Chapter 029 Still Need to Buy a Bed / Nanase Tsubasa: A Woman's Weapon
After saying this, Shimizu Akira didn't wait for a response from Hoshinomiya-sensei. He picked up his tablet and quickly left the check-in point. Time waits for no one; he had to hurry to participate in other tasks. He even suspected that Hoshinomiya-sensei might be intentionally stalling him.
By the time he left the grip strength task site, he had a quick meal of canned meat and biscuits to stave off hunger. When he finally checked the time, it was already 12:30 PM. The task closest to him was Japanese Language. His luck wasn't great this time; he ran into a top student from Class 2-A and finished in third place.
In the afternoon, through two basic movements, he jumped from D6 all the way to B7. Just like in the morning, he only received the basic arrival points. The third movement area was D7. This time, Shimizu sped up slightly and had better luck, taking second place.
According to school rules, there are three movement commands on both the first and last days; today's movement phase was over. However, tasks would continue to refresh until 5:00 PM. Shimizu scanned the locations on his tablet and selected a Mathematics task. Since this was his forte, he easily secured first place.
Before he knew it, it was 5:00 PM. Both tasks and movement missions had ended. Shimizu checked his group's score: currently 35 points.
Shimizu Akira's points for today were as follows:
Two 1st place task finishes: +10 points One 3rd place task finish: +1 point Basic movement check-ins: +3 points One 2nd place arrival: +5 points Total: 19 points
'So that means Karuizawa Kei and Horikita Suzune managed to get the remaining 16 points?' he thought.
'They're actually quite capable.'
Just as he was thinking this, the walkie-talkie at his waist rang.
"Akira-kun..." Horikita Suzune's voice came through. "We've set up the tent at B6. It's time to come back."
"Received, I'll be there shortly," Shimizu replied into the radio. He packed his gear, slung on his backpack, and headed toward B6. It wasn't far from B7, about a thirty-minute walk.
From a distance, he saw a green tent pitched on a relatively flat piece of ground, printed with a wave pattern. To make identification easier, the school allowed groups to choose unique
patterns when purchasing tents. Karuizawa and Horikita had specifically picked this one with Shimizu's name in mind.
As Shimizu approached the tent, Karuizawa was nowhere to be seen. Only Horikita stood there alone, holding her tablet, seemingly confirming something.
"I'm back," Shimizu called out.
Horikita looked up and gave him a deliberate once-over. "You're back? Good work. I saw your score—you got 19 points on your own. Although I told you to get 20, you don't need to push yourself that hard. Just do what's within your capability."
Her "idiot boyfriend" was certainly willing to put in the effort.
Shimizu walked over with a smile. "I'm fine. I actually have plenty of energy left today. By the way, where's Kei?"
"Doesn't she still have 2,500 points left?" Horikita explained.
"We were chatting earlier, and I mentioned you liked rice, so she said she'd go to the starting point to buy some. Even though we don't have an electric cooker, we have a pot, so we can still boil it. She left around 3:00; she should be back soon, don't worry."
Shimizu thought for a moment, then picked up the walkie-talkie and tuned to the channel. "Kei, where are you? Do you need me to come pick you up?"
"No need, no need!" Karuizawa's voice sounded energetic. "I'll be 'home' in five minutes! Just wait for me at the tent!"
Despite her words, Shimizu started walking out anyway. Horikita said nothing and silently followed by his side.
After walking for about two minutes, they saw Karuizawa walking toward them, clutching a small bag of rice.
"I told you I didn't need a pickup!"
Shimizu stepped forward to take the bag. "I was just a bit worried about you."
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The three returned to the tent. Wanting to prepare dinner, Shimizu went nearby to gather some dry branches. Using a store-bought lighter, they started a campfire in the clearing.
Horikita took out a water bottle, poured water into the pot, and began cooking the rice. Shimizu glanced over and noticed she was cleaning five or six small fish. He was surprised. "Where did the fish come from?"
"Caught them," Horikita said.
Karuizawa added from the side, "We ran into a fishing task this afternoon. Horikita participated. Although she didn't place, you're allowed to keep the fish you catch."
"Fishing is judged by weight, not quantity," Horikita said with a hint of resentment. "Otherwise, I would have had a good rank."
A few small fish were clearly not enough for a main course, serving as a side dish at best. Karuizawa dug a packet of seasoning out of her backpack and handed it over. Horikita took it, waited for the rice to finish, served it, then put the fish in the pot to make a simple dish.
