Chapter 292 Kushida: You're the one who likes me more!
By early November, Shimizu Akira could clearly feel the weather growing colder by the day.
One didn't need to say much; a glance at the students' outfits made it obvious.
Last month, some people were still wearing autumn uniforms to class, but now, everyone had progressively switched to the winter style.
Most of the boys found that simply putting on the full set of winter uniform trousers was enough, but the girls were different. Almost no one wore cotton trousers or thermal leggings for their lower half; most wore stockings. As he walked through the corridors, he could glimpse various sock lines peeking out from under the hems of winter skirts—the vast majority were black or white silk, though occasionally a girl wore other colors.
The wind crept in through the open windows, carrying the chill of early winter. Shimizu Akira wrapped his uniform jacket tighter around himself, yet he saw a few female classmates ahead merely adjusting their scarves and walking past with straight backs, the lines of their calves wrapped in stockings looking sleek yet thin.
'Hiss! They really aren't afraid of the freezing cold!'
To be honest, Shimizu Akira still didn't quite understand the stocking culture here in Japan. Setting aside office workers, it seemed JKs (high school girls) didn't wear thermal pants at all, almost universally opting for stockings.
As he was thinking, soft footsteps suddenly came from behind, accompanied by a gentle greeting: "Shimizu-kun, good morning."
Shimizu Akira turned around to see Shiina Hiyori and Ibuki Mio walking side by side. Both were wearing winter school skirts with stockings clinging tightly to their legs—Shiina Hiyori wore dark gray, while Ibuki Mio wore pure white.
'Sure enough, speaking of the representative for light gray stockings, here she comes.'
"Morning." Shimizu Akira nodded in response. His gaze brushed past the edges of their stockings at the hem of their skirts, and he subconsciously asked, "Aren't you cold? Wearing so little."
Ibuki Mio arched an eyebrow, her tone somewhat indifferent: "Of course it's cold, but it's fine. The dorms are close, and the classroom will be warm. You just endure until you get there."
Shiina Hiyori also nodded gently, her voice soft.
"It is a bit cold, but dressing like this does look better. It's much sleeker than being wrapped in bulky thermal pants... and stockings can block the wind a little."
'Girls really do put looking good above all else.'
Shimizu Akira looked at their thin, exposed calves and still found it incredible: "But with the wind this strong, won't your legs hurt if you wear them like this long-term?"
"Why are you suddenly asking that?" Ibuki Mio shot him a bewildered look.
"We've been dressing like this since elementary school; we're used to it. We aren't that delicate. Why are you acting like a foreigner having a 'first time in Japan' epiphany?"
'You hit the nail on the head! I am exactly a foreigner.'
As they spoke, a few more girls passed by chatting and laughing—all in winter skirts and stockings, some even wearing low-heeled leather shoes. Even though they were hunched over from the cold and exhaling white mist, their postures remained tidy and upright, showing not a hint of distress.
Shimizu Akira shook his head instinctively, silently marveling that this stocking culture truly lived up to its reputation.
Japanese girls' tolerance for cold was truly beyond his imagination.
"True, you've been used to it since childhood. I spoke too much." Shimizu Akira shrugged, dropping the topic.
Shiina Hiyori's eyes crinkled slightly in a smile, but she said nothing more. Ibuki Mio maintained her carefree attitude, hands in her uniform pockets. Without stopping her pace, she asked casually: "Speaking of which, Shimizu, what kind of questions are you going to set for our class this time?"
After all, Class C was setting questions for Class D; those were the rules.
"How could I possibly tell you?" Shimizu Akira's mouth twitched. There was no way he would leak exam questions in advance.
Ibuki Mio curled her lip.
"I was just asking casually. If you won't say, then don't."
Shiina Hiyori walked beside them and smiled gently upon hearing this.
"Ibuki was indeed too direct. How could Shimizu-kun reveal the questions beforehand?"
"I was just curious!" Ibuki Mio raised her eyebrows in defense. "Who knows if your Class C will set some weird questions? It's better to be mentally prepared, right?"
Shimizu Akira couldn't help but tease her: "Don't worry, according to the school rules, they'll definitely be within the scope of the textbook. As long as you listen carefully in class, you should be able to answer. I'm just afraid you don't listen."
"What nonsense!" Ibuki Mio glared over, her tone defiant.
"I listen very carefully in class! As for you, don't set any convoluted questions to make things difficult! Hiyori wouldn't do that!"
