Chapter 051 Imprinting a Handprint on My Chest Version 2.0 / How to Play When There's an Undercover!
10:30 AM. Shimizu Akira was walking alone through the forest.
Static suddenly crackled from the walkie-talkie at his waist; it was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's voice.
"Shimizu, how many girlfriends do you have now?"
"Eight. Why?"
"Is the last one Amasawa Ichika?"
"No. Why would you think that? Speaking of which, you asked a similar question last time, didn't you?"
"It's nothing."
"Come to think of it, I don't know if it's my imagination, but your emotions seem to be getting richer lately."
"It's not an imagination. After coming to Advanced Nurturing High School, I have indeed learned many things, including emotions."
"Well, since you were in the White Room the whole time, it must have been hard to come into contact with normal humans." Shimizu Akira smiled. "By the way, are you interested in romance? Getting a girlfriend might make your emotions even richer."
To his surprise, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's reply was exceptionally firm.
"I have no intention of dating."
"Why?"
"Because they would be viewed as a weakness by Ayanokouji Atsuomi, becoming an existence used to threaten me. When I was a child, he frequently used methods like kidnapping the other party's family or forcing them to commit suicide."
"Ah... that..." Shimizu Akira didn't know what to say.
That Ayanokouji Atsuomi really is a piece of work, leaving this kid so traumatized he doesn't even dare to fall in love.
"So it's not that you reject romance, but that you're afraid of it. From the time you were born until now, have you never met a girl who felt a little special to you?"
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka fell silent for a few rare seconds.
"There was one person. I don't know if she counts."
"Eh? There really is one!" Shimizu Akira hadn't held much hope, so the answer was quite unexpected.
"Who? Hurry up and give me the details!"
On the other end, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka felt it was strange that Shimizu Akira had suddenly become so gossipy; he figured he was probably overthinking it.
He explained, "I met a girl when I was a child named Yuki. At that time, everyone's emotions were very thin, but she was the one among the children whose joys and sorrows were the most abundant. She was also the first person to show me a smile and even taught me swimming techniques."
"And then?" Shimizu Akira—hearing a potential lead—immediately pressed for more.
"And then she was judged by the White Room to have lost her qualification and left that place," Ayanokouji Kiyotaka said flatly.
Shimizu Akira was speechless. Is this guy some kind of conversation killer? The story just started!
"Can you be more specific? How did she lose her qualification? Where is she now? Did you meet her afterward? What kind of relationship did you develop?"
"...During an evaluation when we were about eight or nine, she failed by five points and was abandoned by the instructors as a burden.
We met a second time later. Two years ago, her father asked me to go to the hospital to see her. After Yuki left the White Room, she developed a mental illness and has been staying in the hospital for treatment, unable to attend school normally. Her wish all along was to see me."
"Eh? What a pitiful person! Is the fate of those who fail in the White Room always this tragic? But to miss you so much after five or six years, it seems you two had a very good relationship."
"Yuki did look for me to talk often when we were kids. When she was being forcibly taken away by the instructors, she was screaming, 'Kiyotaka, save me.' At that time, I thought she held a grudge against me for not saving her, so I was wary of her for a while."
"Ugh... you're too dark-minded. How could that be possible!"
"Yeah, the result was exactly as you thought; she simply wanted to see me."
"So, your heart didn't feel any touch at all?"
"Seeing an old friend, I actually felt some emotion and nostalgia in my heart. I just couldn't show it."
"Why?"
"People from the White Room went with me. If I showed any unnecessary emotion, Ayanokouji Atsuomi would use her to threaten me."
"Wait, according to your current logic and way of speaking... in the subsequent development, did you purposely act cold and say a lot of cruel things?"
"Part of the reason was that. Another part was that Yuki's mental age remained at eight or nine years old, and she also had feelings of rejection toward the White Room. I myself am from the White Room; if I acted kindly toward her, her dependence on me would become more severe, making it harder to cure her mental illness. It would be better to let her hate me and, by extension, hate the White Room, forgetting those sad memories. It would make it easier for her to move on."
Unexpectedly, a plot from a soap opera actually appeared in the real world! The cold-surfaced male lead actually said so many cruel things for the sake of the female lead.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka might not have cancer, but he has a domineering father, and the female lead is burdened with a mental illness debuff.
Wait? Could it be that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka is the protagonist!
