Chapter 111 Sakayanagi Arisu: How did I end up being played by Kamuro Masumi?
'Hehe... judging by her look, she's in a rather good mood.'
Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly stood up and walked over to Kamuro Masumi's side, observing her just like that. Although Kamuro was focused on her phone, anyone with eyes could see it—she was unconsciously bouncing her leg, clearly in high spirits.
Just last night, Sakayanagi had mentioned to her that "Shimizu Akira is using you as a betting stake," and at that time, the other girl was visibly fuming. How did she calm down so much after just one day?
While Sakayanagi wasn't clear on the specifics of what happened between the two, she could guess the gist of it—Shimizu Akira must have used some method to completely win her over.
'After all, that man's IQ and EQ are both top-tier, not a bit inferior to mine.'
Sakayanagi made this judgment of Shimizu Akira largely because he had once beaten her.
'This shows that Kamuro Masumi's feelings for Shimizu Akira are not as indifferent as she pretended they were yesterday.'
Sakayanagi Arisu naturally arrived at this conclusion. Speaking of which, if they were just casual acquaintances, would Kamuro have been that angry yesterday? Last month, Shimizu had even told her personally that Kamuro Masumi was his friend.
'I feel a bit strangely irritated—Shimizu Akira hasn't admitted that I'm his friend even once up to now.'
So far, the only person she had heard Shimizu explicitly acknowledge as a friend was Kamuro Masumi. Given Shimizu's personality, he was never casual about making friends. Those he acknowledged were likely the kind he could trust with his heart—friends who would truly lend a hand when things got tough.
'I wonder what Kamuro Masumi did to earn such special treatment from him.'
Jealousy? Perhaps there was a trace of it. Sakayanagi Arisu frankly admitted this emotion; after all, he was an opponent she respected. But at this moment, these sentimental little thoughts clearly shouldn't occupy her mind. She lightly closed her eyelids; when she opened them again, her eyes were clear.
To deal with different people, one must naturally adopt different strategies. Simply put, it boils down to four principles:
The profit-driven are lured by gain. The righteous are moved by duty. The dull-witted are subdued by force. The prideful are coerced by their reputation.
Thus, she had already thought of the best way to win the other girl over.
"Kamuro-san... hello." She threw out the same opening she had used yesterday.
"I don't want to talk to you, get away from me!"
Don't be fooled by the way Kamuro Masumi often acted annoyed with Shimizu Akira; in truth, she rarely bothered to talk to people she genuinely loathed. When you truly hate someone, you don't even want to breathe the same air, let alone speak.
The one she felt a deep-seated revulsion for was Sakayanagi Arisu.
She wasn't an airhead; those words last night were obviously a deliberate attempt to stir up trouble. Furthermore, on the first day of school, it was Sakayanagi who proactively suggested using her as a bet. Under such circumstances, it would be a miracle if she felt even half a shred of goodwill toward this person.
"I want to talk to you about Shimizu-kun from Class D." Sakayanagi Arisu maintained her elegant smile, turning a blind eye to Kamuro's hostility.
"Sakayanagi Arisu!" Kamuro Masumi slammed her hand on the desk and stood up abruptly. "Do you really think I can't see the games you're playing?"
"Oh, don't be so quick to get angry." Sakayanagi shook her head gently. "This time, I'm not here to say bad things about Shimizu-kun. It's about... his future joining of Class A."
Kamuro's pupils contracted suddenly. "What did you... say?"
"Katsuragi-kun should have mentioned it during Monday's class meeting, right?" Sakayanagi said unhurriedly. "Class A will select talent from other classes. Someone like Shimizu-kun, who can best me, is naturally the prime candidate." She paused meaningfully.
"Kamuro-san must think so too, right? You must really want Shimizu-kun to join Class A."
She said this with genuine sincerity. In her heart, Shimizu Akira truly possessed that kind of strength.
"...It's rare to hear a human word come out of your mouth," Kamuro snorted, though she had to admit the point.
"So..." A hint of craftiness flashed in Sakayanagi's eyes. "How about Kamuro-san becomes my assistant from now on? I guarantee that once the class saves up twenty million points, the first thing I'll do is 'buy' Shimizu-kun over." She placed a deliberate emphasis on the word "buy."
Sakayanagi Arisu was confident of victory. In her view, given Kamuro's intellect, there was no way she could see through the trap behind this proposal. However—
"Ha!" Kamuro suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Sakayanagi Arisu, do you take me for a three-year-old? How long would it take to save twenty million? Besides...
You have no intention of sincerely letting Shimizu Akira join Class A, do you? In your eyes, he's just an opponent that needs to be defeated. Who would be fooled by such a clumsy lie?"
She crossed her arms, looking down at Sakayanagi Arisu with a sneer. "Trying to get something for nothing? At least show some decent sincerity!"
'Tsk... when did this woman become so difficult to handle?
Could it be... she's been influenced by Shimizu Akira?'
A flash of surprise crossed Sakayanagi's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She suddenly shifted her tone: "You are welcome to tell Shimizu-kun all of the class intel I just mentioned. If he reveals it to the Class D leadership, it will surely raise his prestige within the class. Perhaps... even some students in Class A will look at him differently, which will more or less increase the probability of him joining Class A."
"You..." Kamuro Masumi knit her brows. "Weren't you saying you wanted to cooperate with Class D? Is it really okay to just release the information like that?"
"Cooperating with Shimizu-kun personally isn't the same as cooperating with the entire Class D~ Besides! It's just Class D—a class of 'defective products.' What is there to fear?" Sakayanagi chuckled.
Kamuro Masumi pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment, her finger tapping twice unconsciously on her phone case. Suddenly, she rolled her eyes at Sakayanagi again.
"Wait until I ask him first. In case that guy has already analyzed this whole thing through just like you, wouldn't I be losing out big time?"
Sakayanagi Arisu's mouth twitched upon hearing this—this woman's mind was actually spinning quite fast. To be honest, she also felt that Shimizu had likely guessed the truth already.
"And what if you turn around and just leak this to Shimizu-kun?" She leaned in slightly, her voice carrying a hint of a probe.
"I'm not that kind of person! Is it fine if I ask him right in front of you?" As she spoke, Kamuro Masumi pulled out her phone, her fingers sliding quickly across the screen as she sent Shimizu a message questioning him about the special exam.
The light from the phone screen reflected on both their faces. Sakayanagi Arisu watched the other girl's thumb hovering over the send button and suddenly felt the scene was somewhat absurd.
Not long after, the screen lit up. Shimizu's reply popped up—the two leaned in to look. The several messages he sent were, to Sakayanagi's surprise, identical to her own previous analysis.
Kamuro Masumi gave a mocking laugh and looked at Sakayanagi with disdain. "See that? He knew the secret of the exam papers by the second day! A whole day faster than you! In other words, you have no bargaining chips left."
"Go away, go away! Don't even dream of getting a free ride." Kamuro Masumi waved her hand impatiently, the wind from her wrist carrying a sense of cold rejection.
Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly had a localized feeling that the world had turned upside down—how did things end up like this? According to her plan, manipulating Kamuro Masumi should be easy, but now, even after using one method after another, the other girl remained completely unmoved.
"I'll pay points! I'll hire you to help me with this task, is that fine?" At this point, she had to play her final card, her voice carrying a barely perceptible trace of tension.
Kamuro Masumi arched an eyebrow and snorted.
"Speaking of which, didn't you just get a reward of 200,000 points? By the way, how much did you bet when you gambled with that guy last time?"
"Fifty thousand."
"Transfer 30,000 points to me right now." Kamuro Masumi took a half-step forward, her chin tilted up slightly. "It's not that I can't help you, but it's limited to this one time. Otherwise, no deal, and don't come bothering me again next time."
"..." Sakayanagi Arisu stared at the other girl's "victory-is-mine" expression, and a surge of irritation flared up in her heart.
'What is wrong with this woman! Asking me for 30,000 points and only willing to help once!
Could she be like Shimizu Akira, seeing nothing but points? Do you really think I'm someone you can just bully!'
Chapter 112 Sometimes, bad girls are actually quite cute.
The after-school bell rang precisely on time.
Shimizu Akira gently closed his Japanese Language textbook, his fingertips lingering on the cover for a moment. He had finally finished digesting most of the key points from the first week of school—from the looks of it, the content of the high school Japanese curriculum wasn't entirely impossible to keep up with.
