Chapter 221: I Have a Plan!

An autumn gale swept through with a howl, stirring up the dry, withered leaves on the ground, which scraped and rustled against the cold concrete.

The low-hanging grey clouds slowly drifted away, revealing the moon they had veiled. Its cool, clear silver radiance spilled forth once more, illuminating both their faces.

One face was expressionless as an ice sculpture. The other wore a smile like a mask.

After a dazed moment, Kushida Kikyo let out a scoff. Her shoulders quivered as she lowered her head. The scattered strands of her hair veiled the expression on her face. Without the slightest restraint, she laughed aloud.

"Horikita-san, are you joking?"

"On this matter." Horikita Suzune lifted her chin slightly and straightened her back. "I am requesting your assistance with one hundred percent seriousness."

"At this point—judging by the look on your face—you should also know that I detest you very much, shouldn't you?"

Kushida abruptly raised her head. Her pupils contracted sharply under the moonlight. Her expression transformed in an instant. The sweet, false mask cracked and peeled away. In this moment, the emotions she had suppressed for so long finally erupted. Disgust and contempt showed plainly on her face, her gaze stabbing viciously toward Horikita.

"I spend every single day thinking about how to make you drop dead as soon as possible!"

"Ah." Horikita nodded openly. "On that point—I've known since the very start of the school year. That's why I've never bothered to pay any attention to someone who's always harbored malice toward me."

"Tch! There it is again!" Kushida clawed at her hair in agitation and stomped against the ground a few times. "Ever since the beginning, I've always hated that self-righteous personality of yours! Do you really think you can accomplish everything on your own?!"

"No. Perhaps I once held that belief. But now—I don't think that way at all. That's precisely why I came here to request your assistance."

"Sure." Kushida suddenly raised her head. A sweet smile spread across her face. "As long as you drop out. Without you—that eyesore—around, I'll wholeheartedly help the class rise to Class A." As she spoke, she raised a hand and pressed it against her own chest, murmuring to herself. "After all, I still need to maintain good relations with all my classmates..."

"So that's why you leaked the plan during that incident with Hirata-kun? To make me lose face in front of the class?"

The surroundings suddenly fell silent. Only the rustling whisper of the wind threading through the forest remained. Kushida did not answer. Instead, she turned around and clasped her hands behind her back, gazing up at the crescent moon in the sky. The pure white moonlight flowed across the porcelain-white curve of her profile.

"That's right. Because with you around—we simply can't coexist..."

"Simply because we went to the same middle school?" Horikita seemed not at all surprised by this.

"Ara. So you really did remember, after all?"

"No." Horikita shook her head. Her black strands of hair swayed with the motion. Her gaze met the other's directly, openly. "In truth—I only recalled it recently myself. After all, the incident truly caused far too great an uproar. Even I heard about it in passing."

"Then all the more reason I have no choice but to make you drop out. As long as you're here for even a single day—I can't possibly live peacefully at this school..."

"What if I said I wouldn't leak it?"

"Words are empty without proof."

"What if we signed a contract?"

"A contract means there will be other people who know. Horikita-san—surely you're not so dense as to not understand even this much?"

The atmosphere between them sank into silence once more.

A long while passed. Horikita let out a long sigh and pressed a hand to her forehead.

"So—Kushida-san—are you saying we're destined to fight to the bitter end?"

"That's right." A faint smile surfaced on Kushida's face. Tilting her head with adorable charm, she spoke. "Within this school—the two of us are destined to be unable to coexist."

The autumn wind swept past once more, gently lifting the strands of both their hair. The moon was once again veiled by drifting clouds.

Horikita slowly closed her eyes and drew a deep breath.

"Haah..."

After standing silently in place for a few seconds, her cool, clear eyes opened once more. Her gaze had already turned sharp and piercing.

"My apologies, Kushida-san. I, too, have reasons for wanting to remain at this school. I can't simply let you drop out as you please. But Class D can't continue on like this either. In that case—how about we settle this decisively?"

"What do you mean, 'settle this decisively'?" Kushida's expression shifted subtly.

"You propose any competition that both sides can agree to. If you lose—from then on, you will assist me in rising to Class A. If I lose..." Horikita hesitated for a moment. Her eyes flickered twice. "I'll leave myself to your disposal."

"Including dropping out?" Kushida smiled.

"..."

This time, Horikita—unusually—did not answer. Her lips parted slightly, as though something were stuck in her throat, hovering and circling in place.

"Heh..." Kushida let out a disdainful laugh. "It seems your obsession with rising to Class A isn't quite that strong after all. In that case—there's no need for us to continue this conversation."

With that, Kushida twisted on the heel of her small leather shoe and turned to leave with crisp decisiveness.

"Wait!" Horikita instinctively extended her hand, her five fingers spreading wide toward Kushida's retreating figure. Gritting her teeth, she forced those words out from between them. "Including dropping out!"

