Since childhood, I thought and believed that there was no god. If they really exist, where have they been all this time? Where were they when I was locked up in the White Room? Where are they when so many children are suffering and crying need help? And why was there absolutely no punishment for that inhuman instructor?

It's a thought I've had since I was little and I know there's no point in whining about the impossible. But from that thought I can conclude that gods don't exist.

Well, at least until a little while ago.

In a short time, I was struck by the fact that the gods and all things supernatural that everyone thought was a fairy tale turned out to be something real.

After getting to know Eve and talking to her, I can conclude that Humans and Gods are pretty much the same. When they are happy they laugh, when they are sad they cry, and when they are offended they are angry. The only difference is that Gods have higher authority than humans.

Gods have their own emotions and desires, which is why someone like Eve does all of this. She has her own duty, which is to oversee all forms of life. But because she has emotions, she feels bored doing her job for a very long time, and to overcome that boredom she invited us here.

I'm currently in a room called Class C Meeting Room, this room is very spacious and has many facilities. In front of where I am standing now is a translucent glass wall that has a very wide view of the clouds, it seems this is the same place Ike fell down earlier. Even though it was as bright as day outside, in fact it was night now that we were following our original world time.

There's a reason why I'm here, just moments ago I was chosen as the person his life will be watching. Before the event started, I had called several people to discuss something very important.

Horikita Suzune, Karuizawa Kei, Hirata Yousuke, Sakura Airi, Hasebe Haruka, Yukimura Teruhiko, Miyake Akito, Ichinose Honami, Shiina Hiyori, Sudou Ken, Satou Maya, Kushida Kikyou, and Chabashira Sae.

They are the people I called into this room. Of course they were called for different reasons but my goal remains the same.

This conversation will probably change any relationship we have right now, whether it will turn out to be good or bad it all depends on how they will accept it. But even so, before things get bad, I have to have this conversation with them.

After thinking about all that, I heard the sound of the door opening behind me. I turned around and saw Horikita enter the room followed by Sudou, before long Ayanokouji's group followed.

They watched the entire room in awe. Well, I can't blame them, I was like that the first time I walked in here too. This room is too luxurious for high school students like us.

"Gosh, this room is super luxurious!" said a stunned Haruka. I could see her eyes sparkling.

"I-Is this room for us?" asked the flabbergasted Airi.

"That Eve, she's exaggerating," said Keisei shaking his head.

"Damn right, but when else can we enjoy this kind of luxury," said Akito grinning.

"Holy shit! This sofa is so soft." I turned and saw Sudou who threw himself onto the sofa in this room.

"Oh my…" Horikita said with a sigh. She then looked at me, "What do you want to talk to us about?"

"I'll tell you once everyone's here," I told her. Horikita nodded and sat down on one of the sofas, at a glance I could see the change in her expression as she sat down, it seemed she was also affected by the enjoyment of the Sofa.

I also tried to sit on the sofa and as I imagined, the sofa was very soft and made me comfortable, so comfortable it made me sleepy. I straightened myself and chased away the drowsiness that almost overtook me, if I had free time I might enjoy this sofa to the fullest. I noticed that Sudou was already fast asleep, it seemed he had been defeated by this sofa.

Not long after, Hirata and Kushida came into the room, I nodded at them and told them to sit down. After that Ichinose and Hiyori entered, it seems they became close since the exams at the camp. They sat down after I nodded to them.

Satou walked into the room shyly, she seemed nervous because I called her. I guess it's only natural, after Satou's confession to me last Christmas Eve, we never spoke to each other after that. Suddenly I contacted her after so long maybe she was surprised and felt she was in the wrong place.

Then Satou's eyes met mine, Satou froze where she stood. To give her comfort, I gave her a gentle nod to reassure her that I really called her here. Instantly Satou's expression brightened, she smiled and nodded at me before sitting down on one of the sofas.

Next to come was Kei, she had a piercing gaze on me. I wonder if she's still upset from seeing me alone with Hiyori that time, I looked into her eyes to tell her that I would explain everything. After seeing my gaze, she understood and decided to sit down.

Finally, Chabashira entered the room. She checked her surroundings and after finding a comfortable place, she remained standing and crossed her arms.

After everyone I invited in, they all then turned to me. I stood up and met their gazes, there's still about half an hour before 8 pm, I think it's time for this meeting to start.

"Thank you for coming here. Like I said earlier, there's something I need to tell you before the show starts."

"What's it?" Horikita asked.

Somehow she's been a bit impatient lately, maybe because she finally found out that I was doing a lot of things behind her back. I saw that the others also had curious and confused expressions. I'd better take care of this first before getting into the main topic.

"Before we start, do you guys want to ask me something?" I asked them.

"Hah!?"

Many did not expect that I would say that. Don't they realize they are easy to read now?

"I see that you guys have a lot of questions now that you've been through this, your facial expressions say it all. So I want us to clear that up before getting into the main topic."

Hearing me say that, Keisei stood up and looked at me.

"In that case, let me ask first. Kiyotaka, what's with all that? Why did all the class leaders choose you?" Keisei asked.

"Th-That's right, Kiyopon! Why did they all choose you, if Horikita-san is understandable but why did Sakayanagi-san and Ryuuen-kun too," Haruka said.

"Agree. That doesn't make any sense at all," snorted Sudou who I don't know when he woke up.

I expected them to ask that, since the me they knew was just a loner student and not very social, so they didn't expect me to have any connections with the class leaders. In order to settle that matter, I guess I should say one fact that no one in this room knows about.

"The election was just bullshit, from the start I was the one who would be chosen," I told them.

"Hah!?"

Of course they would be surprised, it was something that no one knew. The election took place so naturally that no one would think that it was just a bullshit event put on by Eve.

"What do you mean, Kiyotaka-kun?" asked a confused Yousuke.

"Unlike you, I was called here an hour earlier than you guys. There Eve explained that she was going to show people my life at this school."

"Hah!? Wait, I don't understand at all. So you're saying you came an hour earlier than us and that Eve said your life would be watched by people?" asked a very confused Sudou.

I nodded in response.

"But why did she do that, Ayanokouji-kun?" Ichinose asked.

"As she said earlier, to overcome her boredom. Isn't that right, Eve?" I asked. They were all confused by my words, but the confusion didn't last long.

"Like you said, Kiyotaka-kun~" said a voice that came from the small speaker on the table in front of us. It was Eve.

Everyone was surprised at Eve's sudden voice. No one expected that the voice would appear near them.

"E-Eve-san? Is that you?" asked a surprised Hiyori.

"Yep, it's me, Hiyori-chan. This building is being watched by me so I can know what you're talking about," Eve said cheerfully.

I don't know why I feel something different with the Eve before and the Eve now, I feel she is more open now. She even used our first names without hesitation.

"What's with your pretentious behavior? Out there you're like… you know… like 'that'," said Sudou whose words were cut off at the end.

"So rude. I've always been like this, you know. Well, I wanted to show you my authority so you guys believe me," said Eve.

"You should just show your strength, we immediately believed in that," said Akito.

"…"

It seemed like Akito shot her right in the face making Eve speechless. I agree with Akito, there's no need to change your attitude when you have very convincing evidence.

"…L-Let's get back to the topic. Where were we before?" Eve asked trying to divert the conversation.

"Until 'Why are you doing all this'," said Keisei.

"Ah, yes, until that. As I said before, I do this for my own pleasure and to relieve my boredom. Kiyotaka-kun's daily life can make that happen," said Eve.

"But… why does it have to be Kiyotaka-kun?" asked Airi, asking the question that was at the heart of the whole thing.

"Hmm... for that I can't answer it, you have to watch first to find the answer," replied Eve. It seemed like she wanted them all to see the answers in person rather than just words.

It seemed Eve's words were enough to satisfy their curiosity. Well, not all of them.

"Wait, as long as Kiyotaka doesn't mind I don't mind if he gets picked. What I don't understand is why did Sakayanagi and Ryuuen choose Kiyotaka? Did you also ask them to make a fake election earlier?" Akito asked.

Even though the problem of why I was chosen had been resolved, there was still one more problem that was quite confusing for them. Of course, to some of them I was just an ordinary quiet student. To be suddenly chosen by 2 famous class leaders must have confused them.

"Miyacchi is right, how are you going to explain that?" Haruka asked agreeing with Akito.

"They're not involved with anything at all and it's their own choice. Unfortunately I also can't explain to you why they chose Kiyotaka-kun, but… I can give you a few hints," said Eve.

"Hah..!?"

"Suzune-chan, how about you explain. You caught something in my words back then right?" Eve said which took Horikita by surprise.

Wow, I really admire Eve acting so friendly with Horikita, the only one I think Horikita would allow others to call her like that is her older brother, Horikita Manabu. And here Eve went too far in building a relationship by calling Horikita 'Suzune-chan', more amazingly Horikita didn't even think about it.

Then everyone's attention turned to Horikita, seeing everyone's gazes made Horikita answer Eve's question.

"That's just my own conclusion, I don't know if I'm wrong or not," replied Horikita.

"Do you know something, Suzune?" asked a confused Sudou.

Everyone looked at Horikita as confused as Sudou, probably because they didn't catch the words Eve gave. The only two people I know caught the clue in Eve's words, namely Horikita and Hiyori. They both had sharp enough insight that it wouldn't surprise me if they managed to figure it out.

"What I got from Eve-san's words is that we can choose anyone and there won't be any problems because everyone is allowed. Because from the beginning Ayanokouji-kun was the one who would be chosen, it means he has allowed us to see his life and that is what triggered Sakayanagi-san and Ryuuen-kun to choose Ayanokouji-kun," said Horikita.

"Precisely. I used those words to lure the two of them to choose Kiyotaka-kun, Suzune-chan would choose Kiyotaka-kun because she was curious as to why they both chose her, and lastly because she had 3 votes, Honami-chan chose Kiyotaka-kun with Kanzaki's support who felt something strange because the other three class leaders chose the same person. In the end, everything seems natural, my plan is perfect right?" said Eve proudly.

Hey, I made the plan, why are you so proud. I was planning to say that but held back because it would only add more questions.

It seemed like no one would ask anymore as they all fell silent after hearing Eve's words. They all also knew that Eve wasn't going to say anything because giving too many hints would definitely detract from the fun she had.

"If all of you have no more questions, can we move on to the main topic? Ayanokouji, why did you invite us all here?" Said Chabashira who had been watching silently for a while. Although she was still as calm as ever, but I could see that she was looking forward to the upcoming events.

Hearing Chabashira's words, they all turned to me at the same time. Seeing that there were no more questions from them, I decided to get into the main topic.