"You really think about a lot." Shimizu Akira thought for a bit and added, "But according to my experience watching soap operas, doing that will only have the opposite effect. Aren't you afraid she won't be able to move on and will live in your shadow for the rest of her life? After all, she wasn't a strong person to begin with, otherwise she wouldn't have been in hospital treatment for five or six years straight."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka didn't quite understand what a "soap opera" was—was it a TV drama related to washing clothes?
However, this outcome was actually within his considerations. He was about to reply when his brow furrowed instinctively. He stopped his pace and pricked up his ears. Just as he had taught Shimizu Akira last time, he heard many sounds. But the sound of leaves rubbing together was significantly more than usual; even the moment he stopped, several sounds of snapping branches could be heard.
"Shimizu, do you feel like something is wrong?"
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On the other side, Shimizu Akira looked around and replied: "Are you talking about the fact that someone is stalking us nearby?"
"Yes. How did you find out? Through GPS?"
"No, I used the 'closed-eye positioning' you taught me a few days ago. Although I'm a beginner, there are so many people stalking me that it's still very easy to notice."
"There are eleven people on my side in total. It should be about the same on your side, right?"
"I'm not as good as you, so I can't tell the exact number, but it should be about the same." Shimizu Akira asked, "Are you okay on your end?"
"There won't be any problems on my side. What about you?"
"I'm fine."
The two were very confident in their abilities, so for a moment, they didn't feel that being stalked was such a terrible thing.
"It should be that bunch of first-years."
"How do you know?"
"For one, we know everyone in the second year, and the third-years are all busy chasing Kouenji. Second, Nanase reminded me recently that the first-years would be making some moves. There's already enough evidence."
"It should be Yagami Takuya's doing."
"Yeah."
"Alright, let's stop talking for now. On my end, Utomiya Riku has already appeared with ten people."
Shimizu Akira put down the walkie-talkie. After waiting for about ten seconds, ten people arrived one after another and surrounded him. But unlike Ayanokouji's side, he didn't see a single familiar face. These ten people were also completely silent, just silently surrounding him, motionless.
Shimizu Akira was startled, then spoke after some thought.
"Kouhais, your goal should be to make me withdraw from the exam, right? How about this: you follow me back to the starting point, and I'll directly report my withdrawal to the teachers in front of you. How about that?"
"Eh?!" The ten first-year kouhais were suddenly stunned and looked at each other.
"What's going on? This person actually surrendered voluntarily?"
"Wait, how should we handle this situation? Kurachi!"
The male student named Kurachi was the tallest and sturdiest. He cursed at the group: "You bunch of idiots! He has both Protection Points and private points; even if he withdraws from the exam, he can be safe just by spending two million private points!"
"Oh, I see..."
"Shimizu-senpai, that's why we refuse your proposal!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
Shimizu Akira gave a light chuckle.
"You guys are interesting. If I wanted to withdraw from the exam, could you even stop me?"
"Shimizu-senpai is quite the joker." Kurachi said with confidence, "You're already surrounded by us, where is there a path for you to withdraw?"
Shimizu Akira pointed to the watch on his wrist.
"Although this watch automatically monitors physical conditions, for the convenience of students seeking help, it's equipped with a button to quickly contact the school. As long as I press it, the school staff will deem that I've voluntarily given up on the exam and will come to find me immediately. Is it you who has no brains, or me?"
Kurachi's smile froze. The watch indeed had such a function. If this person insisted on withdrawing, the ten of them really couldn't stop him.
"Shimizu-senpai, are you wimping out?"
"What you just said also didn't go through your brain. I'm one person surrounded by ten of you; according to normal thinking, I should actively notify the school to ensure my personal safety, right? Of course, I don't consider myself an ordinary person and wasn't really afraid from the beginning. The purpose of my saying this was actually to test you. Your goal is just to stall me so you can deal with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?"
He looked around.
"But that's not quite right either. The plan I proposed was to withdraw directly; if you just wanted to stall me, you shouldn't have refused. So..." He looked at Kurachi, "Your goal is actually to get me expelled?"
Kurachi's expression changed, and he subconsciously took half a step back.
"What is Shimizu-senpai talking about? We're just..."
"Still making excuses? Didn't you just let it slip? So this is the plan of Yagami Takuya, Utomiya Riku, and Tsubaki Sakurako, right?"
Several first-year boys began to exchange uneasy glances. Upon hearing the names of those three, some in the crowd were clearly shaken.
