Chapter 286 Ayanokouji: I Didn't Drop the Envelopes / Sakayanagi Arisu's Little Scheme
October 20th—today was the birthday of both Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Ryuen Kakeru.
Following Kushida Kikyo's suggestion, Shimizu Akira had pre-booked a restaurant with a good reputation and picked up a birthday cake on the way, intending to celebrate specifically for Ayanokouji.
He hadn't prepared a physical gift; picking out birthday presents for male friends always felt strangely awkward to him. In his experience, getting together for a meal was perfectly sufficient.
On a side note: Horikita Suzune's birthday is February 15th, Kushida Kikyo's is January 23rd, Ichinose Honami's is July 20th, Kamuro Masumi's is February 20th, Karuizawa Kei's is March 8th, and Shiina Hiyori's is January 21st.
Looking at it this way, the birthdays of the girls he cared about had either already passed or were all concentrated in January and February. Since next year was still a ways off, he didn't need to stress about what to prepare just yet; he could breathe a sigh of relief for the time being.
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After school, Sudo Ken quickly walked over to Shimizu Akira and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"Let's go! Shimizu, Ayanokouji, let's go eat!"
"Sure," Shimizu nodded first.
Ayanokouji didn't ask questions, simply giving a faint, "Okay."
This routine of going out to eat after school had become the norm. The two didn't say much and followed Sudo out. They entered a restaurant they had never visited before and headed up the stairs to the second floor.
On the way, Sudo kept giving Shimizu meaningful looks. Shimizu understood immediately, quietly slowing his pace and intentionally letting Ayanokouji walk at the very front.
The moment Ayanokouji pushed open the private room door, Ike Kanji, who was hiding behind it, suddenly jumped out. The party popper in his hand went off with a bang, sending colorful confetti flying through the air.
"Ayanokouji! Happy birthday! Haha! Surprised, right?" Ike said with a laugh.
Confetti landed on Ayanokouji's shoulders.
He froze for half a second, a rare flash of surprise crossing his usually calm eyes. He brushed the paper scraps off, looked at the laughing Ike, and then turned to look at Shimizu and Sudo, who were slowly catching up behind him. Both had "I told you so" smiles on their faces, clearly having conspired with Ike long ago.
"You guys..." Ayanokouji started to speak, but his gaze was caught by the sight inside the room, and he swallowed the rest of his words.
On a table by the window sat a double-layered cream cake. Dark chocolate clearly spelled out "Happy Birthday Ayanokouji," with several small appetizers arranged neatly beside it.
In addition to the three of them, Hirata Yousuke was also sitting at the table.
Seeing Ayanokouji enter, he immediately stood up and nodded, his tone gentle.
"Ayanokouji-kun, I came to help with the preparations. Shimizu-kun specifically ordered the cake yesterday."
Shimizu stepped forward and lightly patted Ayanokouji on the shoulder.
"Alright, birthday boy, sit down."
Sudo leaned in, his chin tilted up with a bit of pride.
"How was it? We kept the surprise well-hidden, didn't we? You didn't suspect a thing!"
Ayanokouji's gaze swept across the room's decorations—the flickering candlelight, the cake with his name, the dishes on the table—and finally landed on the group surrounding him. Everyone had genuine smiles on their faces; there was no calculation, no disguise, only pure festive energy.
It was a feeling he was experiencing for the first time. Having someone remember his birthday and specifically prepare a celebration like this was something he had never imagined back in the White Room.
The corner of his mouth curved up almost imperceptibly. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words that rushed to his lips felt as if they were gently blocked by something.
"Don't just stand there, sit, sit!" Ike grabbed Ayanokouji's arm and pressed him into his seat, then turned toward the door and shouted, "Waiter! You can bring the food now! We have to make sure Ayanokouji eats his fill today."
A waiter soon pushed in a cart loaded with ingredients. Fresh beef brisket and pork jowl were arranged neatly on trays, alongside washed lettuce and various sauces. Ike was the first to pick up the tongs, placing a slice of beef on the grill. The sizzling sound of fat hitting the heat immediately filled the air, followed by the rich aroma of meat.