They didn't cook much rice—just enough for one bowl each. Lacking proper bowls, they made do with empty meat cans and spoons, which worked well enough.
Sitting around the campfire, they began their dinner. Shimizu chewed his rice, thinking that while it wasn't a feast, it was quite complete for the first day on a deserted island.
"I've tallied it up," Horikita said while eating. "Including cooking, we used five liters of water today. We have about six liters left. We have plenty of food, so no need to worry for now."
"As for water...!" Shimizu thought for a bit. "Keep the empty bottles. Honami's relief station should open tomorrow; I'll go fetch water then."
Horikita nodded. "Okay."
"By the way, Kei, how many points do you have left?"
"Um... 1,800 left," Karuizawa calculated. That bag of rice wasn't big; it would last five or six meals at most. Since prices on the island were doubled, it was still a bit pricey.
Horikita took a bite of rice and continued with business. "The rules for the designated areas: three out of the four daily instances center around yesterday's final area. Tomorrow, the three of us can split up and guard different directions around D7. That way, our probability of getting the early arrival bonus is much higher."
This was the advantage of a three-person group. A four-person group would be even better.
With the plan settled, they finished their meal. After cleaning up, the sky had turned completely dark, and the temperature began to drop.
"Let's head into the tent," Shimizu said. "There are no phones on this island, and it's getting late. Let's rest early."
The three nodded and crawled inside. The tent wasn't large; with the three of them, the space was just right. They hadn't prepared sleeping bags.
Horikita sat down and pulled out a few spare clothes from her backpack to spread on the ground. "Let's start laying these out."
"It might get a bit cold," Shimizu said, also sitting down to arrange his clothes. "We'll see how it goes. If we can't handle it, we'll buy sleeping bags."
"No!" Karuizawa rejected the idea without thinking.
If they bought sleeping bags, how could the three of them huddle together to sleep? She looked at Shimizu and spoke hesitantly, "Ahem... Akira-kun, you can just sleep in the middle. You're so warm; Horikita and I will be fine leaning against you."
Horikita paused but didn't object. Her plan hadn't included sleeping bags either—precisely because of this intention. She shook her head and continued laying down clothes.
Once the clothes were spread out, the three lay down side-by-side. Shimizu was in the middle, with Karuizawa on his left and Horikita on his right. The ground was harder than expected, but with several layers of clothes, it was manageable.
For the first few seconds, Karuizawa wasn't as proactive as she had sounded; she just lay there honestly, motionless. On the right, Horikita's breathing was inexplicably rapid, and her body was stiff.
After a few minutes, Shimizu suddenly felt his left hand being gently pulled. He turned his head to the left; Karuizawa had her eyes closed, but her breathing was uneven. Shimizu gently gripped that hand.
On his right, Horikita's breathing became even more noticeable. Shimizu glanced at her and found her eyes closed as well—she was also faking sleep. He simply took the initiative to reach out and hold her hand. Horikita's body stiffened, but she said nothing.
A few minutes passed like this. Shimizu felt the heartbeats of the two girls beside him getting faster and faster. He couldn't help but speak up with a hint of amusement, "Don't worry. It's only the first day; I won't do anything."
This was likely the first time both of them had spent the night with him. He could tell they were nervous. Both girls immediately let out a sigh of relief.
Shimizu spoke again: "But then again, using clothes as blankets isn't very warm, and the ground is too hard. It's inconvenient in many ways. Since we're sleeping together, Kei, you should go to the starting point in a couple of days and buy a quilt and bedding."
Karuizawa froze for a second, then her eyes lit up. "Buy a quilt? Really?"
"Yeah." Shimizu nodded. "The remaining points should be enough, right?"
"Enough, enough! There's still 1,800!" Karuizawa replied quickly. Then, remembering something, her face turned red again. "But... after we buy it, the three of us will be... sharing the same quilt?"
"Yeah. Or does my manager intend to have a quilt all to herself while Suzune and I freeze?"
"That's not what I meant!" she denied hurriedly. "It's just... I just feel it's a bit..."
"A bit what?"
"A bit... too fast."
Horikita suddenly spoke: "You were the one who suggested not buying sleeping bags. Why say this now?"
Karuizawa was stumped, her face flushed as she fell silent. That's how a "pure-hearted fake gal" was.
"Fine, fine, we'll buy it! Who are you looking down on!" she muttered under her breath.
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The next morning, Shimizu was the first to wake up. He opened his eyes to find his hands still held by Karuizawa and Horikita. Both were still fast asleep. He didn't move, just lay there quietly looking at the tent roof.
