Chapter 357: Kei's Date / White Day / Morishita Ai's Frenzy
March 12th, after school. 7:00 PM.
Today was the day he had promised Karuizawa Kei. It was their first official date, held right in his dorm room.
Shimizu Akira scanned the room. He had taken time in the afternoon to organize: the desk was tidy, clutter was tucked into cabinets, and the floor had been carefully mopped. It looked acceptable.
A gentle knock sounded. He opened the door to find Karuizawa Kei standing there. She had clearly dressed up, wearing a light-colored dress under her school blazer, looking even sweeter than usual.
"...Good evening, Akira-kun," she said, lowering her head slightly.
"Good evening, Kei. Come on in."
Kei stepped inside, eyeing the surroundings with curiosity.
"The room is tidier than I imagined," she whispered.
"I tidied up for the occasion," Akira admitted.
"It's usually not this clean. But then again, you've been here before. No need to be so stiff."
Kei pouted. She had been there twice—once to ask about the class rep election and once to rejoin the Boxing Club. Neither of those were exactly "happy" memories.
"Coming into a boyfriend's room for the first time as his girlfriend is completely different from coming in as a club member!" she protested softly.
"Yes, yes, you're right." Akira laughed and took her hand. They sat side-by-side on floor cushions, sliding their legs under the kotatsu (heated table).
Kei's body stiffened for a second. Though she often clung to his arm or acted spoiled, this was the first time he had proactively taken her hand. It felt... quite nice. Being held by his large hand gave her an incredible sense of security.
As the warmth of the kotatsu spread, Kei relaxed, leaning her shoulder against Akira's arm.
"Akira-kun's hands... are so warm."
"Yours are a bit cold," Akira gripped tighter.
"You should pay more attention to staying warm."
"I know..."
Akira thought for a moment.
"Since it's a rare date, want to watch something together?"
"Eh! I don't want to go to the cinema!" Kei rejected the idea instantly. It was so comfortable being pressed against him in the kotatsu; she didn't want to go out.
"How about I play something on my laptop?"
"That works!" Kei nodded. After a few seconds, her eyes lit up as she remembered something. "Actually! There's a show I've been wanting to finish!"
Akira set up the laptop. As soon as he sat back down, Kei pulled his hand and typed four letters into the search bar:
MyGO.
"This..." Akira was surprised. "You like anime?"
He hadn't expected her to have such an interest.
"Not exactly," Kei leaned against his shoulder.
"It's just... it reminds me of the time I was kicked out of the club." She paused.
"Looking back, if you hadn't happened to be watching this anime that day, I might not have woken up so quickly."
Indeed, that day she had almost said, "I'll do anything." But because the brown-haired girl on screen (Soyo Nagasaki) had said it first, and Akira had commented on it, she had managed to stop herself. Otherwise, she might have offered her body just to stay in the club. In a way, the character Soyo Nagasaki had saved her.
Akira understood and remembered that day.
"I see. Then let's finish it today."
"Mm!"
They sat close together as the struggles and growth of the band members unfolded on screen. When Soyo was explicitly rejected by Sakiko Togawa, Kei's breathing hitched.
"I... I can understand her. She just wanted to get CRYCHIC back together."
Akira reached out and gently held her hand.
As the episodes progressed and the band finally achieved their first true ensemble, seeing the light in their eyes as they looked at each other on stage made Kei's eyes tear up.
"It's so good... even though it was painful, they finally found their place."
"You too," Akira said, looking at her.
Kei turned to him.
"You are slowly finding your place, aren't you?" Akira smiled.
"No longer the Karuizawa Kei who desperately pleases everyone to avoid being abandoned, but the one who works hard for her own choices and expresses her feelings honestly."
Kei felt a lump in her throat. She quickly looked back at the screen to hide her face. They finished the final episodes of It's MyGO!!!!! in a comfortable silence.
"Thank you. Thank you for watching it with me today."
"Don't mention it. There's no need for politeness between us."
Kei looked up at him.
"Akira-kun... can I lean on you a bit longer?"
