Chapter 267: Things Sakayanagi Arisu Can't Do / For His Private "Use" / The Photographer
"Arisu, your father has failed you during these past few special exams."
Chairman Sakayanagi Narumori rarely invited his daughter out for a meal.
He skillfully peeled a large shrimp, handed it to Sakayanagi Arisu, and spoke with a hint of guilt, "I'm sure it felt like you barely had any sense of participation, didn't it?"
"Father, I don't mind those things," Sakayanagi Arisu replied with a smile, naturally taking the shrimp her father offered and chewing it carefully.
The school's curriculum always followed a set flow: the deserted island survival over summer break, followed immediately by the Sports Festival.
She couldn't participate because of her congenital heart condition; that was never her father's fault. If anyone was to blame, it was the person who originally devised these rules.
'Hmph! Never considering what the physically weak students should do.'
"By the way, how is your health lately? Any discomfort? Do you feel chest tightness or dizziness often? Has your heart pained you?" Sakayanagi Narumori asked incessantly while continuing to peel shrimp.
His daughter's congenital heart disease was a constant weight on his heart.
When she was younger and the condition was at its worst, she would often faint without warning. Although she was more stable now, the aftereffects never truly vanished—susceptibility to colds, delayed physical development, a thin and sweaty frame, fatigue from even minor activity, and chest tightness or shortness of breath after walking just a few steps.
Thus, it wasn't just that he loved Arisu excessively; it was that his daughter was so fragile and in need of protection.
Sakayanagi Arisu thought back seriously and replied softly, "Actually, it's quite alright. I haven't felt particularly short of breath or weak. The frequency of chest tightness and dizziness has decreased by a third compared to middle school. Even today, I haven't felt uncomfortable at all."
"Decreased by a third? That's wonderful!" Sakayanagi Narumori was so excited the shrimp in his hand dropped onto the table.
"Father, look how happy you are," Sakayanagi Arisu laughed at his reaction. Even she was somewhat surprised; the improvement in her health was more noticeable than she had anticipated.
"Did it start improving after you entered high school? Sending you to this school was the right choice after all," her father mused.
"Actually, it was also my own selfishness—having you right under my nose is the only way I can feel at ease."
"Having a father with a daughter complex is quite a bother," she said, waving her hand in mock annoyance, before suddenly remembering something.
"Wait, didn't you say you sent me to this school primarily to find a partner?"
"Well... that was indeed a consideration," the clumsy father scratched his head and admitted.
"But, with a body like mine, can I really get married and have children normally?" This was a worry she had long kept buried. Congenital heart disease was no joke; for her, childbirth was almost an unattainable dream.
'I can't even be physically intimate with the person I like!'
"It's true you can't right now, but technology is always advancing," Sakayanagi Narumori waved his hand dismissively.
"The success rate for corrective surgery is getting higher and higher.
To be honest, I could send you to the best hospital abroad right now, but the success rate isn't ideal yet, and your current state doesn't affect your daily life.
Over the years, I've invested most of our family's savings into heart disease medical research. The research team reports their progress to me every few months. In a few years, when the success rate has jumped significantly, we'll just have a surgery. It won't affect getting married or having kids at all. Daughter, don't worry about your illness; just focus on studying and resting well at school."
"...Thank you, Father," Sakayanagi Arisu said softly, her voice lighter than usual, as if suppressed by emotion.
'The air conditioning in this private room is too strong; why are my eyes feeling slightly sore and stinging?
Hmph!'
"Most of the family's savings" was certainly not a small amount. Her father had already sacrificed so much for her surgery and treatment. In a sense, it was true she was unfortunate to have congenital heart disease. But having Sakayanagi Narumori as her father—wasn't that a form of luck in itself?
She suddenly felt a bit more optimistic. While congenital heart disease was a common malformation, countries worldwide were researching related technologies.
Perhaps one day, a simple surgery would be enough to cure it completely.
Sensing the atmosphere was becoming a bit too sentimental, Sakayanagi Arisu coughed lightly and changed the subject.
"Father, speaking of which, why were you so insistent on me finding a physically strong boyfriend?"
