Who would like someone who secretly curses people behind their backs?"
"That's what confuses me."
"Which girl doesn't secretly complain about others?"
"Even Ai—cough. Even Kei complains about you in front of me," Yuto said, hastily correcting himself.
He had nearly revealed Airi's name.
Kikyo's face turned cold.
"What does that woman Karuizawa Kei say about me in front of you?!"
"She calls you a clingy temptress."
"She says you know I already have a girlfriend, yet shamelessly keep approaching me and trying to steal her boyfriend..."
"Hey, Kikyo, stop pinching me. I'm not the one who said it!"
Yuto caught Kikyo's irritated hand as she pinched his side.
Kikyo felt the warmth of his hand and muttered, "If you know you have a girlfriend, why are you still comforting me like this?"
"Because I need you, Kikyo."
"Eh?!"
Kikyo's heart jumped at Yuto's words.
She raised her head and looked at him.
The smile on his handsome face made her heart race.
"You need me... What do you mean, Yuto?"
"I intend to lead everyone in Class D to Class A."
"Your abilities are indispensable, so I need you."
"...That's all?!"
Kikyo felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over her.
She had thought Yuto meant he needed her as his girlfriend!
Still, perhaps that was better.
She could not have a boyfriend anyway...
But it was still infuriating!
"Hey, stop pinching me."
Yuto caught Kikyo's other hand too, leaving both of her hands held in his.
Wanting to deepen their trust, Yuto asked, "Kikyo, can you tell me how you developed this cheerful and outgoing side of yourself?"
"I didn't develop it. I was always cheerful and outgoing."
"It's just that certain things happened in middle school, and my personality changed a little," Kikyo answered gloomily.
"I'd like to hear about it."
"Could you tell me, provided you don't mind?"
"..."
Kikyo pressed her lips together.
Her faintly flushed face showed hesitation as she wondered whether she should tell Yuto what had happened in middle school.
Although Yuto could accept that she had another side, he might not accept what she had done back then.
In middle school, Kikyo had single-handedly thrown her entire class into chaos.
The conflict grew so severe that several students had to suspend their studies or transfer schools.
"Don't force yourself."
"Just tell me whatever you feel comfortable sharing."
"I'm a good listener, and I can help you release some of those negative emotions," Yuto said gently.
"You're right..."
"You're incredible, Yuto."
"No matter who you wager against or what the competition is, you always win."
"You must possess abilities that lose to no one."
"More or less." Yuto nodded.
"Then you should understand!"
Kikyo suddenly became energetic, and her voice grew passionate.
"Getting the highest score on an exam, winning first place in a game of tag, attracting everyone's attention..."
"Having people look at you and think, 'Amazing,' 'So handsome,' or 'So cute!'"
"When you possess something no one else has, doesn't that moment feel incredible?"
"That's the kind of life I desire!"
"Only then can I truly feel that my existence has meaning!"
That was why Kikyo enjoyed standing on the podium beside Yuto and feeling the gazes of Class D's students.
Yuto nodded as he listened.
"That's a perfectly understandable source of meaning."
"Kikyo, it's known as the need for esteem."
The need for esteem meant receiving recognition and respect from others.
That recognition brought satisfaction and happiness while increasing one's confidence.
Simply put, humans were creatures who longed for praise.
No one disliked receiving sincere admiration or compliments.
Most children who had not yet entered society would continue working hard in hopes of being praised.
Yuto gently guided her.
"What happened after that, Kikyo?"
"After that, I realized my desire to be number one was extremely strong."
"I wanted everyone to praise me so badly that I became obsessed with it."
Kikyo's words carried powerful emotion, like a volcano erupting.
Then she looked at Yuto and showed a bitter smile.
"But I'm not as incredible as you."
"No matter how hard I studied or exercised, I could never become number one."
"I couldn't earn everyone's praise."
"Second or third place couldn't satisfy me."
"So I thought I should do something no one else could imitate. That way, I would always be number one."
"Eventually, I discovered that I could treat people more kindly than anyone else."
"I could become closer to others than anyone else!"
"Thanks to that, I became popular."
"Boys and girls alike liked me."
"I experienced the joy of being relied upon and trusted."
"I had a wonderful time throughout elementary and middle school."
