Chapter 240 Wanting to Get Intimate / My Groupmates Are All Beautiful Girls
Three days had passed since the end of the uninhabited island special exam.
Summer vacation was not yet over. According to the school's previous arrangements, the students of Advanced Nurturing High School remained on the cruise ship, enjoying this rare holiday time. Come to think of it, when these students first boarded, they hadn't even had the chance to experience the ship's facilities before being whisked away to the island for a seven-day ordeal. Now that they were finally back, everyone seemed determined to make up for the lost summer.
Over the past few days, the vast majority of students had entered a "revenge enjoyment" mode, trying out every activity available.
After all, all the facilities on this ship were completely free! You could eat whatever you wanted and play however you liked without spending a single cent.
Although Shimizu Akira was a naturally restrained person who didn't flaunt himself like others, he had spent the last two days visiting various restaurants on the ship to enjoy the gourmet food. He certainly wasn't going to miss out on facilities he could use for free.
While walking around the ship these past two days, students from classes other than Class D often proactively greeted him. They either tried to get close to him or asked to add him as a friend. Initially, Shimizu thought these were isolated incidents, but after two days, he realized that most people on the ship seemed to have this attitude toward him.
The students of Class B felt pure gratitude; every time they met, someone would step forward to praise him.
The students of Class A were split into two factions. One group, wary of him after being outmaneuvered last time, would only watch him from a distance, unwilling to approach. The other group was more straightforward, their attitude much more polite than before, some even going as far as to say, "Thanks for going easy on us."
The reaction from Class C was the most surprising to Shimizu. Aside from a few who still harbored hostility, many people proactively approached him when they saw him. Even though he had thoroughly embarrassed their leader, Ryuen Kakeru, there were people among them who greeted him, with some even saying, "Your plan last time was truly brilliant."
Yesterday, he couldn't help but ask how they knew the details of the plan. Ishizaki Daichi from Class C scratched his head and answered honestly: "Ryuen-san did a full post-mortem review of your plan from start to finish. He even held a meeting specifically to explain the causes and consequences to us."
Hearing this, Shimizu couldn't help but twitch his lips. He hadn't expected a guy like Ryuen Kakeru to actually hold a review meeting. He had truly underestimated the man. At the very least, after losing, Ryuen accepted the defeat, wanted to understand exactly why he lost, and
was capable of reviewing the situational maneuvers. These three points alone made him better than most.
By the way, the results of the uninhabited island exam had been announced, and the current Class Points for the four classes had been synchronized to the homeroom teachers, who then notified every student. The specific scores were as follows:
Class Initial Points Exam Bonus Total Points
Class A 1020 +190 1210
Class B 850 +235 1085
Class C 590 +0 590
Class D 555 +255 810
Classes A and B remained firmly in first and second place. However, Class D, with its 255- point exam bonus, had directly broken past the 800-point mark. When the homeroom teacher announced the news in the class group chat, the students of Class D praised Shimizu as a savior, with messages flooding in one after another.
However, since it was still summer vacation, according to the school's promotion rules, the classes would not be re-ranked based on total points until the start of the second semester. So for now, they were still nominally Class D.
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At eight o'clock this morning, the "Daily Intel" notification finally rang.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka of First-Year Class D will demonstrate his full strength in the "VIP" Special Exam, which is scheduled to begin today at 3:00 PM. Karuizawa Kei of First-Year Class D is a parasite. Tomorrow night at exactly 10:30 PM, Ryuen Kakeru, Shiina Hiyori, Yamada Albert, and Kushida Kikyo will meet privately on the ship's deck.
"Huh?!"
Shimizu Akira stared at the message, momentarily stunned. Ayanokouji is going to get serious? He even suspected he had misread it, blinking his eyes to confirm repeatedly before he could believe it was true. That Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who always liked to suppress his scores and never wanted to stand out, actually intended to contribute to the class? Honestly, that was something worth watching.
But before he could digest this news, another question popped up. Wait, 3:00 PM, a "VIP" exam on the ship? So, that meant they were holding another special exam? Two exams within half a month?
Then again, since the school had arranged a two-week itinerary, it was impossible for them to just let everyone vacation peacefully on the ship for seven days. Calculating it now, this was the tenth day. The remaining four days were indeed going to be used for a special exam.
"I think I'll relax a bit during this special exam," he decided in his heart.
The reason he had made such a high-profile move last time was partly because he had promised Chabashira Sae a minimum of 250 special exam points. During those seven days on the island, he barely had time to relax. In the morning, he had to build relationships with the "uncles" on the beach. During the day, he was busy hunting to provide for Class D and Class B, walking over two hours a day to clock in at various points. At night, he had to repeatedly deliberate on plan details, not daring to slack off for a second.
