012 The White Roomers Won't Just Embarrass Themselves—They'll Kill!
When Shimizu Akira and Ichinose Honami stepped out of the love hotel, it was approximately 4:00 PM.
Including the cost of the costume rentals, this outing had cost about twenty thousand private points.
Thinking about it, it really wasn't cheap.
However, considering it was a hotel where the facilities, atmosphere, and costumes were all top-notch, the money felt well spent.
Incidentally, as the two were leaving, the door signs for over a dozen rooms in the hallway were still lit up.
It seemed that during this holiday, couples were quite busy in more ways than one.
Then again, as long as safety precautions were taken, the school couldn't be bothered to interfere in such matters.
The two walked side-by-side along the streets of Keyaki Mall.
On this May evening, the sunlight had turned soft, casting long shadows.
The mall was as bustling as ever, with many students taking advantage of the final days of the holiday to go shopping.
Occasionally, acquaintances passing by would greet them; Honami would wave back with a smile, showing no signs of anything unusual.
Except, perhaps, for a trace of a faint, indiscernible red lingering at the tips of her ears.
"Akira-kun."
"Yeah?"
"About that shop just now... what did you think?"
"In what sense?"
"Just... the overall feeling," Honami whispered.
Shimizu Akira thought for a moment.
"The facilities were good, the privacy was excellent, the bed was soft, and the person was quite proactive."
Honami blinked, her cheeks turning traitorously red.
It was a love hotel, after all.
The sole purpose of couples coming here was for that specific thing.
There was no need to hide physiological desires.
She had indeed been much more proactive today than usual. Thinking back, she was usually quite forward, but that scene earlier felt more like a total "devotion."
She gave a light cough, as if trying to change the subject.
"By the way, Class 2-B came in last in the exam this time... how do you feel about it, Akira-kun?"
Shimizu Akira took her hand.
"It's fine. We weren't aiming for first place this time anyway. What about you? Does it feel uncomfortable not getting a high rank?
Don't be too discouraged. Class A and Class C both spent heavily, and you specifically spent time tutoring the kouhais with lower academic abilities. Next time there's a cross-grade special exam involving cooperation with the first-years, the connections you built will definitely come in handy."
Sakayanagi Arisu and Ryuen Kakeru had put serious points into this one.
Honami squeezed his hand gently and let out a soft laugh.
"I suppose so... thank you for the comfort, Akira-kun. I'm already feeling better."
In truth, her mood had improved significantly since leaving the hotel.
With her boyfriend coaxing her like this, what did she have to be unhappy about?
Seeing her mood visibly brighten, Shimizu Akira brought up something he had been wanting to ask.
"Reviewing the events, Sakayanagi Arisu technically broke the rules, didn't she?"
Ichinose Honami blanked for a second, not catching his drift: "What are you talking about, Akira-kun?"
Shimizu Akira explained: "During the last Class Poll exam, Sakayanagi Arisu targeted Totsuka Yahiko. She broke her promise."
Honami thought back carefully.
That was true.
Back when the original Class B and Class A faced off in the Paper Shuffle exam, she had used Akira's idea to pay the teacher to set the questions and secured a victory. Because of that, Sakayanagi Arisu had promised her one reasonable request.
Honami's condition at the time was: Sakayanagi could not deliberately target Katsuragi Kohei or Totsuka Yahiko within her own class.
Yet, in that expulsion vote, the one eliminated from Class A was none other than Totsuka Yahiko.
Honami started to say something in Sakayanagi's defense, but Akira cut her off.
"The OAA data is out now. While Totsuka Yahiko's comprehensive ability isn't high, he certainly wasn't the bottom of Class A. Furthermore, at that time, it would have been no problem for Class A to scrape together 20 million points. Sakayanagi Arisu definitely went back on her word."
Honami sighed softly. "You're right. It seems Sakayanagi still considers the Katsuragi faction unreliable and wanted to use the opportunity to purge them. In that case, Katsuragi-kun must be quite dissatisfied with Sakayanagi right now.
