"Why? Why can't I escape being bullied even though I came to a new place?! Wuwuwu…"
Hearing Karuizawa's heartbroken sobs, Ren Ishikawa froze, stunned.
Who is being bullied? You, Karuizawa? Isn't she the one who bullies others?
His mind raced. Is this just an act? But it was too convincing. The trembling in her voice, the way her body shook, the subtle way she tried to wipe her tears as if hoping no one would notice... if this was acting, she deserved an Oscar.
He felt a cold knot of doubt form in his stomach. Did I really misunderstand something?
He quickly re-evaluated the facts.
Karuizawa wanted Hirata to be her boyfriend.She wanted him for his status, not out of affection.She had threatened that if Hirata refused, there would be "bullying," "danger," and "fear."
Now, he had to add the newest, most shocking piece of information to the puzzle:
The person being "bullied" might be Karuizawa herself.
A new, horrifying possibility crystallized in his mind: Karuizawa wasn't as strong as she appeared. She was terrified of being bullied again, and she had desperately sought Hirata's protection, using his status as a shield.
If her tears were genuine, it meant that he, Ren Ishikawa, had mistaken the victim for the perpetrator. And that was a very big problem. He could justify forcing a villain into "labor reform," but he could not, under any circumstances, cause further harm to an innocent, vulnerable person. A wave of profound unease washed over him.
He tried to reassure himself. Even if she was deceiving him, what was the worst that could happen? He had backups of the video. She couldn't overpower him. The worst she could do was pull a "Kushida" and frame him for assault. Buy one, get one free, he thought with a flash of dark humor. Double happiness.
Pah. He mentally slapped himself. I'm so stupid. Why don't I just ask Hirata?
He pulled out his phone, ready to call, but hesitated. His deal with Hirata stipulated that he couldn't harm any of their classmates. If Hirata found out he'd been terrorizing Karuizawa, would he consider their deal broken? Would he try to stop him from dropping out?
Ren shook his head. Forget it. I have to take responsibility. Solving this problem now is the key.
He composed an email to Hirata, stating that he knew about the plan to pretend to be a couple and demanding to know the full details of Karuizawa's situation. In return, he offered to help solve her problem. After sending it, he called Hirata and threatened to cause a massive scene in class the next day if he didn't check his email and reply immediately.
He didn't place all his hopes on Hirata, however. He would get the answer from Karuizawa, too. By setting their meeting so soon, he had ensured she had no time to collude with Hirata. If their stories matched, he would have the truth.
If Karuizawa was a "criminal," he could proceed with his plan to control her. But if she was an innocent victim... he would apologize and compensate her immediately. With the principle of "better to let a guilty party go free than to punish the innocent" in mind, he decided to appease the crying girl in front of him. If her fear was real, his actions had probably terrified her to the point of sickness.
He leaned over, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "Karuizawa, don't cry. I think there may have been a misunderstanding between us." He paused, then added awkwardly, "Also... you might want to pay attention to your sitting posture. Or you might expose something that shouldn't be seen."
The school uniform skirt was short. In her panicked state, Karuizawa hadn't paid any attention to her posture as she'd collapsed to the ground. Ren's eyesight, honed by years in the wild, was a little too good. As he leaned over to comfort her, he had accidentally seen more than he should have. He'd quickly averted his gaze, but not before the damage was done.
His awkward warning about her sitting posture cut through her despair. Instinct took over. She immediately stopped crying, temporarily ignoring her grief, and adjusted the hem of her skirt. By the time she had composed herself, the momentum of her sorrow was broken, the tears no longer connected to the initial fear.
She looked up at him, her eyes wary. "You used my secret to blackmail me into being your girlfriend. What misunderstanding could there possibly be?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "You want me to do... things... with you. Kissing, touching... other disgusting things. I don't want to do that with someone I don't like, wuwuwu..."
Ren almost choked. "You wish!" he blurted out, horrified.
Karuizawa stared, baffled by a reply she could never have anticipated. He means... being intimate with me would be a chore for him?
"What I mean is," Ren explained, exasperated, "is that I want you to be my girlfriend in name only. I have no need for any romantic interaction with you, and I certainly have no desire for it with a woman I don't like." He paused, then quickly added, "Or with men, for that matter."
"A woman you don't like?" Karuizawa rubbed her tear-stained eyes. "You don't like me?"
"No."
"Then why do you want me to be your girlfriend?"
"I was about to tell you before you interrupted me with your breakdown," Ren said irritably.
Karuizawa shrank back. "Oh. Sorry...?"
"To put it simply," Ren said, finally coming clean, "I've become a little too popular with the girls in our class. It's becoming a hassle, and I need an excuse to keep them away."
"A shield?" she asked.
"A fake lover," he confirmed.
"And... I'm the person you're looking for?"
"Yes. Just a shield."
Hearing this, Karuizawa was stunned. Then, a look of profound surprise, followed by dawning realization, spread across her face. A moment ago, she had asked Hirata to be her nominal boyfriend, and his reluctant agreement had felt like an act of charity, leaving her feeling insecure and indebted. In that arrangement, she was the only one who needed something.
But this was different. Ren Ishikawa, a boy whose prestige in the class now rivaled Hirata's, actually needed her. They would need each other, bound by mutual interest. And while his eyes were terrifying, his defiant aura felt far more secure than Hirata's "good guy" persona.
"If that's all it is," she said, a new strength in her voice, "then I have no problem with that."
"You're okay with it? That's good..." Ren began, but was interrupted by a slight vibration from his pocket. He took out his phone. It was an email from Hirata.
He opened it and read.
His expression shifted. "Now I have a problem," he said, looking back at Karuizawa.
She was dumbfounded. "Huh? I just agreed. How can you be the one with a problem?"
"When I say I have a problem," Ren said slowly, "it's not because I have a problem. It's because you have a problem."
Karuizawa, whose academic performance was well below average, struggled to parse his confusing words. "So... you don't want me to be your fake girlfriend because... of a problem with me?"
Ren stared at her without saying a word. After a long, tense moment, he extended his hand toward her. Is this some kind of obedience training? she thought, but she didn't dare resist, tentatively placing her hand in his.
He grasped her delicate fingers and pulled her to her feet. Once she was standing, he immediately let go, took a step back, and did something completely unexpected.
"Karuizawa-san," he said, his voice serious. "I'm sorry. I misunderstood you."
As he spoke, he bowed his head in a formal, sincere apology.
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