"Okay," I said in response to Chabashira, "But before that I want to ask you something."

"What's it?" Horikita asked.

"What kind of person do you think I am?" I asked them. First, I have to ask them this.

"Hah!?"

They were all confused by my question, of course because I'm still rambling and haven't explained the reason I called them here.

"Why are we answering that, can you just quickly tell us, we've already wasted a lot of time," said Sudou in annoyance.

"Sudou-kun, if you don't want to waste your time here then go away, you're interfering," Horikita snapped.

"H-Hah… n-no, I didn't mean it like that, Suzune," Sudou said trying to defend himself, but Horikita ignored him and stared at me.

"Does this have anything to do with what you want to talk about?" Horikita asked.

"Yes, I want to know what kind of person I am in your eyes. I need that answer to get into the main topic," I replied to all of them.

After I said that, they started giving their opinion about me. Starting from Ayankouji's group, each of them considers me a fun friend, they say I'm quiet but cool to talk to, even though sometimes I'm considered innocent. Well, I won't deny it because there are many normal things in this world that I don't know about.

In conclusion, the Ayanokouji Group gave me a positive impression, Airi even thought I was an extraordinary person, it was probably because of her feelings for me that her opinion of me was higher than the other group members.

Next up is Sudou and as expected he will definitely give me a bad impression and show his superiority. It seems he still sees me as an obstacle for him to get Horikita because of my closeness to her, even though I've been avoiding her lately.

Kushida is still as usual with a cheerful smile, she praises me as a kind and helpful person. I wonder what was on her mind when she said that to me. Well, there's no point in thinking about that since I already know what she's thinking.

Ichinose and Yousuke gave almost the same answer as Kushida, the difference was that they were much more sincere in saying that than Kushida. They were really grateful that I had helped them when they were down, so they said there was no way they would give a bad opinion of me. Honestly, I really appreciate that.

Chabashira gave her opinion of me from a teacher's point of view, for her I was a quiet person, not very interacting, indifferent, and average academic ability. Seems like she doesn't give an opinion about the hidden side of me.

Next up is Satou, I wonder how she feels about me after I rejected her, and I'm surprised that those feelings haven't changed at all. For her, I'm still an extraordinary person. She said all good things about me while being shy, it didn't take long for the others to conclude that Satou likes me. I noticed that some of them gave me a 'What did you do to her?' look. I don't need to answer that because I'm sure it will be shown on the screen later.

Hiyori thought of me as an irreplaceable precious friend to her. The beginning of our relationship formed by chance when I met her at the library, after finding out we have the same hobby, Hiyori and I often meet to discuss new books. She was probably one of the few people I would call a friend.

Next up was Horikita, she was looking at me with a gaze that was stronger than usual. I returned her gaze. No one spoke and we just stared at each other, before long Horikita started talking.

"At first, I thought you were an annoying neighbor. You are quiet and aloof, you want to make friends but you don't have the communication skills to do that so it looks pathetic. You also have no academic skills, your grades are just the average of a normal student. Apart from your fast running, you don't really excel in other sports. The conclusion I can come to is that you are just a mediocre student."

Horikita gave her opinion that others could easily figure out, but that was enough to satisfy Sudou, he folded his arms and grinned triumphantly when Horikita said I'm an ordinary student.

However, Horikita hadn't finished giving her answer yet.

"However, your true self is much better than that. You have broad insight and a sharp mind. You are very good at academics but you hold back on getting high marks. I don't know how good you really are at sports, but you have a mature physique and you're also strong in fighting. Then you're really great at strategizing and solving problems. In class, you have the highest contribution of all. That is what I think of you so far."

No one expected that those words would emerge from Horikita's mouth, they were all shocked and speechless hearing it, even more so for Sudou and Keisei who received the biggest shock.

Those words were the result of the observations Horikita made of me during our freshman year, as my next-door neighbor we often talked to each other and she also often watched me do things for the class from the shadows.

Apart from Sakayanagi who knows my origins, Kei who is my accomplice, and Ryuuen and his gang who I beat up, Horikita is the one who knows my true abilities. Even though she didn't know how far I could go, as a result we had to do a competition so she could see what I could do.

"Restraint in academics? What does it mean?" asked a surprised Keisei, there was a hint of impatience in his voice. Given that he was the 'Teacher' in Ayanokouji's group, it was natural for him to be surprised when he heard I was holding back in academics.

"Th-That's right, Suzune. What does it mean? Aren't you praising Ayanokouji too highly," said Sudou.

"I'm just telling the truth," Horikita said.

"Hah… I don't understand at all. Hey Ayanokouji! What does all this mean, you must know something right!?" Sudou asked angrily. Keisei also glared at me.

"You'll find out later," I said, giving no further explanation.

I then turned to the last person who had yet to give an answer, namely Karuizawa Kei. She's been quiet since she walked into this room, I'm sure she must be very confused as to why I'm doing all this.

Before Kei started to speak, I looked into her eyes which made her stop. She stared back at me, I gave her a 'Tell them everything' look which made her widen her eyes slightly. After getting the signal message I sent, Kei started to speak.

"A part of it has already been said by Horikita-san, but I will say it anyway. You are the smartest person I know, probably the smartest in this school. You are also very strong in fighting, I don't think anyone can beat you in this school. From the outside you look like a pathetic loner, but when you get to know you more closely you are a very talkative person. And I'm sure you can face the problems you face and solve them easily. It's a side of you that I know but not many people know."

Kei gave me much higher praise than Horikita. The others couldn't hold back their shock at Kei's words, they were all also confused about our relationship, because before this the two of us had never been related before except for the rumors that spread during the Ichinose incident back then.

With the many compliments Kei gave, it turned out that there was still something she wanted to add.

"But you have a cold, cruel and heartless side. You will get rid of anyone who stands in your way and you will do anything for your goals to be achieved. You'll even get rid of your own allies if it's to achieve your goals. To you, everyone is just a tool for your own benefit."

The word was spoken, there was no need to say that everyone widened their eyes at Kei's words. Even Horikita couldn't help being shocked at Kei's cruel description of me. Yousuke who had glimpsed my darkness was as surprised as Horikita. Only Kei knows the real me so it's natural for them to be surprised when they hear Kei's words.

But Kei's words were needed, I was the one who told her to tell everything to everyone in this room. From here the real show begins.

"W-Why do you say that, Karuizawa-san! That is outrageous!" Satou shouted angrily. She probably thought Kei insulted me with her words that made her angry.

"That's right, Karuizawa-san. I know Kiyotaka-kun can be cold sometimes, but I think your words were too much," Yousuke scolded.

Ayanokouji's group felt the same way as Satou and Yousuke, they sent a glare at Kei. Kei remained silent and turned her attention away from all of them.

Before things got messed up, I decided to go in.

"What she said was the truth," I told them.

The commotion stopped, they all slowly turned to me in disbelief.

"W-What do you mean, Kiyotaka-kun?" Airi asked stuttering.

"I mean like she said, I have absolutely no feelings. I will get rid of anyone who gets in my way and I will do anything to achieve my goals. I won't hesitate to throw you guys out as my friends if it's for my own victory."

I stared at all of them as I said that without blinking, this was the decisive moment, whether they would stay with me after revealing my true self or they would stay away from me after this. It all depends on how they will accept it.

The members of Ayanokouji's group looked at me in disbelief, they probably thought that the friendship we had meant nothing to me. The others also looked at me like that, they didn't expect the real me to be like this.

"Keisei, if I get a higher score than you in the subject you are good at, how would you feel," I asked Keisei.

"Hah, of course I would be angry. It's like you're making fun of me from behind-,… wait, don't tell me you…" Keisei's words stopped when he realized something, my silence was enough for him to understand the truth.

"It's enough! I'm so sick of all this bastard!" shouted Sudou, he got up and rushed to my place. But before he could reach me, Horikita blocked him.

"S-Suzune…!? Are you still going to defend him? This bastard is unbelievable!" shouted Sudou while pointing at me.

"Shut up!" Horikita snapped, making Sudou freeze. After that Horikita looked at me, I also looked back at her. She didn't say anything, it seemed she was trying to understand my purpose from the look in her eyes.

"There is a purpose for you to do all this, right?" Horikita asked.

I nodded. Horikita knows very well that I want a peaceful life and become a normal student at this school, she must be very suspicious of my current attitude which makes me openly despised.

"Do you want to know? Why did I become like this?" I asked them.

"Hah? What do you mean?" Horikita asked. Even Horikita didn't expect me to say that.

I took a deep breath and let it out, somehow I'm getting nervous right now. Then I looked at them.

"I want you to know who I really am. Why can I be cruel like that, why am I such a quiet person, why am I always expressionless,… and why am I emotionless."

If I had never been in this situation, I probably would never have wanted to tell anyone the truth about me. But now it's different, my life will be watched by everyone, I admit I did a lot of bad things during this school that might make people hate me.

To that end, I made some anticipation moves when it came. I want to draw these people to my side, so when the time comes they will support and defend me because they understand my situation.

(…)

Well, that's not really the real reason I invited them here. The real reason I invited them all here had to do with the private conversation I had with Eve before they all came. I don't need to tell them that, because that's an excuse I'll keep private.

"Ayanokouji-kun, you mean… you weren't always like this?" Ichinose asked me.

"Yeah, when I was little, I was the same as you. Laugh when you're happy, cry when you're sad, and get angry when you're offended," I told them.

It was the me that I remembered the earliest, I can't remember how it felt anymore because I've been forgetting about it for too long. I wonder how I would have been if I had never been cooped up in the White Room, would I have been like them? Can I be normal? I don't know the answer because it's just wishful thinking.

"I want to know." After a long silence, Kei stepped forward.

"Karuizawa-san?" muttered Satou in confusion.

"I've seen your darkness before and it's completely abnormal for a high school boy to have. So I want to know what made you like that," said Kei. Strong determination radiated from her words, Kei had asked something like this before and I gave a vague answer, so this was her chance to find out about me.

"I-I want to know that too," said Ichinose, surprising the others. "Ayanokouji-kun I know is a good person, you helped me too many times when I was in trouble, so it was hard for me to accept your words earlier. If what you said earlier is true, then I want to know, I want to know why you are what you are now."

After Ichinose's revelation that shocked everyone, another surprise came from an unexpected place.

"I want to know too," Airi said loudly, the rest of Ayanokouji's group looked at her with wide eyes.

"A-Airi!?" said Haruka who couldn't contain her surprise.

"K-Kiyotaka-kun has always been kind to me, so I also want to know why he became like that," Airi said to Haruka and the others.

Ayanokouji's group members stared at Airi in awe, I guess that's only natural since it's rare for Airi to have this kind of courage. So far I've seen Airi 2 times like this, the first when facing her stalker and the second when she asked to join Ayanokouji's group.

