Chapter 223 Wait! What's with These Three Women?! They Care That Much About Shimizu Akira?
As she stepped out of the cave, the midday sun dazzled her, forcing her to squint. She instinctively looked ahead and quickly spotted that familiar figure—Shimizu Akira was standing not far away, looking exceptionally energetic. He showed none of the distress or dishevelment of someone suffering on a desert island. In his hand, he held a bulging plastic bag, clearly packed with supplies.
'Wait... why is he here? And with all that stuff? From the look of it, is he living comfortably?!'
While Kamuro Masumi stood there dazed, Shimizu spotted her. A faint smile spread across his face, and he raised a hand to wave.
"Kamuro, long time no see."
Before she could respond, he took two quick steps closer, his eyes narrowing slightly as they landed on her somewhat pale face.
"Starving, aren't you? Your complexion doesn't look great."
As he spoke, he held out the plastic bag.
"Here, these are all for you. There are six packs of hot cocoa inside—I exchanged them specifically for you. Also a few large cup noodles and plenty of the snacks you usually like. Eat something to tide you over."
Kamuro stared at the bag and the hot cocoa packaging peeking out from the top—it was the exact brand she had been pining for just moments ago in the tent.
Her throat tightened instinctively. For a moment, she forgot to answer, simply blinking her eyes in a daze.
'Wait... what is happening?'
Kamuro's mind was a mess. In her stupor, she even wondered if she was hallucinating from hunger.
'Am I dreaming?'
Just a moment ago in the tent, she was craving hot cocoa, and the next second, hot cocoa appeared. Even her unspoken desire for something to fill her stomach was met by this bag of snacks and noodles—not to mention the person delivering them was the very same Shimizu Akira she had randomly thought of while struggling with the peach.
She stared at the cocoa and recalled him saying, "I exchanged them specifically for you." Her heart felt a gentle throb. Based on those words, he had prepared this entire bag of supplies specifically with her in mind.
Before Kamuro could recover from her shock, Katsuragi Kohei spoke up. He looked at the two of them—who clearly knew each other well—but didn't pry. He simply followed etiquette and asked, "Shimizu-kun? Did you look for me for a specific reason?"
Given Katsuragi's steady and cautious personality, he was usually reluctant to interact with other classes—especially since Class A was currently collaborating with Class C and was in the sensitive stage of his "starvation plan." More contact meant a higher risk of exposure.
But this was different.
Standing before him was Shimizu Akira—the high-potential student from Class D he had long hoped to recruit. Katsuragi suddenly remembered the last time he had shown Shimizu's boxing poster in the classroom; Kamuro's expression back then had been unnatural, as if something had struck a chord.
At the time, he thought he was overthinking, but now it was clear evidence that the two were long-time acquaintances.
"It's nothing major. I mainly used some Special Exam Points to buy snacks for Kamuro—since we're friends," Shimizu said. He naturally pulled out a few more snacks and a cup of noodles from his canvas bag, handing them to Katsuragi.
"However, considering the classes are currently in a state of competition, calling her out privately might cause misunderstandings. That's why I troubled you to come out as well. If anyone in your class asks where Kamuro's snacks came from, please help explain so she doesn't get into trouble."
"I see." Katsuragi took the items and immediately understood Shimizu's intention. During the island exam, classes were constantly wary of each other. If a student from another class sought out a classmate privately, they could easily be mistaken for a spy or informant. Shimizu had called him out to use his status as the Class A leader to "clear" the situation, making the interaction transparent and saving Kamuro from future trouble.
"Shimizu-kun is very thoughtful," Katsuragi acknowledged internally, agreeing without hesitation.
"Don't worry, I will explain the source of the snacks to the class. She won't have any problems."
To him, this wasn't difficult. Class A never forbade students from having friends in other classes. Besides, Shimizu was a powerful combatant; maintaining a good relationship with him was beneficial for both Kamuro and Class A.
He just hadn't expected Shimizu to be so socially adept and value his friends so much. Katsuragi estimated the bag contained at least 5 Special Exam Points' worth of goods.
To give that all away to Kamuro Masumi...
'Is he being too good to her? Are they dating?' To spend 5 points just on snacks was something almost no one in the history of this exam would do.
"Hey, don't just give my snacks away to others, Shimizu," Kamuro grumbled, finally snapping out of her shock. Her heart was warmed by the cocoa and snacks, but since she wasn't the type to express gratitude directly, it came out as a stubborn reminder.
"These were always yours; they're enough to last you the remaining six days," Shimizu said, not exposing her "tsundere" behavior.
"If I don't smooth things over with your class, how can you eat them openly? You can't just hide and eat them in secret. Would that even taste good?"
"Hmph, unnecessary meddling," Kamuro snorted, but her gaze softened significantly. She knew he was right. With the leader Katsuragi's approval, she wouldn't have to waste energy explaining herself.
"What about you?" she asked, her voice carrying a trace of hidden concern. "If you give them all to me, what will you eat? And how did you have enough points to buy all this?"
"I can hunt; I won't go hungry," Shimizu said nonchalantly.
