10 Chapter 10 - The Dark Sides
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"If you want to say something and have people listen then you have to wear a mask. If you want to be honest then you have to live a lie." ~Banksy
I smile, knowing that I have secured the figurehead I need. An elite member of Class D, both socially and intellectually. Not only that but now I can keep Kikyo under control in the future. "Of course, I will guide you. All you have to do is follow my instructions, and I promise we will reach Class A."
"I trust you, Eru-chan, but how will you make me a leader of the class?" Kikyo asks me.
"Honestly, I don't need to do much more at the moment. You are already an asset to the class, so you will naturally become a leader as long as you continue to receive my support. For now, focus on getting the class to pass. Remember what I told you about buying our seniors' exams? Don't forget it will be important to extend the forms in which you are viewed by the class. And the rest will come the next time there's a problem. Trust me, as long as you seem to solve problems for the class, you will be a leader, especially since you are someone who can rally people behind you, like Hirata. You will provide a lot of stability that no one else can while also being our tactical mind." I say to her, looking at my empty tea cup.
"Eru-chan, you can trust me. I won't disappoint you. I will become a better leader than you can ever imagine," Kikyo said, her eyes sparkling.
"I'm sure you won't. That's why I chose you."
She smiles, "so what now?"
"I think I should leave now. I've said everything I wanted to say," I said, getting up from Kikyo's chair.
"Oh, really? You could have stayed a bit longer," she said, sounding disappointed.
"That's not necessary," I said, glancing around her dorm. It was very tidy and feminine, with pink everywhere. She must have put a lot of points into decorating it. "Well, goodbye," I said, grabbing my blazer and heading for the door.
"Bye, Eru-chan. You're always welcome to come back," she said as I left the room and walked down the hallway.
Perhaps I should thank her for persuading me to assist her with those three idiots in the end. Ultimately, it will benefit me as well, I think to myself as I head to my dorm.
***
The midterms are tomorrow. Kushida should be handing out the old tests any minute now, as soon as the class is over. I gave her other instructions to ensure the survival of the whole class. So the chances of everyone passing are high. Kushida says the trio of fools are having a hard time, but they should make it somehow.
The bell rings, and Kikyo stands up quickly. "Everyone, please don't go. I have a surprise for you all," she says with a bright smile. Most of the class turns to look at her. It must be odd for them to see her act like this since she's not the type to go out of her way to draw attention.
Kikyo reached into her bag and took out a large pile of papers. They are the copies of the exams she bought from our seniors. "Everyone, I got these from our seniors for some points for you guys. They are the past midterms of our Class D seniors, and they told me that the questions on the recent midterms have been basically the same. So I wanted to give them to you all. I hope that we can all pass the midterms together and celebrate. So I hope you all study these questions starting from your weakest subject. I'm sure they will be useful to you all. I even added explanations for each question on them." Kikyo says with a sweet smile.
"Kushida-san, you're a goddess! How did you get these tests? I wasted so much time studying!" Ike exclaimed, looking at the paper with awe.
"Kushida-san, you're too nice," Yamauchi said, almost crying. "You really love us, don't you?"
"Wow, Kushida-chan, you're incredible. I'm so glad we have you." Shinohara said, looking at the paper happily.
"I can't believe this is happening. Isn't this too easy?" Karuizawa said, sounding skeptical but pleased.
I remained seated in my usual posture, pretending to examine and be amazed by the papers that Kushida gave me. Almost everyone else was on their feet, thanking Kushida sincerely. Well, everyone except me, Ayanokoji, and Horikita, who barely glanced at the test. Those two were sitting in their seats, staring at each other. It took me a while to notice something. Horikita's bag was considerably fattier than usual. It seemed that she had taken my advice seriously and was trying to improve. She had the same idea as me, but she was too late. Kushida had taken control of the class before she had the chance.
"What are you staring at?" Horikita asked me, sounding irritated.
"Not much." I say, quickly glancing at her chest, "I was just wondering if this was your plan. I can't think of anyone else who would do this," I asked her, acting clueless.
"Hmph, no. I was going to ask you the same thing, but it doesn't matter now," she said, still clearly annoyed.
"Everyone, please listen to me for one more minute," Kikyo says, getting the attention of the whole class. "I have a favor to ask some of you," she says, lowering her head and trembling.
