"Hmm? Well, can you tell me why first? I don't think there is anything attractive about me per se. Even if you have heard those things about me from outside of school, that's not a good enough reason to ask me out, is it?"
"Ah, about that..."
After asking this question, Kei Karuizawa quite clearly displayed some hesitation and anxiety.
In the end, she looked straight at Ying Ye Zhenshi, and mustered up enough courage to speak out her reasons.
Youth or whatever, she had no need for it.
Friends and whatnot, she also had no need for them.
The most important thing was to protect herself.
For this, she could and would pay any price.
'I am a parasite… a weak creature that cannot survive alone.'
"I don't want to be bullied anymore, so please let me be by your side no matter what. I don't want to be bullied."
Karuizawa said and repeated her deepest desire once more.
Her whole being was trembling and she looked really nervous, as her watery eyes looked pitifully at the person lying on the hospital bed, like a puppy eager to receive a positive response from its owner.
"Hm? So you don't want to be bullied?"
Ying Ye Zhenshi listened to her words carefully and didn't react immediately.
But he soon became clear of her circumstances.
"Sure enough, there's yet another problem child here."
Class D was indeed a gathering place for defective products.
He had thought that Kei Karuizawa was assigned to Class D because of her behaviour as a snobbish gyaru and poor academic ability.
Now, it seemed to him that there was more to the story than met the eye.
But she had only revealed this past in a few short words.
"So, you've been bullied before or something like that, right? So now you are asking me to become your backer of sorts? I should have thought of that possibility earlier."
He hadn't paid much attention to the true reason for the confession last night and just brushed it off as the fanboying of a little girl for someone she had heard stories about online.
Thinking about it now though, when the girl had said his name yesterday, he got a sense of her deep excitement and heartfelt admiration.
Then, he looked at the girl in front of him with a look of contemplation.
"Ah, I'm sorry to have to say this, but though your reasons are very good, I refuse."
Ying Ye Zhenshi responded without hesitation.
"Ah..."
When Kei heard his answer, she panicked, became frightened, and found the situation unbelievable, and it seemed as if tears were about to flow out of her eyes.
'Indeed, girls have hearts made of glass.'
"Don't look like that."
Just as he expected, women were so troublesome.
Was it true that men were destined to be 'eaten' by women?
'Is it too late to stay away from her now?'
After a bout of brainstorming in his head, Ying Ye Zhenshi looked at the girl who had taken his confession virginity.
"Putting it bluntly, if you are willing to be my tool, I will find a way to help you solve any problem in the future."
Looking at the girl who was already in tears, Ying Ye Zhenshi let out a breath and opened his mouth.
"A… tool?"
Karuizawa stopped crying for a moment and looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"What that woman said just now was not exactly wrong. There is a limit to what one human can do, so we humans must learn to use tools. This is how I started thinking after being arrested the first time. If there were enough tools around me, I would definitely not be arrested again. Become a tool and weapon of mine. You can do whatever you want, but when I need it, act according to my instructions. You don't need to think too much and don't ask too much. Completely respect what I ask of you, and exist just for me, and I will protect you."
Ying Ye Zhenshi looked at the girl, after laying out such an awkward proposal, but…
"I will do anything."
Karuizawa apparently didn't truly understand what kind of existence he was describing.
However, it didn't matter to her anymore.
"Okay. Then, I congratulate you on making a good choice. But just to inform you, if one day I feel that you are not suitable as a tool, I will throw you away. On the other hand, if you do well, I will reward you. And if you have any troubles, I will solve them for you."
Ying Ye Zhenshi reminded her.
He didn't want to get a troublesome existence for himself without benefit, and who didn't know what was up.
"I will not mess up. Whatever you ask of me is what I will do."
Karuizawa shook when she heard him mention throwing her away.
After hearing about the reward and whatnot, she blushed a little, and lowered her head, as Ying Ye didn't know what she was thinking.
In this way, the boy and girl came to an agreement in the ward.
As for the brawl with the second years, a result was also about to usher itself in.
In the afternoon, Karuizawa was called to class.
Only Ying Ye Zhenshi, who was lazily spending his time in the ward, was left.
In fact, he was clear about his condition, and there was no issue with him being discharged from the hospital.
While the injuries looked serious, they were only traumatic surface-level injuries which could heal with self-care.
The reason why he remained here though was just to wait for a satisfactory outcome.
When school was over, Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi arrived at the ward.
"Ying Ye-kun, we're here to see you."
Entering the ward, the first person to greet him was not Horikita, but the golden-haired Nagumo.
Seeing his arrival, Ying Ye Zhenshi came to the conclusion that the matter had come to an end.
They would probably have talked about all the details and were here to put the matter to rest.
"Hello, Student council president senpai and Vice president senpai."
"..."
Hearing the title vice president senpai, Nagumo's expression became a little stiff.
"We came here this afternoon because the incident from yesterday has been investigated and is close to resolving. The second-year students have already admitted their mistakes. They have already admitted their guilt for trying to surround you. However, they have informed us that they did not do anything to Karuizawa-san. They only said intimidating things to scare her, but they already understand what they did wrong, and are saying they will not commit such a mistake ever again."
Horikita informed Ying Ye with a serious attitude.
"So what?"
Ying Ye Zhenshi looked at the senior who spoke and paused for a second during his explanation, and then he responded calmly.
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