A tall, thin boy couldn't help but ask: "Kurachi, how does he know about Utomiya?"
"Shut up!" Kurachi glared at him, then turned back to Shimizu Akira, "Senpai, we don't want to make things hard for you. As long as you promise not to voluntarily withdraw from the exam and stay here for two hours, we guarantee we won't lay a hand on you."
As if he hadn't heard, Shimizu Akira scanned the ten people present and said calmly.
"Leave now, and I can act as if nothing happened."
Kurachi gritted his teeth and didn't move. The others didn't dare move either.
Shimizu Akira nodded.
"Fine. Then don't blame me."
He suddenly took a step to the left. The two boys standing on the left subconsciously stepped back, revealing a gap. Shimizu Akira didn't take the chance to rush out; he just smiled.
"See, you don't even believe you can stop me."
Kurachi's face turned bright red.
"Senpai, there are ten of us, and only one of you..."
"Then why don't you try?"
Shimizu Akira stood there, his hands hanging naturally at his sides. But for some reason, not a single person dared to make the first move.
On one hand, the orders they received were different from the group next door; they could not proactively attack Shimizu Akira. On the other hand, they were purely terrified by the aura coming off him. Shimizu Akira standing there really carried an air of someone you shouldn't mess with. Several students didn't even dare to make eye contact with him.
The next second, Shimizu Akira reached out and touched his watch, immediately making many people incredibly nervous.
"Shimizu-senpai, you can't withdraw!"
"Wait, wait!"
"Can't you just wear it properly!"
Shimizu Akira didn't actually press the withdrawal button but turned on the walkie-talkie instead.
"Ayanokouji, how's it going on your end?"
"Still in a standoff. The other side has been following me; it looks like they want to wait until the next flat area to make a move."
"Then let's talk later."
Shimizu Akira turned off the walkie-talkie, feeling a bit resentful.
Why didn't he get that kind of treatment? Because these people weren't attacking him at all. If the other side took the initiative to attack, it would be a clear case of self-defense, and he could strike back without mercy. But being blocked like this, if he forced his way through and collided with someone, it would be hard to explain for a while.
Actually, it probably wasn't his imagination. There were faint reflections in the surrounding woods; it felt like two or three people were hiding behind them recording. Could this bunch be waiting for him to strike and hit someone? Seriously, at first glance, this plan was indeed more reliable than the one Housen and Nanase tried last time. They really sent people to intercept him and even prepared recordings. If he hadn't been training with Ayanokouji these past few days, he might not have noticed.
Was this idea Yagami Takuya's, or that Tsubaki Sakurako's?
Seeing that Shimizu Akira made no move for the time being, Kurachi didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed. Their primary mission was essentially to take a beating from Shimizu Akira, while companions hidden nearby took the opportunity to record it. But when truly facing those fist-sized-sandbags, their bodies still instinctively recoiled in fear.
"What's the word? Amasawa Ichika hasn't come yet." a male student said in a low voice, "Should we try our original plan first?"
"Fine, I'll give it a try then."
Kurachi was a bit hesitant but gritted his teeth and looked at Shimizu Akira.
"Shimizu-senpai, someone told me you have several girlfriends. You must be two-timing, right? If your parents knew about this, wouldn't they feel heartbroken? To have raised such a sub-par man."
Hearing Kurachi's words, Shimizu Akira not only didn't get angry but burst out laughing.
"That's it?"
Kurachi was stunned. "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing at you all." Shimizu Akira shook his head. "Want to provoke me? At least find a professional reason. Two-timing? What era is this, still using such an old-fashioned line."
He took a step forward, and Kurachi subconsciously retreated.
"Furthermore, you've got one thing wrong: in this world, I don't have parents at all. Didn't Yagami Takuya give you the files? Trying to threaten me with that? Kouhai, this provocation of yours is quite low-level."
Kurachi's face flushed between red and white.
A boy next to him couldn't help but speak up: "Senpai, two-timing is just wrong!"
"Right, right, right! Play boy!"
"Scumbag!"
"You're the worst!"
Shimizu Akira watched this group of people shouting insults at him, his face showing no ripple of emotion. Because it sounded more like children throwing a tantrum. Two-timing? Joke's on them, he's obviously eight-timing!
"Finished yelling?"
The group looked at each other, and their voices gradually died down.
"If you're finished yelling, it's my turn to ask." Shimizu Akira scanned the group. "Have any of you ever been in a relationship?"