Now, he had already secured over three million private points for the month, far exceeding his target. Since the quota had been met, there was no need to exhaust himself again, let alone take the lead like he did on the island. The other classes weren't just "leeks" to be harvested; one harvest was enough. He would just let nature take its course.
However... since Ayanokouji was going to go all out, he could potentially ride the wave and see what benefits he could grab. He wouldn't lose anything.
He continued to the second piece of intel: Karuizawa Kei is a parasite?!
If he understood correctly, a "parasite" referred to an organism that couldn't survive without a host. But Karuizawa had been doing just fine on her own in the Boxing Club these past few months; she didn't look like a "parasite" at all. If he had to force the definition, Shimizu remembered one thing—he and Karuizawa had a protection agreement.
Could the host she intended to parasitize be him? But on second thought, Karuizawa had never acted like a blood-sucking parasite.
Shimizu's gaze fell on the final piece of intel.
Tomorrow, Ryuen Kakeru was going to meet privately with Shiina Hiyori and Kushida Kikyo? A special exam was likely about to take place. Was he trying to recruit Kushida as an insider for Class D? Although the chaos on the island last time was an act, Kushida had taken Ibuki Mio out alone without any instructions from anyone else.
At the time, other students either overlooked it because of Kushida's popularity or because she had helped Shimizu. But now that he thought about it, would Ryuen Kakeru have sensed something from Ibuki Mio during his post-mortem review? Given his personality, he would never pass up any exploitable opportunity.
"It seems I must go there tomorrow night," Shimizu muttered. "But what exactly is Kushida thinking?"
Since the intel didn't say who invited whom, he really wasn't sure of Kushida's attitude. Currently, the girl Shimizu was closest to in class wasn't Horikita Suzune, but Kushida Kikyo.
"She wouldn't go as far as to betray the class, right?" He shook his head.
"Whatever, I'll just ask her tomorrow night—though I don't know if my words will carry any weight."
He could never be certain of Kushida's true thoughts, and the intel hadn't mentioned her state of mind. Moreover, some things couldn't be said directly since he couldn't expose his source of information. But if Kushida really intended to betray the class, what would he do?
What could he do? He'd just have to help her cover it up.
To Shimizu, the so-called collective interest of the class was far less important than Kushida Kikyo's own attitude. He had always been the type to give special care only to his own people.
Having reached this conclusion, he messaged Kushida directly: "Can we meet tomorrow night around ten o'clock?"
He received a reply almost immediately: "Shimizu-kun, that's quite sudden! So, could it be you're thinking of getting intimate with me?"
Shimizu looked at the screen and thought for a moment. He couldn't really refute that. "Yes."
After all, on the island, they had only shared a brief kiss and hadn't had much chance to spend time together.
Over the last two days, couples were everywhere on the ship, and plenty of girls were walking around in swimsuits. As a healthy high school boy, he naturally had male desires; he never denied that.
Furthermore, he and Kushida were long past the stage of testing each other; if he had a thought, he'd just say it. Of course, that was only part of the reason. The other part was to use the meeting to probe her true intentions regarding the meeting with Class C.
A few seconds later, another message from Kushida arrived: "...Shimizu-kun, you're quite straightforward this time! However, why wouldn't you tell me the reasons behind the things you had me do during the island exam?"
Shimizu's lip twitched as he remembered he hadn't explained the specific reasons when he asked for her help. He didn't expect Kushida to have remembered it all this time. After a moment's thought, he simply typed an apology: "That was my fault. I apologize. I won't hide things from you next time."
Seconds later, Kushida's reply came: "Mhm, apology accepted! But why not tonight?"
Why did it feel like Kushida was more anxious than he was? Was it just his imagination? If he said that out loud, it might upset her again, so he suppressed the thought. After some deliberation, Shimizu explained honestly: "I have intel that a special exam might start this afternoon. Tonight will likely be spent listening to the school's explanation of the rules, and it'll probably be busy. So let's make it tomorrow."
This time, Kushida didn't reply immediately. Ten seconds passed before she agreed: "Then how about 9:30? Let's meet in a private lounge booth! Remember to keep it a secret from everyone else and come quietly."
"Got it," Shimizu replied and put down his phone.
From 9:30 to 10:30, there was a full hour. He felt strangely moved; an hour was enough time to do quite a lot.
In truth, Kushida Kikyo herself might not have realized it, but she was actually quite bad at refusing his requests. Since school started, not a single request he made had been rejected.