'This idiot!' She had just blown their cover in a few sentences! What did she mean "Hiyori wouldn't do that"?
She was basically telling him that Shiina Hiyori was the question setter for Class D.
To be honest, he had already received the corresponding intel a few days ago, but he didn't expect the other party to hand the clue over today.
'Is Ibuki Mio actually a good person?'
Shimizu Akira instinctively looked at Shiina Hiyori. Sure enough, her face held a hint of helplessness, her eyes full of the sentiment "How could you be so careless?" as she quietly watched Ibuki.
Shimizu Akira couldn't help but advise: "Ibuki, you should just follow Shiina and study hard for these tutoring sessions. Stop trying to fish for exam questions."
"Mhm, Ibuki." Shiina Hiyori also nodded. "During this time, just come to the library with me to brush up on your weak points. You'll definitely make progress."
Being stared at by the two of them in unison, Ibuki felt a gaze that was both concerned and carried a touch of "disappointed elder" affection.
If it were a family elder looking at her like that, she'd let it go, but the two in front of her were classmates!
She immediately shouted crossly: "Hey! What do you two mean! Are you treating me like an elementary schooler who needs constant supervision?!"
Shiina Hiyori was slightly startled by the outburst, but then she couldn't help but laugh. She reached out and gently pulled Ibuki Mio's sleeve: "We didn't mean it that way. We just think that if you spend more time on tutoring, you'll be more confident during the exam."
Shimizu Akira also nodded, a smile in his eyes: "After all, you just sold out your own class's question setter. If you don't study more and get stumped by our Class C's questions, don't go failing."
"Wh-who's going to fail?!" Ibuki Mio's neck stiffened as she retorted, but her confidence was clearly lower than before.
She stole a glance at Shiina Hiyori and saw her still looking helpless, only then realizing in hindsight... she really had accidentally let it slip.
"I was just speaking casually! Who knew you'd be so sharp!" Ibuki Mio tried to fix it, shoving her hands back into her pockets and deliberately looking away.
"Fine, if I have to study, I'll study. I'm not afraid! I'll definitely be able to answer the questions your class sets!"
"That's good." Shimizu Akira arched an eyebrow, not calling out her embarrassment.
"Then follow Shiina and study well! Of course, if you encounter a subject you don't understand—as long as it's not Japanese—I can help you answer it."
"Got it, got it!" Ibuki Mio waved her hand impatiently, but her pace unconsciously quickened as if she wanted to flee the awkward topic.
Shiina Hiyori gave Shimizu Akira an apologetic smile and hurried to catch up, not forgetting to call back: "Shimizu-kun, goodbye."
Watching their retreating figures, Shimizu Akira couldn't help but shake his head. Ibuki Mio's personality was truly carefree, but sometimes her brain was a beat behind, and she'd accidentally let the truth slip.
'Too honest!'
By the time Shimizu Akira returned to the classroom, today's intelligence had refreshed on time.
Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School plans to launch a special exam involving paintball guns at some point in the future. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka of Class 1-C has begun planning how to get Yamauchi Haruki expelled. The exam questions for Class 1-A are being set by Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kohei, each responsible for half.
Huh?! Shimizu Akira froze on the spot.
A special exam with paintball guns?! Wait! Where did this pull him into?! Seriously? This can be called a special exam?
The style is just too different!
Honestly, the person who came up with this must have been playing too many shooters lately. But since it was a future event, he set it aside for now.
His gaze immediately fell on the second piece of intel. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka is planning to get Yamauchi Haruki expelled?! So, Chabashira-sensei finally chose to make him act, using this special exam as the catalyst?
Thinking back, Chabashira-sensei hadn't proactively contacted him during this special exam period. Could it be that Sakayanagi Arisu pulled strings behind the scenes? After all, during their last meeting, she told him she would find a way to make Ayanokouji Kiyotaka act seriously. He didn't expect she actually had a way.
Coincidentally, Horikita Suzune hadn't arrived early today, and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had just sat down.
Shimizu Akira asked casually: "Did she find you?"
Ayanokouji blinked, then nodded without hesitation: "Yeah."
"What's the requirement?" Shimizu Akira pressed.
"Exclude Yamauchi Haruki, ideally without deducting class points," Ayanokouji said slowly.
