When I was just about to say something, I stopped midway and decided it wasn't worth the effort.
I let out a sigh and waved it off.
"Forget it, Kushida. Even if you somehow figured out the trick, you don't have the qualification to follow through. You lack the weight, the presence, the foundation that makes it possible."
Her face instantly darkened, black with anger at my words, and honestly? I wasn't surprised.
It made perfect sense.
After the suspension bridge stunt and all the teasing I threw her way, this was the natural outcome. How could she not be pissed off?
Before she could open her mouth to argue, I cut her off with a sharp tone
"Unless you're rich, untouchable, and invincible in the real world, you can forget the idea of leading anyone, let alone building a cult of followers."
"Being a leader of that kind demands more than fake smiles, it demands confidence, unshakable presence, and results people can't deny."
"Think about it: if you were born a princess, you wouldn't need to approach anyone, wouldn't need to beg with fake kindness. People would naturally come to you without you even asking."
"That's the core point, Kushida. Can you afford that identity?"
"You..." she muttered, glaring daggers at me, her expression twisted with annoyance.
It was almost funny, her face screamed insult, but her voice carried hesitation, like she herself wasn't sure whether to lash out or stay silent.
Maybe in her mind, she was asking herself what the difference even was between my words and saying nothing at all.
Maybe she wanted me to shut up.
But I wasn't going to.
I leaned forward slightly, my voice turning colder. "My point is this: what do you really can offer at them? Friendship? No. Your last attempt ended in a disaster, remember? You tried to be everyone's little angel, but failed spectacularly."
"You can't offer them real friendship because your heart is too dark. You're not sincere, and deep down, you know it. And the scariest part? Time itself will betray you. You can't keep up that fake-perfect image forever."
"Eventually, the cracks in your sanity will show. You'll fold under the pressure of trying to match everyone's expectations of you. That's why this method isn't feasible for you, it's a dead end."
I chuckled, low and mocking, then continued.
"So that leaves you with only one option, Kushida. If you want to appear perfect, the smartest, the most beautiful of all, then the only way is to drag everyone else down to your level."
"You don't have to make yourself flawless, you just need to make sure everyone else is equally flawed as you. Just like in those webnovel stories where the author can't write a main character truly intelligent, what do they do?"
"They just dumb everyone else down, make them stupid and useless, so the MC looks like a genius by comparison. That's how you win, Kushida. That's how you cheat the game."
"That's... a weird way to go," Kushida admitted, her voice laced with both irritation and reluctant acknowledgment.
Her tone softened slightly, like she was chewing over the idea. "But I get what you're saying. I just need to dig into people's lives, uncover their flaws, drag them out into the open. If no one is perfect, then imperfection itself becomes a kind of perfection, doesn't it?"
I smirked, snapping my fingers lightly as if she'd just caught on. "Exactly. Look at your classmates, they're tearing each other apart all the time, fighting for scraps of ego and status."
"When everyone's a mess, when no one looks perfect anymore, then suddenly… you're not the odd one out."
"You're just one of them, another imperfect face in a sea of imperfection. And no one care about your imperfections, because they're too busy staring at their own."
"But here's the fun part, Kushida, this is where the game really begins. When those imperfect sheep are crawling at their lowest, when they're drowning in their flaws, that's when you swoop in."
"You show them your perfect mask. You offer a helping hand, you make them depend on you, or you crush them outright, it's all up to what you want."
"And no matter which choice you make, they won't dare question you. In their eyes, how could their imperfect selves have the right to accuse someone they believe is perfect?"
"Some of them might even be happy about it. They'll feel a twisted satisfaction knowing that their so-called angel is just as flawed as they are. In their eyes, that makes you human, relatable, and even more divine."
"They'll worship you harder for it, because if their perfect angel can be filthy and imperfect too, then maybe their own flaws don't matter as much."
"You'll be their saint and their sinner all in one. That's how you win, Kushida."