He thought of the exam papers he had obtained for free from Sato-senpai earlier; he didn't intend to rely on rote memorization to get through the exams. After all, besides Japanese, his other subjects were steadily above 90 points; there was really no need to waste extra effort on this.
As for Japanese... it was indeed a weak spot that required some concern. However, today was only Wednesday, and there were still more than three weeks until the next test, so there was no need to rush. If he put in the time to study hard, passing shouldn't be a problem.
As he was packing the textbooks on his desk, two figures suddenly leaned in.
Shimizu Akira looked up to see Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji, the duo from the class's "Three Idiots."
"Shimizu-kun! I heard you're going on a date with Kushida-san after school today? That's way too enviable!" Ike Kanji's eyes were practically glowing with jealousy.
Yamauchi Haruki next to him originally wanted to join in with a few quips, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Shimizu Akira and remembered the man's formidable combat prowess. The words died in his throat, and he just stood obediently beside Ike, though his gaze couldn't hide his envy.
"Yeah," Shimizu Akira replied. His impression of Ike Kanji was decent enough, so he asked casually, "How did you guys find out?"
Ike Kanji answered immediately, "Kushida-san posted on her Moments! A ton of people in class saw it!"
Shimizu Akira swiped open his phone screen and scrolled to Kushida Kikyo's latest update.
[My first date ever is with my classmate Shimizu-kun. I'm so nervous my heart is racing~ ]
The attached photo was an exquisite selfie of the girl; the way her eyelashes trembled slightly was indeed pitiable and lovely.
"Uh..." Shimizu Akira narrowed his eyes.
This Kushida-san was truly... unable to wait. The date hadn't even started, yet the public relations campaign was already arranged. This copy—it was as standardized as a template lifted directly from a High School Girl's Social Media Manual.
He casually scrolled up through her past updates and indeed saw no trace of interaction with the opposite sex.
'First date... huh? For real?'
Regardless of whether it was true or false, this superficial performance was airtight.
"Hey, Shimizu!" Ike Kanji suddenly nudged him with his elbow.
"Speaking of which, you should thank the two of us! If we hadn't specifically mentioned you in front of Kushida on Monday..."
Shimizu Akira raised an eyebrow.
"So you two set this up?"
"Yeah, well, it was for our own sake too!" Ike Kanji began to wink and leer. "Kushida said she might hold another dating competition this month. If your date goes well this time... won't we have a chance too?"
Having said that, Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki looked at each other and smiled, showing an expression of mutual understanding.
'Are these two guys... serious?'
Shimizu Akira silently pressed a hand to his forehead. Looking at the two idiots in front of him immersed in their fantasies, a wave of powerlessness surged within him. Did they really think Kushida Kikyo would give them a chance?
Recalling that competition last month—Kushida Kikyo had specifically come to his door in private to ask him to be the predetermined winner. This was clearly to prevent anyone else from having a chance. From what he knew, these two hadn't even seriously gathered votes last month. While Kushida was tallying the votes, they had actually tried to count Sudo Ken as two votes by himself...
'With this level of effort... even if Kushida Kikyo holds a dating competition, you two will never be number one.'
The corner of Shimizu Akira's mouth twitched slightly; he truly couldn't understand the miraculous logic of these two. However, he maintained a polite smile.
"In any case, I should thank you for your kindness. Being able to successfully ask Kushida-san out is indeed thanks to your help in setting it up."
'These days, there aren't many people willing to play matchmaker proactively... even if the motive is truly speechless.'
Yamauchi Haruki's face suddenly became quite colorful, as if he had been punched in the face. He instinctively clutched his chest, feeling his heart stung by an invisible needle—any
man would not feel great hearing the girl he has a crush on is going on a date with someone else.
'This is all a necessary sacrifice... a necessary sacrifice...
As long as Shimizu's date goes smoothly this time, it'll be my turn next!'
He repeatedly muttered these self-consoling words in his mind and took several deep breaths, barely managing to maintain a facade of calm. However, that stiff smile looked like a forced grin no matter how you sliced it.
Ike Kanji's reaction was even more direct. His entire face scrunched up into a ball.
"Ha... haha..." He gave a dry laugh and mechanically patted Shimizu Akira's shoulder. "Go... go for it, brother..."
There was a clear hint of gritted teeth in his voice; this time, he truly found it a bit hard to see his "brother" doing well.
'Damn it! Why does it have to be Shimizu Akira... but there's no choice! He's the one who won, after all.
But if even he can't pull it off, Kushida-san will look down on me even more...'
Ike Kanji scratched his hair, his eyes wandering.
"Remember... remember to take more photos!" Finally, he squeezed out this sentence, regretting it as soon as it left his mouth.
This request sounded exactly like a desperate stalker. Besides, Shimizu Akira himself would be in those photos; somehow, that made it even more pathetic!
"I won't be sending photos, but Kushida-san will probably post on her Moments, so you can go check there," Shimizu Akira replied without hesitation. He had zero interest in sending photos to other men; it just felt too strange. It wasn't appropriate in any sense.
"Uh... okay!" The two replied awkwardly and left the scene.
"By the way!"
Shimizu Akira suddenly remembered the intel he received this morning and turned to look at Horikita Suzune, who was reading.
"Horikita, did you know Kushida Kikyo before this?"
"...I don't know her." Horikita Suzune's finger paused slightly as she turned a page, then she shook her head.
"I see." Shimizu Akira nodded thoughtfully.
Horikita's reaction was genuine, and she had no reason to lie; it seemed she truly was unacquainted with Kushida.
"Then where did you go to middle school?"
"xxxxx."
"Oh, I see."
"So, you're going on a date with Kushida Kikyo tonight?"
"Yeah, it's a date."
"...What on earth is her ulterior motive?"
"Ulterior motive? She definitely has one, but it's trivial." Shimizu Akira waved his hand with a smile.
"After all, Kushida Kikyo is quite good to me."
How could he not know what Kushida Kikyo was up to? It was nothing more than to shut the mouths of the classmates who lost the bet last month.
But! That didn't stop Kushida Kikyo from being very good to him on the surface.
Sometimes, bad girls are actually quite cute, aren't they?
Chapter 113 She is truly childish
Akira Shimizu leaned against a pillar at the mall entrance and looked down at the time on his phone—4:10 PM. He swiped open the chat interface; the last message was still the one sent by Kushida Kikyo:
[Meet at four! I'm going back to change my clothes, wait for me a bit~]
'Is she late...'
Just as he was hesitating over whether to send a message to ask, the sound of light footsteps suddenly came from behind him.
"Shimizu-kun! Sorry for the wait~"
The moment he turned around, a faint, elegant scent of gardenia wafted over him. Kushida Kikyo jogged to a stop in front of him, breathing slightly heavily, her cheeks flushed with a faint pink. She was wearing a pale yellow dress today, and the tips of her hair still carried a hint of moisture; she had clearly just bathed.
"I'm sorry for making you wait so long." She pressed her hands together and winked playfully. "Picking out an outfit took a bit of time. What does Shimizu-kun think of my look today?"
"This outfit suits you very well today." Akira's gaze lingered briefly on Kushida, his tone carrying a few notes of sincere admiration. Pale yellow was a difficult color to pull off, but it looked unexpectedly harmonious on her, making her radiate a bright, spring-like aura.
"Thank you~" Kikyo tilted her head slightly. Her gaze likewise scanned Akira's attire—a simple white short-sleeve shirt under a light blue casual jacket. The seemingly effortless combination perfectly outlined his tall, upright stature.
"Shimizu-kun is very handsome today as well."
"Thank you for the truth."
Kikyo put her hands behind her back and took a small hop forward.
"Then... may I handle the itinerary for today? My plan is to go to the dessert shop on the second floor for a bite, and then go to Karaoke—is that okay?"
"That works," Akira replied. He ran through the schedule in his head and thought it was quite appropriate. After all, it was already May and the weather was heating up; an indoor date like this was certainly much more comfortable than being outdoors.
The two walked side-by-side into the mall. The air conditioning blew against them, dispelling the early summer heat. Kikyo led Akira to the second floor with the ease of someone familiar with the place, and a dessert shop decorated with pink macaron-shaped lights came into view.
"This shop's Giant Matcha Parfait is very famous in the school! They say if you finish it within ten minutes, it's free! Does Shimizu-kun want to try the challenge?"