"The points were an extra allowance from the class. I promised to handle some things for them, so they granted me more points."
Behind the barrier, Hashimoto Masayoshi's lip twitched.
'Shimizu can hunt?' Even more absurdly, he took his rare class allowance and spent it all on snacks for Kamuro? That was some serious spoiling! Hashimoto knew they didn't look like a couple in the throes of passion, but even for friends, this was incredibly generous. If they actually dated, wouldn't he treat her like a queen?
He also realized something else: 'Being his underling would be pretty great!'
Kamuro listened to Shimizu, and her lips threatened to curl into a smile, though she quickly forced a serious face.
'This guy is an idiot. Why spend a rare allowance all on me?'
"Why did you suddenly bring me snacks? Do you have an ulterior motive?" she asked, her voice intentionally stiff. A memory of her kicking him while barefoot flashed through her mind.
'Is he hoping to do something that makes me blush again? But there are so many people around... what is he thinking?'
Shimizu, unaware of her wandering thoughts, looked at her tense face.
"No motive. Seeing you full is enough for me. You lent me points so many times before; it's my turn to pay you back."
He glanced at the sky. "It's late; I need to get to my hunt. If you're still hungry, tell Katsuragi to let me know, and I'll bring you some roasted meat later."
Kamuro watched Shimizu's back as he walked into the forest, clutching the bag of snacks that still felt warm. She didn't look away until he disappeared into the shadows of the trees.
"I'll explain the snacks to everyone, don't worry," Katsuragi's voice sounded beside her. He was still holding the cup of noodles Shimizu had given him. Kamuro noted that Katsuragi's tone was much more polite than usual. As the leader of a faction, he usually carried an air of dominant authority.
The change was clearly due to Shimizu. By involving Katsuragi, Shimizu hadn't just cleared her of suspicion; he had ensured the leader would treat her with more consideration.
'He's still the same—doing things so perfectly you can't find a single flaw. He always makes people feel at ease.'
When they returned to the cave, Katsuragi explained things to the class immediately: "These supplies were sent by Shimizu Akira of Class D. He is friends with Kamuro-san and used his own class's points. It wasn't a private exchange by Kamuro, so please don't misunderstand."
The class erupted in chatter:
"Shimizu Akira? The one from Class D who's supposed to be a monster at fighting? He spent that many points just for her? He's way too good to Kamuro!"
"Come to think of it, doesn't our class have a student named Shimizu too?" (Referring to Shimizu Naoki)
"I'm so jealous, Kamuro! That friend is so reliable. I want one too!"
The surprise soon faded into acceptance. Kamuro hadn't spent Class A's points or hurt their interests, and the leader had cleared her. At most, they just thought Shimizu was incredibly generous.
Kamuro ignored the gossip and went to the girls' communal tent. As she opened the flap, she met a curious and envious gaze—it was Nishikawa Ryoko, her eyes glued to the snack bag.
"Kamuro-san," Nishikawa couldn't help but ask, "that Shimizu from Class D is so nice to you! What exactly is your relationship?!"
Kamuro didn't bother responding. She wasn't close with her; there was no reason to answer. 'There were rumors in class that Class A's Shimizu Naoki had feelings for Nishikawa, but that had nothing to do with her.'
She walked to her bedding and pulled out several packs of biscuits, turning to hand them to Yamamura Miki, who was tidying up nearby.
"Yamamura, these are for you. Eat."
Yamamura froze, waving her hands hesitantly.
"Eh? Is that okay? Didn't Shimizu-kun from Class D give those specifically to you? Won't he be angry if he finds out you gave them to me?"
"Hmph, would he dare?" Kamuro tilted her chin up with a hint of hidden pride.
"That man... he's very obedient to me. Since he gave them all to me, I can do whatever I want with them."
"Eh... really?" Yamamura didn't doubt her for a second. Her eyes sparkled with genuine admiration.
"The Shimizu-kun from the boxing club is that obedient to you! Then... are you two dating?"
To Yamamura, Kamuro was amazing. Not only did she know the famous boxing club member, but he was also so considerate that he brought snacks to a desert island exam.
Without a special relationship, who would be that devoted? Yamamura silently decided that since Shimizu was so good to Kamuro, and she was benefiting from his kindness, she would do her best to help him if he ever needed it in a non-competitive situation.
Kamuro's cheeks flushed. "Don't talk nonsense! We're just ordinary friends!"
"Ordinary friends?!"
Suddenly, another voice rang out. Kamuro turned to see her classmate, Morishita Ai, standing on her other side, looking at them with a strange expression.
Kamuro didn't have much of an impression of Morishita, other than seeing her yesterday standing with her hands against a tree trunk with her eyes closed.
'Is she an elf listening to nature or something?'
She didn't understand why Morishita was suddenly interjecting. To Kamuro, Morishita was just a "denpa girl" (quirky/eccentric), so she didn't reply.
But then, she felt another gaze from the side. She looked up and saw Shiraishi Asuka—the beautiful girl whose private reputation in class wasn't great. She was standing nearby, staring with an expressionless face.
'Wait, what is with these three?! Why are they staring? What is there to look at!'
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