"To ensure you can have a healthy child in the future, of course!" Sakayanagi Narumori spoke the truth this time, his eyes full of anticipation.
"I want to take my cute grandson out for outdoor activities. Your body is weak; if you find a weak partner, what if the child has problems too? Raising you was tiring enough; your old man doesn't want to raise a second sickly little princess."
Sakayanagi Arisu rubbed her temples.
As expected of her idiot father, he never beat around the bush with his daughter. However, thinking about it, he had a point.
Given her condition, finding a sickly partner would indeed be compounding illness upon illness.
She also suddenly realized that her father was likely projecting all the outdoor fun he couldn't have with her onto a future grandson.
'My foolish father's intentions are clear enough!'
"I understand, Father. I already intended to find someone physically strong who can protect me," she nodded seriously, giving him a direct response.
"Then, did you look at the list of students with athletic ability B+ or higher that I gave you? Anyone you like or find suitable?" Sakayanagi Narumori remembered the list from the first month, his eyes lighting up.
"Oh! Didn't you specifically pay attention to Shimizu Akira's data back then?"
"Shimizu is a good kid!" He couldn't help but praise him, adding points one after another.
"Besides having no family history of illness and never being sick himself, his mind is incredibly sharp. In the first month, he even... cough cough!"
As if remembering something sensitive, he suddenly shut his mouth and stopped talking.
"You mean the matter of him renting surveillance footage to the four freshman classes, right?" Sakayanagi Arisu smiled and finished his sentence.
"Er... so you already knew?" Sakayanagi Narumori was momentarily embarrassed.
"Yes." Arisu didn't truly care. "After all, Shimizu-kun acted according to the rules. The school said points could buy anything, and surveillance footage naturally falls under that category."
"Exactly! That's why Shimizu Akira is a great candidate!" Sakayanagi Narumori nodded heavily, getting more excited as he spoke.
"I see you know him, and he has really shone on the deserted island and during the VIP special exam. To be honest, it's the first time I've seen a freshman perform so brilliantly in their first semester. Except for you, of course, since you didn't participate. I've always had confidence in your abilities!"
"Father, that's not quite right," Sakayanagi Arisu shook her head gently.
"For the deserted island exam, even I couldn't have come up with a winning method like Shimizu-kun's. However, for the VIP exam, I figured out the pattern by the second day; perhaps I could have beaten him. I just sat back on purpose because I wanted to see all four classes get a large amount of personal points, so I didn't report the other classes."
Her current layout, the chessboard she wanted to create, was definitely one where it was easy to buy people off.
"But speaking of which, Shimizu-kun is indeed a very nice boy," Sakayanagi Arisu smiled with the composure of a young lady.
"But I'm only a freshman; there's no rush for such things."
With her current physical condition, even if she wanted to do something, she simply couldn't, could she?
"Alright, I won't worry blindly then. By the way, Arisu, you might have a chance to get involved in this Sports Festival." After saying this, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
Sakayanagi Arisu saw him look hesitant, intending to finish the call and wait for her. She waved her hand to let him go first; it wasn't as if she couldn't walk. She was a high schooler now; her father didn't need to dote on her like he used to!
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After Sakayanagi Narumori left, Arisu didn't get up immediately. Instead, she took out her phone and sent a location. After waiting for about ten minutes, Yamamura Miki from Class A hurried over and asked cautiously, "Sakayanagi-san, do you have any instructions for me?"
"You don't need to monitor Katsuragi Kohei anymore," Sakayanagi Arisu said calmly.
"Then next..." Yamamura Miki hesitated, not finishing her sentence.
"Change targets. Go monitor Ichinose Honami from Class B," Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curled into a slight smile.
"I want to prepare some surprises for her during this Sports Festival."
"I understand!" Yamamura Miki nodded immediately, turning to execute the mission.
"Wait." Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly called her back, as if remembering something.
"I recall you reported last time that Shimizu-kun gave you 100,000 personal points? Is that correct?"
"Yes," Yamamura Miki answered honestly. "It was to thank me for helping him film the check-in video of Ryuen Kakeru during the deserted island exam."