"Kushida, what are you doing?" Inogashira asked her, confused by her gesture.
"Yeah, come on, Kushida. You don't have to bow. You've already helped us a lot. Just tell us what you want," Hasabe said, reassuring her.
"No, I need to!" Kikyo says, taking a deep breath and composing herself. "I'm so sorry, but what I'm going to ask from some of you is very selfish," she says, keeping her head down. "I want to ask the top scorers in the class to please lower their grades a little to help those who have been studying hard every day but still have difficulties," Kikyo says, shocking the class. "I know I'm asking for too much, but I'm going to do the same and aim for 50s in all subjects. So please, I beg you, I don't have much to give you all. I'm even low on points, but please, even if it's just a few points you give up, can you help save the class?"
She spoke so naturally that it even frightened me, the one who had made the speech for her. I briefly wondered if I had given the power to the wrong person, but I dismissed the thought. This was necessary for now.
The class was utterly silent, and Kushida was still trembling, muttering the word, please.
"I'll do it, Kushida. I'm not the smartest here, but I was going to lower my grades anyway. Let's save Class D together, everyone." Hirata said, and the other students nodded in agreement. But then Kushida's eyes met mine.
"Eru-chan, Koenji, Horikita, and Yukimura, I'm so sorry for not consulting you beforehand, but you four are the top scorers in the class. If you could just lower your grades a little bit, it would mean so much," she says, looking at us, pleading with desperation in her voice.
I allow Koenji to speak up first, "I have no intention of lowering myself for some worthless people. You can forget about me." He says swiftly, causing some gloomy expressions to spread among the class members.
I sigh but reply second, intending to start a chain reaction. "I have no interest in academics, and they are not the key to success in this school. Otherwise, some of us would already be in Class A. So I don't mind lowering my grades." As soon as I say that, I see some hope in the eyes of the class and their attention shifts to Yukimura and Horikita.
After I finished my part, I took out some candy to watch the rest of the show. "I suppose I can lower my grades just a bit for the sake of the class," Yukimura says after a few seconds of silence.
Finally, everyone's eyes turned to Horikita. She was the focus of attention. "We have no choice but to cooperate for now. So if lowering my grades slightly will help us reach Class A, then I'll do it." She said, causing the class to cheer happily. Even Sudou looked astonished by her words. I knew that Horikita had attempted to tutor Sudou and the other two fools, but they had a quarrel. He must be amazed that Horikita was still ready to assist them.
"Horikita, you're awesome," Sudou shouted from across the class. Horikita ignored him, but many others joined in any way and thanked Horikita as well. A few of them also thanked me and Yukimura.
Gradually, the class emptied out as people expressed their gratitude to Kikyo and went on with their day and plans, leaving only me, Ayanokoji, and Horikita.
"I'm so happy you decided to help, Horikita. And you too, Eru-chan. Thank you very much. You don't know how much this means to me." Kushida says, thanking us sincerely.
"You don't have to thank me. I would have done the same thing regardless." I say to her.
Horikita turned to Kikyo. "Kushida, I have a question for you," she said, and Kikyo nodded, looking puzzled. "Where did you get the idea to buy old tests?"
Kikyo frowned slightly at this question. "What do you mean, Horikita? It's obvious that our seniors' tests would be similar to ours," she answered.
Horikita glanced at her bag. She seemed to be bothered by something. Maybe she wasn't the one who came up with the idea to buy those test questions, I thought, looking at Ayanokoji. "I suppose so," she said.
"Well, I should get going," Kikyo said, but before I could follow her to praise her, Horikita stopped me.
"Be wary of her. I notice that you spend a lot of time with her, but I have a feeling that she's not sincere." Horikita says. I'm surprised that she figured it out, even if just a bit, since Kushida is a compelling actress. But I reply to her.
"Unsincere?" I ask, pretending to be clueless. Horikita nods. "I see. How intriguing. I'll keep that in mind." I say to her before leaving the class. I catch a glimpse of Kushida heading to the hallway and going downstairs. Or at least that's what I thought until I heard the familiar sound of footsteps going upstairs to the roof. So I follow, making my way to the roof and peeking at Kushida from the stairs.