Her eyes lit up with sudden clarity, shining with that almost dangerous spark of realization. "Thank you, Takashi-kun. I finally understand what I should do now."
I leaned back comfortably in my chair, swirling the dark liquid in my glass before taking a slow sip of wine.
"You're welcome, Kushida-san."
"Kikyou," she corrected me sharply, her tone firm and leaving no room for argument. "There's no need for this empty formality, Takashi. Just call me Kikyou. If your method actually works, if it gives me the results I want… then I don't mind offering myself to satisfy your twisted perversions."
I gave a little shrug, half amused and half serious. "You already did satisfy me, Kikyou. More than you probably realize. But I do have one more request, something that's been backlogging in the back of my mind. I hope you can fulfill this desire of mine, Kikyou-chan."
She went silent, her lips pressed together while her eyes narrowed slightly as if she was reading into me.
After a moment, she gave a small nod. "Tell me then, Takashi-kun."
"I have an impregnation fetish," I said bluntly, not hiding a single thing. "I want you to bear my child."
This time, the bright smile she usually wore faded completely, slipping off her face and leaving behind a gloomy, almost heavy expression.
"That's already crossing the line, Ichinose-san," she said, her voice heavy, almost trembling with suppressed rage.
I chuckled, dark and mocking, leaning forward slightly as my smirk grew wider. "Crossing the line? Kikyou, we've crossed so many lines already that they've blurred into nothing. I told you before, didn't I? Since you can't keep up the illusion of being perfect, you might as well embrace imperfection and drag everyone else into it."
"If I breed every girl in the school you're planning to go, wouldn't it make sense for you not to be the exception? If they all get pregnant, and you don't, wouldn't that make you stand out in the worst way?"
She exhaled sharply through her nose, a derisive snort escaping her. "You sound completely delusional. You think such a ridiculous scenario could actually come true? You're dreaming."
"It's not a dream." My voice carried iron conviction, each word heavy, undeniable. "It will happen. And you will help me. Three months is all we need. None of you will be expelled. Only I will face that fate, but I doubt you'll care. In fact, you'll probably celebrate my expulsion. Consider it your revenge, Kikyou. I'm handing you the opportunity right here on a silver platter."
Her lips tightened as she stared into me, as if weighing every ounce of sincerity and madness in my voice.
The room fell quiet except for the faint clink of glasses and cutlery from nearby tables.
Finally, after what felt like minutes, she spoke in a low but firm voice.
"I will go to Advanced Nurturing Academy. We can only do it after graduation, on the very last day before we enroll. But hear me clearly, Takashi, if you fail to keep your promise, if you betray even a sliver of what you've said… I will crush you. I'll ruin everything you've had and make sure you regret ever daring to manipulate me."
"Good," I replied with a slow, dangerous smirk curling across my face.
I leaned forward slightly, tilting my head as I teased, "For now, Kikyou, let's not sully the mood any further. Let's enjoy our date, shall we?"
She gave me a small, reluctant nod.
I rose from my seat with deliberate composure and extended my hand toward her in a gentlemanly manner.
She placed her hand in mine, and we both stood up, leaving the finished plates and empty glasses behind.
Together, we walked out of the restaurant, our fingers interlocked as if nothing twisted had just been exchanged between us.
To any outsider watching, we were just another couple enjoying a pleasant night out, when in reality the shadows of our previous conversation still lingered between us, heavy and undeniable.
...
250 powerstones are almost reached, which means a bonus chapter is coming soon. Of course, this is not the end. I'll raise the stakes, before, the target was top 40 in the power ranking, now I'm pushing it to top 30. Naturally, with a greater challenge comes a greater reward. Instead of 1 bonus chapter, the reward will now be 2 bonus chapters.
On top of that, if we reach top 15 in the power ranking and gain 5 new reviews with good ratings, you'll also get another 2 bonus chapters.
That means, in total, there will be 5 bonus chapters waiting for all of you if we hit those goals.
The bonus chapters will be delivered within 3–5 hours after this book's regular update of two chapters per day.