"That's quite strict." Shimizu Akira was somewhat surprised. Even though it didn't require deducting points, no matter how bad Yamauchi was, his eight subjects added up to about 300 points. If they kicked him out, the class would lose a person, and this exam would be equivalent to losing 300 points from the total score.
"Want to switch?" Ayanokouji asked back.
Shimizu Akira blinked and pushed it right back: "You do it. After all, you've been coasting for over a month."
Thinking about it, this "Masterpiece" had only exerted his full effort once during the three-legged race at the Sports Festival; most of the rest of the time he was just slacking. It was time for him to step up properly.
Hearing this, Ayanokouji merely gave a dull response: "Mhm." His tone was as flat as if he were saying "the weather is nice today," with no hint that he was planning to get a classmate expelled.
"How do you plan to do it?" Shimizu Akira asked curiously. "You can't just physically throw him out of the school, right?"
Ayanokouji glanced up at him. "Operation within the rules, logical maneuvers."
'Might as well have said nothing.'
"Our Masterpiece is going to exert himself?" Shimizu Akira shook his head. Given Ayanokouji's personality, even if he asked, the guy wouldn't necessarily tell the truth.
Shimizu Akira's gaze fell on the final piece of intel. This daily report basically exposed the question-setters for Class A in the month-end exam. So it was a joint effort.
Since there are eight papers, it's likely Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kohei are responsible for four each. No wonder he saw Katsuragi and his group hauling a mountain of books from the reference shelves that day. It seems Katsuragi plans to design questions based on existing exercises, whereas as for Sakayanagi Arisu's side, her logic is harder to guess.
As such, the exam papers Class C has to face this time probably won't be easy.
Shimizu Akira felt inexplicably complicated. When he came to, he saw Kushida Kikyo talking with Wang Mei-Yu and Inogashira Kokoro nearby. He thought about it and sent her a message.
Shimizu Akira: Come to my dorm tonight. I want to tell you something about Suzune.
Kushida Kikyo received the message quickly, ended her conversation with a smile, and immediately returned to her seat to reply.
Kushida Kikyo: Mhm? Other than talking about that woman, is there nothing else to do?
Shimizu Akira: Mhm! I also want to be close with you properly. After all, you didn't come last week. I missed you.
Kushida Kikyo: Hehe, Akira-kun is so cute~ Speaking of which, after the boxing exhibition match ended, didn't you rush out immediately because you noticed my expression was off and found me venting by the railing?
Kushida Kikyo: Akira-kun, you're a bit clingy!
Shimizu Akira: Who's clingy! Besides, I told you already, I took that path because I was hungry. Meeting you was pure coincidence!
Kushida Kikyo: Hehe, I don't believe it~ Just after giving you a lap pillow, you told me everything you knew. Akira-kun, who gets all dizzy and obedient the moment he lies on my lap... the Shimizu Akira who liked me from the very first day on that bus... was it really pure coincidence?
Shimizu Akira: ? Wait! I do like you very much now, that's true! But what do you mean by 'liked you since the first day'?
Kushida Kikyo: ??? Isn't it true? You saw that I was cute, fit your aesthetics, and had a good personality. You saw that Koenji Rokusuke looked scary, so you stepped up just to win my favor, right? So, clearly you're the one who liked me first. From what I see, the level of you liking me is much higher than the level of me liking you.
Shimizu Akira: It really wasn't! I simply gave my seat to an elderly person! Speaking of which, it's clearly you! You suddenly gave me "benefits" at the cafe, and later specifically created a side account to frame Yamauchi Haruki. You're the one who likes me more!
These two were purely in a battle of logic, neither willing to back down.
Shimizu Akira felt in his heart that Kushida Kikyo was undeniably good to him.
There was no need to mention before they dated; after they started dating, she spoiled him to no end. Thinking about it, she even proactively let him build a harem—how much would someone have to spoil him to do that!
So he replied without hesitation.
Shimizu Akira: I don't believe you.
On the other side, Kushida Kikyo looked at the phone screen and couldn't help but let out a low, soft giggle. Her thoughts were the exact opposite of his.
Clearly, Shimizu Akira had been extra special toward her since the very first day on that bus! He was the one who was proactive first, wasn't he?
In these past few special exams, he racked his brains every time to come up with key strategies and sent them to her message by message so she could stand out in class.
As long as she acted a little spoiled, he was almost entirely obedient. Not to mention, to prevent her from being expelled, he was willing to put up 20 million private points.
