'I'm not interested in Kushida's past at all, and I already knew what she did.'
Saiki thought to himself, but things had gone too far. Even if he wanted to stay out of it, there was no turning back now.
"I'm not interested in her past," Horikita Suzune said seriously.
"Even if you're not, I am. I don't want our school life to be threatened like this," Ayanokōji Kiyotaka replied, then turned to Kushida Kikyou.
"If that's the case, tell me why it's worth risking expulsion."
"Ayanokōji-kun, Saiki-kun, do either of you have a talent that surpasses anyone else's?" Kushida asked.
"I don't have any special talents. If I had to say, maybe just a bit of piano and calligraphy," Ayanokōji answered.
'What about psychic powers?' Saiki thought, but said, "I don't think I have any special talents either."
"But you were really fast during the sports festival," Kushida pointed out.
"Well... I guess so."
"Then you know, right? That moment when you discover your unique value—like coming first in an exam or a race. Everyone's eyes are on you, thinking, 'Wow, so cool, so handsome, so cute!'" Kushida's voice rose with excitement.
'Not at all. Psychic powers are just a burden, and I hate being the center of attention,' Saiki thought, glancing at Ayanokōji.
*People crave praise. No one dislikes being admired or respected by friends or family. Striving for praise is a valid motive, a fundamental social need.*
'How does that make you imagine so much?' Saiki thought.
"I think I rely on that more than most. I want to stand out, be admired, praised. When I achieve that, I feel my worth, feel alive. But I know my limits. No matter how hard I try, I can't be first in academics or sports. Second or third isn't enough, so I thought—I'll do something no one else can. I realized if I could be kinder, more approachable than anyone, I could be first in that."
'...'
Saiki already knew Kushida's type, but hearing her say it made him realize just how extreme she was.
"Thanks to that, I became popular. Everyone liked me. I felt needed, trusted. Elementary and middle school were fun!"
"Isn't it painful to keep doing something you hate? I think I'd break down," Horikita said, confused. Social interaction was her weakness, so she couldn't understand Kushida's motive.
"It's painful. I felt stressed, like I'd go bald. I'd pull my hair or throw up from anxiety. But to keep up the 'kind me,' I couldn't let anyone see that. So I endured, until one day, I reached my limit."
Saiki recalled seeing Kushida vent one night last semester.
"You saw me vent, didn't you?" Kushida asked, narrowing her eyes at Horikita.
"Huh?" Horikita froze, her mind racing.
Saiki's forehead glistened with sweat. He'd erased Kushida's memory, and her brain replaced him with Horikita. Saiki was 0.2% responsible for Kushida's hatred toward Horikita.
"The internet saved me. I could vent my stress anonymously. I poured it all out, and it felt great. Thanks to it, I held on, and the encouragement from strangers made me happy. But one day, my blog was discovered. No matter how I hid names, the truth came out. I accidentally exposed all the bad things I'd said about everyone. Of course, they hated me."
Kushida continued, ignoring Horikita's reaction.
"That was the start. The next day, my blog spread, and everyone attacked me. People who'd benefited from me suddenly turned. So selfish! A boy who liked me bumped into me—I'd written how gross his confession was and that he should die. A girl whose boyfriend dumped her kicked my desk because I'd mocked her. I felt threatened. Over thirty classmates were against me."
Her eyes darkened with malice.
'She's terrifying...' Saiki pitied Ike Kanji, who liked Kushida. 'Good thing he hasn't confessed yet, or he'd be on her death list.'
"How did you survive that?" Horikita asked.
"I exposed everyone's secrets—who hated who, who found who disgusting. I revealed more than I'd written. The attacks shifted to their targets. Boys fought, girls pulled hair. The classroom was chaos. It was wild!" Kushida smiled like a wolf.
*So that's why her class fell apart?* Horikita thought.
Saiki was baffled. *Really? A class fell apart over this? This sounds like a bad novel. And it led to a full-blown fight? That means your class was already messed up!*
"Now, I don't know much about Class B, but I have enough secrets to destroy a few people. That's my only weapon," Kushida said, clearly threatening them.
To Saiki, it wasn't a threat. He could use mind control or hypnosis to counter her. But he hated trouble, so he'd avoid using his powers.
"Is it worth going this far?" Horikita asked, frowning.
"Of course!" Kushida replied instantly. "Let's make it math. If I score higher than you, Horikita, Yamauchi, Ayanokōji, and Saiki, you all drop out!"
'I never agreed to this! And one against four? Unfair!' Saiki thought. Kushida left the classroom.
"Is this bet a good idea? She can get the answers from Ryūen," Ayanokōji said flatly to Horikita.
"If we're betting, we must win," Horikita replied firmly.
'I never said a word...' Saiki sighed. 'But maybe it's good. If Horikita wins, Kushida will leave us alone. And if Kushida keeps working with Ryūen, cheating the class, I can't ignore it.'
'Time to teach them a lesson.'
Meanwhile, Yamauchi Haruki returned to his dorm, uneasy.
"Yamauchi, did Kushida talk to you alone?" Ike asked eagerly. He didn't think Kushida liked Yamauchi, but he was curious.
"Uh..." Yamauchi hesitated, recalling Kushida's threat. "She didn't say anything."
"Huh?" Ike was surprised. Yamauchi rushed to his room and slammed the door.
"What's with him?" Ike wondered.
The next few days seemed calm. Yamauchi avoided the study group. Kushida's image was shattered for him. But she wouldn't let him escape. Every day after school, she'd smile and say, "Yamauchi-kun, you're coming to the study group, right?"
To others, her words were kind, but Yamauchi felt the threat. He had no choice but to join her.
Saiki's group studied casually at a café, spending two hours daily. Saiki explained problems while enjoying coffee and sweets. But tension simmered between Kei, Maya, and Airi as they competed to bring him treats.
With exams days away, Saiki dismissed the study group. "You've learned enough."
"But we feel unprepared!" they protested.
'When did you become so studious?' Saiki thought. As he left, Ayanokōji stopped him. "Saiki, can we talk?"
"...Sure." Saiki knew the topic and couldn't refuse. They left the café together.