Chapter 356: You Cheated? Wait, No! / The Goddess is Coming!
The next day at lunch, Shimizu Akira silently organized the list of his seven girlfriends and the timeline of when they started dating:
Kushida Kikyo — During the VIP (Cruise) Special Exam. Kamuro Masumi — During the Sports Festival Special Exam. Ichinose Honami — During the Paper Shuffle (Pairing) Exam. Sakura Airi & Hasebe Haruka — During the Training Camp Special Exam. Horikita Suzune — During the Class Poll Special Exam. Karuizawa Kei — During the Event Selection Exam.
'Wait a minute?'
He couldn't help but complain to himself internally.
'Why does it happen before or after a special exam almost every single time?'
On the podium, Kushida Kikyo was presiding over the class meeting.
"Everyone, for this Event Selection Exam, we need to come up with at least five events we are absolutely certain we can win. Does anyone have a field they particularly excel in?"
"My typing speed is very fast! Coding is no problem either! Let me be the vanguard for Shimizu!"
Sotomura Hideo adjusted his glasses and raised his hand with confidence. Since the training camp, where zen meditation had corrected his verbal tics, he had become much more normal.
"My swimming level shouldn't lose to any of the girls," Onodera Kayano raised her hand.
"I can compete in Archery against Class A," the usually taciturn Miyake Akito rarely volunteered.
"I'm great at Rock-Paper-Scissors!"
"Me too! If it's Table Tennis, I'm confident I can take on ten people!"
Many in the class responded immediately. Looking at it this way, the class's talent pool was actually quite deep. While they all had their quirks, in terms of specialized skills, they weren't necessarily inferior to Class A.
"However, according to the rulebook," Horikita Suzune spoke up, flipping through the manual, "for one-on-one individual events, each class can only set one. Furthermore, events that are too niche, overly complex, or too narrowly categorized might be rejected by the school for fairness.
For academic subjects like English, Math, or Japanese, the school will provide standardized testing to ensure equity."
"Meaning even if we have a guaranteed win, the event itself might not pass the audit?" Hirata Yousuke summarized.
"Please send your specific skills to me privately," Kushida smiled.
"I'll organize them into a spreadsheet, then work with Horikita-san, Hirata-kun, and Akira-kun to study the rules and Commander intervention rights. We'll filter for the five events most likely to pass and win. The two with the highest win rates will be our 'Must-Play' events, and the other three will go into the 'Possible' pool."
She gave an encouraging smile.
"If you have time, we can also brainstorm five 'smoke screen' events to distract and confuse Class A. How about it?"
"No problem!"
"Sounds good."
"The deadline is March 15th. It's only the 9th, so we have six days. We should be able to make it."
Akira slowly looked away. Everything Kikyo just said was actually the content of a private message he had sent her. At a time like this, it didn't matter who said it.
Horikita Suzune returned to her seat and looked at Akira.
"That's the gist of the arrangements. Shall we have lunch together?"
"Not today," Akira shook his head. "I have a date with Masumi."
"Didn't you say you'd eat lunch with me every day?" Suzune countered.
"I never agreed to that," Akira felt a headache coming on.
"Don't forget, I have seven girlfriends now. I have to rotate and maintain relationships with everyone. I can't just spend all my time with you."
Suzune blinked, realizing for the first time that this man was, in a sense, a very busy individual.
"Go on, I'll eat with you in a few days," Akira comforted her, changing the subject.
"Since Class A prepared Chess and I can't play as the Commander, you're the only one in class who openly knows how. Take this chance to learn a few moves from your brother. He's graduating at the end of the month anyway; treat it as... your last bit of sibling bonding."
"..." Suzune was silent for a few seconds, then gave a soft
"Mmh. I'll go see my brother at noon then. I'll gather as much info on Chess as I can. The one in Class A best at it should be Sakayanagi Arisu herself."
"Most likely, but she won't be the one playing. Since the Commander can't participate, she'll definitely find a proxy." Akira nodded as he stood up.
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Ten minutes later, Akira found Kamuro Masumi on a bench in the campus courtyard. She was wearing headphones, but she took one off when he arrived. Yamamura Miki was standing quietly nearby.
"The busy man finally has free time?" Masumi's tone was subtle. They hadn't seen each other in about a week.
"Can't be helped. Two special exams back-to-back with almost no break." Akira wasn't making excuses; they'd only had one day off.
Masumi showed a look of disgust.
"True... that Tsukishiro guy is really annoying."
"Yes," Yamamura Miki added.
"Sakayanagi-san had me tail him a few times... he feels a bit scary. Once, he turned around suddenly and smiled..."
