Nobody's Game

The rooftop was unusually quiet—too quiet for my liking. The kind of quiet that makes your thoughts feel louder like they're bouncing off the walls of your skull. As I leaned against the railing, hands buried deep in my pockets, my eyes drifted to the sky. Clouds moved lazily overhead, their shapes shifting with the wind.

Why do people always talk about clouds looking like animals? A dog here, a rabbit there. Does anyone ever just see a cloud and think, "Hey, it's just a bunch of water vapor"? Probably not. People need to assign meaning to everything. I guess that's what makes us human...

...or bored.

I tilted my head, trying to find some shape in the drifting fluff. A dragon? A spaceship? No, just a blob. A perfectly boring, formless blob.

A few moments passed before I heard it. That voice. No matter how little I wanted to hear it, I recognized it instantly. The overly chipper tone, the warmth, the type of voice that made it impossible to ignore.

"Hikigaya-kun! Sorry for the wait!"

I didn't need to turn around. The sound of her voice gave her away. Kushida Kikyou, Class D's social butterfly. The type of person who made everyone feel like they were her best friend. It was almost disorienting how effortlessly she radiated kindness, making it hard to imagine her doing anything that wasn't in service of being liked.

I turned around, my expression neutral, meeting her eyes. She was smiling, the kind of smile that could fool almost anyone into thinking she was perfectly innocent.

"It's been a while! I didn't expect you of all people to want to meet me." She clasped her hands together in front of her, eyes wide and genuine.

I kept my response simple, just a nod, pretending it was normal to be meeting her in the first place. I wasn't about to dive into anything too complicated right off the bat.

"You've been avoiding me, haven't you?" she said, tilting her head in a way that would leave high school boys flushed. "Last time we spoke, I thought I did something wrong. I thought you didn't like me." Her voice dropped slightly, a soft edge of vulnerability. Undoubtedly, Kushida Kikyou was playing the role of the misunderstood girl.

I ignored her words entirely. There was no point in entertaining her fishing for sympathy. Instead, I kept it short.

"Sorry for asking you to come here on such short notice," I said, keeping my gaze steady. It wasn't something I wanted to apologize for, but it would be harder to get her to talk without it.

Kushida's smile returned instantly. "Oh, it's no problem at all! It's just… surprising! I didn't think Hirata-kun would come up to me and ask on your behalf. That was unexpected."

Hirata. Of course, I'd asked him to arrange this. I wasn't about to approach her directly; that would've been too strange. Hirata, always the perfect middleman, probably thought it would make things less awkward. As much as I didn't care for his constant "peacekeeper" act, I had to admit, that he was good at making people listen without the mess that usually followed me.

"I wasn't sure if it was a good idea for me to approach you directly," I said, shrugging casually. "It'd be weird for someone like me to just walk up to Class D's social butterfly, don't you think?"

Kushida giggled, a soft, melodic sound that felt almost rehearsed. "You're so funny, Hikigaya-kun. But don't worry, I don't bite." Her words were sweet, but there was a hidden sharpness beneath them, something that didn't match her friendly facade. I could hear it, even if no one else would.

Enough useless small talk. I decided to get to the point.

"So, do you have any idea why I asked you here?" I asked, cutting straight to the chase.

Kushida's eyes flickered, and she looked momentarily uneasy. "Is it something... awkward?" she asked nervously.

I gave her a small nod, not bothering to sugarcoat it. "I'd prefer it if this conversation stayed between us, and didn't get back to other classes—or anyone else for that matter."

Her eyes widened a little, and she seemed to pause, thinking. "What could be so serious?" she murmured, but there was a hint of curiosity in her tone.

I didn't waste any time. "Do you know that Horikita is going to be expelled tomorrow?" I asked, watching her closely for any sign of a reaction.

Kushida froze, her smile faltering for a split second, but the way her face shifted was almost imperceptible, like the mask of concern she wore was shattered for just a moment before it was swiftly repaired. For that brief instant, her expression was the kind that could've belonged to someone who had just received the tragic news, a raw look of disbelief and shock that most people would never be able to fake so perfectly. It lasted only a fraction of a second, but it was enough to make me pause.

"What? Expelled!?" she asked, her voice pitched enough to be believable. It was like she'd rehearsed just the right amount of surprise to convey her distress without a second thought. "Is there... anything I can do to help?" she added, her tone shifting from alarm to a frail, helpless offer of assistance.

I nodded slowly, keeping my gaze steady. "Well, if you really want to help, I need someone to find the person responsible for trying to expel Horikita."

I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice just enough so it wouldn't carry to the rest of the rooftop. "The person behind this is in Class D. Someone who has a strong presence in the class, someone who could manipulate things without drawing too much attention."