Now might be the perfect time to invite Katsuragi to join Class D," Honami suddenly realized.
Since last year, Class 2-D had been considering a collaboration with Katsuragi Kohei.
"But it's not that simple, is it?" Akira analyzed slowly. "Totsuka Yahiko was the sticking point. Knowing your personality, if you wanted to recruit Katsuragi, you wouldn't have just let Totsuka fend for himself."
"Sigh... you're right."
Honami's brow furrowed.
Class D's current budget was only a bit over 20 million; it wasn't enough to buy two people at once.
"Oh right," Honami suddenly remembered, "Regarding the penalties from the last Class Poll, the Student Council should be posting the results once the holiday ends."
"What penalty?" Akira became interested immediately.
"Well... for the Class Poll, those students judged 'unsuitable' by their class need to temporarily transfer to one of the other three classes for an exchange period of one to two months. The school's explanation is that if you're voted the most unpopular person by your class, it means you're no longer fit for your current environment, so you need to try a new one."
"After the exchange period, the four classes will vote again. If the new class feels the person is fit to stay, they can pay 5 million points to keep them. If the new class also finds them unsuitable, and the original class is unwilling to pay 10 million to buy them back, then that person will be expelled."
Shimizu Akira fell into thought.
A transfer? So it was a mandatory school-arranged transfer?
Being voted the most hated person in your class would make staying there feel like an eternity, for sure.
Someone like Koenji wouldn't care, and Kanzaki did it voluntarily, but for Manabe and Totsuka from the other classes, life would definitely be miserable.
Changing classes was essentially a second chance.
Then comes a new round of voting.
If the new class wants to keep you, they can "buy" you for 5 million.
If even the new class won't pay 5 million, and the old class won't spend 10 million to fish you back out, then you're truly beyond saving.
"There's also a supplementary rule," Honami added. "If both the new class and the original class are fighting over the person, the student has the final choice of which class to join."
"That seems highly unlikely to happen," Akira remarked, feeling the probability was too low.
In the last Class Poll, the four candidates pushed toward expulsion were: Totsuka Yahiko, Kanzaki Ryuji, Manabe Shiho, and Koenji Rokusuke.
Aside from Kanzaki Ryuji, the other three definitely had character flaws.
However, given Kanzaki's personality, he would surely stay in his original class, and there was no way Honami would refuse to pay the 10 million for him.
"In any case, the outcome of this system shouldn't be too bad," Honami lamented.
Thinking it through, there were only three possibilities.
First: Stay in the new class. It's a strength boost for the new class, a riddance of dead weight for the old one, and a fresh start for the student.
Second: Return to the original class. If the original class is willing to pay 10 million, it shows relations have thawed, and their situation won't be worse than before.
As for the third: Expulsion.
Then there's truly nothing to be done.
Your old class doesn't want you, and the new class doesn't like you.
It proves you really aren't suited for this school.
For all three parties, it's a form of closure.
Shimizu Akira had to admit Acting Chairman Tsukishiro's penalty method was actually quite good.
At the very least, it gave these people a chance to start over.
Scheduling it for after school started was likely to hit a window where there were no special exams.
But he couldn't help feeling that old fox Tsukishiro had other plans.
He couldn't just be trying to drain points, right?
Thinking about it, when the new term started, Koenji Rokusuke would be missing from Class 2-B for a while.
As for the remaining three, he wondered who would end up transferring to Class B.
The two talked as they walked, arriving at the apartment entrance before they knew it.
"Oh, by the way," Ichinose Honami mentioned casually, "Akira-kun, did you help Chihiro from our class?"
"Huh? Chihiro?" Akira blanked, taking a few seconds to realize. "You mean Shiranami Chihiro? I guess I helped her. Remember the Sports Festival last year? She drew a 'scavenger hunt' slip for push-ups, and I just did them for her. Why? Does she... still like you?"
The moment he said it, he felt it wasn't right. Intelligence had suggested Shiranami's sexual orientation had returned to "normal."
