Chapter 032 Stealing a Taste Behind Kei's Back / The Blissful Sakayanagi Arisu / The Assault Incident
Horikita Suzune had just stepped out of the tent when she saw Shimizu Akira walking toward her carrying a small bag. She looked closely, a bit surprised. "That many fish? You had a good harvest today, unlike yesterday's dismal showing."
"Well, after changing fishing spots, my luck suddenly turned." Shimizu waved a hand. Although he still hadn't caught any large fish, landing over a dozen small ones in one go felt like a substantial haul.
Of course, relying on these little things to get into the top three was hopeless. In today's fishing task, there was a third-year senior rumored to be an expert angler; he caught five or six large fish in less than half an hour, firmly securing first place. Shimizu's quantity looked high, but in terms of weight, it probably didn't even match one or two of that senior's fish.
"I get the feeling you're quite enjoying this special exam?" Horikita took the bag, skillfully set it aside, and spoke.
"Well... to be honest, I haven't been paying much attention to the win rate. I did hear that Koenji is being quite proactive this time, though." As Shimizu spoke, he opened his backpack and took out the water he'd collected today, placing it to the side.
Over these three days, he indeed hadn't been desperately grinding tasks. Compared to events he was good at, he often preferred choosing ones that piqued his interest.
"So?" Horikita sighed, a bit helpless. "Could it be that because there are no extra rewards this time, you have no motivation?"
"What?" Shimizu was startled, not quite catching her meaning.
"In the last few special exams, didn't Chabashira-sensei give you quite a few benefits? You were always full of drive then. She hasn't given you any personal points this time, has she? And so, this is the performance we get." Horikita spoke as she picked up her tablet to check their group's score: 73 points.
Averaging over twenty points a day wasn't small, but compared to the 35 points on the first day, the gap was obvious. Today, she and Karuizawa Kei had earned 18 points, while her boyfriend had earned 19. 10 points came from a first-place check-in, 4 were basic rewards, and the remaining 5 were the bonus for first place in a task. This score didn't look low, but in reality, Shimizu hadn't participated in many tasks at all. To him, this was basically "slacking off."
Seeing that Suzune had read his thoughts perfectly, Shimizu didn't try to play tough. "Well, Chabashira-sensei really didn't give any points, so I admit I'm slacking a bit. But fishing is so interesting! We never get this kind of chance back at school."
Horikita massaged her forehead. Her boyfriend was great in every way, but his personality was sometimes too much of a "salted fish"—too realistic. Come to think of it, when she first met him, he had even fleeced points out of her.
However, she didn't truly blame him. He had hoarded points before precisely for his girlfriends. In this exam, he had even made a grand gesture of transferring 2 million points to each of his seven girlfriends—14 million in total. When it came to spending points when they were actually needed, he never hesitated.
As for herself, although the knot in her heart regarding her brother was completely untied, her desire to lead the class to Class A remained unchanged. She thought for a moment and said, "If you perform a bit better, how about I give you a reward?"
Shimizu's eyes lit up. "What reward?"
Horikita glared at him with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. "Why do you suddenly get so spirited the moment you hear 'reward'?"
"I'm a man... how can I not get spirited hearing those two words?" Shimizu spread his hands.
Horikita rolled her eyes again. She looked left and right to confirm no one was around and that Karuizawa Kei wasn't nearby, then stepped in front of Shimizu. Unfortunately, she only reached his shoulder.
"Lower your head."
"Okay."
Horikita stood on her tiptoes and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.
"Ahem... if you can get more than 25 points a day, there's a 'next time' waiting for you when we get back." After the kiss, she turned her face away, feigning composure.
She expected her boyfriend to agree enthusiastically, but Shimizu refuted without a second thought: "Wait a minute, Suzune, just a kiss on the cheek? That's not how it goes when I go to your dorm!"
Horikita glared at him several times. "This is a deserted island, not a dormitory. Even for a couple..."
Shimizu started to speak but hesitated: "Actually...!"
Horikita narrowed her eyes. "What kind of reaction is that? Don't tell me that on this island, another woman has kissed you? Karuizawa? Did you do something with her behind my back..."
"No way!" A cold sweat broke out on Shimizu's brow. "It was last year's island exam... me and Kikyo..."