Akira's expression turned serious.
"He noticed you?"
Yamamura nodded.
"Even from a distance, he seemed to... know I was watching. It didn't look like a coincidence; it was more like a confirmation of 'I know you're there.' I didn't dare follow him after that."
"You did the right thing," Akira said.
"Tsukishiro is highly vigilant. He likely has counter-intelligence training. Don't approach him on your own initiative again, especially not alone."
If Ayanokouji, a White Room graduate, could sense Yamamura, Tsukishiro definitely could. Those from the White Room were like special forces.
"I understand," Yamamura replied.
Masumi took two bento boxes from her bag and handed one to Akira.
"Let's stop talking about that nauseating guy. Here, today is my special Teriyaki Chicken Cutlet rice. Miki has one too."
"Thanks." Akira took the box and looked at Masumi. "By the way, I have something I want to apologize for."
Masumi immediately dropped her chopsticks, her eyes narrowing.
"You cheated? Wait... no, that's not right, you already have several girlfriends!"
"Uh... it's not about the relationships!" Akira waved his hands frantically.
"It's about the last Class Poll exam.
Actually, I held a portion of the Praise Votes from Class C and B. I could have manipulated them to focus on you, helping you get first place in Class A."
Masumi stunned.
"But I didn't do it," Akira continued. "Because I felt that even if you got the Protection Point, you would have been ostracized by your class."
Masumi listened quietly. She picked up a piece of chicken, ate it slowly, and then spoke. "You're apologizing for that?
"...Idiot," she muttered. She didn't sound angry; she sounded helpless.
Akira looked at her.
"You're right!" Masumi rested her chin on her hand.
"During the voting days, the atmosphere in Class A was terrible. Sakayanagi concentrated all resources on herself and a few core members. For a peripheral person like me, just not being voted out was a blessing."
She twitched her lips. "If you had manipulated the votes to give me first place, what do you think my classmates would have thought? They would think I betrayed the class. My life in Class A would have been miserable after that."
She looked at Akira. "You were right not to do it. Actually... thank you for thinking so much for me."
Akira was taken aback, then laughed. Masumi had always been a very understanding person.
The three began eating their bentos. Truthfully, Masumi's cooking wasn't as refined as Suzune's, but with food, the person who makes it is often more important than the taste itself. Akira ate with gusto.
After the meal, Yamamura Miki thoughtfully prepared tea.
"By the way," Masumi sipped her tea, "You're the Commander for this exam, right? And you chose to fight our class head-on."
"Well, your Sakayanagi Arisu did come to our door to provoke us."
"That girl actually has the heart for this!" Masumi curled her lip.
"Shouldn't she be thinking of how to get her father reinstated?"
"It's not that simple," Akira smiled.
"Taking down Tsukishiro is hard; it's unlikely to happen this semester. Sakayanagi probably wants to use this time to do the things she's always wanted to do."
"Hmph! It's not the first time she's acted on her own." Masumi complained, mentioning Class A's situation yesterday.
"Like with Ichinose, or the Class Poll where all that effort resulted in nobody being expelled. This time is even more ridiculous—she directly told you guys one of our mandatory events!"
She mimicked Sakayanagi's voice: "'Chess is an event I will never lose, so it doesn't matter if I tell Class C'—that's what she said in class yesterday. As for that 1 million points, apparently, she won it from some senpais in the Chess Club using her own private points."
It was clear Sakayanagi was brimming with confidence. As for winning 1 million... then where did the 2 million she sent him as "encouragement" come from? She couldn't have won 3 million total.
That girl definitely dipped into the class funds.
"Did the rest of your class not object?" he asked.
"Plenty did," Masumi shrugged.
"Especially the neutrals. They think Sakayanagi is being arrogant since everyone knows your class isn't weak anymore. But she just shut them down with 'I'll win.'"
She added: "But Hashimoto and the other cores support it. They think exposing a guaranteed win project is psychological warfare—it makes you over-prepare for that and neglect other areas."
A mix of truth and lies; a psychological gamble. If one is truly confident, "self-exposure" is a valid tactic.
"Thanks for the info," Akira said.
"I wasn't planning on asking, but this helps us adjust our strategy."
"Hmph, I said it anyway." Masumi looked away.
"Just don't lose too embarrassingly. If you collapse because of Chess, I'll lose face too."
"I'll do my best," Akira smiled.
Then, Akira turned his gaze to Yamamura Miki, who had been quiet for a while.
"By the way, Yamamura, do you know Morishita Ai? How is your relationship with her?"
"I know her," Yamamura nodded gently.
