Outsider : Classroom Of The Elite

Chapter 4.8 - Tension

"Th-this... D-don't you think this is too much?" Karuizawa stuttered nervously, trying to avert her gaze but too afraid to look away.

"Does it matter?" I asked.

"O-of course it does! You're literally telling me to strip!?" she exclaimed.

Yes, I was forcing her to reveal the secret she desperately wanted to keep hidden from everyone. I had known about it from the very beginning. In a sense, my actions might seem unnecessary or pointless, but I saw their importance.

"You told me you'd do anything, didn't you?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I... uh, I..." Karuizawa's voice trailed off, unsure.

"Are you having second thoughts, Karuizawa?"

"N-no! I'm not! I-it's just—"

"Then show 'it' to me," I ordered.

My goal wasn't to make her expose 'that' for its own sake. Rather, by forcing her to obey, I wanted to establish absolute control over her. She was at her most vulnerable and likely to give in to the pressure. And she did...

"U-ugh..."

With a defeated expression, Karuizawa squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the hem of her shirt, lifting it up.

"..."

There, on her beautiful pale skin, was a grotesque scar. A deep scar, clearly from a life-threatening wound inflicted by a sharp blade. This wasn't mere bullying—it was attempted manslaughter.

"So, this is your 'reason'?" I asked.

"Ugh..." she groaned in discomfort.

I had my hypothesis about how she ended up like this. Despite her personality, Karuizawa Kei was undoubtedly a cute girl. During middle school, she probably overshadowed others with her beauty. She must have been bullied out of jealousy and hatred. One of the more extreme bullies likely decided it was better to just eliminate her—and they stabbed her.

"It's crazy how you're still attending school."

"Wh-what?"

Anyone weaker would have become a recluse, or even gone so far as to take their own life. She always dressed modestly, even when swimming, wearing a school swimsuit rather than something revealing like the other girls. I couldn't blame her.

If I hadn't changed, I'd still be wearing long sleeves in the summer to hide my scars, just like her.

"Heut!" I touched the scar on her skin.

The spot must have been sensitive, because her body flinched violently as my fingers brushed over it. The texture was rough, surprisingly similar to my own scars. Judging by the position of the wound, it had been dangerously close to vital organs. A few inches lower, and she wouldn't be standing in front of me today.

"Scars are grotesque, but that doesn't make them ugly. It just means you survived."

"Wh-what are you... you...?" Her eyes widened in shock, as though my comment had caught her off guard, sounding almost like mockery.

"I'm giving you an opportunity." I gently pulled her shirt back down, covering the scar. "I'll protect you—better than Hirata or Machida ever did. In return, you just have to follow my orders."

"That's—"

Despite how much she had irked me in the past, all of her behavior had been a smokescreen to hide behind. But after this, I'd ensure she wouldn't need that anymore.

"All I need is people to operate the way I want. For that, I need your social skills."

Regardless of what I'd done before, maintaining the same momentum without unity would be difficult. Karuizawa controlled half the girls in the class. Her influence made her as valuable an ally as Horikita.