'Kushida is so good to me and has such a kind personality. It's really unlikely she'd betray the class. It must be that Ryuen Kakeru guy stirring up trouble!'
Serious question: why is that guy so wicked?
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Shimizu didn't delay and went straight back to the dorm. The student dorms on this ship were four-person rooms assigned by class—he happened to be grouped with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, Sudo Ken, and Ike Kanji.
"Shimizu-kun! You're back!"
As soon as he pushed the door open, he heard Sudo Ken's voice. Sudo was sitting on the sofa lifting dumbbells. Seeing Shimizu enter, he gave a friendly greeting.
"Hey, Sudo," Shimizu responded, his eyes scanning the room. When he left this morning, everyone except Ayanokouji was still asleep. Now that it was nine o'clock, all three were up. After living together for a few days, he had become familiar with these three roommates. They were all friends who communicated often in class, and none of them had the habit of staying up late to play games, so they usually slept early and got along well.
However, thinking of the intel he saw this morning, Shimizu subconsciously cast a glance at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. The boy still wore his usual expressionless mask, showing no sign whatsoever that he intended to go all out in the upcoming VIP exam.
One could only say that a poker face is truly hard to read.
"U-Um! Shimizu! This is the request of a lifetime! Please do me a favor! I'll treat you to dinner once summer vacation is over!"
Just then, Ike Kanji, sitting on the lower bunk, suddenly stood up and rushed over to Shimizu. He clasped his hands together in a desperate plea.
Shimizu shook his head and said, "No need for dinner. Tell me what it is first, and I'll see if I can help."
During the island exam, Ike had spoken up for him quite a bit. Later, when he went out alone with Kushida and when he proposed taking 20 Class Exam Points, Ike was the first to stand up and speak for him. These past few days in the dorm, Ike had also been proactive in helping with things like boiling water or cleaning. If it was a small matter, Shimizu didn't mind helping.
Ike's face turned beet red as he stammered, "That... you're on good terms with Karuizawa Kei from the Boxing Club, right? Actually, in class, Karuizawa-san is closest to Shinohara Satsuki! Could you please ask Karuizawa-san for Shinohara-san's contact info or something?!"
"So that's it." Shimizu realized the truth. He had vaguely felt last time that the way Ike looked at Shinohara was different; he hadn't expected it to be real interest.
'Wait! These two haven't even added each other as friends yet?!'
Then again, Ike's reputation during the first two months was indeed not great, so it was no wonder no girl wanted to add him. But he had improved a lot now. During the island exam, he not only contributed significantly to the class but was also very attentive to Shinohara Satsuki—he had even stood up to defend her during the discussion about buying temporary toilets.
"Fine, I'll ask for you." Shimizu didn't think it was an unreasonable request, so he picked up his phone and called Karuizawa Kei directly.
"Yo, Shimizu. You're actually calling me first? Well, what do you want?"
"Karuizawa, Ike Kanji wants Shinohara-san's contact info. I don't know if she's willing, but could you ask for him?"
"Huh? That's way too innocent! If he wants contact info, he should ask her himself. Aren't you guys in the same class?" Karuizawa couldn't help but laugh, but she agreed readily.
"Fine, fine, I'll ask."
Since they were classmates, communication was fast. Within minutes, Karuizawa called back: "It's done! Shinohara agreed. I'll send you the info; you give it to Ike."
Shimizu hung up, and Ike, who was standing nearby, scratched his head and thanked him: "Thanks so much, Shimizu! I really owe you one!"
"Just perform well," Shimizu said, not taking the small matter to heart, and gave a casual reminder.
"By the way, I think I saw Karuizawa Kei getting into an argument with Class C people at the cafe before summer vacation started," Sudo Ken suddenly chimed in.
"Oh? What happened?" Shimizu followed up.
"I'm not entirely sure about the details. It seemed like while in line, Karuizawa accidentally bumped into a Class C girl. She apologized on the spot, but those Class C people wouldn't let it go and kept arguing with her, even saying she should pay private points as compensation," Sudo recalled as he spoke.
"Pay points? That's too much." Shimizu frowned. Karuizawa had already apologized, yet they were pushing their luck; it was clearly intentional harassment. But then a thought occurred to him: he had promised to protect Karuizawa, so why hadn't she told him about this?
"It was definitely Class C looking for trouble! Since the other side were all girls, I couldn't really step in," Sudo scratched his head, his tone tinged with guilt.
"Come to think of it, I owe Karuizawa-san a favor too. Back in June, she not only spoke up for me but also helped find other students to help. I think I saw those three Class C girls on the ship again. Maybe we should keep an eye out so she doesn't get bullied again."