"Horikita, that Fucking Bitch!!!" Kushida hisses, hate dripping from each word. At that moment, instinctively, I reach for my phone to capture her unguarded.
"This pretentious whore thinks she is so smart," she continues, her actions growing increasingly violent as she assaults the railing with kicks and sends her bag crashing to the ground. "Just because she has a pretty face, she thinks she's better than everyone else. And the way she looks down at me, does she think I'm too stupid to do anything by myself!?" Her frustration displays physically as she kicks her bag against the railing, her voice laced with malice, "Horikita, you shouldn't have ever been born! The world would be better off if you just dropped dead; you're nothing but a useless bitch!" she yells, as she stomps on her bag repeatedly, "Die! Die! Die!"
I had seen something that I was not supposed to see. I swiftly and discreetly left the place and put some distance between me and the scene, making sure no one noticed me.
I knew that Kushida had some reason to hate Horikita, and that was why she was obsessed with her. But I didn't realize the extent of her hatred. I thought Kushida was just a pretender, but that word doesn't do justice to what I witnessed up there. I think to myself, watching the video of Kushida's outburst on mute. Does she have a split personality? No, that's not possible. People with split personalities don't know about their other selves. Kushida's hate for Horikita was always subtle and hard to detect, but it was always there. So, it can't be a split personality. That means that the Kushida I saw on the roof was the real one. Those were her true feelings. I think, smiling to myself. That's good. The real Kushida is much more likable than her fake persona. I think to myself, biting my finger; it was a valuable video, but also a dangerous one. So, after some deliberation on my next move, I eviscerated all traces of its existence from this device. Then I call Kushida.
She answers after a few rings. "Eru-chan, this is the first time you've called me. Is something wrong?"
"Not at all. You just left the class so suddenly after talking to me, Ayanokoji, and Horikita. I wanted to congratulate you on your brilliant performance. And maybe invite you to dinner." I say.
"Oh, I see. Well, I wouldn't refuse your invitation." She says.
"Alright. I'm leaving the school now. Should I wait for you at the dorms?" I ask her.
"No, no, that's not necessary. I'm still at school. I was just chatting with some friends. But I'm done now. So just wait for me outside the school." She says.
"Okay. I'll be waiting then." I say, hanging up the phone.
A few minutes later, Kikyo emerges from the main entrance. "I came as fast as I could since Eru-chan is treating me." She says cheerfully.
I stare at her and reply, "So, what do you want?"
She looks surprised. "You're letting me choose?"
"Why wouldn't I? It wouldn't be much of a reward if I didn't."
Kikyo's eyes sparkle with excitement. "There's this Korean barbecue place I've been wanting to try, but it's really expensive." She says, looking at me hopefully.
"Well, lead the way," I tell her, and she does just that. We arrive at the restaurant in no time.
"What kind of meat are you getting, Eru-chan?" Kikyo asks me as she scans the menu.
"Meat? You can get whatever you want, but I'm not in the mood for meat. I think I'll get the matcha tiramisu, taiyaki, and three servings of ice cream." I answer, making Kikyo laugh. "By the way, you're quite a good actor, Kikyo. You did exactly as I instructed you and made yourself an indispensable asset to the class."
"I was against the idea at first, both of deceiving the class that way and of becoming their leader, but after today, I can see that it's what the class needs. Everyone was so happy and united. I also feel like I've gotten closer to the class than ever, and that makes me happy." She says as her meat and my dessert arrived.
I've always wondered why Kikyo wants to be so close to the class. What's the point? I don't see what she gains from the relationships she has with the members of our class and other classes since she doesn't use them to gain influence in our class. It's strange. Everyone has a motive, even if it's a noble one, like helping others, but I've seen Kikyo's true nature now, and I don't think it's a stretch to say that her relationships most likely aren't based on kindness. So what are her motives? I am curious and would usually need to know the motivations of my puppet. I think as I look at Kikyo, but as curious as I am, I don't need to know hers, because I have a way to completely control her.
"Yes, this will certainly benefit the class. Now, all that remains is for everyone to pass the midterms tomorrow. Try to aim for around 50 points. I will aim for about 60 or maybe a bit higher so your name can take the spotlight." I tell her as I savor my matcha tiramisu.
"I have a question I've been meaning to ask you."