"Well, if Airi is already like that, I guess it wouldn't hurt us to know. Right, Haruka?" Akito said but he got no response, "Haruka?"

"A-Ah yeah, I think so too, is it alright, Yukimu?" Haruka said while stuttering. I felt something was wrong with her for a moment.

Keisei who was crossing his arms from earlier finally sighed, "Alright, I also want to know why Kiyotaka is holding back in class."

With that, all members of Ayanokouji's group agreed to my words. Before long everyone also agreed, now it was Horikita and Sudou.

"Would you like to listen to him, Suzune?" Sudou asked Horikita.

"If you don't want to, you can leave, Sudou-kun," Horikita said mercilessly.

"Hah!? No, that's not what I meant, I just wanted to hear your opinion!" said Sudou in a panic when Horikita chased him away.

"Then stay here, because I want to hear it too," Horikita said, then she turned to me, "I'm listening."

I nodded, then looked over the table, to be more precise at the speaker on the table where Eve's voice was coming from.

"Eve, can you send my memories to them?" I asked, they all tilted their heads in confusion.

"Hmm~, why do you think I can do that?" Eve asked. She really likes to beat around the bush like this, doesn't she?

"You have my life to show everyone, so doing something like this is easy for you to do," I tell her.

"Fu fu, as expected of you. Right, it's an easy thing for me to do. So… where do you want to start?"

"Everything."

"…Seriously?" Eve asked. Apparently she didn't expect me to say that, there was a tone of surprise in her voice.

"Yes. I want you to show them as much memory as I can remember," I tell her.

"Okay, if that's what you want. Listen to me, everyone," Eve said to Horikita and the others.

"W-What were you two talking about earlier?" Sato asked. Maybe she didn't understand what we were talking about.

"I will send Kiyotaka-kun's memories into your heads, so you can see his past. It will save you a lot of time rather than telling it from scratch. Don't worry, there will be no negative effects on you," explained Eve.

It seemed they had gotten used to supernatural powers because no one was surprised anymore when they heard something as impossible as that.

"Ah, before that, Sae-sensei. I suggest you sit down for your own safety," Eve said. Chabashira raised her eyebrows but she complied anyway, she then sat down on the empty sofa.

"Before we begin, I must warn you to brace yourselves. Because this isn't something you're used to seeing," Eve said with a final warning.

"Alright, let's get started."

Here we are…

My past in the White Room will be shown to them. How did they react? Will they be sad? Angry? That question will soon be answered.

Right after that, our view was blocked by a white field.

---

White.

White floors, white walls and white ceilings. The surroundings are only dominated by white.

In the middle of that white world, a brown haired boy stood, the boy was about 5-6 years old, he was wearing a hospital patient's clothes that covered up to his feet.

The boy was not alone, there were dozens of other children wearing the same clothes as him. The boy didn't know why he was here, all he knew was that his father put him here.

Then some adults wearing lab coats came into the room, they said that the boy and the others were here to study and practice.

After that, the boy and the other children started their lessons there. At first it went smoothly and peacefully, the boy was able to solve the problems given in the lesson and he was also good at sports.

But the peace did not last long.

Within a few months after that, hell began for the boy and the others. Lessons that were initially easy gradually increased in difficulty to an extreme level and the sport was now supplemented by extremely hard martial arts lessons.

Panic overtook the children, problems that were once easy they now cannot solve. The boy is also the same, he panics when he can't solve all the problems.

When they fell to their lowest point, the children cried, including the boy. They cry because they can no longer deal with the pressure they are under, but no matter how many times they cry, adults simply don't care about them. They only considered the children as experimental subjects, if they were damaged they could be replaced.

It was then that the boy realized the place he was occupying now was a facility called the White Room, a facility aimed at artificially creating a genius and the training he had been undergoing all along was part of that plan. Even more so the fact that his own father was the leader of the White Room.

The children's suffering continued for years, every time they failed they would be punished. Pressure increases all the time so even adults will have a hard time dealing with it.

Then one day, the childrens reached their limit. Some of them fell to the floor gasping for air and their breaths were heavy, their bodies were convulsing, and their visions were erratic.

The boy tries to help those who have fallen, but is forbidden by the instructor. The instructor says those who survive are winners, if they want to win then they have to take care of themselves over others or they will end up failing like fallen childrens.

After hearing that, several terrifying thoughts assaulted the boy. What will happen when he fails? Will he be thrown out? …Is he going to die?

No, he will not fail. He doesn't want to. He will win no matter what. To do that, he must survive through this hell he is currently facing.

From then on, a great change occurred in the boy. His demeanor became cold and reserved, he no longer cared about what was happening around him, all he cared about was what was in front of him.

The boy's abilities had also greatly increased to a very extreme level. At such a young age, the boy managed to beat several adults in battle, and he also answered very difficult questions without any effort.

The boy's development is the main concern in the facility, his father is very happy with the boy's development. The boy was the first child to reach the highest level.

The boy quickly made the difference in ability between him and the other childrens widen, no other childrens could reach the boy's potential. With the boy's achievements, the instructors nicknamed the boy the 'Masterpiece'.

But great power has a high price.

One day, a child fell beside the boy while they were marching. The fallen child is short of breath and sweaty, indicating that the child has reached his limit.

But different from before, the boy just stared at the fallen child. No sympathy, no worries, no intention to help, the only reason the boy stared at the fallen child was because he fell suddenly so that his attention was attracted, after which the boy looked back at the front as if not nothing happened.

After that, the boy felt a change in him. He no longer laughs, smiles, gets angry, or cries. He feels empty, he only has a goal to complete all the assignments given by the instructor and stay away from the other children. It was then that the boy realized that he had abandoned his humanity.

But even so, the boy continued to advance. With more and more extreme training every day, the boy still finishes well, keeping him further away from the others as they fall one by one.

One day, a girl with blonde hair approached and talked to the boy. The girl is in the same generation as the boy.

After that meeting, they often spoke together when the opportunity arose. During their break, the two of them often take advantage of the short time to talk and play together.

While they were resting in the library, the girl asked something that caught the boy's attention.

"What does it feel like to be free?"

What does it feel like to be free?

What does it feel like to be free?

The question rang in the boy's head, all this time he had not thought about freedom at all. All he thought about was how to survive in this place, but after hearing the girl's question, the question stuck in his head.

How does it feel to be free?

The girl hopes that one day she will be free, experience a normal life out there. It was the girl's wish.

But that wish never came true.

One day the girl reached her limit, her body trembled and her breathing was heavy. Her condition was the same as the other failed children, the next day the boy never saw the girl again.

The boy didn't think much of the girl, for him the girl just failed and disappeared, that's all.

But even so, the girl's words still echoed in the boy's head. Words that made the boy question the life he lived in this facility.

"What does it feel like to be free?"

The boy kept thinking that as he lived his life at the facility.

His life hasn't changed at all, he's doing training and completing assignments from the instructors. The only thing that changed was that he had a desire to be free from this place.

He wanted to experience freedom, curiosity overcame him about life in the outside world. Therefore, the boy kept waiting for his chance to gain freedom.

Years later came the opportunity the boy had been waiting for. The chance happened because the White Room would be temporarily suspended and all research objects moved temporarily, including the boy.

The boy was transferred to the mansion owned by his father and there the boy was raised by his servants. His father went abroad for whatever he was doing.

But that was the mistake his father had made.

The boy's servant knows that he never get a normal life, so the servant decides to help the boy.

The servant suggests the boy enroll in Advanced Nurturing High School, a school run and supervised by the government, and the only place the boy's father cannot touch.

Despite knowing the imminent danger, the servant still helps the boy and prepares for the risk. The boy was very grateful for the sacrifice of his servant.

Now with all his affairs done, the boy enrolls in the school to get his freedom.

He knew that this freedom was only a temporary freedom and one day he would be sent back to the White Room.

But even so, the boy would enjoy his temporary freedom and would protect that freedom with all his might.

---

The sound of gasping breaths filled the room after Eve finished showing them my memories.

They all looked so bad, the boys widened their eyes and were stunned speechless, even Yousuke had a much uglier look than when Yamauchi was kicked out.

The girls were even worse, they were all crying.

Yes, all of them.

The girls including Horikita were crying, they widened their eyes while tears flowed freely from their eyes. Just a few days ago I saw Horikita cry and now I see her crying again.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kushida who was covering her mouth while sobbing, tears streaming out of her eyes and her body shaking as she held back tears.

So she still has sympathy for me, huh…

Kushida hates me, just as much as she hates Horikita because we know about her past. Seeing her cry while looking at my past proves she still has a conscience.

I also saw Chabashira crying. Her body was limp and her head was drooping down so her hair covered her face, but I could see her body shaking and the small sobs she was holding back. I didn't expect the day to come when I saw that cold teacher cry.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun, th-this…" Horikita said to me in a trembling voice, her tears still flowing and she didn't dry her tears at all.

"As you can see. The White Room, that's where I've grown up for these 15 years, a place created to create artificial geniuses," I told them.

After I said that, their expressions grew even more gloomy. It seemed like they had finally realized that what they just had was not an illusion.

They were all stunned, emotional turmoil mixed within their bodies at this moment. Then…

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!"

BAM!

Angrily, Sudou hit the table with all his might with his fist, all the emotions he had been holding back he had been venting through that fist, the sound was so loud that it would probably be heard by people outside.

"Khhh…!" Sudou bit his lip and looked like he was holding back tears, I don't know if he was holding back tears from feeling the pain from his hit earlier or from seeing my past.

"So… this is your first time living in the outside world, Kiyotaka?" Akito said carefully to me. Even though he seemed to be looking at my memories, he seemed to want to confirm my true feelings.

"Yeah, one year ago, right before the school's opening ceremony, that was the first time I felt alive in the outside world," I said.

"H-How can anyone be so cruel!" shouted Ichinose tearfully as she covered her face with her hands.

"Khh… I thought my mother was already the worst…" Keisei grumbled quietly.

I can understand why they are so frustrated. They were normal children who had never seen the darkness possessed by humans, when they were exposed to something so cruel it must have frustrated them.

"A-Ayanokouji," Chabashira called me stuttering, I turned to her and saw her approaching me with a troubled expression.

"I'm really sorry for what I've done to you," said Chabashira, she bowed deeply to apologize to me.

The reason for Chabashira's apology was because she once used me for her own benefit, Chabashira's wish was to advance and graduate as class A, so she took advantage of me after hearing vague information about my potential.

I don't know if I'm mad at her or not, but as much as possible I want to maintain a good relationship with her.

