Chapter 15: Thank You

A/N: So... quite the strange question, but how did you like the last chapter?

Genuinely curious, because... well... it was quite different. Ahem... because of the more or less revealing AI Art there... 

Anyhow, I'm not sure if I'm always getting them accurate, but well.. I'll try my best. 

First things first, here, as requested the AI Art from Ibuki and Arisu. 

I think they're accurate, but please feel free to correct me, if they're not. If you have any particular request for a AI Art write them down and I'll see if I can do them or not.

[Image:]

That said, here you go with the chapter. 

[Word Count: 4304]

--

[Kurushima Pov]

[26th December]

"Kaoru..."

She stuttered, looking at my face, embarrassingly.

"Please... be... gentle..."

I looked at the girl right under me, as I was on top of her bed, kneeling, looking at her with eyes that expressed my desire that was fueling me. 

In this very moment, I could feel that neither I nor she were opposed on doing that certain deed. 

It was something one could tell, easily.

With that in mind, I kissed her on her neck, on her erogenous zone to be more precise, as she not only slowly thereafter released a slight moan from her mouth.

"Hmmh..." 

Feeling how my hands were moving on their own accord, I moved towards her bottom underwear, seeing her shy expression on her face.

The way she looked at me now was extremely arousing, so much, that I wanted to do it with her. 

Especially with how she looked right now, currently.

The light blue lingerie she was wearing, the light blue bra she had on, the outskirt of the bra adorned with a subtle black pattern along its edges, that accentuated her body and her soft smooth skin; I could see it all. 

In particular my focus went somewhere else; her breasts, that certainly were big enough to fit in the palm of my hands.

There was only one thing I currently thought; doing it with her. 

But before I moved her underwear downwards, I stopped.

Strangely, I'm now recalling this certain event from last evening. 

"Haah..."

"I could barely control myself."

"I didn't even care whether I had contraceptions with me for a moment."

"Not even in the slightest bit did I think this would happen at all."

"I've... changed since the beginning of the school.... quite much..."

"For the better... or the worse..."

"Which is it...?"

"I wonder..."

I looked at the ceiling, deep in thought, as I was lying in my bed. 

"Was I always this kind of person...?"

"No... not at all..."

"I was far crueler... when I enrolled here on the First Day..."

"I didn't care how many lives I needed to ruin if it ensured my revenge. In comparison to this... I've become... softer... I think..."

"Or did I...?"

"I'm still the same as before, essentially..."

"Even worse..."

I couldn't help but remind myself of what I did 8 days ago, on the 18th December, 2015. 

"You reap what you sow!"

Saying that to Chairman Sakayanagi I looked at him with a satisfied expression on my face. 

It felt so satisfying, letting someone responsible for your misery to feel the same thing. 

"And it's now your time, to reap what you sow!"

"When I was desperately climbing to the tiniest bit's of hopes to the authorities regarding their deaths, I was rejected, merciless, without a saying."

"Corruption in the broad daylight..."

"And the murder of my family forgotten, left unsolved, because of individuals like you, that are harming this country, in the long term."

"Judges, Police, Private Investigator's... None worked..."

"Not even those who knew of this project... approached me..."

"All because my father was able to gain insight about the true side of Project WR, which he wanted to make public..."

"You must have surely known this too, Sakayanagi Narumori...?"

"After all, there's no way someone like you, a former congressman, from such a distinguished family, with a Senator as a Father at that time still, would not know about this information, would you?" 

"Did you have suspicions...? Perhaps even the tiniest bit's...?"

"This incident... it was strange, wasn't it...?"

"False Data's created... no surveillance camera in the park house, nothing. It's evidently that it was planned all along..."

"My desperation I felt throughout these years..."

"I'm going to make you feel the same desperation as me..."

*Ring*

"An E-Mail from Masashima-sensei now, huh...?"

Smirking a bit, I looked at him. "I wonder what that could be."

"Hahaha...."

"Admits all my preparations for these years... I failed..."

"Countless of years... and yet... I was too weak... to deal the finishing blow..."

"For what, exactly...?"

"That he wasn't trying on evading his consequences...?"

"That he could redeem himself... in my view... a bit..."

"Or did I..."

"Want him to at least know his daughter was safe... as he would pass..."

"Hah..."

"No... If I used the poison sooner... none of that would have happened, either. It was my mistake..."