That's a solid 20 million yen—an amount an average person might not earn in twenty or thirty years of hard work—and he agreed without blinking.
So, he definitely likes her more!
Kushida Kikyo smiled and replied.
Kushida Kikyo: I don't believe you either.
Kushida Kikyo: Shall we see the truth tonight?
Shimizu Akira: Fine, I'm game.
Seeing Kushida's reply, Shimizu Akira's mouth twitched, and he tucked his phone away decisively. Fine, tonight he would "reason" with Kikyo properly and show her exactly who likes whom more.
Just then, the classroom door was pushed open, and Horikita Suzune walked in quickly. There was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead; she had clearly run all the way. Seeing Shimizu Akira in his seat, she didn't linger, quickly sitting down and taking out her textbook.
Then, Suzune seemed to think of something. Her gaze drifted between Shimizu Akira and the smiling Kushida Kikyo nearby. Inexplicably, she felt that these two must be secretly chatting about something behind her back again.
Horikita Suzune frowned and suddenly asked: "I want to eat with you after school and talk about Kushida's past. I assume you're free?"
"I'm free." Shimizu Akira nodded without hesitation. In his heart, he had already guessed what Horikita wanted to say.
'Good, good, let's see if I can just resolve the past issues of both of them in one go today.'
It was better than having these two continue fighting. How nice it would be if they lived in harmony!
.
.
.
Soon, school was over.
As per tradition, to prepare for the early December special exam, Hirata Yousuke, Horikita Suzune, and Kushida Kikyo stepped onto the podium to organize a class meeting.
"The results of the last small test were almost exactly as we expected." Hirata Yousuke looked at the crowd with a smile. "The top ten and bottom ten from the previous exam have successfully formed teams, and the students in the middle have been manually adjusted based on their specific weak subjects and overall grades. Currently, the peer-assistance plan is going quite smoothly."
"Great!"
"If the first step is this smooth, the rest will be no problem!"
Echoes of agreement immediately rang out in the class. Shimizu Akira sat in his seat and suddenly realized something. Since the end of the first semester, fewer and fewer people in the class mentioned the titles of "Class Rep" or "Vice-Rep." Whether it was Hirata, Suzune, or Kikyo, or even other students including himself, as long as there was a reasonable suggestion, it could be voiced in class and usually passed successfully. Of course, the core leadership of the class was still led by these three.
"But there is also a complicated piece of news: we need to deal with two classes simultaneously." Hirata Yousuke continued by writing Class A and Class D on the blackboard. "This time, Class A will set questions for us, and we will set questions for Class D!"
"I also scouted around a bit these past few days. It seems Class A chose Class C specifically because Sakayanagi-san took the lead!" At this point, Kushida Kikyo picked up her phone and added with a smile.
"Sakayanagi-san?! I remember she helped other classes last time!"
"It seems that for the sake of victory this time, the opponent chose Class C!"
The class had a decent impression of Sakayanagi Arisu. After all, she had shared the old test papers for free during the first semester midterms. Hearing the grouping news, everyone took a moment to reflect.
Kushida Kikyo thought for a moment, turned around, and wrote the scores for the four classes on the blackboard.
Class A: 92 pts, Class C: 75 pts, Class D: 78 pts.
"Kushida-san, what are these?" a student asked, confused.
Kushida Kikyo shot another smiling glance at Shimizu Akira before turning to explain to everyone: "This is the average grade of the other two classes from the first small test of the second semester. It's intelligence I specifically gathered from other students!"
"Huh? You can get that kind of info?"
"Wait, Kushida-san, are the other classes really willing to tell us?"
"Of course, they won't say it directly." She smiled as she revealed the secret.
"I tutored a few female students from the neighboring classes who don't have very good grades. I asked them about their failing scores for several small tests across various subjects and slowly calculated it! I wanted to help them reach the passing line! Some of them even brought their test papers directly."
"I remember the school rules state the failing score is half the average score." Horikita Suzune reacted immediately.
"Knowing the failing score allows you to reverse-engineer the class average for that subject! Since it's a small test, no one gets expelled."
"Wow, Kushida-san is too smart!"
"This way we can figure out the academic levels and strong subjects of the other classes. This is so useful!"
"Amazing! Kushida!"
"Hohoho, it's nothing~" Kushida Kikyo was modest in words, but the smile on her face was impossible to hide.
