Chapter 037 Educated by Masumi, Then Disciplining Morishita Ai / You Like Him!
Shimizu Akira had been silently counting the number of tasks available each day.
Sixty-eight on the first day, one hundred on the second, and ninety-four on the third. On average, there were about 90 to 100 sessions per day. Each session usually accommodated five to ten participants, and there were 462 students in the entire school. Calculating it this way, each person could only participate in one or two tasks per day on average.
Shimizu Akira was in good form today; by just past 2:00 PM, he had already participated in three tasks and taken two first-place finishes. The sit-up competition just now was an undisputed victory, and he had also snagged second place for a designated area check-in.
"Should I go fishing again this afternoon...?" His heart felt itchy.
Though it was a bit of a detour—the trip alone would take an hour—he thought better of it. He had already taken three first-place task finishes plus a second-place check-in today; combined, he had long surpassed the 20 points Suzune required. A little relaxation should be justifiable, right?
'Yes, yes, yes. It's decided!'
"Hey! Idiot!"
Suddenly, a familiar shout came from behind him.
Shimizu Akira turned his head to see Kamuro Masumi, whom he had met a few days prior, walking toward him.
"Masumi?! What are you doing here?" He was a bit surprised. "Aren't Hashimoto and the others with you today?"
"We came to participate in a task but missed the registration," Kamuro Masumi explained simply. "Hashimoto and Kito are over there charging their tablets, so I came over."
After speaking, she walked straight up to Shimizu Akira and reached out to pinch the corner of his mouth.
"Ah! Ow, ow, ow! Masumi, what are you doing!" Shimizu cried out in pain.
"You idiot." She applied pressure. "Tell me, how many points does your group have now?"
"Well... it's 127 points currently."
"What happened? Did you group up with another group?"
"No."
"If you didn't group up, how did you drop from fourth place to eighth? It's only been two days, right?"
Kamuro Masumi pulled harder.
Shimizu Akira had no choice but to confess: "Well... bad luck. A few of the tasks I participated in weren't in my areas of expertise, and there are only three of us."
"Excuses." Masumi exposed him without mercy. "Don't I know your stamina? I think I just heard someone talking to themselves about going fishing. You definitely think you've worked hard enough for today and want to slack off this afternoon, don't you? Otherwise, with your physical constitution, if you participated in a dozen tasks a day, what would Nagumo Miyabi even matter?"
Hit where it hurt, Shimizu Akira could only throw up his hands in surrender.
"My fault, my fault. I slacked off. I apologize."
Kamuro Masumi finally let go of his mouth, but then pinched his thigh.
"I'm telling you, don't think you can slack off just because you took first place once or twice. If you make it a habit, you'll only get lazier. The other girls who like you might not tell you directly, but I won't spoil you. Participate in at least five tasks a day and strive to take first in all of them, understood?"
Shimizu Akira nodded obediently. "Understood, understood. You're right to scold me."
He really had been a bit lax these past few days. Among his several girlfriends, it seemed only Masumi and Suzune could wake him up so bluntly.
"By the way, if I remember correctly," Kamuro Masumi snorted, "you sent over ten million personal points to those people in one go the other day, didn't you? Do you have any points left?"
"Well!" Shimizu replied instinctively. "I have about thirty million left. Why?"
"Still that many?" Kamuro Masumi was stunned.
She had intended to use the point situation to further spur her lazy boyfriend, but he was still this wealthy? Seeing the slight, inexplicable smugness on Shimizu Akira's face, she gritted her teeth. Feeling a sense of "hating that the iron isn't becoming steel," she reached out and pulled his ear.
"It would have been enough to just buy half-off cards for the seven of us and send 500,000 as a gesture. But you—you directly sent two million! You think having forty million makes you a big shot? At the rate you're squandering it, how many more times can you do that?"
"Yes, yes, yes. This is my fault too, I apologize!" Shimizu Akira quickly admitted his error.
'Wait, why has Masumi been disciplining me ever since she arrived?'
However, he also understood that at times like this, one must never argue with a girl—just apologize directly. Masumi was doing it for his own good; among so many girlfriends, she seemed to be the only one who cared about how points were spent.