"I not only did not deal the finishing blow as the situation changed by drinking the remedy in front of him... but I also conversed with him too long... and Mashima arrived because of that, at the right time."

"I didn't think... it'd take that long..."

"That I'd lose my composure over that matter..."

"Over the information..."

"I did..."

"If it was the me... on the First Day..."

"I wouldn't have hesitated."

"I would have succeeded."

"So why..."

"Was I so relieved... to hear that he was alive...?"

"I-I..."

"Know it very well..."

"The reason I hoped he'd tell me everything on his own accord... was because I had hope that I could still walk on a different path..."

"It was not the future I laid for myself, but something..."

"Entirely different..."

I looked at my phone, more precise, at the girl, who made me think this way. 

"Hahaha..."

"I suppose..."

"That's quite ironic, isn't it...?"

"Strangely, it is."

"But I'm not regretting it..."

"Being in a relationship with you."

"Although..."

"Yesterday, has been the prove that... we can't stay any longer... together..."

"You... deserve someone better. My... life will be full of chaos, once I leave this school. I don't want to involve you in it at any costs."

"I thought..."

"Until March..."

"We could be still together..."

"That's what I hoped."

"Because no matter what... I would stay probably only until March here before leaving the school..."

"But... our bond has only grown far stronger in this time. To the point... were we two nearly did the deed, even..."

"I... don't want you do it with me... who's... basically abandoning you."

"I've acknowledged that I'm scum."

"There's no need to remind myself of it. Still... I suppose... considering what I've done so far... she wouldn't recognize me, would she?"

"In particular..."

"Because I nearly... killed someone..."

"And now... that person is in a state of comatose..."

"Who in their right mind would wish to be with someone like that together? I've been selfish these past eight days..."

"By being together further with you, despite what I did..."

"But it's better this way..."

"If we're together regardless... I cannot ensure that it would not happen again. A situation like that... could happen on the New Year..."

"Or in the New Year's Eve..."

"I cannot say..."

"Still... I wish..."

"It would have gone different."

"If only..."

"He talked... voluntarily, everything could have been avoided. I'd have done my best to search for an option with which the two of us would be satisfied with..."

"I'm sorry... Kaoru-kun..."

"I cannot help but remember his last words that were directed towards me..."

"I wonder..."

"Did he really mean that...?"

I shook my head, several times. "He did. Those weren't the eyes of someone who was lying, in the end."

"I-I..."

Feeling how my breathing became erratically again, as I was panicking, I grabbed with my right hand my left wrist forcefully, trying to calm myself down.

"I'm not sure what to think at all..."

"Instead of feeling joy... I felt emptiness..."

"And it didn't feel like anything I imagined..."

"It was such a feeling, after all..."

"Still..."

"No matter what..."

"Nothing will stop me of continuing that path..."

"I will get justice. My justice."

I breathed slowly in and out, messaging someone on my phone. 

[Chat: Hiyori/Angel]

[K: Can we meet up in around a hour? If that's fine with you. (9.19)]

[H: I'm fine with it, Kaoru. Where precisely...? (9.21)]

[K: Here... (9.22)]

Telling her which location, I waited for her response.

[H: I'll be there, Kaoru. Even more punctual than you. (9.23)]

I liked to imagine what face she'd be making. And not even before I recognized it, I wrote on my phone, [Is that so...?] but I stopped, deleting it, as I knew... what would happen afterwards. 

[K: Okay. Until Later.]

[H: Until Later, Kaoru]

Putting my phone to the side I looked up at the ceiling, seeing a small tiny spider above. 

The reason why this certain event happened yesterday... was because of a spider in the first place.

I thought of it as good luck in a strange way, yesterday, firstly.

"But spider's in the night are in the end..."

"A really bad omen, like they say in the Tales."

--

As I walked there, I felt my heart clenching, crazily. 

Love is something I never expected to happen to me, yet... I fell in love. 

How ironic... 

It's both beautiful and painful. 

Aoki... this was what you wanted for me...

What my Mother and Father wished for us all...

But I'm sorry...

I've decided to take another approach. 

Something I even kept quiet from you.

Once April begins, the legal age will be announced to be 18 years old by the House of the Representatives in Japan.

For that... I made some legislators in the beginning of 2014 bring this topic up for some anonymous donations to propose this.

