Welcome to the Paradise of Freedom

"Thank you. If you find any clues, please tell me immediately—and don't tell anyone else."

"Don't tell anyone else... Are you trying to cover something up?"

"Cover something up? You could say that. I don't want the class to split over something like this. I don't want to see that happen."

Hirata clenched his fist, then relaxed it. He smiled at Kiyotaka and said, "Then I'll leave it to you. I need to get going."

Kiyotaka watched Hirata leave. Faced with this mysterious affair, he couldn't help narrowing his eyes.

Was it really that simple...

Chapter 39: Ibuki's Repayment?

When Kiyotaka returned to the campsite, he found the boys and girls gathered in separate clusters again.

"They have to be separated! Having the boys next to us makes us girls really uneasy! We need to move the camp away from them!" the girls shouted loudly.

"Tch, move away if you want. But you're carrying the tents yourselves!" the boys retorted dismissively.

"We'll carry them ourselves! I'm sure Hirata will help us, right, Hirata?" Karuizawa looked at Hirata with pitiful eyes.

"I... fine, I'll help."

Hirata sighed lightly and nodded in agreement.

Horikita, standing among the girls, shook her head. Seeing how things had developed, she had no choice but to step forward and speak.

"Now that this has happened, moving apart is unavoidable. But I can't feel at ease if it's just Hirata alone."

"What's there to worry about? He's Hirata, isn't he?"

"But he's still a boy, isn't he?"

Horikita showed no fear, meeting Karuizawa's gaze directly as she replied.

"Then... what do you suggest?"

"I'm not comfortable with Hirata being the only one going in and out of the girls' area. But if there's one more person, they can supervise each other and work twice as efficiently."

"Is there someone like that among the boys?"

"There is! It's him!"

Horikita's eyes landed on Kiyotaka, who had just returned looking bewildered.

"If it's him, I suppose that's acceptable. He usually keeps a low profile and looks harmless enough."

Karuizawa glanced at Kiyotaka and reluctantly nodded in agreement.

In the end, Kiyotaka was inexplicably assigned to the girls' camp to do the heavy lifting.

While dismantling the tents, Hirata spoke to Kiyotaka apologetically.

"Sorry about this, Kiyotaka. I dragged you into this too."

"It's not your fault. If it weren't for Horikita, I wouldn't be here."

Hirata let out a forced laugh.

"Haha, doesn't that just prove Horikita trusts you?"

Kiyotaka looked up at Hirata with irritation.

"Your girlfriend called me a transparent person who looks harmless."

Hirata immediately looked awkward.

"Hirata-kun, could you come over here for a moment?"

Just as Hirata was about to respond, a girl called out from across the river.

"But I'm—"

"It's fine, go ahead. I can handle the rest." Kiyotaka glanced at the remaining work and said to Hirata.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Hirata set down what he was holding and left.

After Hirata left, Horikita appeared beside Kiyotaka.

"Sorry, Kiyotaka. I made you do extra work for nothing. But I really don't trust Hirata."

Kiyotaka looked at Horikita, then said, "What, are you suspicious of him? I think he's fine. He's genuinely kind."

"There's a difference between kindness and feigned kindness. Most people choose to be two-faced to cover things up for their own sake. Isn't that true of you too?"

Kiyotaka sighed helplessly.

"Maybe Hirata is the same inside and out. There's no need to judge him like that."

"Hmph, who can say for sure? I don't believe it."

"Let's drop him for now. How's your body? I noticed your temperature was much more normal yesterday. Are you still planning to push through?"

Horikita fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then spoke.

"I've been sticking with this for four days now. When you were messing with me, you didn't say I was uncomfortable, did you? I'm fine. Basic movement is no problem now."

Kiyotaka directly and selectively ignored some of her words, dazed as he said.

"Ah... it's good that you're okay."

Horikita gave a cold snort at this, turned around, and walked away.

"Putting on airs. Pfft."

Evening.

Tonight was Kiyotaka's turn to patrol, mainly to check if the surroundings were safe.

When Kiyotaka reached the stream, he heard some unusual noises. Following the sound, he drew closer.

A familiar meeting of eyes occurred once again.

This time, Kiyotaka let out a very practiced sigh, then said.

"Go on. How do you want to fight?"

Kiyotaka would never have guessed that Ibuki wouldn't bathe with the others, but instead chose to come to the stream by herself, and unluckily for him, he'd run into her again. At this point, Kiyotaka resigned himself and stopped struggling, bracing directly for defense.

But unexpectedly, this time Ibuki wasn't irritable. She didn't even cover her body, just stared straight at Kiyotaka.

"I know a lot of people in your class think I stole the panties. Do you think so too?"

