Demon Slayer: I was taken home by Shinobu Kocho at the beginning.

Bad news, this stone has hit them where it hurts.

After rambling on for a while, Kushida suddenly looked intently at Kamio Tatsuya: "Kamio, I want Horikita Suzune to drop out of school, you help me!"

ha?

How did we suddenly get onto this topic?

"I do not want."

Kamio Tatsuya refused Kushida's request without even thinking about it.

"I can promise you anything, as long as you expel Horikita from school!"

As she spoke, Kushida stood up, walked to Tatsuya Kamio, and then untied her skirt, letting it slide naturally to the floor.

"Even if you want my body, I'll give it to you."

Kikyo Kushida's actions completely shocked Tatsuya Kamio. Just how much did this girl want Horikita to drop out of school?

With Horikita's academic performance, even if he dropped out, he could easily get into the university he wanted through studying.

Dropping out of the school wasn't a big deal for Horikita Suzune.

Even so, is it worth the physical cost?

The fragrance emanating from Kushida made Kamio Tatsuya somewhat distracted, but he forced himself to calm down.

"What are you so afraid of? Compared to Horikita, you are obviously more trustworthy and more credible in the grade."

Even if Horikita reveals your true colors, I doubt anyone will believe what your motives are, or why you'd be willing to go to such lengths.

Kikyo Kushida took two steps back and sat back down on the bed.

"Kamio-kun, we are different people. You have the ability to easily do things that I cannot do."

"Really? I don't think I have that kind of awareness."

Kamio Tatsuya didn't think he was much better than others; he just relied on having more social experience.

Although he is a person with a system, so far the system has not provided him with much help.

"Hehe, back in May, when the entire D class was in financial crisis, it was you who manipulated things behind the scenes to get the living expenses for the D class."

You have no idea how I felt when I saw Ryuen and Ichinose obediently hand over their points.

At that time, almost everyone in the class praised you. Although they didn't know who it was, they were genuinely grateful to you.

At that moment, I thought, why wasn't I the one who came up with this idea? Even if I can't tell anyone, I still want that kind of praise, that kind of compliment!

Kushida glanced at Tatsuya Kamio, then continued muttering to himself, "Do you know how envious I am of you?"

I am so eager to show myself that I can't help myself; I want to stand out that I can't help myself; I want to be praised that I can't help myself.

Only in the moment of achieving these goals can I feel the value of my existence and the wonderful feeling of being alive.

Humans are creatures that crave praise. No one dislikes being praised or respected by friends or parents. Just like authors, they can be happy for a long time if a reader tells them that their writing is good.

Being recognized is a kind of happiness, but Kushida's situation has clearly exceeded the level of recognition that ordinary people hope to receive.

It has developed into a morbid desire.

"But I am very clear about my abilities and the limits of what I can achieve. No matter how hard I study or train, I can't get first place in this area, and second or third place is not enough to satisfy me."

I'm the kind of person whose emotions are greatly shaken whenever I lose to someone around me. Every time I lose something, it leaves a shadow in my heart, and I might even vomit due to the intense pressure.

So I thought I might as well do something that others can't imitate, and then I discovered that I could be gentler to people than anyone else, and closer to them than anyone else.

Kamio Tatsuya already knew this; Kushida's gentleness towards everyone was all an act.

All she wanted was self-satisfaction.

But what does it matter?

Being kind to others sounds simple, but you'll only realize how difficult it is when you actually do it.

For example, once Yamauchi's identity as an accomplice in the upskirt photography case is exposed, he will definitely be ostracized by all the girls.

But Kushida still had to greet him with a smile. Not to mention doing it, Kamio Tatsuya felt disgusted just thinking about it.

Kamio Tatsuya probably couldn't endure this kind of life even for a day, but Kushida was able to do it easily and continue doing so.