He might come to realize what I plan...

Hopefully, he does not...

I don't want him to feel guilty over this.

Aoki was there for me... when I had no one there for me.

But he's getting older and older and I want him to enjoy his remaining life...

Thank you...

Both of you...

For everything so far...

It's time to regress as they say, now. Cutting the girl I love out of my life...

How ironic...

It really does hurt, as they say. I always felt guilty because of the future... but it was still far away, I thought.

I'd enjoy myself and prevent to think about it.

But apparently... it isn't...

The more our bond gets stronger the more I'm questioning everything in the end.

My life... and perhaps, everything, itself.

That was not how my life was supposed to go, initially, from the way of how I planned my life, but I was fine with it.

I was holding a future open for myself, subconsciously, despite everything what happened.

But I don't know how much our relationship might have grown within these three months.

Not even 55 Days Ago we two didn't even share a kiss and yesterday... this happened.

We're getting more and more known with the other one, and the intimacy and sexual tension between us just grows further with each following day.

Sleeping together... it's something we do, often.

Hugging each other from the back when the other one is reading or cooking.

And yesterday... that would have happened, too, between us.

I barely was able to control myself. But I lost every ounce of rationality around that small time...

That it went like this...

I cannot say if in the future I'd be able to control myself.

So this will be the necessarily step, now.

I'm sorry...

To hurt you like this...

And thank you, for everything, so far...

It's better now than later.

I'm selfish...

I know that well enough.

I shouldn't have delayed this so long. 

It was inevitable. 

Still... I did have some hope...

With a deep sigh I walked slowly there, to the location we were supposed to meet up, seeing that Hiyori already had arrived.

She waved her hands at me, with a happy expression on her face.

[Image:]

As always... she looked tremendously beautiful.

She must have put quite the effort...

That this will happen...

I'm really sorry...

If only the situation was different...

We might have had a future. 

"Kaoru. I'm now the second time more punctual than you."

"I-"

As I felt myself nearly replying automatically, in a teasing manner, I stopped, abruptly, giving her a nod. 

She looked at me slightly confused, as I just did a nod.

Normally... I'd have answered, but I remained quiet. Exceptionally quiet, just doing a nod towards her direction. 

"Is something wrong, Kaoru...?"

"Wrong..."

"Indeed..."

"There is..."

Hiyori tilted her head to the side, looking at me, with a confused face. 

"I've something important to say..."

"Important?" she looked at me, tilting her head towards the side.

Once I said these words, she would definitely come to hate me. No matter what, what I was doing was something unforgivable.

It would not be just our relationship, but also, our friendship, that would come to end. 

She was not only the girl I loved, but also, the first friend I made, before all of this.

I did consider some people to be friends, such as Sudo or Hirata, but it wasn't the same like her, at all.

Although... to be more frankly, while I have much "Friends" in the public, due to my public persona, I don't really regard any of them as such at all, almost.

I was doing my best to be liked by all, so I did put in the beginning quite the efforts. Even with the likes of Sudo, whom I generally would not speak to, till a certain point. 

We played a basketball game, and I suppose... it was not that boring. It was the first time I played it, but it was more enjoyable than I thought. 

I had fun... I think...

The Middle School I attended, when I was sometimes there, used to do many different things unlike here.

Kyudo and other traditional things, so basketball and other sports were not really on my radar, that mostly everyone would do in middle school. 

I enjoyed my life here... quite much...

But it's time that this stops... 

My time with her....

Even before we were together...

I always enjoyed her company the most out of all people... 

No...

There's no point of getting sentimental now.

It's both for her... and for me, the best. 

Do what you came here for...

After this, cutting my remaining bonds will be easier...

Internally breathing in and out I began to speak further. 

"Let's..."

"Break up, Hiyori."

A swift moment of silence echoed through the air as the wind whistles.

I looked at the girl with an apathetic gaze now as I spoke my words... in the hope... she would get over me sooner through this. 

"Is this one of your... jokes... again, Kaoru...?" her voice stuttered, behind her tone uncertainty and fear, asking me this.

But I knew that she could tell that it was no joke... 

She realized it... but naturally... 

It's logical to deny it... at first...

I could tell that immediately...

Shaking my head, several times, I answered. "It's not." 

"Did... I... do something wrong... perhaps...? If so..."

Just to hear her pained voice... was difficult...