Her forward strides came to an abrupt halt. Kushida turned her head back. Her face was covered in a radiant smile.

"How decisive. In that case—seeing as you've begged me so earnestly—I'll agree to it."

The words now spoken, the hesitation on Horikita's face vanished completely. She extended her palm straight toward Kushida.

"It's a deal."

Her gaze lingered on Horikita's palm for a single instant. Then, with resolute determination, Kushida strode away.

"I don't have the habit of shaking hands with someone who's about to drop out."

"No." Horikita earnestly refuted. "The one who will lose this competition is you, Kushida-san. Absolutely!"

"Then we'll just have to wait and see. I'll let you know once I've decided what we'll compete in. Bye-bye~ See you tomorrow, Horikita-san."

The girl's sweet, honeyed voice vanished with the wind around the bend at the far end of the school path.

Horikita stood rooted in place, dazedly staring for a moment in the direction Kushida had disappeared. Slowly, she pulled out her phone. A trace of bitterness surfaced on her fair, pale face.

Did I mess it up again?

She had originally thought that since that bastard had a decent relationship with Kushida-san, she could get him to mediate between them. She'd never imagined things would come to this.

In truth—even now, she still couldn't figure out why Kushida-san hated her so much.

The phone screen lit up. Strangely—the call had already ended five minutes ago.

Had that bastard hung up?

No. That wasn't right.

Horikita quickly dismissed this thought. Given Fuyuji Mikage's personality—he would either stay completely uninvolved or else pry and gossip all the way to the very end. He wouldn't actively hang up halfway through.

It must have been that the phone accidentally touched something, causing it to disconnect ahead of time. She'd tell him about it tomorrow...

Raising her head to glance at the crescent moon, now risen halfway up the sky, Horikita headed straight toward the dormitory. Before long, she too vanished into the distance.

On the deathly still, empty grounds, only the rustling scrape of withered leaves against the concrete still echoed and lingered.

Achoo!

In the darkness, from behind a tree trunk, a sudden sneeze rang out without warning. Fuyuji, wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, stepped out from behind it, rubbing his arms. He patted his chest, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness. Didn't come to blows."

How utterly infuriating. Just who the hell was behind this?!

Things had been perfectly fine before. The relationship between these two had been stuck in this stalemate. If they'd kept it up for another two years, they might even have evolved into something like Blond Senpai and Horikita-nii. He'd never imagined that, in just a few short days, the situation would take such a sharp turn for the worse.

As things stood now, even Fuyuji was starting to get a headache.

Just then—the phone in his pocket buzzed with a vibration.

[Cha-Cha: Where the hell did you run off to?! Get your ass back to the dorm right now!!]

Not good! My imperial bedchamber!

...

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong...

The unending chime of the doorbell rang out urgently within Fuyuji's room.

"Coming, coming."

Having beaten Kushida back to his room, Fuyuji walked out barefoot and twisted the door handle open with a click. As though nothing were the matter, he poked his head out.

"Which little cutie is i—"

Before the words had even finished, a figure lunged straight toward Fuyuji. In the blink of an eye, she was already in his arms. Both hands wrapped tightly around his waist. Her cheek buried deep against his chest.

"Where the hell did you run off to just now?!" Kushida slammed her forehead against Fuyuji's chest. "You actually dared not pick up when I called you! If you ever pull this again, I'll report you for rape!" The barrage of questions, like a string of firecrackers, pounded against his chest until it went numb.

The door gently closed behind them, shutting out the light of the corridor.

After a few seconds of silence, Fuyuji lowered his eyes. Slowly, he placed his hands on the girl's trembling shoulders. Drawing his arms inward, he pressed her even deeper into his embrace.

"Sorry."

"My..." Kushida paused briefly. In a muffled voice, she spoke in a low tone. "True nature—Horikita Suzune found out about it."

"Mm."

"I made an agreement with Horikita Suzune. I'm going to defeat her."

"And?"

"And I can't defeat her. So..."

Kushida gripped his clothes with both hands, her forehead pressed against Fuyuji's chest. In a soft voice, she spoke.

"Help me."

Having spoken, the strength of her embrace around him suddenly intensified. A trembling voice emerged.

"You're the only one I have left..."

Kushida's scent was very pleasant. Her entire body radiated a flower-like fragrance that made one unconsciously deepen their breath. Her body—delicate yet springy—was like soft candy. Through the fabric of her school uniform skirt, it transmitted to every part of Fuyuji's body, utterly irresistible. It was just...

Fuyuji lowered his head. His jaw lightly brushed against the slightly cool crown of her head. He felt the small patch of warmth where the fabric of his shirt over his chest had been silently soaked through. Raising his hand, his fingers threaded through her slightly disheveled brown hair, combing through it with slow, gentle strokes.

"Alright."

