It was 7pm, the designated time me and Alice would meet at the karaoke parlour.

I remember from my first time visiting here with Taiga and Ichinose that there were no security cameras in these rooms. It was one of the few places in the island where surveillance wasn't present.

I was already at the parlour, but Alice was running late, so I was waiting for her in the reception. I was reading a light novel on my phone to kill time.

"Hey, sorry about that!"

Alice arrived not long after, wearing a fluttering pure white dress. She was panting slightly, like she had just rushed over to get here.

"It's no problem. I already booked us a room."

"Oh, that's great!"

Alice beamed, excitedly grabbing my arm.

"Lead the way then, Yuuto-san!"

"Right..."

Lately, Alice has been quite touchy towards me. It was jarring to see her act so close to me after everything that's happened between us.

I'm just glad Yukimura wasn't with us, since I'm pretty sure he'd kill me for this...

"Man it's been awhile..."

Entering the karaoke room, I felt a strange sense of nostalgia. I wasn't a fan of being loud or singing, but I did really enjoy my time here with Taiga and Ichinose.

"Do you come here often?"

Alice wasted no time and sat down on the couch, flipping through the menu to order a drink.

"Sometimes. I usually don't have many friends to go with though."

As she was doing that, I was flicking through the song catalogue on the karaoke machine to decide what I wanted to sing.

"Ah, I see. Back in April, I used to come here nearly everyday with my friends after school to hang out, since we had so many points to spare. Nowadays though, I barely come here, since I'm trying to save up. What drink do you want, by the way?"

"I'll take a grape soda."

"Aren't you fancy? Let me place the order."

"Grape soda is pretty normal, I think..."

I put down the remote and sighed, crossing my arms. Alice scooted over to me on the sofa.

"Can't decide on a song?"

"Yeah... I feel like doing something rock, but it's way too embarrassing."

"Eh, you're into rock music? I didn't expect that."

"What did you think I listen to?"

"I don't know, you strike me as the classical music type."

"I might be a bit slow, but I'm not old fashioned..."

Alice laughed, slapping my shoulder lightly.

"You say that, but I've noticed recently that you've been trying to look more cool and hip."

"I swear that's unintentional... these sunglasses were a gift from an upperclassman and Shouko-san was the one who said I looked good with my shirt untucked."

"Well yeah, no duh. I think you were one of the few people in class who actually tucked their shirt in. I don't know how you put up with it, it feels so uncomfortable."

"I was just trying to follow the dress code since Chabashira-sensei that was one of the things that made us lose all our class points."

"Eh, it's a small price to pay to look stylish."

To be fair, it probably wasn't doing that much damage. D Class was worse than us when it came to uniform, since half their class were delinquents, yet they were still able to gain a respectable amount of Cl at the beginning of June.

"I guess."

"Although... I think you looked better without the sunglasses."

Alice reached out and gently removed them. Without realising it, she had brought her face closer to mine. I could feel her soft breaths tickle my neck.

"Most people think I look cooler with them on."

"Hmm... I don't know. You always had a cool flair to you, Yuuto-san. Especially with that scar, he he."

Her finger traced the scar Nakajima engraved in my cheek. She closed my sunglasses and clipped it onto the opening my shirt.

"...thanks. I think?"

I wasn't sure if she was complimenting me or not, but I definitely felt a little embarrassed with how strongly she was coming onto me. Her free hand was pushing against my chest, and her knee was pushed firmly between my legs.

"What made you want to change your style?"

"Nothing really. It just... kind of happened."

"Keep it. I like you this way."

"Is that so?"

It's not that she likes this version of me more. It's just Alice's perception of me had improved since we first met. Apart from my fashion sense, everything about me was still the same. I haven't changed at all.

Ever since she opened up to me over her fear of Shimada, Alice had begun seeing me as a reliable person. By getting to know me better, she stopped seeing me as a loser and started seeing me as a dependable friend.