"Ayanokouji, eat more of this!" Sudo grilled the first piece of meat and, before tasting it himself, placed it in Ayanokouji's bowl.
"The beef here is super tender. I've wanted to come here since the last time I walked by!"
Ayanokouji looked at the meat in his bowl, nodded, and picked up his chopsticks to eat slowly.
Hirata was busy organizing the utensils and refilling drinks. He smiled. "I didn't expect you guys to prepare a surprise. Ayanokouji-kun probably didn't expect it either, right?"
"It wasn't us! Shimizu was the first one to think of it!" Ike's mouth was stuffed with grilled meat, making his speech muffled, yet he was quick to claim credit for his friend.
Ayanokouji's gaze naturally turned to Shimizu. "How did you know my birthday?"
'How did I know? Because of the information notification, obviously.'
But he certainly couldn't say that. Shimizu was prepared and answered calmly, "It's listed in your chat profile info. I saw it by chance a while ago."
"What 'by chance'? You definitely paid special attention!" Sudo immediately called him out, patting Shimizu on the shoulder.
"Don't be so humble!"
"I really didn't," Shimizu replied helplessly, providing an example. "For instance, I don't know any of your three birthdays."
"You don't know?"
Sudo and Ike seemed to have their pause buttons pressed, freezing at the same time with their chopsticks suspended in mid-air. Even Hirata, who was refilling a cup, paused his movements and looked at Shimizu with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
'Is it really that much of a blow? We're all men; isn't it normal that I don't know your birthdays?! You guys aren't girls!'
Ayanokouji's look toward him changed too, his gaze holding an indescribable meaning.
'Forget it, if I can't figure it out, I won't bother.'
Shimizu shook his head, picked up the tongs, and flipped the meat on the grill.
"Since we're already here, let's just eat."
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The five of them spent over an hour clearing the table of grilled meat and appetizers; not even a bit of cake cream was left. However, this birthday dinner lacked some common festive tropes—like making a wish before blowing out the candles.
Seeing Ayanokouji's consistently calm demeanor, a thought occurred to Shimizu.
This person was likely experiencing a birthday celebration with companions for the very first time. Since Ayanokouji came from the White Room—a place that only valued ability and was devoid of warmth—it was highly probable that no one had ever celebrated a birthday for him.
When they returned to the dormitory as a group, they found a crowd gathered downstairs. "Hey! Did you get a message in your mailbox too?"
"Yeah, I got one. You too?"
Every dorm building in this school had mailboxes, mainly for online packages or notices. Usually, students rarely checked them. Ike was the fastest, rushing to his mailbox as soon as he entered. Pulling it open, he fished out a single A4 sheet of paper.
There was only one line of text on it: "There is a possibility that Shimizu Akira of Year 1 Class C is illegally collecting points. — Ryuen Kakeru."
"What the hell is that bastard Ryuen trying to do?!" Ike's brow furrowed instantly upon reading it.
Just as he spoke, Ryuen Kakeru walked over with Ishizaki Daichi and a few lackeys, happening to run into them. Sudo immediately stepped forward, his temper flaring.
"Ryuen! What's your deal! You dare target Shimizu again? Didn't you lose badly enough last time!"
"This redhead really knows how to snap at people for no reason." Ryuen frowned, ignoring Sudo and gesturing for an underling to open his own mailbox.
When the underling pulled out the same A4 sheet, Ryuen scanned the content, and a rare look of interest appeared on his face.
"I see. No wonder this guy rushed up to bite me; it turns out his master has been wronged!"
"Ryuen-kun," Hirata stepped forward, his tone serious. "You should know that some things shouldn't be said lightly. An accusation like 'illegally collecting points' could lead to expulsion."
"Heh, since it's my birthday and I'm in a good mood, I'll be merciful and tell you—it wasn't me, idiots." Ryuen sneered and waved his hand.
"Even if I wanted to take down Shimizu, I wouldn't use such low-level methods. Writing notes and stuffing mailboxes? Wouldn't it be better to just complain directly to the Student Council? If I really wanted to ruin his reputation, wouldn't it be more direct to send people to spread rumors while everyone's eating?"
After saying that, he ignored the Class C group and walked away with his underlings.