Kikyo's eyes were sparkling. Before Akira could even respond, she excitedly ordered the signature dessert. When the massive parfait glass was brought to the table, Akira couldn't help but widen his eyes—the portion was easily two or three times that of a normal parfait, the top layer covered in vibrant strawberries and mangoes, with matcha ice cream piled up like a small mountain.
"Wait... is it actually possible to finish this?" Akira pointed at the "dessert tower" in front of him.
Kushida was holding up her phone, looking for an angle to take a photo. Hearing this, she winked playfully. "It's written quite clearly on the sign~"
Following the direction of her finger, Akira indeed saw the "Ten-Minute Challenge" event description. The server thoughtfully started the timer on the table—the digits began jumping from 9:59.
"But isn't this a two-person challenge?!" Akira couldn't help but look at the leisurely girl across from him. "You don't intend for me to solve this by myself, do you?"
The event clearly stated it was a two-person challenge. Akira pointed to the seats not far away from them. "Look at the other guests, they are all sharing it together..."
Before he could finish his sentence, both of their gazes fell simultaneously on a conspicuous pair nearby. A blonde-haired senior was leaning lazily against the back of his chair, eyes closed as he enjoyed the parfait being fed to him by the senior girl across from him. The girl was carefully bringing the dessert to his lips with a spoon, a fawning smile on her face.
"Vice President Nagumo! All of my points for this month were spent on treating you to this dessert date..." The girl's voice carried a hint of coquettishness.
"Good performance." The blonde senior swallowed the dessert nonchalantly, a trace of an arrogant smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"You can skip next month's tribute."
"By the way, the midterm exams are in a few weeks." The blonde named Nagumo suddenly opened his eyes, his slender fingers tapping on the table.
"Remember, your class is not allowed to privately seek out the third-years to buy exam papers."
He adjusted his cuffs casually.
"The entire second-year only needs one set of papers; I will handle it uniformly. If anyone dares to waste my points..."
"U-Understood!" The senior girl nodded hurriedly, the silver spoon in her hand trembling slightly.
"Be a good girl." Nagumo flashed a predator-like smile. "Before graduation... maybe I'll save a special recommendation slot for you."
He leaned back against the chair again and opened his mouth lazily. "Continue."
"Yes!" The girl immediately perked up and carefully scooped up a spoonful of matcha ice cream.
Akira withdrew his gaze inconspicuously.
'I see... so that is the rumored Vice President Miyabi Nagumo?'
The way the man acted so high and mighty made him look like a peacock with its tail spread. Relying on his title as Student Council Vice President and an astronomical amount of personal points, he enjoyed his privileges in the school without any restraint. Akira caught a glimpse of the senior girl's forced smile; this wasn't some consensual date, it was a blatant transaction. Under those trembling eyelashes, what was hidden probably wasn't adoration, but a thirst for points.
'"One set is enough"—does he consider the personal points of the entire Class C to be his own private vault?'
This man's arrogance, in a sense, was far more unpleasant than Sakayanagi Arisu's. At least when Sakayanagi acted, she never squandered class funds as her own personal points. That sense of entitlement was more jarring than any deliberate provocation.
What concerned him even more was Nagumo's level of control over class affairs. Being able to so easily interfere with Class C's purchase of exam papers indicated that this Vice President's influence had already permeated the internal management level of the classes. Could it be that he can directly interfere with all decisions of the four second-year classes? That would be somewhat terrifying.
"Shimizu-kun?" Kushida's voice pulled him back to reality. "If you keep dazing out, we're going to fail the challenge~"
"Hmm? You're not eating?" When Akira regained his senses, he saw the mountain-like bowl of parfait in front of him, with frosting still clinging to the tips of the strawberries.
"I'm sorry, Shimizu-kun." Kushida Kikyo lightly pressed her hand against her lower abdomen, her tone soft and sweet.
"I suddenly felt a bit unwell while I was bathing today, so I can only watch you eat."
Akira stared at her hand pressed against her stomach, but his mind was as clear as a mirror—who would specifically divert to a cold-drink shop if they were feeling unwell? She clearly just wanted him to finish this giant parfait alone.
As the ice crystals melted on his tongue, he couldn't help but frown.
'Huh? When did I offend her?
I just praised her this morning for being good at taking care of herself and being very kind to me; why did she suddenly start "targeting" me?'
He scooped up a large spoonful of cream and stuffed it into his mouth. As his tongue went numb from the cold, he caught a glimpse of Kikyo's smiling eyes hidden behind her glass—and that bit of confusion suddenly turned into a helpless, silent chuckle.
Childish!
Chapter 114 Kushida-san, why are you rewarding me again?
However, Shimizu Akira simply put down his spoon.
Kushida Kikyo naturally noticed; she had ordered a room-temperature mango juice for herself and was leisurely sipping through the straw.
'He can't stand the cold anymore, can he!'
She had brought Shimizu here specifically because she wanted to see him suffer. She just hadn't expected him to stop after only two or three bites; he was a bit too easy to tease.
'Small fry! He really is such a little fish!'
"Seven minutes left, Shimizu-kun. Keep going!" Kushida glanced at the countdown timer on the table and then at the almost untouched parfait glass in front of him, her tone carrying an ill-concealed sense of prodding.
Shimizu Akira shook his head, tapping his finger on the rim of the glass. "I think I'll just pay the points honestly. Since it's a double set, normally speaking, an average person definitely couldn't finish it within the time limit. I can afford a thousand or so points."
'Giving up already?' Kushida muttered to herself.
Just eating a few bites of parfait—how was that a punishment? She hadn't seen enough of that "trying to hold back but unable to stop the brain freeze" expression on his face yet.
'Come to think of it, Shimizu Akira shouldn't be short on points, right?'
She suddenly remembered she had just given him 80,000 points last month—in other words, it was impossible for him to force himself just to get a free meal.
"Kushida-san, do you really hope for me to finish this parfait?" Shimizu Akira suddenly spoke, his tone as flat as if he were discussing the weather.
'He saw through me? Well, he's not an idiot.
There's no benefit to eating ice cream, so why would he give it his all?'
Kushida froze for a moment, her eyes instinctively scanning the countdown—only six minutes left. She lowered her head, and her expression shifted.
'Don't tell me he wants me to put up a prize?
He definitely means that!
This guy! As expected, he won't do anything unless there's a benefit!
I'm already out on a date with you, isn't that enough?!
No, I have to make him eat this until he's stuck in a bathroom stall for half a day!'
She had already made up her mind to make him eat the whole thing—who told this guy to get so carried away lately and actually dare to say "she's very good to him"? But clearly, he wasn't a fool; he refused to act without extra incentive.
As things stood, she had no choice but to go all out and offer some bait.
"Shimizu-kun, if you finish the whole parfait... I can let you use my lap as a pillow for three minutes." She deliberately put on a shy act, her voice timid, while her peripheral vision stayed glued to the time—only five minutes left.
'Five minutes! I don't believe you can finish it!
This guy definitely likes me a bit; as long as I throw out the lap-pillow bait, he'll definitely work himself to death!'
Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, she saw Shimizu Akira daze out for a second. But the next moment, what he said almost made her explode on the spot.
"Kushida-san, why are you rewarding me again?" Shimizu Akira's tone didn't sound fake; it carried genuine confusion.
"You've already done enough for me, there's no need for this."
'! When did I ever reward him?!
No way? Surely no one can finish such a huge parfait in five minutes?'
Just as she was lowering her head and laughing coldly to herself, the sound of "gulp gulp" swallowing reached her ears. Looking up, Kushida Kikyo was stunned once again.
At some point, Shimizu Akira had picked up the largest spoon and was stuffing the parfait into his mouth at a near-mechanical speed. The rhythm of his eating was so fast it looked like a competitive eater on TV; it was so exaggerated she forgot to blink. In reality, at least, she had never seen anyone eat ice cream like this.
"D-Don't you find it cold? Doesn't your head hurt?!" she couldn't help but blurt out, her voice a bit tight.
"Mmh... I'm fine." He immediately put down the spoon, his tone incredibly composed.
"It was quite cold at the start, but my body has already adapted to the temperature. Eating this in summer is actually quite refreshing."
'Is this guy serious? What do you mean 'body has adapted'?!'
She stared at his movements and realized he really wasn't acting—stuffing such large mouthfuls of ice cream into his mouth without even a furrow of his brow.
'What kind of physical constitution is this? Is this guy really just an average person? Come to think of it, he really does get up at 5:30 every morning to exercise and run.'
