Houtarou was indeed by Suzune's side now.
"I can't believe she actually sent you that kind of photo."
Kikyō had started making an effort.
Before the afternoon competitions began, she returned to her dorm. Houtarou didn't have to wait long — about 10 minutes before the start, he received a special photo.
The photo was so extraordinary that he checked it five or six times before saving it to the SD card and deleting it from his phone.
Now the two of them sat leisurely in the spectator stands watching Kikyō's match.
"Well, she had no other choice." Houtarou said, "I've always considered her a troublesome person. She's as persistent in pursuing you as Hoshinomiya-sensei is with Chabashira-sensei. You know that yourself."
Suzune: "..."
Of course she knew. Even this morning, Kikyō had been waiting outside her dorm room, just as she did every day.
"If you listen to the voice recorder, you'll understand." Suzune said, "Since we went to the same middle school, she probably thinks I know about her dark history. To protect herself, she's trying everything she can to force me out of school."
"Maybe it's not just that." Houtarou said, shaking his head, "What kind of person do you think Kikyō is? I asked Karuizawa how she would treat someone who's two-faced — someone whose usual behavior is all just an act."
"What did she say?" Suzune asked.
Kei Karuizawa had a strong presence in class and, while not popular with the boys, got along well with the girls. She had even helped smooth things over during the Three-Legged Race training when Suzune had made the atmosphere tense.
But since Kei stepped in to mediate, Suzune had kept an eye on her.
Houtarou said, "Her answer was that she would treat them normally. She said, 'Since none of us can be completely genuine, how can we criticize others?'"
"..." Suzune fell silent at this response.
She couldn't deny this statement — after all, most people can't claim to be completely genuine.
"Then I understood why she hates you." Houtarou said, "At first, it was because you kept rejecting her attempts to get close. That made her obsessive. But later I realized it's because she can't be genuine, while you're different. Horikita, you're a genuine person. She's jealous of you."
"...?"
Jealous of something she couldn't have or possess?
Suzune didn't think she had anything Kikyō would be jealous of. If anything, she thought that girl's style might be better suited for society.
Yet something about her current self...
"You seem to understand her very well." Suzune said, "Extremely well."
Houtarou: "..."
Understand her well?
He might understand physical matters better, but he had always avoided engaging with Kikyō's inner self — that troublesome core.
This information he had now was actually what she had told him herself.
When Suzune and Kikyō went to eat at their usual spot, they found Houtarou taking a nap. But this wasn't an ordinary nap — it was a Precognitive Dream.
Ten years later, Suzune was away on business.
While watching Kikyō study his daughters at home, Houtarou called his wife to ask her opinion about Kikyō.
Suzune had replied simply: What Kikyō lacked was exactly what she had — everything.
Though he found their twisted friendship and jealous relationship troublesome, he knew that if Kikyō could show her true face to Suzune, it would make future planning between the three of them easier. They wouldn't need to hide so much from Suzune.
Houtarou's assessment of Kakeru revealed him as a stubborn person — someone who would only change course after experiencing failure firsthand.
The same applied to Kikyō. Though she had acted as Class C's spy during the ship incident, her fixation on Suzune meant she would inevitably strike again.
The strategy was clear: let her make her move and face defeat. Through this, she would learn her lesson, while Suzune would gain the means to counter her future attempts.
For Kikyō, this final attack would likely prove unbearable.
In her desperation, what options remained?
"She's not particularly clever either." Houtarou said, "Ibuki from Class D was at least straightforward. Kushida, on the other hand, is just another fake nice girl who thinks she's smart but is actually quite foolish. She's completely misread the situation.
You and your brother attended the same middle school, and you and Kushida did too. During these three years, don't you think new students from your middle school will transfer in next year or the year after?
She's trying to protect her secret by forcing you to drop out. But what about the new students who'll keep coming? What will she do then?"
When Kikyō returned to the spectator stands, breathless, she was confronted with this very question about future students from her middle school.
Her desperation was palpable.
⍟⍟⍟
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