Chapter 53: Kushida's Other Side?
Hikigaya's words left Kushida stunned, her body trembling uncontrollably.
This time, it wasn't an act—she was genuinely afraid.
She didn't understand why someone would dislike her. She'd been so gentle, earned so much praise, paid attention to every detail, and even did things she didn't want to for the class.
Yet, despite all that, she couldn't win this boy's affection.
A fierce competitive drive stirred within her. She suddenly pressed her full figure against Hikigaya's chest.
Feeling the warmth against him, Hikigaya instinctively stepped back, flustered.
"Why… Why don't you like me? Did I do something to make you hate me?"
Seeing Hikigaya instinctively retreat, Kushida's heart took another hit. She stepped closer, hands still pressed against her chest, looking uneasy.
Hikigaya's expression remained cold. In a room with just the two of them, he really didn't want anything to happen. If it did, with Kushida's way with words, he'd never clear his name.
"No, actually, what I said earlier was wrong. I don't just hate you."
His words made Kushida stop in her tracks.
She didn't understand why this boy's words were so confusing. What did he mean by hating only part of her?
Seeing Kushida stop approaching, Hikigaya let out a long sigh of relief.
If she got any closer, he might've screamed…
"What do you mean by that?"
"I don't understand."
Hikigaya slowly sat in a chair, facing the girl's still-fake-but-sincere gaze, and said calmly: "You really don't understand? Or do you just not want to?"
"Do I need to spell it out? What I dislike is that fake mask you're wearing, that's all."
Hearing the boy's words, the girl's expression didn't change. She still looked innocent and confused, asking: "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
Hikigaya felt like he was sounding like an overconfident fool, but he was absolutely certain of one thing: the Kushida Kikyo in front of him was not her true self.
"Maybe you don't want to show that side of yourself. Maybe you have your own struggles. I'm just your classmate, not even a friend, so saying weird things like this is my fault."
Hikigaya sat in the chair, looking at Kushida's innocent act, and continued: "But if you really want to be more than classmates, if your goal is truly to be friends with everyone in the school, I suggest you don't use that mask with me."
"For me, I might prefer things that aren't fake."
Saying so much at once left Hikigaya feeling exhausted.
Hearing his words, Kushida deflated like a punctured balloon, letting out a deep breath.
"Impossible. No one would like that side of me."
"Maybe I'm the kind of guy with weird tastes."
Hikigaya's self-deprecating words made Kushida force a bitter smile. Compared to her innocent one, this smile moved him more.
"How did you figure it out? Did someone tell you?"
Kushida immediately suspected Horikita, the only one who might know her past.
She stepped closer to Hikigaya again, staring into his eyes.
"I just inferred it from your daily behavior."
There was no hint of a lie in Hikigaya's words, which reassured Kushida.
"You're really a monster…"
"You're not the first to say that."
"Will you tell anyone?"
"I'm not interested in other people's pasts."
From start to finish, Kushida Kikyo never revealed her second side. Though she was more natural than before, it was still clearly not her true self.
"You really figured it out on your own?"
"There's no other way, is there?"
"Maybe you're right, but I'll never show you that side of me. If you ever see it, I'll treat you as my mortal enemy."
"That's scary."
"That's my true self, after all."
"Even so, I don't dislike it."
Hikigaya's words left Kushida completely silent, and the room's atmosphere grew subtly awkward.
[Sudo: "What are they talking about? I don't get it at all."]
[Ike: "Yeah, me neither. What's this other side stuff?"]
[Hirata, smiling, explained: "Maybe it's just about how people act when they're alone."]
[Shinohara: "Ohh, that makes sense. No wonder… lots of couples get disappointed after being together when they realize the other person isn't what they imagined."]
[Karuizawa: "Huh? That escalated to romance? That was fast."]
[Ike: "Yeah, yeah, how'd it jump to romance so quick? That's not what's happening with Kushida, right?"]
[Kushida glanced at Hirata, then at Horikita and Ayanokouji in the corner. Seeing they stayed silent, she scratched her head with her angelic smile: "Oh, it's just a video. I don't know what that version of me was thinking. It's probably not about romance, right?"]
[Hearing Kushida's ambiguous response, Shinohara exclaimed: "Kushida, oh, Kushida, I know your little schemes. Waiting until everyone left to be alone with him in his room, and after Yamauchi pointed it out, isn't he pretty handsome? Looks like you've already developed feelings for him!"]
[Hearing Shinohara's words, Kushida kept up her shy act.]
[Perhaps for her, this kind of misunderstanding was the best way to dodge the topic.]
(End of this chapter)