Kushida looked thoughtful for a moment, tilting her head slightly. "Hmm... Could it be someone like Karuizawa-san?" she said lightly, her voice carrying no hint of anything unusual.

I raised an eyebrow. "Karuizawa? What makes you think that?"

Honestly, I didn't recognize the name.

She looked helplessly, "See, Karuizawa-san does have a strong presence among the girls in the class. I'm not sure, but I think she could rally support without it being obvious. Though... I'm not sure she'd take things that far."

"Well, that's one possibility," I said, leaning back a little. "But we'll need to keep our eyes open for any other leads too."

Kushida smiled as if reassured that I wasn't entirely convinced by her suggestion, but her expression seemed to grow more contemplative as she considered the situation. "I'll keep an eye out, Hikigaya-kun," she said, her voice lighter now, though there was a flicker of concern behind her eyes. "Let me know if you need any help with anything else."

I couldn't help but keep thinking about Kushida's words. I wanted to delve into and try to read her motivations and figure out what was really behind those words of hers. But the more I thought about it, the more impossible it seemed. She was good at hiding things. It didn't matter how much I tried to read between the lines.

I sighed inwardly. There was no need to continue trying to decode her, not right now. Instead, I decided to drop the issue, even if the question still lingered in my mind.

"There's no need to keep going down that road," I said, dismissing it with a casual wave of my hand.

Kushida's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and I could hear the soft, surprised sound in her voice. "Hmm?"

"No need to suspect someone like Karuizawa," I clarified, my tone steady. "Personally, I don't think someone like her—the type you described, the one who spends most of her time around the girls—could dislike Horikita enough to want to get her expelled." I paused, letting the weight of the words settle in. "Horikita's already disliked enough in class. If someone were really going to do something, don't you think it'd have happened earlier? Besides I don't think that 'Karuizawa' person is often seen around Horikita."

As I continued speaking, I mentioned how the culprit had been seen handing out Horikita's mock tests to another class. "The person behind this," I continued, "was seen passing out Horikita's mock tests to Class C, trying to make her look incompetent. It seems like they've been working behind the scenes to make her look bad."

Silence.

"What do you want from me?"

Before I could resume, Kushida suddenly interrupted, her voice sharp and insistent. No longer light and playful but harsh, now that her mask had cracked in an instant.

"What?"

Her face twisted a rare glimpse of something darker behind her usual façade. "You already know, don't you?" she continued, her words quick and clipped. "The moment you mentioned the tests, you figured it out, didn't you? That it was me."

"How quickly you gave up," I remarked, trying to follow the sudden shift. "You didn't even try to hide it once I mentioned the tests."

Kushida's eyes hardened for a brief moment, but then, just as quickly, her expression softened again, though it no longer felt genuine. "What's your point?"

I decided not to beat around the bush. "I want you to undo what you've done," I said plainly, meeting her gaze.

For a moment, her smile grew wider, though it twisted cruelly at the edges. It was no longer the smile of the friendly Kushida everyone knew—it was something colder, sharper. She tilted her head slightly, the gesture almost playful, but the look in her eyes betrayed her.

"Undo it?" she echoed, her voice laced with mockery. "Do you think it's that simple? That I'll just do whatever you ask because you've figured out a tiny piece?"

Her words cut, and the amused malice in her tone was hard to ignore. Kushida leaned in slightly as if to drive her point home.

"And even if I did 'undo it,'" she added with a sly smirk, "what makes you think it'll be for your benefit... or hers?"

I decided not to mince words. "Bold of you to assume you're entirely safe," I said, my tone steady and calm, though the weight behind my words was undeniable.

Kushida's smirk faltered slightly, replaced by a faint frown. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, her voice tinged with suspicion, though she tried to mask it with feigned confidence.

I raised an eyebrow, letting the moment linger. "Do you really think I'd come here unprepared? You said it yourself—I already know it's you. So, tell me, Kushida, who's the idiot here? Me for confronting you... or you for assuming I came empty-handed?"

Her frown deepened, and for the first time, I saw the cracks in her composure widen. She leaned back slightly, but her gaze sharpened, searching for answers. "What are you trying to say?"

Without a word, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Unlocking it, I turned the screen toward her and showed her the image that had been carefully prepared for this moment.

Her eyes widened ever so slightly, the telltale sign of her control slipping further. On the screen was a clear photo of her meeting with none other than Ryuuen Kakeru, the leader of Class C. The image captured the exact moment she handed over Horikita's mock tests, clearly giving Class C an advantage in the Special Exam.

It wasn't just a betrayal of her class—it was a deliberate move against Horikita Suzune. The damning evidence hung between us, and for a moment, the only sound was the faint buzz of the phone's screen.

