Kushida Kikyō thought to herself, "This is a great opportunity for me to improve my image in class. I need to make sure my expressions and demeanor are perfect—I have to look like I genuinely care about my classmates."
Kushida's face was perfectly composed, her smile polite, but her eyes held a hint of concern for Sudō Ken.
'What a performance,' Saiki Kusuo thought. 'In a way, you're just as responsible for Sudō's situation as anyone else.'
Saiki noticed that as soon as Kushida spoke, the rest of the class turned their attention to her.
'Hirata's words really changed the mood in the classroom. Everyone's probably going to help Sudō find witnesses now. I guess I don't need to do anything. Maybe I'll just make up an excuse to refuse.'
"Ayanokōji, you'll help me, right?" Kushida added before Saiki could speak.
The classroom's gaze shifted to Saiki, and he could clearly hear their thoughts.
"Since Hirata and Kushida said it, we have to help Sudō!"
'You definitely weren't thinking that a minute ago.'
"Kushida actually invited Ayanokōji to join! I'm so jealous!"
'You're jealous for the wrong reasons.'
"Why isn't Saiki answering? Is he going to refuse? If so, he's just as much of a problem as Kōenji."
'Looks like I can't refuse now.'
Saiki sighed inwardly. Being compared to Kōenji Rokusuke felt like the end of the world to him.
"Fine."
"Thank you so much, Saiki!" Kushida's smile brightened, her voice rising, and she leaned slightly toward him.
'Damn it, Saiki! Why are you so close to Kushida?' Ike ignored Kanji's thoughts and followed Kushida and the others.
Soon, the group split into pairs to search the school for witnesses. Saiki paired with Kushida, while Horikita Suzune stayed behind.
With no classes that afternoon, Saiki had no choice but to trail after Kushida. Even with upperclassmen she'd never met, Kushida greeted them naturally, leaving Saiki impressed by her social skills. She'd spoken more in one afternoon than he had in six months.
Still, their search yielded nothing.
As the sun dipped low, casting an orange hue over the sky, Kushida and Saiki arrived at the school track, where Ike, Ayanokōji, and others were resting. Sudō, who'd been taken to the office earlier, joined them.
"Did anyone find any witnesses?" Kushida asked urgently. The others could only shake their heads.
"Damn it…" Sudō muttered, stomping his foot.
Everyone looked exhausted, except Ayanokōji, who simply gazed into the distance.
A familiar figure approached.
"Kushida, Saiki, what are you doing? So many people!" Ichinose Honami walked over, her upper body swaying gently.
'Wow, another beauty!'
'Is that Ichinose from Class B?'
'Wait, wasn't she the one who ate with Saiki and Kushida on the first day?'
Saiki felt the idiots' jealousy spike. He quickly looked away.
Kushida explained the situation to Ichinose, who nodded eagerly. "Class B can help too! We might find something useful."
"Really? Thank you so much, Ichinose!" Kushida beamed, nearly hugging her.
'She's asking another class for help? There's something off about Kushida.' Ayanokōji observed the two, knowing of Ichinose but not interacting much with her.
'Does Ayanokōji sense something's wrong with Kushida? He can't read minds or see her true nature yet.'
Saiki nodded at Ichinose, keeping his words brief.
'Kushida doesn't actually appreciate Ichinose's help. She's just using this to look like she cares. Ichinose, on the other hand, genuinely wants to help. It's rare to meet someone like her here. Kushida's probably trying to pretend to be like Ichinose.'
At that moment, Saiki counted three people he'd interacted with who seemed normal: Hirata Yōsuke, Shiina Hiyori, and Ichinose.
'As for the others…' He glanced at the idiots, met with envious glares.
'Let's not talk about the monsters…'
"I'll head back now! Let me know if there's any progress!" Ichinose waved and left.
'Damn Saiki! How does he know all these girls?'
'Sorry, I don't want to either.'
'I saw him flirting with a silver-haired girl at a café last time!'
'We were just talking about mystery novels.'
'I'm so jealous! I wanted to use this chance to talk to girls!'
'So you weren't planning to help either?'