"We were partners during the Paper Shuffle. After that... she started coming to talk to me often. Relationship-wise... maybe friends who can chat? I think she's a bit of a... miraculous person."
"Miraculous?" Akira raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, her thoughts jump around, and she says things that don't follow common sense, but she's not a bad person." Yamamura tried to describe her.
"Just... an elusive feeling."
"Not miraculous, she's a 'Denpa' girl (quirky/on a different wavelength)!" Masumi clearly didn't have a high opinion of Morishita Ai.
"I have no idea what's going on in her head. She doesn't seem like a normal person. But... her grades are surprisingly good."
Masumi frowned and asked Yamamura, "Wait, what does that woman talk to you about?"
"All sorts of things," Yamamura thought.
"Sometimes complaining that classes are boring, sometimes asking for my opinion on news, sometimes... even abstract things like 'Why do people follow rules?' or 'What is the definition of freedom?'"
She paused and added: "But she never mentions class competition or special exams. It feels like she... doesn't care about those."
Not caring about class competition? In Advanced Nurturing High School, especially in Class A, that was an anomaly.
"She also asked me..." Yamamura's voice lowered, "she asked if I felt this school was 'a giant cage'."
'An interesting question.'
"'Cage'?" Masumi repeated. "She's bold to say that."
"How did you answer?" Akira asked.
"I said... perhaps it is." Yamamura looked down. "But I haven't found a way to leave the cage, or... where to go if I left. I don't seem to have a place to belong."
Akira looked at her. This girl, who always followed Sakayanagi and Masumi quietly, had some subconscious pessimistic thoughts.
He said slowly, "It's not strange for her to think that. The school's closed management and intense competition can easily make one feel imprisoned. But on the other hand, it provides resources, opportunities, and paths for advancement that normal schools can't match.
Is it a prison or a springboard? Perhaps the answer depends on... whether one has the ability and courage to break the invisible bars."
"Is... it?" Yamamura looked a bit dazed, not fully understanding.
Akira smiled patiently at her confusion.
"But for you, you've already made good friends like Masumi and Sakayanagi here, haven't you? Even if you leave in the future, choosing to go to the same university as them and staying together—isn't that a great life direction?"
"C-can I?" Yamamura whispered. "But the teachers always say people must have their own goals... that you can't progress by always following behind others."
"Who says a goal can't be 'staying with important people'?" Akira laughed.
"Stay by those you cherish first. Future goals... you can find those slowly. Maybe one day you'll stumble upon it."
Yamamura was stunned. She stared at Akira's profile, outlined by the sunlight, and his honest smile.
Her cheeks flushed bright red uncontrollably.
"Mm... Mm! I-I understand!" she hurriedly lowered her head to hide her face.
Masumi watched this silently. She didn't speak, but her eyes narrowed slightly.
'This guy, unknowingly stirring another maiden's heart.'
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After school. Class A classroom.
Morishita Ai patted Yamamura Miki's shoulder from behind, pointed at her own face, and asked seriously:
"Why has there been so little discussion about me in class so far?"
She was a genuine genius, practically omnipotent, a perfect human with no flaws in any area. This question was a sudden flash of inspiration.
Yamamura turned around, thought for a long time, and whispered, "Maybe because... Morishita-san, you don't take special exams very seriously?"
There had been seven exams. Due to Morishita's erratic personality, she hadn't made a conspicuous contribution to any class action, so she rarely became a topic of conversation.
"No! You're wrong!" Morishita denied it instantly.
"It's definitely Sakayanagi Arisu's fault!"
"Eh? Related to Sakayanagi-san?" Yamamura couldn't keep up.
"Exactly! It's because Sakayanagi Arisu loves the spotlight too much!" Morishita declared as if it were fact.
"If that person disappeared, I would definitely shine more in class!"
Yamamura looked confused. She didn't understand why the blame fell on Sakayanagi.
Even if Sakayanagi weren't there, wouldn't Katsuragi Kohei be the leader? Morishita wouldn't necessarily become prominent...
"Yes, yes, yes!" Morishita assumed the other understood.
"In my view, I was meant to be the female lead, but all the attention was stolen by Sakayanagi Arisu! Haven't you noticed? When she's around, my presence is especially low."
Strangely enough, when Sakayanagi was present, people really did rarely notice Morishita. And the two of them almost never spoke.
Yamamura nodded instinctively. She wanted to say something, but Morishita changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, you and Kamuro Masumi have been close to Class C's Shimizu Akira lately." Morishita rested her chin on her hand.
"What kind of person is he really?"
Yamamura's heart tightened at the mention of Akira. She struggled with her words: "His thinking is very clear, he has strong initiative, and... he's very good at caring for other people's feelings."
"Oh~" Morishita dragged out the sound.
"Sounds like you have a high opinion of him. How does he compare to Sakayanagi?"
Another difficult question. Yamamura thought and said cautiously: "They are completely different types. Sakayanagi-san is more... focused on control and strategy, while Shimizu-kun prefers to find breakthroughs within the rules, and... the people around him seem to trust him very much."
"Trust, huh..." Morishita was pensive.
Then, Yamamura remembered Akira's words from lunch about the "prison or springboard" and relayed them to her.
"Ah?! Did I say something like that?" Morishita looked shocked.
"Eh?" Yamamura was stunned.
"Didn't you ask me that just two days ago?"
Morishita blinked, then waved her hand dismissively.
"Maybe I forgot~ It's not important!"
"I see..." Yamamura looked disappointed. She had agonized over that question for days, only for the person who asked it to not care at all.
"But his answer is boring!" Morishita waved her hand lazily again.
"Such a formulaic, two-sided explanation. Not cool at all."
"I think... it shouldn't be called formulaic," Yamamura whispered in defense of Akira.
"Shimizu-kun considers both the positive and negative sides of a problem. It should be called... a logical answer."
Morishita stared at Yamamura for a few seconds and burst out laughing.
"The way you defend him is quite cute."
Yamamura turned red and looked down.
"Hehe." Morishita stopped joking, but her eyes sparkled.
"So, I'm going to tease Shimizu Akira!"
"Eh?! W-Why? How did you reach that conclusion?" Once again, Yamamura couldn't follow the jump.
"Didn't you say his answers are logical? It's clear he's an extremely rational person, just like his planning during the Desert Island exam!" Morishita said excitedly.
"Just as I expected! If I can tease a person like that until he shows a weakness, revealing a completely different side—wouldn't that be super interesting?!"
Yamamura was completely floored.
Tease... Shimizu Akira? The idea itself was beyond her comprehension. In her eyes, Akira was someone who was always calm and in control. How could he be teased?
"M-Morishita-san... that's not very good, is it?" she stuttered.
"Shimizu-kun is... very busy right now, under a lot of pressure as the Commander."
"Pressure means he needs to relax even more!" Morishita said as if it were common sense.
"And don't you think? For someone like him who is always tense, carrying all the responsibility on his shoulders, being teased occasionally might actually be good for him. It's called... um, pressure-release therapy! I'm doing it for his own good!"
She found a high-sounding reason, but the excitement in her eyes revealed she just thought it would be fun.
"But... how will you tease him?" Yamamura couldn't help but ask. She immediately regretted it; it sounded like she was helping.
"There are many ways~" Morishita counted on her fingers.
"For example, setting harmless little obstacles on the path he has to take; or sending anonymous, ambiguous riddles for him to guess; or... accidentally appearing when he's on a date with other girls to cause a little chaos~"
"Don't worry," Morishita patted Yamamura's shoulder, seeing her worried face.
"I have a sense of proportion. I won't actually affect his business or make him so embarrassed he gets angry. I just... want to see if that always-calm face can show a different expression. You have to introduce me to him, okay?!"
She spoke with an almost innocent curiosity. However...
Yamamura shook her head and said seriously, "I don't think it's a good idea. Actually, at lunch, Shimizu-kun brought you up himself, and his impression of you isn't bad. Morishita-san, I think... you shouldn't do unnecessary things. And, I don't think you can actually succeed in teasing him."
Morishita blinked. Instead of being angry at the rejection, her interest deepened.
"Oh? You're so sure I can't get to him? How about... a bet?"
Yamamura wanted to refuse, but Morishita kept going.
"I bet... that before the final day of this exam, I can make Shimizu Akira show at least one expression that wasn't in his plan."
She held out her pinky.
"If I win, you have to be my follower for a week, just like you follow Sakayanagi Arisu now. If I lose... um, I'll buy you the most expensive dessert at the Keyaki Mall for a week. How about it?"
The stakes didn't seem harsh to Yamamura. If she won, she got sweets; if she lost, she just hung out with Morishita like usual.
Lately, Morishita often dragged her along to observe things like the night sky, ants on the ground, or people's appearances.
"I won't bet with you." But she still refused. Instinct told her that letting someone like Morishita deliberately approach Akira could bring unpredictable changes.
"Hehe! You're lying!" Morishita wagged her finger triumphantly.
"Your heart actually wants to bet! Anyway, I will definitely win this contest!"
Who was she? She was Morishita Ai! She saw right through the other's true thoughts.
'So, Shimizu Akira! Just you wait. I, Morishita Ai, am coming!'
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