Chapter 90: Kamuro, You Can't Escape!
After getting information on Sakayanagi Arisu's chess skill, Yuto ended the call with Sakayanagi Narumori. Unexpectedly, he ran into Kamuro Masumi on the stairs as she returned to Class A.
"Shimizu!"
The moment Kamuro saw Yuto, her eyes lit up. She closed the distance between them in only a few quick steps.
Kamuro avoided Yuto whenever she secretly followed him, but if they met by chance, she would not avoid him.
"Kamuro, heading back to class?" Yuto greeted her with a smile.
"Mm. Why are you coming down from upstairs?"
"Didn't I just ask you about Katsuragi Kohei? I went to Class A to talk to him."
"You could've asked me to call him down. I was heading back to Class A anyway."
"I couldn't trouble you with that. You're part of the Sakayanagi faction, so it'd be inconvenient for you to contact Katsuragi, right?"
"What's inconvenient about it? It's not like I joined the Sakayanagi faction willingly."
A clear look of disgust appeared on Kamuro's pretty face. "It's all because that damn little loli got hold of my weakness!"
"Damn little loli..." Yuto's expression turned strange.
"That's right. Sakayanagi Arisu is a damn little loli. Just because she has my weakness, she threatens me and makes me run errands everywhere. She orders me around without mercy. She's completely different from..."
The angry Kamuro glanced at Yuto, and her expression softened.
"She's completely different from you."
"Is that so?"
"Of course!"
Kamuro answered without hesitation.
Both Shimizu Yuto and Sakayanagi Arisu had discovered her stealing.
But Arisu used that incident to threaten her, making her into a little errand girl and ordering her around without hesitation.
Yuto was different.
Not only had he not threatened her or made her do this or that, he had even advised her not to steal anymore.
Back at the mall, Kamuro had thought Yuto was meddling in other people's business.
But after Arisu caught her weakness and started using her as she pleased, Kamuro immediately felt Yuto was a truly good person.
As for Sakayanagi Arisu, she was a damn short, flat-chested little loli!
"I have a wager arranged with Sakayanagi Arisu. Maybe I can help you get your freedom back," Yuto said to Kamuro.
"Can you really?"
Kamuro looked at Yuto with eyes full of hope and gratitude. If she had a choice, who would want to be ordered around by that damn loli?
"Of course. Didn't you treat me to a meal before?"
"But that meal was to thank you for not reporting me... I'll treat you again!"
"Fine."
Yuto casually nodded. "Then I'm going back to class. Lunch break is almost over."
"Mm."
Standing on the stairs, Kamuro watched Yuto walk past her and leave. Her heart felt warm.
In this school, where she was being used by that damn loli, only Shimizu Yuto could bring her a little warmth.
"Shimizu and I aren't even friends, right? Why is he helping me like this? Could it be that he likes me...? No, no way."
Kamuro suddenly shook her head.
She touched her cheeks, which had grown hot for no reason, and hurried toward the Class A classroom.
Before she realized it, the thought, 'Is Shimizu helping me because he likes me?' had quietly taken root in Kamuro's heart.
In truth, Yuto was not helping Kamuro because he had fallen for her.
It was because Kamuro had some fate with Yuto.
On top of that, helping her was only something he could do in passing.
So he simply helped her along the way.
It was absolutely not because of her stunning figure or those long, shapely legs!
Definitely not.
With her head full of chaotic emotions, Kamuro returned to the Class A classroom. As she headed back to her seat, a slender cane blocked her path.
Kamuro immediately glared at Sakayanagi Arisu, who had extended the cane.
"What are you doing?"
Although Kamuro was a member of the Sakayanagi faction, she showed no politeness or respect toward its leader.
"I'm curious about your relationship with Shimizu-kun," Arisu said with her usual smiling expression.
"What do you mean?"
"He just messaged me and said that this afternoon's chess wager should be changed from one match to two."
Arisu showed Kamuro her school phone. It displayed her Line chat history with Yuto.
Kamuro saw the conversation.
Yuto suggested changing one match into two. If Arisu lost the first wager, she could no longer coerce Kamuro, and she had to hand over Kamuro's weakness.
If Yuto lost, he would naturally give Arisu 1.34 million points.
When Kamuro saw that Yuto intended to wager 1.34 million points against Arisu to win back her freedom and weakness, she could not help showing shock.
It was not that Kamuro did not believe Yuto would win.
It was just that she...
Was she really worth Yuto betting 1.34 million points?
Arisu took back her phone and asked slowly, "Kamuro, I'm very curious. What exactly is your relationship with Shimizu-kun? He is actually willing to wager 1.34 million points to take you from me."
"How would I know?"
Kamuro, whose heart was filled with emotion and joy, stubbornly said, "Maybe Shimizu just lacks an errand runner, so he plans to win me over and make me run errands for him."
If she were running errands for Yuto, Kamuro would be willing.
But for this damn little loli?
Absolutely not.
Arisu looked thoughtfully at Kamuro, whose cheeks had reddened and whose brows had lifted.
"He likes you? No, that's not it. You like him."
"Stop talking nonsense. Don't bother me if you don't have anything else!"
Embarrassed by Arisu's words, Kamuro took a detour around her and returned to her seat.
Back at her desk, Kamuro lay down and buried her face in her arms. A secretly pleased smile appeared on her pretty face.
Under the desk, her shapely legs pressed together as she basked in her secret delight.
'Is Shimizu really betting 1.34 million points because he likes me...?'
Arisu turned her head and looked at Kamuro, who was secretly pleased at her desk.