"Oh, our drinks are here!"

Alice got up excitedly and picked up the glasses delivered to our room. Bringing it over to our table, she handed me my grape soda.

"Guess we should start the karaoke, huh?"

"If you're still unsure, I can go first."

"I mean... if you want, take the stage."

Handing her the remote, Alice happily shuffled through the songs and selected one instantly. It seems she already knew what she wanted to sing right from the get go.

"Aha, this one's a classic!"

The song she selected was Caste Room by ZAQ. Picking up the microphone, Alice got onto the stage as the instrumental started.

"Ah, I'm a little nervous..."

"Hey, you offered to go first. Don't chicken out now, Alice-san."

I gently teased her as encouragement. Alice pouted, but laughed.

"Yes, yes, I know. Ah, the song's starting! Er, um, kirari chou ga tonde tta sunabokori ga daichi ni mau~"

As she sang, I picked up a tambourine and shook it to match the rhythm.

"Step by step! Sukoshizutsu, tsukamitorun da hikari wo!"

She was really singing her heart out. Her face was going red from how hard she was trying.

"Bokura wa... chikyuu tte heya wo aruku tabibito~"

The song came to an end, leading me to applaud her. Alice bowed, laughing while wiping the sweat off her brow.

"Thank you, thank you! I'll be here all week."

Handing me the microphone, Alice sat down and took a sip of her lemonade.

"Your turn, Yuuto-san. Let's see what you've got!"

"Welp, here goes nothing..."

I chose a song at random. It was HALF by QUEEN BEE.

"Ahh, I love this band! Good taste, Yuuto-san!"

It was my first time ever hearing this song. I got up on stage and cleared my throat before putting the microphone up to my lips.

"I get what you mean by being nervous now..."

Even though it was just one person, having Alice watch me intently as I stood up here felt weirdly pressuring.

"Hey, what did you tell me earlier? Don't chicken out, right? He he he."

Much to my chagrin, Alice used my own words against me. I sighed as the instrumental started and the words began popping up on screen. I guess it's show time...

"Kantan na eigo shika wakanai... odoru no daisuki kenkou dai ichi..."

"Come on, put more emotion into it! You can do this, Yuuto-san! Don't be shy!"

Alice was encouraging me to sing louder while thumping excitedly on the tambourine.

"Ah... mou kakko tsuketeku shikanai jan...!"

I wasn't very confident in my singing voice, but I tried a little bit harder than before to satisfy her.

"Yeah, yeah, like that! Sing it louder, sing it clearer, sing it so everyone can hear you!"

"Sono mama kono mama... furisosogu hikari, nee!"

Slowly but surely, I was getting into the groove of this song. Thanks to Alice's encouragement from the sideline, I had become more comfortable singing this way in front of her.

"Kono mama, sono mama... tsukisusumu hikari~"

When the song came to an end, I felt exhausted. That really takes a lot out of you...

"Wooooo! Good job, Yuuto-san! You have a surprisingly lovely singing voice!"

Alice cheered, clapped, and shook the tambourine some more in celebration. She was being way too nice to me, I wasn't that good.

"Ah... thanks."

I sat down on the sofa, passing the microphone back to Alice. For the next hour, we kept repeating this cycle, switching between who was singing and who was listening. We even did a couple of duets in between. By the end of it, we were both exhausted.

"Uwa... I haven't had this much fun in such a long time!"

Alice laughed, her body swaying in exhaustion.

"Yeah... I liked doing the duets."

Only because we were both embarrassing ourselves with no one watching. To cool down, I undid the top two buttons of my shirt and drank the rest of my soda.

"They were great, but your timing is awful."

"I got confused on who was who for a moment... give me a break."

Alice laughed, going to get a sip of her drink before realising it was empty.

"Oh... do you want a refill too, Yuuto-san?"

I stared at my empty glass.

"...yeah, that'd be nice."

My throat was completely parched from singing so much. I don't think I've ever been this lively before...

