Shikime Natsu quickly made out the figure standing on the deck at this moment — it was Class D's Kushida Kikyou.
The deck looked extremely empty just now. Apart from the howling sea breeze and the sound of the waves, she was the only one there, standing all alone.
Although he could only see her back and not her face from the front —
With his understanding of this two-faced angel, Shikime Natsu could tell with his toes that Kikyou's mood at this very moment was, without a doubt, in a pretty foul state.
No wonder, really. Natsu had heard about Class D's situation straight from Sakura Airi's mouth. To sum it up: Kikyou, as Class D's leader, had had a genuinely rough time during this Deserted Island special exam.
Hmm… even after grinding away for that long, Class D's class points were still dead last. Still, all he could really say was that Kushida Kikyou had given it her all.
As for that result itself, it didn't really matter much to Kikyou. After all, anyone in her position would have ended up the same. The real problem was all the arguments on the Deserted Island — those were truly a headache. And then there was the matter of Kouenji Rokusuke, which was also quite a hassle.
As the class's little angel, Kushida Kikyou had no choice but to handle such troublesome matters — to stay in character and fulfill her responsibilities. And yet, even after she'd worked herself this hard, the results were still less than satisfactory.
The negative energy piling up inside Kikyou right now had probably reached the critical point of an imminent explosion, hadn't it?
Which was precisely why she had come up here to the deck — likely to vent the suppressed emotions inside her.
If an ordinary person learned that someone was planning to vent their emotions on the deck, they would probably opt to keep their distance. But Shikime Natsu wasn't ordinary. So after a brief glance around to confirm there was no one else, he stepped right up. He didn't bother to muffle his footsteps in the slightest, and walked toward Kikyou at an unhurried pace.
"Tap, tap, tap…"
The crisp sound of footsteps rang out across the quiet deck.
Hearing the noise behind her, Kushida Kikyou slowly turned around. As she did, that cute face of hers had already — by sheer reflex — slipped on a sweet, gentle smile, looking just like a little angel.
Wearing this flawless mask, she wanted to see exactly who could so coincidentally show up here in the dead of night.
However, the moment she got a clear look at the visitor — that man in casual clothes, gazing at her with a half-smile that wasn't quite a smile — Shikime Natsu —
The sweet smile on Kikyou's face vanished without a trace in an instant, as if a delete key had been pressed.
In its place was undisguised iciness and displeasure.
That originally adorable face dropped on the spot, the corners of her eyes even carrying a hint of sharp, vicious malice.
Although she hadn't uttered a single harsh word, her thoroughly nasty attitude and disgusted gaze conveyed one clear message: How could she be this unlucky? Right when she needed to vent, of all people, she had to run into Shikime Natsu — this hauntingly persistent, utterly detestable bastard!
Kushida Kikyou glared coldly at him.
"Natsu."
She finally spoke. Her voice was stripped of its usual cloying sweetness, edged with frost. Even though she addressed him by name, the attitude she displayed was anything but intimate.
"It's the middle of the night. Why aren't you in your own bedroom, holding your girlfriend in your arms and sleeping off the night? What are you doing coming up to the deck?"
Kushida Kikyou's tone was about as bad as it could get — even carrying obvious hostility.
Facing Shikime Natsu — a man who knew her dirty little secret — Kikyou felt no need to be polite. Because this bastard had told her himself that he preferred to see her true side. Well, since he liked seeing it so much, then let him get an eyeful.
Right now Kikyou's mood was rotten, thoroughly foul. She had no patience to put on a cutesy-pie act to deal with this guy.
If saying this could make Shikime Natsu hurry up and get lost, then all the better. Of course, Kikyou was well aware of just how thick-skinned this man was — her words weren't going to make him back off in the slightest.
Sure enough, Shikime Natsu only flashed that infuriating smile of his again, then took a few more steps onto the deck.
"Nothing in particular," he answered, his tone relaxed.