Speaking of which, she suddenly lowered her head. "Um... Sakayanagi-san, I did something extra that time. I... apologize to you."
"It's fine, I'm not angry." Sakayanagi Arisu shook her head slightly, a hint of a smile in her voice. Her subordinate's habit of taking the blame for everything was actually quite cute.
"Kamuro already explained everything to me. Yamamura, you've helped me many times; I will also transfer 100,000 points to you as a reward."
She touched her cane and continued, "I don't mind you doing things for Shimizu Akira. If it's him, it's okay for you to help. After all, given his relationship with Kamuro, even Kamuro might help him. Since you and Kamuro are such good friends, isn't it normal to help him?"
"Um... speaking of that! I've asked Kamuro many times, but she doesn't seem to have plans to join your faction yet!" Yamamura Miki noted.
"Is that so? Actually, for her, the most important thing right now might not be joining my faction," Sakayanagi Arisu smiled softly, "but rather maintaining a 'good relationship' with Shimizu-kun.
And, she might have an even more important duty—to become my future exclusive maid!" Her eyes sparked with mischief, and she looked at Yamamura again.
"As for you, Yamamura, you're so cute, maybe you'll have the chance to be the second one in the future? After all, Shimizu-kun is a normal boy, and there are so many cute girls in this school... My surgery is still a long way off~ I'll have to rely on the two of you for the follow-up!"
Yamamura Miki blinked her cute face, looking completely bewildered.
She didn't understand what her leader was saying at all.
'Wants Kamuro to be a maid? I'm the second one? What kind of things does she need to rely on the two of them for? Can't Sakayanagi do it herself?'
However... with her soft and introverted personality, as long as she could be with Kamuro and Sakayanagi, she was already very happy.
This sounded like a good thing... right? And this way, it seemed she could help Shimizu-kun openly. Kamuro would probably be very happy to hear this news, too.
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Weekend, morning.
Shimizu Akira lay in bed, his thoughts drifting aimlessly for a while before he took out his phone to fiddle with it. As mentioned before, at this school, all students' phones were issued by the school. There was no choice in model or even color; they were all uniform black.
The benefit was that all communication costs, including calls and data, were covered by the school.
However, students faced several restrictions.
First, the GPS tracking was forced on. As long as you were friends, you could see each other's real-time location. This feeling of being monitored made Shimizu uncomfortable. Fortunately, a few months ago, he used personal points to lift this restriction; he could finally breathe easy.
Second, the campus network was isolated from the outside.
Students were only allowed to browse a few external news sites and could not contact anyone outside the school.
The school's intention was likely to create a closed mini-society. As a substitute, the school had an internal forum for students to discuss, vent, or just post.
Speaking of which, Shimizu Akira hadn't checked this forum since entering the school. On a whim, he clicked in with some curiosity. Currently, there were three hot posts pinned on the front page.
He clicked the first one: "President Horikita Manabu is about to step down. I will always believe he is the most outstanding Student Council President since the school was founded."
The post detailed the practical things Horikita Manabu had done for the school and had nearly 500 likes. Shimizu noticed that the likes included Nagumo Miyabi, several student council members, and even the Chairman and all the third-year teachers.
The comments exceeded a thousand.
Keep in mind, there were only about five or six hundred people in the school. Since one account could only like once, 500 likes was staggering. Combined with the public recognition from the school and Chairman, it proved the President's reputation was well-deserved.
The second hot post was more direct: "Who will be the next Student Council President?" The main post listed several strong second-year contenders and started an unofficial poll: Nagumo Miyabi, Asahina Nazuna, and Kiriyama Ikuto.
About 250 people had voted so far. Nagumo Miyabi was leading overwhelmingly with 150 votes, followed by Kiriyama with 60, and Asahina with 40. The comments were filled with "Nagumo-kun will definitely be the next president" and "He deserves it."
It seemed things were as Horikita Manabu predicted; the next president would likely be Nagumo Miyabi.
"This guy is quite popular..."
He remembered Hirata Yosuke mentioned that Nagumo was the star forward of the football club, and the school had achieved great results because of him.
