Early the next morning, when the hour hand slid past ten, Natsukawa Sosuke finally woke from sleep.
Yesterday's Sports Festival had drained him; the fatigue let him indulge in a rare lie-in.
Natsukawa rubbed his throbbing temples and reached for the Personal Terminal on the nightstand.
The moment it powered on—
Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep—
A barrage of alerts rattled like machine-gun fire, the screen flooding with an eye-watering tally of Unread Messages.
Every sender field bore the same name—Kushida Kikyo.
Instead of opening them, Natsukawa simply scrolled downward.
Starting from the instant he'd hung up last night:
[That's not it… it was a misunderstanding. I want to see you, let me explain in person, please?]
[Why did you turn it off? Sōsuke-kun, please pick up…]
Each line brimmed with grievance and urgency, like a wronged child frantically trying to prove her innocence.
By two or three in the morning the tone had turned humble and broken:
[I really didn't betray you. You have to believe me…]
[Apart from you, I truly don't know who else to talk to. If you abandon me too, what am I supposed to do?]
[I'm sorry… I shouldn't have been careless. It's all my fault.]
Half an hour ago, a little after nine, the final messages bordered on collapse and entreaty:
[Just answer me, okay? Even if it's to scold me…]
[As long as you don't cast me aside, I'll do anything.]
[I don't want to be alone… please, Sōsuke-kun.]
Reading those words, Natsukawa Sosuke could almost see, through the screen, the girl's reddened eyes and a heart fracturing in despair.
"That's enough."
This level of psychological pressure should already be Kushida's limit; push further and it might backfire.
He composed a message and hit send:
[Come to my dorm. I'll give you a chance to explain.]
Sent.
Within seconds the status flipped to "Read."
Then came a flurry of frantic, incoherent replies:
[Really?!]
[I'm on my way! Right now!]
[Give me five minutes—no, three!]
Natsukawa set the phone down, went to the washroom and quickly freshened up.
Before he could fully dry his face, the doorbell chimed.
Knock, knock.
The taps were soft, almost timid, as if afraid a louder sound might disturb the person inside.
Natsukawa walked over and opened the door.
Outside stood Kushida Kikyo, head lowered.
Though her hastily changed clothes were tidy, her face betrayed the anxiety and turmoil of the night.
Her eyes were puffy, dark circles heavy beneath them; several strands of her normally sleek bob stuck out unruly. Gone was any trace of the "Little Angel," replaced by fragility and exhaustion.
What surprised Natsukawa was the black velvet choker still circling her pale neck.
The tiny silver Bell in its center quivered subtly with each trembling breath she took.
The instant the door opened she jerked her head up.
Light flared in her eyes at the sight of Natsukawa, only to be eclipsed almost immediately by dread.
"Na-Natsukawa-kun…"
"Come in."
Natsukawa stepped aside, clearing the way.
Kushida scurried in as though granted a reprieve, nearly tripping over the entryway in her haste.
The door shut; the two faced each other.
Natsukawa sat, poured her a cup of warm water; Kushida perched on the edge of the bed, clutching the cup in both hands.
"Speak."
"What do you want to explain?"
Kushida lifted her head; tears spilled anew.
"It really wasn't me… that Video…" she blurted, desperate yet at a loss, "I truly didn't want to give it to him… but I didn't know what else to do…"
"I already know."
Natsukawa cut her off.
"Eh?" Kushida froze, gazing at him through a veil of tears.
"I did some more checking; you never approached Ryuuen on your own." Natsukawa sighed, his gaze softening. "Last night I was too rash—my words were harsher than they should've been."
At those words the cup in Kushida's hands nearly slipped.
In that instant the grievance, terror, and despair pent up all night finally burst their dam.
"Uu…"
A stifled wail escaped her; tears streamed like snapped pearls.
"I thought… I really thought you'd abandoned me…"
"I was so scared… Sōsuke-kun, I was terrified…"
"It's my fault… I'm so stupid… I shouldn't have hesitated… If only I'd fought back with everything I had… If only I hadn't been so eager to see Horikita humiliated…"
"It's all because of me… I let the devil into my heart…"
"Please… don't cast me aside… don't ignore me…"
Natsukawa listened quietly, only speaking once her sobs had ebbed.
"Kushida."
"Why are you so determined to make Horikita drop out?"
Kushida's crying stopped dead.