"I just suddenly couldn't sleep, so I came up to the deck to get some air."
Once he'd said that, he slightly lifted his eyes, those pale-golden pupils looking straight into Kikyou's eyes as he asked in return,
"What about you?"
"It's so late, and you're still up here in the cold wind. Is something bothering you?"
Watching Shikime Natsu's airy, untroubled expression — as if not a single ounce of pressure existed in his world —
An unspecified flame of fury surged up inside Kikyou's chest, impossible to suppress.
Why?!
Why did this guy get to live so freely, so effortlessly?!
Still, anger aside, Kikyou's reason told her that Shikime Natsu really did have the right.
Compared to her — who for seven straight days had had to act like a nanny, tending to that pack of selfish idiots in Class D, constantly minding their fragile emotions to keep the class from imploding —
Class A, led by Shikime Natsu, had had it absurdly easy. They didn't have to go hungry, didn't have to worry about lodging, and even something like seizing Base Camps every day didn't require him to handle personally.
The way this guy was treated in Class A — like a star adored by an entire constellation — was honestly enviable to the point of making her eyes turn red with jealousy.
Watching Kushida Kikyou's eyes flicker through unreadable emotions, as though she were thinking — or perhaps silently cursing him —
The smile at the corners of Shikime Natsu's mouth deepened. He took a small step forward.
"Why so quiet all of a sudden?"
He deliberately lowered his voice, his tone laced with a touch of mischievous teasing.
"Kikyou, running up here in the middle of the night — you weren't, by any chance, searching for a nice, sturdy railing or something, were you?"
Hearing Shikime Natsu's words land squarely on her landmine,
The corner of Kikyou's eye twitched violently.
She gritted her teeth and silently cursed inwardly.
Now she was certain — this Shikime Natsu bastard had known all along exactly what she'd come up to this deserted deck in the middle of the night to do!
He had seen right through it, and yet just now he had put on that nonchalant — even slightly concerned — act to ask her about it.
So in reality, this guy was secretly laughing at her on the inside, wasn't he?
Kikyou's eyes locked onto Shikime Natsu. Although the sweet camouflage was gone from her face, the curl at the corner of her mouth was full of mockery and provocation.
"What?"
She gave a cold snort, addressing Shikime Natsu without a shred of politeness.
"If I really were looking for a railing to vent on, are you saying you're being so kind as to come over yourself and become a railing for me to kick and beat to my heart's content?"
Faced with a provocation reeking of gunpowder,
Shikime Natsu merely let out a soft laugh and shook his head.
"I'm not some maso who enjoys getting kicked and beaten by other people. I haven't developed that kind of unique hobby yet."
While speaking, Shikime Natsu — quite naturally — once again walked a few steps closer toward Kikyou. The distance between them shrank to less than a meter.
Watching this dangerous man brazenly close in on her without the slightest hesitation,
Kikyou's brows immediately knitted tightly together.
She felt as if she'd run into a piece of cowhide candy she couldn't shake off — what utterly rotten luck!
To maintain a safe distance, Kikyou — her face full of revulsion — sidestepped two paces to the side.
Of course, she didn't dare move too far away.
Because she really had no idea — if she overreacted, would this man, who never played by the rules, latch on like a sticky plaster and press in even more shamelessly?
After putting a tiny bit of distance between them,
Kikyou took a deep breath, as if making some kind of decision.
She looked at Shikime Natsu, the look in her eyes shifting.
"Still, Natsu, you've come at just the right time."
"Since you're already here, and there's no one else around —"
"Then let's have a proper talk."
Kikyou gazed at Shikime Natsu, her eyes still carrying that hint of frost. But that iciness only lasted a moment. Soon enough, an extremely sweet smile resurfaced on her adorable face, and she looked up at him grinning, as if all the earlier hostility had never existed at all.
When it came to switching faces this quickly, Kushida Kikyou really was an authoritative figure.