Honami's expression was a bit subtle.
"Well... she doesn't like me anymore. We're just regular friends now. But I think she might have a crush on you."
"Huh?!" Akira was completely stunned. "No way? I've barely spoken two words to her. I just did one small favor."
"When school first started, I only showed her around campus because she was unfamiliar with the school," Honami said slowly. "It was just a small catalyst like that, and she fell for me."
Shimizu Akira didn't know how to respond for a moment.
"Just because of something like that?"
To him, helping with push-ups at the Sports Festival was just a minor convenience.
He had almost forgotten about it.
But to Shiranami Chihiro, it might have been a different story entirely.
Seeing him stunned, Honami couldn't help but laugh.
"It's a small thing to you, Akira-kun, but it might not be for Chihiro."
Her gaze softened.
"She's actually a very sensitive girl; she remembers everyone who is kind to her. It was the same when she liked me—I just did normal things, but she felt it was the most important tenderness in the world."
Shimizu Akira was silent for a while.
"So what's the situation now?"
"I'm not entirely sure." Honami shook her head. "Ever since she found out you and I were dating, she always brings you up when we chat. She asks what you like to eat, where you like to go, if you have hobbies... the look in her eyes when she mentions you is different."
"What kind of look?"
"Just...!" Honami thought for a second. "The kind where her eyes light up when your name is mentioned."
Shimizu Akira was rendered speechless.
He admitted he had unknowingly attracted quite a few girls.
But Shiranami Chihiro? That timid, introverted girl who was always trailing behind Honami?
He had truly never considered it.
"Akira-kun."
Honami suddenly called him.
Shimizu Akira saw her looking at him, her eyes devoid of any jealousy, instead carrying a miraculous kind of tenderness.
"You won't deliberately distance yourself from her because I said this, will you?"
"Why would I distance myself?"
"Because you think it's a hassle? Or because you're afraid I'll mind?"
Shimizu Akira didn't answer immediately.
He did think it was a bit of a hassle.
He hadn't even settled things with Shiina Hiyori yet, and now a Shiranami Chihiro pops up.
But Honami's gaze made it impossible for him to be perfunctory.
"I won't deliberately distance myself. But I won't proactively do anything either."
"Mm, that's good."
Honami nodded with a smile and reached out to tug on his sleeve.
"Actually, the reason I told you isn't to cause you trouble. I just felt that since this is Chihiro's first time liking a boy as a girl, it would be too pitiful if the person had no idea.
And, if she really likes you, Akira-kun... I hope she has a chance."
Shimizu Akira looked at her.
This girl was truly thinking of others.
Even if that person liked her current boyfriend.
"Honami."
"Yeah?"
"You're too kind."
Honami blanked for a second, then laughed.
"Because I'm the Class Representative of Class 2-D. I have to be kind to everyone in the class."
"A Class Rep doesn't have that kind of obligation."
"Hmm, maybe so.
So, if Chihiro actually confesses to you, what will you do?"
Shimizu Akira thought for a bit.
"I'll probably refuse! Since you said to give her a chance, I'll just say 'to be determined' for now."
Honami couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Akira-kun is surprisingly casual."
"It's called letting nature take its course."
"Yes, yes, nature's course."
The two bid farewell with smiles.
As Akira went upstairs, he couldn't stop the image of Shiranami Chihiro from appearing in his mind.
Whether it was her looks or her dress style, she was that soft, cute type—a rare "moe" girl in this school.
Simply put, she was very moe.
Hmm?
Thinking about it, among his seven girlfriends, he didn't really have that type yet.
.
.
.
On May 3rd.
Shimizu Akira woke up early and, without much hesitation, called Shiina Hiyori directly.
"Shimizu-kun, good morning. Is something the matter?"
"Nothing much, I just wanted to ask you out alone tomorrow for Greenery Day to walk around the mall and then go plant some trees. What do you think?"
"I see... planting trees. I'm free tomorrow."