"No need to apologize, sensei. I don't think about it anymore, at least now you know why I want a peaceful life so much," I told Chabashira.

"Yes, I understand."

"By the way can I ask for help?" I asked.

"What is it?"

"There's still something I want to talk to them about, for that can you calm the people outside? I'm sure they're noisy now after hearing Sudou's outburst."

"I understand. Is there anything else you want to say?"

"About the help we talked about earlier…"

"Ah, you don't have to worry about that, I'll help you as best I can. I will also convince Mashima-sensei. Anymore?"

"No, that's enough. Thank you sensei," I said.

"No, I'm the one who should be thanking you."

After saying that, she nodded and left the room. Somehow Chabashira was being more gentle with me now, maybe it was because she had seen my past memories.

"What is it about?" Horikita said curiously.

"Something happened between me and Chabashira-sensei, if you're curious you can see it later," I told her.

Horikita nodded then she leaned back on the sofa, making herself comfortable. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, it seemed she was still trying to calm herself down.

I noticed that the others had also calmed down a bit more than before, but no one spoke. Just like Horikita, they were still trying to calm themselves down.

"I must say, Ayanokouji. Your father is the biggest bastard I've ever known," said Sudou who was still sitting on the floor since his emotional outburst.

"It's okay, after all… I don't think of that man as my father anymore," I said.

My relationship with that man couldn't be called a father-son relationship at all, he considered me his property, and I considered him nothing more than a stranger. The only evidence that we had a relationship was what was written on paper.

After I said that, they all lowered their heads sadly. Looks like I have to be careful when talking, they are still sensitive to things that smell of suffering.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad. My goal is to show you my past so you can understand who I really am," I tell them.

"What do you mean?" Horikita asked.

"At this school, I've done a lot of things behind the scenes, you all know that I'm not doing it in a nice way when you look at the real me. I invited you here because you are people who are close to me in this school, so I don't want to disappoint you when I do a lot of bad things, that's why I'm telling you my past."

Putting aside Sudou, Satou, and Kushida. They are all people I have frequent contact with in this school, I don't know if I can still live as a normal student if they all turn against me. That's why I say all this, sometimes honesty is a powerful weapon to overcome problems.

"I don't know what love is and I also don't know what affection is because in that place it's not needed. This is the real reason why I rejected your confession, Satou."

"Eh?" Satou shrieked in surprise I suddenly said her name. The others widened their eyes in surprise.

"I couldn't accept your feelings at that time because I didn't know if I could reciprocate your feelings, for that I'm sorry," I told her.

"Y-You don't need to apologize, Ayanokouji-kun. I'm the one who should be apologizing, I just casually confessed my feelings to you without thinking about your situation," said Satou while looking down.

"Don't worry about it, I'm actually really grateful that a girl confessed her feelings to me."

"R-Really!? He he…" Satou smirked with a red face. For some reason Ichinose and Airi sent an envious look at Satou.

"I also have to apologize to you, Kei," I said to Kei who had been pouting ever since, "If Eve hadn't shown up, I would have definitely used you to learn what love is by asking you to be my gilrfriend."

The atmosphere turned gloomy again. From their point of view, what I said earlier must have sounded cruel for toying with someone's feelings. I'm not denying that, that's why I apologized to Kei.

Kei who looked down from earlier after I said that walked closer to me, I couldn't see her expression at all. If she's angry, I can understand that.

After a while Kei raised her head and looked at me in annoyance.

"I'm angry Kiyotaka, if you really did I might have slapped you by now for toying with my feelings," she said.

I already guessed that.

However, Kei's next words were something I never expected.

"But don't think of me as a weak girl, Kiyotaka. You don't know what love is? You don't know what affection is? Okay, then I'll teach you. I'll teach you love, I'll teach you affection. I will teach you until you understand and you will return my feelings!"

Kei said such bold and loud words with a very red face, her breath was also panting, it seemed like she put a lot of courage in saying it all.

I don't know what my expression was when I heard Kei's words, but I could definitely feel that my eyes were wide. That proves how shocking Kei's words were to me.

Everyone also widened their eyes looking at Kei, they didn't expect Kei to be so brave to detonate such a surprise bomb.

"I-I will also help you, Ayanokouji-kun!"

As if Kei's surprise wasn't enough, another surprise bomb came from an unexpected place.

"Hah?"

"HAH!?"

Everyone including me turned simultaneously to Ichinose Honami who had just dropped the bomb. They were all shocked to hear Ichinosei's words with Kei making the loudest surprised voice.

Despite being the center of attention, Ichinose doesn't budge and she looks me straight in the eye.

"I don't care who you really are, Ayanokouji-kun. The you I know are a kind and helpful person, you have helped me many times when I was in trouble and I am very grateful for that."

Ichinose paused for a moment, her words strong and determined. Then she continued talking with her cheeks turning red.

"I-I was originally the same as you, I didn't know what love and affection were because I had never experienced anything like that. But after getting to know you, I can understand about it. You cheered me on and pushed me forward, and I subconsciously had feelings for you. I-I don't know if I can be of any use or not, but I still want to help you. And I hope someday you... l-l-like me too…"

After saying that, Ichinose sat up and she buried her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment. Her face was very red, sweat was pouring from her cheeks too, and I could also hear a small 'Hwawawa…' from Ichinose.

Everyone froze and stared at Ichinose with wide eyes, they never expected that Ichinose Honami would openly express her feelings for me. Even Sudou froze with his mouth agape in surprise.

After realizing Ichinose's situation, Horikita looked at me with a very sharp gaze, she sent me a 'What did you do to her!?' look and demanded an honest answer.

I quickly shook my head to show that I didn't know either. Kei and Ichinose's bold confession was something I didn't expect.

I thought that Ichinose was so brave because she didn't want to lose to Kei, so she thought of showing her feelings for me sooner so I could pay my attention to her.

By the way, considering Ichinose is behaving like this, then…

"I will also help you, Ayanokouji-kun!"

"M-Me too, Kiyotaka-kun!"

As I expected, Satou and Airi simultaneously said that to me. I know how the two of them feel for me, so they don't want to lose when they see Ichinose and Kei openly confessing their feelings to me.

Seeing their determination, I decided to accept their help honestly.

"Thank you, all of you. I really appreciate that," I said. Their expressions brightened after I said that. After that the atmosphere became comfortable, no one else felt depressed when they saw my memories earlier.

"Yo, Ayanokouji."

"Hey, Kiyotaka. Come with us for a moment."

While I was thinking, suddenly Sudou and Akito approached me. They put their arm around my shoulders and dragged me away from the others.

"Damn you, Ayanokouji. I don't care as long as you don't target Suzune, but I'm really envious of so many girls confessing to you," said Sudou in annoyance.

"That's right, Kiyotaka. Moreover they are all beautiful girls, what did you do to make them like you?" Akito asked.

So that's why they dragged me like this. Well, that doesn't bother me at all.

"Honestly I don't know, maybe you will find out when you watch it later," I said.

"I think you're right, I can't wait to watch this show," said Sudou with a grin.

After that we went back and gathered with the others.

"I will also help you, Kiyotaka-kun."

Right after we regrouped, Yousuke said something horrendous. Everyone looked at Yousuke in horror, I also felt goosebumps hearing this.

"What! You like Ayanokouji too, Hirata?" asked Sudou bluntly.

"Hah!?" Yousuke was taken aback by Sudou's question, then he realized how wrong his words were, "N-No, I mean Kiyotaka-kun wants to live peacefully and gain experience as a normal student, I want to help him with that. Just that."

So that's what he means. After Yousuke said that, everyone including me heaved a sigh of relief.

"I see. Then I can help you too, Ayanokouji. We can play basketball sometime," I said with a thumbs up.

"You can also visit me at the archery club, Kiyotaka. You've never been archery, have you? There's nothing wrong with trying once in a while," Akito said helping out.

I nodded appreciating their offer.

"That said, I didn't expect you to be a playboy, Kiyotaka. But I'm more curious about you Karuizawa, I still remember you calling me and Kiyotaka disgusting during the exam on the cruise ship. Now that you're saying you like him, what's changed? There must be something going on between you two," said Keisei.

"Yeah, that's right. You even used his first name, Karuizawa-san," said Satou who was curious about me and Kei's relationship.

"A-Ah… that…" Kei stuttered under their pressure, then she looked at me for help.

"Just tell them," I told her.

"Hah…? But..." Kei said in surprise. She seemed to be hesitating.

"It's alright. They are all trustworthy, I guarantee that." Except Kushida of course.

After I said that, Kei seemed to ponder for a moment. Then she looked at everyone who was staring at her.

"Alright, I guess I should start from my past…"

"Your past? What does your past have to do with your relationship with Kiyotaka?" Keisei asked impatiently.

"That…" Kei was overwhelmed by the pressure Keisei was giving her.

"Everyone," Yousuke said deciding to enter after seeing Kei's predicament. "I think we should listen to Karuizawa-san quietly, she might have a hard time telling her past."

"Do you know about Karuizawa's past, Hirata?" Sudou asked.

"More or less, and it's not a happy story," Yousuke said with a gloomy face. Hearing that was enough for them not to force Karuizawa.

"Sorry Karuizawa, I was too pushy earlier," said Keisei apologetically.

"It's alright. Okay…" Kei sighed before continuing, "Then I'll start, I used to be… that… used to be… Ugh! How should I explain… Hey Eve, can you do something like Kiyotaka did just now?"

"Oh, so you want instant~, I can do it," said Eve who was listening to us earlier.

"Yes that's right. Like that," said Kei nodding happily.

Hey, why would Yousuke help you if you ended up asking Eve for help...

I then looked straight at Kei, Kei who felt my gaze stared back at me. We communicate with each other through gazes.

'You slacker'

'Shut up, you too!'

"…"

Well, I can't deny that.

After that Eve sent Kei's memories like she did with me before. We were presented with memories where we saw a young Kei who was cheerful and full of joy, living like a normal child when she was in elementary school.

But Kei's life changes drastically when she enters middle school, where she gets bullied every day. Even Kei suffered serious injuries on her body during the bullying, Kei's life has been ruined ever since.

After constantly suffering, Kei tries to get up and enter this school, where no one knows about her past where she was a victim of bullying. At this school she wants to try to live a new life and forget her past.

After seeing Kei's memories, everyone's expressions turned gloomy again. Once again they are shown the dark side of human life.

"I've been stubborn all this time because I don't want to go through that experience again, I'm sorry for offending you several times," said Kei. Even though she bowed towards Keisei, she actually apologized to everyone in the room.

"N-No, it's fine. I'm the one who should be apologizing for opening up old wounds," said Keisei who was a little overwhelmed by Kei's sincere apology.

