Chapter 036 Volleyballs are Balls, but the Ones on Your Chest are Balls Too! / This Idiot!
Screenshots—if he remembered correctly, Nanase Tsubasa was the one who insisted on sending them.
A few months ago, he had explicitly told her that if she really had to send screenshots, she should just group them together and send them over the weekend. As it turned out, this kouhai acted as if she hadn't seen the message at all, continuing to "check in" punctually every single day.
Shimizu Akira massaged his forehead. "Where are we going to find a volleyball? Besides, this is a deserted island; there aren't any courts, right?"
Nanase Tsubasa replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "I have a volleyball in my bag right now. As for the court, we can just draw a line. We don't need a net for now, as long as we both guarantee the ball stays at least a meter above the line."
Great. She was quite well-prepared.
Shimizu Akira thought about it and gave a crisp nod. "Fine, let's go then."
"Eh?" Nanase was actually a bit surprised. "I thought Senpai would try to make excuses for a while."
"Excuses for what? It's lunch break, and there aren't any tasks," Shimizu said openly. "Nanase, you're indeed beautiful and have a great figure. I truly have no reason to refuse."
This overly blunt honesty made Nanase Tsubasa feel a bit bashful. She turned her head as if to change the subject, pointing not far away. "There's a beach over there. I saw it when I passed by earlier; there shouldn't be anyone there now."
The two walked toward that direction.
After a few steps, Shimizu asked, "By the way, did you bring a swimsuit?"
"I did," Nanase said matter-of-factly. "The same one as before."
As she spoke, she pulled a neatly folded bikini out of her bag. Shimizu caught a glimpse—yep, definitely the one he saw last time. Yellow, with a bit of lace trim.
They headed toward the sand. Nanase walked in front with a light step; to make movement easier, her ponytail swayed back and forth with her stride. Shimizu followed behind, his gaze inadvertently falling on her. This kouhai usually looked quite straight-laced, but he hadn't expected her to have such initiative. Carrying a volleyball around? This had clearly been planned for a while.
"Senpai, we're here."
Nanase stopped and turned to look at him. Behind her was a small beach, semi-enclosed by several reefs. It was indeed very secluded and devoid of people.
"The place is nice." Shimizu looked around. "But you mentioned drawing a line. Do you have a tool?"
"I do." Nanase pulled a wooden stick from her bag. "This will work."
Shimizu took the stick and sketched out a rough outline of a court on the sand. Though crude, it was functional enough.
"Alright, change your clothes," he said, handing the stick back. "I'll turn around."
Nanase said softly, "Please don't peek, Senpai."
"I won't."
Shimizu turned his back, hearing the rustling of clothes behind him. The sea breeze blew past, carrying a faint saltiness and a subtle, indefinable fragrance.
"Finished."
Shimizu turned back.
Nanase's figure was indeed as stunning as he remembered. It was obvious even when she wore her school uniform, but now, wearing only a swimsuit, her curves were even more pronounced, radiating a certain "fleshy" appeal.
She lightly wrapped one arm across her chest and asked in a small voice, "What does Senpai think?"
"Great," Shimizu said honestly. "It suits you well."
Nanase finally broke into a happy smile. "Thank you, Senpai. Shall we begin?"
They each stood on opposite sides of the court. Nanase took the volleyball from her bag and gave it a light pat.
"Senpai, the rules are simple: the ball can't touch the ground, and it can't go out of bounds. Whoever messes up loses."
"Is there a penalty for losing?"
"Hmm... I'm thinking. I'll tell you later."
"Fine."
Nanase tossed the ball up and hit it lightly. The volleyball traced an arc through the air, flying toward Shimizu. He raised his hand to receive it and hit it back. Back and forth, they slowly found their rhythm.
As they played, Shimizu noticed that Nanase's movements were very flexible; she wasn't clumsy at all when running. Moreover, when she jumped to receive the ball, certain parts of her body definitely swayed along with the movement.
If you're playing beach volleyball with a member of the opposite sex in a swimsuit, it's very difficult to keep your eyes strictly on the ball. Ninety-nine percent of the time, your gaze will land somewhere else.
"Senpai, you're getting distracted."
Nanase's voice drifted over. Shimizu snapped back to reality, but the ball had already hit the ground.
"My mistake."
"Senpai fouled, I get a point." Nanase ran over with a smile to pick up the ball. The moment she bent over, a certain angle was aimed right at him.
