Chapter 290 Any Request is Fine
Once the classroom had gradually emptied, Horikita Suzune suddenly stared at Shimizu Akira with a look of dissatisfaction.
"? Why are you looking at me like that?" Shimizu asked instinctively.
"I'm just thinking, Akira-kun... you're going out with Sakura-san and Hasabe-san on Saturday, but don't your girlfriends care at all?" Horikita asked with a frown.
"Hmm? They won't mind." Shimizu shrugged frankly.
There was no need to mention Kushida Kikyo; ever since their last intimate encounter, she hadn't cared much about Shimizu's contact with other girls.
She simply went to his dormitory every week at night to "make up for it doubly," which to him felt more like a reward.
As for Kamuro Masumi, just as she had said before, she intended to ignore him for a month.
His messages from a few days ago had gone unanswered, but since it was the end of the month, he should be able to speak to her normally next month. They had long agreed not to mention other girls during dates and not to neglect each other, so things naturally proceeded smoothly.
Seeing Shimizu's calm and composed demeanor, Horikita Suzune felt a strange urge to grit her teeth.
She knew Shimizu wasn't a liar, but did his girlfriends really not care?
She wasn't familiar with Kamuro Masumi, so she set that aside.
But Kushida Kikyo—not only did she agree to the ridiculous condition of a harem, but she didn't care even when her boyfriend went to provoke other girls? Did she have no sense of pride left? It seemed that just to date Shimizu, she had discarded even basic shame.
"Then what if your girlfriends suddenly get in a bad mood?" she couldn't help but press. Surely no one in the world could be happy seeing their boyfriend on a date with other girls.
"...Then I'll work hard to make them feel better," Shimizu answered without hesitation.
"I don't want to see the person I like feeling sad."
"The person I like..." Horikita repeated the four words to herself, feeling strangely bothered. Wait—she wasn't even Shimizu's girlfriend to begin with.
Just then, Shimizu suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, Suzune, do you know how to play chess?"
"My brother taught me when I was little. You don't know how? Then I'll teach you." Horikita immediately replied. Those messy emotions were tossed to the back of her mind as she began calculating how to instruct him.
Despite being a rational person, Suzune could be quite single-minded and simple; it was easy for someone familiar to divert her attention.
"Uh... actually, your brother has already started teaching me, though it was over the phone," Shimizu said with a smile. These siblings were quite interesting, both competing to teach him.
"This Saturday afternoon, Horikita-senpai invited me to play chess face-to-face. If you're free, Suzune, why don't you come along? With you there, I won't be too embarrassed, and you can give me pointers occasionally."
"Okay, I'll go." Horikita Suzune nodded immediately without the slightest hesitation.
After all, this was a rare chance to talk to her brother, Horikita Manabu, and gathering with Shimizu and Tachibana Akane sounded exciting. A pleasant smile unconsciously pulled at the corners of her mouth.
Then, Shimizu looked at her with a grin. "Suzune, feeling better now?"
Horikita snapped back to reality and blinked.
She had just asked him what to do if his girlfriend was in a bad mood, and this man immediately turned around and invited her to see her brother and play chess, coaxing her bad mood away in just two sentences!
Wait! Who is his girlfriend?!
But with the words at the tip of her tongue, she looked at the gentle smile on Shimizu's face and found herself unable to say it.
At this moment, she suddenly understood Kushida Kikyo.
Being treated with such tenderness made it truly difficult to harbor feelings of blame.
She glanced at the compass on her desk, feeling a bit of inner awkwardness, and impulsively reached out to pinch Shimizu's thigh. But before her palm could touch his trousers, Shimizu caught her hand first.
His voice was laced with confusion. "Hmm? Suzune, do you want to hold hands again?"
This guy with explosive combat power actually misunderstood her action as wanting to be close!
As a result, her hand was firmly held by him for five minutes. Initially, she hadn't intended to hold hands, but Shimizu's palm was large and warm, carrying a reassuring temperature.
She ended up half-consenting, allowing their fingers to remain interlaced for quite a while.
The ambiguous atmosphere grew thicker until Horikita couldn't take it anymore.
She quickly made an excuse about "needing to check materials at the library to prepare for the special exam," stood up from her seat with forced composure, and hurried out of the classroom.
Sitting at his desk, Shimizu watched her flustered silhouette and shook his head.
