Chapter 329 Masumi: No focusing only on stockings this time! / A different way to play every time
The training camp was finally over. For the students, those eight days and seven nights had been quite the ordeal—cooking, meditating, and long-distance running from the moment they opened their eyes, living like monks in training.
They returned on Thursday, and the school announced that the next three days would be a holiday, with formal classes resuming Monday.
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January 12th, Saturday.
Shimizu Akira pulled back the curtains to find a uniform layer of white frost coating the windowpane. He checked his phone: -4°C. It was only January, after all. The air looked bone-chilling. Fortunately, the dorm had air conditioning and a kotatsu (heated table); otherwise, surviving this winter would be a struggle.
His phone vibrated with a new friend request: Nagumo Miyabi.
Akira frowned but accepted it.
Nagumo Miyabi: Good morning, Shimizu-kouhai.
Nagumo Miyabi: I keep my word. Here are the 8 million points I owed you.
Nagumo Miyabi: You must have over 16 million now. Planning to transfer to Class A?
Nagumo Miyabi: By the way, I've seen you on dates with Kushida Kikyo and Ichinose Honami, yet you're close to Horikita-senpai's sister... I'm curious, which one is actually your girlfriend?
Akira claimed the 8 million points and ignored the questions. He only added the guy to collect the debt.
"Kouhai"? Were they that close? The questions were getting increasingly personal; not blocking him immediately was already a courtesy.
With the 8 million, his balance reached 35.5 million personal points.
At a standard exchange rate, that was roughly 1.58 million—hardly enough for a decent house in Tokyo, but the school suppressed the exchange rate significantly upon graduation anyway.
From the intel he'd gathered, people like Koenji Rokusuke, Kanzaki Ryuji, and Kiryuin Fuka came from families that didn't care about money.
Horikita Manabu had mentioned that many graduating seniors sold their points privately to these wealthy heirs. While it felt like cheating, family background was a form of strength in its own right.
As an orphan in this world, Akira had to rely on special exams.
"Next goal: break 40 million."
Thinking of Nagumo's prying messages, Akira felt a spark of protectiveness. He liked all three of them! If Nagumo tried to target them the way he targeted Tachibana-senpai, he'd really deserve a beating.
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Masumi Kamuro crawled out of bed groalily. Between the cold and the holiday, she'd slept in much later than usual. She pulled back her curtains to see the foggy glass. Looking through the blur, the track field was empty. She checked her phone: 7:30 AM.
'No wonder.'
He usually started running at 6:30 AM. She'd missed it. A hollow feeling settled in her chest.
"Tch... guess I have to set an alarm tomorrow." Even if early rising was torture in winter, it was his training time. She could see him, then go back to sleep. She checked her messages.
Nishimura Ryoko: I'm still curious, how did you score over 90 on every subject in the pairing exam?
Hashimoto Masayoshi: Kamuro-san, Shimizu sent you so many snacks during the island exam. Are you two dating?
Nishimura was so annoying. It was already the third semester; was she still hung up on that? Was scoring a 90 that rare? If Akira and Yamamura Miki hadn't told her to miss two questions on purpose, she would have gotten a perfect score.
She replied to Nishimura: Hard work and sweat.
As for Hashimoto... he had been in Akira's group during the camp. Why was he suddenly prying?
She replied: None of your business.
She immediately texted Akira:
Masumi Kamuro: Are you in your dorm? No other girls around, right?
Shimizu Akira: No. Want to come over? I'll make hot cocoa.
Seeing the "No," her expression softened. If he had said there was a girl there, she wouldn't have talked to him for days. She tossed her phone aside and started changing. She wanted to see her boyfriend, not deal with strangers.
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Ten minutes later, she knocked on Akira's door. It opened almost instantly. Akira stood there with a small spoon for stirring cocoa, his hair a bit messy. He'd clearly been inside the whole time.
"Morning, Masumi," he stepped aside. "Come in."
The sweet scent of cocoa greeted her. The room was tidy as always, with a chess book half-read on the table and two mugs waiting. Her shoulders finally relaxed. She kicked off her shoes, put on her familiar purple slippers, and dived into the warm kotatsu.
"Here," Akira placed the cocoa on the table. "Your hands are cold. Did you run here?"
"I didn't run," she took a sip.
Akira sat beside her. "I thought you were in a bad mood the last few days... was it because I didn't seek you out during the exam?"
"The exam was gender-segregated. How were you supposed to find me? And who glared at you?!"
"No one?"
"The person I glared at was Hashimoto! He was standing in my way when I was trying to look at you!"
Another small misunderstanding.
"Wait! What are you thinking? Why would I be mad for no reason!" She gave him a real glare this time.
"Do you think I'm just some girl who gets angry at the drop of a hat?"
'You're literally pouting right now!' Akira thought, but wisely kept his mouth shut.
"My mistake. I apologize."
"Hmph! I'll forgive you for now," she rubbed his hair vigorously.
"But heh! You did well this time! Messing with Nagumo in front of the whole school and walking away with 8 million points... you made me look good!"
On the bus back, once the students woke up, everyone was discussing how Akira won. She hadn't been able to stop smiling.
"It's an honor to make Masumi-sama look good."
"Good work deserves a reward! ...Hey, idiot, you can..."
Before she could finish, Akira pulled her by the waist and kissed her. After a few seconds, their lips parted.
Masumi's face was flushed—perhaps from the kotatsu, perhaps not. Her sharp eyes were now watery and flickering.
