"Kusuo... please, can you go out with me...?"
Near the ship's resting area, Saiki Kusuo overheard Sakura Airi mumbling to herself, as if rehearsing her lines.
Though she stumbled over her words, unable to form a complete sentence, Kusuo's telepathic abilities allowed him to understand her thoughts.
Kusuo... please go out with me!
I can't... I just can't say it...
I have no idea how to even start...
Yare yare, it seems Sakura has some strange feelings for me.
Kusuo remained expressionless, thinking to himself,
I don't want too much attention from others. Dealing with Ayanokōji is already enough...
Typically, Kusuo would find a way to dispel such unrealistic expectations.
If it weren't for you, Kusuo, I wouldn't even dare talk to anyone else. You're my only friend in this school.
Yare yare, I'll deal with this later.
Kusuo narrowed his eyes slightly and approached Airi.
"Kusuo?! You're here already?"
Airi's face lit up with surprise at seeing him, though she quickly returned to her usual demeanor.
"Sakura, is there something you need?"
Kusuo asked. Despite Airi having his permission to call him by his first name, he still addressed her by her surname.
"Um... Saiki, are you free lately?"
"I don't think I have anything going on."
"If it's okay... could we..."
Airi looked up at Kusuo, her cheeks flushing slightly before she quickly averted her gaze.
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't bring herself to speak, her head bowed and body trembling slightly.
"Is it about your group project?"
Kusuo interrupted, cutting her off mid-thought.
"Uh... yeah..."
His words shattered the little courage Airi had mustered. She quickly pulled out her phone and showed Kusuo her group members: Sudō Ken and Ike Kanji.
Just seeing their names, Kusuo knew this was sheer torture for Airi. He could imagine how helpless she'd feel during their meetings.
Damn, Saiki's meeting with Sakura privately!
Kusuo heard Yamauchi Haruki's sleazy thoughts from around the corner. Haruki, having overheard Airi's voice, had come to eavesdrop.
Unbeknownst to him, Kusuo was already aware of his presence.
Damn, is Saiki secretly meeting Sakura behind my back?
What do you mean "behind your back"? She's the one who asked me out. And why would I need your permission?
Could it be that Saiki's interested in Sakura too? I can't believe he'd betray me like this!
Not at all. And you're not even one-tenth as sleazy as you think.
I'll confront Saiki about this later! For now, I'll just listen in on their conversation.
It's none of your business.
Kusuo was annoyed by Haruki's lingering gaze.
"...That's my situation... Kusuo, any thoughts?"
"Sorry, I'm not really familiar with this."
Kusuo shrugged.
Kusuo! Kusuo! Sakura's calling him by his first name! Unacceptable! She's never even called me by my name!
She's never even greeted you.
Kusuo's patience with Haruki was wearing thin. He discreetly activated his psychic powers.
Meanwhile, around the corner, Haruki continued eavesdropping, but suddenly their voices became inaudible.
Damn, I can't hear them anymore.
Haruki turned and saw Kusuo and Airi walking away, their figures disappearing around another corner. He quickly followed.
"...Alright, let me know if anything comes up."
Haruki heard Kusuo's voice again and hurried over, only to see Airi leaving, leaving Kusuo alone.
I'll get answers from him!
Haruki rushed forward, assuming the figure around the corner was Kusuo. He grabbed the person's neck, shouting,
"You've been meeting others behind my back?!"
But as soon as he made contact, he was thrown over the person's shoulder, landing hard on the ground. The pain made him cry out.
"You mad dog, what's your problem?!"
A confused yet angry voice echoed.
"What?!"
Haruki recognized the voice—it wasn't Kusuo. Instead, he saw Ryūen Kakeru's face.
What? It's Ryūen?! I thought I saw Saiki here!
Terrified, Haruki quickly apologized.
What's this guy's plan? He shouldn't be foolish enough to attack me directly!
Ryūen was equally stunned, never expecting Haruki to attack him. He'd investigated Haruki, deeming him one of the least significant students in Horikita's class.
Despite Haruki's apologies, Ryūen wasn't forgiving. He prepared to punch him as a lesson.
Wait!
Ryūen paused, studying Haruki and scanning the area.
He's connected to Horikita and Sudō. I hadn't considered him before, but if he's B-Class's mastermind, he could be disguising himself... Could Yamauchi Haruki be hiding his true nature?
Was he deliberately provoking me? He'll probably pretend I bullied him and report it, like with Sudō. There are no cameras here.
If this were at school, I'd teach him a lesson, but on this ship, with most student council members absent, any conflict would be handled by teachers... I see...
Ryūen smirked, extending his hand—Haruki flinched, thinking he'd be hit. Instead, Ryūen helped him up politely.
"Ah?"
Haruki was baffled.
"My mistake."
Ryūen narrowed his eyes.
You're my next target, Yamauchi Haruki. I'll make you despair.
Below them, Kusuo's forehead glistened with sweat. He'd used his powers to move Haruki upstairs, exploiting the similar floor layouts and Haruki's dim-wittedness. He also altered Ryūen's appearance in Haruki's eyes, making him mistake Ryūen for Kusuo.
With no cameras nearby, Kusuo didn't worry about being discovered. He'd intended for Ryūen to teach Haruki a lesson, but things had spiraled out of control.
Still, it's good for others. Ryūen's attention is now on Haruki.
Kusuo felt a twinge of guilt for Haruki.
Ryūen's giving me face? I must be that awesome.
Hearing Haruki's thoughts, Kusuo's guilt vanished, thinking Haruki's punishment wasn't harsh enough.
"Kusuo, why are you sweating? Is it hot here?"
"A bit."
"Then... let's go somewhere else... like the dessert area. Their ice cream's supposed to be great... My treat."
"But we can't spend points on the ship, right?"
"Oh... right..."
Airi's face reddened with embarrassment.
"Hey, Kusuo... I've been reading mystery novels lately. Any recommendations?"
Kusuo raised an eyebrow, surprised by her question.
"Sure, but let's get that ice cream first."
"Okay, sounds good."
Elsewhere, Manabe Shiho and her friends grumbled about Karuizawa Kei.
"That Karuizawa is so annoying!"
"Always acting like she's better than everyone."
"We need to make Rika see her true colors, but regardless, I can't stand her. Let's focus on exams for now; we'll deal with this later."
Just then, footsteps approached.
"Excuse me?"
"Who's this?"
Shiho's gaze fell on a familiar face—Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.
"What do you want?"
Shiho's tone was hostile, given his connection to Horikita.
"Earlier, you asked Karuizawa if she had conflicts with your classmates at the café, right?"
Ayanokōji said calmly.
"So?"
Shiho frowned.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I saw Karuizawa arguing with another girl from a different class."
Ayanokōji said expressionlessly.
"Really?!"
Shiho stepped closer, her voice stiff. Ayanokōji nodded slightly.
"Probably. I remember the atmosphere being tense, so I thought I'd mention it."
"That figures. No wonder she didn't let me take photos!"
Shiho's eyes flashed with malice. After a brief exchange, she left with her friends.
Ayanokōji watched them go silently.
I didn't actually witness the scene, so if the conversation drags on, my lie might be exposed. My goal was to add fuel to their conflict.
Only by creating a stage for Karuizawa, letting her perform, and destroying everything, can it be rebuilt.
That's likely Saiki Kusuo's plan. Even without communicating, our thought processes align. Karuizawa's a tool; once polished, I'll present her to you. Afterward, you might become my ally against Shiragami.
To Ayanokōji, only Kusuo stood on the same level as him.
Meanwhile, Kusuo, eating ice cream, felt a chill.
What's this ominous feeling?