It felt like his girlfriend Horikita Suzune... No, no! She hadn't admitted to it yet! He should say his "romance practice partner" Horikita Suzune—how could she still be this shy at this point?
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After school, Shimizu made a special trip to the campus bookstore.
Since he was helping with a swimsuit shoot tomorrow and continuing his chess studies, he didn't want to go in unprepared. Most educational books could be borrowed from the library, but he preferred to buy them today so he could flip through them anytime.
Entering the bookstore, Shimizu found the scale was decent. Although smaller than the library, it had over a dozen shelves divided into areas: manga, light novels, and supplementary exercise books for math, Japanese, and English. He browsed around and found that the masterpieces from his previous life still existed here, just under similar-sounding names.
He checked the exercise area but was disappointed not to find the Japanese version of "Five Years of Mock Exams and Three Years of College Entrance Exams." Since it was Friday, the store had several students buying workbooks. Shimizu recognized most of them as Class A students, including Katsuragi Kohei and Totsuka Yahiko.
Their conversation, though not loud, reached his ears.
"Katsuragi! During the last Sports Festival, Sakayanagi Arisu took all the spotlight!" Totsuka Yahiko's voice was full of resentment as he gripped a Japanese textbook.
"I told you, our Katsuragi faction should have stayed still and quietly lost to Class B, but you wouldn't listen!"
"Exactly, Katsuragi," another person chimed in. "I really don't get why you made us go all out."
Katsuragi Kohei looked solemn.
"I promised Sakayanagi and Ryuen beforehand that the class wouldn't engage in infighting. Even without that promise, I wouldn't use methods that harm the overall interest of Class A."
"Ugh! Katsuragi, you're just too rigid!" Totsuka was so frustrated he almost threw his book. "Because of this, the neutrals in class think you're inferior to Sakayanagi and are flocking to her side! Her faction is much larger than ours now!"
"Isn't that the truth!" others nodded. "For this special exam, Sakayanagi said she'd attack Class C. You strongly opposed it because you were wary of Shimizu Akira, but she didn't care at all! People are even laughing behind your back calling you a coward!"
Katsuragi sighed heavily, a rare trace of fatigue in his voice.
"It's come to this. I've lost the qualification to contend with Sakayanagi Arisu in the class. It's my fault for not expecting her to act so early. It's only the first semester; Class A's foundation hasn't even stabilized. Normally, infighting should wait until the third year."
It was clear Katsuragi was unhappy.
Anyone would be fuming if they were schemed against like this. Shimizu stepped out from behind the shelves.
"Sorry, Katsuragi-kun, Totsuka-kun, everyone. I came to buy some books and accidentally overheard your conversation."
Katsuragi was stunned for a moment before regaining his composure.
"It's fine. We weren't careful about the location; we were talking too loudly for a bookstore."
Totsuka Yahiko reigned in his anger, his eyes turning slightly guarded. After all, Class A was responsible for setting Class C's exam questions, and the person in front of them was Shimizu Akira himself.
Shimizu smiled and ignored the look. He picked up a chess primer and said, "I didn't expect Class A to have such divisions. But I can guess Katsuragi-kun's thoughts; you did it because the class interest is more important than factional disputes, right?"
A flash of surprise crossed Katsuragi's eyes. He hadn't expected Shimizu to hit the nail on the head. He thought for a moment and softened his tone.
"Shimizu-kun sees through things quite clearly."
"But you should have received the notice, Shimizu-kun—Class A is going directly against Class C." Katsuragi remembered something and became more sincere.
"Last summer, thanks to the help of Ike, Sudo, and Ayanokouji from your class, I was able to get a gift for my sister. And thanks for showing mercy during the island exam. I'm sorry, but we won't hold back in this special exam."
"It's fine. Class competitions should involve going all out. That's normal."
Shimizu showed an understanding expression. He flipped through a book on photography techniques and added, "Actually, I've always felt that if your class could unite, you wouldn't lose to Sakayanagi so easily. You just want to play it safe to keep Class A's position, right? You're already in first place; there's no need for high-risk gambles. Steadying the advantage is key. I understand your approach.
Well, I won't disturb your book selection further. I'm going to check out."
As Shimizu walked away, Katsuragi felt a wave of complex emotion.