"You think those girlfriends in your harem are all here for your looks and character?" Masumi let go and added a sharp-tongued remark. "I'm telling you, there might be women in there targeting your personal points. When your points run out, we'll see who stays with you."
Shimizu Akira looked at her seriously and said solemnly, "Well, Masumi definitely won't leave me, because you didn't ask for that two million points. Besides, when we first met, forget about asking me for money—you even lent me money multiple times. I still know that much."
"Hmph." Kamuro Masumi rolled her eyes at him. "Not a total fool, at least you know."
It was true. At the beginning, Kamuro Masumi thought Shimizu Akira was from Class D and so poor he couldn't afford to eat, so she frequently helped him out in secret. Later, this guy told her he actually had tens of millions of points in his account—he'd been playing poor in front of her the whole time. It was infuriating!
After a few seconds, Shimizu Akira proactively took her hand. Masumi snorted softly but didn't pull away. In the distance, Hashimoto and Kito were still in the charging area and didn't look like they were coming over anytime soon.
"By the way," Shimizu suddenly remembered something. "How many points does your group have now?"
"121 points."
"That's quite good! That many? You're almost catching up to us."
"Yeah, we're about to overtake you." Kamuro Masumi glanced at him. "We've already grouped up with another elite group from Class A. There are seven of us in total, though that woman Sakayanagi doesn't count as combat power."
"Is that so? 7 is indeed greater than 3." Shimizu Akira smiled. "Don't work too hard. It's okay to slack off occasionally."
"Like you?"
"Yes, like me. Since a slacker like me plans to get serious, then a serious person like you should slack off appropriately. An equivalent exchange—no problem, right?"
"..." Masumi couldn't be bothered to look at him. "Hmph. Depends on my mood."
Shimizu Akira figured that counted as an agreement. Otherwise, she wouldn't have snorted.
"You idiot." Masumi reached up and pinched his nose. "Every day, you can't go three sentences without talking about slacking off. I really don't know what I saw in you back then."
This time, Shimizu Akira didn't argue, letting her pinch him.
Once she let go, he asked, "Speaking of which, for this deserted island special exam, I'm in a group with Kei and Suzune, so I left you out. I'm sorry."
Masumi snorted softly. "I refused it myself. It has nothing to do with you."
She knew what Shimizu meant. Among the girlfriends he hadn't slept with yet, only she, Horikita Suzune, and Karuizawa Kei remained. But since she had promised Sakayanagi first, it couldn't be helped.
"Speaking of that." Masumi asked directly, "Have you done it with those two yet?"
"Not yet," Shimizu Akira answered truthfully.
He and Suzune were indeed progressing faster, but nothing had happened yet with Kei. Hearing this, Masumi showed a look of slight disdain.
"Useless!"
Kamuro Masumi wanted to say more, but seeing Hashimoto Masayoshi waving at her from a distance, she tapped Shimizu's forehead and turned to leave.
"Miki is in a group with that Morishita Ai; I'm a bit worried. If you run into them, look after them for me. If you perform well, come find me in my room after this special exam is over. Otherwise..." she looked back at him, "Hmph hmph, you know what'll happen."
Shimizu Akira watched Kamuro Masumi walk away and couldn't help but touch the forehead she had tapped.
"Yamamura Miki and Morishita Ai...!" He took out his tablet to check their locations.
Not bad—not too far away, about a twenty-minute walk. He checked the time; there were two more tasks he could participate in that afternoon. He'd make it.
.
.
.
"It is a mission from Masumi-sama, after all. Better finish it quickly." Shimizu Akira put away his tablet and headed toward the two.
Meanwhile, Kamuro Masumi returned to Hashimoto Masayoshi and Kito Hayato.
"Finished chatting?" Hashimoto asked with a smile.
"None of your business." Masumi took her tablet back with a blank expression.
"Don't be so cold; we're in the same group," Hashimoto shrugged. "Besides, didn't we make this trip specifically to accompany you? Then again, your expression looks much more normal now. You were comforted by Shimizu, weren't you? Don't worry, I'll explain to the Princess about that one point you lost using the GPS to find his location.
As a condition, you have to put in a good word for me in front of Shimizu. To be honest, I've been wanting to ask him to hang out lately but haven't found the chance."