When Horikita Suzune mentioned this last month, she had been half-skeptical. But she woke up early herself to spend time doing her makeup; every morning when she looked down from her window, she could always see Shimizu Akira's figure on the track. Unshakable, ten laps a day. Over the past few days, she had even made it a habit—the first thing she did after opening the curtains in the morning was to see if he was there.
'Exercise... seems like it actually is useful? No! It's way too useful!
But it shouldn't be to the point of having zero side effects and just eating like a beast!'
She remembered that when she ate ice cream, she always took tiny sips and had to rest for a long time after one bite to recover. Looking at the scene before her, she suddenly found it unbelievable.
'Could it be that he deliberately bribed the server to cheat?'
As soon as this thought popped up, Kushida herself was taken aback—if it were anyone else, she definitely wouldn't think that, but this was Shimizu Akira. Maybe this wasn't legitimate cold food at all, but some "pseudo-ice cream" that had been tampered with; as for why it stayed solid, it was probably just some weird additives.
The more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed. She simply picked up her own spoon and scooped a tiny bit from the rim of the glass into her mouth.
'So cold—! Damn it! What kind of crappy shop is this? How is it so much colder than the ice cream I usually eat!'
The icy sensation surged from the tip of her tongue to the top of her skull instantly. she couldn't help but curse inwardly as her temples began to throb with pain, her hand instinctively rising to rub them. The coldness of this parfait was clearly off the charts.
Kushida Kikyo finally understood completely; the merchant's "finish it for free" event was purely intentional—who could gorge themselves against such freezing ice crystals?
'Scam merchant! They had no intention of letting anyone get it for free! It's freezing me to death! No way, I have to give them a one-star review later!'
"Hmm?" Across from her, Shimizu Akira seemed to notice her movement and stopped his spoon to look over.
"Didn't you say you were feeling unwell and couldn't eat ice cream?"
"Uh... I just couldn't resist taking a tiny bite because I'm greedy." Kushida immediately put on a pitiful expression, like a kitten caught in the act, her fingertips still pinching the spoon she hadn't put down.
"Oh, then be careful not to get an upset stomach." Shimizu Akira's tone was unreadable as he lowered his head to scoop another spoonful of parfait.
"I should be fine, I only had a tiny bite." She quickly waved her hand and couldn't help but warn him, "But as for you, Shimizu-kun, eating so fast... be careful not to chill your stomach."
"Don't worry about me." Shimizu Akira swallowed the ice crystals in his mouth, a bit of white mist appearing as he spoke.
"I've never been sick in my entire life; a minor problem like an upset stomach could never find its way to me."
As he said this, he sent another large spoonful into his mouth, his expression unchanging. Kushida looked at the curve of his Adam's apple as it moved and suddenly felt that the phrase "never been sick" might not be a boast—at least this cold-resistance was truly not something an average person could compare to.
She suddenly had another bad feeling.
Chapter 115 I'm not the kind of bad person who leaves negative reviews
Kushida Kikyo's ominous premonition was quickly vindicated.
The massive parfait glass in front of them was now completely empty. She had only tasted that initial tiny bite; the rest had been swept away by Shimizu Akira. Her gaze drifted involuntarily to the countdown timer on the table.
There were exactly two minutes left.
'This bastard... he actually dared to play me!'
Kushida finally had a sudden realization. His initial act of appearing unable to finish the ice cream was clearly a performance! Had he done all that just to trick a "benefit" out of her?
"Didn't you say you couldn't finish the parfait?" Kushida asked, forcing a thin smile.
"Under normal circumstances, I certainly couldn't! But sorry—" Shimizu put down his spoon and spread his hands.
"I'm not exactly an ordinary person."
His constitution was clearly different from the average person. Although he did have a slight headache from the cold at the start, after a few mouthfuls, his body seemed to adapt to the temperature, and he ate more and more smoothly.
Then again, he hadn't expected her to proactively offer a "benefit."
She actually wanted to give him a lap pillow.
Although he guessed Kushida was just waiting to see him make a fool of himself—perhaps by running to the restroom several times in embarrassment—unfortunately for her, his physique wouldn't be defeated by a mere cup of ice cream. He estimated he could eat ten cups without an issue.
"Waiter! I'm finished! So, does that mean we don't have to pay points?" Thinking of this, he raised his hand without hesitation.
The waiter walked over quickly. Seeing the empty glass and the clock still ticking, a flash of surprise crossed her face, but she eventually nodded in confirmation.
"Dear guest, congratulations on completing our free-meal challenge. According to the rules, this parfait is free," the waiter explained politely. "However, the lady's mango juice is different, so that will need to be paid for separately."
Shimizu raised an eyebrow. "Wait, according to the rules, it should be the whole table for free, right? That's what the sign said!"
He felt the other party was playing word games with him. He wasn't the type to care about a few hundred points, but that didn't mean he would let someone take advantage of him! It wasn't about the points; it was about the rules.
The waiter offered a professional smile. "I am very sorry, there may have been a printing error on the promotional sign. Our event is only free for the challenger themselves."
Having said that, she actually reached out, intending to take back the promotional stand on the table.
"Wait, what kind of 'error' is that?" Shimizu pressed his hand down on the stand.
"That's not what was said when we ordered."
Seeing this, Kushida was a bit surprised by his toughness, but she still said, "Forget it, I only ordered one drink anyway..."
"No!" Shimizu interrupted her, his gaze sharp as he looked at the waiter.
"Either follow the advertisement, or call your manager. Pick one."
The smile on the waiter's face stiffened; she clearly hadn't expected to encounter such a difficult guest. The surrounding customers began to peer over.
'This is trouble...' the waiter thought to herself.
"Fine, alright!" Finally, the waiter managed a forced smile. "This mango juice will also be considered free."
"If you can't follow through, then take the sign down immediately. Don't use these kinds of pretexts to deceive consumers."
He had never been one to compromise easily, especially when it involved his own rights.
"..."
Kushida studied him with some surprise. She hadn't expected this boy, who usually looked lazy and casual, to show such a forceful side at a time like this.
'A mango juice is 600 points... is he fighting for my interests?
This shop is terrible! They wouldn't even waive 600 points!
How dare they play me... see if I don't spam them with bad reviews tonight! Just wait to go out of business!'
"Kushida-san, you have a review account, right? Do you want to 'send' a few negative reviews to this shop together?" Shimizu suddenly turned his head and made a suggestion.
"Eh?! That... wouldn't be very good, would it..." She feigned hesitation and pursed her lips, though her heart was already chomping at the bit. She hadn't expected to be on the same page as Shimizu! It seemed he was also the type of master who refused to suffer a loss.
"What's not good about it?" Shimizu shook his head without thinking twice.
"The ice cream temperature was clearly lowered intentionally, and the service attitude is so poor; they are simply defrauding consumers. A shop like this needs negative reviews to teach them how to be human."
Kushida's eyes brightened slightly. She pretended to nod hesitantly.
"Since Shimizu-kun said so... then I'll write a few objective remarks."
She lowered her head and typed quickly on her phone, her fingertips dancing across the screen.
'Publicly criticizing a shop in front of someone... this really is the first time!'
She quickly typed out a string of intense words: [Are the employees in your shop all morons?!] [If you don't want to run the promotion, just close your doors for good!] [Was ice cream that cold air-freighted from the North Pole?!]
Halfway through, she suddenly realized something and her fingers paused.
'This doesn't fit my image at all...'
She bit her lower lip gently and deleted the text she had typed one by one. Instead, she curiously looked at the latest comments. Among the new reviews, "Shimizu Akira's" account was prominently displayed:
[The ice cream temperature in this shop is clearly lower than normal standards, and they are suspected of consumer fraud. Evidence has been preserved, and a follow-up will be submitted to the school's catering regulatory department.]
'He's actually going to report them to the school?'
Kushida couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle. Compared to Shimizu's straightforward approach, her angry words just now seemed childish. Looking at the several negative reviews that suddenly appeared on the shop's homepage, along with a few sudden likes, her mood became unexpectedly pleasant.
Finally, she elegantly left a comment: [Regrettably, the service at this establishment makes it impossible for me to visit again.]
"That conservative?! That doesn't really seem like you!"
When she finished the review and looked up, Kushida happened to meet Shimizu's questioning gaze.
"...Mmh! I'm not the kind of bad person who would secretly give a shop a negative review," Kushida said, sticking her neck out and spinning the lie with total confidence.