"That's right, Karuizawa-san. You don't have to apologize like that," Yousuke said.

The current Kei has moved on from her past, so she can handle situations like this calmly. Even without me being by her side to protect her, she can still stand on her own.

"Are you alright, Karuizawa-san?" Satou asked worriedly.

"Now that I'm okay, Kiyotaka helped me to let go of the shackles of my past. Even in a very cruel way," said Kei while looking at me in annoyance.

I understand why she's upset but should she say those last words? Everyone is looking at me suspiciously now. Luckily I had told them my past, so they knew why I did that. Otherwise, the situation would definitely be troublesome.

"Sorry, but I don't know if normal means can help you," I said defensively.

Kei just sighed and rubbed her head, "Never mind, I don't mind it anyway."

Then the problem is solved. After that everyone was silent and contemplated the events they had seen earlier.

"So that's the reason why you were placed in class D," Horikita said breaking the silence.

"What do you mean, Suzune? Wasn't she put in class D because she was stupid?" asked Sudou bluntly.

"Hey!" Kei shouted angrily.

Kei may not be very good at studies, but that's not why she was placed in class D. It seems that Sudou still doesn't understand that.

"Sudou-kun, if you say that, do you think I'm a stupid too?" Horikita sharply asked Sudou.

"Hah?" Sudou was confused, then he paled as he realized how wrong his words were, "T-That's not what I meant Suzune."

Sudou tried to explain himself but Horikita ignored him, finally giving up.

"Stupid isn't the main reason why someone is placed in class D," I said. Attracts all of them.

"What do you mean, Kiyopon?" Haruka asked.

"As you all know, we were placed in D class because we were 'defect'. But the defects referred to here are not that simple," I said, then I continued, "As Sudou said earlier, people who are stupid are therefore placed in class D, those people are called defects because of their stupidity. There are several more categories, namely those who are defectived by their personality and those who are defectived by their past."

"Hah? What does it mean?" Sudou asked in surprise.

"I'll give an example, those with personality defects are people like Horikita. As you know, she is great in all subjects and she is also great at sports and martial arts. But she has a very high superiority complex, she thinks of herself as superior to others, she doesn't need friends and she doesn't need cooperation either. Such a personality will not be able to live in society. That's the defect that Horikita has."

"Even though I admit your words are true, it's really annoying to hear all that from you," Horikita said while looking at me in annoyance.

If Horikita was her old self, she might have been very angry with me by now. Her current demeanor proves that she has grown even better than last year.

"And for people defectived by their past. They are normal people who live lives like ordinary students, but because of an incident that happened to them, they ended up in D class. Kei and Yousuke are examples of those people."

After I said that, everyone looked at Yousuke in surprise. Yousuke also didn't expect that I would mention his name.

"Hah? Is that true, Hirata-kun?" asked a surprised Satou.

"Y-Yes, that's right," Yousuke said awkwardly.

"What happened, Hirata?" Sudou asked.

"That…"

I caught Yousuke's gaze and he fell silent when he saw me, then I gave a small nod to tell him about his past.

Yousuke who caught my message then widened his eyes, it seemed he was surprised when he saw my message. After a while he smiled a little and nodded at me.

"Eve-san, can you also share my memories with the others?" Yousuke asked.

"Sure," Eve replied.

"Are you serious, Hirata-kun? You don't need to do it if it's too much for you," said Horikita who was surprised by Yousuke's choice.

"It's fine, Horikita-san. This is for my own convenience," Yousuke said confidently.

Many were confused by what Yousuke said, but I could understand what he meant.

Ichinose and Yousuke have the same condition, they are good people but can't accept other people's thanks sincerely. The reason is because of the mistakes they made in the past that they are like that.

But now that Ichinose has gone through that phase since she told her past to her classmates, she can now be more open with her friends and can receive their sincere thanks because her friends have accepted Ichinose as she is even though she made mistakes in the past.

As for Yousuke, only Kei and I know about his past. But Kei only heard half of Yousuke's story, so you could say I know best what happened to Yousuke right now. Maybe that's why he feels comfortable telling me the problems he's having, because I'm the one who knows him best.

After I convinced him through my gaze earlier that these people could be trusted, now Yousuke decided to move forward and tell more people about his past.

After that, Yousuke's memories were shown to us. I already knew the details, but seeing firsthand rather than just hearing had a different experience.

We are shown Yousuke together with Sugimura, a childhood friend who looks very close. During elementary school they were always together in the same class for six years, they went to and came home from school together.

But as time goes by, they then live independently living their lives. Yousuke finds new friends in middle school and starts hanging out with them.

But Sugimura had a different fate.

Sugimura was bullied. His middle school life was not fun for him at all.

Sugimura sent pleas for help to Yousuke many times. Sugimura often appears with an injured face and scars all over his body. But against the call of lamentation, Yousuke instead chose to be silent, deaf, and blind. He prioritized playing with his new friends and never took Sugimura seriously. A year later, Yousuke and Sugimura both become sophomores and they reunite. However, Sugimura became heartbroken at that time. His previously bright and cheerful image was no longer present and only the marks of punches and kicks remained. He was not even allowed to go to the toilet and was forced to leak in the middle of class.

Even though Yousuke witnessed such violence, he did nothing, and rather, he couldn't do anything. Yousuke was too afraid that he would become a new target, that his "fun life" would be destroyed. Towards Sugimura who was always with him, he continued to pretend he didn't see him. He believed that one of these three best outcomes would happen: Either one day the bullies would just get tired of him, or Sugimura would stop coming to school and the bullying would stop, or someone else would step in and save him. Yousuke claims that he keeps thinking about such self-serving things.

In the end, the memory of what happened to Sugimura was imprinted on Yousuke's mind. After his last morning soccer practice, he returned to his class. And there, he saw Sugimura. Even though they were previously close to each other, Yousuke hesitated before entering because, at that moment, he felt uncomfortable. Even though she was a friend he had played with since they were children, back then he almost felt like a stranger to her. Yousuke couldn't help but think cruel thoughts like he would be bullied with him if he reconnected with Sugimura. After a while, the two of them didn't say anything. There was nothing to hear and feel other than deafening silence and an eerie cold atmosphere. That day, in the middle of class — where only this pair of precious friends were present, Sugimura jumped out the window.

After being sent to the hospital, Sugimura was declared brain dead and even now, Sugimura's parents are still waiting for his recovery and believe in him. But whether he was alive or dead now, Yousuke didn't know what to think. He believed that the events of that day were still very real because he still wondered if it was just a dream or a hallucination. He claims that when Sugimura jumped, he became acutely aware — that by only respecting himself, Yousuke pushed his precious friend, Sugimura, to his death.

Yousuke thought that the cruelty would end when Sugimura tried to kill himself, how wrong he was then. The bullies are looking for other prey for them to disturb.

Yousuke couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't see people being tormented and cornered by that cruelty. So, Yousuke took action.

He controlled the class with violence and fear.

Every problem that occurs, he resorts to violence to solve it. In the end, everyone bowed under fear.

The school heard about the incident, as a result the class was dismissed and they were forced to separate. After that they are redistributed, and closely monitored until they graduate.

This was how Yousuke reached his messianic complex. Even though he thought that this would not result in Sugimura's salvation, but, at the very least, he wanted to repent by saving someone else like him — someone who was abused to the extreme.

After Yousuke's memories were finished showing, everyone for a second- no, for the third time was shown how dark the darkness of humanity was.

Sudou limply sat on his sofa, "Damn, this is as bad as Karuizawa."

Even though Kei and Yousuke had different problems, their extremes were on the same level.

Everyone leaned back on their respective sofas like Sudou, it seemed they were too tired to go through all this.

"I'm sorry Hirata, for asking you that," said Sudou.

"It's fine, Sudou-kun. I'm the one who should be apologizing," Yousuke said.

"Hah? What are you apologizing for?"

"Eh? Well, it's because I've shown you something inappropriate and also I've done a lot of bad things in my past," Yousuke said glumly.

"Hah! To hell with that, those annoying bastards are to blame," Sudou shouted.

"Sudou is right, Hirata. It's true you were violent but they were the cause, right? After all, no one is perfect, everyone has made mistakes," said Akito.

"That's right, Hirata-kun. You are a good person, you worked hard to unite our class this year, so I don't think you are a bad person," said Satou representing the feelings of all the girls in our class.

Everyone agreed with what the three of them said, they nodded in agreement. Yousuke's eyes filled with tears as everyone still accepted him well after what he did in the past.

Yousuke has been immersed in his past for too long, the guilt over his childhood friend's fate carried over to the present. He hides his past with everyone, afraid that people will not accept him. But the longer he hid it the more it became a burden on him, every time he received thanks from others for his good behavior, the more bad feelings built up in his heart.

But Yousuke didn't have to worry about that anymore, because he already had people who accepted him as he was.

"Thank you… everyone," Yousuke bowed while expressing his gratitude gratefully.

This is why I had Yousuke tell everyone about his past in this room. With Yousuke opening himself up to them, it was possible that one day Yousuke's true potential would be maximized.

After Yousuke's matter was resolved, everyone went back to reflecting on what they saw. I think they need some time to rest after seeing such dark events.

So far, everything is going according to my plan. There's still about ten more minutes before the show starts, I think it's time for my next plan to start. I looked at all of them, all that was needed now was an opening.

After a while everyone tried to make themselves comfortable. Hiyori sighed tiredly as she leaned back on the sofa.

"Hn? What's wrong Hiyori-chan? You seem uncomfortable?" Eve asked.

"Eh? No, I'm okay. I'm fine, it's just…" Hiyori said, her words fading at the end plus her expression was guilt-ridden.

"You feel uncomfortable knowing the past of Kiyotaka-kun, Kei-chan, and Yousuke-kun, don't you?"

Hiyori flinched at Eve's words, it seemed Eve's words hit the mark.

"Honestly, yes. I feel like I'm violating other people's privacy," said Hiyori sadly.

Everyone's expression became uncomfortable when they heard Hiyori's words, it seemed that Hiyori's words stabbed right into them making them speechless.

"Hmm, then how about I give you guys a suggestion? I'm pretty sure this suggestion will solve your dilemma," Eve said.

Everyone looked absentmindedly at the speakers on the table, wondering what kind of advice Eve would give.

Well, I already know what the advice is.

"How about you guys also tell us about your past too, I already know the pasts of everyone in this room and I don't think there will be any problem if you tell them. It's a win-win, right?"

Eve's words made sense. It's called an equal exchange, where you give something of equal value to what was given to you. In this case, it means that they can also tell their past because they know the past of me, Kei and Yousuke.