Masumi ignored him, continuing to look down at her tablet. Yes, she had been stubborn just now. She hadn't "passed by"; she had specifically used the GPS to find him. After all, the island was huge and their groups were on different routes—encounters weren't that easy.
However, hearing Hashimoto's words, she couldn't help but feel disdain for Shimizu Akira again.
'Always attracting bees and butterflies.'
A grown man like Hashimoto wanting to ask him out—how ridiculous. Next time, she'd make him do push-ups face-to-face as a proper punishment!
'Wait... once we're back on the luxury cruise ship, I need to prepare a few more sets of stockings and buy a few more packs of "small umbrellas."
Since Karuizawa Kei and Horikita Suzune are about to be "taken," I can't fall too far behind.'
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.
.
On the other side, after walking for over ten minutes, Shimizu Akira finally found his targets on a beach. Yamamura Miki and Morishita Ai were resting by a reef, looking like they had just finished a task.
"Hmm? They're more well-behaved than I imagined!"
Before Shimizu Akira could finish his sentiment, he got closer and realized he had thought too much. The beautiful scene didn't even last ten seconds. Morishita Ai unceremoniously lay down on Yamamura Miki's lap, comfortably enjoying a "lap pillow." Yamamura Miki, having produced a small fan from somewhere, was carefully fanning her, timidly asking, "Morishita-san, how is it? Is your heatstroke any better?"
Morishita Ai's eyes were closed, her cherry-red lips pursed. There was nothing abnormal about her cute face. She offhandedly brushed her off: "Not yet... let me rest for five more minutes—no, ten more minutes—and I'll be fine."
"Oh, I see!"
Faced with such an obvious lie, Yamamura Miki didn't doubt her at all, simply continuing to fan her honestly.
"Um, keep using strength. I can't feel the breeze. Also, lean forward a bit more; the sun is hitting my face."
"Oh, I see!"
Watching Miki's slender hand fanning and blocking the sun for Morishita Ai while the latter acted as if it were natural and shameless... a flame of anger rose in Shimizu Akira. Half was
sympathy for Miki, and half was the leftover frustration from being disciplined by Masumi with nowhere to vent.
'Fine, fine. Morishita Ai, right? You're bullying even Yamamura Miki?'
Shimizu Akira strode forward, standing directly in front of the two, looking down at Morishita Ai as she lay on Miki's lap.
"Quite the luxury, Morishita-sama."
Morishita Ai opened her eyes. Seeing it was Shimizu Akira, she was stunned for a moment, then lazily sat up and adjusted her hair, showing no embarrassment at being caught.
"So it's Shimizu Akira. Is something wrong?"
"There is." Shimizu Akira gave a fake smile. "I came to check on you two on Masumi's behalf, only to find you here bullying Yamamura?"
"Bullying?" Morishita Ai looked innocent. "I just have heatstroke and asked Miki to take care of me. Miki, right?"
She turned to Yamamura Miki, a subtle threat in her eyes.
Yamamura Miki quickly nodded: "Y-yes! Morishita-san really does have heatstroke. I-I'm taking care of her voluntarily!"
Shimizu Akira's mouth twitched.
'This girl is being sold and still helping the seller count the money.'
"Heatstroke?" Shimizu looked at Morishita Ai's rosy face and determined in a second that she was talking nonsense. "Are you better now, then?"
"Not yet!" Morishita Ai's eyes darted around. "Ten more minutes of rest and I should be fine."
"Right." Shimizu interrupted her. "That's perfect. I just finished a task and have time on my hands. I'll help treat your heatstroke."
Morishita Ai was stunned. "How?"
Without a word, Shimizu Akira reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her up from Miki's lap.
"What are you doing!"
"The best way to treat heatstroke is to move around and improve blood circulation." Shimizu looked serious. "Come on, do some squats with me. I guarantee you'll be fine immediately."
"Who would do that!"
"Fifty squats. Once you're done, I'll let you keep resting."
"Fifty?!" Morishita Ai's eyes widened. "This is revenge!"
"How could it be?" Shimizu's smile was brilliant. "I'm just concerned about your health."
Morishita Ai tried to struggle, but Shimizu's hand was like an iron pincer—she couldn't break free. Yamamura Miki watched, dumbfounded, saying softly, "Um... Shimizu-kun, maybe we should just forget it..."