That breathtaking "height" made Shimizu silently look out at the sea. Reality-version Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball wasn't something every man could handle! Not to mention he was only wearing swim trunks; as a senpai, he couldn't afford to lose face!
"Senpai, are you afraid to look at me?" Nanase straightened up and asked directly.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Then Senpai, look into my eyes when you speak."
Shimizu turned his head, meeting her gaze. Nanase's eyes were very clear, like spring water without any impurities. However, she didn't look entirely unfazed either. She raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her earlobes slightly red.
"Senpai, you're afraid to look at me because you're worried I'll catch you peeking at my chest, right? Well, I can tell you clearly: I've already noticed."
Shimizu liked "straight balls" (directness), but he had never encountered such a direct scene before. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"Uh... I apologize."
"It's fine." Nanase shook her head. "I already knew Senpai was someone who likes lewd things. And if we're playing volleyball, it's inevitable that you'd see that; I understand."
She added quite seriously, "Besides, I know Senpai's physical capabilities are amazing. In a sense, if Senpai hadn't been distracted, I probably wouldn't have gotten that point."
Shimizu said speechlessly, "Nanase, you're making me sound like some kind of pervert."
"Not a pervert," Nanase corrected seriously. "A Senpai who likes lewd things."
"Is there a difference?"
"Yes. A pervert wouldn't admit it, but Senpai will apologize." she said solemnly. "So Senpai is just a little lewd, but your character is fine."
Shimizu was once again defeated by this logic.
"Fine, whatever you say." He shook his head helplessly. "So what now? Do we keep playing?"
Nanase glanced at the time. "I want to continue. Is that okay, Senpai?"
Shimizu followed her gaze to the time: 11:40 AM. There was still over an hour left of lunch break, which was indeed enough to play for a while longer.
"I don't mind," he said. "But are you sure? If we keep going, I might get distracted again."
Nanase thought about it seriously. "It's okay. I've already gotten used to Senpai's gaze."
Shimizu: "..."
'What do you mean 'gotten used to it'? Why does that sound so strange?'
Nanase, however, didn't feel anything was amiss. She grabbed the ball and stood at the edge of the court, waiting for him. "Senpai, hurry up!"
Shimizu walked back to his position with a sigh. The second round began. This time, Shimizu really did try to focus on the volleyball. But honestly, it was hard. Nanase's posture while running, her curves when jumping, the angle when she bent over to pick up the ball—these images kept forcing their way into his eyes uncontrollably.
The volleyball was a ball, but were the ones on her chest not balls too?! His male instincts were at work!
And she didn't care at all. In fact, she seemed to be doing it on purpose, her movements even more exaggerated than before.
"Nanase-san," Shimizu couldn't help but speak up the next time she picked up the ball.
"Yes?"
"Are you doing this on purpose?"
Nanase straightened up with an innocent look. "Doing what on purpose?"
"Doing... that."
"What is 'that'?"
Looking at her pure, flawless face, Shimizu was completely silenced. This kouhai was so naturally airheaded that she hadn't noticed she was "shaking" more and more intensely?
"Forget it, it's nothing." He gave up the questioning. "Let's continue."
Nanase nodded and served the ball again. As they played, Shimizu gradually found that he could actually focus a bit more. Not because he didn't want to look, but because Nanase's
expression was incredibly focused while she played. She pursed her lips slightly, her eyes fixed on the ball, completely immersed in this simple game. That look of single-minded concentration was actually more attractive than her figure.
"Senpai, you're distracted again."
The ball hit the ground and rolled aside. Shimizu snapped back, realizing he had indeed messed up again. "Sorry."
Nanase ran over to pick up the ball, but when she came back, she didn't serve immediately. Instead, she stood before the line, looking at him.
"Senpai, what were you looking at this time?"
"You."
"Where?"
"Your face."
Nanase froze for a second, and then the tips of her ears turned red.
"What's... so good about my face?"
"When you play, your expression is very serious," Shimizu said honestly. "It's quite pretty."
Nanase was silent for a few seconds, then lowered her head, clutching the volleyball to her chest. "Senpai, you're making me feel embarrassed."
Shimizu smiled. "Oh, so you can feel embarrassed?"
"Of course I can," Nanase said, biting her lip. "I'm just more direct, it's not like I don't have feelings."
They involuntarily held eye contact for a few seconds. Finally, Nanase was the first to look away. "Um... are we still playing?"
"Yes."
