Only then did she realize she'd never considered that question at all.
But then again, wasn't that sort of thing perfectly normal between couples?
"For now... I don't want to do that..." Karuizawa Kei lowered her head, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"So," Shimizu Akira said, narrowing his eyes slightly, "what do you actually need more: a protector or a boyfriend?"
"Protection." She blurted out the answer almost without thinking.
"Then why are you so set on being in a relationship?" Shimizu asked, frowning in confusion.
"Because..." Karuizawa Kei twisted her fingers together. "That's the only way other people will think twice. A boyfriend protecting his girlfriend is only natural, isn't it?"
"...Are your grades usually not very good?" Shimizu Akira suddenly sighed and rubbed his temples helplessly.
"What do you mean by that?!" Karuizawa Kei bristled like a cat. "My grades are at least average! Besides..." Her voice suddenly softened. "This way, I can... avoid other boys pestering me, too..."
Shimizu Akira studied the girl in front of him, looking thoughtful. "How about joining a sports club as a manager? Then no one would dare bully you."
"You think I haven't tried?" Karuizawa Kei wrinkled her nose in disgust. "The older boys in those sports clubs looked at people like they wanted to swallow them whole..."
"Then come be the manager of the Boxing Club. I'll talk to the captain and tell everyone to look out for you." Shimizu Akira spoke with certainty. "I can keep an eye on you when I'm around. I'll look out for you in class, too—after all, you're the club's 'mascot' now. That way, people will have to consider both the Boxing Club's reputation and what I think. No one should dare lay a hand on you."
"Th-this..." Karuizawa Kei's eyes gradually lit up.
She bit her lip and thought it over. The plan really did seem workable—she wouldn't have to force herself into a relationship, and she'd still get real protection.
"Then... thank you, Shimizu!" Karuizawa Kei bowed solemnly.
"You can skip the thanks." Shimizu Akira waved a hand casually. "Just pay me some points."
"Huh?!" Karuizawa Kei jerked her head up, staring at him in disbelief.
"What?" Shimizu Akira looked puzzled instead. "You didn't think I'd work as your bodyguard for free, did you?" His tone was matter-of-fact. "This is a fair deal. Besides, if you didn't give anything in return, you'd feel uneasy, wouldn't you? If I ever stood by and did nothing, you'd be completely dumbfounded."
Karuizawa Kei opened her mouth, but found herself at a loss for words.
This man's way of thinking always managed to hit precisely on her most private concerns.
It was true: for someone as insecure as Karuizawa Kei, exchanging points for protection actually came as a relief.
"Eighty thousand points a month... would that be okay?" After hesitating for a moment, she cautiously offered a figure.
After a quick calculation, that was 80% of her monthly income.
"Deal." Shimizu Akira nodded readily, then raised an index finger for emphasis. "But let me make one thing clear beforehand—I'll only step in if you're being bullied for no reason. If you pick a fight with someone, or try to throw your weight around using my name, I won't be responsible for cleaning up after you."
To be honest, eighty thousand wasn't a lot, but it wasn't a little, either. If Karuizawa Kei got into trouble with an upperclassman, the price he might have to pay could be far higher than that.
But judging by how uneasy the girl looked, this was probably the most she could afford.
028: Sakayanagi Arisu's Opening Moves in Class A
Saturday morning.
A cool breeze brushed across the campus. Sakayanagi Arisu sat upright on a bench by the roadside, her slender fingers gliding lightly over her phone screen.
The screen showed her conversation with "Sakayanagi Narimori"—her father, and the current chairman of Advanced Nurturing High School.
As the chairman's only daughter, Sakayanagi Arisu had been called aside for a private talk with her father the day before she enrolled.
Her father, Sakayanagi Narimori, had told her bluntly that he hoped she would find a boy with a strong physique and no hereditary illnesses in his family while she was in high school.
The reason her father had emphasized the conditions "strong and with no family history of illness" had to do with her parents—
Sakayanagi Narimori was in good health, but her mother had been frail from birth.