Only Shimizu Akira understood him.
Yes, his low-risk strategy was because they were already Class A.
Why risk everything when you already have the lead? Yet his classmates called him a "turtle."
It was like a professional gaming team with an advantage—they wouldn't blindly rush the base; they'd control resources and push steadily. Why did no one else get it?
At that moment, Katsuragi actually felt a bit of envy toward Class C.
Having a companion like Shimizu Akira, who could see the essence of things and offer empathy, must be very lucky.
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The next morning at 8:00 AM, Shimizu ate breakfast while scrolling through his daily intelligence.
Most of the photos on Sakura Airi's digital camera were taken specifically for Shimizu Akira. Kaneda Satoru of Class D wanted to suggest setting exam questions with Shiina Hiyori yesterday, but was politely rejected. Horikita Suzune has remembered that Kushida Kikyo was her middle school classmate.
All three were about his classmates!
Wait, the photos were taken for him?!
Shimizu instinctively picked up the camera and flipped through a few.
They were almost entirely bold, girl-style photos: candid shots in loose pajamas and close-ups in just lingerie.
The scale far exceeded simple "style references." No wonder the first photo he saw yesterday was a sexy one.
It wasn't a coincidence; Sakura Airi really wanted to use these to tempt him.
How did a shy girl become so proactive? The contrast was huge.
He had to admit, he had looked at those bold photos more than once last night.
Men are simple creatures. Given Sakura's personality, she couldn't have done this alone—Hasabe Haruka must have taught her!
He looked at the second piece of info.
Kaneda Satoru—the guy with the mushroom hair and glasses who looked like a studious type.
So Shiina Hiyori was handling the questions for Class B alone? Setting 400 questions (50 per subject) that are difficult enough to stump an opponent is a massive workload for one student.
Shimizu actually had a good idea for setting questions, but he wasn't sure if the school would allow it.
As for the last one—Horikita remembered? It seemed she only remembered the classmate part; it wasn't clear if she knew about Kushida's "dark history."
Kushida had given him the task of making Horikita confess and kiss him. But the difficulty was insane. Forget a kiss—Horikita wouldn't even admit to being his girlfriend or allow him to hold her hand in class!
He'd have to talk to Kushida about the difficulty of this mission so it wouldn't interfere with their own intimacy.
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When Shimizu left his room, he wore a grey jacket over thermal pants. The late October weather was noticeably cold. As he approached the gym, he saw Sakura Airi and Hasabe Haruka waiting at the indoor pool entrance.
Inside, the three went to change. When Shimizu entered the pool area, he saw them in their swimsuits.
Sakura Airi wore a light blue two-piece with small ruffles on the top and a layered mesh skirt. Her hair was tied loosely, and her cheeks were flushed. Hasabe Haruka was in a red swimsuit that perfectly outlined her well-rounded silhouette.
The high-waisted bottoms hugged her waistline with zero excess fat, fitting her curves perfectly.
It wasn't Shimizu's first time seeing them in swimsuits, but he was still captivated.
His first thought was: great waist, great legs, great hips!
They didn't look like high schoolers; they could probably walk a Victoria's Secret runway. As the unofficial rank one and two for "best bodies" in the first year, they lived up to the hype.
Sakura Airi, sensitive to gazes, quickly noticed his stare and looked down. Hasabe, though blushing slightly, showed off her body gracefully. She nudged Sakura and joked, "Airi, don't be shy! Little-Kiyoshi is the photographer this time; you have to show off your best points!"
Sakura Airi followed Hasabe's lead and puffed out her chest slightly. The movement made her curves sway, making it impossible for anyone to stay calm.
"Hehe, Little-Kiyoshi, quite a feast for the eyes today, isn't it?" Hasabe laughed mischievously. "By the way, you saw the photos in Airi's camera, right? Sexy and cute, yeah? You can secretly keep them—Airi and I both agree!"
Shimizu nodded instinctively.
"Okay, then I won't be polite."
"Eh? You agreed just like that?" Hasabe was stunned by his bluntness.
"Well, you both have great bodies and the photos are sexy and beautiful. I'll cherish them." Shimizu replied frankly. If the parties involved gave permission, he had no reason to refuse. He wanted them, so there was no need to be coy.
Hasabe's face turned deep red. Despite her bold exterior, she had never actually been in a relationship. But since this was Shimizu, and he was the photographer, it seemed "normal"?