This time, both of them played seriously. Back and forth they went; there were occasional mistakes, but no one kept score. The sun, the sand, the sound of the waves, and the girl playing seriously across from him—Shimizu suddenly felt that these 300,000 personal points were quite well spent.
At 12:50 PM, Nanase Tsubasa finally got tired.
"I can't go on..." she panted, plopping down onto the sand. "Senpai is too amazing. Don't you get tired?"
Shimizu walked over and sat down beside her. "I'm used to it."
Nanase turned her head to look at him. A layer of sweat covered her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed from the exercise. "Senpai, thank you for accompanying me."
"Don't mention it." Shimizu looked out at the sea. "And thank you for standing up for me immediately in front of Nagumo Miyabi the other day."
"Senpai."
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
Nanase hesitated, then spoke: "Senpai has so many girlfriends... don't you find it exhausting?"
Shimizu thought about it. "I wouldn't say exhausting," he said. "But it does require effort. Everyone has a different personality, likes different things, and cares about different matters. Making everyone happy isn't easy."
"Then why does Senpai do it?"
"Because... I can't bear to let them go, I guess."
Nanase tilted her head. "You can't bear to make anyone sad?" she asked. "Is that Senpai's personality?"
"You're making me sound too noble." Shimizu smiled. "I'm a scumbag, as you put it."
Nanase shook her head. "I said 'flirtatious.' Flirtatious and scumbag are two different things. And I think Senpai is... quite gentle."
Shimizu looked at her with some surprise.
"It's true," Nanase said seriously. "If Senpai were the type who only cared about his own happiness, you wouldn't consider so much. But you do. You've also looked after me very well. So I think that while Senpai is flirtatious, you're not a bad person."
Shimizu was silent for a few seconds. "You really are a pure-hearted good girl, Nanase. You just might not be suited for this school."
Nanase stiffened slightly, an inexplicable wave of guilt and self-loathing rising in her heart. But she took a deep breath and voiced her original goal.
"Senpai! You lost two points to me just now, so I want you to grant me one small request!"
"Do you want to borrow more money?"
"No." She shook her head. "I just hope Senpai can come out to play with me again the morning after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow? Around this same time?"
"Yes!"
"Playing volleyball again?"
"Volleyball first. Afterward, I hope Senpai can help me apply sunscreen."
Shimizu froze. "Apply sunscreen?"
"Yes." Nanase nodded. "I can't reach my back, I can't do it alone. Since Senpai likes lewd things, you probably won't refuse, right?"
Shimizu massaged his forehead again. "Nanase, do you know what you're saying?"
"I know. A bet's a bet. Fair and just."
Shimizu admitted that Nanase Tsubasa was indeed very beautiful and had a great figure. Any normal man facing such an invitation would not remain completely unmoved. But the problem was...
"Nanase, have you considered that if this continues, things might happen that you can't control?"
Nanase blinked. "What do you mean?"
"It means...!" Shimizu searched for the words. "I am a normal man. If you keep proactively approaching me like this, what if I develop thoughts about you that I shouldn't have?"
Nanase looked at him. "Would Senpai?"
"What?"
"Would Senpai develop thoughts about me that you shouldn't have?"
"I don't know, but I don't want to lie to you."
Nanase stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed again. "Senpai really is a good person."
"There you go again."
"It's true," she said seriously. "If Senpai really had designs on me, you wouldn't have said those things just now—you would have just agreed immediately."
"So you're testing me?"
"Not testing." She shook her head. "It's trust. I trust that Senpai won't hurt me."
"Fine." He sighed. "The day after tomorrow, in the morning. What time?"
Nanase's eyes lit up. "Senpai agreed?"
"Yes, I have no reason to refuse."
"Great!" Nanase nodded happily and checked the time. "I'll be going then, Senpai. See you the day after tomorrow!"
"See you."
Watching Nanase leave, Shimizu stood there, falling into deep thought.
'The day after tomorrow... is she planning to make a move on me?'
No. Nanase probably wouldn't screw him over. He thought for a while.
'Most likely, she's planning to stall me and then make a move on Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.'
He wasn't an idiot. This kouhai, Nanase Tsubasa, approaching him repeatedly like this definitely had other motives. The day before yesterday, she had even nearly let something slip. Being affected by her figure just now was one thing; him holding back was another—otherwise, he would have won the third round easily.
Then again...
"Beach volleyball followed by sunscreen..." He couldn't help but laugh. "She's really going all out. The last person to tempt me like this was Kikyo."