Horikita's expression turned even worse. In a sense, this was more irritating than Karuizawa. She was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Shimizu's hand, and pulled him toward the tent.
"Suzune? What are you doing? I haven't processed the fish yet..."
"...Deal with them later."
Inside the tent, just as Shimizu sat on the edge of the bed, Horikita sat down right next to him. She leaned her face in and pressed her lips against his.
Shimizu was stunned for a moment before realizing that Suzune was jealous because of Kikyo. However, since they were being intimate, there was no need for reservations inside the tent. He naturally wrapped his arm around her waist and responded to the kiss, which carried a hint of competitive edge.
Ten seconds later, Horikita pulled back slightly. "Well?! Am I more skillful than that woman?"
Truth be told, Suzune's kissing proficiency had indeed improved quite a bit. After all, over a year had passed. But compared to Kikyo...
Shimizu told the truth: "Not quite."
Horikita was immediately annoyed. "Where am I inferior? Is the pressure wrong, or is it a tongue issue? Is my breathing not as good? Then let's go again!"
With her learning ability, how could she possibly lose to Kikyo?
Shimizu quickly waved his hands. "Well, actually, it's not a matter of the mouth, but other aspects."
"What aspects?" Horikita was relentless. "Describe exactly what you and that woman do when you kiss!"
Shimizu felt a headache coming on; why did she become so unsettled the moment Kikyo was mentioned? Nevertheless, he explained: "When Kikyo kisses me, she usually takes the initiative to be held in my arms, puts her hands on my shoulders, and leans in herself. And she also proactively places my hands on her—"
"Enough, enough!" Horikita's face turned beet red. "That woman is truly shameless!"
When she kissed Shimizu, at most they would occasionally embrace like that. It was usually at Shimizu's active request, and she only agreed with some reluctance. She had never proactively leaned in like that, let alone placed her boyfriend's hands on her own body.
"Fine, you don't need to compete with Kikyo." Shimizu thought to himself that the things Kikyo had done were far more than what Suzune had. "Just go at your own pace."
To his surprise, Horikita only hesitated for a few seconds. "No, I want to try too." She pursed her lips. "In this deserted island special exam, Karuizawa and I were grouped with you. Wasn't the initial goal to make us more intimate?"
Shimizu was stunned, then burst out laughing. "I thought you were going to deliberately forget about that."
"Who forgot?" Horikita turned her face away. "I have never forgotten."
"That's good then." Shimizu suppressed a laugh. "But Suzune, don't force yourself for this kind of thing. I haven't looked down on you. Don't you have your own pace? Just follow that."
"I know you don't look down on me." Horikita turned back, her eyes dodging his. "But... I care."
"I can't control what happened between you and Kikyo in the past. But now that I'm with you, I don't want to lose to her in any aspect. Including... this."
Suzune was usually incredibly calm and rational, but she was unexpectedly stubborn about things like this.
"So, how do you want to try?" he asked.
Horikita was silent for a few seconds, seemingly building up her mental resolve. Then she took a deep breath and looked up. "First... sit still and don't move."
Shimizu did as instructed. Horikita leaned in front of him. Then she reached out and placed her hands on his shoulders. Shimizu almost couldn't hold it together.
"Don't laugh," Horikita glared.
"I'm not laughing," Shimizu said, trying to keep a straight face.
Horikita took another deep breath, slowly bent down, and brought her face close to his lips. Then she stopped. She stayed there, inches away, motionless.
Shimizu waited for five seconds without any follow-up. "...Suzune?"
"I'm thinking about the next step." Horikita was contemplating. What would Kikyo do at this moment?
"You're asking me?"
"Aren't you the one involved?"
"Uh... well! At this point, she'd already be in my arms..."
She looked down at herself; there was at least a twenty-centimeter gap between her body and his embrace. "And then?" she asked.
"Then she'd naturally sit on my lap and lean her whole body in," Shimizu described honestly.
Horikita's expression became more complex. She tried to shift onto his lap. Her movements were slow—first, one leg lifted, hovering in the air for two seconds of hesitation before gently crossing over. Then the other leg. Finally, she was positioned on his lap in an extremely awkward, half-kneeling, half-sitting posture.
Shimizu looked down. "Suzune, you're kneeling, not sitting."
"I know," Horikita's body stiffened. "I'm adjusting."