He had slept surprisingly well last night. Despite the hard ground and thin clothes, the feeling of the two of them leaning against him was inexplicably reassuring.
A few minutes later, Karuizawa slowly opened her eyes. She blinked in confusion at first, then met Shimizu's gaze. She froze for a second before her face turned bright red.
"G-good morning..."
"Morning." Shimizu smiled. "Did you sleep well?"
"Mhm..." she whispered. Realizing she was still holding his hand, she tried to pull it back, but Shimizu held on tight.
"Why are you hiding?"
"I'm not hiding..."
At that moment, Horikita on the other side woke up as well. She opened her eyes, and unlike Karuizawa's panic, she just calmly stared at the tent roof for a few seconds before sitting up.
"...What time is it?"
Shimizu checked his watch. "6:00 AM."
"Time to get ready," Horikita said, beginning to organize her clothes with her usual efficiency.
The three emerged from the tent. The deserted island at dawn was shrouded in a thin mist, the air fresh with the scent of greenery. Karuizawa gave a big stretch. "So comfortable!"
"Stop being comfortable." Horikita had already pulled out her tablet to check today's route. "The new round of check-ins starts at 7:00. Get ready."
The three did a quick wash-up. They didn't cook during the day, making do with some dry rations. Then, following last night's strategy, they dispersed to guard different directions around D7.
At 7:00 sharp, Shimizu looked down at his tablet. The designated area was E8.
"Ah! It's closest to me!" Karuizawa's excited voice came through the walkie-talkie.
Ten minutes later, she successfully took second place. Shimizu and Horikita only received the basic one point.
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At 8:00 AM, today's intel refreshed on time.
Nanase Tsubasa from Year 1 Class D wishes to move together with Shimizu Akira during this deserted island exam. Ryuen Kakeru from Year 2 Class C is still a virgin; his ideal romantic partner is an ordinary, plain girl. Yagami Takuya from Year 1 Class B actively searched for Kushida Kikyo of Year 2 Class B yesterday to no avail; he has decided to wait until the GPS tracking opens on the fourth day to take action.
After reading it, Shimizu's expression became subtle.
The first one: Nanase Tsubasa wants to move with him? It felt a bit suspicious. But since he hadn't met her yet, it wouldn't be too late to test her when they met.
As for the second one... he almost couldn't hold back his laughter.
'Really?' Ryuen Kakeru, with his usual trash-talking and swagger, was actually "pure"? And his ideal type was an ordinary girl? That was quite the contrast.
The last one—Yagami Takuya was indeed up to no good. Still looking for Kikyo? Fine, it seems he really is asking for a beating.
At 9:00 AM, the school announced the second designated area—E6. This time, Karuizawa was again the closest, but she only took third place. Shimizu and Horikita were too far away and only got basic points.
The next check-in wouldn't start until 1:00 PM. Taking advantage of this two-hour gap, Shimizu opened his tablet and found a World History task refreshed nearby. The rewards were quite generous, with extra prizes for the top three finishers.
He set off quickly and arrived at the site in twenty minutes. The proctor wasn't a homeroom teacher he knew, but a fresh face. After registering, since there weren't enough participants, he had to wait about half an hour. If there still weren't enough people by then, the remaining candidates could start the competition directly.
"Shimizu-senpai, good afternoon!"
He ran into another acquaintance. It was Nanase Tsubasa, mentioned in the morning's intel. The blonde junior's eyes lit up when she saw him, and she walked over quickly.
"Nanase, good afternoon." Shimizu nodded in response and asked casually, "Hmm? Housen isn't moving with you?"
"I hate Housen; I would never move with him." When Nanase mentioned Housen, she didn't hide her look of disgust. But the moment she turned back to Shimizu, she returned to her well-behaved junior persona. "Why did Senpai think I was with him?"
"Amasawa told me during the first check-in yesterday," Shimizu explained. "Looks like she lied. So the three of you are acting independently now?"
"Eh? Senpai met Amasawa first?" Nanase's focus was slightly off. "I was in that area yesterday too... how strange."
Shimizu asked, "How have these last two days been?"
"Um... I only got three points yesterday and two points this morning," Nanase replied while signing up on her tablet. "What about you, Senpai?"
"A bit more luck, over twenty points."
"Senpai is being humble again; you clearly won through strength."
A few more people arrived, and the World History task officially began. The questions weren't too difficult, and he finished in over half an hour. Perhaps to accommodate the first-year students, many of the topics were things covered in the first year of high school.
