Recap from the last chapter: Hirata was pretending to be Karuizawa's boyfriend!

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Well. I thought the entire fandom knew it already.

"Hirata-Kun! Don't say it out loud!" Karuizawa said. "What if anyone was peeking at us, they would know we are fakely dating!"

"Come on. No one will know we didn't date each other for real."

"Are you sure that no one will know that I ain't your girlfriend?"

"Everyone thinks we are a couple. Although we aren't."

Ok. You didn't need to repeat it in many different ways.

I knew it already.

"Trust me, Karuizawa-San. " Hirata said and smiled. "I will make sure that no one knows that you had to be bullied in your mid-school days. And now, you don't want to face the same situation again, so you ask me to pretend to be your boyfriend. By this, your status in class will be strong and no one can bully you."

Now, you just said all of them out loud. What a plot convenience for me.

"Ok. I believe you, Hirata-Kun. However, I want you to make that Manabe shut up. Make sure she won't spread my true identity!"

I understood something now.

Karuizawa pretended to be a big bully to protect herself. But when she met a real bully like Manabe, she could do nothing but show her true self. Karuizawa showed her weakness when Manabe and friends bullied her in the fire escape.

"I told you I can't do that, Karuizawa-San."

"Do you let someone hurt me? You told me you will protect me, didn't you?"

"I didn't mean by that. I will call Manabe-San to meet me tomorrow, and we will talk peacefully. I will tell them that Karuizawa-San apologized--"

"It won't work!!"

This was the thing that Karuizawa was mostly scared of.

If she apologized, it meant she admitted to being a loser.

It wasn't about ego or anything. It was about being weak.

Lost meant weak.

When you were weak, you would be the one who was prey.

Former prey liked Karuizawa preferred being hunter than being prey again.

"If you deny this way, there is no way else. Sorry, Karuizawa-San. " Hirata said calmly.

Karuizawa's face showed many expressions.

Angry, fearful, sad, stressed.

I couldn't tell what her actually feeling was.

"So enough! If you don't help me! Our relationship is ended today!"

She screamed and ran away, leaving Hirata in the hallway alone.

Hirata Yousuke sat there for a while. He didn't say anything and only looked into the sea.

Finally, after many minutes pass. Hirata stood up and walked toward the stair.

Of course, he met me.

"Ayanokouji-Kun--" He flinched.

"Good evening, Hirata. "

"Did you hear anything?" He asked and looked at my hand, I hid my hand immediately.

"First, I heard the whole conversation between you and Karuizawa. Second, I won't tell anyone about this. So don't force me to grab your breasts. I would like to it though---"

"What?"

"Nothing."

Hirata looked at me while making a decision. In the end, he sighed.

"If you hear it, it's no use to hide. Do you want to go walking again?"

I nodded, so I followed him to the second-floor hallway. It was as silent as the ocean.

I was the one who opened my mouth first.

"Why do you help Karuizawa?"

Hirata raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Well. Although Karuizawa is cute. But I don't think you will sacrifice your chance to find a good girlfriend easily. I think you could date even Honami."

"I didn't come to school for finding a girlfriend, Ayanokouji-Kun. All I want is to help my classmate. Karuizawa-San acted like a strong person. But when we first met, Karuizawa-San is so weak. I know immediately that she was bullied before. She needs me. It's enough reason for me to help her."

His eyes looked at the horizon like looking to the long past.

"I have a childhood friend, Ayanokouji-Kun. Unfortunately, he was a man. So I couldn't make him into my harem. However, we were so close until we became mid-schoolers. We weren't in the same class. We had our social, our friend. No, I have my friends. But he had no one."

Hirata's voice was trembling a bit.

"Sugimura-Kun was bullied by his classmate. Once, he even pissed out on his pants. No one reached a hand to him. Not even me. He sent me the SOS many times, but I emphasized hanging out with my new friend. And decided it's my misunderstanding. I ignored him and thought that if he's bullied, someone else would help him---"

"I guess there is no one."