No one answered. The eyes of several people began to wander.
"It seems not." Shimizu Akira smiled. "People who haven't even been in a relationship are coming here to tell me I'm two-timing? This isn't called a sense of justice; it's called jealousy."
"Who—who's jealous!" a boy's face flushed.
"Then why are you so agitated?" Shimizu Akira looked at him. "I didn't step on your girlfriend's boat. You don't have a girlfriend, right?"
The boy opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
Kurachi gritted his teeth and tried a different direction.
"Senpai, don't you think it's embarrassing to bully us kouhais just because you can fight?"
"I'm bullying you?" Shimizu Akira pointed to his own position. "The ten of you surrounded me here; I didn't proactively seek you out. Who's bullying whom? Don't you have any idea in your heart?"
"Th—then you hit them just now..."
"Who did I hit?" Shimizu Akira interrupted him. "From just now until now, have I touched a single one of your fingers?"
Kurachi was stunned. It was true; Shimizu Akira hadn't made a single move from start to finish. He just stood there, talking and smiling. But it was precisely this composure that made Kurachi feel worse than taking a beating.
" Kurachi-kouhai, is it? I'll give you a piece of advice." Shimizu Akira said, "If you want to provoke someone, don't use such low-class methods. The more agitated you are, the calmer the other person becomes, and the more passive you become. Look at you all now..."
He pointed to Kurachi's face.
"Your face is red and your neck is thick, and your voice is trembling. And me? I haven't even broken a sweat."
Kurachi clenched his fists.
"Senpai, don't get too arrogant. We just don't want to fight..."
"Is it that you don't want to, or you don't dare to?" Shimizu Akira asked directly.
Kurachi's fists tightened, and he picked up a small branch from the ground, making a move to step forward. The boy next to him quickly pulled him back.
"Kurachi, don't fall for it! He just wants you to make the first move!"
Kurachi was stunned, and only then did he let go of the branch and throw it on the ground.
"I already know your plan." Shimizu Akira shook his head. "You want to provoke me and then have me lay hands on you, so you can skip the school's procedures and have the police directly handle my expulsion, right?
But have you ever thought that for minor injuries, the police won't care at all about minor scuffles between high schoolers. Just like the time Sudo Ken from our class hit someone last year, the school didn't let the police intervene at all. If you really want it to get to the point of police intervention, it has to be at least a minor injury or worse—cranial brain injury, spinal cord injury, facial injury, vision damage—about that level.
I don't know how many points the person who hired you spent, but it probably won't exceed one million. For a mere million points, you're willing to endure those injuries? Fine, I only need to beat one person half to death. So, which student is willing to sacrifice themselves and let me satisfy my hands?"
He scanned the people present.
The ten people fell into silence again, and many subconsciously turned their gaze toward Kurachi.
Kurachi glanced at the eager Shimizu Akira and subconsciously retreated several steps. Although he was still a high schooler, he had caused plenty of trouble in middle school; beating someone until their face was black and blue was a common occurrence, and he was a frequent visitor to the police station.
The police were indeed not very willing to intervene in fights between students, usually leaving it to the school to handle—otherwise, school bullying wouldn't be so persistent.
He also quickly figured it out; in the end, he had only received 500,000 private points. It wasn't worth lying in a hospital bed for two or three months for this little bit of money!
But before everyone could react, applause suddenly came from behind them again.
"Oh my, as expected of Shimizu-senpai. Truly talented in both the literary and military arts. Not only are your moves formidable, but your tongue is also relentless, scaring my ten classmates half to death in an instant."
Everyone looked back; the newcomer was Amasawa Ichika. She was holding a tablet and walking toward them with a smile.
"Amasawa! You're finally here!"
"Exactly! This Shimizu-senpai is way harder to deal with than we anticipated!"
"At this point, we can only rely on you!"
Everyone looked at her with eyes full of expectation. After all, the other party was a girl; they didn't want to be beaten by Shimizu Akira until they couldn't take care of themselves, but if a girl was harassed, the police would definitely intervene and investigate.
Amasawa Ichika walked to Shimizu Akira's side with a smile and said briskly: "So you see, they all say so. Shimizu-senpai, do you want me to frame you for sexual harassment?"
"Amasawa?" Only then did Shimizu Akira realize that she was the final move aimed at him. He subconsciously took half a step back.
"Naturally, I don't. But you're a White Room assassin; you shouldn't agree to such a thing, right?"