"Yamamura, stay out of this." Shimizu glanced at her.
"This person is just taking advantage of your good temper. She needs to be taught a lesson so she'll behave in the future."
Morishita Ai immediately complained: "The two of us just finished a physical task! We did fifty! Even Morishita-sama would die of exhaustion!"
Shimizu turned to Yamamura Miki: "Really?"
Yamamura Miki froze for two or three seconds before nodding repeatedly as if coming to her senses: "Yes, yes!"
"Oh, I see." Shimizu nodded. "Then I'll count to three, and you both say the specific name of the task you participated in simultaneously. 3, 2, 1—"
"Squats!" "Sit-ups... squats!"
Morishita Ai stared at Yamamura Miki with wide eyes. Miki realized too late what she'd said wrong, her face flushing crimson. "I-I didn't... I meant..."
"Enough." Shimizu waved his hand, looking at Morishita Ai with a half-smile. "Sit-up squats? Is that a new move taught in your school's PE class?"
Morishita Ai opened her mouth, completely speechless.
"Fine, fine, fine, I'll do them, okay!" She curled her lip. "Tch, so aggressive from the start. Who ticked you off? Venting your fire on me."
Seeing that none of the excuses she'd found were working, Morishita Ai honestly admitted defeat. Shimizu let go of her wrist, and she proved true to her word, actually beginning the squats.
One, five, ten.
Though she grumbled reluctantly, her form was surprisingly standard and disciplined. Yamamura Miki watched in a daze. Having been with Morishita Ai for so long, she knew her temper best—her train of thought was different from normal people, she was extremely willful, and her catchphrase was "Say No to self-important people."
But now... 'Eh? Why is Morishita-san listening to Shimizu-kun so obediently? No, rather, when did these two get so close?'
Noticing Yamamura Miki's dazed expression, Shimizu explained offhandedly: "Well, this person tried to play a trick on me before and I taught her a lesson. One thing led to another, and we became acquainted."
He looked at the scorching sun overhead, then at Morishita Ai, who had reached twenty squats, and immediately called a halt.
"Alright, alright, stop."
Morishita Ai stopped, panting for a few breaths as she looked up to glare at him. "What now? Didn't you say I had to finish them?"
"In this heat, if I really made you finish fifty, your 'fake' heatstroke might become real," Shimizu said, arms crossed. "Besides, you were doing them quite seriously. You're more honest than I thought."
Morishita Ai was stunned, saying in a low voice: "It's not like I'm an unreasonable person."
Yamamura Miki looked up at Shimizu and asked, "Um, Shimizu-kun... from what you said, Masumi asked you to come check on us, right? I haven't run into her these past few days. Is she doing well?"
"Yes, Masumi is doing fine, don't worry." Shimizu sat on the reef Morishita Ai had been lying on earlier and asked casually, "Aren't there three of you in your group? Why are there only two of you left?"
Morishita Ai unceremoniously sat on a reef on his other side. While rubbing her long legs, she replied: "Someone was headhunted. A group in our class had an extra slot a couple of days ago, and that person just went over."
Yamamura Miki hesitated, her face red as she sat on Shimizu's other side, adding softly: "Um... I'm always playing along with Morishita-san, we've only gotten about 47 points, so it's not that person's fault."
Actually, not all large groups could manage a full six members—only first place got three slots, second got two, and third got one. So groups of four or five were also common. In such cases, it was inevitable that someone would be left out from the invited group. It seemed Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki were victims of this situation.
"I see..."
Shimizu took out his tablet and took a look. Tenth place from the bottom was currently 41 points. 47 points? That was incredibly dangerous!
"Alright, stop rubbing and let's go!" Shimizu stood up immediately.
"Huh? Where are we going?" Morishita Ai hadn't reacted yet.
"To a task, obviously!" Shimizu looked at the two. "There are only two of you, and your score is so dangerous—aren't you going to hurry?"
"But..." Morishita Ai grumbled, "I've already participated in two tasks today. My goal is already met!"
"How are two enough?" Shimizu began to preach seriously. "Don't think you can slack off just because you participated once or twice. If you make it a habit, you'll only get lazier. Yamamura might not tell you directly, but I won't spoil you. Participate in at least five tasks a day and strive to take first in all of them, understood?"