Alice ordered us a second round of drinks, before she playfully slumped her body on mine.

"Ah, you'd make for a great dakimakura, Yuuto-san..."

She hugged my arm and rested her head against it, pretending it was a pillow.

"Tired?"

"Very..."

Alice yawned slightly. It was only 8pm, so the night was still young. To think she was already this beat... I thought riajuu had more stamina than this. Maybe she wasn't as extroverted as I thought she was.

"Let's take a break then."

"Yeah, that sounds good."

Alice closed her eyes. I had to admit, she looked very cute in this half sleepy state. When the refills arrived, I went to pick them up since she looked so tired.

"Nu!"

As I tried to leave, Alice squeaked while possessively clutching onto my arm. It was unexpectedly adorable...

"...don't you want more lemonade?"

"I want more Yuuto-makura!"

"I'm not some kind of pillow."

"You are now."

"Eh... this isn't some kind of hotel, you know? It'd be bad if you actually fell asleep here."

"Oh, don't be like that... haven't you heard the rumours?"

"Well... yeah. Who hasn't at this point."

"Then you should know that all sorts of couples use the karaoke rooms for... things that aren't meant for their intended purpose."

In other words, students were using the karaoke rooms as love hotels, since the ones on the island strictly prohibited us from entering.

Apparently, these rumours started because a 1st Year found a used condom in one of these rooms... it's one of the seven great mysteries of GEN.

"So it's fine... isn't it?"

"We aren't a couple, Alice-san."

It was that remark which got her to let go of me. Frowning, she looked away with downturned eyes.

"Right... we aren't."

Thinking I couldn't hear her, Alice bitterly mumbled to herself.

"...what do you mean by that?"

"W-what do you mean, what do you mean by that?"

Realising that I had heard her, Alice's face began to grow red.

"Well... to me, it almost sounded like..."

I didn't want to say it outright, since I'd be making a fool out of myself if I was wrong, but the way Alice was fidgeting around made me think I was right.

"D-don't be an idiot! I never said anything like that!"

Alice got up and grabbed her drink, chugging it impulsively to hide her embarrassment.

"Is that so? Then you won't mind if I do this, right?"

"Mind wh—"

I slammed her against the wall.

"H... h-huh?"

Alice squealed, her face blushing dark pink as she looked up at me in awe.

"N-nee, what are you...?"

With a soft look in her eyes, Alice's demure gaze slowly trailed down to her feet as they nervously tapped together.

"If you didn't mean what you said earlier, you shouldn't be embarrassed by this, right?"

I leaned in closer, closing the distance between us. Alice stepped back, pressing herself against the wall and biting her bottom lip.

"Well, t-that's... a-any girl would be embarrassed if you suddenly kabedon them...!"

Alice tried raising her voice in denial, but was too flustered to do it. For such a haughty girl, she was surprisingly sensitive deep down.

"I don't know... I remember seeing Hashimoto-senpai try this on Shimizu-san, only to miserably fail. Come to think of it, you threw me under the bus and called me a woman beater and traitor because of it."

Alice's nervous body stiffened up as I dug up old wounds. She looked away guiltily, like I had popped a sour taste in her mouth.

"That... I did."

Lifting her head slightly, I could see tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. After a pause, she continued.

"Look, Yuuto-san... I know this apology is long overdue, but... I'm sorry!"

Alice choked out those words, preemptively wiping away the tears that were about to spill from her eyes. She didn't want to appear weak in front of me, but this one small action was enough to bring her on the verge of breaking down.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry about all the times I was mean to you, and I'm so sorry about all the times I hurt you... especially back in May. Back then, I... I thought you were lower than a cockroach, but now I know I was wrong! I was so, so wrong about you..."

There was a sincerity in her voice that made me believe she was honestly remorseful for her actions back then.

