Amane had considered what might happen when Karuizawa saw her after being bullied.
Perhaps Karuizawa would be afraid of being recognized in such a humiliating state and choose to cover her face and flee, or she might loudly complain about Amane arriving so late, causing her to be bullied so terribly, or she might cry her heart out in Amane's arms and then tell Amane about the cruel torment she had endured.
Amane had also prepared comforting words accordingly, as if everything was playing out according to a script, and her presence here was merely a formality.
But Amane never expected that Karuizawa, upon seeing her, would tell her that her smile was so fake.
Was it very fake? Perhaps a little, but Karuizawa shouldn't have been able to tell.
"Kei, what are you saying? Do you want me to take you to rest first, hm?"
Amane gently stroked Karuizawa's cheek.
The cool touch of her fingers soothed the pain on Karuizawa's swollen and burning cheek.
Karuizawa grinned.
However, her smile was very ugly, and her voice was too hoarse to make any sound.
"If... it were anyone else, they would definitely think you, Amane, look like a gentle older sister right now... But I'm different. The thing I've done most in my life is to please others, so I'm better than anyone at reading people's expressions. This, *cough cough* this, *cough cough*... perhaps it's my only advantage."
Karuizawa lay quietly in Amane's arms, looking up at that face which could be described as perfect. In her eyes, Amane was merely wearing a mask of 'goodness' at this moment.
Human expressions can be faked, but one thing cannot be faked: the eyes. Amane's gaze at her was like someone inspecting the quality of fruit.
There was no pity or sympathy.
"I didn't expect you, Kei, to discover even this. But you really don't learn. Since you say you're best at reading people, then you should know that exposing me now won't do you any good, right?"
Amane pinched Karuizawa's cheek, and the pain brought Karuizawa back to reality for a moment.
That's right, the best choice just now would have been to pretend not to see. She only needed to lie there and accept Amane's kindness. Why did she say such a thing? Trust? Or perhaps... acceptance of fate?
Karuizawa also didn't know why she had been so bold, so arrogant, to expose someone else's pretense. Would exposing it bring her any benefit? No. If Amane were to continue Manabe's violence now, she could only cover her head and take another beating. Resist? Impossible. Resistance would only lead to more violent retaliation. She just needed to cover her mouth and endure it... "What do you plan to do next? Do you need me to help you get revenge on Manabe? Treat her the way she treated you?"
Seeing Karuizawa fall silent, Amane shifted the topic to Manabe. At the mention of Manabe, Karuizawa gnashed her teeth in hatred, but after a few seconds, her expression softened.
"Amane, why did you appear here so coincidentally?"
Karuizawa asked a very critical question.
At this moment, if Amane were to lie, any lie would sound incredibly unreliable.
Because the time difference was too short. From Manabe's departure to Amane's arrival, it was only about two minutes.
This amount of time wasn't even enough for Manabe to reach the elevator, and there was only one elevator here.
If analyzed logically, if Amane had just come down, she would have definitely encountered Manabe and the others.
Amane was also well aware of the dispute between Karuizawa and Morofuji. Seeing Manabe and a few others laughing and chatting as they left the agreed meeting place between herself and Karuizawa, wouldn't Amane connect the dots?
If it were someone else, they might think it was a coincidence, but Amane would definitely realize that Karuizawa had been bullied. If Amane was on her side, would she really be indifferent after encountering Manabe?
All these questions converged, and the result became obvious.
Only two possibilities remained. One was that Amane deliberately used Manabe's hand to suppress her arrogance. If this were the case, Karuizawa felt that although it would be difficult to accept, she could still barely understand.
After all, she knew that she often caused trouble for Amane, and she was well aware of how she behaved when she usually pretended to be strong, better than anyone else.
The other possibility was... that Amane was the mastermind behind this whole show.
Everyone, whether it was her, the bullied, or Manabe, the abuser, were merely dancing puppets on Amane's fingertips.
"Are you doubting me?"
Amane's tone became cold, but her gaze grew intense.
It had been a long time since she had felt so happy. The toy she had chosen actually had an unexpected side.
For a moment, Amane almost couldn't bear to turn Karuizawa into her toy, but after thinking about it, Karuizawa's value to her was only this far. After this, she would serve almost no purpose other than satisfying Amane's amusement. Rather than having to choose between abandoning and not abandoning her later, it was better to define her role from the start.
"Actually... Amane, you're the one manipulating all of this from behind, aren't you?"
Karuizawa's words in the dark night were like a stone thrown forcefully into water, creating ripples.
"Why would you think that? Did Manabe say something to you?"
Amane still gently held Karuizawa, speaking to her in a soft tone.
"She didn't say anything. Amane, can you tell me the answer to that question?"
Karuizawa looked up, gazing at Amane with expectant eyes, full of hope.
At this moment, Amane finally understood the meaning of Karuizawa's words.
Although she had voiced her deepest suspicions, she essentially only hoped for a deception. Injured physically, she didn't want to be hurt mentally anymore.
She was escaping.
Escaping the cruel reality. She already knew, with almost certainty, that Amane had deliberately arranged for Manabe to teach her a lesson, but she still hoped Amane would lie to her, saying that these matters had nothing to do with her.
That way, she could peacefully enjoy Amane's gentleness.
She was still struggling in unease, fear, and despair.
All she needed was a lie.
A lie to comfort herself.
Seeing Amane fall silent, Karuizawa became anxious instead.
"Amane, why are you... not speaking? You definitely wouldn't let Manabe do this to me, right? Please, just say anything, I'll believe it. Whatever you say, I'm willing to believe it, please... tell me you have nothing to do with them, okay?"
Karuizawa hugged Amane, her gaze shifting from expectation to pleading.
Amane gently brushed Karuizawa's slightly messy long hair behind her ear.
Then, she leaned close to her ear and whispered.
"I'm the one who told them to do it."
Click.
It sounded like something had shattered.
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