"Dammit! He's still lying! Does he have proof it wasn't him?!"
"But... listening to his tone, it really didn't seem like he was faking."
"Did you forget the island exam? That act he put on with Ibuki and Shiina? Who knows if he's just putting on a show again!"
Sudo and Ike began arguing back and forth.
"I will report this to the Student Council to clear Shimizu-kun's name as soon as possible," Hirata said firmly, having made up his mind.
Shimizu didn't join the argument, instead turning to Ayanokouji to hear his thoughts.
"It wasn't me," Ayanokouji said almost instantly.
"I didn't think it was you; why are you so quick to deny it?" Shimizu was a bit speechless at the strange reaction.
"I just wanted to ask if you think Ryuen did it."
"Probably not," Ayanokouji judged after a moment of thought.
"His expression when he saw the note was clearly surprised; it didn't look like an act. Also, I happened to run into some Class D people at the supermarket a few days ago; they seemed to be busy preparing for Ryuen's birthday, so they likely didn't have the energy for this. Since it's Ryuen's actual birthday today, he wouldn't choose today to act."
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When Shimizu returned to his room, his gaze naturally fell on the air conditioner in the corner. It was late October, and the weather had turned chilly; a gust of wind was enough to make one hunker down. After thinking about it, he picked up the remote and pressed the button. Soon, warm air blew from the vent.
To be honest, after seeing that photo of the empty Class D dorm without AC, looking at his own AC and the laptop on his desk made him feel unexpectedly satisfied. This was likely the contentment born of comparison.
Thank goodness they promoted to Class C; if they were still in D, they'd be freezing in an appliance-less dorm come winter.
That said, the school allowed students to buy their own appliances. One didn't need to rent from the school; as long as you had enough personal points, you could buy AC units or heaters on campus.
Speaking of points, Shimizu realized he hadn't carefully calculated his balance since the sports festival ended. Before the festival, he had roughly 22 million points.
During the festival, Chabashira-sensei gave a 1 million reward for participating in five or more events. President Horikita Manabu gave 3 million as the reward for 1st place in the individual overall score. Plus the extra 100,000 for being 1st in the grade... after deducting this month's living expenses, he had a total of about 26 million personal points.
The balance was quite substantial. No wonder someone wanted to frame him for illegal point collection. With this amount, he was likely the student with the most points among all four classes in the first year.
Thinking of Class D's current situation, Shimizu picked up his phone and sent a message to Shiina Hiyori.
Shimizu: Are you getting used to the living situation?!
A few minutes later, Hiyori replied: It's okay for now, though it gets a bit cold around 1 or 2 AM.
Shimizu looked at the screen. He could imagine the Class D dorm. No AC, no heater—at late night, the cold would definitely creep in through the window cracks.
Shimizu: If it gets too cold to bear, just use points to buy a small heater at the school shop; it'll help a lot. By the way, do you have personal points left? I have plenty. You helped me a lot during the sports festival; without your assistance, I might not have gotten those 3 million points from the President. It's more cost-effective to buy one than to pay the school 50,000 a month to rent equipment.
Shiina Hiyori: Shimizu-kun is going out of his way to help me again! Even without those 50 points from the scavenger hunt, you still would have taken 1st place in the individual events.
Shimizu: As expected of the smartest girl I know.
Shiina Hiyori: Um... Shimizu-kun, please stop praising me!
Shimizu: Alright, alright, back to business.
Shimizu couldn't help but smile at the messages.
Shiina Hiyori: I actually have a balance! I've done a lot for the class in these last few special exams, and Ryuen-kun gave me quite a few personal points. Buying a small heater is no problem at all.
Shiina Hiyori: Shimizu-kun, don't worry about my housing.
Shiina Hiyori: More importantly, I've heard rumors spreading in the dorms about you "illegally collecting points."
Shiina Hiyori: Shimizu-kun, please don't take it to heart.
Shimizu: I'm not bothered by it.
Just then, a notification @everyone popped up in the Class C group chat. Shimizu clicked it to see the photo of the A4 paper Ike had posted. Within seconds of the post, the chat exploded.
"Ryuen Kakeru is looking for trouble?!"
"What 'illegal point collection'? That's pure slander!"