“Thanks to that, boys and girls all liked me. I felt the pleasure of being relied on and trusted. I had a great time in elementary and junior high school…” Kushida’s face was full of ecstasy, but it quickly became distorted. “Therefore, I absolutely cannot tolerate Horikita’s existence! Her very existence threatens my way of life.”

It's clear that Kushida really misses that period of his life; he even unconsciously twisted his legs together and his face flushed unnaturally.

Will she wet my bed?

"Speaking of which, I should really thank you, Kamio-kun. It must be so painful to keep doing things you don't want to do."

Especially when I first came to this school and started over, I was under a lot of pressure every day. Sometimes I was so frustrated that I would tear my hair out or vomit. I felt like I was going to go bald.

However, I met Kamio-kun at that time. If it weren't for Kamio-kun listening to me vent, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer.

Speaking of this, Kamio Tatsuya recalled the first time Kushida came to his room and started yelling at him.

"So? If you really intend to get rid of Horikita because she might expose your true colors, then what will happen after you get rid of her?"

Are you planning to get rid of someone else who knows your true colors, like me?

It's not that I'm arrogant, but you simply can't handle me on your own. So what are you going to do then? Reveal your true colors and try to win over others to deal with me?

Even if you manage to get me out of the game by some stroke of luck, what about all the people you've won over? Are you going to recruit more people to deal with those people?

If this continues, the only outcome will be that the entire school will know your true colors.

At this point, even Tatsuya Kamio couldn't help but laugh.

Kushida is kind of adorably silly.

"what are you laughing at?"

"No, I just think that the reason you want Horikita to drop out of school is not because she might expose your true colors."

"Then tell me why?"

“Because you and Horikita are the complete opposite.” Tatsuya Kamio’s face was full of smiles. “You just said that no matter how hard you study or exercise, you can’t get first place, so you choose to do the thing you are best at to the extreme.”

But Horikita is different. Regardless of whether she can win first place, she has never given up on either her studies or sports, and in fact, she has achieved remarkable results.

In comparison, the two of you are like two opposite mirrors: she chose to persist, while you chose to give up.

"If someone supports her, it's equivalent to rejecting you. Isn't that the real reason you dislike her, Horikita?"

In the past six months, although Horikita has not been able to achieve much, it does not mean that she has done nothing.

During the midterm exams, the three idiots refused to attend the study sessions organized by Hirata. Horikita was the first to take action, not Kushida.

Why isn't Kushida taking any action?

It's probably because she felt that even if she took action, she wouldn't be able to make Sansa pass.

However, Horikita convened a study session without hesitation, as her intention from the beginning was to ensure that they passed the exam.

Although she ultimately failed, Horikita never doubted herself.

"So, your 'know-it-all' attitude is really disgusting." Kushida said again with a look of disgust. "Since you won't help me deal with Horikita, I'll be leaving now."

"Don't rush, it's rare for us to get together." Kamio Tatsuya bent down, picked up Kushida's skirt that had fallen to the ground, and tossed it to her. "Let's chat for a few more dollars. Actually, I can understand your desire to attract attention."

Regarding what Kushida just mentioned about resolving the issue of living expenses for Class D.

Do you think Tatsuya Kamio wouldn't be happy when he heard someone praising that anonymous person?

He was actually quite pleased with himself.

"In the end, all you really want is attention, right?"

"What do you mean 'just'? It's not that simple!"

"I say it's simple because I can do it easily, and you think it's difficult because you don't understand the essence of this school at all."

"Kushida is a school that prioritizes merit. More than 90 percent of the students here aim to graduate from their class."

Even if you treat everyone kindly, what good will it do? It won't help them get promoted at all.

"Shut up, don't say anymore!" Kushida seemed to realize that Kamio Tatsuya was about to say something, and his expression began to panic.

"Even someone as unpopular as Ryuen will naturally be followed by the other students and obeyed if he has the potential to lead the class to victory. In fact, that's the case with Class C right now."