Kushida's lips tightened into a thin line as she processed the situation. Her carefully constructed façade was crumbling under the weight of the evidence. "Where did you get that?" she finally asked, her voice low and clipped, though I could sense the rising panic beneath it.

I tilted my head slightly, feigning casual indifference. "Does it really matter? The important thing is, you're not as untouchable as you think."

Kushida stared at the screen for a moment longer, her lips twitching as though she were weighing her options. Her fear was palpable, the cracks in her carefully constructed mask spreading rapidly. Then, just as suddenly, she broke into a wide smile—one so deliberate it felt like an attack.

"And what exactly does this prove?" she asked, her tone leaking with ridicule. Her gaze flicked back up to me, her confidence returning piece by piece. "A photo? Really? It could just as easily be fake. Ever heard of editing software? Who's going to take it seriously?"

She took a step closer, her presence almost suffocating. "But let's entertain the idea that you'd even try to use this. Who do you think they'd believe? Me?" She gestured dramatically to herself, her smile growing sharper. "Kushida Kikyou, the friendly, helpful girl who's been building her reputation in this class from day one? Or..." Her eyes narrowed as her voice turned cold. "You. A person from another school. A loner. Someone no one even bothers to talk to unless they absolutely have to."

Her words were like daggers, but I didn't flinch. She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice to a near whisper, her smile never faltering. "You really think people are going to take your side over mine? Let me spell it out for you: they won't. They'll laugh you off before you even finish your first sentence."

I met her gaze calmly, letting her finish her little tirade. Her confidence, her venom, all of it was back in full force now, as though she truly believed she'd regained the upper hand. That was fine. Let her think that. I had no intention of backing down.

Her grin stretched wider, perfectly cruel, and her voice dropped into a venomous, sardonically sweet tone. "Face it," she said, her words dripping with mockery. "You're a fucking nobody. That's all you've ever been. All you'll ever be. You think you can stand against me? Against Kushida Kikyou?"

I let the silence hang for a moment, watching her revel in what she believed was her triumph. Then I chuckled, low and quiet, shaking my head.

"Bitch, please."

Her smile faltered ever so slightly at my response. It wasn't much, but it was enough to fuel me. For someone so used to controlling every conversation, and every interaction, she clearly wasn't prepared for someone who didn't care about playing along.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I am a nobody," I continued, my tone intentionally unshakable and measured, even as I felt a flicker of amusement at the subtle twitch in her expression. "But you know what's funny about nobodies like me? We've got nothing to lose. No reputation to protect, no perfect façade to maintain, no image to uphold. You? You're Kushida Kikyou, the girl who's built her entire identity on being socially dependent. One crack in that perfect mask of yours, and everything comes crashing down."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she still kept that infuriating smirk. It was like watching a kid insist they weren't losing a game after a blatant blunder. Honestly, it was almost pathetic.

I leaned in, letting my gaze sharpen as I locked onto hers. "You're fragile. You live in fear of people seeing the real you. That's why you're so desperate to protect this little image you've created—because if people knew who you really are, they wouldn't admire and praise you endlessly. They'd despise you."

"And don't get me wrong," I added, my voice laced with a mocking edge. "I think it's impressive, really. The way you've managed to fool everyone for so long. But you've also overplayed your hand. What did you think would happen when you messed up? That no one would notice? Or did you really believe you were that much smarter than the rest of us?"

Her face twisted for the briefest moment—just a flicker of frustration behind her eyes before she forced the smile back onto her face. A fake, utterly disgusting, and brittle smile that only made me want to push her further.

"You're not as untouchable as you think," I said, letting the words sink in. "You can try to convince yourself otherwise, but deep down, you know it's true. All it takes is one person to see through you, one rumor to spread, and your perfect little world falls apart. And if that happens? Well..." I shrugged nonchalantly, letting her imagine the rest.

Her smirk stretched, desperate now, "You think this is some kind of win for you?" she asked, her voice low and laced with venom. "You're pathetic, you know that? A nobody clinging to some delusion that you're better than me."

"Better than you?" I echoed, smirking slightly. "Oh, don't get me wrong—I don't need to be better than you. I just need to show everyone that you're not who they think you are. And from the looks of it? I'm doing a pretty damn good job so far."

Her mask slipped further, her hands curling slightly into fists. I could almost hear the thoughts racing through her mind, trying to figure out a way to regain control.

Her smirk faded completely, replaced by a cold, calculating stare. Then, without warning, her lips curled into a twisted smile. "Fine," she said almost softly.

"Then I'll make sure no one finds out."