A long moment passed. Kushida slowly raised her head. Within her reddened eyes, a watery light glistened. Carrying a trace of suspicion, she asked.

"Really?"

"How can you still not believe me?" Fuyuji didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"All those times before—I asked you over and over, and you never helped me. How come this time—just once—and you agreed?"

"With you like this—how could I possibly refuse?"

Gazing blankly at Fuyuji for a moment, Kushida suddenly pressed her profile back against the spot where his heart beat. Closing her eyes, she muttered under her breath.

"At least you've still got some conscience."

With a short, startled cry, Fuyuji bent down and scooped up the bend of her knees. Effortlessly lifting the girl in his arms, he strode back into the room and gently settled her on his lap, steady and secure.

Beneath the warm lamplight, their two silhouettes overlapped.

"So how do you plan to defeat your nemesis?"

"Well..."

Her slender fingers scratched awkwardly at her fair cheek. Kushida spoke with an embarrassed tone, her gaze somewhat evasive.

"I don't know yet. Even though that woman is detestable—I have to admit, she's got a couple of tricks up her sleeve."

The only area where she could surpass that bitch Horikita was in social skills. But if they competed in that—the other side definitely wouldn't accept.

Fuyuji half-narrowed his eyes. Without sorrow or joy, he spoke. "Then let's just forget it. I think this is fine as it is. Can't you just keep backstabbing her like before?"

"No!"

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Kushida abruptly straightened up. Straddling Fuyuji's lap in reverse, both hands swiftly seized his neck. Leaning her body forward, she shook him with all her might. Even the full, ample swell at her chest bounced and jiggled along with the motion, tracing seductive arcs beneath the lamplight—for a moment, impossible to tear one's eyes away from.

"I'm going to make her drop out!"

"Then may I ask what brilliant plan Her Highness has in mind?" Amidst the blurred afterimages, a voice drifted out in a rhythm of rising and falling.

Kushida puffed out her full chest and spoke with righteous confidence. "You go take out Horikita Suzune for me!"

"But that wouldn't be you doing it either."

"I don't care! Just think of something, quick!" Kushida simply resorted to acting spoiled. Cupping his face in both hands, she kneaded it with force, choosing to throw a tantrum. "Think, quick!"

Fuyuji, his face thoroughly kneaded, spoke in garbled syllables. "You overestimate me."

"Useless bastard! Didn't you say you're from Class A?! Think, quick!" Kushida intensified the force of her hands.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

The speed of the shaking instantly dropped. Kushida blinked her large eyes. An expression of eager anticipation surfaced on her face.

"You've got a plan?"

Fuyuji loosely balled his fist before his mouth and cleared his throat. Straightening his expression, he spoke with solemn gravity. "Your Highness—I have a plan that will surely cut down Horikita Suzune from her horse."

"What is it?"

"Please, lend me your ear. Allow me to explain in detail."

"Weirdo."

Kushida muttered under her breath a couple of times, but still leaned her ear in close.

"This and that, so on and so forth, abra-abracadabra..."

"Will this really work?" Miss Kushida expressed her doubts. "If I lose, I'll have to follow that woman's orders for three whole years. In that case—I'd rather just drop out. And I'll drag you down with me!"

"Trust me." Fuyuji thumped his own chest with resounding thuds.

After a moment of contemplation—amidst the uncertainty cycling across Kushida's face—she suddenly slammed a fist against Fuyuji's chest.

"Go!"

"In that case." Fuyuji smiled and rubbed his palms together. "Your Highness, regarding my reward..." Before the words had even finished, his fingers had already quietly crept up to the tips of her toes, suspended in midair. Her ankle—wrapped in fine black knee-high socks—gleamed with an alluring luster beneath the lamplight, like a piece of dark chocolate.

"Nn..."

The instant the tips of her toes were enveloped by his warm palm, the delicate arch of her foot instinctively tensed. Her toes curled within her socks. Kushida trembled from head to toe and let out a soft hum. The blush on her face—like ink dropped into water—rapidly spread all the way to the base of her ears. Even her delicate earlobes were dyed a deep crimson.

As though shocked by an electric current, she spun around and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her burning cheek into the crook of his neck. Mortified and indignant, she cursed loudly.

"You pervert!"

"Didn't you say we're in this together?"

"Well, seeing as you performed pretty well today..." Kushida's voice drifted out, muffled, from the crook of his neck.

Kushida lightly bit her lower lip. That pretty little face of hers—so immensely popular across the entire grade—rapidly magnified before Fuyuji's eyes. Her warm lips, carrying the honeyed moisture of nectar, pressed a kiss against his profile like a butterfly alighting—then swiftly withdrew.

"Don't you dare leave me. You hear?" Kushida cupped Fuyuji's face in both hands. The tip of her nose nearly touched his. Her large eyes stared straight into the very depths of his own.

"Alright."

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50 [Power Stones] = Bonus Chapter!