Another five seconds passed. She finally succeeded in sitting completely in his embrace. Then she stayed there, as stiff as a piece of wood. Shimizu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"What are you laughing at?" Horikita glared, but because of the close proximity, the glare lost most of its power.
"Nothing." Shimizu stifled his laugh. "I just think you're quite cute."
Horikita's face turned red again. But she didn't retreat; instead, she continued to probe: "And then? Where do her hands go?"
"On my shoulders."
Horikita put her hands there. "And you?"
"I wrap my arms around her waist."
Horikita looked down at her waist, then at Shimizu's hands hanging by his sides, signaling with her eyes. Shimizu understood and reached out to encircle her waist.
"And then?" she asked.
"Then she'd kiss me."
Horikita was silent for a second. Then she leaned forward slightly and pressed her lips against his. This time she didn't rush to pull away but maintained the position, seemingly waiting for his feedback for the next step.
Shimizu didn't make her wait long. He tightened his arms slightly, pulling his seriously cute girlfriend closer into his embrace, and deepened the kiss.
Horikita closed her eyes, earnestly sensing this kiss learned from Kikyo. It had to be said that in this posture, it was indeed easier to feel her boyfriend's presence than usual. And his hands... hmm, the pressure on her body felt significantly clearer and deeper than before.
Just as she was thinking this, she noticed Shimizu's hands slowly moving upward...
Horikita instinctively bit his lip.
"Are you not used to it? Then next time..." Shimizu immediately stopped and released her.
"..." Horikita was silent for a few seconds before speaking in a low voice. "Let's start from the bottom up—starting from the legs. Last time was across the kotatsu; skipping straight ahead feels weird and uncomfortable."
Shimizu burst into a quiet laugh.
"I'm back! Akira-kun, Horikita!"
Karuizawa Kei shouted happily from a distance. When she reached the tent, she instinctively peeked inside, only to find neither of them there. Wait, don't tell me they... An inexplicable panic rose in her heart.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she carefully lifted the tent flap. She only saw Horikita Suzune inside, quietly folding the clothes for the three of them.
"Welcome back." Horikita greeted her with her usual cold tone.
"Oh! I'm back!" Karuizawa was long used to her being this way with everyone except Shimizu. She asked casually, "Where's Akira-kun?"
"Went to gather firewood." Just as she spoke, Shimizu walked in from outside carrying a large bundle of branches.
"Oh, I see!" Karuizawa finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought the two of them had ditched her to do something unspeakable. It seemed she was overthinking.
But... she looked closely. Why did Horikita Suzune's lips look a bit red? How strange. Just as she was about to ask, Horikita spoke up with a hint of unnaturalness: "Why are you back so late?"
Distracted, Karuizawa didn't think further and instead said excitedly, "Ah! Because I ran into Chiaki, Maya, and Nene! We chatted for a bit."
Shimizu's interest was piqued. "You two made up?"
A few months ago, Karuizawa had apparently been caught red-handed bad-mouthing Matsushita Chiaki.
"I don't know either." Mentioning this, Karuizawa looked puzzled. "When I went to find her that day, Chiaki forgave me so easily—she didn't even let me finish my apology. Oh, and today she stuffed me with a bunch of snacks, saying she specifically spent points to buy them for me. It's really strange for her to be so nice to me all of a sudden..."
While folding clothes, Horikita said calmly, "Then she must have done something she feels guilty about toward you to be so nice all of a sudden."
Karuizawa was stunned, but before she could think it over, Horikita spoke again: "By the way, didn't you say yesterday afternoon you wanted grilled fish? Akira-kun and I discussed it; how about grilled fish for dinner tonight?"
"Ah! Yes, yes!" Karuizawa nodded immediately, her eyes shining. Only after her cheer did she have a delayed realization.
'Wait, why is Suzune suddenly being so nice to me too?'
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Day 4 on the Deserted Island
Shimizu Akira still woke up very early. Just past 6:30 AM, he was already dressed and ready to go out for some fresh air. Glancing at the island entrance, he didn't see the middle-aged man today. The zipper on his tent was tightly shut; it seemed yesterday's early rise was a fluke.
However, he did spot another acquaintance. Sakayanagi Arisu, wearing a tracksuit and holding a toothbrush and toothpaste, was slowly walking back from the girls' restroom area. Seeing Shimizu jogging, she was slightly startled, then smiled and offered a greeting.
