Shirogane Miyuki in COTE

Shirogane, as a student council member, took Kushida's phone from Ayanokouji.

"I'll be going now."

"If you find Kushida, please keep an eye on her. When she was in the room with everyone else during the meeting, she didn't seem to be in a good mood."

Saying this, Ayanokouji made a move to turn and leave.

"…"

This was the first time Shirogane had a proper conversation with Ayanokouji.

Though Sakayanagi had tasked her with taking down Ayanokouji, the genius, this was their first real talk.

"Your class…"

Shirogane began.

"This test seemed to go pretty well."

"Everyone must've worked hard."

But Ayanokouji quickly added,

"Even though some people didn't *look* like they tried that hard, isn't that something we see a lot? They act lazy on the outside, but once they're back in their rooms, they actually study a lot."

In other words, even though his face looked blank, he clearly had high social awareness—he was already coming up with excuses for when the scores came out.

When he saw that Shirogane didn't respond, Ayanokouji headed off toward the dorm lobby.

Shirogane, on the other hand, stayed in place.

Originally, Ayanokouji seemed to have figured out where Kushida was going, so he had planned to follow her with his phone. But after the short delay, Kushida had already disappeared.

Still, now that the "narration system" had gone to sleep, it was just him left to explore on his own.

Curfew was at 11:00 PM. It was currently 10:32 PM.

So why would Kushida come out at this hour?

Was she heading to that quiet railing area again?

Most likely, yes.

Shirogane guessed that Kushida Kikyo had once again gone to the railing where no one was around.

He figured she probably had a tough day emotionally and just wanted a place to let it all out.

And if someone else saw her like that, it might not be good for her.

So in a way, taking the phone from Ayanokouji was also protecting Kushida.

After all, she was his mission target and someone he had brought into the student council.

And since she had secrets, a phone was not something she could afford to lose.

Especially not right now.

Shirogane already had Kushida Kikyo's phone in hand. The screen lit up a few times, but all it showed was a new message notification—no content, which meant she had message privacy turned on.

So at least she was trying to keep things secret.

But if someone cracked her lock screen, then everything on her phone would be wide open.

The thought was tempting—if he hacked the phone, maybe he could find out her secrets.

But at the same time, that would mean digging into someone's private life. And he might end up finding stuff he didn't even want to know.

Wouldn't that just make him a creep?

With that thought, Shirogane decided to stick to his original plan and head toward the quiet railing spot he had tracked several times before.

Kushida had probably gone there more than once and always found it empty. So now, in the middle of an emotional meltdown, she likely assumed it was safe.

But the fact that she forgot her phone showed just how upset she was today.

She wasn't thinking clearly at all.

But why?

Her class had done well on the test too.

Still, all Shirogane cared about was getting the secret Kushida had been hiding about Horikita. He was sure there was something there—but from the way Horikita acted, she didn't seem to know about it.

Otherwise, with Horikita's personality, she would've already confronted Kushida head-on.

After all, no one wants to open their dorm door every morning just to find someone trying to be your friend—especially when you know they probably don't even like you.

Still, Kushida wondered if Horikita knew her secret — could it be that they actually went to the same middle school?

Even though Shirogane had joined the student council, he found that while the school kept basic records, the most he could see were some comments from the entrance interview. Things like personal history or more detailed records were only available to school administrators.

So, unless students shared that info themselves, no one really knew which middle school or area they came from.

Thinking about this, Shirogane kept walking.

He had lost track of Kushida, but if he just checked near the empty railing area, he might catch up.

Kushida really knew where to go.

Most of ANHS was covered by security cameras.

The few spots without cameras were mostly empty back alleys.

But there were exceptions.

For example, the girls' dorm hallways had cameras.

But the boys' dorm hallways didn't.

Outside the apartments, past some grass and trees, was the edge of the school.

The school was built on an artificial island. The edge of the island was neatly finished and surrounded by railings to prevent accidents.

A lot of students would come here just to lean on the railing and look at the ocean.

Or look across the water at the city, only a few kilometers away.

For some really athletic people, that distance wouldn't be a problem — they could probably jump in and swim back.

Well, of course, no one had ever actually done that.

The road was lined with neatly trimmed trees and a streetlamp every ten meters. The ground was paved with decorative stone tiles, and there were rows of wooden benches with metal armrests for people to sit on.

Farther down, the stone path turned into a two-meter-wide wooden boardwalk.

You had to admit — the school paid a lot of attention to detail.

Thinking that, Shirogane arrived at the spot where Kushida often showed up.

But then he heard a thumping noise ahead.

It sounded like someone was hitting the railing on purpose.

Shirogane didn't think someone was trying to break the railing to jump into the sea — it was just over a meter tall. If someone really wanted to, they could just climb over it anytime.

And from the sharp yet slightly dull sound, it didn't seem like metal hitting metal.

It didn't sound like a stick hitting metal either — more like flesh hitting metal.

"Buzz…"

Shirogane could even feel the railing vibrate with the sound.

And then, under the glow of the streetlight, he finally saw the person letting out their anger on the railing.

It was a girl — short golden hair just above the ears, very pretty — and she was lifting her right leg and slamming it into the railing like a madwoman. There was nothing ladylike about it.

Just looking at her, you'd never guess she had that kind of strength.

At the same time, Shirogane didn't leave, even though what he saw wasn't something you'd want to broadcast.

Because the one furiously kicking the railing, making it sound like it was begging for help, was the exact person he had come to find.

The same girl who had ridden the elevator with him this morning and chatted with him after — Kushida Kikyo.

Kushida always seemed like an angel — cute, sweet, always smiling, the kind of girl who made your heart skip a beat.

At least, that's the side Shirogane had seen.

But right now, alone like this, she looked like a completely different person.

Because all her grace, manners, and charm were gone.

She was kicking the railing like crazy, as if letting out all her anger.

But Shirogane had already figured out this spot was where Kushida came to blow off steam. And really, what else can you do at an empty railing?

Pole dance?

Of course not. Breaking something is more likely.

So Kushida's actions didn't exactly shock Shirogane. He was just a bit surprised. After all, someone who looks that cute acting so violent is unexpected.

But he was here to get information.

So please, Kushida—just be honest and say what's really on your mind.

And true to her reputation as the sweet girl everyone loves, Kushida quickly gave Shirogane what he wanted.

She finally opened her mouth, but instead of her usual kind, thoughtful words, what came out was anything but nice.

"Horikita, that bitch!"

"She thinks she's better than everyone just because she's cute."

"She acts all high and mighty just because her grades are good. You really think everyone's going to like you for that?"

"Why doesn't Horikita just drop dead already? Die, die, die!"

"That bitch... that damn Horikita…"

The girl kept kicking the railing as she spat out hateful words. Her once sweet and pretty face was now twisted and scary—like she had turned into a completely different person.

This was nothing like the angelic girl everyone was used to. If anyone else saw her like this, they'd probably be so shocked their jaws would drop.

After all, the girl who everyone admired and secretly liked—the one who looked like a perfect angel—was actually like this.

*"My goal at this school is to make lots of friends and create good memories."*

*"That's not fair! I don't have any hidden motive. I just want to be friends with Horikita."*

*"Horikita, do you want to hang out with us?"*

*"Ehehe~"*

Just thinking about the kind, sweet words she usually said with a smile—and comparing them to what she was saying now—made the contrast painfully clear.

It was the kind of gap that would make people start to hate Kushida.