Her body stiffened; panic and resistance flashed in her eyes—the deepest, most closely guarded secret she never wanted touched.
"That… I…"
"Still unwilling to say?"
Natsukawa didn't press; he merely let disappointment seep into his tone.
"Think back over everything that's happened."
He raised his fingers, counting them off one by one.
"In the School Building, you showed me your truest, darkest side, and I didn't run away."
"On the Cruise Ship, you came to me; we soaked in the Hot Spring together, and I willingly accepted the real you."
"On the Deserted Island, I opened my heart to you, and you shared those little girl-to-girl secrets with me."
"I taught you how to release stress; I clasped this Bell on you and gave you a place to breathe."
"Even this time—though I mistakenly thought you'd betrayed me—I still gave you a chance to explain."
Natsukawa leaned forward, staring straight into Kushida's wavering eyes.
"I've already given you every ounce of my patience and trust."
"But what about you, Kikyo?"
"Even now, are you still keeping something from me?"
Those words shattered the last of Kushida Kikyo's psychological defenses.
Yeah…
He had done so much for her.
He was the only person in the world who knew her true face yet still accepted her—and the one she'd invested the most emotion in.
If she couldn't trust him, who else could she trust?
"Uuuu…."
Kushida broke down again, but this time it wasn't grievance—it was total release and surrender.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…."
She slid off the bed, knelt on the carpet, clutched Natsukawa's pant-leg as though to lay her entire self bare before him.
"I'll tell you… I'll tell you everything…."
In that early-morning dorm room, the girl who always wore a mask finally spread her past before the boy without reservation.
"Sosuke, you know I've always wanted everyone to like me, to be the most popular. For that I desperately chased first place—athletically and academically. But in Junior High I hit my limit; no matter how hard I tried I couldn't catch the truly gifted. So I took the path you'd call thankless…."
"But… it's exhausting."
"Their complaints, their negativity—every day they dumped it all on me. I was going crazy."
"So I started a Blog. It was my outlet; I wrote people's nastiest secrets there. Because it was anonymous, I grew reckless."
"But… in my third year, a classmate found it."
"In an instant, everyone changed. They called me a liar, a hypocrite; the whole class turned on me."
A warped delight twisted across Kushida's face—madness mixed with despair.
"If that's how it is… then nobody gets to be happy!"
"I spilled every secret I knew about the entire class—who was cheating, who hated whom, who bad-mouthed who behind their backs…."
"Haha…."
Her laugh sounded worse than crying.
"The whole class imploded. Yesterday's friends punched each other, couples became enemies, total chaos…."
"I did that. That's me—Kushida Kikyo's true face."
She lifted her head, meeting Natsukawa's gaze with a desperate probe.
"Horikita… she's the only one from my old school. Even if she might not know the details, as long as there's the tiniest chance… I wanted her gone."
"Because I'm terrified… terrified everyone here will look at me the way they did back then."
"I'm hideous, aren't I? I'm terrifying, right?"
"This version of me… do you still want it?"
The room fell into brief silence.
Kushida held her breath, awaiting the final verdict.
The next second—
a pair of warm hands gently cupped her cheeks.
"Dummy."
There was no fear or disgust in Natsukawa's voice—only tender pity.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
He brushed the tear-tracks from her face with his thumb.
"If I'd met you earlier… if I'd been beside you back then…."
Natsukawa's gaze turned immeasurably deep.
"I'd never have let you bear it alone. I'd have taught every last bully how to be human again."
"You're not wrong, Kikyo. The fault lies with this hypocritical world—with the greedy people who want your kindness yet forbid you any emotion."
She stared at him, tears bursting free once more.
"Sosuke…."
"Thank goodness… thank goodness I met you here."
She flung herself into Natsukawa's arms, clinging to him tightly.
"Right now, I have nothing left."
"My past, my secrets, my ugliest side… they're all in your hands now."
She tilted her swollen-eyed face upward; within them glimmered a feverish, almost pathic ardor.
"Now… you can never shake me off."
"You're my accomplice, my master, my everything."
Natsukawa Sosuke looked at the girl in his arms.
The Bell at her neck chimed softly with her every movement.
"Yeah, I'm not letting go."
He lifted her chin gently.
Their eyes met.
Kushida Kikyo's lashes trembled; then, as though sealing a pact, she slowly closed her eyes and parted her lips.
An invitation.
And a vow.
Without hesitation, Natsukawa lowered his head and went straight in.
"Mm…."