He was the best player in the school and had high popularity across all grades.
Combined with the fact that he already controlled all four classes in the second year, the high vote count was logical. Nagumo had skill; as for his character, that was another story.
Shimizu's gaze moved to the third post: "Fastest promotion from Class D to Class C in school history—the key figure behind it is freshman Shimizu Akira."
The poster clearly had a lot of internal information, releasing a detailed report on Shimizu's key actions and analyses during the deserted island and VIP exams. This post had about 200 likes.
"I didn't expect to see gossip about myself one day." Shimizu couldn't help but laugh. He scrolled through the 150 comments. For privacy, the school allowed users to post anonymously or using their real names. Familiar faces like Sudo Ken, Ike Kanji, and Hirata Yosuke had posted under their real names, confirming his key role in the class promotion.
Even more striking were the two heavyweights at the top of the like list:
Horikita Manabu: Not bad! I look forward to your performance in this Sports Festival! Nagumo Miyabi: Hehe, just like the President, I'm eager to cross paths with this Kouhai.
'Why is this guy everywhere?!'
It was fine for President Horikita to praise him using his real name, but Nagumo followed right after? He checked the time: Horikita's comment was at 7:10 PM last night, and Nagumo's was at 7:12 PM, just two minutes later.
'He has to stick to the President even in reply times? That's so cringe!'
In other words, this guy was constantly monitoring the President's account activity.
The comments below were buzzing, with many pointing out this "historic appearance of the most watched figures from all three years." This month's top three topics were centered around Horikita Manabu, Nagumo Miyabi, and Shimizu himself.
Shimizu didn't pay much attention to the debate and continued browsing the historical hot posts in the freshman section. A few interesting ones caught his eye, like the "Freshman Beauty Rankings" and "Freshman Heartthrob Rankings."
In the Beauty Rankings, Ichinose Honami was at the top, with Kushida Kikyo following closely; their votes were far ahead of the rest. Behind them were Horikita Suzune, Sakayanagi Arisu, Shiina Hiyori, and a few others.
In the Heartthrob Rankings, Shimizu Akira was in first place, followed by Kanzaki Ryuji and Shibata Souta, with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka surprisingly at fourth.
"I see..." Shimizu finally understood why Hoshinomiya Chie called him a "handsome guy"; the ranking was based on this forum poll.
However, in terms of popularity, these surveys couldn't compare to another post: "Rankings of Freshman Beauties with the Best Bodies." This post had a full 300 likes!
"Cough, boys will be boys. The result of following one's desires is understandable." Even Shimizu couldn't help but click in out of curiosity.
Hasabe Haruka Sakura Airi
These two led by an overwhelming number of votes, with only a two-vote difference between them.
"As expected..." Shimizu narrowed his eyes, not surprised. Those two had the best figures in Class D. He just hadn't expected them to be so dominant in the entire grade.
Speaking of which, during the elevator incident, Hasabe Haruka had grabbed his arm in a panic; that sensation almost confirmed she was definitely an F-cup level existence, no exaggeration.
The comment section for this post was much livelier than the general beauty ranking. Many anonymous users expressed regret that during the public pool opening in late August, no one had seen Hasabe or Sakura. Many lamented not being able to witness how "legendary" their figures actually were.
Seeing these hopeful comments, Shimizu shook his head.
These people were dreaming.
Even during regular swimming classes, Hasabe and Sakura just stood on the upper floor to rest and never changed into swimsuits. If even their own classmates rarely saw it, how could other classes have a chance?
Not to mention, given Sakura Airi's shy nature, she would never change into a swimsuit in front of a crowd.
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As Shimizu finished browsing the forum, a message from Hasabe Haruka popped up.
Hasabe Haruka: Little Kiyo! Little Kiyo! Do you want some "benefits"?!
Shimizu Akira: ? What benefits?
Hasabe Haruka: Just say if you want them or not!
To such a question, there seemed only one answer.
Shimizu Akira: I do.