Shikime Natsu raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised. Of course, he wasn't surprised by her sudden change of expression itself.
What surprised Shikime Natsu was that this Kushida Kikyou — of all people — actually intended to chat with him. And in the dead of night, no less, when she so badly needed to vent her bottled-up emotions. After being interrupted, she was still thinking about continuing the conversation, instead of telling him to hurry up and get lost so she could finish venting.
Shikime Natsu watched her with great interest and, following her lead, asked,
"Oh?"
"Then, what would Kikyou like to talk to me about?"
Kikyou's face still wore that honeyed smile, those eyes of hers fixed straight on Shikime Natsu without the slightest evasion.
Naturally, being looked at like this didn't faze Shikime Natsu in the slightest. He continued to hold her gaze.
"I want to know — that bastard Horikita's fever suddenly breaking. Did you have a hand in that?"
Kushida Kikyou went straight for the jugular, and Shikime Natsu had no intention of concealing anything either.
"It was me."
Seeing Shikime Natsu nod in confirmation,
A faint crack ran through the sweet smile on Kikyou's face. She couldn't help but curl her lip, making no attempt to hide the dissatisfaction inside her.
"You really do love sticking your nose into other people's business, don't you, you bastard."
She grumbled coldly.
"If you hadn't interfered, that woman Horikita would have been forced to withdraw from this Deserted Island exam because of her illness."
Hearing this, Shikime Natsu smiled. As expected, Kushida Kikyou really was someone who didn't care about class points in the slightest. So long as she could use class points to maneuver something — or at least satisfy her own personal interests in some way — she'd happily go along with it.
And what Kikyou wanted was to completely strip Horikita Suzune of any chance to ever lay her hands on the position of Class D's leader. After all, someone who only made trouble for the class had no business leading Class D.
"Kikyou, didn't I already guarantee you that Horikita won't spill your past? Why are you still this hostile toward her?"
Shikime Natsu looked at Kikyou with amused interest. The feud between these two — Shikime Natsu had, in a way, slightly involved himself in it as well. Before Horikita Suzune's personality had softened even a little, Kushida Kikyou had quite a few unpleasant run-ins with her.
"I just plain don't like her. What, are you planning to speak up for her now? I have to admit, your taming skills really are something — that arrogant woman Horikita actually showing that kind of face."
Kushida Kikyou shot Shikime Natsu a cold glance. She, too, had noticed the changes in Horikita Suzune over the past while — there really was no other way to put it: she was practically a different person from the one at the start of the school year. And it was precisely because of those changes that Kushida Kikyou hated Horikita Suzune all the more.
"What is it, Kikyou?"
"So you really do enjoy being Class D's pathetic leader that much?"
"Facing that pack of can't-do-anything-right-but-can-ruin-anything bunch every day, having to keep that sweet smile plastered on at all times just to wipe their asses — I had no idea…"
He deliberately paused, then delivered his verdict.
"So Kikyou, you're the true maso here after all."
Hearing Shikime Natsu's words, dripping with mockery,
Kushida Kikyou's emotions — already teetering on the brink of an explosion — were ignited in an instant.
Especially when Shikime Natsu mentioned Class D's pathetic leader, all the rotten scenes — from the very first day she'd landed on the Deserted Island right up until what had happened just before boarding the cruise ship — flashed through her mind in succession. Every single one of them made Kushida Kikyou's blood boil.
"Shut up!"
Kushida Kikyou trembled all over with fury.
"You think I want to be that goddamn leader?!"
Discarding any concern for her image, she launched into a frenzied rant, venting every last bit of the resentment she'd been hoarding these past several days.
"The people in Class D are basically all hopeless idiots! Morons!
Every single one of them is like a goddamn caveman — they can't even understand human speech!"
Watching Kushida Kikyou gnash her teeth as she cursed her own classmates in a frenzy,
"So… being praised by these people you're badmouthing this hard — does that actually make you happy? Does it really make you feel satisfied?"