"Shimizu-kun, good morning."
"Sakayanagi, good morning," Shimizu replied.
Sakayanagi took the initiative to walk over. "Speaking of which, I quite honestly followed your instructions and went to apologize to Ichinose." She winked. "So you can't give me that cold shoulder and complain about me like before."
"I knew that already." Shimizu waved his hand. "And when did I ever give you the 'cold shoulder' treatment?" He looked at her toiletries. "By the way, it seems your life on the island is quite luxurious."
"Hehe." Sakayanagi chuckled softly. "After all, I am someone receiving 'special consideration' from the school. I can't directly participate in exams or tasks; I can only set up camp here at the entrance with the teachers. But there are toilets here, female showers, and hot water. Wouldn't it be a waste of such good conditions not to brush my teeth or wash my face? One shouldn't suffer for the sake of suffering!"
Shimizu's lip twitched. While others were playing Survivor on the island, she made it sound like a vacation. But he also knew her situation was unique; the school had even formulated special rules just for her.
Sakayanagi asked with a smile, "By the way, how many points does your group have now?"
"73. You?"
"We're a bit lower, only 55." She tilted her head. "I thought that score was pretty good, but compared to you, it seems like nothing."
According to the pace of a normal team, excluding tasks, one could get at most 4 points just by checking in daily. On the first day, you could only check in three times, and with full attendance the following days, the base would be 11 points. Since only the top three in tasks get extra rewards, most groups didn't get many bonus points. Twenty or thirty points was the norm. Sakayanagi's 55 points were actually quite good, but compared to Shimizu, the gap was obvious.
"Oh, right, right." She seemed to remember something and said somewhat boastfully, "Thanks to your maneuvers on the island last year, I understood the importance of favors. These past few days, I've been working hard to build good relations with the teachers. Several have already secretly given me snacks."
Shimizu massaged his forehead. "Are you sure that was your social skills at work? And not because your father is about to be reinstated?"
Sakayanagi's smile stiffened slightly. "Shimizu-kun, speaking too directly isn't always a good thing."
Shimizu spread his hands. "I'm just telling the truth."
"Honestly." Sakayanagi sighed. "But you aren't wrong; that is indeed part of the reason. But you can't entirely dismiss my efforts, can you? At the very least, the fact that teachers are willing to give me snacks means they don't dislike me—isn't that a form of recognition?"
"I suppose." Shimizu nodded. "So when is Chairman Sakayanagi officially resuming his post?"
"The specific time hasn't been announced, but it should be soon." Sakayanagi said, "Why, do you care?"
"Just asking." Shimizu glanced at the time. "I have to head back to prepare for a task. Enjoy your 'special treatment'."
"Wait a moment." Sakayanagi called out to him.
Shimizu turned back. Sakayanagi walked up to him and looked up at him with rare seriousness. "My father said that last year's class voting exam directly caused Tsukishiro to lose prestige. So, I should thank you for that—thank you for helping my father once again."
Shimizu was stunned. Sakayanagi Arisu proactively saying thank you was a rare occurrence. If he remembered correctly, Honami had mentioned Sakayanagi going to apologize, saying her awkwardness was a sight to behold. Now, this usually proud and genius girl was actually lowering her head to give thanks—it was quite a contrast.
He recovered and waved it off. "Don't thank me. I only did it to achieve my own goals; at most, it was an indirect influence. Besides, even without me, Chairman Sakayanagi would have returned sooner or later."
"But without your maneuvers, it would have taken much longer for my father to regain his position." Sakayanagi smiled. "So, I must give you this thank-you gift." She pulled a small bag from her pocket and handed it to him.
"What's this?"
"Cookies given by the teachers; I'm sharing half with you." Sakayanagi winked meaningfully. "Think of it as a thank-you gift, or... a bribe?"
Shimizu took the bag and asked, "What are you bribing me for?"
"Naturally, I hope Shimizu-kun will continue to give me 'guidance' in the future." Sakayanagi laughed happily. "After all, we are rivals. There's no harm in understanding a rival's way of thinking, right? I'll definitely beat you next time."
"Fine, I'll take it." He tucked the cookies into his pocket. "But next time we meet, I won't go easy on you just because I took your stuff."