"? Who told you that leaving a negative review makes you a bad person?" Shimizu raised an eyebrow, casually picking up the empty parfait glass and shaking it.
"Isn't this quite normal? If you take a loss, you have to get even. Who could possibly be a saint who lives off nothing but air?"
"...Uh... well, alright then." Kushida was left speechless by his rebuttal. Her fingers tapped the phone screen a few more times, and she finally added a follow-up: [The 'free meal' is a lie from this shop. I suggest other students don't fall for it.]
"Now that's more like you!" Shimizu sighed naturally.
The tips of Kushida's fingers tightened on her phone, and her heart suddenly felt like it had been stirred by a wad of cotton—both messy and soft. How did this guy even see that her review was written conservatively?
She suddenly remembered the transaction at the coffee shop last time—that occasion had probably already made him realize that she wasn't just the pure, kind angel she appeared to be on the surface. Of course, she hadn't completely revealed herself then. At the time, she had only said a threatening word or two; at most, she was a bit of a calculating "hara-guro" (black-hearted), far from the point of tearing off the mask completely.
As for her true nature—where she secretly curses people or kicks doors when she's angry—Shimizu Akira was still completely ignorant of that. But what puzzled her most was—he clearly saw that she was faking, yet he didn't seem to care in the slightest.
He neither interrogated her nor exposed her; that "Now that's more like you" was said so naturally and openly, as if her occasional flashes of temper were exactly how things should be.
'This guy... what on earth is he thinking?'
Chapter 116 The emotional value provided by Kushida Kikyo is simply too good!
Shimizu Akira didn't try to guess what Kushida Kikyo was thinking—in his view, this was a perfectly normal reaction. Any normal person encountering a shop that goes out of its way to be difficult would be lucky not to argue with the staff on the spot; complaining afterward or leaving a bad review was only natural.
After a bit of consideration, he decided to contact the Student Council President directly to explain the ins and outs of the situation clearly, even attaching a screenshot of the "free meal" explanation to the message. In this school, when students run into trouble, the most reliable person to depend on—other than their own homeroom teacher—is the Student Council President. Especially for a matter involving a consumer dispute, it was clearly more prudent to leave it to the Student Council.
Not long after the message was sent, it showed as "Read" on Horikita Manabu's end. The other party replied quickly, asking for specific details: such as whether the quality of the ice cream was up to standard, if the pricing complied with school regulations, and if the relevant terms were clearly stated at the time of purchase.
Shimizu answered each question patiently and logically. Once he sent the reply to the final question, Horikita Manabu sent back a concise: "I understand."
The dialog box on the screen remained on that reply, but Shimizu felt strangely at ease—he understood Horikita Manabu's style of doing things; if he said he "understood," he would definitely handle it properly.
"Let's go." Seeing Kushida Kikyo finish the last of her mango juice, he stood up. Since the shop had already caused such a scene, there was truly no reason to linger.
"Alright~" Kushida replied, her fingertip pushing the empty cup further onto the tray.
.
.
.
The two didn't say much more and headed directly toward the Karaoke. When they pushed open the door to the private room, the disco lights had just finished half a rotation. Kushida picked up the microphone with practiced ease, her fingertips tapping the panel rapidly as she adjusted the volume.
As soon as the intro started, she began to sway gently to the rhythm. Her voice was clear and stable when she started singing—sure enough, someone who looks cute often sings exceptionally well. By the end of the song, the score popping up on the screen was comfortably over 90, even overpowering the backing vocals slightly.
Looking at her smiling eyes as she put down the microphone, Shimizu had a general idea—with this level of skill, she must come here often with friends; having sung a lot, her technique was naturally polished.
"It's Shimizu-kun's turn." Kushida handed over the other microphone. "Pick a song you like?"
Shimizu paused as he took the microphone. He wasn't very familiar with Japanese pop songs. After flipping through the song list for a while, he eventually chose two anime theme songs. When the intro played, his finger unconsciously tapped the armrest of the sofa.
Although it was his first time singing them, he kept the rhythm well enough, though his tone was on the deeper side—a stark contrast to Kushida Kikyo's clear voice. The lights in the room spun a couple of times. While he was singing the chorus, he caught a glimpse of Kushida resting her chin on her hand and smiling, her finger tapping the beat on her knee.
It had to be said, the emotional value provided by Kushida Kikyo was simply top-tier. When Shimizu hit a high note, she would always clap at the right moment; the sound of her palms meeting wasn't loud, but it was just enough for him to hear. When a duet part came up, she would naturally pick up the other microphone to join in, her voice harmonizing unexpectedly well with his. Even when just listening quietly, her gaze remained fixed on him.
In his past life, Shimizu hadn't exactly lacked experience hanging out with girls, but he had never met one like this—her sense of proportion was handled perfectly; she didn't seem over-enthusiastic, yet she made him feel clearly noticed.
After the song ended, Kushida smilingly handed him a bottle of mineral water, the bottle still carrying a chilled frostiness: "Shimizu-kun, you're better than I imagined."
"Thanks." Shimizu took the bottle. The cap made a soft click as he twisted it open, and he took a sip—as the cold water slid down his throat, he suddenly realized they had been singing in the room for nearly half an hour. The disco lights had spun countless times, and in the glass on the table, the ice cubes had long since melted down to small fragments.
"By the way, Shimizu-kun, is it okay if I ask you a small question?" Kushida suddenly moved to sit next to him, the sofa sinking slightly. She turned her face toward him.
"Do you know... why Horikita-san doesn't seem to like me very much? I noticed that you two have started calling each other by more intimate names lately. What should I do to get on her good side? Speaking of which, the Student Council President seems to have the same surname; what's the relationship between those two?"
'So, among her goals, there's also the task of digging for information on Horikita Suzune?'
Shimizu understood clearly and wasn't surprised. He rolled the bottle between his fingers and spoke slowly: "She's probably just not used to your personality. We have indeed become a bit more acquainted, but as for getting on her good side, I'm afraid I can't help much. The Student Council President is her older brother; they are siblings."
After all, from the moment they entered the Karaoke, she had looked after the atmosphere flawlessly—never letting the mood grow cold when it was time to clap, never stealing the beat during duets, and even her eyes were always smiling when she looked at him. This "perfection" hid a certain intent; even if it was acting, it was enough to make one willing to respond earnestly.
"That... has she ever told you anything about her past school?" Kushida asked, seemingly casual.
"No," Shimizu thought for a moment.
"I see! Is that so!" Kushida's eyes lit up, the smile spreading from the corners of her mouth to her eyes as she lightly clapped her hands.
"Thank you for telling me this, Shimizu-kun."
'This man really is easy to handle.'
Kushida's finger paused on the song selection panel, and she couldn't help but mutter in her heart—he answered quite straightforwardly just now, much more obedient than the roundabout way he acted last time.
'After all, I treated him according to 'boyfriend standards' today; anyone's heart would soften, right?
Come to think of it, this is the first time I've been this attentive to a boy.'
She peeked at the side of Shimizu's face, her lips curling upward—she had finally squeezed some useful information out of him.
'So Horikita Suzune's brother is the Student Council President...'
This realization had just surfaced when it was pushed down by another thought.
'But Horikita hasn't told him about middle school. Does that woman recognize me or not? Does she know about my past?'
Her thoughts were a mess when she suddenly remembered one more thing left unsettled.
'Right, the lap pillow hasn't been fulfilled yet.'
She clicked her tongue, feeling a bit awkward, then looked at Shimizu again—this guy fought like a little wolf when eating the parfait today, but he was unexpectedly serious while singing; he didn't seem that annoying.
'Fine, fine. A bet is a bet. I'll just consider it like being bitten by him; he already touched my chest anyway.'
Once the decision was made, she immediately suppressed her hesitation. Her face blossomed into a sweet, soft smile again as she lightly patted her knees, her skirt swaying slightly with the movement: "Shimizu-kun, come have your lap pillow."
Seeing him daze out for a moment, she added: "A bet is a bet. But this is a secret, just like last time—you're not allowed to tell anyone."
Kushida's tone carried a hint of "no refusals allowed," but her fingertips quietly smoothed out her skirt—after all, it was her first time letting a boy use her lap as a pillow; even if it was a lost bet, it was inevitably a bit uncomfortable.