"Come to think of it, ever since that past-exams transaction, you've basically been the leader everyone in Class D leans on for some time now, haven't you?"
"You've enjoyed all that vanity for this long — and it's still not enough?"
"Kikyou really does have it rough, doesn't she. Even for the sake of idiots, working this hard, this earnestly — all to earn the praise of idiots."
Shikime Natsu spread his hands and a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Kikyou and I are a bit alike, you know. I, too, enjoy hearing other people's praise, and I savor being worshipped. But Kikyou and I differ in one little way: the worship of idiots doesn't make me happy. And I won't act simply because I want the worship of idiots."
Hearing Shikime Natsu compare himself to her, Kikyou felt a fresh wave of anger. After all… the environments the two of them found themselves in were completely different.
Her Class D was crawling with problem characters. And Shikime Natsu? His Class A barely had any problems at all — at the very least, they could understand human speech, and there weren't nearly as many unexpected wild cards.
It was easy for him to talk while standing in his cushy spot. If she were in Class A too, the negative emotions she stockpiled every day wouldn't pile up nearly as much.
"At any rate, in the time to come, I don't want anyone to find out about my true face. You promised me as much, so don't even think of going back on it. Whatever I choose to do is my own decision."
Watching Kikyou's expression, Shikime Natsu nodded indifferently.
"I will, of course, keep my word."
"It's just…"
"If you, Kikyou, keep losing control of your emotions like this from now on — running off alone to this empty deck, or some other place with no one around, and shamelessly venting your darker side —"
"Then your little secret may not stay safe for much longer."
Catching the implication,
Kikyou gave a cold huff and shot back with great confidence.
"You don't need to trouble yourself worrying about that."
She tilted her chin up, completely self-assured.
"Ever since the last time you saw my true face…"
"No matter where I am, the moment someone draws close — even the faintest footstep — I can hear it clearly. And I won't be making any movements too out of line either."
The "movements" she was referring to were, of course, kicking the railing. Doing that was simply too obvious, and it would also dull her hearing, making it impossible to detect anyone approaching in time.
Shikime Natsu's gaze fell on a stuffed plush Kushida Kikyou was holding in her hand. The doll was clutched tightly in her grip. By the looks of it, this was Kikyou's new method of venting.
If they were back at the school, Kikyou could perfectly well vent inside her own room. But out here — because they shared rooms among multiple people — Kushida Kikyou had no choice but to come out.
Shikime Natsu smiled and said,
"You can really hear every footstep?"
The instant his voice fell —
Shikime Natsu suddenly moved.
He stepped forward, briskly walking two paces across the deck, and his strides were big ones at that. Yet Kushida Kikyou discovered she couldn't hear a single sound — Shikime Natsu was like a ghost, not making the slightest noise.
Seeing the scene before her eyes, Kushida Kikyou's expression turned ugly again. So the footsteps from before had been deliberately produced by this Shikime Natsu bastard. If he had wanted to secretly observe her just now, there would have been absolutely no problem doing so.
Damn it!
Kushida Kikyou cursed wildly in her heart.
She now understood completely — this fathomless Shikime Natsu was a natural-born nemesis sent down from the heavens specifically to counter her!
In front of him, the caution she had always prided herself on was nothing but a joke.
Still, after Shikime Natsu's little demonstration, Kushida Kikyou could only choose to bottle things up even further. Kikyou was honestly afraid that if she endured for too long, she'd turn into a Ninja Turtle.
In an instant, Kikyou's mood plunged into something truly foul. And just at that moment, a sudden series of footsteps rang out — someone else had come up to the deck. Who?
On reflex, Kushida Kikyou yanked Shikime Natsu — who was beside her — toward a more concealed spot to hide. In the middle of the night, if someone caught her and Shikime Natsu together, it would be more than a little hard to explain.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan in "P" for more!🔥👻
🔥 New history: Path of Elation in Warhammer 40K
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone