I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

But...would anyone really be willing to let the class leader drop out of school?

Therefore, the key issue became how to get Horikita to resign from her position as class leader. Only if she returned to the status of an ordinary student could Kushida Kikyo possibly get Horikita Suzune to drop out of school.

She patiently waited for an opportunity, but as time went by, she found that the opportunity seemed to be getting slimmer and slimmer.

Even though Horikita suffered a major defeat, he still maintained a high level of prestige within the class.

This is not something that can be brought down by a single failure.

However, this major failure also made Kushida realize the key to the problem.

That is the Heavenly Sound.

It's not that no one in Class C has a grudge against Horikita. This includes both prestigious girls like Sato, Shinohara, and Karuizawa, and talented boys like Yukimura and Miyake.

In private, they all questioned Horikita's abilities and were unwilling to accept that this failure had rendered all their previous efforts futile.

Why didn't anyone dare to stand up and say those things to Horikita? Horikita isn't some leader like Ryuen who would use violence at will.

Kushida had been thinking about this question.

Now, she had her answer: the existence of Tianyin.

Since the special exam for privileged students, Tianyin has not participated much in class affairs, but no one dares to underestimate her.

There wasn't even anyone who dared to speak ill of her behind her back. On the surface, Tianyin seemed not to care much about class affairs, but in reality, she held the power of the class firmly in her own hands like a shadow king.

So if Kushida wants Horikita to drop out of school, he has to defeat Amane first.

Defeat Tianyin...

Just thinking about it is terrifying; for Kushida, it would probably be even more difficult than climbing to heaven.

Kushida once believed that everyone has their own strengths that surpass those of others, and that a considerable number of people's self-esteem is gradually built up by these strengths.

For example, Sudo, who was once completely useless in his studies, was forced to drop out of school before even reaching the sports festival, which he excelled at. The reason for his expulsion appeared to be that he was forced to drop out due to his poor grades and the use of violence.

In Kushida's view, he was simply a man whose pride had been shattered. Before Amane showed his strength, Sudo didn't respect anyone except Koenji. If anyone had any advantages over him, Sudo would express his dissatisfaction.

Is Sudo's personality really like a powder keg? Of course not, the reason stems from his inferiority complex.

Despite his family's poor financial situation, he bought an expensive game console just to fit in with the group, even though he found it meaningless. Although he wanted to spend all his time playing basketball, he pretended to be familiar with everyone and went shopping with them, treating them to meals from time to time in order to get along with them.

When Chi was looked down upon by the top students, he would stand up for them. The reason was simple: he was afraid of being ostracized in the same way, so he wanted to stick together with people like him for mutual support.

Making friends with people who are worse than you can unconsciously create a sense of superiority, which is much better than the pressure of making friends with outstanding people who always seem to be better than you.

It was Sudo's inferiority complex that compelled him to seek more recognition and to use the approval of others to protect his fragile self-esteem. Therefore, he could not lose to anyone in his class in terms of his "strengths," even if he lost to people from other classes, he could not lose to people in his own class. In this way, he would be unique in the class and enjoy everyone's admiration in a certain aspect, while the class could not easily abandon him.

On that day, his self-esteem was shattered by the monster-like Amane. From that moment on, Kushida knew that Sudo, having lost his "advantages," had no choice but to either willingly become a mediocre member or find another way.

But to her surprise, Sudo chose destruction.

The despair that Tenon brought to Sudo was truly terrifying.

Can that sound erase her good points?

Kikyo Kushida was lost in her memories.

Chapter Twenty-Six: I, Kikyo Kushida, am now going to slay a dragon.

My name is Kikyo Kushida.

She was once hailed as a 'genius,' but after encountering even more outstanding people, the pressure from her pride drove her to the brink of madness.

However, the pressure didn't drive me crazy. Instead, it made me tear off all the old labels and start looking for new ones.

Finally, one afternoon, during a casual conversation, I found it. I found a brand new label that belongs only to me, and I found a strength that no one else can replace.

I, Kikyo Kushida, have been reborn from the ashes.

I once heard a very interesting question: "Do people live according to their ideals?"

At first glance, it seems like a question that can be answered casually.

But upon closer examination, one will find that this issue is somewhat weighty.

Indeed, this is a heavy and slightly sad question for an 'ordinary person' who has no redeeming qualities.

If we rephrase the question, it should be easier to understand.

Is your current life in line with your ideals?

Most people can't help but scroll away or selectively ignore this question as soon as they see it. Is it because they really don't know the answer to such a simple question?

No, no.

Everyone can answer this question, but the answer might be hard for some people to accept.

Because ideals are often talked about at the beginning, people mistakenly believe that they are cheap. However, as people grow older and society becomes more realistic, they will inadvertently discover that ideals are cheap.

Ideals are the most luxurious things.

For ordinary people, living a life in accordance with their ideals is simply the most perfect life.

That's what I think too.

My answer might make some people so envious they'll go crazy, because I followed the rules.

And I've long been used to my ideal self, because I've been different from ordinary people since I was a child. To put it simply... I'm a genius.

I'm a little embarrassed to be praising myself like this for the first time, but everything I'm saying is true.

Ever since I was old enough to understand, I've known that my appearance is quite outstanding among women.

Because I have a better memory than most people, I am good at studying. No matter how difficult the course is, it is easy for me. Even if I just listen in class, I can often get full marks. This way, I can use the extra time for other things.

I am also very good at sports, especially skill-based sports. I am one of the top students in my class, no, in the whole school. I am always present in every sports competition in my class. Seeing the unwilling eyes of those older students, I was so happy. At the same time, I became convinced that I am a genius.

If you think that being good at sports and studying isn't enough to call me a genius, that's okay. I have even more outstanding qualities. From a young age, I've been good at communicating with people. No matter what age the other person is, I can skillfully eliminate the age gap and have a friendly conversation with them. At the same time, I also have extremely fast reaction speed and the intelligence to respond flexibly to any unexpected events.

After saying all that, what image do you have of me? Someone who is good at studying, good at sports, quick-witted, and has excellent emotional intelligence and social skills, oh right, and is also quite good-looking.

Wasn't that perfect? ​​Back then, I never showed any fear no matter who I met, because I was a genius.

But if you ask me if I am a perfect being.

If I were asked that question, my answer would be no. My inner voice keeps telling me that I am the best and most perfect person, but my brain tells me with the most rational voice that there are always people better than you, and there is always something beyond your understanding.

There are countless people more capable than me, like carp crossing a river.

There are naturally girls who are cuter than me in terms of appearance. Those beautiful appearances that make your heart flutter at first sight are real. In terms of personality, there are also girls who are gentle and considerate like Yamato Nadeshiko that I can never forget.

There are countless people smarter than me, and so many people better at sports than me that my talents seem insignificant.

It's hard to accept, isn't it? They're already so cute, so smart, so outstanding, yet in the end, they're still trampled underfoot by even more outstanding people, just like ordinary people.

But I want to tell you that this is a matter of course.

Undoubtedly, everyone is a unique individual, but talent is not unique.

One's social circle determines one's perspective.

In elementary school, I saw no one more outstanding than me; I was undoubtedly a genius.

When I got to junior high school, people who were on par with me or even better than me started to appear one after another. What could I do? I believe that hard work can make up for some of the lack of talent, but the overwhelming talent of one person with another is something that can never be caught up with no matter how hard I try.

And chasing after geniuses is really, really, really exhausting!!

Believe me, never try to catch up with a genius unless you have talent that rivals theirs, in which case you might try to push your limits.

This reminds me of a comic book I read when I was a child. I can't remember its name because it's been so long. The story was very traditional and old-fashioned.

It's nothing more than the world facing destruction, and then the hero leads his companions to overcome all obstacles and finally kill the bad guys to save the world.

Everyone was cheering the hero's name.

I still remember the last line of that comic book: "From then on, the world, led by the hero, ushered in a happy life."

After reading it, I didn't feel much because it wasn't my favorite subject matter, so I casually put the comic aside.

It was around that time that a passerby commented, "The pet in this group is so cute, what's its name?"

I opened my mouth, but couldn't answer.

Strange, I'm very smart, and I consider myself to have an excellent memory, so why can't I answer the question of what the fox-like pet is called?

Seeing my hesitation, the other person mistakenly thought I hadn't finished reading, so they flipped to the character introductions at the very beginning.

It was only then that I learned the name of the pet in the protagonist's team.

Incidentally, I learned that the hero's companion, who is also the vice-captain of the protagonist's team, is a peerless swordsman from a certain country. He was a genius who had never been defeated in his life, but he was defeated by the protagonist and joined the team.

Even geniuses can be defeated by even stronger geniuses.

It was from that moment that I understood this principle earlier than others.

By reading through the character introductions, I learned that the most dazzling group of people who followed the protagonist were either sword saints, princesses of some country, princes of some elven kingdom, warrior captains of foreign kingdoms, and daughters of gods who healed their wounds.

What did you notice here?

That's right, none of them are ordinary people.

If we have to say there are ordinary people, then that genius swordsman is the most ordinary person.

Many people follow geniuses, but only geniuses can gather around them.

Even these geniuses may not be remembered by people.

Ordinary people don't even have the right to stand on this stage; all they need to do is sing praises of the heroes' great achievements.

This is the harsh reality.

Shouldn't ordinary people live according to their ideals?

As a former genius, I can say with certainty that of course everyone wants to win in some aspect. In my opinion, everyone, no matter who they are, will not want to lose to others.

This aspect doesn't matter what it is; even appearance, voice, playing games, and flattery can all be included.

Even if one's advantage in this area is only slightly better than others, it can bring a sense of satisfaction and superiority.

This makes one's self-esteem stronger.

However, if one loses in an area where one has an advantage over others, one will feel resentful. People with strong willpower will turn this resentment into motivation and find ways to become even better.

People with weak willpower will choose to escape.

If he goes to a place where no one has witnessed his failure, then it's as if he has never failed.

Compared to effort, avoidance is much easier.

But there is another, most agonizing situation.

That is, a person with strong will and some talent.

In everyone's life, there must be someone like this, or someone like that themselves, whose abilities in various aspects or a particular area are superior to those of ordinary people, but the distance between them and those at the top is still unreachable. They are probably in the kind of situation where they are not good enough but not bad enough either.

To avoid having everything destroyed by geniuses, these people can only keep chasing after those unattainable figures.

I am one of them, but sometimes it is not possible to catch up with others by improving one's own abilities, and the effort put in does not necessarily bring rewards. Every time I lose to others, especially in my own strengths, I feel very sad. At first, I just want to cry my heart out to vent.

But later on, as the pressure between me and them gradually increased, every time I competed against them, I would feel so overwhelmed by the pressure that I couldn't breathe. Once, I even vomited because of the excessive pressure.

It was probably around that time that I realized I wasn't a genius at all. After leaving my small hometown, there were just too many people like me, and the mountains beyond mountains were all harder to climb than the last.

This is completely different from when I was a child!!!

Childhood was probably the most carefree time of my life. I could get praise from my parents and teachers just by getting a perfect score on a test, and I could get compliments from those around me as long as I remembered more than others.

Then I gradually started participating in all sorts of competitions at school and winning all sorts of awards. It was all a piece of cake for me, so I was never short of people who flattered me. They praised me as a genius, a prodigy, and someone who would become a great person and stand out from the crowd in the future!

I have always firmly believed this.

It wasn't until I entered junior high school and saw that there are always people better than me, and that there are always mountains beyond mountains, that I realized how insignificant my own little world was, and how insignificant my excellence was compared to theirs.

At first, I continued to chase with great enthusiasm, but then I realized that there are always some people I just can't catch up with! If you want to laugh at me, go ahead and laugh. I was shamelessly chasing after those people, but I couldn't even touch the hem of their clothes.

I have etched the words "It is impossible to defeat true geniuses" into my mind.

In the end, I chose to give up the pursuit, which was embarrassing, right? But just like I said at the beginning, it was embarrassing, but escaping was really useful!

I lost miserably to them in the competition in terms of learning, sports, appearance, and financial resources. Faced with overwhelming pressure, I chose to find another way.

There is definitely a kind of excellence that cannot be replaced or surpassed.

Finally, I found the answer: "trust".

As long as I become the person everyone welcomes, then I will never lose. Do you know how ecstatic I was when I discovered this path?