Very difficult...

She sounded insecure, covered with a layer of sadness behind her tone. 

I never wanted her to feel this way.

Then again...

It's the first time I'm in a situation like this...

"No..."

"You were absolutely perfect. I don't think I could have asked for someone better."

"It's because of me..."

"You're not at fault."

"Then... why, Kaoru...? Why... do you want us to break... up, then..."

"I thought... we were happy together so far..."

"I'm not the only one who felt happy this whole time, did I...? You were too, weren't you, Kaoru...? I'm sure of that..."

"You're right, Hiyori. The memories I made with you... are within the best one's I made, in the recent years of my life. And I loved and enjoyed every single moment we two spend together."

"Then... why...?"

"Because..."

"The two of us have no future together..."

"I'll leave this school, very soon."

"I've achieved my purpose with coming here... and now..."

"There's no appeal for me... to attend this school, any longer..."

"Class competitions... They're nothing more than child's work for me. They're so boring and unchallenging that I feel like dying already..."

Hiyori looked at me stunned, unable to speak.

In a stunned and shocked manner she repeated the last part of my sentence. "Leaving this school..."

"Do you... really mean that... Kaoru...?" she asks, her tone uncertain. 

"Yes, I do. I've mentioned it once, but my future is already guaranteed, either way. I'm different than you and the other's. I'll follow the footsteps of my parents. I've also gotten what I wanted..."

"The reason I'm here is fulfilled, basically..."

"So now..."

"It's time for me to leave this school, very soon. I'll stay... probably... until March, but after that, I'll be gone."

"But why would... you want to leave this school...? It's... the best... high school... in Japan... and one of the best... in the World..."

"Do you... want... to quit... High... School, perhaps...?"

"Quit...?"

"Not at all. It's the opposite rather. I'm not planning on quitting high school but on skipping High School, entirely."

"A teacher is useless when he can't teach you something. The same do I feel about High School. I already completed the entire curriculum for high school back then, so I've no use of attending this school further, do I...?"

"The Teacher's cannot teach me anything neither can anyone else. I've been only here for something else..."

"Do you mean... your parent's pictures...?"

In her view... it'd be because of that.

It's only logical, is it not? 

The efforts I made to search for it back then in August...

They were tremendously high...

Although...

I've been here because of something entirely else...

To punish one of the responsible people for my revenge... and... get to know the true reason behind their death's...

Surprisingly, I now know everything...

The person behind my entire misery... and his son is here, too... 

His ultimate work... 

I'll crush him completely soon... and then... Atsuomi Ayanokoji's downfall will begin, slowly...

Breaking his masterpiece, then his life work, the White Room, too...

I'll take everything from him, aside from his life, so that he can feel the emptiness...

I'm only remaining here... because that bastard Ayanokoji is roaming free here... 

Still...

How could I lose...?

Me...?

I've been thinking about that so often...

Should I have thrown away my facade of being Kanzaki at that moment and expel him regardless of this...

No...

It wouldn't be towards my advantage at all...

I'll be for the time being anonymous while I take everything from Atsuomi Ayanokoji...

Bringing him to believe Kanzaki is the one who interrupted with his grand plan...

It'll be quite towards my advantage...

His Masterpiece is already under that impression that it's Kanzaki, despite everything...

All I have to do is to expel him, soon...

It won't be that hard...

I wasn't going all-out until recently...

But now... 

It's different...

I hope I can use the coming Exams for this... 

But if not...

I have to take another method...

Although... if I'm doing that... he won't be quite under the impression that it'd be Kanzaki...

There is that...

But... 

Since I'm planning on staying here until March...

I have more than enough time to expel him and make him believe the person behind it is Kanzaki... 

He'll stay here in return, though...

In short... Kanzaki will be spared...

His class... however... won't...

And if he does indeed figure out it's not Kanzaki...

I already have a trap for him, too, in that case...

He'll certainly go after this...

Since who would not want to know in this school that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is in fact, a laboratory experiment originating from a secret facility...?

Even if it's just rumors...

Someone knows about your past...

So you'll be expelled, either way...

I've missed my big chance, last time, four days ago...

Don't think this will be as easy...

But all of this...

I cannot tell her that... 

My true reason...

So I'll leave her in unknown...

"That's right..." 

"But that was... more than four months ago..." 

"Indeed, it was..."

