"Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides" A quote from André Malraux, a French novelist.
It poses an interesting question- The quote implies that our true essence lies in what we conceal, indicating that our hidden thoughts, feelings, desires, and motivations play a significant role in defining who we are.
Can a person who hides themselves authentically engage in relationships?
What I think is, that individuals who hide significant aspects of themselves may struggle with developing and sustaining authentic relationships with others.
Whether we hide ourselves due to societal expectations, culture, or the fear of judgement, it leads to gaps between our public personas and our concealed selves.
This concealment of the self may lead to feelings of isolation, disconnection and difficulty in forming genuine connections with others.
"Kushida, does it ever feel lonely?" I asked her.
"Huh? What do you mean? I have a lot of friends, Ayanokouji-kun." She replied, with a confused expression.
"No. Nevermind. Ignore my question." I sighed.
"Hm... If you say so, Ayanokouji-kun... Ah! We shouldn't waste time. Should we start discussing?"
"Yes. I wanted to discuss that mutually beneficial partnership that I had brought up back then." I reminded her of the day where I had caught her venting about classmates, and revealing her unconcealed self. "Ryuuen is planning to crush Class D in the near future, and it seems that he had taken interest in you."
"Hmm... Is that so...?" Kushida stated. I raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. However, seeing as you would be a valuable ally in defeating Class D. I'd like to raise our mutual trust."
"You should know that I would never trust you, Ayanokouji-kun!" Kushida said with her usual happy, upbeat tone.
"That hurts. I didn't mean as friends of course. I meant as an ally."
"But why would you think I would betray my class in the future...?" She asked, with her finger on her lip.
"You want to have Horikita expelled, don't you?"
Kushida flinched. She averted her eyes as she thought to herself in temptation.
"I decided that in order to show that I am serious about this alliance, I will help you on this midterm without asking for anything in return."
"Hm... How will you do that?"
"I don't mean helping your class. Sure, it would be a certain result of it, but I was thinking I'd help you personally."
"My grades are already decent, Ayanokouji-kun." She smiled.
"No, I don't doubt your intelligence, I was thinking of helping you in two ways. The first would be in spreading your influence and increasing your reliability as a class leader. The second would be..."
"Hm?" She tilted her head in anticipation.
"Humiliating Horikita." I said bluntly.
Kushida kept her usual warm smile, as she heard my proposition. Yet, the look in her eyes was much more malicious, exposing her concealed self.
"I can't expel Horikita as of yet, but just to show my good faith in an alliance, I am willing to do both of these free of charge for now."
"I see, that truly is a tempting offer, Ayanokouji-kun! Just one thing, let's say that I was to accept this partnership, what exactly would I be doing in return?"
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Echoes of Solitude
Fanfiction[Ayanokouji in Class C] Ayanokouji Kiyotaka has lived his life controlled by his father, in an environment that broke many lives through sheer violence and forced to oppose each other through intelligence. Given a chance of temporary freedom, he att...