"I think I have no problem telling my past," said Ichinose. After thinking about Eve's words, Ichinose finally made up her mind.

"You don't have to do that, Ichinose-san. I don't mind that," Yousuke said a little worried.

"It's okay, Hirata-kun. I want to do it, and as you said earlier, this is for my own convenience," Ichinose said to Yousuke.

"I want to do that too," said Hiyori with a smile.

Seeing two people from different classes agreeing with Eve's suggestion, everyone from my class looked at each other. They are contemplating whether to agree or not.

Then I felt someone staring at me, I turned to the source and saw Horikita looking at me with a meaningful look. From her gaze I could tell that she suspected me that I was the one who planned this.

I didn't give her any answer. Horikita then turned her attention away from me and made up her mind.

"Alright, I'll do that too," Horikita said. Making everyone give her a surprised look.

"Me too," said Sudou. It was rare for him not to question Horikita's actions, it seemed that something had changed in him since entering this room.

"Then it's decided. Honami-chan, do you want to be the first?" Eve said without asking how the others decided. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Kushida turning pale from not having time to stop Eve.

"Yes, I don't mind," Ichinose replied confidently.

After that we were shown Ichinose's memories. Not much happens in Ichinose's life, the only major event that happens is when she shoplifts for her little sister's gift, which ends up being a thorn in Ichinose's life.

There wasn't much reaction after seeing Ichinose's memories as most of us already knew, but even so they were still sad to see Ichinose's fate.

Next up is Hiyori. Part of her life was dedicated to reading books, her interest in books was immense. And as I thought, Hiyori could become a pretty serious threat if Ryuuen used her well. Horikita also felt the same way with me because she was looking at Hiyori intently.

After that we looked at Sudou's memories. Apparently, Sudou didn't have a happy family atmosphere. His mother left him and went into the nightclub business, meanwhile his father was so busy with his job as a janitor. As a result of that, Sudou decided to give up on studying and focus on sports.

As is well known, Sudou is very talented in basketball, he even got a recommendation to a high school that has the best basketball team in the whole country. But he ran into a problem and as a result his recommendation was withdrawn. At that time, his hopes were dashed.

That's why he chose this school, a school that guarantees his dreams come true.

We all looked at Sudou with concern after his memories were displayed. Now I know why Sudou's ability in lessons is so low, it's because he has given up on the lessons itself.

"Man, Sudou. The golden opportunity you missed there," Akito said to Sudou.

"Yeah… it was my fault," said Sudou with a bitter expression.

"Sudou-kun, are you still giving up on studying until right now?" Horikita asked.

"At first, yes. I just wanted to focus on my basketball when I thought about going to this school, but after coming here I realized that sports alone were not enough to achieve my dreams. And I'm trying to change now," said Sudou confidently.

"Good then," said Horikita nodding in satisfaction.

Sudou had been trying to increase his grades this past year under Horikita's tutelage. Apart from being able to get close to Horikita during their study sessions, he is also aware that in this school all aspects of life are necessary.

Next we look at Satou's memories. I can tell that Satou is a normal girl judging from her past. The only reason she got into class D was because of her academic ability.

Airi came first from Ayanokouji's group. Many do not think that Airi used to be a gravure idol and has a lot of followers on the internet. And they were also surprised to learn that her current appearance was a mask to protect herself from being recognized.

Akito volunteered next. As he told us who were in Ayanokouji's group, he could be called a delinquent in middle school but not at the severe level like Ryuuen. He also joined the archery club and even entered the country-level competition, but he neglected his studies. As a result of joining fights and neglecting his studies, Akito is placed in class D.

Next was Keisei's turn although he was a little reluctant but when he heard Eve's words earlier he agreed to tell him about his past. We from Ayanokouji's group already know part of his past but now we can see the whole story.

Almost nothing has changed, Keisei hates the name Teruhiko his mother gave him because his mother left his family. He is also the same as Horikita, who has a superiority complex. He looked down on people who had low academic grades. Keisei thinks studies are everything and he neglects sports altogether which makes his athletic ability very poor.

Next was Haruka's turn, at first she was reluctant just like Keisei, but after being convinced by Airi she finally agreed.

After looking at Haruka's memories, I can tell one thing about her. Haruka's relationship with her parents and Haruka's relationship with Airi. Now I understand why she cares so much for Airi.

It was for her own pleasure.

Even Airi understood what I concluded, she looked at Haruka intently. Haruka turned her attention away from Airi with an uncomfortable expression, but suddenly Airi grabbed Haruka's hand. Airi gave a small smile and meaningful nod to tell Haruka that everything was fine.

Haruka widened her eyes at Airi, even though we were far apart but I could see Haruka's eyes were teary. Airi's growth since entering this room must have been unexpected for Haruka so she felt uncomfortable from earlier.

I don't think I need to get into their troubles, whatever happens to them I'm sure they will be able to handle it.

After that it was Horikita's turn. As Manabu told me, Horikita as a child was a cheerful and smiling girl. She is such a smart girl for a child of her age, no wonder Manabu flatters her so much. They were also very close when they were little.

But all that changes when Horikita decides to follow Manabu's footsteps, everything that Manabu tells Horikita will surely do. In fact, she was willing to leave her favorite short hair and choose the long hair of her brother's choice. From then on, Manabu started to be cold with Horikita and started to distance himself from her.

Since then Horikita's nature began to change. She started to act cold and lost her smile. She thought the reason her brother left her was because she wasn't worthy. Because of that Horikita started focusing on improving her studies and martial arts skills. She doesn't care at all about friendships or a fun school life. Her main goal in life was to catch up with her brother and be recognized by him.

After Horikita's memories ended. Everyone looked at Horikita with concern knowing how bleak Horikita's life was.

"Are you still having trouble with your brother, Horikita-san?" Yousuke asked.

"No, I made up with him right before he left this school. In the end I realized that my attitude was not liked by my brother, he didn't want me to follow in his footsteps and wanted me to choose my own path," said Horikita.

All the memories that were shown to us were all the lives we lived before we entered this school, so it was only natural that Yousuke and the others didn't know that Horikita and her brother had made up.

"But why does he have to be so cold to you, he could just tell you directly, right?" asked Sudou who felt dissatisfied.

"That's because her brother wants her to be independent," I said, everyone turned to me at the same time, "He wants Horikita to know where her fault lies, he doesn't want to spoil Horikita because it will stunt her growth."

"I see…" said Sudou.

After I said that everyone nodded in understanding, and the matter regarding Horikita's past ended. Next is the turn of the last person.

"Alright, next it's Kikyou-chan's turn," Eve said.

Kushida gasped when it was her turn, her eyes wandering around to see if there was an escape route she could use.

"Ah… ha ha ha, I guess I'll pass on this," said Kushida with her usual smile while rubbing her head.

"Why? Do you feel uncomfortable telling me about your past, Kushida-san?" Ichinose asked.

"Y-Yeah, like that…"

"Alright then, we understand. If you don't want to, we won't force you," Yousuke said. The others also agreed with Yousuke.

"Thank you, everyone," Kushida said gratefully.

I'm sure she's very relieved now. It's a relief not to tell us about her past, a relief that they don't know what she did in the past, and a relief that no one knows who she really is. I am sure of it.

But I won't allow it.

"No, you have to tell us about your past, Kushida."

I can feel the atmosphere dropping when I say that. Kushida widened her eyes and meant to speak, but her words stopped when she saw my eyes.

I stood up and walked closer to where Kushida was, Kushida remained in her seat. I could feel her anxiety every step I made to approach her. I stopped in front of her and looked into her eyes. She turned her attention away but she looked at me again when she felt everyone was now staring at her.

"You must be happy, right?" I said.

"Eh?" Kushida tilted her head in confusion.

Still playing dumb, huh.

"Kushida, do you think I was stupid enough to let you come here and listen to my past and everyone else here for free?" I asked.

"I-I don't know what you mean, Ayanokouji-kun," Kushida said stuttering.

"If you don't know, then let me tell you. This program is to show my life during this school. What am I thinking, what am I doing, and who am I interacting with. Including all the interactions you and I had."

Hearing that, Kushida froze and with wide eyes she looked at me.

"No…" she said weakly, refuting what I said.

"All the interactions we have will be shown, including when you tell me about your past. There's nothing you can do about it," I said adding to her despair.

"No, no…"

"Even if you use your trump card and destroy the class, I can still repair it easily. No matter what you do your efforts will be in vain."

"No, no, NO!" Kushida shouted loudly, her body shaking violently in despair.

"You can deny as you wish but your fate was sealed when you entered this place, so there's no point in fighting back. But if you keep fighting…"

I bent down and leveled my gaze with Kushida's eyes, Kushida in her panic accidentally looked into my eyes.

"Do you think you can beat me?"

I asked that question, but it was enough to break Kushida's last line of defense.

"Ah…"

Kushida froze, her eyes widened and soon tears flowed out of her eyes. She immediately bowed limply, I could hear her sobs.

Kushida had seen my past, so she already knew what I could do and the extent of my abilities. I've also been observing Kushida for the past year and can conclude that no matter what she does, she won't be able to beat me.

I didn't say anything else, I was pretty sure Kushida was ruined by now.

Everyone remained silent as long as I cornered Kushida. They all already knew the real me, so they understood that I had certain goals about why I cornered Kushida like this.

"Kiyotaka, what is all this about?" Akito asked me in confusion.

"You will know when you look at her past. Eve, do it," I said.

Kushida didn't do anything. She just sat down resignedly and lowered her head, her body still shaking from crying.

Then we were shown Kushida's memories, it was the same as she told Horikita and me, only now in more detail.

The incident where she destroyed her class by revealing all the secrets of her classmates was clearly shown, and it was worse than I thought. Fighting everywhere, boys fighting each other and girls screaming accusing each other. And in the midst of the chaos, Kushida stood with a cold stare.

Eventually, the school found out about the incident and suspended classes indefinitely. Even during the graduation ceremony, none of them were present.

Kushida finally chose this school because no one from her old school attended here, so no one knows what she did in the past. That way, she can start a new life.

After Kushida's memories ended, everyone except Horikita and I widened their eyes in surprise at what they saw. Of course, someone who was called a class angel and liked to help people turned out to have such a past.

"Kushida-san…"

"Kyo-chan…"

Ichinose and Haruka looked at Kushida in disbelief. If I remember correctly, Haruka once said that Kushida was a good person, seeing Kushida's current identity must have surprised her.

Meanwhile Kushida was still looking down helplessly on the sofa, it seemed that she had given up on what was happening right now.

"Kiyotaka-kun, do you know about all this?" Yousuke asked.