"Yes. No one. One day, I was playing football with my friends. I saw Sugimura-Kun waiting for me at the school gate. I pretended to not see him. He----"

The next word was so hard to say.

"He jumped out of the window that day."

"Did he die?"

"No, I was under that window by chance. So he landed on my back. My back was broken, I need to rest for half of the year. Sugimura-Kun came to visit me every day. Every time I saw his face, it made me feel guilty. I thought it's my Karma to be back-broken like this."

I sighed with relief. At least, no one died in this story.

"But what if I wasn't under that window. What if Sugimura-Kun landed on the floor. Since then, I decided to be a new one. The one who helped everyone. I won't be the security bag when they jumped off the window. But I will be the one who stops them from jumping."

Hirata leaned his body to the bench. The wind blew his hair.

"So you and Sugimura-Kun became friends again?"

"Yes. For a while. " Hirata looked at the floor and sighed. "Unfortunately, Our new friendship wasn't long. This time, he was the one who leave me. It's Karma though."

He said nothing more. I looked at his eyes and knew it immediately.

Everybody had a secret.

Same as Hirata.

"When I met Karuizawa-San. I know that this girl was at the edge of the window. If I don't help her, who will?"

Hirata turned his glance to me.

"Ayanokouji-Kun. Now, you know my and Karuizawa-San's secret. Please don't tell anybody about it. Especially, Karuizawa-San's."

I nodded slowly. I had no plan to spread their secret anyway.

"Good. " Hirata smiled. "Karuizawa-San isn't the kind of person that she tried to act. Please don't make her cry."

...

The next day was the breaking day. There was no meeting today.

But my schedule was still dense.

10.00 I met Horikita and Sakura at the rooftop. The Cow group's test was ended this morning. Someone identified or thought that he could identify the VIP.

Horikita wanted to ask a detail from Sakura. Since Sakura feared her, she asked me to be a middleman.

She asked Sudo to guard too. If someone that we didn't want to hear the conversation (referred to Ryuen) came into the rooftop. Sudo would warn Horikita.

I was a little bit proud that Horikita could ask someone to help her.

"So do you know who send the answer or who is the VIP?" Horikita asked Sakura.

I don't know. Sakura answered with her notebook.

"What about class A? How did they act?" I asked.

They stay silent for all of the tests.

"What do you think? Is this Ryuen-Kun's move?" Horikita turned her face to me.

"I don't know. Um. How do you do if you could identify all of the VIPs as Ryuen claimed?"

"In that case. I will command everyone to send the answer immediately. " Horikita thought again. "No. It's too dangerous. Although we were sure about the VIP. But then, there will be only the group that our class's member is the VIP left. The other classes' will find out this fact and focus on our class."

I nodded in agreement. "I think we can fix that problem. But since there was only a Cow group's test that ended. I think Ryuen can't identify the VIP yet."

11.00 I had an appointment in Inogashira at the swimming pool. She could separate from her group easily.

"What do you want from me, Ayanokouji-Kun?" Inogashira asked.

I gave her a note.

"Can you investigate this? I want the result before tomorrow's noon."

Inogashira raised her eyebrows. "It's kinda hard. I think I can only conclude the possibility, not the accurate answers."

I nodded. "It's enough."

"Is that so? What will you pay me for this?" Inogashira teased me.

"What about dinner with Hirata?"

The great detective's face became red. "I---I---I will do my best!!"

I looked at her with affection. Before realizing something.

"Inogashira. Do you know Hirata's secret?"

"About he wasn't dating Karuizawa-San? Of course, I know since the first week they started going out. But I don't care why she does this. As I always said, protecting the secret is as important as revealing the secret."

Oh. This was the reason that she didn't give up on Hirata yet.

I hoped she will have her hopes fulfilled.

13.00

I was waiting in front of the cabin on the bottom floor of the cruise.

This place was more silent than the cemetery. It was a staff-only area. So it was a perfect place for the secret conversation.

Hirata knew that Karuizawa wanted to keep her status stable. So he wanted to make the conversation as covert as it could be.