"Great, I'll send you the time and place by tonight."
The call ended.
Shiina Hiyori was surprisingly easy to talk to; Akira had no trouble at all successfully asking her out.
Thinking back, they really hadn't spoken much alone since the third term.
On one hand, the final term was a non-stop barrage of special exams; on the other, it was simply because he had more and more girlfriends.
But this holiday was perfect; he'd give the rest of the time to his girlfriends and leave tomorrow's whole day to accompany her.
Around 10:00 AM, a message came from Masumi.
It was a photo of her shopping with Yamamura Miki and Sakura Airi.
They'd been to quite a few places.
She sent him seven or eight photos.
Some were of them checking out new viral shops, others were selfies of them trying on new clothes.
Hmm? These three had become this close?
That was good.
A harmonious harem was better than anything.
Immediately after, Masumi sent another message.
The gist was that if he were free, he could come over and shop with the three of them.
Shimizu Akira thought about it and declined.
He had other arrangements today and didn't want to join the commotion.
Three girls shopping together was fine; there are always things to talk about between the same gender.
Just as he put down the phone, a knock came at the door.
Shimizu Akira opened the door and saw the person he was waiting for had finally arrived.
It was Ishigami Kyo from Class 1-A.
Meeting in person, Akira realized the OAA profile picture hadn't lied.
This underclassman looked very mature; you couldn't tell at all he was a freshman.
"Shimizu-senpai, good afternoon. Thank you for taking the time to see me in your busy schedule."
"It's fine, I owed you a favor from last time anyway."
They had only communicated via phone before; this was their first face-to-face meeting.
Once Ishigami Kyo entered and took a seat, Akira brewed some tea.
"So, you came to see me because my class didn't cooperate with yours last month?"
Ishigami Kyo changed his shoes, sat on the cushion, and shook his head.
"No, Shimizu-senpai. The reward Class 1-D offered was indeed generous; it was expected that Senpai would refuse us."
He took a breath. "I came this time because I hope to purchase the past exam papers for the first-year midterm from Senpai."
Akira was startled.
"Ah... I see. It's that time of year again."
The first midterm for freshmen used old papers from upperclassmen.
It seemed Ishigami Kyo had noticed this hidden rule long ago, which is why he came looking during the holiday.
"Ishigami, when did you discover this hidden rule?"
He looked at the boy with some admiration.
Whether it was collecting data on special exams or thinking of the old papers in advance, this underclassman was steps ahead of the other classes.
It was only the start of school; one could imagine the gap between Class A and the others would only widen.
Ishigami Kyo lowered his head slightly, his expression unchanging.
"I just noticed the difficulty of the questions was off and naturally thought of old papers. Since there are existing resources to use, it would be wrong not to try and obtain them."
Shimizu Akira took a sip of tea, his gaze fixed on the underclassman opposite him.
This Ishigami Kyo—he'd felt it since the first phone call—wasn't the type to show his hand easily. He spoke flawlessly, with a respectful but not humble attitude.
"No need for private points. I can give you a copy of last year's papers for free."
Ishigami Kyo was visibly stunned.
'Hmm? According to the intel, isn't this Senpai very focused on private points?' "Senpai, this is...?"
"What? It's not like I must charge you," Akira waved it off.
"That's not what I meant." Ishigami showed a hesitant look. "It's just that, by my expectations, these points were meant to be paid. This makes me feel a bit uneasy instead."
"No need to feel uneasy. You helped me during the Class Poll exam, so we're even now," Akira explained.
Ishigami Kyo blinked for a few seconds before finally nodding.
"Alright, I understand."
They didn't say much else for the next two or three minutes, simply continuing to drink tea.
Then, Akira looked at him again.
"So, you didn't come all this way just to buy test papers and drink tea, did you? Any random second-year passerby could handle that. Alright, stop hiding it—tell me your real purpose for coming."
Ishigami Kyo set down his teacup. "As expected of Senpai, I was seen through instantly. I came this time to share some critical intelligence.