"I used to think, what did Yukina-san even see in this guy...? But after spending time with you and seeing you in action... I finally understand why she looked up to you... but it was too late for me. I hurt you... and because of it, you probably hate me... do you hate me, Yuuto-san?"

Even though she tried so hard to suppress it, Alice started crying against her will. Her misty eyes were unable to look at me anymore out of shame.

"Of course not."

I reached out, cupping the side of her cheek and wiping away her warm tears. Alice shivered at my cold touch, closing her eyes. Even though her whole body was shaking with anxiety, she was still able to smile a little as I comforted her.

"I'm glad... I'm so, so glad..."

Alice embraced me, burying her face into my chest. I hugged her, patting the back of her head as she cried.

"I was so scared of saying sorry, Yuuto-san... so, so scared..."

"Why were you scared?"

Alice tensed up, crying some more.

"B-because... because I thought you hated me... and that you'd never forgive me... so I didn't know how to say sorry..."

After everything she and Matsushita had put me through, Alice had convinced herself that I'd never forgive her for it. To her, it meant that it was almost pointless to apologise, since I'd never accept it.

"I know it sounds pathetic, but it's the truth... I really wanted to make things right with you, but I was too afraid to say anything... it made me feel nervous and anxious to talk to you... I can never tell what you're thinking..."

Due to my expressionless face, Alice could never truly confirm whether I hated her or not. All she had to go off on was my actions towards her, and whether they were positive or negative.

"And all those times I could've said something... I couldn't... my throat felt paralysed and the words wouldn't come out..."

In a painful way, I could relate to this feeling. I understood what it felt like to have the words clamp up in your throat and leave you unable to speak. I hugged Alice tighter.

"I'm so stupid... I'm so, so, so stupid... I'm sorry for being stupid, Yuuto-san..."

"Don't say that. You're not stupid for feeling that way. I understand."

"Y-you do...?"

"Yeah. I do."

Alice wiped her tears away and hugged me tighter than before. Somehow, it almost feels like I'm comforting my little sister...

"Thank you..."

"It's nothing. It really feels like I got to see a different side of you today, though."

"Do you... dislike it?"

"Not really. It feels more like... I've only just gotten to know the real you."

"He he... same here. We really didn't get off to the best start... did we?"

"We really didn't."

"Can we... start over?"

"Start over when we're already this intimate? I don't think that's possible anymore, Alice-san."

As I teased her a little, Alice giggled and shook her head. Now that she was in a better mood, she wasn't shaking as much anymore.

"You're no fair, Yuuto-san."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean... player."

"Don't lump me in with those guys... that's the last thing I want to be."

"But that's what you're doing right now, aren't you?"

"I'm just following your lead."

Alice huffed as I put her cheekiness in place.

"You say that, but you're the one who asked me out like this suddenly..."

"Because I wanted to do karaoke. I don't know what your intentions were."

I wasn't trying to lead her on. I was just preparing what needed to be done.

"Well... I just... wanted to spend time with you."

She quietly admitted, looking away from me.

"...me? Seriously?"

"Y-yeah... I really enjoyed our time together planning the exams and during the study sessions, so..."

I guess I was a good listener. Alice was the chatty type, so having someone be there to hear her thoughts was reassuring to her.

"When you did ask, I really didn't expect it at all... and yet..."

"And yet?"

"...I, I secretly wanted it deep down."

Alice looked up at me for a second before looking away again.

"What are you saying...?"

"I'm saying that... I, um..."

Alice's voice trailed off as she couldn't get the words out.

"I..."

As the first word left her mouth, the rest came naturally tumbling out.

"I love you, Yuuto-san..."

Voicing her feelings towards me properly, Alice looked up at me.

It was the first time I'd ever received a love confession before.

I honestly didn't expect things to turn out this way, so I had no idea what to do...

"I... I've liked you for a long time, Yuuto-san... but I knew that I probably had no chance..."

Alice laughed nervously, looking away from me. A deep red blush spread across her cheeks.