Initially, Sudo's impression of Karuizawa wasn't great.
At the start of school, she always acted like a "gal," looking down on everyone and speaking arrogantly to any boy except Shimizu. She also spent money like water and owed a lot of debt to classmates. But over these two months, Karuizawa seemed like a different person: not only had she paid off all her debts, but she had also become much milder in her speech and actions, becoming the leader of the girls in class.
When Yamauchi betrayed him last time, Karuizawa was also the one who stood up for him.
Sudo was never an ungrateful person; he remembered the kindness people showed him. He looked at Shimizu and added, "It might sound a bit weird, but Shimizu, you seem to have a special aura that makes people around you get better unconsciously."
"I can't deny that," Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up in agreement.
Indeed, both Sudo and Ayanokouji had been more or less positively influenced by Shimizu. Sudo had been harshly scolded by Shimizu when he messed up with the spare key card. Later, when he wanted to seek revenge on Class C, it was Shimizu who stopped him. As for Ayanokouji, his change in character was the most obvious. Now, most of his attention seemed to be focused on observing Shimizu.
"You guys are exaggerating. I just told you to act like normal human beings," Shimizu was taken aback and retorted.
One had to understand that Ayanokouji and Sudo weren't like normal people before. One was used to being treated like a tool with zero sense of resistance. The other actually duplicated
other students' key cards on a whim, which was just absurd. He had only offered a few words of advice, and to his surprise, both had visibly improved. In the end, no one can truly change another person; all change ultimately stems from one's own will. All he could do was wake them up. The crucial part was that both of them listened and were willing to change.
"What about me? Why did I get better?" Ike Kanji saw this and couldn't help but lean in to ask.
"You? Probably because you cut ties with Yamauchi," Shimizu teased.
Joking aside, Yamauchi was likely the only "hidden mine" left in Class D.
"Anyway, I'll handle the Karuizawa situation," Shimizu thought for a moment. "After all, she is the Boxing Club's manager."
He had made a promise to Karuizawa. As long as she wasn't the one starting trouble, he would definitely stand up for her if someone intentionally provoked her. But on second thought, he felt this matter wasn't that simple; perhaps Ryuen Kakeru was pulling the strings from behind.
After all, when they were selling tickets for the boxing match, Karuizawa, like him, had thoroughly offended Ryuen. Given Ryuen's vengeful nature, he would surely look for a way to get even whenever he had the chance.
The group chatted for a while longer, and before they knew it, it was noon. The four decided to head to other areas of the ship to find a place to eat. There were many places and types of food on the ship—Japanese ramen, fast-food burgers, Chinese mapo tofu, and even French cuisine—it could satisfy almost any palate. However, the four boys didn't overthink it and eventually agreed on ramen.
Just as they started eating, Ike leaned toward Ayanokouji and asked curiously, "By the way, why did Chabashira-sensei call you during the island exam? I heard you say 'Chabashira-sensei, do you need something from me?' and then you immediately frowned. It didn't look like a small matter."
"Huh? Ayanokouji can actually frown?" Sudo immediately looked surprised, his gaze landing on Ayanokouji. "If it made you frown, it definitely wasn't simple!"
Ayanokouji paused, and when he answered, his eyes strangely flickered toward Shimizu.
"It was nothing. Just some... private business."
Shimizu naturally caught that meaningful glance.
'Chabashira-sensei's call?'
Wait, could it be that Chabashira Sae was the one who made Ayanokouji go all out this time? How many millions of private points did she give him? Could it be another two million? But on second thought, Ayanokouji didn't seem like the type of man who would act for the sake of points!
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After finishing their meal, the four went their separate ways. Since all the facilities on the ship were free, everyone wanted to make the most of this time. Shimizu didn't rush anywhere specific but started wandering around the ship.
The cruise ship was divided into nine floors, each with clear functions: the first floor was mainly lounges; the third floor was the boys' dorms; the fourth floor was the girls' dorms. These were much roomier than their usual school dorms, and the only restriction was that entry and exit were prohibited after midnight. As for the lounges, they were available 24 hours a day.
As he passed the lounges, he happened to see several students catching up on sleep inside. They were likely uncomfortable with their roommates' schedules in the dorms and came here to find a quiet place to rest. Shimizu secretly considered himself lucky that his roommates were people he knew well and had compatible schedules.
He checked the time and realized it was already 3:00 PM. At that moment, his phone suddenly rang. The school had mentioned before that the ringtone for special notices from the school would always sound unless the phone was powered off.
Simultaneously, a broadcast announcement echoed throughout the ship.