Chapter 117 A lap pillow is truly comfortable
A lap pillow, as the name suggests, is when one person lightly rests their head on another person's thighs. In the world of 2D media, this is a "moe" scene naturally bathed in soft lighting, but in reality, it is exceptionally rare—usually occurring as an act of reliance when one is too tired to keep their eyes open, or as an act of intimacy when leaning in close to meticulously clean the other's ears.
In all his years, Shimizu Akira had never had such an experience.
"Alright, I understand." Seeing Kushida Kikyo's gesture of patting her knees, he agreed without much hesitation. He had no intention of refusing. Since the other party was willing to follow through on the bet, he had no reason to back down.
And... he looked down at her skirt, which she had specifically smoothed out, and felt a sudden curiosity about how this 2D trope actually felt in the real world.
After hesitating for two seconds, Shimizu slowly lay down following the curve of the sofa. The moment the back of his head touched Kushida Kikyo's knees, he instinctively tensed his spine—through the thin fabric of her skirt, he could feel the temperature of her thighs; they were a bit warmer than he had imagined.
"Don't move," Kushida's voice came from above.
"Do I have to wait for the timer to go off before I wake you? Are you nervous? Shimizu-kun, is this your first time having a girl give you a lap pillow?"
Her fingertips lightly pressed against his shoulder with a very gentle force.
"Yeah, you're right about that," Shimizu replied.
He could clearly feel that the thighs he was resting on were actually quite tense—the muscles hadn't fully relaxed, and even the folds of her skirt remained motionless. This subtle stiffness couldn't be faked; it seemed he wasn't the only one feeling uneasy.
'She's probably very nervous too.'
Akira looked up, his line of sight perfectly positioned to see the disco lights on the ceiling of the private room spinning. Red, blue, and pink lights swept across the ceiling and then onto the tips of Kushida Kikyo's hair—she was looking down slightly, still clutching the microphone she hadn't put down, though she wasn't singing anymore.
"Your hair is a bit stiff," she suddenly said, her fingertips tentatively touching the ends of his hair. "Do you not use conditioner normally?"
"I don't really have that habit," Shimizu's voice vibrated from his chest, and he could feel the knees he was resting on move slightly. He suddenly felt the scene was quite wonderful—despite being in a noisy Karaoke box, he could clearly hear her breathing and the faint rustle of her skirt being rubbed.
"Three minutes, and only ten seconds have passed so far." Kushida curled her fingers.
"Do you want to close your eyes and rest for a bit? The disco lights are uncomfortable on the eyes, right?"
Shimizu actually followed her advice and closed his eyes. In the darkness, his senses became exceptionally sharp—she had a faint, sweet scent of mango juice mixed with the fragrance of shampoo. The knees rose and fell slightly with her breath, like a small boat gently rocking.
Shimizu felt all his muscles relax. In truth, the sensation of resting on thighs was far less comfortable than the cotton pillows in his dorm—the friction of the fabric and the slight rise and fall of the curves brought an uneasy sense of unfamiliarity. Yet, at this moment, his heart felt as if it had been soaked in warm water; there was an indescribable lightheartedness, and even the noisy background music of the room seemed to drift further away.
"One minute left," Kushida's voice dropped down from above. "Shimizu-kun, by the way! Just a random question, how did you and Horikita-san manage to drop the '-san' honorific?"
"Eh?" The corner of Shimizu's mouth couldn't help but twitch—this classmate of his really seized every opportunity to dig for intel, refusing to let even the interval of a lap pillow go to waste.
He could even imagine her expression right now—she must be looking down, eyelashes trembling slightly, looking perfectly innocent as she pretended to ask a casual question.
'This person... how does she manage to be so calculating and cute at the same time?'
"It was nothing special," he answered honestly. "I just said, 'Our relationship is close enough now, there's no need to use such distant forms of address.' She agreed to drop the honorific, it was that simple."
As he said this, he felt the knees he was resting on move slightly, as if she were surprised. Sure enough, the next second he heard her voice: "Ehh? That direct? Horikita-san actually agreed to that?"
"Yeah," Shimizu replied, suddenly finding it a bit funny.
"Horikita has that kind of personality; if you're too polite with her, she'll actually find it annoying."
"Is that so?! I understand."
Shimizu didn't follow up this time. The background music in the room had changed at some point to a slow-tempo love song. A female voice was humming low, intertwining with her breathing, which was more calming than the thirty minutes of singing they had just done.
"Time's up." At the final second of the three minutes, Kushida Kikyo lightly pushed his shoulder. "If you stay lying there, I'm going to have to charge extra points."
When Shimizu sat up, the warmth of her knees still lingered on the back of his head. He turned to look and happened to catch Kushida rubbing her thighs, her cheeks slightly red—they had probably gone numb from the pressure of his head.
"Will there be something this good next time?" Shimizu suddenly asked.
Kushida froze for a moment, her fingertips instinctively pressing on her knees—having been pressed down for three minutes, the muscles had already become a bit stiff. She originally wanted to curl her lips and reply with her usual sweet, soft tone, "There won't be a next time," but the soreness in her thighs was too real, and her feigned tenderness vanished instantly.
'What kind of dream world is this guy living in? How could there possibly be a next time! I was only tricked by you this time!
Besides, you have no utility left! I've already squeezed out all the information I wanted! Why on earth would I give you another lap pillow?!'
She secretly rolled her eyes, and as she looked down, she happened to see the whorl of hair on the back of Shimizu's head—it looked stiff. If her knees weren't too sore to move, she really would have wanted to reach out and press down on it to see if she could soften that stubborn whorl a bit.
.
.
.
It had to be said, Kushida Kikyo was an absolutely qualified date partner. She provided emotional value in abundance, and her itinerary was flawless. She always spoke with a soft, sweet tone and even followed through on the lap pillow bet—if Shimizu were to score this date, he would give it a 10/10 without hesitation.
After returning to the dorm, he casually opened his social media app and scrolled to Kushida's latest update. Sure enough, she had posted several photos of them together: a profile shot of them singing in the Karaoke room, a shot of them looking at each other by the window of the cold drink shop, and even a candid shot of him head-down eating the parfait—with ice crystals on the corner of his mouth and a spoon still stuck in the pile of strawberries, looking a bit disheveled yet serious.
The caption read: "Congratulations to Shimizu-kun for successfully completing the Giant Parfait Challenge! Thanks to him, I managed to snag a free meal too~"
A lot of classmates had already liked the post. Scrolling to the comment section, he saw Yamauchi Haruki's message was particularly prominent: "This... this is just a bet, right! You two definitely aren't dating, right?!"
Shimizu Akira stared at the photo of the parfait for two seconds, suddenly remembering Kushida Kikyo's smiling eyes hidden behind her glass at that moment. In a sense, it was that
expression—wanting to laugh but determined to hold it back—that became the most memorable moment of the day for him.
Chapter 118 Shiina Hiyori: Shimizu-kun is so kind, he's a qualified assistant
On Thursday, Shimizu Akira's training plan was interrupted by a sudden phone call. He picked up his phone from the bedside table; the name jumping across the screen surprised him slightly—it was Shiina Hiyori.
It seemed she cared about finding the "Mystery Person" far more than he had anticipated. Last night, just before going to sleep at 9:00 PM, he had casually sent her a message saying, "Your reasoning has a loophole." It was a throwaway comment, yet he hadn't expected a surprise call to come through just after 6:00 AM.
After a moment's thought, he swiped the screen to answer.
Hiyori's voice immediately came through with a hint of urgency: "Shimizu-kun, what did you mean last night when you said my reasoning was flawed?"
"The logic is simple," Akira's voice was steady and clear.
"You previously speculated that the 'Mystery Person' is likely a Class D student, but you skipped the most crucial step—confirming who the core figures in Class D actually are. It's Kushida Kikyo. Our classmate Kushida-san has interpersonal skills that aren't inferior to Ichinose from Class B. Not only does she know her peers, but she even has acquaintances among the upperclassmen. So you see, your reasoning was biased from the foundation."
The other end fell into a long silence—so long that Akira almost thought the signal had cut out—before he finally heard Hiyori's realization in a low whisper: "I see... I made a fundamental error. I didn't first investigate who the leader of Class D is. If it's Kushida-san, my judgment is indeed untenable."
"More importantly," Akira changed the subject, adding a bit of deliberate certainty to his tone to complete the necessary misdirection, "this matter is essentially quite simple. I've already found another key clue left by the 'Mystery Person'."
Hiyori's voice instantly rose in pitch: "Shimizu-kun? What is your line of reasoning?"