"I mean... after all, I'm no match for Yukina-san... I'm sure you prefer her over me..."

Slowly, she pulled away from me and started to shuffle away reclusively.

"That's why... I'm jealous that she's so close to you. She's so lucky to have you by her side... it makes me wish I noticed what she saw in you sooner... maybe that way, I wouldn't have been such a bitch towards you from the beginning..."

Curling up into a ball on the sofa, Alice pulled her legs up to her chest and hid her face in between the nook of her knees. She was fully expecting me to reject her here, because she thought I loved Yukina.

"I've really messed up..."

What a troublesome situation... what am I going to do?

I guess I'll break you.

"Alice-san."

"What...?"

"Don't look away from me."

I started shuffling towards her.

"Why shouldn't I? I've ruined our night together with my stupid feelings..."

"No, you haven't."

"Yes I have..."

"That's just what you think, isn't it? You don't actually know how I feel."

"I don't need to... I knew from the start that I had no chance."

"You say that, but you still confessed regardless. Doesn't that mean you still had hope I'd reciprocate?"

"That... d-don't be ridiculous."

Alice shook her head, closing herself off from me even more.

"I was prepared to be rejected... that's all."

"I don't believe that."

"You should! It's the truth... now hurry up and break my heart already! I-I... I want to get this stupid crush over with..."

"I don't know... I've come to like you recently."

Alice's head perked up slightly.

"W-wait... huh?"

"I think it'd be a waste if I let this chance slip by."

"W-what are you talking about...? Y-Yuuto-san, what are you..."

"I'm saying that I like you too, Alice-san."

Almost with feverish excitement, Alice finally raised her head, letting me see her blushing face and teary eyes.

"S-stop joking around... I know that it's not true! There's no way you'd choose me over her..."

"Then I'll prove it to you."

Without saying anything else, I leaned in.

"Y-Yuuto-san...?"

Alice squeaked, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Alice-san..."

The tips of our noses touched as I pulled her in closer.

"A-ah... I love you..."

Impulsively, Alice grabbed my shirt and also leaned in.

"I love you too."

However, just before we kissed, I put my hand on her mouth.

"...when you're not talking, that is."

Alice's eyes widened.

OST: Youkoso Jitsuryoku Main Theme 2

"Mmm?!"

She tried speaking, but all her words came out as muffles as my hand pressed firmly against her mouth.

"Honestly, I'm disappointed. I thought you would've learnt from your experience at Minanohara, yet here you are rehashing the same old tactics you used on Matsushita-san."

With a shaken up look on her face, Alice narrowed her eyes in anger.

"Mmm! Mmm... mmm, mmmmm!"

I couldn't understand what she was saying, so I let go of her mouth. Her hot breath and sticky saliva coated the palm of my hand.

"W-what... what are you on about...? I thought you loved me!"

Alice gasped, shouting at me accusatorially in retaliation.

"Yeah, I lied. Just like how you lied to me, Yukimura-san, and Matsushita-san to try and ensure your safety."

"I don't know what you're on about..."

"It's pointless to feign your innocence, Alice-san. I know how you work."

"You don't know a thing about me!"

"I know everything about you. That includes your awful past at Minanohara."

Alice shut up the moment I brought that up.

"The truth is, deep down, you're just a little girl with an ego so fragile, you can't even stand on your own two feet unless someone is protecting you. Unfortunately, no one is willing to look out for you because you're worthless."

I didn't hold back with my words. I wanted them to pierce through to Alice's heart, hitting her weak points relentlessly.

"In this world filled with talent, you're talentless. In order to cover that up, you'll find the strongest male at your disposal and seduce him with your looks, body, and money to try and get him on your side. Once you've successfully groomed him into falling in love with you, you'll start dating him so you can leverage being his girlfriend to make him do your bidding. By victimising yourself as helpless and vulnerable, it prevents him from realising he's being used by you, as it makes him think he's doing this on your behalf since you can't."

