Chapter 225 Horikita Suzune: Why Didn't You Ask Me!
Shimizu Akira watched Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's departing back.
Ayanokouji was simply too "over-specced." Why hadn't Chabashira-sensei approached him? If Ayanokouji were the one leading Class D to challenge Class A, it would likely be an effortless task. Shimizu found it hard to believe that someone as sharp as Chabashira Sae hadn't noticed the trickery behind Ayanokouji's deliberate point-shaving in previous exams.
'Is it really because this guy is such a "salted fish" that he genuinely doesn't care about class rankings or higher education goals?'
Shimizu had a system-mandated "must graduate" quota, but Ayanokouji seemed truly indifferent to everything around him. To put it simply, it was deeply intriguing.
.
.
.
When Shimizu returned to his tent, he saw Horikita Suzune's silhouette standing there from a distance. Her arms were crossed, and her posture held a slightly unnatural stiffness—clearly, "waiting in place for someone" was a rare occurrence for her.
Shimizu didn't stop. He gave her a wave and immediately ducked into his tent, pulling out two plastic bags containing his catch: a wild rabbit and a pheasant.
Horikita's gaze swept over the bags. "I've already boiled the water. Class D has tools for processing ingredients. I'll go prepare these now and be back in about twenty minutes. Wait for me."
Shimizu stayed put, merely raising an eyebrow. He was quite happy to take the chance to rest, relieved to be spared the chore.
About twenty minutes later, light footsteps approached. Shimizu, who had been lying down in his tent, stepped out to see Horikita walking toward him. The plastic bags were visibly flatter and lighter; she had clearly cleaned out the innards and feathers.
"It's done. You take the seasoning pack." Upon reaching him, Horikita's tone was as concise as ever. She shook a matchbox held in her other hand and said clearly, "Let's go."
Shimizu gave an affirmative nod, dashed back into the tent to grab a seasoning packet, and naturally followed her. After a few steps, he paused.
"Wait, I'll go gather some branches for firewood." After all, roasting meat required a steady flame.
In front of him, Horikita didn't even turn around. Her voice reached him first: "No need! I've already prepared everything."
'What?! She already prepared it?!'
Shimizu's pace faltered, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He had assumed that processing the meat was the limit of her contribution; he hadn't expected her to have gathered the firewood in advance.
After walking with Horikita for another ten minutes, the trees began to thin out, revealing an open clearing. The spot was chosen brilliantly—not too far from the main camp, but shielded by layers of foliage that filtered out the noise, creating a quiet little world. It was far enough that they didn't have to worry about the smoke bothering others or being interrupted by passersby.
In the center of the clearing stood a well-constructed makeshift stove. Beside it was a small, neatly stacked pile of dry branches. On the ground, dozens of plastic bags had been spread out in layers to form a clean "mat," allowing them to sit without worrying about the dirt.
One had to admit, managing to set up such a decent BBQ spot on a desert island made the atmosphere feel almost like a proper camping trip!
Horikita stopped and turned around, catching the look of astonishment in Shimizu's eyes. A faint, unintentional smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Seeing him look so surprised gave her a genuine sense of accomplishment.
She didn't say it out loud, but ever since she found out last night that she'd be eating BBQ with him, she had started preparing immediately after checking in this morning. Who was she? She was Horikita Suzune. Since Shimizu had entrusted her with the preparation, she wouldn't do a half-hearted job just because they were on a desert island. From selecting a ventilated, safe spot to gathering dry wood and laying down a clean seat, every step was within her plan.
"I didn't expect you to arrange all of this in advance," Shimizu said, looking at the woodpile and the "seat cushions." His tone carried genuine surprise. "It looks like things will be much easier today."
Horikita, clutching the matchbox, merely looked up coolly and acted indifferent.
"I just didn't want to waste time on trivialities."
With that, she looked down and focused on striking a match.
Watching her skillfully use pine needles as tinder, Shimizu remembered how he had struggled to build a stove yesterday.
"Wait—you even know how to build a stove? Did you read a survival manual beforehand too?"
Horikita paused while adding small twigs to the fire. When she looked at him, her eyes held a calm 'how is this hard?' look.
"I didn't know how yesterday." She paused, glancing at the simple stove. "But I subconsciously memorized the process while watching you build one yesterday."
"Okay... you're amazing!" Shimizu's lip twitched. Seeing the faint, almost smug glimmer in her eyes, his praise was sincere.
'Horikita Suzune is still evolving.'
Being able to build a stove after seeing it once—was her learning ability even legal?
'Does the Horikita family possess some kind of Sharingan bloodline limit?'