Morishita Ai blinked.
'Five tasks? Take first in all of them?'
How did that not sound like something Shimizu Akira would say himself?
"Wait," she suddenly realized, "you just said Kamuro Masumi sent you here—those must be the words she said to you, right? I knew it! You were lectured by that woman and felt unhappy, so you made me do squats just to vent your anger!"
'Quite sharp.'
Shimizu's mouth twitched, but he didn't argue. "If you come participate, whether you take first or not, I'll buy you an ice-cold cola."
"Cola?!" Morishita Ai's eyes lit up instantly. She knew Shimizu Akira never lied. In this heat, if she could have a bottle of ice-cold cola... just the thought made her thirsty!
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She scrambled up, more proactive than anyone.
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Half an hour later, the three arrived at a task venue near a river. Today's task was Rock-Paper-Scissors, which had appeared a few days ago. They arrived early, and there was almost no one there. Due to rule restrictions, each group could only send one person to register, so Shimizu Akira and Morishita Ai registered individually.
The tournament format was special: only eight slots were open, conducted over three rounds—Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and Finals. Only the winner would receive points and a bonus prize. The rules were best-of-three, and verbal interference was allowed, making it a combination of luck and psychological warfare.
Shimizu Akira stood at the registration desk and looked back at Morishita Ai. "Ready?"
"Of course!" Morishita Ai was full of confidence. "I'm very good at Rock-Paper-Scissors!"
"Good."
The two headed to the competition area. Yamamura Miki stood on the sidelines, hands clasped at her chest, silently cheering for them.
The competition began quickly.
First Round: Quarter-finals
Shimizu Akira's opponent was a second-year boy who looked honest and simple. The other party was clearly nervous; his palms were sweating during the handshake.
"Rock, paper, scissors—"
First round: Shimizu threw rock, the opponent threw scissors. Win. Second round: Shimizu threw paper, the opponent threw rock. Win.
A clean two-to-zero; Shimizu Akira advanced easily.
On the other side, Morishita Ai's opponent was a third-year senpai.
"Little sister, Rock-Paper-Scissors isn't just about luck, you know," the senpai said with a smile.
Morishita Ai was serious. "I'm going to win!"
"Rock, paper, scissors—"
First round: Morishita threw scissors, the senpai threw paper. Win. The senpai's face changed slightly.
Second round: Morishita threw rock, the senpai threw scissors. Win.
"Thanks for the game." Morishita Ai waved at the senpai and skipped toward the advancement area.
Semi-finals
Shimizu Akira's opponent was a first-year boy wearing glasses.
"Hello, Senpai." The boy bowed politely.
"Yes, hello."
The two stood ready. "Rock, paper, scissors—"
First round: Shimizu threw paper, the opponent threw rock. Win. Second round: Shimizu threw scissors, the opponent threw paper. Win.
Two-to-zero again.
Shimizu Akira walked toward the finals area, glancing at Morishita Ai's match as he passed. Morishita Ai's opponent was a tall girl who looked very shrewd; they were tied at one-all.
The deciding round.
"Last round, classmate," the tall girl said with a smile. "I guess you'll throw rock."
"Is that so?" Morishita Ai curled her lip. "Then I'll throw paper."
"Really?"
"I, Morishita Ai, never lie."
The two made eye contact. "Rock, paper, scissors—"
Morishita Ai threw—rock. The tall girl threw—scissors.
Morishita Ai won.
"Yay!" She jumped excitedly, waving toward Shimizu Akira. "I'm in the finals!"
Shimizu gave her a thumbs-up.
Finals: Shimizu Akira vs. Morishita Ai
The two stood in the area, face-to-face.
"I won't go easy on you," Morishita Ai said, full of fighting spirit.
"Bring it."
The first round began. "Rock, paper, scissors—"
Shimizu threw rock, Morishita threw scissors. Shimizu won.
Morishita puffed out her cheeks. "Again!"
Second round. Shimizu looked at her seriously. "Next round, I'll throw paper."
Morishita Ai froze. "For real?"
"I'm not lying."
"Rock, paper, scissors—"
Shimizu threw paper, Morishita threw scissors. Morishita won.
Third round.