Before I could process her words, her hand shot out like a viper, slamming into my stomach with surprising force. Pain exploded in my midsection, and I stumbled back, the air rushing from my lungs in a wheeze. My mind reeled as I doubled over, clutching at my abdomen.

What the hell? My thoughts raced, disoriented by the sudden assault. I'd expected venomous words, maybe threats—but not this. Not an actual attack.

Kushida didn't let up. Before I could recover, she lunged at me, her hands clawing for my phone. The force of her movement sent both of us crashing to the ground. I landed awkwardly, my back slamming against the floor, sending another jolt of pain through me.

I barely managed to twist away, keeping the phone just out of her reach. Her hands scraped against my arm as she tried to wrest it free, her nails biting into my skin with relentless determination. "Give it to me!" she hissed, her voice filled with raw, unrestrained fury.

I tried to shove her off, but she straddled me, pinning me down with her weight. A wild gleam flickered in her eyes as she raised her hand, aiming a slap square at my face. Instinctively, I braced for impact.

"NOW!" I shouted, my voice cracking with urgency.

Before her hand could connect, someone grabbed her wrists from behind, wrenching them back with enough force to halt her entirely. Kushida froze, her head snapping around in shock.

"Seriously?" a familiar, amused voice snickered. "I didn't think I'd actually have to restrain some crazy bitch today."

It was Hashimoto. He stood behind her, his grip firm on her arms as she struggled futilely against him. His expression was one of mild annoyance as if this was nothing more than a minor inconvenience in his day.

Kushida thrashed against him, but his hold didn't budge. "Let go of me!" she spat, her voice dripping with venom.

"Not happening," Hashimoto replied smoothly. "You really don't know when to quit, do you?"

I lay there for a moment, catching my breath, my chest heaving from the effort. The pain in my stomach throbbed, but the sight of Kushida restrained and furious, was almost enough to make me forget it.

"She's got some fight in her," Hashimoto said with a smirk, glancing at me. "You good, boss? Or did she break you?"

"Still breathing," I muttered, forcing myself upright. My phone was still in my hand, thankfully intact. I met Kushida's enraged gaze, her mask now completely gone, replaced by unfiltered rage.

"Looks like your perfect reputation just took another hit," I said, grimacing through the lingering pain. "Not very classy of you, Kushida."

She glared at me, her lips curling into a snarl, but the struggle was gone from her movements. She knew she'd lost this round, and the realization only seemed to fuel her anger.

Fucking psycho.

Kushida's furious thrashing slowed as her sharp eyes narrowed in on Hashimoto. Her toxin momentarily gave way to calculating suspicion. "You..." she muttered, her voice laced with malice. "You're from Class A. What the hell are you even doing here?"

Hashimoto smirked, unbothered by her hostility. "That's none of your business," he replied coolly, tightening his grip on her arms just enough to make her wince. "Not everything revolves around you, you know."

Kushida barked out a sharp laugh, her tone unconcerned despite the world burning around her. "Oh, please. Whatever you two think you're doing here, it won't change anything. You're both finished. Done. Go ahead, play your little games—it's not going to matter."

I noted the deranged glint in her eyes, the way her voice climbed with hysteria.

"Finished?" I said, letting an amused grin creep across my face. I tilted my head, regarding her with mock pity. "I think you've got it backward, Kushida. If anyone's done here, it's you."

Her mocking laughter died on her lips as Hashimoto chuckled. "You really don't get it, do you?" he said, pulling out his phone and waving it casually in the air. "Boss here had it all planned out. Every word you just said? Every little hissy fit, every threat, even that cute little stunt where you went full psycho? I saw it. More importantly..." His smirk widened, eyes glinting with mischief. "I recorded it."

Kushida froze. Her eyes darted between us, the color draining from her face. "What...?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" I said, relishing the rare look of genuine shock on her face. "Yeah, Hashimoto saw everything. Which means your little performance here is safely stored. Every threat, every punch, every desperate scream—it's all on record."

Hashimoto shrugged nonchalantly. "I've gotta admit, boss. That was a pretty genius move. Genius and crazy! Props to you for thinking ahead."

Kushida's mouth opened, but no words came out. For a brief moment, it was as if the world around her had collapsed. She tried to muster some semblance of her usual venom, but it was gone, replaced by raw disbelief and fear.

"And now," I added, leaning closer, my grin sharpening into something far less friendly, "no matter what you do, you're done. Every lie, every manipulation—it's all over."

I stopped just before her face.

"You've lost, Kushida."

She trembled in Hashimoto's grip, her face pale, her lips twitching as though trying to form some kind of rebuttal. But she said nothing. She couldn't.

The silence was deafening, and for once, Kushida Kikyou had nothing left to say.