With a faint, unreadable smile, Arisu replied to Yuto.
[Shimizu-kun, I just asked Kamuro. She said she is very happy to continue being my subordinate, so let us keep this afternoon's wager to one match.]
Seeing Arisu's reply, Yuto frowned slightly.
He recalled Kamuro's angry expression when she had mentioned Arisu earlier.
Kamuro had cursed Arisu as a damn little loli. How could she possibly be happy to keep being Arisu's subordinate?
"She doesn't plan to let her go, huh?" Yuto murmured softly.
After thinking for a moment, he sent Kamuro a Line message.
The moment her phone rang, Kamuro, who was lying on her desk, instantly assumed Yuto was contacting her.
After all, Kamuro had very few friends. Her school phone only had Shimizu Yuto and Sakayanagi Arisu, who used her as an errand runner.
Arisu was in the classroom, so she probably would not contact her through Line.
That meant it had to be the boy who had moved and delighted her.
Feeling excited, Kamuro took out her phone.
When she saw that the Line message really was from Yuto, a smile appeared on her pretty face.
However, the contents of the message made her smile pause.
[Kamuro, Sakayanagi Arisu said you're very happy being her subordinate, so she rejected my proposal. I can't help you win back your weakness through this afternoon's wager.]
Kamuro bit her lip.
She glared fiercely at Arisu's back.
Arisu's senses seemed sharp. She turned back and gave the fierce-looking Kamuro a smiling expression.
Arisu's smile seemed to say, "Kamuro, you can't escape."
Kamuro stopped glaring at Arisu and replied to Yuto.
[Then forget it. I'm used to being ordered around by that damn little loli anyway. Shimizu, thank you for being willing to help me.]
After sending that message, Kamuro lowered her eyes and exhaled with a slight sense of satisfaction.
In truth, Kamuro really did not want Yuto to wager 1.34 million points against Arisu for her sake.
After all, they were only ordinary friends.
They were not an intimate couple, right?
Ding.
Yuto replied to Kamuro.
[Kamuro, you're giving up too quickly. I have a plan that will definitely make Sakayanagi Arisu agree. The only downside is that the school chairman will learn about your theft.]
[Eh?! Shimizu, explain clearly.]
Kamuro hurriedly replied.
[Actually, Sakayanagi Arisu's father is this school's chairman. It just so happens that I know the chairman, and our relationship isn't bad.]
[I can tell the chairman everything about your theft and how his daughter, Sakayanagi Arisu, threatened and used you. Then I can have him step in and make Sakayanagi Arisu agree to wager over your weakness.]
Kamuro now understood Yuto's plan.
With warmth filling her heart, she replied.
[No need, Shimizu. I don't want more people to know that I stole things, especially not the chairman of this school. Thank you, Shimizu.]
Seeing Kamuro's sincere and grateful reply, Yuto was not surprised.
After all, telling this school's chairman about her theft was terrifying. It was only natural that Kamuro would not agree.
Besides, Yuto knew Sakayanagi Narumori, but Kamuro did not know the chairman.
Who knew whether that chairman, after learning about her theft, would directly expel her?
If it were the old Kamuro, who did not care about anything, then expulsion or dropping out would not have mattered to her.
Because Kamuro's parents had always been busy with work. Ever since she was little, they had rarely looked after her.
As their child, she longed for their attention.
When Kamuro entered middle school, she accidentally saw someone stealing in a convenience store. Suddenly, she had a bold and frightening thought.
'If I steal something and get caught, will my parents put down their work and come see me?'
With that terrifying thought, Kamuro began stealing.
Whether it was luck or misfortune, Kamuro was never caught after she started stealing.
At the same time, she grew fond of the thrill stealing brought her.
Just like that, Kamuro came to this school.
As usual, she went to the mall to steal something. After all, even if she were caught, she would only be expelled.
If she were expelled, maybe her parents would finally care about her.
Then Kamuro met Yuto at the mall.
He noticed her and pulled her away from the crime of theft.
So now...
Now Kamuro did not want to leave this school.
She wanted to stay here and watch Yuto from afar.
Watching him from afar was enough.
[Shimizu, let's leave it like this. I'm already used to being ordered around by that damn little loli.]
Kamuro lowered her eyes slightly and sent that message to Yuto.
[Don't give up so quickly. I'll find a chance.]
Kamuro smiled happily.
This was the first time someone had cared about her like this.
Was he her angel?
In the eyes of other students, Yuto might be an undefeated demon.
But in Kamuro's eyes, Yuto was probably an angel who had reached out to her.
Yuto never imagined that a casual, unplanned decision of his had already made him an angel in Kamuro's heart.
Sometimes, that was just how things were.
You never knew how much an unintentional sentence, a small detail, or a single action could affect someone else.
The bell rang, and afternoon classes began.
After the first afternoon class ended, Kei excitedly carried her chair over and sat beside Yuto. Clinging to his arm, she thrust her phone toward him.
"Yuto, are you really betting more than one million points against someone from Class A this afternoon?"
Huh. The news spread that quickly?
Yuto glanced at the chat history between Kei and the other girls.
The messages did indeed mention Yuto's afternoon wager against Sakayanagi Arisu.
But...
"Kei, judging by the chat time on Line, you were playing with your phone during class, weren't you?"
"This... It was only once. It's fine, right?"
A guilty look appeared on Kei's fair, pretty face. She knew Yuto did not like girls who broke discipline.
Yuto flicked her forehead with one finger.
Kei let out a small "yah" in surprise.
What a cute reaction.
…
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