When the two married, Sakayanagi Arisu was born with a congenital heart condition.
She had spent nearly her entire childhood in hospitals, with playing chess alone as her most familiar pastime.
It wasn't until her health improved somewhat that she was finally allowed to attend school, with her doctor's approval.
Now, her father's wish was simple: he didn't want the next generation to suffer the same fate. His future grandchild had to be healthy.
Sakayanagi Arisu had no interest in romance at the moment, but she had respected her father's wishes and promised that her future spouse would be healthy and have no family history of hereditary illness.
For her, it wasn't even a decision that required much thought.
People always longed for what they lacked—and what she lacked was a strong body.
Having been bullied by classmates as a child, and even having her palm taken from her, had long ago made up her mind: her future partner had to possess overwhelming physical strength.
She couldn't stand the thought of a frail man standing by her side. A man who couldn't even protect his own woman was no better than a useless fool.
Still, compared to something as boring as romance, she was far more interested in matching wits with geniuses.
Just like her showdown with Shimizu Akira on Monday—even after losing all her points, she hadn't felt angry. If anything, she'd become even more interested in him.
After all, there were very few opponents who could make her take things seriously.
Sakayanagi Arisu tapped the screen and sent her father a message:
"Father, could you send me this year's freshmen's entrance exam results and physical examination records?"
As soon as she sent it, she added another message:
"You said I should find someone healthy, after all. I should screen the candidates first. It would be a problem if I ran into some sickly boy."
Her phone vibrated almost immediately.
"I see! You're right, Arisu. I'll send them over now."
"First-Year Freshmen Physical Examination Reports.xlsx"
"First-Year Entrance Exam Results.xlsx"
Seeing the files arrive at once, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help laughing softly. Her slender legs swung gently in the air. "Father really is easy to fool..."
Indeed, Sakayanagi Narimori could hardly ever refuse his daughter anything.
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at the additional information her father had sent and tapped the screen lightly with her fingertips.
[Anyone with physical ability rated B+ or above is worth considering, but by my standards, A is best. These children don't just have no hereditary illnesses; they hardly ever even catch colds. Some of them have never taken medicine.]
[Oh, right! Kouenji Rokusuke from Class D has been showing up at the older girls' dormitory for three days in a row. Cross him off the list.]
"Father, are you... helping me pick out a marriage prospect?" She couldn't help pressing a hand to her forehead, her fair cheeks puffing up slightly.
He'd investigated even this sort of detail. He was worrying far too much.
The light from the screen reflected in her amethyst eyes, revealing a hint of helpless amusement.
Her father's overenthusiasm was exactly like that of the middle-aged women who were eager to find a match for their daughters.
Sakayanagi Arisu lightly tapped the screen with her slender fingers and replied:
"Got it, Father. I know the young heir of the Koenji Conglomerate, after all~ I'll look through the files first."
She put down her phone, opened the first-year entrance exam results, and immediately scrolled to Shimizu Akira's file in Class D.
The moment the data appeared, her pupils contracted slightly—
[Academic Ability: E-]
[Judgment: B]
[Intelligence: E-]
[Physical Ability: A]
[Teamwork: E-]
"..."
That couldn't be right.
The man who'd made her taste defeat in a battle of wits had the lowest intelligence rating in every subject?
And the most impressive result for this "Intelligence E-" student was, of all things... his physical strength?
An E-ranked student who thought with his muscles had beaten her, an A-ranked genius?
Her gaze moved over to his physical examination report—and stopped again.
—[Hereditary Illnesses: None]
Behind that brief entry were some startling figures.
His platelet count was far above the normal limit, his red blood cells carried oxygen better than those of the vast majority of athletes, and even his basal metabolic rate was 30% higher than average.
As someone who had spent years poring over medical reports, she knew all too well what those figures meant. This wasn't the kind of physical capacity an ordinary high school student should have.
"Too perfect! It's almost like..." She unconsciously bit her lower lip. "A genetically enhanced test subject."