Among the new students this year, there are two assassins from the White Room. I hope Senpai will be extra careful."
He finished speaking, only to find Akira's expression hadn't changed.
"Hmm? Did Senpai already guess?"
"I suppose so. Amasawa Ichika and Yagami Takuya, right?"
Ishigami was taken aback.
"This... Senpai guessed correctly."
Amasawa Ichika had essentially outed herself, but how was Yagami Takuya exposed?
"By the way, I've already heard from Ayanokouji about the White Room's expulsion plan. The targets are him and me, right? So, the White Room assassins plan to use these kinds of methods to carry out the mission?"
He didn't mean to be disdainful; he was just genuinely curious.
Being questioned like this by the target himself, Ishigami was incredibly embarrassed.
To put it bluntly, the whole affair was at the level of a middle-school frame-up.
Even though he wasn't from the White Room, he felt a sudden urge to find a hole to crawl into.
'The kids Sensei raised are just too embarrassing!'
"Er, perhaps expelling someone is a first for those two as well," he could only explain, though it sounded like an excuse.
Shimizu Akira didn't plan to keep pressing that point, though.
"Mind telling me what your relationship with the White Room is?"
This was a key question.
Ishigami Kyo indeed went silent.
After a full ten seconds, he spoke slowly.
"I am not from the White Room. As you can see, my physical fitness doesn't support me joining it. I am more like an associate of Ayanokouji-sensei; I worked under that man for several years."
Shimizu Akira raised an eyebrow.
He asked, and the guy actually answered?
Ayanokouji-sensei—that would be Ayanokouji Atsuomi, the father of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Wait, Ishigami Kyo worked for him for several years?
Isn't that illegal child labor?
But then he thought, the man built the White Room and trained a bunch of kids; talking about legalities was probably pointless.
Akira asked again: "Since Ayanokouji Atsuomi's goal is to have me and his son expelled, why did you help me before? And why are you proactively telling me about the White Room assassins now?"
Ishigami was silent for a few seconds.
"Good question, Senpai."
He took a sip of tea, as if buying time to think.
"First, I need to clarify one thing: sensei's true target has never been your expulsion."
Akira raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"His goal from start to finish has only been one person." Ishigami set the cup down and looked at Akira.
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
In the years I worked for sensei, that was the name I heard most. The effort he poured into that person is far beyond anyone's imagination. But Ayanokouji Kiyotaka has now completely escaped his control."
Shimizu Akira listened quietly.
"So this plan—from the beginning, the target was only Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. As for Senpai, you are a variable outside the plan."
"A variable?"
"Yes. In sensei's initial predictions, you shouldn't have appeared in this position. Crossing paths with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, or even influencing his decisions—none of that was anticipated.
But when a variable appears, it needs to be reassessed. And what I am responsible for is that assessment part."
Shimizu Akira nodded thoughtfully.
"So you helped me before because you were assessing me?"
"No." Ishigami shook his head. "Helping Senpai was my own judgment. People from the White Room are dangerous to this school. Their presence here will only bring more chaos, more expulsions, and even deaths.
There are several people in this school I've known since childhood. To avoid more pointless sacrifices... the White Room people should all leave this place."
Shimizu Akira looked at him.
This Ishigami Kyo was truly a contradiction.
He clearly respected Ayanokouji Atsuomi, yet he would act against the people he sent.
It seemed he wasn't the type to just follow dead orders.
Then again, Acting Chairman Tsukishiro seemed to have his own considerations as well.
Shimizu Akira stood up, but couldn't help asking one last thing.
"Death? You're not joking?"
Ishigami Kyo nodded with a serious face.
"Yes. The people from the White Room are truly capable of it."
Shimizu Akira was completely speechless.
'No, man? Isn't the White Room assassins' mission just to get someone expelled?
What do you mean by killing? What is this—because they can't finish the expulsion task, they're just going to 'off' the person? Is there even one normal person among those sent by Ayanokouji Atsuomi?'
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