"Sure."
She leaned back onto his shoulder, but this time she kept her eyes open, watching the night sky through the window.
"I was wondering..." she started, "if I hadn't met you then, what would I be like now?"
"You'd probably still be struggling, but eventually... you would have found your own way," Akira said.
"You're much stronger than you think."
'Strong?' In her own eyes, all her strength came from the fact that she had met him.
"Akira-kun," Kei hesitated, then let go of his hand and stood up.
"I want... to show you something."
She slowly began to remove her blazer and dress. At first, Akira thought things were moving to a more intimate stage, but seeing the undeniable gloom on her face, he realized it wasn't that.
Seconds later, she stood in only her underwear. On her abdomen, just below her left breast, was a distinct scar. It wasn't very long, but the color was darker than the surrounding skin, slightly raised and irregular. A silent, coiled mark of trauma.
Kei didn't look at him, keeping her head down.
"...It happened in middle school. I was much more assertive back then. Because I was pretty and had decent grades... several girls in my class got jealous. They started bullying me.
Once, they weren't satisfied with just verbal abuse and pushing. The leader pinned me in an alley and used a folding knife... to cut me. It wasn't deep, but it hurt. She said... 'Someone like you needs a mark to remind yourself not to be so arrogant'."
Her shoulders began to tremble.
"This scar... is like proof of all my mistakes. It reminds me every day of what a terrible person I used to be." Her eyes filled with tears, but they didn't fall.
"So Akira-kun... I'm not strong. I've just been running away from this scar, running away from that 'terrible' me. It was only after meeting you that I started learning to... look at it a little."
Akira stood up and walked to her. He didn't speak immediately; he just reached out and gently touched the scar.
"Does it hurt?" he asked.
Kei froze, and finally, the tears spilled over. "...It doesn't hurt anymore."
"That's good." Akira withdrew his hand and pulled her into a gentle embrace.
"This scar isn't proof of a mistake. It's proof that you struggled, suffered, and eventually chose to keep moving forward. It's part of you, but it's not all of you."
Kei sobbed into his chest—not a loud wail, but the long-repressed release of someone who had finally found a safe harbor.
"I... I was actually terrified. Terrified that if you saw this, you'd think I was dirty or troublesome... even when I confessed, I used little tricks. I should have told you before..."
Akira was almost amused by her logic.
"We just started dating, we're not getting married. You don't need to report every flaw to me beforehand.
And... Kei, you know? Everyone has scars. Some are visible, some aren't. What matters isn't the scar, but how we carry them as we continue to live."
Kei's sobbing gradually subsided. Leaning against his chest, she felt as though light had finally reached a dark corner of her heart.
"Thank you... Akira-kun."
"It's okay. If it still makes you feel bad, you can have it surgically removed. You can probably apply to the school for it, and if that fails, I can use points to buy that privilege."
Kei gripped his hand.
"Now... I think I don't hate it so much anymore." She looked down toward her abdomen. "Because now, every time I see this scar... I'll remember everything you said to me today. One day, I'll turn it into a happy memory."
The past of being bullied couldn't be erased, but happy moments were layering over it, one by one.
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Two days later. March 14th, White Day.
Akira walked into the classroom carrying two bags of chocolates.
"Thank you, Shimizu-kun!"
"I'll cherish these!"
"Oh, chocolate!"
As soon as he sat down, most of the girls in class gathered around to receive their return gifts. He had received plenty last month; this was just the proper etiquette. For general classmates, he gave out store-bought, mass-produced "obligation chocolates."
On the other side of the room, Hirata Yousuke was doing much the same. At that moment, Wang Mei-Yu walked into the room.
She seemed to be avoiding Hirata's gaze, keeping her head down and returning to her seat without going to collect a gift.
Kushida Kikyo leaned in close to Akira and whispered, "Mei-chan confessed and got rejected. I heard it was a very blunt rejection."
'So he turned her down after all.' Akira shook his head. It was hard to imagine someone like Hirata in a romantic relationship.
Kushida rested her chin on her hand, watching Hirata.
"Hirata-kun is kind to everyone. It makes it hard to tell if that kindness is special or just the same for everybody."
'A human air conditioner' Akira thought, recalling a quote about how people who are kind to everyone make it impossible to tell if they actually like you.
He handed the last bag to a girl and checked the remaining boxes—those were for friends in other classes.
"Maybe he can't tell either. Or rather, he doesn't want to distinguish them."
The door opened and Horikita Suzune walked in. She sat down and gave Akira a brief greeting. "Good morning, Akira-kun."
"Morning, Suzune."
Kushida Kikyo didn't mind the cold shoulder; she had accepted long ago that Horikita wouldn't be friendly.
"By the way, Akira-kun," she held out her hand boldly. "What did you prepare for me for White Day?"
Akira smiled and pulled out a box labeled with Kushida's name.
"Handmade. Milk chocolate with a caramel center and crushed hazelnuts."
"Thank you!" Kushida took it happily, reading the label.
"Sweet on the outside, but with complex layers inside... Hmm, sounds a lot like you."
She giggled. This chocolate was indeed very fitting for her.
On the other side, Horikita Suzune gave a barely audible cough. Akira, knowing exactly what she meant, pulled out a box labeled for her.
"Dark chocolate with sea salt and orange zest."
Horikita took the box and read her label: "The sea salt is a bit like the sharpness of your exterior."
Her lips twitched into a tiny smile as she tucked the box into her drawer.
"These look like they took a lot of work," Kushida noted. "Did you spend hours on these yesterday?"
"It wasn't too bad. I just used the school's public kitchen; they have all the equipment." In reality, he only needed his own molds. Eight sets of chocolates took about five or six hours.
He then walked over to Sakura Airi, Hasebe Haruka, and Karuizawa Kei, who had been watching from a distance, and handed them their personalized gifts.
For Airi: Milk chocolate with strawberry ganache. He had drawn a tiny bunny on it with white chocolate.
"I hope you can slowly accumulate courage... like chocolate, sweetness needs to melt and take shape step by step."
For Haruka: Dark chocolate with popping candy. "It makes a crackling sound when you eat it."
For Kei: Dark chocolate with sea salt caramel. He used gold leaf to highlight the "cracks" in the chocolate—a metaphor that scars can be wrapped in something beautiful.
"Your... your feelings are a bit too 'full', aren't they?" Kushida whispered as she watched him distribute these carefully prepared gifts.
"It's only White Day."
"Well, isn't it only natural?" Akira replied matter-of-factly. "As a boyfriend, isn't this what I should do?"
'Wait, that's not right?!'
Kushida, Suzune, Haruka, Airi, and Kei all shook their heads simultaneously. A
"normal" boyfriend wouldn't be this thorough or personalized for multiple people. Only Akira could pull this off.
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During lunch, Akira delivered chocolates to Kamuro Masumi (Dark chocolate with cocoa and a hint of coffee—bitter and fragrant) and Ichinose Honami (White chocolate with strawberry bits—sweet and slightly tart). Both were delighted.
Finally, he went to the Year 2 Class A classroom and asked for Asahina Nazuna.
"Hmm? Are you here to give me store-bought chocolate?" Asahina joked as she walked out.
Instead, Akira pulled out an exquisite box.
"No, it's handmade. Since you gave me handmade chocolate last time, I made a special batch for you."
Aside from his girlfriends, Asahina was the only one he made a specific batch for. She was stunned as she took the box with a pale gold ribbon.
The tag simply said: To Asahina-senpai.
"Handmade...?" She looked surprised.
"Shimizu-kouhai, you really are... quite attentive."
Boys who made handmade chocolate were rare. She opened the box to find six small, square chocolates.
"These are...?"
"Dark chocolate base with dried cranberries and toasted almond bits. I figured you wouldn't like things too sweet, so I chose a more bitter chocolate to balance the tartness and nuts."
Asahina didn't eat it immediately; she just held the box gently.
"Thank you. I really like it. Not just being polite."
"I'm glad. Then the effort was worth it."
Asahina looked at his smile and felt her cheeks flush. She looked away, a bit flustered.
"By the way... the semester is ending, and the Student Council is swamped. Miyabi probably won't make any moves for a while. You can relax a bit."
"I see. Thanks." Akira nodded. With Nagumo busy, the only real threat now was Acting Chairman Tsukishiro.
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After school.
The focus shifted to the special exam. The final list of events had to be submitted by 6:00 PM. Tomorrow, March 15th, all events for the four classes would be made public.
Suzune, Hirata, and Kushida gathered at Akira's desk, looking at the talent spreadsheet.
"I've done a preliminary screening," Kushida said.
"High win rates and likely to be approved: Sotomura Hideo (Typing Speed), Onodera Kayano (200m Swim), Miyake Akito (Archery - Fixed Target), Sudo Ken (Basketball), and... Miyamoto Soshi (Street Fighter 6)."
"We can only pick one 1-on-1 event," Hirata reminded them.
Akira decided: "Then we go with Typing Speed. I've seen Sotomura's speed; it's national-competition level. Class A will struggle to find someone who can match him."
"Archery can be a 'Must-Play' event too," Hirata added.
"Miyake is very strong, and since it's a multi-person rotation shooting event, it bypasses the 1-on-1 limit."
"So, the two Must-Plays are: Typing Speed and Archery," Akira summarized.
"The three in the 'Possible' pool will be: 200m Swimming, Basketball, and Street Fighter 6."
Swimming was Onodera's specialty. Though they tried to limit it to "Women's Swimming," the school rejected the rule, stating all events must be open to both genders.
The basketball team consisted of Makita, Minami, Hondo, Ayanokouji, and Sudo.
Sudo was the core, but Akira knew Ayanokoji might be the trump card.
As for Street Fighter 6, Miyamoto Soshi had proposed it.
"Are we really choosing a video game?" Kushida asked.
"For such a critical exam, isn't that too simple?" She still didn't like Miyamoto because he had once sided with Yamauchi to talk bad about Akira.
"I think we can trust him," Hirata said.
"I agree," Suzune added.
"Miyamoto is truly skilled. Most Class A students focus solely on studying; they likely aren't good at games. Our win rate is high."
With the consensus reached, the five(main) events were set. They then spent hours detailing the rules, time limits, and Commander intervention rights before submitting the list to Chabashira at 5:30 PM.
The strategy was simple: Hold our own ground, and win the events the opponent picks. If it hits 3-3, everything comes down to the unknown seventh event.
Just as he was leaving the school, Akira received a friend request. The name was Morishita Ai from Year 1 Class A. No nickname, just her real name.
As soon as he accepted, a message popped up:
Morishita Ai: Shimizu Akira, do you know why a raven is like a writing desk?
Akira stopped in his tracks. He knew the reference—the Mad Hatter's riddle from Alice in Wonderland.
A question with no standard answer.
Shimizu Akira: I don't know.
Morishita Ai: Because the Mad Hatter hasn't finished his cup of tea yet.
It really was an Alice reference. Then another message:
Morishita Ai: The tea party continues forever, but those who are late must pay a price.
'What does that mean?' Was she talking about the absurdity of the school's exams?
Morishita Ai: Anyway, you accepted my request!
Morishita Ai: Now I can check your location anytime.
Morishita Ai: Hehe, I'll be watching you constantly.
Morishita Ai: Wait! Something's wrong!
Morishita Ai: Why can't I see where you are through GPS?!
Morishita Ai: Are you even human? Your performance at the Sports Festival was definitely non-human.
Akira's lip twitched.
Shimizu Akira: Because I paid to turn that feature off.
Morishita Ai: That's cheating! You cursed rich person!
Morishita Ai: Damn it! We haven't even met yet and you've already outmaneuvered me!
'One second she's a cryptic riddler, the next she's throwing a tantrum?'
Akira felt a wave of regret for accepting the friend request.
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