After hearing this much, Yuto finally understood how Kikyo had developed her cheerful and outgoing persona.
"But maintaining that must have placed enormous pressure on you," Yuto said.
Kikyo took a slow breath before speaking quietly.
"As expected of you, Yuto. You already figured it out."
Strictly speaking, Yuto had not guessed.
He had personally heard Kikyo cursing Suzune earlier.
So she had undoubtedly absorbed pressure and negative emotions from other people before too.
"It was painful..."
"Maintaining the image of a kind little angel was extremely painful."
"The stress and irritation sometimes made me feel physically sick."
"But I couldn't let anyone see me like that."
"All I could do was endure, endure, and keep enduring."
Yuto's mouth twitched.
"Kikyo, if you kept enduring like that, wouldn't your mind eventually collapse?"
"Yes."
"So when I felt I could no longer endure it, I chose a way to release the pressure."
"An online blog."
"I remained anonymous and wrote down everything I couldn't tell anyone."
"Then I published it online and released all the pressure building inside me."
"Having somewhere to vent made me feel much better."
"Some readers even encouraged me, which made me rather happy."
Kikyo's expression gradually darkened.
Seeing that it was starting to affect her beauty, Yuto reached out and gently rubbed her cheeks with his hands.
"Stop it..." Kikyo glared at Yuto in a mixture of shame and annoyance. But she was only telling him to stop messing around—she didn't actually want him to stop.
Understanding Kikyo's unspoken meaning, Yuto smiled as he gently rubbed her smooth, fair cheek.
"But I eventually made a mistake."
"My classmates discovered my blog."
"Even though I was anonymous, everything I wrote concerned experiences they recognized."
"So they immediately realized the blog belonged to me."
"Why did they identify you?" Yuto asked.
"Because they had only ever told those things to me!"
"They thought we were close, so they dumped every piece of pointless gossip and garbage onto me."
"A large part of my stress came from listening to all their worthless problems!"
Disgust and irritation appeared in Kikyo's eyes.
Yuto calmly redirected her.
"What happened after they discovered your blog?"
"The following day, everything I had posted spread throughout the class."
"Every one of my classmates blamed me."
"They had received so much help from me, yet they suddenly turned against me."
"It was disgusting!"
Kikyo grew increasingly emotional.
"They all began hating, insulting, and bullying me."
"So I stopped protecting their secrets."
"I revealed every piece of garbage the entire class had dumped onto me!"
"Once I exposed everything, the insults and hostility aimed at me shifted toward the people they truly resented."
"The boys began fighting each other."
"The girls shoved one another and pulled at each other's hair."
"The classroom descended into chaos."
"Hehehe... Watching that chaotic classroom made me so happy!"
Yuto's mouth twitched.
Of course Kikyo had felt happy.
She had completely released the pressure and negativity inside her while throwing everyone who had caused it into conflict.
"So that was what happened during middle school."
Yuto nodded.
Kikyo, who had become absorbed in recounting the memory, suddenly froze.
She had actually revealed the darkest secret she could never allow anyone to know!
Kikyo secretly observed Yuto, wanting to see whether he now hated her.
But she could not find even the slightest trace of disgust on his face.
It seemed...
He really did not hate her.
"Yuto, don't you think I'm a demon for throwing my entire class into chaos?"
"You think you qualify as a demon?"
Yuto rolled his eyes at the cautious Kikyo.
"Did you challenge every club in an entire school like I did?"
"That isn't the kind of demon I meant..."
"I understand."
"I don't think you're a demon, Kikyo."
"At most, you're a rather fake and troublesome woman."
Kikyo looked unhappy.
She hated the word "fake."
But she could not refute him.
She really was a hypocritical woman.
If she were not, why would she build friendly relationships with people she disliked and found troublesome?
"Kikyo, keep leading Class D alongside me, just as you always have."
"That way, you won't be alone anymore."
"I'll become your ally."
"If you're a demon, then so am I," Yuto told her with a smile.
Kikyo looked up at him.
Her familiar bright and cheerful smile returned.
"Okay."
Yuto already knew her true nature.
He even knew the dark history of her middle school years.
So she supposed she had no choice but to obediently work with him from now on.
…
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