-
-
-
On the sixth day of the deserted island special exam, today's daily intel refreshed as follows:
In past deserted island special exams, students have used the tablet's recording function to successfully report other students' rule violations. It will rain heavily tomorrow. The reason Hoshinomiya Chie became a teacher at Advanced Nurturing High School was solely to stop Chabashira from rising to Class A.
'Hmm? Using tablet recordings to report others?'
Shimizu remembered seeing many students taking photos and videos on their tablets during breaks over the past few days as souvenirs. Of course, the tablets couldn't connect to the internet, so students could only use these basic functions.
The second point: heavy rain tomorrow? This was probably the shortest entry in the history of the intel system. He didn't know when it would start or if it would affect his plans with Nanase.
As for the third point, it was about Hoshinomiya-sensei. It meant she became a teacher purely because of Chabashira? Actually, Shimizu had heard about Chabashira's past from previous intel. Simply put, when Chabashira and Hoshinomiya were about to graduate, they were both in Year 3 Class B, facing their final special exam. The class leader at the time decided to let himself be expelled by a class vote, which would exchange for a massive amount of points, allowing the class to overtake Class A and graduate as Class A. In the end, because
Chabashira consistently voted against it to protect her lover, the vote failed. They ended up graduating as Class B.
Looking back, Shimizu felt that Hoshinomiya Chie's grudge against Chabashira Sae was somewhat understandable. The leader himself had no objections, yet a great future was ruined by someone else—who wouldn't hold a grudge? To be honest, if someone in his high school class had prevented him from getting into a prestigious university, he'd have given them a beating at the very least. That went without saying. However, Hoshinomiya Chie's method of revenge—indirectly affecting several generations of students taught by Chabashira-sensei—was indeed not quite right. She should have just targeted the person directly. So a few days ago, Hoshinomiya had approached him, asking him not to go all out.
Shimizu concluded that today's intel was a bit weak; not a single piece was useful. He couldn't tell if it was just a feeling, but it seemed his intel system was becoming less and less useful lately.
At 11:00 AM today, Shimizu didn't head out alone as usual to check in or participate in tasks. Instead, he returned to the tent to have lunch with Karuizawa Kei and Horikita Suzune. They spread out a picnic mat in the wild and sat in a circle.
Karuizawa Kei bit into a piece of bread, saying happily, "It's quite nice to have lunch with Akira-kun at noon!"
Horikita Suzune gave him a puzzled look. "It's rare for you to come back instead of participating in tasks. What's wrong? Do you have something to say to us?"
"Actually, there's no special reason," Shimizu explained. "I just wanted to think things through. It's been several days since the group capacity slots opened; I got three slots from a task yesterday afternoon. What do you two think about grouping with another group? Do you have any preferred candidates?"
"Candidates..." Kei looked up. "I don't think we need to group up! The three of us together are fine."
Horikita Suzune also nodded. "No need to group up."
Actually, their thoughts were similar. If they grouped up, at the very least, those three—Kushida Kikyo, Haruka, and Airi—would definitely try to squeeze in. Kikyo was Shimizu's number-one girlfriend, and Haruka and Airi had such "illegal" figures; plus, Shimizu had already been intimate with those three. If they joined, what share would be left for the two of them?
Shimizu didn't think that far ahead. Seeing that Suzune and Kei both disagreed, he nodded. "Fine, then our group won't add anyone. By the way, if we don't add people and it's just the three of us, we'll still have to deal with the White Room and other troublesome people. I'll be using the GPS system frequently from now on, so there's a high probability we won't get a high ranking."
"Well, if we don't get it, we don't get it." Karuizawa Kei didn't see it as a problem. "We still have Koenji-kun in the class anyway!"
By the way, she had glanced at the rankings this morning; their group had suddenly dropped to eighth place, falling four spots. It was the sixth day, after all; some groups had already formed full six-person teams. Six people could earn a minimum of 24 points per day just by checking in, not to mention they could spread out to participate in tasks. This advantage would only grow. Their ranking would likely continue to drop.
"Speaking of which," Karuizawa Kei asked curiously, "how does Koenji manage to take second place with just one person's strength? Horikita, did you, Hirata, or Kushida secretly make some kind of agreement with him to make him go all out? Otherwise, why is he working so hard for this special exam?"