The phone trembled slightly in her hand.
The opponent who had remained composed in front of the "chessboard" had such astonishing physical prowess hidden beneath the surface.
The power this body could unleash could probably snap her fragile wrist with ease—as simply as breaking a reed.
"The physical ability assessment couldn't possibly be wrong... The interviewer must have underestimated Shimizu's strength!" At the thought, a trace of displeasure appeared on Sakayanagi Arisu's fair face.
After all, Shimizu Akira had beaten her fair and square in an intelligence game. If he was rated E, then wasn't her own A rating a joke?
[Father, I'm very interested in Shimizu Akira from Class D. Could you get me a recording of his entrance examination?]
{Shimizu Akira? That's right, this boy has an A in physical ability. He certainly fits the requirements. I'll send you the recording now.}
As Sakayanagi Arisu stared at the grades showing failing marks across the board, her elegant figure stiffened in place—a girl famed for her wisdom had, for the first time in her life, gone completely blank for five whole seconds.
{What is it, Arisu? Have you taken an interest in Shimizu? He may be a little stupid, but I don't object. My requirements for a future son-in-law are simple: he just has to protect you and give me a healthy grandchild. After all, who in this world could possibly be as clever as my daughter?}
Sakayanagi Arisu ignored her father's teasing and turned her thoughts back to the enigmatic boy.
"So that's it..." She suddenly chuckled, a playful glint in her eyes. "You've been laying the groundwork since the entrance exam? Deliberately hiding in Class D with failing scores in every subject, waiting for the right moment... Shimizu, just what kind of game are you playing?"
Her phone screen lit up again.
Sakayanagi Arisu lowered her eyes and lightly swiped across the screen. The message was from a bald student in Class A.
Katsuragi Kohei: I've privately reached an agreement with the students who violated the school rules. From now on, no one in Class A will break the "Daily Conduct Regulations."
Katsuragi Kohei: Based on the information you provided and my analysis of the data, Class A will lose no more than fifty-six Class Points this month.
Katsuragi Kohei: That means Class A will still be in first place next month.
Only then did Sakayanagi Arisu look away from the screen. She lightly tapped her cane with her fingertips.
Class A's opening moves were all in place. All that remained was to wait for the results.
"Shimizu... How about your Class D? Don't disappoint me too much."
029: What? Class D Got a Big Fat Zero?
Class D Boys Group Chat
Yamauchi Haruki: It's 7:44, and I'm on my way to class!
Kanji Ike: You're actually going to make it to class with me instead of skipping? That's less likely than winning the lottery.
Yamauchi Haruki: Heh heh, you know me.
Kanji Ike: Wait... You're not... this eager because you want to see the girls in swimsuits, are you?
Yamauchi Haruki: High five. You really get me, Kanji!
Hirata Yosuke: Your motives aren't exactly pure... but getting to school on time is still a good thing. Still, your attendance records this week...
Yamauchi Haruki: Whatever. The teacher doesn't care anyway. Why are you worrying about it?
Shimizu Akira silently put down his phone and sighed.
These guys really didn't have a care in the world.
A week had already passed since the start of school, but they still hadn't noticed the hidden point-deduction rules on campus. They were as cheerful as a flock of little sparrows, chattering about their next swimming class.
This week alone, he'd witnessed more than fifty violations: students arriving late, skipping class, whispering to each other, secretly playing on their phones...
At the start of the school year, Kanji Ike had been a fairly ordinary student. But after he started hanging out with Yamauchi Haruki, he'd gradually become a regular truant. Before he knew it, he'd also joined the many followers of Kushida Kikyou, trailing after her like a rutting monkey.
It was proof of the old saying: those who spent time with vermilion were stained red, and those who spent time with ink were stained black.
Shimizu Akira watched it all, but understood that he had no right to interfere with other people's choice of friends.
After all, they were only classmates.
Just then, a crisp notification chime sounded in his mind.
Before you continue