"How disgusting can he be, using such underhanded tactics to frame Shimizu!"
"Dammit, I can't take this! Ryuen keeps targeting Shimizu. He was against us at every turn during the sports festival; we should just attack Class D in this special exam!"
"I agree!"
Messages flooded the screen, the anger of his classmates almost overflowing. Some specifically tagged Shimizu, telling him not to worry and that everyone knew it was a malicious frame-up.
I see! He suddenly understood the culprit's goal. Could the person secretly stuffing envelopes into everyone's mailboxes be trying to goad Class C into choosing Class D as their opponent for the special exam? Moreover, this method of framing had a sense of déjà vu.
Shimizu immediately messaged Sakayanagi Arisu: Was it you?!
Sakayanagi Arisu: ?
Shimizu: Stop pretending. During the mid-terms, after you changed the questions, you specifically asked 'who will win in the first year'—didn't you frame Ryuen once before? This is your second move, isn't it?
Sakayanagi Arisu: Oh my, I've been found out!
Sakayanagi Arisu: I'm sorry, Shimizu-kun~ But since you didn't choose me as the 'smartest girl' last time, isn't it normal for me to strike back a little?
'It really was her!'
Shimizu facepalmed. She actually remembered that minor detail from the sports festival; she was far too petty. Talk about a coincidence—he had just finished chatting with the "smartest girl," and then the "little princess" who considered herself the smartest started causing trouble.
Shimizu: It's more than just that, isn't it?
Sakayanagi Arisu: Hehe, as expected, I can't hide it from you. Yes, I want Class C to take the initiative to challenge Class D. After all, Shimizu-kun, you are a beloved "Human Incubus."
If I say just a few bad things about you, the people in Class C will surely be beyond furious.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Don't worry, I've already notified the Student Council about the illegal points thing. They'll clear it up for you tomorrow; it won't affect your reputation.
She had thought it through. But... who was she calling an incubus!
Shimizu: ? You're just going to tell me everything? Aren't you afraid I'll show the chat logs to my classmates?
Sakayanagi Arisu: It doesn't matter. Even if you do, the angry Class C will challenge Class A, then we in Class A will simply challenge Class B. Ryuen Kakeru will likely still choose your Class C anyway. It just changes the direction of the arrows.
Shimizu realized it was exactly as she predicted. She had planned it all out perfectly. Truth be told, when it came to schemes and clever tricks, Shiina Hiyori might not actually be as smart as Sakayanagi Arisu!
Shimizu: After all this effort, you just want the four classes to create and solve each other's exams?
Sakayanagi Arisu: Yes indeed~ I really want Ayanokouji-kun to get a little serious. After all, I am the challenger for Class C this time!
The last person who called himself a 'challenger' fell completely flat!
Shimizu: If you want Ayanokouji to be serious, you'll have to put in quite a bit of effort. It's very hard for that man to go all out.
Sakayanagi Arisu: I don't know exactly how to do it, but your Chabashira-sensei should know, right?
Sakayanagi Arisu: Though I can probably guess. It surely involves the White Room and his father, the creator.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Please look forward to it! I will definitely make Ayanokouji Kiyotaka show his true ability.
'Wait!'
Sakayanagi knew about Chabashira using threats against Ayanokouji! And was Ayanokouji Atsuomi really Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's biological father?
What kind of father sends his own son to the White Room and never even celebrates his birthday?
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Sakayanagi didn't reply after that. Shimizu was genuinely curious about how she planned to make Ayanokouji go all out. He sent a message to Ayanokouji: "Watch out for Sakayanagi Arisu's recent moves; she has her eyes on you."
The reply came quickly: "Understood."
Ayanokouji was likely already prepared.
After all, the three of them had met at the café recently, and Sakayanagi had said some chuunibyou-style lines about "burying" him—well, that was just Ayanokouji's way of calling it trash talk. Regardless, it seemed Sakayanagi intended to focus her contest on Ayanokouji first.
This left Shimizu in a leisurely position; watching these two go back and forth would be quite interesting.
Before long, he received several messages from classmates telling him not to worry about the rumors on the envelopes and that the entire class trusted him unconditionally.