He also knew Karuizawa wouldn't come if he told her he wanted to compromise with Manabe. So he asked me to trick Karuizawa to come here.

"Why don't you just call her to the bottom floor?" I asked Hirata when we planed together.

"Karuizawa-San is a smart and careful person. I'm afraid she won't come if I call her."

Considering how she could keep her secret this long, I agreed with Hirata.

I waited until I heard the footsteps sound from far away. Then, I walked into the room and hide behind the door.

Karuizawa came into the room and looked around. She was clearly upset.

"That guy called me to this dark room and let me come first? What a weird guy." She mumbled.

I sighed and sent the message to Hirata.

Karuizawa was waiting on the bottom floor alone.

Oh, I almost forgot. Hirata asked me to check if this room was safe for having a conversation.

The bottom floor is completely silent. No one will hear you.

I nodded as satisfying myself. I just helped people!

I whistled while walking out of the room. I felt my Poonya was increasing.

...

Karuizawa Kei was waiting for ten minutes and Ayanokouji still didn't show up.

More minutes pass, she felt more restless.

If the one who called her to this place was Ike Kanji or Yamauchi, she wouldn't feel this paranoid.

She learned how to read the atmosphere and people. Karuizawa could guess what that guy thought.

But not Ayanokouji.

she couldn't read anything from him.

His personality conflicted with itself. At first, Karuizawa thought he would be a cold and gloomy person but at the swimming pool, he revealed his sports ability and became popular among the girl.

However, after he broke the world record, he seemed to be confused than proud. It looked like he didn't notice his ability at all.

Actually, it was the action of someone who just fluke.

Karuizawa couldn't just jump to conclude that Ayanokouji was just a lucky guy. Because next month, he got 100 scores on the test.

His personality too. He looked like the innocent guy that could be happy because the cute girl talked to him. But when she interacted with him many times, she found out Ayanokouji was strict with his morals very much.

After the midterm test, Ayanokouji dated Ichinose Honami who was one of the most popular girls in this school. Karuizawa was so surprised by that news, and more surprised when he broke up with Ichinose because of Sakura Airi who revealed herself that she was the popular idol.

She didn't analyze the situation back then, because she was held hostage by the weird guy from class B.

In the inhabitant island. Ayanokouji saw her naked. But it wasn't a point.

Maybe he saw it.

Her deepest secret.

Back then, she thought Ayanokouji steal her panties, so she used them to blackmail him.

But now, everyone knew Ibuki Mio was the real thief. It meant she had nothing in her hand while Ayanokouji holding her secret.

Maybe this was the reason why he called her here, to blackmail her.

Suddenly, Karuizawa heard the door open.

"Finally! You came! What kind of idiot are you let the girl waiting for---"

Karuizawa stopped her words when she saw who was coming.

Manabe and her friends.

Manabe grinned and walked toward Karuizawa.

"Rika-Chan. Come here. " She said. And took the little girl that Karuizawa recognized immediately.

"Do you remember her?" Manabe asked Karuizawa coldly.

"N--No. I never saw her before."

"Rika-Chan. Is this the one who bullied you?"

"Y--Yes. " Rika nodded.

"Good. Not a wrong person. " Manabe turned her glance to Karuizawa.

Karuizawa opened her eyes wide. She remembered that glance.

The glance that she saw before she met a pain.

The glance that sometimes, she saw in her eyes.

She took the phone out and tried to call Hirata. But Manabe was faster, she grabbed the phone from Karuizawa and turned off the phone signal.

"Now, no one can call you and find you. " Manabe said.

The shadow covered Karuizawa's body.

No one heard her screaming.

...

I hoped everything might go well.

I thought that while laying my bag on the desk beside the swimming pool.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and found that Hirata was calling me.

"Hi. Is everything fine?" I answered the phone.

"Ayanokouji-Kun? Is everything fine?" Hirata asked me the same question.

"Why do you ask like that?" I felt something wrong.