Morishita Ai triumphantly made a peace sign. "Hehe, your tricks don't work on me! You're on the fifth floor, but I'm on the sixth!"
Shimizu Akira smiled and said unhurriedly, "Yes, yes. Then this time, I'll still throw paper. You can beat me if you throw scissors."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Rock, paper, scissors—"
Shimizu threw paper, Morishita threw scissors.
Morishita Ai won.
The staff member came over to announce: "First place, Morishita Ai. Awarded eight points, plus an additional prize."
"I want an ice-cold drink!" Morishita Ai pointed without hesitation at the cooler box.
Yamamura Miki walked over with a light smile from not far away. "Morishita-san is amazing, you took first place. It's a pity for Shimizu-kun, you were so close to winning."
Shimizu threw up his hands. "A pity indeed."
After collecting the reward, the three found a shady spot to sit. Morishita Ai looked at the can in her hand, then at Shimizu Akira. Suddenly, she stepped forward and handed the drink to him.
"You drink first."
Shimizu was stunned. "Oh? Weren't you the one who wanted an ice-cold drink so badly? Letting me drink first—what if I take a huge gulp and finish it all?"
Morishita Ai turned her face away. "Don't think I didn't notice—you deliberately threw the match. Who in their right mind would honestly throw the 'paper' they said they would twice in a row? Didn't you just see our group had low points and wanted to give us those eight points?"
Shimizu laughed. "I was found out. But honestly, I thought you wouldn't believe me."
"Why wouldn't I?" Morishita Ai handed the drink further forward. "Alright, drink up. Only one sip, though! If it sits too long, it won't be good anymore."
"Fine, I'll take a sip."
He took the drink and took a small sip. The ice-cold liquid slid down his throat, feeling exceptionally refreshing in the heat.
"Alright." He handed the drink back.
Morishita Ai took it, staring at the opening for two seconds—the spot Shimizu Akira had just touched. She hesitated, but then tilted her head back and took a large gulp from the same spot.
Gulp, gulp...
"Ah! I'm alive again!" She let out a long breath, looking completely satisfied.
Yamamura Miki watched this scene silently, an irrepressible hint of envy surfacing in her eyes. Shimizu Akira noticed her expression and said, "Morishita, let Yamamura have a taste too."
"Fine, fine!" Morishita Ai generously handed the drink over. "But only a small sip! I earned this with first place!"
Yamamura Miki took it, sipping in small mouthfuls with a look of happiness on her face.
"The fourth check-in round is about to start. I had planned to take you to more tasks, but it seems we'll have to postpone that." Shimizu Akira stood up, patting the sand off himself. "Morishita, even without my supervision, you're not allowed to bully Yamamura. If I catch you next time, it won't just be twenty squats."
"I know, I know," Morishita grumbled.
Yamamura Miki nodded seriously. "Thank you for everything, Shimizu-kun. Goodbye."
Shimizu waved and left without looking back. Morishita Ai watched his departing figure and involuntarily let out a soft snort.
"Morishita-san," Yamamura Miki's voice sounded beside her.
"What?"
"Do you have heatstroke? Your face is so red."
"Who has heatstroke?! It's a hot day, who wouldn't be red-faced!"
"But your face wasn't this red when Shimizu-kun was here just now..."
"Who said that! I wasn't! And your face is quite red too! Hmph hmph, don't tell me you like that guy?"
"..."
"Look at you stumbling! You really do like him? Tsk tsk! Isn't that guy dating Kamuro Masumi? Yamamura Miki, you actually like your best friend's boyfriend? You're usually so soft-spoken, I didn't expect you to be holding such a big secret!"
"Um... Shimizu-kun is a very excellent person... P-please don't tell Masumi, and don't tell Shimizu-kun... it would trouble them."
"Hmph hmph, depends on your performance from now on!"
"Then I'll fan you every day, okay?"
"I guess that works!"
Seeing Yamamura Miki honestly take out her fan, Morishita Ai suddenly lost interest.
"Forget it. I won't say anything. That guy is like a ghost; what if I get caught again!"
She thought to herself: 'Yamamura Miki is such an idiot. Doesn't that guy have a harem? If a beautiful girl proactively confesses, he'd have no reason to refuse!'
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