'The change in this class is quite significant.'
Shimizu felt a bit moved. He couldn't pinpoint when it happened, but this group of "salted fish" was gradually becoming a real collective. Except for the naturally trashy Yamauchi Haruki, the rest—whether on the island, the cruise, or the sports festival—had stood united. He remembered saying after the island exam that if the class ever got jealous of his points and started infighting, he'd transfer classes without hesitation. Now, that seemed unlikely to happen.
Next, Ichinose Honami sent a message.
Ichinose: Shimizu-kun! I already know about the person framing you!
Ichinose: I'm at the Student Council right now!
Ichinose: President Nagumo has already left for the day, so Asahina-senpai and I are handling this~
Shimizu remembered Ichinose was in the Student Council. It seemed she had started working on clearing his name immediately to protect his reputation.
However, the President was no longer Horikita Manabu, but Nagumo Miyabi. The name still felt a bit off to him.
A few minutes later, his phone rang. It was Ichinose.
"Akira-kun, the matter has been completely resolved!"
Ichinose's gentle yet efficient voice came through.
"I felt bad bothering the school staff so late, but we've requested it, and an official clarification notice will be posted tomorrow."
Hearing her soft tone, Shimizu felt a warmth in his heart.
"Thanks, Honami. Sorry you had to go to the Student Council so late."
Ichinose's voice turned serious.
"You were framed; clearing up the truth is only right. Everyone knows you aren't that kind of person, and we can't let rumors affect you. Oh, oh! Just to be safe, I've printed 480 extra copies of the notice and plan to distribute them to every single mailbox so everyone sees them~"
'What? 480 copies?'
If she did that, the mailboxes that were almost never used would be stuffed full again. Ichinose was a bit too protective of him, wasn't she? Still, the way they called each other by their first names felt natural now; Ichinose had brought it up herself this month.
"By the way, Honami," Shimizu changed the subject.
"You've been in the Student Council for two months now, right? Are you used to the work?"
Ichinose chuckled.
"I am! Asahina-senpai and the others take good care of me. The work is a bit tedious, but I'm happy if I can help everyone~"
She paused. "And I learned a lot from former President Horikita Manabu. Handling inter-class coordination and this clarification has been much faster than when I started."
Shimizu could imagine her busy, dedicated look in the office.
"That's good. Don't push yourself if the work gets too exhausting."
"Mm-hmm, thank you for the concern, Akira-kun~" Ichinose said with a smile.
"Oh! Tomorrow when we post the notices, I'll have the student council members double-check to ensure every mailbox receives one. I won't let the rumors spread any further!"
Shimizu laughed helplessly. "Thanks, but you don't have to go to that much trouble."
"It's no trouble!" Ichinose countered, her tone serious again.
"Your reputation is important; it must be completely cleared. And... I don't want to see anyone use such despicable methods to harm you."
"Ryuen-kun went too far this time! Why would he slander your name for no reason? I really can't understand it!"
Ichinose's voice carried a rare hint of anger. It was the first time Shimizu had seen the "Angelic Miss" genuinely fuming.
"Alright, alright, don't be angry," Shimizu comforted her.
"Go back to the dorm and rest; don't work late at the Council."
"Mm-hmm, I'm already on my way back!" Ichinose's tone softened.
"Oh, oh! I found out something at the Student Council lately. Asahina-senpai always brings you up to me! Akira-kun, it seems she really kept it in her heart when you helped her out and picked up her charm during the sports festival."
She continued to praise him.
"Akira-kun really is too kind and good-hearted! I saw everything you did at the sports festival. In the final ten-kilometer run, you were sprinting for yourself but still stopped to help others. Though... sometimes, I think it's okay if you're just a little bit selfish..."
Suddenly, the line went dead for two seconds before Ichinose's panicked voice returned.
"I'm sorry! Did—Did I say something wrong? Ugh, what am I talking about! Helping people is a good thing! I've always done the same... anyway, I'm at my dorm entrance, so I'll hang up. I'll come find you once I'm inside!"
Before Shimizu could respond, she hung up in a hurry.
'Find him?!'
Ichinose had let something slip, hadn't she? Was she coming to give him a reward?
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