After the exam, the proctor graded them on the spot and announced the results ten minutes later.
"Shimizu Akira, 100 points, 1st place. Nanase Tsubasa, 98 points, 2nd place..."
As the first-place winner, besides the five points, Shimizu could choose a small prize. The school had prepared various drinks and snacks, limited to one per person. Shimizu casually picked a bag of potato chips. Nanase chose a pack of chocolate.
"As expected of Senpai." Nanase tucked the chocolate into her pocket and looked at him with admiration. "I lost to you again. I knew Senpai's grades were excellent back when we teamed up last time."
"You're not bad either," Shimizu waved his hand. "I saw several questions involving second-year knowledge, and you only missed one."
"Um, if it's convenient, could Senpai tell me your route for these two days?"
"I'm at..."
"I see!" Nanase's eyes lit up after listening. "Senpai, my route is exactly the same as yours! Since that's the case, why don't we just move together?"
Shimizu's eyes flickered slightly. Just as the intel said, she had issued the invitation. He didn't rush to agree but asked instead, "Can you tell me the reason?"
"Because I believe Shimizu-senpai is a very reliable person," Nanase said seriously.
"Moving with you would make things very easy for me. I'll give you all the arrival sequence bonuses, and if there's only one slot left for a task, I'll let you have it. Also, if Senpai agrees, I'll pay you a reward of 500,000 individual points."
"Nanase-san," Shimizu said, somewhat speechless, "you haven't forgotten that you still owe me 200,000, right?"
"Ah! That!" Nanase suddenly became flustered. "That... I'm sorry, Senpai! I... my mistake..."
Because Shimizu had never pressed her for the money after lending it, she had subconsciously forgotten about it. A sense of shame surged up, and she wished she could sink into the ground.
Shimizu couldn't help but laugh, patting her shoulder to signal her to calm down. "Alright, no need to be so ashamed. I know you just forgot. But you still owe me 200,000—where is this 500,000 coming from?"
"That... actually it's Ho... ahem... it's from selling cards." Nanase was hesitant.
Shimizu didn't even have to think to know this honest girl was lying. A single card for 500,000? It must be the points in Housen's hands. No wonder she could produce the money. So, was Housen planning to do something to him?
However, seeing Nanase's respectful and obedient appearance, she didn't seem like someone who would trap him. He shook his head and declined anyway. "Sorry, Nanase. I can't agree. While it's true I'm acting alone at the moment, I still have two teammates. Moving with me means you'd have to pitch your tent with us, and my girlfriends wouldn't agree.
And to be honest, the conditions you're offering don't help me much. I'm actually freer moving alone."
"I see..." Nanase looked deeply disappointed.
Looking at her like this, Shimizu was somehow reminded of a Golden Retriever he used to have. He instinctively wanted to reach out and pat her head, but he caught himself halfway and instead handed her the bag of potato chips.
"Alright, don't be so down. Have some chips."
Nanase stared blankly at the chips held out to her. "Senpai... are you coaxing me?"
"No," Shimizu said without changing his expression. "I just thought you looked so pitiful that I felt a bit of sympathy."
"Charity..." Nanase took the chips and muttered softly, "Senpai is still so blunt."
"Alright, I have to go." Shimizu checked the time; it was almost 1:00 PM, time for the third check-in. He waved and left.
Nanase held the chips, watching his departing back and sighing softly. After a moment of thought, she picked up the walkie-talkie at her waist.
"Shimizu-senpai refused."
Immediately, Housen Kazuomi's voice came from the other side. "Hah?! Didn't he lend you 200,000 a few months ago? He won't even let you tag along? Seems like Shimizu Akira doesn't think much of you!"
"Shimizu-senpai refused politely," Nanase said coldly. "It was my request that was unreasonable. Please do not slander his reputation."
"Tch... you're still the same, always defending him," Housen sneered. "Since you care about him so much, why not use your 'woman's weapon'? I remember that guy has quite a few girlfriends; he shouldn't have much resistance to that sort of thing, right? Wouldn't he agree then? Anyway, if you can't go on, our whole plan will go up in smoke."
Harsh static came from the walkie-talkie. Nanase put it away and stood there in a daze for a while.
"A woman's weapon?"
She repeated the phrase softly. Although people often called her a "natural airhead," she was still a girl. She certainly understood what "weapons" and "seduction" meant.
Shimizu-senpai... on the surface, he really didn't have many flaws. If she had to name one, it was that he had many girlfriends.
So...
Should she really do it?
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