"Hehe, Senpai is joking. Since it's a task you personally requested of me, how could I not agree?" Amasawa Ichika said with a light laugh, "I am the manager of the Boxing Club, after all."
Shimizu Akira still showed a distrustful look.
Amasawa Ichika sighed lightly: "Senpai really is cautious; you still refuse to believe me even now? I guess I have no choice but to resort to this."
As she spoke, she turned her head, her smile vanishing instantly. She said in a deep voice to the ten people: "To tell you the truth, the tablet in my hand has already recorded everything that just happened! If you don't want the matter of you threatening Senpai to be exposed and face school punishment, turn around immediately. I have something important to do with Senpai."
Kurachi and the others were stunned and quickly turned around in unison.
Amasawa Ichika immediately stepped forward, grabbed Shimizu Akira's hand, and pressed it directly against her chest.
Hm?
Soft, with a warm touch, it was much more substantial than he had imagined.
"You're doing this too?" Shimizu Akira subconsciously blurted out.
What the hell? The tactic Kikyo used last year, why is it still being used against him now!
Amasawa Ichika's cheeks flushed slightly. She picked up the tablet on the side and began recording audio and video of herself: "I, Amasawa Ichika, took the initiative to let Shimizu Akira touch me just now; there was no harassment whatsoever. During this uninhabited island special exam, anything Shimizu-senpai does to me is of my own volition and was not forced by him. I will also absolutely not prosecute Senpai in the future."
After recording, she handed the tablet containing the video to Shimizu Akira.
"Shimizu-senpai, this way, you should finally believe I have no ill will toward you?"
Holding the tablet, to be honest, Shimizu Akira was a bit dazed. He sighed: "You didn't have to push yourself to this extent... did Ayanokouji Kiyotaka make you do this?"
Amasawa Ichika withdrew her hand, her fingers lightly smoothing the stray hairs on her forehead: "Ayanokouji-senpai didn't force me; I was willing... I don't want to be constantly guarded against by you, not even for the last two days. So, you can believe me now, right?"
Shimizu Akira's gaze fell on the video on the tablet, then looked at Amasawa Ichika's eyes, which were both mischievous and incredibly serious. Amasawa Ichika had indeed done him a huge favor this time. If she hadn't appeared in time just now, even if he had intimidated those people, they might not have truly compromised and might even have played tricks in the dark; it would have been him who faced trouble in the end.
"Fine, I believe you. You... you went too far. Couldn't you have just explained it clearly?"
Amasawa Ichika snapped back at him: "Whose fault is it that Senpai's guard is so high? I could only give out some 'fan service' to prove my innocence! If you feel guilty, then I won't be polite about making a request... hmm... let me think! I still want Senpai to cook for me personally!"
Shimizu Akira rubbed his forehead helplessly: "You really are persistent... Fine, since you helped me, I'll make you a meal."
"Great!" Amasawa Ichika stepped back with a smile, then turned toward Kurachi and the others, saying unceremoniously, "Turn back around. The show is over; it's time to do what you're supposed to do. Remember, no one is allowed to spread rumors about today's events, otherwise, not just the first year, but the whole school will know about the stupid things you did, as well as your little tricks with the secret recordings."
Kurachi and the others quickly turned around and nodded repeatedly: "Understood, Amasawa! We definitely won't say a word!"
Amasawa Ichika nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Shimizu Akira: "Oh, right! Yagami Takuya intends to find Senpai's girlfriends and intentionally make you angry so you'll lash out! Let's go find him quickly."
"I see."
"Eh? Senpai doesn't seem very surprised?"
"Well, I mostly guessed it."
"Aren't you worried? Karuizawa-senpai and Kushida-senpai are in great danger right now!"
"Well, Kiryuin-senpai is with them over there, and Kikyo has someone I trust protecting her too."
"I see."
"Yeah. What I'm more concerned about is that if that guy fails twice and slinks off into the forest, it will be very troublesome to catch him without a GPS signal."
"Actually... I definitely know where he is."
"Eh? You know?"
"To be precise, Shiba-sensei knows." Amasawa Ichika smiled slightly, picked up the walkie-talkie at her waist, and spoke: "Shiba-sensei, I want to cooperate with Yagami Takuya's actions. I remember that students from the White Room had positioning chips installed in them when they entered the school. Do you know his current location?"
Wait? There's actually another undercover.
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