The same applies to Class D. No matter how unpopular Horikita is, as long as she can lead Class D to climb higher, even if she is unwilling, there will be people who will follow her.

Moreover, Hirata is now in a semi-reclusive state, and Horikita's intervention at this time is like a savior.

And you? You're just someone else's outlet when they're feeling down. You..."

"I told you to shut up!"

Kushida, as if possessed, threw the dress she wasn't even wearing yet directly at Kamio Tatsuya's head.

Kamio Tatsuya removed the skirt from his face and looked at Kushida Kikyo, whose face was contorted and who looked like a demon, and continued, "In the end, even if it's what you're best at, you can't compare to Ichinose from Class B."

Ichinose is gentler and more socially adept than you, and she does so from the bottom of her heart. In addition, she is better than you in both academics and sports.

Although she wasn't a very good leader, at least she led her class to victory on the deserted island.

"I told you to shut up!"

Kikyo Kushida took a step in front of Tatsuya Kamio. Just as he was about to slap her and prepared to defend himself, Kikyo suddenly collapsed to the ground, placed her hands on Tatsuya Kamio's legs, lowered her head, and tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.

"Stop talking, please..."

Tsk, you've already broken through my defenses. I haven't had enough yet.

To be honest, Tatsuya Kamio was quite surprised. He had expected Kushida to argue his case or become enraged.

But no matter what, he never expected Kushida to show such a vulnerable side in front of him.

However, if you look at it from Kikyo Kushida's perspective, it's actually very easy to understand.

Since the start of the semester, she has been working hard to build relationships, just like before, and has been doing so for almost half a year.

As a result, when she came to Tatsuya Kamio today, a few words from him completely negated all her previous efforts, rendering them worthless.

In addition, there was the pressure she accumulated from trying to build relationships...

This wasn't just the pressure since starting school; it was the pressure accumulated over more than a decade, from childhood to adulthood, all of which erupted completely in that instant.

For various reasons, coupled with Tatsuya Kamio's words just now serving as a fuse, the powder keg named Kikyo Kushida was ignited.

As a result, Kikyo Kushida was on the verge of a mental breakdown and burst into tears in Tatsuya Kamio's room.

It is said that an adult's breakdown can happen in an instant, but the pressure that Kikyo Kushida accumulated was no less than that of an average adult.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have had to give up her body to deal with Horikita. From that moment on, Kamio Tatsuya realized that her mind was not quite right.

Kikyo Kushida's sobbing lasted for more than ten minutes before gradually subsiding.

Looking at his trousers soaked with tears, Kamio Tatsuya shook his head speechlessly, then looked at Kushida Kikyo lying on his bed, who seemed to have been thoroughly played with.

“This is another area where you are inferior to Horikita. Even if that guy is defeated once, he can pick himself up next time, instead of you just giving up here.”

When Horikita was mentioned, Kushida finally reacted.

"Anyway, in your eyes, I'm just not as good as Horikita."

Why is this guy acting all grumpy again?

"No, I don't think you're inferior to Horikita. Otherwise, I wouldn't have left Horikita out of the preferential treatment exam and had you persuade the students in Class D to sign the contract."

Speaking of this, Kushida's eyes brightened slightly as he watched the contract being signed and the exam result being achieved.

Kushida felt that his purpose in life had been fulfilled.

Although she didn't start the trend herself, she did play an irreplaceable role in it.

At that time, when she was recognized by Tatsuya Kamio and he personally admitted that he needed her instead of Horikita, she felt like she was flying to heaven.

Sometimes, the approval of one person is more satisfying than the approval of a group of people.

In this respect, she is quite similar to Horikita Suzune.

Even if everyone in Class D approves of her, it can't compare to the approval her brother has for her.

"I understand, I will try my best to gain your approval."

"Okay... um?"

Kamio Tatsuya originally wanted Kushida to know that she was still useful at times and didn't need to give up on herself, but why did she say such a thing?