She had hoped to see him get flustered, but she was the one panicking! She had to take back the initiative.
She pulled Sakura toward Shimizu.
"Okay! We'll take turns doing sexy and cute poses, so please take good photos!"
Shimizu raised the camera, switching to burst mode. "No problem. Just act natural."
Hasabe took the first step. She turned sideways, one hand on her waist and the other brushing a strand of hair, a lazy smile in her eyes. The red swimsuit made her skin look like snow. The shutter clicked repeatedly.
"Little-Kiyoshi, give me some directions! I'll cooperate with any pose!" she teased.
Shimizu didn't hold back: "Lean against the pool edge, put your hand on the railing, and lean your body back slightly."
Hasabe blushed but obeyed. Her back arched slightly, legs staggered—a pose that masterfully highlighted her curves.
She looked at the lens with a defiant glint that seemed to ask, Is this sexy enough?
"Very good!" Shimizu kept clicking. "Now try a more lively expression, maybe tilt your head."
Sakura Airi, seeing her friend's boldness, began to relax. She walked into the shallow area of the pool where the water reached her calves. She scooped up a handful of water and
splashed it toward the lens with a soft smile. Her light blue swimsuit under the shimmering water looked pure, her curves swaying slightly with her movements.
"Shimizu-kun, I can cooperate with your requests and poses too! Anything you say... I can do."
'Why do these girls sound so suggestive?!'
Shimizu wondered. Was a photographer's power truly limitless?
"Airi, try to squat down, put your hands on the water surface, and look up at the lens," Shimizu guided.
Sakura obeyed, her skirted swimsuit floating like a blooming blue lotus. Hasabe joined her, hugging Sakura from behind. They pressed their foreheads together, one laughing brightly, the other sweetly. The red and blue contrast was visually stunning.
"This angle is perfect!" Shimizu praised. For nearly an hour, the hall was filled with laughter and the sound of splashing water. He captured every vivid moment: Hasabe's hair mid-jump, Sakura's cute surprised face when splashed...
He wasn't "exhausted"—how could he be while photographing such beautiful girls? He finally understood why so many men dream of being photographers.
"That's about it. We've covered most styles. Want to see the results?"
The girls crowded around him, looking at the screen and squealing with delight.
"Wait! Are you really a novice?" Hasabe looked at him suspiciously.
"Did you secretly photograph other girls before?"
Shimizu flicked her forehead lightly.
"I didn't even have a camera until now. Who would I photograph?"
"Oh, right!" Hasabe grinned like a fool.
"Only Airi has a camera in class! I thought too much!" She looked at him again.
"Little-Kiyoshi, you took so many. Is there one you particularly like? You can keep any of them!"
Actually, they never intended to post these online. The shoot was just an excuse to get him to look at them.
"Okay," Shimizu said steadily.
This made Hasabe a bit piqued.
They had done so many sexy poses; while he stared at first, he eventually got so into the "art" that he showed no further signs of losing his composure. She suddenly really wanted to see him lose his cool.
Shimizu looked at the time, ready to wrap up. Suddenly, Hasabe turned her back to him, looked over her shoulder, and arched her hips toward him with a playful wink. "This is today's exclusive bonus photo for Little-Kiyoshi! You can't show anyone else, it's for your eyes only~"
Shimizu froze. The camera almost slipped from his hand. The high-waisted swimsuit emphasized her rounded, tight curves. The tension of the fabric between her hips and waist was palpable.
'No normal man could pass this test!'
"Ba-Baruka! You..." Sakura Airi gasped, her face bright red, but she didn't look away, curiously watching Shimizu's reaction.
Shimizu regained his focus. Instinctively, he pressed the shutter, freezing the unexpected "bonus" in time. He cleared his throat. "Ahem... captured. I'll keep it safe and won't show a soul."
Hasabe Hasabe suddenly deflated, turning around and covering her burning face with her hands.
He actually took the picture! She had seen that pose online and did it on a whim to tease him, not expecting him to actually click.
But then she realized—Shimizu had clearly frozen and stumbled over his words.
He had lost his composure! In that case, she hadn't lost out; she had won big!
She peeked at him through her fingers, a tiny smile forming as her shyness was replaced by a sense of small triumph.
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