"That's only natural." Sakayanagi nodded and pointed to an object on her waist. "Oh! I also have a walkie-talkie. If you want to contact me, tune into channel XXX at 10:00 AM, and you'll find me."
"You're proactively giving me your contact info?"
"What, don't want it?"
"Having your alternate account was enough. But aren't you afraid I'll use this channel to interfere with your strategies?"
"Would you?"
"No."
"Then there you go. Besides, if you run into any trouble on the island, you might even ask me for help. Don't forget, I'm the one with special treatment—my resources are far richer than yours. Though as aid, it naturally comes with conditions; if you ask for my help, you'll owe me a favor."
"Of course. I was wondering why you were suddenly being so kind."
"The feeling is mutual. Well then, looking forward to your call, Shimizu-kun." She waved her hand and turned to walk toward her tent with her cane.
Shimizu watched her leave and looked down at the bag of cookies. This woman really hadn't changed at all from start to finish.
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Time quickly moved to 8:00 AM. Today's Daily Intel was as follows:
Points earned on the final day of this Deserted Island Special Exam will be doubled. Ibuki Mio of Year 2 Class C likes eating strawberries. At 4:55 AM yesterday, Kinoshita Minori and Ike Kanji were attacked in the I4 area, falling unconscious. Shinohara Satsuki was the sole survivor.
Wait.
A major piece of news right off the bat—points doubled on the last day? The school hadn't mentioned this rule at all before. Was it a newly added regulation? If so, the final day of the exam would become paramount.
The second item was about Ibuki. Likes strawberries? She is a girl, after all, so it wasn't too strange.
The last item. Early this morning, a group ran into trouble? He looked closely—it was a group from his own class? And it was Ike Kanji?
Shimizu and Ike were on good terms. Seeing this intel, he immediately abandoned his plan to participate in a task and rushed to the scene. Since the GPS system was open on the fourth day, he spent 1 point to look up Shinohara Satsuki's location on his tablet.
After wandering for over ten minutes, he finally found her. However, she was already surrounded by medical personnel. Because it involved an assault on students, Sakagami and Chabashira-sensei were also present.
Nearby, he saw Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, whom he hadn't seen in a while. And next to him was another group: Ryuen Kakeru, Ishizaki Daichi, and Yamada Albert.
Shimizu walked over. To avoid revealing that he knew the intel in advance, he lied: "I saw a lot of medical staff rushing here. What happened?"
Ayanokouji began to explain. It was largely consistent with the intel. While Ike, Kinoshita, and Shinohara were traveling, Shinohara had fallen behind for some reason. By the time she caught up, Ike and Kinoshita were already down. However, because Ayanokouji had been near the scene when it happened, he knew more specific details about the injuries.
Both Ike Kanji and Kinoshita Minori had fractures and would need at least a month to recover, meaning they certainly couldn't continue the special exam. Shimizu breathed a sigh of relief—at least it wasn't anything life-threatening.
Just then, Hirata's group of three also arrived. Sudo Ken, upon seeing Ryuen Kakeru, immediately charged forward aggressively: "Was it you, Ryuen? If I remember correctly, you tried to have Kinoshita frame Horikita from our class during the Sports Festival last year!"
The surrounding students who had gathered out of curiosity began to cast suspicious glances. This "accident" really did look like Ryuen's handiwork.
"Hey!" Ryuen's face turned black with anger. "I didn't order Kinoshita to do anything like that! Stop framing innocent people!"
"If it wasn't you, who was it?" Sudo didn't back down. "It's not like you haven't done this kind of thing a dozen times!"
"Idiot." Ryuen sneered. "If I really wanted to mess with someone, would I pick 4:00 AM? And pick a spot where it's this easy to be discovered? Besides..." He glanced at Shinohara, who was receiving psychological counseling nearby. "If I were to act, would I leave a survivor?"
Hirata stepped forward and held Sudo's shoulder. "Sudo-kun, calm down. The most important thing now is confirming the safety of Ike-kun and Kinoshita-san."
Sudo bit his lip and finally stepped back.
Chabashira-sensei walked over with a stern expression. "Stop arguing. The school will investigate this. Now, all non-essential personnel leave the scene. Do not interfere with the medical staff."
The crowd began to slowly disperse.
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