Shimizu couldn't help but let his mind wander—wasn't Sasuke from Naruto also obsessed with following his older brother's footsteps, with a personality characterized by similar stubbornness and competitive drive?
Horikita, oblivious to his wild mental leaps, assumed he was still thinking about the stove. She added a thicker branch to the fire and explained flatly, "It's not hard. I just remembered the placement and spacing of the stones you used. As long as you ensure ventilation and heat concentration, it won't fail."
This only provided more "evidence" for his Sharingan theory—memorizing the exact spacing of rocks at a glance. He decided not to pursue the topic. One shouldn't argue about evolution speed with a "Pokémon."
Horikita picked up some finely sharpened sticks she had prepared and, using a plastic bag as a makeshift glove, began threading the meat.
"Rest for a bit, Shimizu-kun," she said without looking up. "The meat will take a while."
Shimizu saw her working alone and stood up to help.
"Should I help skewer the meat? It'll be faster with two people."
"No! I'll do it. You just eat," Horikita refused immediately.
"Uh... okay." Shimizu stood there awkwardly. Her tone reminded him of the first time they ate BBQ together. Back then, she had also complained about his cooking, saying, "I'll do the grilling, you just wait to eat." In the end, he really had spent the whole time eating while she grumbled about him "just waiting to be fed" while her hands never stopped moving.
They sat side-by-side on the plastic bags, occasionally watching the leaves sway in the distance, and began to talk.
"As the leader of Class D, what times do you usually check in?"
"6:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 10:00 PM."
"Is the keycard on you? Let me see what it looks like."
"Wait, I'll show you after I finish these skewers."
Since it was just one pheasant and one rabbit—about seven or eight pounds total—there were only about five pounds of edible meat once bones and offal were removed. Horikita finished skewering about ten sticks in no time. She placed them on a clean plastic bag.
Shimizu handed her his canteen. Horikita took it and rinsed her hands. Since it was summer and they were by a fire, she dried them quickly over the flames. She pulled the keycard from her pocket and handed it to him. She wouldn't have been this open with anyone else, but with Shimizu, she didn't hesitate.
It was a magnetic card similar to a hotel room key, with "Horikita Suzune" clearly engraved on it. The material looked high-quality and impossible to forge. It didn't list a class, only the leader's name.
Horikita froze for a second. She realized how natural their interaction—the water, the drying of hands—had become. Ever since the lunchbox incident, they had eaten together more often. Sometimes he'd hand her a tissue; sometimes she'd give him her leftovers. It felt completely natural. But that was back in June. Looking back, they hadn't sat down to a quiet meal like this in a while.
No wonder she had placed so much importance on this BBQ this morning, making "excessive" preparations.
'Was I subconsciously looking forward to being alone with him?'
She shook her head to suppress the thought. The island exam was more important.
"Have you visited Ryuen Kakeru's spot?" she asked.
Shimizu handed the card back. "No." He paused. "Why, did you go?"
"Yes. It's a competitor's territory; I had to see it," she nodded.
"And what did you see?" Shimizu was interested. Had she reached the same conclusion as Ayanokouji?
Horikita mused for a moment.
"Ryuen bought a lot of basic supplies. It looks like he intends to cooperate with another class. I'm not sure which one yet. My intuition leans toward Class A, but I have no evidence to support that."
Shimizu was surprised.
Horikita had noticed Ryuen's odd behavior as well. However, she was still a step behind Ayanokouji; she hadn't found the concrete evidence or deduced the critical conclusion.
A judgment backed by evidence is worlds away from a mere guess. At this stage, her abilities weren't quite at Ayanokouji's level. But then again, being able to make that deduction without clear clues showed insight far beyond an ordinary person.
Seeing Shimizu's lack of surprise, Horikita stared at him, her tone turning questioning.
"You already knew? Wait, you said you didn't go to the Class C spot! Don't tell me it's 'good luck' again!"
She was stunned and skeptical.
She had spent so much effort circling around to find clues, yet Shimizu, who hadn't even stepped into Class C territory, acted like he knew everything. If he tried to brush her off with "luck" again, she was going to be genuinely angry.
Shimizu saw her seriousness and didn't hide it.
"I asked Ayanokouji Kiyotaka to scout Class C. He told me everything he found."
"What?" Horikita was stunned. Her first reaction wasn't surprise at Ayanokouji's sharp eye—though that did bother her—but rather an instinctive question: "Why didn't you ask me?!"
'Wait, why specifically Ayanokouji? Even if Shimizu was busy hunting and needed a partner, why couldn't he just ask me? It's not like I'm incapable.'
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