I turn my head in response. "What is it?"
"Wouldn't you want to keep the fact that you are secretly informing me, the leader of the class, a secret? That's one of the reasons for having me take your place. But don't you think people like Ayanokoji, Horikita, or Hirata, who know you, will realize that you are the one running things behind the scenes?"
"They will not because I will still be around as something akin to an advisor to the class, publicly. You wouldn't suspect the one who is helping you and solving issues in broad daylight to also be the main contributor to the class behind the scenes as well right? Or else, what would be the point of having a stand-in? You see, in most cases, what I'm doing would be stupid, but given the situation, it isn't that stupid. And if we are talking publicly outside our class, this trick is even more appealing. For example, if one of the other classes was looking for someone manipulating things behind the scenes, do you think they would suspect the one doing it to be one of the most high-profile individuals in the class? No, that would be laughably stupid; at least, that is what they would think unless they were able to understand the circumstances that prevent that high-profile individual from leading the class in the first place." I explain to Kikyo, finishing up my dessert.
"I see. I feel like you say that, Eru-chan, but if you really wanted to become the leader, I think you could."
"That's not wrong, but this is better, at least for now."
***
"Good night, Eru-chan!" I say, waving at Eru as he leaves the elevator on his floor. I smiled sweetly, but I was slightly annoyed. I want to learn more about him, but he is one of the few people who haven't opened up to me; at least he isn't as annoying as the many others in our class.
Whatever, he's not important right now. He may know some things about me, but that's only because I let him see them. And every time, he didn't act weird or avoid me afterwards. On the contrary, he seemed to be more intrigued by me. He could be dangerous, but I am not worried about him. I don't think he'll try to oppose me, and he has even invested in me now. I think to myself as I unlock my door and enter my dorm.
I take off my clothes and enter my bathroom. I don't waste any time. I have to wash off the dirt and sweat from today's events.
I'm still surprised that he asked me to be the class leader for him. Especially since he probably doesn't trust me much after seeing how I have acted around him before. I was pissed when he did that at first because it would ruin my relationships with others in the class and other classes. But it's better than letting that bitch Horikita take the spot.
Well, there's no use thinking about it now. I say, getting out of the tub and grabbing my towel. Besides, being the leader might not be so bad, now that I think about it. When I was in front of the class, talking to them, I felt so powerful. It was like I had the fate of the class in my hands. "Hahaha," it was awesome.
As I enter my room wrapped in my towel, I pick up my phone and reply to the messages of gratitude from the class. I had over 30 messages thanking me for my help and praising me for everything I've done. Everyone is also talking and thanking me in the class group chat.
"Unknown Caller?" I see the words on my phone screen and feel a surge of curiosity. Who could be calling? It's not like I have any friends outside the school, but why is the number hidden? I put on my sweetest voice and answer the call. "Hello?"
"Hello, Kikyo Kushida," a distorted voice greets me from the other end. It sounds like someone is using a voice changer. Are they trying to hide their identity? "I have just sent you an interesting message, Kushida. I recommend you check it now." The voice says.
I look at my phone and see a new message. It's a video file. What could it be? Maybe it's a prank? Or maybe it's some kind of confession? I open the video and press play. And then I feel my blood run cold.
It's me. On the rooftop. Screaming and cursing Horikita at the top of my lungs. The video is clear and sharp. Every word I said, every expression I made, every gesture I did was captured perfectly. Someone recorded me. Someone exposed me. Someone knows my secret.
I feel a wave of panic and anger wash over me. Who did this? Who dared to ruin my perfect image? Who wants to destroy me? I looked at the phone again, but it was no use; both the messenger and caller information were hidden.
I don't know who this is, but I have to find out. And I have to make him pay. For messing with me. For threatening me. For seeing the real me. "Who..." I manage to say, barely holding back my rage. I need to keep calm. They might be recording this too. Not that it matters much. I think, glancing at the video playing on the phone. The video that could ruin everything. "Who are you?"
"Me? Well, I am glad you asked. I am L."
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I have a feeling many won't like where I am taking the story as I want to deviate from the main story to really explore L's character and how different I believe things would be if we threw him in this world as his younger self. I also want to explore how complex his character is, as it isn't touched on much in the Death Note series. Let me know what you think so far.