Horikita Suzune shook her head. "I didn't. Hirata-kun probably wouldn't force Koenji to go all out either. As for Kushida... she wouldn't do it either." She figured that, at least according to Kushida's faked personality, she definitely wouldn't do it. She looked at her boyfriend. "Akira-kun, was it you? That self-centered guy only seems to listen to you."
"Uh... what do you mean he 'only listens' to me?!" Shimizu almost choked on his lunch meat, quickly explaining, "I didn't make him go all out. If you ask me, I think he probably felt that since the class spent ten million personal points to buy him back last time, he wants to give something back first."
"Huh?" Karuizawa Kei immediately shook her head. "You're quite good at beautifying him, aren't you? I don't believe it!" Koenji returning a favor to the class? That sounded like a joke.
Seeing that Horikita Suzune also looked unconvinced, Shimizu tapped his two girlfriends on the forehead, explaining helplessly: "That guy Koenji may be self-centered, but he's not actually a bad person. If you accidentally help him, he'll keep it in mind as a debt of gratitude. This time, our class undoubtedly put up ten million points to prevent his expulsion. I think there's a certain probability he'd do it for that reason. Of course, it's also possible he just felt like it. Anyway, the possibility can't be ruled out."
Horikita Suzune, like Karuizawa Kei, felt her boyfriend was once again inadvertently "beautifying" someone. But regardless, it was a great thing that Koenji Rokusuke really had the possibility of taking first place.
She remembered Kei's first question and said: "When I was participating in a task a few days ago, I happened to see Koenji lying on the ground in broad daylight sleeping as if no one were around. That man seems to be pulling all-nighters working hard."
"All-nighters?" Karuizawa Kei was stunned. "Is only a few hours of sleep per day enough? Wouldn't that lead to obesity, high blood pressure, wrinkles, aging, and heart disease?"
"So, I suspect Koenji is a rare 'short sleeper'." Seeing Kei's confused look, Horikita Suzune explained in simple terms: "After sleeping for a few dozen minutes that day, he looked like he'd
completely restored his energy and spirit, and he immediately took first place in a task. This is the true reason why Koenji can take second place by himself. You can think of him as a superhuman among normal people—he sleeps less and does more."
"What?! That's so unfair!" Karuizawa Kei was suddenly speechless. "Not only does he get all those extra hours every day for free, but he doesn't even have to worry about sleep quality. What am I supposed to do as someone who suffers from insomnia from time to time?!"
People with short-sleeper constitutions were indeed elites, every single one of them. Even if your IQ was average, if you had four or five extra hours of waking time every day compared to normal people, it would be easy to become a genius just by doing something with it.
Shimizu Akira felt a bit bad for Kei's insomnia and lightly patted her hand. "Before you go to sleep tonight, I'll massage your temples and see if it helps. If it really doesn't work, I'll go with you to the harbor and spend some points to buy some medicine."
"It's okay, it's okay!" Although Karuizawa Kei was moved by her boyfriend's thoughtfulness, the reason for her insomnia was simple: she thought too much. After all, every night when she went to sleep, she proactively held Shimizu's hand, and then she'd start letting her mind wander, hoping he'd do something "bad" to her—how could she possibly sleep under those circumstances?
Then again, her boyfriend was quite something too—six days had passed, and he still hadn't made a move on her or Suzune!
'Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!'
She thought for a long time and decided the problem lay with the bedding. For the past few days, everyone in the tent could only cover themselves with their own clothes, which was very inconvenient. If they had blankets, the outcome would definitely be completely different.
"Ahem..." She cleared her throat. "Then I'll go buy blankets this afternoon!"
"Blankets?" Karuizawa Kei had been clamoring to buy blankets for a few days, and now she was bringing it up again. "Then I'll go with you. Blankets are quite heavy; I'll help you carry them."
"No need, no need!" To her surprise, Karuizawa Kei waved her off. "Chiaki gave me more food yesterday, and she asked me to meet her at the harbor this afternoon, saying she'd buy some more for me. I'll just go with her!"
Shimizu massaged his forehead. Matsushita Chiaki was still laying the groundwork for becoming the eighth girlfriend. However, seeing Kei looking so happy, he couldn't help but ask: "Matsushita has been so nice to you lately; don't you find it strange?"
"Hmm? Strange what?" Karuizawa Kei said as a matter of course. "I've been practicing boxing now; my combat power is very high! I'm usually the one looking out for them—isn't it natural for her to be nice to me?!"
'This idiot!'
Read ahead (120 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting