Chapter 180: Kamuro Masumi: Shimizu Akira is such an idiot! You're probably starving to death.
After Chabashira Sae left, several core figures of Class D gathered to exchange information regarding witnesses. However, this exchange mainly took place between Kushida Kikyo, Hirata Yosuke, and Karuizawa Kei.
Unsurprisingly, they were unable to find any valid information regarding a witness.
It is worth mentioning that after the second period, Hirata Yosuke went to find Sakura Airi. Faced with his inquiry, Sakura Airi only whispered a stumbling response saying she wasn't a witness. Hirata did not press her; he simply said, "I understand," and turned to leave.
Shimizu Akira took all of this in.
He realized that Sakura Airi wasn't the type to succumb just because someone was a bit assertive; in certain moments, she could be quite persistent in her own thoughts.
It depended on who she was dealing with.
"Coach, I want to box too!"
Suddenly, Ike Kanji leaned over, looking like he wanted to know about joining the boxing club.
"You can go to the club and ask, but training is at least two hours a day," Shimizu reminded him. If he remembered correctly, the boxing club had strict requirements—your physical fitness couldn't be too weak. If you couldn't pass the basic test, they definitely wouldn't take you.
"Forget it, forget it! I was just joking! I obviously know I'm not cut out for it!" Ike Kanji laughed awkwardly and beat a hasty retreat.
Shimizu then noticed that Yamauchi Haruki wasn't following Ike today.
Hmm? These two were usually inseparable, stuck together all day. This sudden separation felt a bit unusual.
However, Ike wasn't there for him; he walked straight to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"Ayanokouji, um... I heard about the keycard from Sudo. Sorry, we took it upon ourselves to use your room as a meeting point. I just had a fight with Yamauchi—he was badmouthing Sudo to his face two days ago, he's not a real friend at all! Fortunately, after some talking, I got your room key back from him. Here."
Ike scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed as he pulled two keycards from his pocket.
"Okay..." Ayanokouji looked at the cards, clearly stunned for a moment. After a brief thought, he reached out and took them.
"Also... Sudo seems to know he was wrong. Do you think you could try to forgive him?" Ike added after a pause.
"I wasn't angry. I was just stating facts that day," Ayanokouji replied, his face expressionless and his tone as flat as ever.
Ike froze, seemingly not expecting that answer. He then walked straight over to Sudo Ken.
From the front row came Sudo's voice, which he tried to lower but was still clearly audible: "Ike! Did you talk to Ayanokouji? What'd he say?"
"He said he wasn't mad, just stating facts..." Ike's voice carried a hint of helplessness.
"The way he looks, it doesn't seem like he took it to heart. Don't worry too much."
"Speaking of which, what's the deal with you and Yamauchi? I saw you left the group and deleted him?!"
"That bastard dared to badmouth me to my face! If we weren't classmates and hitting him wouldn't cost us class points, I would've beaten him up already! We aren't friends anymore, so deleting him is normal, right?!"
"...Ah!"
"What 'ah'? You're not actually planning to keep hanging out with Yamauchi, are you?! Aren't you afraid he'll stab you in the back one day?!"
"This... I've been hanging with that guy since the start of school. Being told this so suddenly... you have to at least give me some time to think.
Besides, shouldn't the most important thing right now be finding a witness for you? Sudo, we don't have time to obsess over this!"
"True. Then get out there and help me dig for info."
"Hey, why do you still have that high-and-mighty attitude!"
"I haven't finished! I'll treat you and Ayanokouji to lunch, alright?"
"That's great, but did you forget something? The other people in class are also working their asses off for you."
"I... I get it! Tsk! You're so noisy!"
The two whispered like that for a long time.
Shimizu only then realized that without Yamauchi Haruki around, Ike Kanji and Sudo Ken seemed a lot more normal. Today, Ike was especially reliable, returning the keycard and patiently comforting the anxious Sudo.
Sudo was the same; he finally understood how to show a better attitude when asking for help, even offering to treat others.
It seemed that yesterday's class meeting had sparked some quiet, positive changes in the "Three Idiots" of Class D. For the class as a whole, this was a good development.
.
.
.
It was soon noon.
Shimizu Akira picked up his phone to see if anyone had messaged him. Looking at his chat history, there was indeed one. The sender was none other than the "Little Princess" of this school—Sakayanagi Arisu.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Shimizu-kun, you must have noticed the anomaly with that question on the midterm exam, right?
Sakayanagi Arisu: The answer actually pointed to Class 1-C.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Thinking about it, it must have been Ryuen Kakeru's doing! He's truly despicable, using that kind of question to disgust other classes and docking two class points from everyone. How wicked!
(Wait, wasn't it you?)
Shimizu had always suspected that the true identity of "Cheshire Cat" was Sakayanagi Arisu. He hadn't expected her to proactively send these messages, insisting it was Ryuen.
Shimizu Akira: Ryuen Kakeru isn't that stupid.
Shimizu Akira: I think someone framed him.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Oh? Then who would frame him?
Shimizu Akira: I think it's you.
Sakayanagi Arisu: ??? How could it be me! I have no motive. If I did it, why would I have shared the exam papers with the other classes last month? That would have cost each class at least twenty points.
Shimizu knew in his heart that Sakayanagi had shared the papers to stop him from profiting by selling the information. But he couldn't refute her—the conversations about "selling information" were all sent to his alt account. If he spoke up, it would reveal his alt, and he'd be completely exposed.
'This girl is probably sending these messages just to mock me!'
Shimizu had no doubt—Sakayanagi Arisu was exactly the type of person to do something so petty.
Immediately after, another message popped up.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Speaking of which, Shimizu-kun, I heard a student from your class had a conflict with Class C.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Thanks to this mess between Class D and Class C, even our Class A has been significantly affected. We won't receive our personal points for this month yet. We have to wait until next Tuesday.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Do you have any points left to spend?
Sakayanagi Arisu: Do you need me to subsidize a portion for you?
Shimizu Akira: No need, I can eat the free meal set.
He was currently the person least lacking in points; there was no need for her charity. Whether she meant well or not, he would just brush it off for now. But... her words implied Class A suddenly had extra points? Or was it something else?
Sakayanagi Arisu: Hehe, then again, even without me giving you points, you probably aren't short on them.
Sakayanagi Arisu: A certain female student will be sending you points very soon.
Before Shimizu could process the meaning of those words, a new message popped up in his friend list ten seconds later—from Kamuro Masumi of Class 1-A.
Kamuro Masumi: Hey! What's going on? Our homeroom teacher suddenly announced this morning that the delay in points is because of your class fighting with Class C, and even asked us to help find witnesses?!
Shimizu Akira: That's how it is.
Kamuro Masumi: It's all Class D's fault!
Shimizu Akira: How about this: I'll treat you to lunch today as an apology?
Kamuro Masumi: Lunch? I seriously doubt you have any points left! You're not trying to treat me to the free meal set, are you?
Shimizu Akira: I have points. It definitely won't be the free set; I'll treat you to the deluxe set.
Kamuro Masumi: You're not using lunch as an excuse to borrow points from me, are you?
Shimizu Akira: No, I'm just treating you to a meal.
Shimizu had always felt Kamuro Masumi was a good person. Treating her to a meal was only right, especially the deluxe set.
As for borrowing points? Impossible—his alt account had over ten million points.
Kamuro Masumi: ...Not many points, still stuck in Class D, yet so stubborn. Sometimes I really don't know where your confidence comes from. Is it from me?!
Kamuro Masumi: But, consider yourself lucky! I earned some extra points from Sakayanagi last month, exactly 30,000. I'll lend them to you first.
Shimizu was stunned. Why was she lending him money again? They had just settled up last month, and now she was proactively offering... Kamuro was being too good to him.
Shimizu Akira: I really have points.
Kamuro Masumi: No, you don't.
Shimizu Akira: I really do.
Kamuro Masumi: You have points? Hah! With the way you were eating deluxe sets every meal last month, how much of your 50,000 could be left? Don't think I don't know your class bought surveillance—80,000 points! What could you possibly have left?
Kamuro Masumi: Idiot! You don't even know how to budget points, and now you're stuck, right?
Shimizu realized late that Kamuro was paying a lot of attention to his affairs. And she was right. Last month, he hadn't taken points seriously, buying whatever he wanted because he had plenty. In her eyes, he was probably just a reckless, unorganized idiot.
Kamuro Masumi: I don't expect you to gnaw on the free meal set while specifically borrowing points from other students just to save face by treating me to a deluxe meal.
Shimizu Akira: I wouldn't do that.
Kamuro Masumi: Yes, you would.
Shimizu Akira: ...
Shimizu was speechless. Whatever he said, she refused to believe. He said he had points, she insisted he didn't. He said he wouldn't borrow, she was certain he would. Kamuro's attitude was indeed a bit overbearingly dominant.
However, he didn't hate it. After all, she was saying all this out of concern for him. If she didn't care, who would waste their breath on this?
Kamuro Masumi: Instead of having you shamelessly borrow points from others and make a fool of yourself, I'll lend them to you. I'm in Class A, after all; there's a huge gap between us. 30,000 points is just a drop in the bucket for me.
Shimizu narrowed his eyes.
Shamelessly borrowing points? What exactly is Kamuro-san thinking! Am I that spineless!
Then again, if he really didn't have points... would this be considered "eating hard food with a hard attitude"? It wasn't exactly "soft rice" (living off a woman), since Kamuro was so dominant; he just had to listen to what she said.
Kamuro Masumi: Alright, I've sent the points to you.
Kamuro Masumi: Also, this isn't for free!
Kamuro Masumi: I'll have a few requirements. I'll come to your dorm in the next few days to tell you the details.
Kamuro Masumi: Have the hot cocoa ready for me in advance.
After that, Kamuro went silent. But the 30,000 points had indeed arrived.
Shimizu wasn't sure what requirements she would have, but knowing her personality, it likely wouldn't be anything troublesome. Given their current relationship, he would just accept.
'But... coming to my dorm again?'
Shimizu suddenly recalled the scene when she came over last month—her small, sock-clad feet seemed to have brushed against his thigh several times "accidentally."
'A normal high schooler couldn't handle that kind of natural temptation, Kamuro-san.'
Despite his thoughts, he couldn't help but feel a bit of anticipation. Men are sometimes such naive creatures. However, once he calmed down, he noticed Sakayanagi Arisu had sent several more messages.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Was it as I predicted? Did a certain student lend you 20,000 points?
Sakayanagi Arisu: Hehe, that's the money she earned from me.
Sakayanagi Arisu: In a sense, can this be counted as me lending you the points?
Sakayanagi Arisu: Shimizu-kun, you should thank me properly.
Shimizu Akira: You're screen-peeking, aren't you.
Shimizu Akira: You're standing right behind Kamuro Masumi watching, aren't you!
Sakayanagi Arisu: Not peeking, just deduction.
Sakayanagi Arisu: After all, our Class A's Kamuro-san is usually quite cold and has almost no friends.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Just now she was clutching her phone with a rather pleasant expression; she must be messaging you.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Combined with the class meeting this morning, it's just a logical deduction.
'But she actually gave me 30,000, and 20,000 came from Sakayanagi! Does that mean she added an extra 10,000 herself?'
Looking at the messages, Shimizu realized Kamuro had told a small lie. But within that lie was clear kindness. He wouldn't expose it; in fact, almost no one would think of crushing such goodwill.
He thought for a moment and sent one more message to Kamuro Masumi.
Shimizu Akira: Can I just call you Kamuro from now on?
Kamuro Masumi: Heh.
Shimizu looked at that amused interjection and burst out laughing. She had agreed; otherwise, why would she be laughing?