Her once gritted mouth went agape at a loss for words over how I knew so much.

"That's what you did to Matsushita-san in Minanohara, and what you tried doing to Yukimura-san when we first enrolled here at GEN. Back in middle school, you chose Matsushita-san because he was the class leader and most popular boy. He was charismatic, sociable, and good-looking. Being in his friend group meant no one would challenge you, since you were at the top of the social hierarchy. However, after the incident, you guys broke up, meaning the same song and dance wouldn't work on Matsushita-san again here."

Her confusion turned into anger, glaring at me malignantly. Her eyes burned, asking how I knew all this.

"That's why, even if Matsushita-san was the best choice in GEN, you set your eyes on Yukimura-san instead, since he was next best option available to you at the time. I understand how he'd be tempting to keep by your side, though. He naturally keeps unsavoury people at bay due to his strength and violent temper, but he's also easy to control due to his simpleminded and loyal personality. Not to mention, he already had a crush on you, which would make the process easier. However, he was merely a temporary solution. You wanted a man who could rival even Matsushita-san."

She gulped, tensing up. Her breathing started to hasten.

"It's no wonder you went after me next. In the areas where those two lacked in, I made up for. You saw how I could be a strong leader like Matsushita-san when I got half the class to rebel against him, and how my power was greater than Yukimura-san's when I punched Ritaka-san. In fact, that was the moment you decided to jump ship, didn't you? I used my fists for the sake of protecting someone I care. You wanted to become that someone."

This was the reason why Alice acted the way she did towards me the past month. She was trying to make me fall in love with her.

"Not only that, but I also have ties to D Class and A Class, the two strongest classes, and my older half-brother is in the Royalty. My connections to even more powerful people run so deep, you were probably planning on using me as a stepping stone to cozy up to one of them, and ditch me the moment you didn't need me anymore. Simply put, I was the best of both worlds and then some."

I exposed her completely, tearing apart the paper thin plan she cobbled together to try and get me on her side.

"Have I exceeded your expectations yet, Alice-san? You probably weren't expecting this turn of events."

Thanks to Matsushita's confession on the rooftop, I was able to see through her behind-the-scenes strategy.

"This entire time, you thought you had me wrapped around your finger. The truth is, I was onto you from the very beginning. I saw the pattern in your behaviour, making it predictable you'd try the same thing on me. I first noticed it when you started acting friendly towards me despite how brutally you treated me in the past. You let me into the creator group for the special exam and opened up about your fear of Shimada-san to try and gain my trust. Not only that, but you also started using your body to try and attract me, such as showing more skin and flashing your panties at me. Even now, you're wearing a skimpy, see-through dress. That's part of your strategy too, isn't it?"

I'm not into girls like her. She's not my type, and never will be.

"You thought you could deal the finishing blow here, in the karaoke room, since I was the one who asked you out. In this environment where no one could interfere, it would just be the two of us alone. All the conditions seemed perfect. However, what you didn't realise was I had lured you into that conclusion on purpose. I chose this place to trick you into confessing to me first. This entire time, we were playing the exact same game with each other. Who could emotionally manipulate the other first? And unfortunately for you, I won by holding out until the very end."

Alice had unwittingly fallen into a trap made possible by the very man she used and discarded before.

"In the end, you were your own undoing. You didn't see my worth until it was too late, and by that time I had already figured out your true intentions. You're just too stubborn to have such a quick change of heart. It's a no-brainer why I'd be suspicious. At the same time, you were trying to play with my feelings without properly understanding what kind I person I was. Even if you acknowledged me as the strongest, the idea that I was a loser never truly left your head. That's why you underestimated me. You thought I'd be easy to manipulate. Unfortunately for you, I don't have a heart that can be manipulated."

My greatest strength was the fact I had no emotions. No one can advantage of something that doesn't exist.

"The truth is, you don't love me. You never loved me. You only loved the idea of being by my side because I'm strong. Isn't that right?"

