"How about letting us walk with you as three? Cerise has been bullied a lot as well. It would be good if we can walk with a popular girl like you, Kristen."

"Ah, that's—"

Kristen zipped her mouth instantly as she looked conflicted. I wanted to trap Kristen until she said yes.

After realizing that Cerise also lied to me about Kristen when we were best friends in the previous life, I realized that Kristen's influence on Cerise was tremendous.

And after observing Kristen's behavior and how she talks with Cerise, I could deduct how many abuses Cerise had to suffer daily at the hand of Kristen.

So I had to knock some sense and logic in Cerise's brain, so she would team up with me to take Kristen down.

Cerise looked at me, full of anxiety in her face, "I—I don't think I can fit both of you—"

"Why's that?" I raised my brow. "I think we're all the same, whether you're rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, popular or not. I think Kristen knows that really well since she's very kind to others, right, Kristen?"

"A—Ah, true…." Kristen looked so unwilling to accept Cerise, probably because of that secret.

The only way for her to shut Cerise's lips was to continuously bully Cerise until she was too terrified to look straight.

It must've been uncomfortable for Kristen. Knowing that Cerise and she would be walking side by side as equals would make her anxious about that secret would be spilled.

"Sure, I guess…." Kristen was forced to accept Cerise into her circle again after the pressure to maintain her image. "But I don't think Cerise wants to, don't you see her face?"

I glanced at Cerise, whose face was ghastly as if she would faint anytime soon.

"Ah, don't worry about that. I'm sure Cerise also wants to befriend you again. She's just shy and scared for some reason," I patted Cerise's back. "Cerise, you said it yourself that Kristen is an amazing person. That's why I came to her. I know you want to be her friend again, but you're just shy."

I pretended to look at my watch and acted surprised, "Oh wow, the next class will start soon. I need to go with Cerise, we have the same class. See you later, Kristen!"

I grabbed Cerise's arm and dragged her away from Kristen, who was watching from afar.

Cerise was unresponsive the whole time. After we were far from Kristen, I finally released her.

"E—Emmy… why?"

"Why? What do you mean?"

"I was trying to avoid her…." Cerise said. "I'm scared—"

"Scared of what?" I frowned, acting as if I didn't know what she meant. "Isn't Kristen your friend?"

"…"

"Cerise, don't you see the contradiction in your words?" I tried to knock some sense in her. "Why would you get scared of your own friend? A friend should be the one who will make you feel safe and secure."

"…"

"Cerise…" I saw that she looked so pale, she might faint soon. So, I hugged her to calm her down, "I don't know what's the problem with you and Kristen. But you're obviously scared of her."

Lies, of course, I was lying. I knew exactly what the problem was between them. But Cerise was like someone with Stockholm syndrome.

She always saw Kristen as her savior because Kristen manipulated her to think so.

Cerise must've suffered the same thing as I did in the cafeteria before. Kristen absolutely jabbed her self-confidence and then made her too scared to do anything, but she still maintained that fake angel persona.

Someone as gullible as Cerise would believe anything that Kristen would say.

So I had to play as the devil here. I purposely shoved us three, Kristen, Cerise, and me, together as one group again. So Kristen would be anxious that Cerise would spill her secret.

Knowing Kristen's true nature, she would feel anxious that Cerise would spill her darkest secret. Thus she would excessively threaten and intimidate Cerise to shut up about the secret until Cerise broke down in tears.

And that would be the turning point, where I would play as the hero.

I felt bad for Cerise, but she needed to see how cruel Kristen can be by experiencing it herself. So she would realize which one was a friend and which one was a manipulative foe.

"Remember, Cerise. I may not be an angel, but I will be true as your friend. If you have anything to say, tell me, I will make sure to help you."

"I—It's easy for you to stay that…." Cerise struggled to push me away and released herself from my hug. I knew that she was scared.

Cerise ran away from me, and I only stared at her from far.

She was such a good girl, but she was absolutely gullible. Now that the plot had been set, all I needed to do was to wait until Cerise broke down and spilled that secret to me.