"Yes, I learned of Kushida's true nature since May last year. During that time she's betrayed the class several times to get Horikita out," I said stating a shocking fact.

"WHAT!"

Keisei and Sudou shouted at the same time in surprise, the others also widened their eyes.

"Suzune, is that true?" Sudou asked Horikita.

Horikita took a deep breath before replying, "Yeah, that's right."

"But why would she betray the class to get you out?" Keisei asked.

"Kushida-san doesn't want anyone to know the past. Since she and I are from the same middle school, she thinks I know her past and is trying to get me out," said Horikita.

"Just for that!?" shouted Keisei angrily at Kushida. Out of all of us, Horikita and Keisei are the most serious when it comes to class competition, that's why he was furious when one of his classmates betrayed him.

"Calm down, Keisei. Almost no damage was done to the class, the only major damage was when she leaked the participation table to Ryuuen during the sports festival," I said.

"Wait, is that why we were so messed up back then!?" shouted a surprised Sudou.

"Yes, but you also get what you deserve, don't you?" I said.

"That… well, I guess you're right…" Sudou said. And just like that he backed away when he heard my words, although still a little annoyed.

Without the mess that Kushida created, Sudou and Horikita's relationship might never have progressed this far. Sudou understood that so he restrained himself from getting angry and chose to retreat.

"What do you want to do, Ayanokouji-kun?" Horikita asked. Maybe she was wondering why I was defending Kushida.

I didn't answer and turned to Kushida who was looking down from earlier.

There's actually absolutely no advantage for me to save Kushida here. Kushida's usefulness will decrease drastically when the truth of her is revealed, even if she can still continue her life in this school, everyone will definitely keep their distance and be wary of her.

So, the act of saving Kushida was futile.

Yes, it's a waste.

But…

"Hey, Kiyotaka-kun. If you get true freedom, will you stay like this? Don't you want to change?"

"If you can't make some kind of mark on the school, then make your mark on the students. The students probably wouldn't ever forget it—their memories of the person named Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, which have been inscribed in their mind."

Eve and Horikita Manabu's words kept echoing in my mind. Like a bridle that forbids me to take the wrong path.

Previously, Eve had given me a 'Gift' because I gave permission for my life to be shown to everyone.

That 'gift' was something that could destroy the White Room, no, rather destroy that man with all his might.

If my plan goes well then I will get my complete freedom even after I graduate from this school.

That's why questions like these often pop up in my mind lately.

Do I want to change?

Can I write memories of myself in other people's minds?

Will I be able to live on like this when I get my true freedom?

Actually deep inside I already know the answer.

There's no way I can continue like this if I want to live my life freely in society.

I've shown my true self to certain people several times and their answers are all the same, I'm not normal.

I realized that my abnormal self was the result of being raised in the White Room. White Room does not require things like social skills, friendship, affection and others. So that's why I don't understand such things.

I had helped Kei, Yousuke and Ichinose to release their past and grow to move forward, but even so, I was actually the one who was still stuck in the past.

The White Room is a part of me. I live and grew up in that place, I also got this knowledge and power from that place too. So there's no way I'd just get rid of it, because I've never hated the place.

But as great as the White Room was, it wasn't perfect. This world is very wide, there are still many things I don't know that I haven't been taught in the White room.

Therefore, so that I can live mingle with society in the future, I have to change my way of life.

And the first step I want to take for a change in my life is to save this desperate girl in front of me. Whether she will be useful or not, I don't care about that.

"Kushida."

I tried calling her but she didn't answer, she was still looking down and didn't move.

I then knelt down to match my gaze with Kushida.

"Hey, Kushida. Can you look at me?" I asked again.

"What do you want, Ayanokouji-kun. Are you still not satisfied with destroying me?" Kushida said weakly. She then raised her head to look at me, her gaze blank and emotionless.

We stared at each other for a while before Kushida averted her eyes, she didn't want to stare at me for too long.

"Do you want me to save you, Kushida?" I asked.

After I asked that, I could see Kushida's eyes widened slightly. I could also feel that the others were also surprised by my question.

"Heh…you're funny, Ayanokouji-kun. Do you think I will believe your words? I'm sure you must have some hidden scheme behind your words," Kushida said with a mocking laugh.

I sighed. Of course she would think so. I then decided to sit on the floor because my knees started to tingle, after that I looked at Kushida.

"I'm serious," I tell her with a reassuring look.

"H-Huh?" Kushida was taken aback by my seriousness.

"You've seen my past and I'm sure you already know what I really am, I honestly thought that saving you was pointless at all," I tell her.

I paused for a moment before continuing.

"But you know, Kushida. After coming here and seeing the past of all of you, something awakened-, no, rather a wish was born within me. I see that your life is full of color. You laugh at each other with your parents and friends, there are times when you suffer and fall to your lowest point. But that's human life, there are times when you are happy and there are times when you are sad. Unlike me, whose life is monotonous like a straight line, my life is gray. That's why I want to change, I want to experience life as you do. Maybe with you guys, I hope one day I can return to being a 'Human'. Now Kushida, there's something I want to ask you."

I looked straight into Kushida's eyes.

"Don't you want to change Kushida?"

Just as I was trying to change my way of life, I wanted to ask Kushida such a question.

"I-I…" Kushida said weakly, then she looked away with an uncomfortable expression, "That's impossible, I tried once and failed."

"I know. And I know where your fault lies."

"Hah?"

After seeing Kushida's past firsthand, I knew that she had once to quit. But she failed so in the end he gave in and drowned in her desire to get other people's attention.

"To be honest, I don't think there's anything wrong with you wanting attention from others. You want people to see you, you want people to like you, there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone wants it too. Your only fault is that you endured it all alone."

I paused to catch my breath before continuing.

"You listen to their stories even though you're tired of hearing them, you help with their problems even though you don't want to, you still smile even though you're actually disgusted by the lustful gazes directed at you, and many other similar incidents. Your frustration builds up because you keep holding it in and you don't have anyone to listen to your problems. In the end lead you to that incident."

Kushida lowered her head when she heard that my words were facts.

"After looking at your past I can tell one thing about you."

I looked into Kushida's eyes, she tried to distract me but I won't let her.

"Deep down you want someone who really cares about you, right?"

"What…?"

Kushida widened her eyes when she heard my words. It was Kushida's pent-up wish that she didn't even realize.

"It's true that now many other people are paying attention to you and liking you, but all they care about is your fake persona. No one pays attention to your true personality, that's why you subconsciously never feel satisfied no matter how many people pay attention to you."

"Th-That's impossible. I have absolutely no idea what you mean," Kushida said stuttering.

"You can deny as much as you want, but you forgot one thing Kushida. I've seen your past, so I know everything about you. That fact is one thing you can't deny."

Kushida was silent, she knew that what I said was true and she couldn't reply to what I said. Kushida bit her lip while her body trembled.

"So what! It's true as you say, I admit it. But that doesn't matter anymore right!? After this no one will come near me! My life in this school is over!" Kushida shouted. She no longer made any self-defense and let her emotions escape.

"Then how about I become the person you want me to be?" I said.

"What…?" Kushida said in surprise.

"I know your past and I know all the bad things you did, but I'm not leaving you. You can vent your frustration on me, I'll listen to it until you feel calm. When you are sad or angry, I will try to cheer you up. When you have a problem I will help you. When everyone is mad at you for what you did, then I will protect you. I will be the one to watch over you, not because of your fake persona but because you are the real Kushida Kikyou."

"W-What are you saying…" Kushida said. Her voice trembled, I could see tears starting to collect in the corners of her eyes. She tried hard not to cry.

"Not only me, Horikita will also help you."

"Eh?" Kushida widened her eyes and saw Horikita, Horikita was also surprised that I suddenly said her name.

"You must have seen her past, right? Of course, the accusations you've made to her have not been proven at all. Horikita doesn't know your past at all, but even though you've troubled her a few times, Horikita doesn't hate you. Even now she is still looking for a way to reconcile with you. Is that right, Horikita?"

I looked at Horikita, she should understand what I want to do. Horikita then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she opened her eyes which had a glare that was sharper than before, she then walked towards us.

I moved and took some distance to give the two of them some personal space. My role is to create a gap and that gap will be filled by Horikita. Whether she will use the gap I created or not is her choice.

Horikita and Kushida looked at each other, they were trying to understand each other. After a while Horikita started to speak.

"Kushida-san. Since the first time we met, our relationship was always bad. Your hatred for me and I used to not like to be approached by other people, as a result we are always at odds. I don't know what you're doing behind the scenes, but I'm sure you've tried to get me out a few times. And it looks like you failed, or rather was thwarted by someone else."

Horikita glanced at me while saying that.

"But I don't hate you, Kushida-san. It's true that your betrayal made me angry, but that's all. After that I tried to correct the mistakes I made."

Horikita then looked Kushida right in the eye with complete confidence.

"Until now I'm still thinking about how to make peace with you, Kushida-san. I think that you are needed in class regardless of whether your past is exposed or not. So I don't want to give up a talented person like you just like that."

Horikita closed her eyes and sighed before looking back at Kushida.

"We are both bad people, but every human being can change for the better no matter how bad they are. That's what I'm doing now, I want to make up for the time I've wasted all this time and start a new relationship. I want to have a good relationship with our classmates, and that includes being on good terms with you too."

Horikita finished speaking at length and didn't speak anymore, she was looking forward to how Kushida would react after hearing her words.

I saw Kushida widen her eyes, she didn't say anything and just froze. Soon her body began to tremble and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Damn it! What are you two doing! Why are you doing this to me!? I've been trying to get you out, you know!?" Kushida shouted. Tears kept flowing from her eyes.

"Well, we're still here so there's no problem. If you want I can give you some tricks to make the most of your plan," I joked. But I was immediately stabbed by Horikita's anchor.

Wait. Since when did she have that?

"Stop joking around," she snapped at me before turning her attention to Kushida, "But he has a point, in fact we're still here, so there's no point in bringing up the matter any further. So how is Kushida-san, are we at peace?"

Horikita reached out her hand for a handshake. Kushida looked at Horikita's outstretched hand, she was contemplating what she was going to do. Then Kushida wiped her face to wipe her tears and then her gaze sharpened. I could see Kushida's eyes were glowing again and filled with renewed vigor.

Kushida stood up and caught Horikita's hand for a handshake.

"Alright, I'll make peace with you. But instead you have to take us to class A," said Kushida.

Horikita gave a small smile upon hearing Kushida's words, "Of course, that was my goal."

The two of them shook hands with each other for a moment before separating. Kushida then looked at everyone with a strong gaze.

"I apologize for deceiving all of you," said Kushida. She bowed deeply to apologize.