Laying everything bare, I mercilessly tore apart the mask she had created for herself. All that remained was her true self, driven into a corner.

"And I've only scratched the surface. Do you want me to tell you the story of Minanohara? Though, I'm sure you know it pretty well by now, inside and out. I mean, you're the one who goaded Matsushita-san into pushing Kouji-san off the balcony after all."

"Y-you even know about that...?!"

Finally, it was dredging up the sin of her past that got her to respond. Despite being overwhelmed with information that I shouldn't have known, she kept up a poker face, pretending that what I was saying was just my own conjecture.

However, when faced with the facts of the Minanohara incident, Alice couldn't deny it. This had definitely happened, and she had witnessed it firsthand, meaning she couldn't pretend it didn't happen. Even if she tried, I would've just used Kouji or Matsushita to testify as witnesses.

"I know everything, Alice-san."

"Who told you?! Was it that worthless Isogai? Or was it that piece of garbage... K... ugh!"

Alice couldn't even bring herself to utter Kouji's name. It made her physically sick trying to spit it out.

"It was neither of them. I painstakingly found out the truth by myself. Even though Minanohara tried covering up the incident, it was still covered extensively in newspapers, you know? I just had to follow the paper trail backwards."

Using the same lies I did with Matsushita, I explained to Alice how I got this point.

"From there, it became obvious what happened. Matsushita-san pushed Kouji-san off the balcony, but it wasn't quite that cut and dry. Behind the scenes, you were the one who ordered Matsushita-san to carry out that hit in the hopes you'd kill Kouji-san once and for all. I wonder, why do you hate him so much? Why would you go so far as to kill him, hm?"

I leaned in, making Alice shrink back in fear.

"Oh wait. It's because he got better test scores than you. What a sad reason."

"Y... y-you... but... h-huh? H-how...?!"

Alice began panicking as I played the last card up my sleeve. This was my finishing blow to break her.

"If you don't want anyone else to find out about this, then you can begin by following my every order from now on. Otherwise, I'm telling the entire school about your past and promiscuity."

Alice eyes widened as I threatened to blackmail her, the same as I did with Matsushita.

"You're the worst... you're absolutely, definitely, unmistakably the worst!"

Alice was crying, not because she was upset, but because she was angry. Her confused glare turned clear with malice.

"Don't screw with me, Yuuto-san! If you do that, I'll tell the whole school you raped me in the karaoke room!"

So she was trying to blackmail me back, huh?

"With what evidence?"

"I don't need evidence... have you forgotten, I'm more popular than you'll ever be! You're just a loner loser woman beating pervert to the rest of the school! Who do you think they'll believe first?"

It sounded like Alice was beginning to panic under the pressure. Her words were normally far more cutting than this whenever she got emotional. She was holding back, scared of my retribution, as I had proved my terrifying strength earlier.

"Did you forget, my older half-brother is in the Royalty? I'll have him ask the King to do me a favour."

The moment I brought Kishou up, Alice froze.

"That's right. I'll use Kishou-sama to expose you, Alice-san. Who do you think people will believe first then?"

There was no way she could win against the King in a popularity contest. Kishou, despite his cold exterior, was well loved by the masses due to his common touch and slightly awkward but endearing personality.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaa! Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Alice screamed, starting to kick about and struggle while under my grip. Was she trying to make this look like an actual rape scene or something? In any case, I let go of her and put my phone on recording mode. It was better safe than sorry.

"Yuuto...!"

Now that I was no longer pinning her down, Alice got up with a vengeance.

"Fight me!"

"...what?"

"I said, fight me! The winner gets to blackmail the loser!"

Taking out her deck from her purse, Alice proposed a challenge in a last ditch attempt to save herself.

I sighed. I didn't really want to go through the trouble, but if this would get her to submit to me, then so be it.

"...if you wish."

I took out my deck and set it on the table.

"Stand up, (the!) Vanguard!"