"You didn't call me so I wonder if there is any problem. Can we use the bottom floor?"

"What do you mean? I sent you the message---"

"Message? What message?"

I bogged down.

What did he mean?

I opened the chat program and found something wrong.

I didn't send the message to Hirata.

I sent it wrong to Manabe Shiho!

Karuizawa was waiting on the bottom floor alone: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka

The bottom floor is completely silent. No one will hear you. : Ayanokouji Kiyotaka

Manabe Shiho: Wait. What do you mean?

My body was frozen, although I was under the summer sunlight.

I got her phone number for transferring points from our gambling. I must touch the wrong contact when I sent the message.

"Ayanokouji-Kun?"

"Sorry. Hirata."

I apologized to him and hung up. Then, I jumped off the desk and ran to the bottom floor.

I tried to call Karuizawa many times but she didn't answer.

"Shit."

I had promised Hirata. I wouldn't make Karuizawa cry.

If she dropped even a tear, I would break the promise.

In my life, I never broke the promise.

I couldn't let it happen.

...

Manabe and her friends were gone.

Karuizawa was curling up in the dark cabin.

Manabe was smart enough to not hurt her outside of her shirt. No wound could see clearly.

Of course, the physical wound was so soft compared to the mental wound.

Her past flashed on Karuizawa's mind, again and again.

When she couldn't keep it in her mind anymore, it was refined to the teardrop out of her eyes.

A drop and a drop.

Her skirt was wet because of her tears.

"Karuizawa---"

Karuizawa heard the familiar monotone voice, there was only one.

He was the last one she wanted to see her like this.

Karuizawa looked up and saw Ayanokouji Kiyotaka standing there. His phone dropped out of his hand.

Ayanokouji didn't show any expression on his face. He wasn't surprised when he saw her weakness.

He just stood there and said nothing.

Finally, when Karuizawa could stop her tear. She looked to Ayanokouji.

"Why did you here?"

"It's my fault. " He answered softly. But Karuizawa didn't feel any guilty feeling from his emotionless voice. "What happened to you?"

"Manabe and her friends." She replied. "Don't tell anyone about this."

"I won't tell. " Ayanokouji said and walked toward her. "Let me look at your face. You were slapped--"

"Yes! I was slapped by those bitches!" She said with vengeance. No, not vengeance. She had only fear. Fear that Manabe would expose her true self to everyone. "Please. Ayanokouji-Kun. Take them back. Revenge him for me!"

"I can't."

"What kind of a man are you? You can't hurt the woman."

"I'm a gender equality supporter. I have no problem with hurting women. But I have a problem with hurting anyone."

Ayanokouji said and looked at her eyes.

"What goes around, comes around. You bullied Rika first, and now it came to you."

"Are you saying it's my fault?"

"There is no use to find the guilty one. If I have to point out someone guilty. Maybe it's people who bully you back then. But what if they were also bullied before? This is why I said it no need to find the villain."

Karuizawa's eyes opened wide. He knew!

"How do you know---"

"I heard it by chance. Sorry about it."

Karuizawa started to fear this man. He didn't even blink.

"So what do you want from me?" Karuizawa whispered.

"I don't want anything from you. I just try to tell you that it's no need to---"

"I get it. You are blackmailing me!"

"What? No!"

Karuizawa grinned. "All of you are the same! You are the one who calls me here and Manabe come instead. Did you call them?"

"I told them you are here but---"

"See? You planned all of it. You entice me to come here and let me be bullied by Manabe and her friends. Then you step in and shepherd me to the corner. You will destroy my soul and force me to become your slaves! And if I didn't do what you tell me to do, you will expose my secret to everyone and destroy my social status!"

"Well, Canon version of I might do that, but I won't---"

"Oh, is that so? So what do you do? You will blackmail me? For the money, for information, or my body? What do you do to me? Harass me or rape me? Huh. A guy like you will do it when you have a chance. You are nothing but trash---"

Suddenly, Ayanokouji said with a loud voice that made Karuizawa stop talking.

"