"The answer is a laptop," Akira paused for half a second for emphasis.
"Since the person purchased surveillance rights, when my classmate Kushida rented the cameras, the senior explicitly stated that one must first buy a laptop before they will help install the corresponding surveillance software. In other words, the moment that 'Mystery Person' rented the surveillance rights, they must have had a laptop in their hands."
He paused to complete the logical chain: "The school forbids students from bringing extra electronic devices. If the person is a first-year student, they could only have purchased it at the school's electronics store. As long as we get the purchase list from the clerk, wouldn't finding the 'Mystery Person' be as easy as flipping a palm?"
He calculated silently in his heart. When Kushida Kikyo rented the cameras, she indeed had to use a laptop. At that time, it was the class's "Professor" who proactively contributed his own
computer to the cause, which solved the installation issue. Following this logic, the other three classes were likely in a similar situation—to use the cameras, they needed a computer first.
In this way, his words seemed flawless: if it were truly done by a first-year, they would have had to buy a computer at the school store, making that purchase list the key clue.
But only he knew the hidden truth—his laptop wasn't bought at the store; it was a gift from the Student Council President. Thus, while he appeared to be playing "Watson" helping with the deduction, he was actually inconspicuously clearing his own name.
"That... indeed! Ryuen-kun in our class... also has a computer!" Hiyori's voice trailed off, clearly falling back into deep thought. Moments later, a soft exclamation of realization came through the receiver, as if she had finally pieced it together. "You're right! ...No matter what, the 'Mystery Person' must have a computer!"
"You're right," Akira responded, his gaze involuntarily falling on the laptop at the corner of the desk—the screen still held a faint residual warmth from being on, as if silently echoing his thoughts. He tapped the desk absently. Why did a small thing like renting surveillance cameras suddenly give him the illusion of being a mastermind?
But Hiyori was correct. The "Mystery Person" must have a computer. Otherwise, how could he watch the surveillance feeds from the other classes?
Akira subsequently hung up the phone. Since the start of school, many first-years must have bought computers—Sakayanagi Arisu's name would likely be on that list. Given her style, it would be perfectly normal for her to acquire one. Consequently, even if Hiyori obtained the list, facing a dense pack of names—especially a heavyweight name like that—she would inevitably spend extra time investigating.
In a sense, using this list to mislead her should buy him at least ten days to two weeks.
Before he could settle his thoughts, his phone screen lit up with a message from Kamuro Masumi.
Kamuro Masumi: I know you're awake. At this hour, you probably haven't gone out for your laps yet?
Kamuro Masumi: Just a heads up, I'll be going to your classroom with Sakayanagi Arisu at noon today.
Akira was stunned for a moment but quickly reacted—could it be that Sakayanagi Arisu is proactively coming to Class D to sell information? What she didn't know, however, was that Class D had no points left to trade. Everyone only had 8,000 points this month; he wondered how many points she expected for her intel.
Whatever the case! There should be some entertainment to watch at noon.
However, what surprised him even more was the other piece of info in the message—Kamuro Masumi was actually acting together with Sakayanagi Arisu. It seemed Sakayanagi had a few tricks up her sleeve; he had underestimated her. He hadn't expected her to actually be able to win Kamuro over.
Akira's fingers danced across the screen, firing off messages like a rapid-fire cannon:
Shimizu Akira: What kind of method did she use to win you over? You aren't being threatened by her, are you?
Shimizu Akira: If you're in trouble, tell me. See if I can help.
After asking, his finger hovered over the send button for a moment. Kamuro Masumi wasn't just anyone—she was someone who genuinely treated him as a friend and was usually warm and attentive (in her own tsundere/dismissive way). To treat her as she treated him, he really couldn't sit by if she were being blackmailed by Sakayanagi.
To be honest, in his heart, Kamuro Masumi carried much more weight than that little princess from Class A.
Soon, Kamuro's reply popped up, the words carrying her usual bite:
Kamuro Masumi: Idiot, stop worrying over nothing! We're in a pure partnership—she's paying me 30,000 points to hire me, and I'm taking the job based on my own merit. You don't need to worry about me!
Akira stared at the text on the screen, his eyes widening slightly.
What was going on? Kamuro Masumi was actually the one squeezing Sakayanagi Arisu?
I must be dreaming.
Chapter 119 I will be watching you always
"Seriously, how does everyone know that I get up early in the morning to run?"
Shimizu Akira looked out the window at the newly brightened sky, a hint of helplessness rising in his heart. It seemed that everyone around him had accepted this habit as a given—Kushida Kikyo had mentioned it a few days ago, saying Horikita Suzune brought it up during swimming class; Kamuro Masumi's message just now casually asked if he had "gone out for laps yet"; and oh, even the Chairman knew about it.
By that count, there were at least four people who explicitly knew.
Entangled in these thoughts, he felt a bit distracted during his run. Usually, a ten-kilometer run was quite easy, but today he dawdled through it, taking thirty-one minutes to finish, and even his breathing was more ragged than usual.
It wasn't until the daily intel refreshed at 8:00 AM sharp that his somewhat disturbed mind finally settled down. He read through the recorded information one by one.
[1. Sakayanagi Arisu likes to drink coffee in coffee shops while thinking about problems.]
Seeing the first entry, he couldn't help but frown: Can she even drink coffee with her heart condition?
He wasn't a doctor, but he had seen health warnings stating that frequent caffeine intake could accelerate heart rate and add a burden to the heart. Come to think of it, he had never truly understood exactly how weak Sakayanagi Arisu's body was. Just looking at the way she always leaned on her cane—had she reached the point where she couldn't walk without it?
[2. Advanced Nurturing High School prohibits students from contacting outsiders during their time at school.]
The second point was related to school rules. Prohibiting contact with the outside world... this didn't have much impact on him. Shimizu Akira was solitary in this world anyway; he had no one he needed to contact. But he could imagine that for students with families and friends, this rule was likely agonizing.
However, looking at it from another perspective, this rule might be secretly protecting certain people and certain "unspoken rules" within the school. Take Ryuen Kakeru from Class 1-C—if students could contact the outside world, someone likely would have reported his violent behavior to the authorities the second before he struck. Then there was the second-year Student Council Vice President, Nagumo Miyabi; that man held the four classes in a death grip, treating people almost like tools. If not for this rule, those wealthy "second-generation" students he oppressed would have long ago had their parents send people to "teach him a lesson." In a sense, the school was protecting them.
[3. The mobile phones of Advanced Nurturing High School have a GPS tracking feature once users add each other as friends.]
Seeing the third point, Shimizu Akira was truly uncertain—he had never noticed this function before. He glanced at his phone. Like everyone else's, it was a model uniformly issued by the school. The school strictly prohibited students from carrying private phones, so the phones the freshmen received were almost identical in style. Of course, with enough points, one could trade for other models at the school store. But no matter how the appearance or configuration changed, the source of all devices was the school—from the hardware to the system, everything was firmly within the school's control.
Thinking about it this way, a "GPS tracking after adding friends" feature wasn't impossible.
He picked up his phone and opened his contacts. After a slight hesitation, he clicked directly into his chat with Ichinose Honami—sure enough, he saw a "Share Location" option in the menu. Upon clicking it, a mini-map popped up immediately. A dot representing the other person was sitting quietly in the center of the screen, with a distance display of less than a hundred meters. Shimizu estimated the position; it was exactly where the Class 1-B classroom was located.
The strange thing was that this location sharing didn't seem to require the other person's confirmation. Normally, there should be a step to request permission, but this phone clearly didn't have that setting—as long as you were friends, you could see their real-time location.
'This feature is terrifying, isn't it? It's practically tailor-made for stalkers.'
The thought flashed through Shimizu's mind. Theoretically, as long as you were friends, you could stare at someone's movements twenty-four hours a day without interruption, knowing exactly which classroom they were in and what they were doing. To put it bluntly, it provided a convenience for those with deep obsessions—whether it was an excessive focus on the opposite sex or some other paranoid fixations, "precision tracking" could be achieved through this function.
For example, if a girl's location showed her staying in a male student's dorm at midnight and she didn't leave for a long time—anyone seeing that location could easily guess that something "indescribable" was happening between the two.
'What is this school thinking?'
Rather than saying it was for the convenience of communication, it felt more like fitting everyone with an invisible tracking device. If this feature were exploited by people with ulterior motives, it would likely cause a lot of trouble. He imagined someone staring at his location all day: leaving the dorm at 6:30 for laps, returning at 7:10, entering the classroom at 7:50... even the time he spent buying a bottle of water from a vending machine during break would be calculated clearly. Just thinking about it made his back feel tight.