"Attention all students. The school has just sent out an email containing contact information to all students. Please check your mobile phones and follow the instructions within. Additionally, if you have not received the email, please notify a nearby staff member. Since the contents are very important, please ensure there are no omissions in your confirmation. Repeating once more—"
Shimizu took out his phone to check.
The Special Exam is about to begin. Please gather in your designated room at the designated time. Those who are more than ten minutes late will be penalized. Please gather in Room 204 on the second floor by 6:00 PM tonight. The required time is approximately twenty minutes. Please use the restroom beforehand, and turn your phone to vibrate or power it off before arriving at the meeting point.
Hmm? He had specifically noticed the rooms on the second floor when he walked past earlier; they weren't large, capable of holding four or five people at most. So, did that mean this special exam was in a group format?
While he was pondering this, he received several messages in quick succession. First, a notification was posted in the class group chat for everyone to check.
Then, private messages started coming in: Horikita Suzune, Hirata Yosuke, and Kushida Kikyo from Class D; Kamuro Masumi from Class A; Ichinose Honami from Class B; and Shiina Hiyori from Class C all asked what time slot he was assigned to.
Shimizu edited a single reply and sent it to each of them privately. It turned out that only Kamuro Masumi of Class A, Ichinose Honami of Class B, and Shiina Hiyori of Class C matched his time; everyone else was different. Horikita, Hirata, and Kushida were all assigned to 8:40 PM.
'Could it be that people assigned to the same time slot will be in the same group?'
Although Class D wanted to hold a meeting to discuss it, the only public information available was the broadcast and the emails sent to individuals. There was no further information, so they could only wait until after tonight's session.
Notably, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka also sent him a text: "Shimizu, will you be going all out in this exam like last time?"
Shimizu narrowed his eyes—what did this classmate mean? Did it mean that if he went all out, Ayanokouji wouldn't bother? He thought for a moment and replied: "This time, I'm thinking of imitating your performance from the past few months."
He quickly received Ayanokouji's reply: "Oh, that's truly a shame."
'A shame for what? Hey!'
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At 5:40 PM, Shimizu leisurely headed downstairs. On the way, he encountered a few students from other classes. When they saw him, they whispered among themselves: "It's Shimizu-kun!"
"We couldn't be in the same group as him, could we?"
"Probably not. He's going to the second floor now, so he's likely in the six o'clock slot!"
With the special exam about to start, these two students didn't approach him to greet him as they usually would, but instead watched him with serious expressions. After all, the person before them was the formidable character who had single-handedly played the other three classes like fiddles during the island exam.
Shimizu ignored their gazes and walked straight to the second floor. He scanned the room numbers and stopped at Room 204. Someone was already standing at the door—Sakura Airi. She had a visibly timid look on her face, clutching the corner of her shirt, hesitating over whether to knock.
Seeing this, Shimizu proactively approached her. "Sakura, are you in Room 204 as well? It looks like we've been grouped together."
"Shimizu-kun!" Hearing the familiar voice, Sakura's tense expression immediately softened. She had been worrying about who her groupmates would be, never expecting it to be Shimizu. This was the person who had helped her back in June and the one she harbored feelings for. Being in a group with him was, in every sense, truly wonderful.
Sakura sighed in relief and followed Shimizu as he knocked on the door. A voice soon came from inside: "Please come in."
The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Shimizu raised an eyebrow, and upon pushing the door open, he indeed saw Mashima Tomonari, the homeroom teacher of First-Year Class A. The room was set up as a simple meeting room. The always-stern teacher was already seated at the head of the table, with four chairs prepared for the students—one of which was already occupied.
"Shimizu-kun! What a coincidence!"
The one speaking was Matsushita Chiaki from Class D. She waved while looking at Shimizu with sparkling eyes. This student, who always liked to follow people around asking about their minor habits and was obsessed with making Shimizu the class rep, now had a face full of relief. With Shimizu in the group, she felt the exam was as good as won.
Shimizu was taken aback, and before he could even pull out a chair to sit down, there was a knock on the door.
"Excuse me!"
Following the voice, the door was pushed open. The student who entered saw the three people in the room, and when her eyes landed on Shimizu, she was visibly stunned. "Eh! Shimizu! Chiaki! You're both here!"
Shimizu turned around and realized the newcomer was Karuizawa Kei, who had just spoken to him on the phone.
'What a coincidence?! Wait, so that means my groupmates are these three?!
Come to think of it! No matter how you look at it, all three of them are beautiful girls with different styles!'
Thinking about it this way, was his group assignment actually quite lucky in a sense?
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