Horikita Suzune also nodded instinctively. To be honest, using tutoring as a pretext to gather intelligence was indeed a good tactic.
Most students with poor grades didn't have much of a guard and weren't very bright; if someone was sincerely helping them study, they would naturally let the truth slip.
However, she knew in her heart that such a clever idea definitely didn't come from Kushida Kikyo herself.
She subconsciously looked at Shimizu Akira and, as expected, saw him looking at Kushida with a smile. Kushida also happened to look back, returning the gaze with a sweet smile.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the moment their eyes met, the affection was practically overflowing; it couldn't be hidden.
'Wait... we're in a meeting, yet you don't forget to spread 'dog food'?'
This woman Kushida Kikyo was at it again! How many times had this been? Every time, it was Shimizu Akira who came up with these brilliant ways for her to shine!
And Shimizu Akira, do you really like Kushida Kikyo that much? On the first day of school on the bus, you proactively gave up your seat for her; now you're looking out for her everywhere...
Kushida Kikyo glanced with a smile at Horikita Suzune's increasingly sour expression, then turned back to the blackboard.
"As everyone can see, by average academic ability, our class is actually the lowest. So choosing to challenge Class D this time is the optimal solution. Conversely, Class A has the
highest ability; the questions they set will definitely be the hardest. We must be fully mentally prepared. Additionally, I've posted the specific average scores for each subject for these two classes in the class group. Everyone can take a look after class."
In reality, the academic levels of each class could be roughly seen from the initial class rankings. But previously, everyone only had a vague concept—they knew the others were strong but didn't know exactly how much stronger. Now, all the data was laid out clearly.
The vast majority of the class looked at Kushida Kikyo with admiration. Kikyo lowered her head, deliberately hiding the slight smugness that had unconsciously appeared on her face. 'This feels so good!'
Whether it was the admiration in her classmates' eyes or the hidden jealousy from Horikita Suzune beside her, it made her feel incredibly refreshed. She was practically "high" on it!
She had known for a long time that she was never a natural genius like Horikita. The last time she was looked up to with eyes meant for a "genius" was a very long time ago. After entering this school of meritocracy, she even thought she would never feel that sense of intellectual superiority again.
But since being with Shimizu Akira, everything was different.
Those clever tactics and brilliant performances seemed to be her credit, but in reality, they all relied on her boyfriend paving the way in the shadows. Now, every classmate looked at her as if she were impressive, and people would proactively praise her when they met.
This feeling of being surrounded by stars like the moon was just too comfortable.
She glanced at Shimizu Akira nearby; he was looking down at the score chart in the group chat. Kushida's mouth couldn't help but curl upward. All of this was thanks to her super reliable boyfriend.
'How can this man be so stubborn! Clearly, he's the one who likes me more!'
Beside her, Hirata Yousuke nodded in approval: "The intelligence Kushida-san gathered is crucial! With this data, we can formulate targeted review plans instead of preparing blindly."
Horikita Suzune suppressed the complicated emotions in her heart, stepped forward, and added: "Not only that, Class D's weak points are English and Physics. We can appropriately emphasize these two subjects when setting questions, but we must exercise restraint and not go beyond the scope of the textbook."
"Mhm! And the study groups we established before!" Kushida Kikyo immediately looked up, adding with a beaming smile, "Considering some classmates participate in clubs, and we've always had a cooperative relationship with Class B, we will open two time slots for the study sessions this time. The supervisors will be students from both classes who excel in the corresponding subjects. Everyone can choose to attend based on their situation. If you
encounter any problems you don't understand during the session, feel free to raise your hand."
The three of them went back and forth, quickly finalizing the core plan for Class C to deal with the special exam. First was the question-setting team, temporarily consisting of five people: Hirata Yousuke, Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo, Wang Mei-Yu, and Yukimura Teruhiko.
The study sessions were divided into two slots: the first from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and the second from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Class B would also send five people to join the team, making a total of ten people rotating shifts. After all, setting questions and supervising at high intensity couldn't be sustained by just a few people. The specific shift schedule would be posted in the class group in a couple of days.
Additionally, students without club activities were recommended to attend the first session, while those with club schedules were recommended for the second. Everyone was also encouraged to attend with their partners to facilitate mutual learning and progress.
Of course, none of this was mandatory. If someone was confident in their learning ability, or wanted to tutor their partner individually, or simply wasn't good at collective study, they were free to arrange their own study plan.
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