"Who... who said you could decide for yourself..." her voice was soft despite the words.
"My fault," Akira apologized easily but didn't let go of her waist. His other hand brushed her ear. "Then... does Masumi-sama permit me to continue?"
She looked away with a snort.
"Asking now... if I say no, would you even stop?"
Akira chuckled and leaned in again. This time, Masumi tilted her face up to meet him. She kissed him back as if claiming her half of the territory. Masumi was always like this; she hated being a passive recipient. She fought him for the heat and the initiative.
Eventually, she pulled back, panting slightly. Akira's hand rested unconsciously on her thigh, covered in black stockings.
She glared at him.
"Hey! Idiot... this time, no focusing only on the stockings."
She seemed to reach a decision, bit her lip, and pulled her sweater over her head. In the soft rustle of fabric, the sweater was tossed aside, leaving her in a thin, light-colored camisole. Her pale skin was tinged pink from the intimacy. The thin straps looked as if they might slide off at any moment.
Akira's throat tightened. "Masumi..."
"The reward isn't over. If you make me feel even slightly uncomfortable... there won't be a next time. Got it?"
"Understood."
Akira slowly reached out and touched the thin strap on her shoulder. He felt her body stiffen momentarily, so he slowed down even further. Seconds stretched into an eternity. Finally, his palm slid down her rounded shoulder. Masumi shivered at the touch of his fingers but didn't pull away.
"Well... how is it?" she asked, as if waiting for a verdict.
Akira's hand stayed still, feeling the warmth and the delicate texture. He whispered honestly: "Very soft... and beautiful. I really like the... shape."
Masumi's shoulders relaxed. "Then..." she turned her head away, her gaze drifting. "Is the left side... better, or the right side?"
"Eh?" Akira blinked, then laughed. "That kind of question..."
"Idiot! Just answer!" Her ears were crimson.
Akira didn't answer immediately. A comparison like that required a much more careful, fair... "assessment" before he could give a responsible answer.
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Masumi leaned quietly in Akira's arms, their fingers intertwined. After all that... she still hadn't figured out which side he liked better! She vaguely remembered the left being gently massaged dozens of times, while the right received the same patient treatment.
She wasn't great at math, and her brain was too foggy from the warmth and intimacy to keep count of the frequency or pressure.
But overall... the feeling of being touched and soothed like that was very comfortable. It was warm and steady, making her tension melt away until she was almost sleepy.
She shifted in his arms to find a better spot and closed her eyes.
'I'll grant him the right to continue being intimate, for now.'
"Oh, right!" She suddenly opened her eyes and looked up. "How far have things gone with Kushida Kikyo?"
Akira's hand in her hair paused.
"The final step," he answered truthfully.
"Hmph! You two moved fast." Masumi pinched his cheek—not too hard, but with a nuanced tone that lacked real anger.
Akira wisely stayed silent. Sometimes silence is the best answer. And to his surprise, Masumi was much calmer than expected.
"Hey," she snorted, leaning back against him.
"You didn't think I'd explode with jealousy and punish you, did you? She was your first girlfriend, after all. I understand the order of things."
Akira was touched.
"Masumi..." He tightened his hold on her.
"Hmph! Idiot!" she muttered.
"Don't get the wrong idea! I... I won't just give myself away as easily as Kushida! We're dating, but I'm not under your thumb! It's just circumstances, and because you're too clingy, got it? You men are all the same—you stop cherishing things once you have them... but—" her voice dropped.
"If you behave well from now on... it's not like there's zero chance. Understand?"
Akira smiled at her unique logic—half warning, half permission. "
Understood. You call the shots."
The phone on the table rang. It was Masumi's. She answered it.
"Miki? Why call now? ...Shopping? This morning? Sorry, I'm at Akira's place. ...No time, maybe next time. ...Huh? Idiot! You don't need to come over... It was the upper half this time, nothing got torn. You don't need to buy new ones."
She hung up with a helpless look.
"Yamamura?" Akira guessed.
"Yeah," Masumi sighed. "She sounded disappointed... she wanted to come over and give us stockings."
'There are different ways to play every time; stockings don't always tear' Akira thought.
'And next time might not involve stockings, but small umbrellas instead.'
"Miki's been very clingy lately," Masumi sighed.
"Probably because you're her only friend," Akira noted.
"Sakayanagi rarely interacts with her outside of tasks. Yamamura... might just be lonely."
Masumi went silent and snuggled deeper into his arms.
She knew that loneliness all too well. No matter how many spikes one put up on the outside, everyone craved warmth.
She had to admit, since Akira appeared and became her "reliable" boyfriend, her happiness had skyrocketed. Sometimes she even woke up smiling.
She looked up at him.
"Actually, Miki's been talking about you a lot. 'Shimizu-kun is reliable,' 'Masumi, you should cherish him'... Tsk tsk, sounds like she has quite a crush. What do you think? Do I need to... set something up for you two?"
She spoke generously, but her fingers stealthily moved to Akira's waist and gave him a sharp pinch.
Akira winced.
"Let's stop there," he declared. "I really... don't want to consider those kinds of arrangements for a while."
He meant it. After the last exam and Kikyo's "passive" arrangements, he now had Sakura Airi and Hasebe Haruka as girlfriends as well.
Including Masumi, Ichinose, and Kikyo, that was five people. Balancing the time and energy was already a logistical challenge.
Happy troubles were still, very much, troubles.
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