As soon as he sent the message, she replied instantly with a photo. Shimizu clicked it—it was a swimsuit photo. Moreover, it was a swimsuit photo of Sakura Airi, though the photo was captioned with her other name, Shizuku.
In the photo, Sakura Airi was wearing a thin, pale yellow one-piece swimsuit, her hair in cute twin tails, lying on a sofa. Her pale thighs, flat stomach, and delicate chest were all openly visible. Her right hand was even pinching the string of her bottoms, her gaze looking slightly timid like a startled deer, yet carrying a deliberate sense of provocation.
Shimizu was stunned; his eyes could hardly look away.
He had always known Sakura had a great figure, but he didn't expect it to be this good, and he certainly didn't expect the usually introverted and quiet girl to take such a sexy and contrasting photo.
He stared at the screen for a good while before remembering to reply.
Shimizu Akira: Where did this photo come from?
Hasabe Haruka: Hehe, it's Shizuku-chan—Wait! It's actually Sakura! It's a sample from her time as a gravure model~ I had to work really hard to convince her to share it with me! By the way, Little Kiyo, didn't you help Airi in the second month? You should have known Shizuku and Sakura Airi were the same person long ago, right?
Shimizu Akira: Yeah, I knew. But... did she agree to you sending this to me?
Hasabe Haruka: Of course she did! She even blushed and whispered, "If it's Shimizu-kun... it's okay."
Hasabe Haruka: After all, Little Kiyo, you've helped me and Airi so much! You earned us 500,000 points during the VIP exam, and during the elevator incident, you not only saved us but got an extra 200,000 points. Just a swimsuit photo doesn't even count as an appetizer! So, how do you like the photo?
Shimizu had to admit he had helped them quite a bit. He just hadn't expected the thanks to come in the form of swimsuit photos, and from the sounds of it, this was just an appetizer?
As for how it felt... He thought for a moment and slowly typed: Shimizu Akira: It's a very high-quality photo. It's at a level worth "collecting."
There was no reason to deny it!
Hasabe Haruka: Hehe, collecting? So Little Kiyo is very satisfied?
Hasabe Haruka: I'll tell you a secret: Airi has been sitting next to me this whole time. Seeing you say that, her ears have turned completely red!
Why are these two always together!'
Just then, a new message notification popped up. The sender was Sakura Airi.
Sakura Airi: U-Um... Shimizu-kun...
Sakura Airi: When Haruka said she wanted to send the photo to you, I did agree...
Sakura Airi: Since... you seem to like it so much, I'm... really glad.
Sakura Airi: If... if you don't dislike it... I have a few others here...
Sakura Airi: [2.jpg]
In the photo, Sakura Airi was wearing a light blue bikini, sitting by the edge of a pool, carefully touching the water's surface with her toes. The afterglow of the setting sun fell on her wet hair, creating a soft warm light that made the girl by the pool look exceptionally vivid—a sweet and cheerful "sunny girl" atmosphere.
Sakura Airi: This was taken at a studio last summer... What do you... think?
Shimizu Akira: It's quite cute.
Sakura Airi: I-Is that so?! Actually, I plan to...
The message cut off halfway, as if something happened while typing, and there was no follow-up. Before Shimizu could figure it out, Hasabe Haruka's messages came in rapid succession.
Hasabe Haruka: Airi is too shy to say it! Actually, her real purpose in sending you the photos is to ask you to be her exclusive photographer!
Hasabe Haruka: As you know, she used to do selfies, but many angles need someone else's help to look good. I want to help, but some poses and effects are things a boy understands better~
Hasabe Haruka: So we specially reserved a private pool on campus today! No need to rush with the photos; just get used to seeing us in swimsuits and get a feel for the atmosphere of the three of us hanging out! Later on, it won't just be swimsuits, but other sexy outfits too.
Hasabe Haruka: Of course~ Little Kiyo is a normal boy after all, and you've helped us so many times. If you're willing to be this photographer... even if you suggest taking more "bold" photos, Airi and I will try our best to cooperate~ Of course! They are only for your personal "use"! You absolutely cannot send them to anyone else!
'What does "use" mean in this context?! And! They want him to be the photographer!'
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