Feeling it was inappropriate, Shimizu decided to turn off his phone's GPS immediately. However, after searching through the settings for a long time, he realized the phone didn't give users the permission to turn it off—there wasn't even an on/off toggle.
He casually opened the location interface for Chabashira Sae. To his surprise, the screen was empty—her location wasn't displayed. It seemed the tracking permission could be turned off. Like Chabashira-sensei, one either bought the permission to turn it off with points, or the school allowed privacy settings for teachers. In the end, if one was willing to spend points, anyone should be able to escape the tracking state.
Without further hesitation, he sent a message to Chabashira Sae.
Shimizu Akira: Chabashira-sensei, how many points are required to turn off the mobile phone GPS function?
The reply came back quickly:
Chabashira Sae: 10,000 points. After payment, the school will assist in disabling the tracking permission.
The price was lower than Shimizu had expected. Perhaps other students had also noticed the issue with the GPS function; as more people applied to turn it off, the price naturally dropped. Since there was nothing to hesitate about, he immediately transferred 10,000 points.
Sure enough, within a few minutes, he received a system SMS from the school clearly indicating that the tracking function had been successfully disabled. Shimizu breathed a long sigh of relief, his fingertip tapping the back of the phone—he could finally escape that feeling of being watched invisibly.
He opened Ichinose Honami's location interface again. This time, only her lonely circle flickered on the mini-map; his own location marker had completely vanished.
'So, now that I've turned off my location, I can look at others' positions without any concerns? I can watch other students all the time?'
As soon as the thought popped up, he suppressed it. It was truly boring. Prying into others' movements through this kind of function was, in the end, just taking advantage of the fact that they hadn't noticed yet—like hiding in the dark to peep at someone else's life; the thought of it was uncomfortable.
This act of one-sided watching, rather than being a "convenience," felt more like a morbid desire for voyeurism.
He swiped the screen and exited the location interface.
Chapter 120 Horikita Suzune: My brother has too many virtues
At that moment, a message from the Student Council President arrived, saying that the school had already intervened to investigate that shop, and he would give him an answer by tomorrow noon at the latest.
That made sense.
This Advanced Nurturing High School was a well-known school in Japan with deep-rooted foundations—there might even be some influential figures standing behind it, or perhaps their children were currently enrolled here. The school naturally wouldn't stand by and watch its students be bullied by outside merchants.
After all, in their eyes, competition between students and the gap between classes were considered "internal matters"—if their own children lost to their peers, they had to accept it, no matter how unwilling. But if an outside merchant dared to harbor ill intentions, that was a different story altogether. At worst, they could just replace them with another shop. There was more than one shop in this school anyway; losing one wouldn't have much of an impact.
He suddenly recalled a scene from junior high—back then, there was only one small tuck shop in the school. Every break or lunch hour, there was always a long queue at the counter. It made a killing almost every day; as soon as popular snacks were put out, they were snatched up.
Not to mention that this Advanced Nurturing High School was under closed management, and students couldn't even leave the campus freely on weekends. For three years, from the first to the third year, students relied almost entirely on on-campus shops for their daily consumption. Opening a shop in a place like this was essentially a guaranteed profitable business.
However, after thinking it over, Shimizu Akira decided to tell Kushida Kikyo the news that the school had intervened. He looked toward the classroom—Kushida Kikyo was surrounded by several girls, chatting and laughing.
"How was your date with Shimizu-kun? Where did you guys go?" one girl asked curiously.
"First we went to eat parfaits, and then we went to Karaoke!" Kushida's eyes curved into crescents.
"It was quite fun—Shimizu-kun is really good at taking care of people; he considered my feelings in every aspect."
"Speaking of which, you guys went to fulfill last month's bet, right?" another girl teased with a laugh. "Kushida-san really is a woman of her word! By the way, we saw the comment you posted; we won't go to that shop anymore either!"
"Hehe, thank you everyone." She nodded gently, the smile in her eyes softening further.
Shimizu Akira hadn't expected an immediate reply and looked away after sending the message. To his surprise, a few minutes later, he saw her pick up her phone on the desk to check it, then say something with a smile to those around her before backing out of the crowd with her phone and coming up to him.
"Good morning, Shimizu-kun!" Kushida walked to his desk, her eyes sparkling.
"Did you report that shop to the Student Council? That's really wonderful!"
As she spoke, she naturally added: "By the way, the efficiency of this school's Student Council President is really high. The report from yesterday is already being handled today. No wonder the teachers and seniors say he is the most outstanding Student Council President in history—he really is a very reliable person."
Just as Shimizu Akira was about to respond, he noticed Horikita Suzune's fingers beside him pause. She instinctively glanced in Kushida's direction. There was a clear, unexpected ripple in that look, but it was withdrawn in an instant, though the corners of her tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly.
—After all, anyone would be moved when their own brother is sincerely praised.
This subtle change naturally did not escape Kushida Kikyo's eyes. The corners of her mouth curved into an even softer arc.
'I see.'
Shimizu Akira understood in his heart.
'She just found out yesterday that Horikita Manabu is her brother, and today she's already impatient to use praise as a probe?
Looking at Horikita Suzune's reaction, the effect is indeed quite good.'
Kushida's praise wasn't deliberate flattery—it was a fact that the Student Council President was efficient, and coming from her mouth, it sounded natural and sincere.
"Speaking of which, Horikita-senpai should be Horikita-san's brother, right? After all, you both have the same surname, and that surname is quite rare in Japan." She threw out the new topic in a light tone as if she had suddenly remembered something, but her eyes drifted toward Horikita Suzune seemingly unintentionally.
"..." The hand Horikita Suzune used to hold her pen paused, and she turned her face to cast a cold sideways glance at Shimizu Akira.
'Don't tell me this is information she dug out of Shimizu Akira!'
She only realized in hindsight—no wonder Kushida Kikyo kept hovering over here today; it turned out Shimizu Akira had let this slip. What on earth did those two talk about on their date yesterday? This guy usually seems quite smart, how could he be pumped for information without even noticing?
Or rather... are male high school students all like this? As long as any cute girl goes on a date with him and gives him some "benefits," a boy will agree to anything.
As soon as this thought emerged, she suppressed it.
"So," Kushida ignored her coldness and instead leaned in closer, "Horikita-san must know her brother very well, right? How did the Student Council President become so outstanding? Could you tell me about it so I can learn from the experience too?"
The curiosity in her words was genuine and fervent; it was hard for anyone to maintain a guard after hearing it.
Horikita Suzune actually felt a mysterious urge to speak out—she could never hide her words when it came to how outstanding her brother was.
As a sister who respected her brother from the bottom of her heart, she had almost no room to refuse when asked such a question. Even if the person was the usually somewhat annoying Kushida Kikyo, it couldn't shake her desire to share—after all, her brother's excellence was far more important than the other person's fake smile.
She looked down at the handwriting in her textbook, her voice slightly softer than before, carrying a trace of imperceptible pride: "My brother isn't actually a natural-born genius type. When he first entered junior high, he wasn't rank one in the year. But he got up very early every day, insisting on studying while exercising, and never slacked off. By persisting like that day after day without fail, he has long since become someone who isn't inferior to any 'genius'.
So, you don't need to ask more—you can't do it." By the end, she looked up at Kushida Kikyo, her tone carrying an unabashed bluntness.
In her view, Kushida Kikyo was by no means the type who could persist in hard work day after day. After all, when the results of the last monthly exam came out, her scores in all subjects were stable at around 80 points—not bad, but far from the level of "giving it her all." How could such a person learn the kind of persistence her brother had shown for years?
"Is that so?" The smile on Kushida Kikyo's face didn't fade at all. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and shifted the topic.
"If I can't do it, maybe Shimizu-kun can?"
She said that last "kun" naturally and intimately—she had been calling him "Shimizu-kun " just now, but now she had quietly dropped the formal suffix.
Shimizu Akira instinctively blinked. He hadn't expected the topic to suddenly veer toward him at all; it was like watching a pass on a ball field and being hit by the ball out of nowhere, leaving him a bit dazed for a moment.
He glanced at Horikita Suzune beside him—she was looking at him with an expression of "how did the topic turn to this," clearly not expecting Kushida Kikyo to suddenly point the spearhead at him.