Everyone looked at each other, slightly overwhelmed by Kushida's sincere apology. Suddenly Sudou then threw himself onto the sofa, letting go of exhaustion.

"It doesn't matter anymore, does it? Even though I'm still annoyed that you tried to get Suzune out several times, at least you've made up with Suzune now. So there's no problem with me now," said Sudou casually making himself comfortable on the sofa.

After Sudou's amazing words, everyone started to follow in his footsteps.

"Seeing Kiyotaka and Horikita wanting to help you, I think I can forgive you. But I won't tolerate if you betray us again," said Keisei sharply.

Keisei has a problem trusting someone, it's because of his past. That's why he was so sensitive to betrayal, but since Horikita and I had stepped forward to protect Kushida, he had no choice but to forgive Kushida.

People who weren't very close to Kushida like Kei, Akito, Hiyori, and Airi didn't really mind Kushida's actions.

For Satou, even though she was close to Kushida and felt betrayed by her, she forgave Kushida because I had decided to protect Kushida.

Haruka was a little different, she was a little angry at Kushida because Haruka once thought that Kushida was a good person but after that she forgave her. Apparently Kushida had helped Haruka several times in the past and Haruka didn't really care about her past that she told Kushida. She said that it was no big deal now.

I don't need to question Yousuke, of course he will forgive Kushida. Yousuke was indeed such a person.

Ichinose drew closer to Kushida who had bowed apologetically, she then held Kushida's hand with both hands. Kushida raised her head and looked at Ichinose who was smiling at her.

"It's okay, Kushida-san. We all forgive you, I honestly prefer the real you. I will also help you just like Ayanokouji-kun and Horikita-san," Ichinose said sincerely.

Ichinose is a good person, that's why she easily accepts Kushida. She will give her kindness to everyone even no matter how bad that person is.

Seeing everyone accept it, Kushida couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Her tears flowed unhindered, Ichinose immediately hugged Kushida, letting her cry on her shoulder. Haruka and the other girls approached Kushida to cheer her on.

Horikita looked at me and gave a small nod in thanks. Even if she didn't show it, she must have been happy to finally make up with Kushida.

I returned to my seat and sighed. With this, the thorn that had been stabbing our class for so long was finally removed and the class would probably be more united under Horikita's leadership.

Moments later, Kushida finally stopped crying and everyone returned to comfort themselves. No more dark mood, they were all in a bright mood now.

"Hey, Eve. Wouldn't it be faster if you directly shared Ayanokouji's memories in this school like you did earlier?" Sudou asked.

"Eeeeeh, then it will be over in an instant. Where is my pleasure?" Eve said.

Sudou sighed and leaned back on the sofa, he knew that he couldn't possibly persuade Eve again because it would spoil her fun.

I opened my phone and saw that it was already five minutes past eight. We're already five minutes past the scheduled event but Eve hasn't started it yet, looks like she's waiting for us to solve our problem.

Seeing as we have nothing more to discuss, I plan to end this small gathering. But…

"Hehehe…"

Before I spoke, I heard Airi chuckle but it was enough to get everyone's attention.

"What's wrong, Airi?" Keisei asked.

"Eh?" Airi flinched when she noticed that everyone was staring at her, it seemed she was laughing without realizing it, "N-No, it's nothing. It's just… after seeing everyone's past, I somehow feel comfortable around all of you."

"I agree Sakura-san, I feel that way too. It feels like we are childhood friends," Ichinose said cheerfully.

"Hmm~, hmm~, we know each other's secrets. Nothing is missing, it makes me feel close to you guys," Haruka said while nodding. She usually wasn't comfortable with a lot of people, but she could talk openly now. It proves their word.

"Yeah, no kidding. We even know each other's size," Akito said casually, but it was a very fatal mistake he said.

"…"

Instantly the whole room froze.

There is one thing we have been through together in this room, which is that we have seen each other's past and have seen the whole life of everyone here.

Yes, completely.

That means we've also seen the most secretive parts of our opposite sex.

"Ah…"

Akito paled after realizing what he just said, sweat started pouring from his head.

And…

"Bmmffhh…!"

Sudou immediately grabbed his nose and fell to the floor, I could see blood dripping from his nose. I'm sure he was just imagining what Akito said.

Sudou's reaction was enough to make everyone come out of their frozen state, the girls immediately protected their female areas while looking at us boys with sharp eyes.

"Miiyaaacchiii~~"

"H-Haruka-guhff…"

Akito couldn't finish his words when he was hit by Haruka right in the stomach, making him lose his breath. Akito fell to the floor holding his stomach.

I didn't know Haruka's punch was that strong...

"I'm disappointed in you, Miyacchi. I didn't expect you to think that in your head, I thought you were a clean person all along," said Haruka, her face red with embarrassment.

"You misunderstood Haruka, I really didn't mean- ughhh…!"

"Shut up. Now I will rid you of that lecherous thought."

After that what happened was a massacre, Haruka kept beating Akito mercilessly. Neither of us stopped her tantrums, even the peace-loving Yousuke just chuckled as if finding the sight funny.

Then I felt a tug on my leg, I looked down and saw Sudou lying on the floor. Apparently he had dragged his body to approach me.

"A-Ayanokouji, thanks for inviting me here mate. You are my best friend now-arghhh…!"

Before Sudou could finish his words, he was stepped on by Horikita whose hair was fluttering in anger.

"Forget what you saw."

Her words were short but filled with deadly poison.

"S-Suzune?"

"I said forget what you saw."

"But…"

"If you don't forget it, I won't talk to you again for the rest of my life."

"What! Fine, I'll forget it, I'll forget it. So please forgive me!" said Sudou who was prostrating to Horikita.

Satisfied with Sudou's answer, Horikita then looked at me with a deadly gaze. I immediately raised my hand and said that I would forget it.

After that the commotion started to subside and the girls started to let their guard down. The one suffering the most was Akito who was currently holding his stomach while groaning.

"Anyway let's get back to what we were talking about," said Haruka who was cheerful again, it seemed that beating Akito earlier was enough to satisfy her, "We already know each other's secrets and it makes us close and feel comfortable. Now then, how about you all join the Ayanokouji Group?"

"Ayanokouji Group?"

I groaned as they said that at the same time. I guess I'll have to appeal to Haruka to change the group name later.

"That's the name of your group?" Horikita asked with raised eyebrows.

"Don't ask me," I answered simply. Don't want to think about that problem.

"Yup, Ayanokouji Group. Originally it was a group created for study groups, but it turned into a group to hangout with after some time. There we can hangout together, like karaoke or something. We can also study together and read books in the library. And most importantly we can make Kiyopon enjoy the normal student life he wants."

For a moment I felt touched when Haruka did all that for me.

But there is one problem…

"H-Hey, Haruka…" Akito said while stealing glances at Keisei.

"Hmm?" Haruka looked confused at Akito but then she realized what the signal meant, "Ah, Y-Yukimu, I didn't mean..."

Keisei doesn't really like having more additions to the group because he doesn't want to teach a lot of people, but the problem is that we're no longer just a study group.

Keisei took a deep breath, "Never mind, I don't care anymore. It's just that, when we did the study session, Kiyotaka took the lead this time."

I nodded at Keisei. After all I have no choice, they all already know my true academic ability.

"Heee, that sounds like fun. I want to join," said Ichinose excitedly.

"Me too," said Hiyori enthusiastically. It's quite rare for me to see her in this spirit other than discussing books.

"Me too," said Satou following.

Haruka nodded satisfied seeing their enthusiasm, with a big smile she spoke, "But on one condition, we must call each other by first names."

It was a condition that Haruka made to join the group in the past, it seemed that she wanted to set that condition as well this time.

No one objected, even Sudou seemed very excited to hear that. This might be his chance for Horikita to call out his first name.

"Then let's introduce ourselves one more time. I am the first. My name is Hasebe Haruka, you can call me Haruka."

"I'm next. I'm Ichinose Honami, you can call me Honami."

After that everyone started to introduce themselves again as the official addition of Ayanokouji's group members.

"My name is Shiina Hiyori, you can call me Hiyori. I hope we can get to know each other."

"I'm Satou Maya, just call me Maya."

"My name is Sakura Airi, you can call me Airi," said Airi shyly.

"Miyake Akito, just call me Akito."

"My name is Yukimura Teruhiko, I don't like being called Teruhiko but you can call me Keisei."

"I'm Sudou Ken, just call me Ken."

"My name is Karuizawa Kei, you can call me Kei."

"My name is Hirata Yousuke, you can call me Yousuke. I hope I can get along with all of you," Yousuke said with a gentle smile.

After that everyone looked at Horikita at the same time, Horikita who felt their gazes just sighed.

"Alright, my name is Horikita Suzune. You can call me Suzune."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief because Horikita-, I mean they were relieved that Suzune wanted to join. Then they turned to Kushida who had been pondering.

Kushida snapped out of her musings when she noticed we were staring at her.

"E-Eh, I can too…?" Kushida asked hesitantly.

"Of course, everyone in this room can join, no, they have to," said Haruka excitedly.

"That's right, we won't leave you," Honami said.

Seeing everyone's sincerity, Kushida's expression was filled with relief. After that she looked at all of us.

"My name is Kushida Kikyou, you can call me Kikyou. I've done a lot of bad things but I hope to get to know all of you," said Kikyou with a smile. It was the most beautiful smile she had ever made, there was no trace of fakeness from it.

After that everyone started looking at me, from their gazes I could feel that they wanted me to introduce myself too.

Speaking of self-introduction, I remembered when I just entered this school, right on the first day of school. That time I messed up a bit and introduced myself badly. But now I think I can introduce myself better.

I took a deep breath to prepare myself and then I looked at them all.

"My name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, you can call me Kiyotaka. I hope I can get along with all of you."

I introduced myself smoothly, but…

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

I thought I got it right this time, but they all fell silent after I introduced myself. Am I still messing up?

"What is it?" I asked them.

"K-Kiyotaka-kun, just now… you smiled," said Airi in disbelief.

"Hah?" I was involuntarily flabbergasted.

I turned to the others and saw the girls were stunned with blushing faces, the boys were also speechless and didn't say anything.

"That's right, I was also very surprised," Akito said after a while.

"He he, that means we're one step ahead to make Kiyopon to get his emotion back," Haruka said while cheering. Followed by others.

While they were cheering, I thought back to the phenomenon I thought was impossible just now.

I see, I'm smiling huh...

I don't know if this path I'm taking is the right one or the wrong one.

But for now.

From now on.

I want to enjoy these fun moments with them.

---

NOTE: This chapter was made before Volume 0 was released, so please understand if there are discrepancies about Kiyotaka's past.