"So you planned to leave... back... then..."

"I did. But someone convinced me to stay here..."

"You mean...?"

"I do. You're the reason I'm still in this school." 

"Then..."

"I'm sorry... but I cannot stay any longer than this, Hiyori, despite all of this. I already planned my entire life out, since the very beginning."

"Going to college and getting the accreditation as soon as possible so that I can lead my family's conglomerate. Wasting my time further here... is something I cannot do."

"I didn't want to say that, Kaoru..."

"I can... wait..."

"No... I'll wait..."

"As long as we're together..."

"I don't mind if I... have to wait for... two years..."

At the immediate moment of her words I could feel how my heart was racing and melting down in this cold weather...

I felt touched...

Very much, to my surprise...

"It won't be just two years..."

"And I won't be here in Japan, either, perhaps..."

I could see the confusion written on her face.

"Japan only allows High Schooler's in their Third Year to skip..."

"Other than that... you cannot skip High School. So I'll go abroad... and skip High School there..."

"And..."

"I might also stay abroad, too, for college..."

"I've not decided it yet."

"But..."

"I cannot provide you the life you'd like to have. We two are far too different for that. Our positions in society, too."

"I'm the heir of one of the richest families in Japan... and being together with me... will... bring you very much unwanted attention."

"I don't... mind..." 

"I... simply... want to be... together with you... Kaoru..."

"But I do..." 

"You'll suffer if you continue to stay with me. And you'll be unhappy, too. I'm just a selfish individual who does not care about anybody else other than himself. You and I..."

"We're far too different." 

"The Life I planned for me does not allow myself to have a happy future."

"I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

"I'm really sorry..."

"But this is it."

"I'm breaking up with you, Hiyori."

"I... see...."

I looked at the girl in front of me, seeing that tears had dwelled up in her eyes.

It was painful to look at, but there was nothing I could do anymore. From now on, I wasn't her boyfriend anymore. 

Still...

The feelings I held for her... had not gone away, even in the slightest bit. 

She turned herself around, running away, with tears on her eyes.

I stretched my right hand in the air, as I looked at her, running, but I quickly turned myself around, walking away. 

I didn't want to feel more pained than I already did by looking at her. 

"I've done it..."

"But my heart beats surprisingly crazy..."

"I cut the girl I love... out of my life..."

"I really... wish... that I did not have to do this..."

"But it's better for you this way."

"I'm nothing like I used to be..."

"And I'm sorry... that I hurt you like this..."

Feeling something slightly wet on my face... I looked at the sky above. 

"It's neither raining nor snowing..."

"Then this is..."

"A tear, huh...?"

"I suppose..."

"No matter how calm I might appear... I'm feeling heartbroken like her, too..."

"Love..."

"It surely was a very beautiful thing..."

"Thank you, Hiyori..."

"I will never forget the memories I made with you..."

"But it's time for you to forget about me..."

"And as for me..."

"I've only one remaining bond in this world left... until I'm becoming truly invincible..."

"Once that happens..."

"I can let the Monster inside of me take over..."

"A Monster..."

"Am I not already one...? With all the things I've done so far...?"

"I don't know..."

"I really don't..."

--

A/N: And this concludes the chapter.

I said the next chapter would be different...

Yeah... it is, unfortunately...

I was really reluctant to write it... because I'm a crazy Hiyori Simp... 

That I hurt her like this... Damn....

But Kurushima's reason was because of the last chapter, as he was in a denial at first of how much their relationship had grown but now he sees it. 

If any of you want some Spoilers I don't mind giving you some. Do you want some...?

Feel free to ask.

As for the next chapter... it's going to be an SS Chapter. 

With this Chapter, this Volume has ended.

I already indicated some SS Chapters, but two of them are going to be with Hiyori. 

Halloween and Swimming Chapter back then... 

Yeah... quite strange... I know... 

As for the other one it's going to be with Ryuen who'll confront Kurushima because of the breakup.

It's going to be the next chapter that might be a bit more philosophical, perhaps, but dunno.

Did you expect this to happen...?

Also, would be curious to hear your predictions about this story. 

Give me some of your takes.

Anyhow, that is all. 

And sorry for the long wait. 

The next chapter should come out sooner. 

Also I apologize if this might have disappointed some of you, but it was often hinted, that Kurushima would do something like this. 

Have a great day. 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.