Kiyotaka waited a long time, but instead of Ibuki's attack, he got this inexplicable question. Without hesitation, he answered bluntly.

"I don't think it was you. You're innocent."

Hearing this, a glimmer of hope appeared on Ibuki's previously somewhat dejected face. She looked at Kiyotaka's burning gaze, her pretty cheeks flushing involuntarily, and then she said.

"You've peeked at me bathing so many times, isn't it just for the thrill and excitement? I can give you my body, consider it repayment for bringing me back and sparing me from sleeping out in the open."

"I didn't—"

Before Kiyotaka could finish, Ibuki had already pressed her naked body toward him. Her warm, jade-soft form leaned into his chest, and her thin, red lips clumsily kissed him.

Why was Ibuki doing this? She didn't know herself. Some thought deep inside told her she should, that only this way could she have a better future, and Kiyotaka was her ticket to that future.

Seeing Kiyotaka unmoving, Ibuki tried harder, even signaling on her own that he could do whatever he wanted.

As Kiyotaka gently touched her softness, Ibuki felt the warmth of his hand and let out an unconscious murmur.

"Hmm~"

With that sound, Ibuki felt the emotions she'd been suppressing burst forth. A strange sensation quickly spread through her entire body.

She began to wander unconsciously, stopping at a certain spot as if under a spell. After a brief thought, she unhesitatingly exposed it.

"Ah! This is..."

Burning heat enveloped her, and Ibuki couldn't help but cry out in surprise. Then she shyly looked down, and once she saw it, she couldn't tear her eyes away.

Her small lips unconsciously smacked, saliva swallowed.

The heat and throbbing seemed to shake Ibuki's heart right out of her chest.

Seeing things had come this far, Kiyotaka stopped caring and pressed Ibuki's head downward.

Feeling Kiyotaka's caress, the warmth of his large hands combined with the dual stimulation made Ibuki's gaze grow more and more hazy. Her breaths unconsciously carried heat.

Kiyotaka judged it was about time, so he helped Ibuki up, turned her around, and made her lie face-down on the ground.

In this posture that made Ibuki infinitely shy, everything was laid bare before Kiyotaka's eyes.

Everything was just as Kiyotaka had seen last time—that comment about its nice shape wasn't just to rile Ibuki up.

Kiyotaka had spoken the truth. This line-like form was truly rare. Seeing it, Kiyotaka couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

"Mm... it hurts."

Ibuki let out an involuntary moan of pain, her brows tightly knit, biting her lip hard.

Kiyotaka didn't rush. He waited for Ibuki to get used to it a bit before slowly proceeding with his "lesson."

Kiyotaka diligently maintained it for nearly two hours before finishing.

Throughout, Ibuki felt both pain and pleasure, but because she didn't want Kiyotaka to hear her, she could only suppress her voice, occasionally letting out a soft moan when she couldn't hold it in anymore.

But toward the end, she couldn't take it anymore. She hadn't expected it to last so long. Even as Ibuki traveled between heaven countless times, Kiyotaka showed no sign of stopping.

"Ayanokoji... I can't go on. Stop..."

Hearing this, Kiyotaka immediately launched into a final charge. With a burst of warmth, Ibuki was completely undone. The scalding torrent sent her crashing over the peak, her whole body trembling nonstop. After a while, Ibuki finally collapsed, gasping for breath.

But Ibuki, true to her athletic nature, recovered her energy before long and jumped back into the stream to wash herself.

Seeing no notification in his mind, Kiyotaka shook his head helplessly.

"Her heart still isn't with me. Is this going to be another long road?"

As Kiyotaka sighed, Ibuki had already come ashore and dressed.

"Ayanokoji, the repayment for taking me in is done. From now on, I owe you nothing."

With that, Ibuki picked up her toiletries and headed toward the camp.

"What am I, even? A tool?" Kiyotaka watched Ibuki's retreating figure and laughed bitterly at himself.

When Kiyotaka returned to camp, Kikyo crept up beside him, lightly tracing her fingers over him as she spoke.

"Kiyotaka~ I noticed Ibuki's walk was a bit off just now. Don't tell me you've already made that much progress?"

Kikyo looked at him teasingly, a mischievous grin on her face.

Kiyotaka already felt like a tool, and hearing Kikyo's teasing only soured his mood. Without a word, he slapped her firm backside hard.

"Less with the sarcasm, or I'll take care of you right here!"

Because Kiyotaka had slapped so hard, Kikyo let out an involuntary yelp. Then, with one hand rubbing her rear and the other covering her mouth, she looked up at him with a pitiful expression.

"Why so rough? My butt's going to swell up. How am I supposed to serve you like this?"

Kiyotaka couldn't help but laugh at Kikyo's antics. He flicked her forehead.

"Enough of your clever tricks. Get some rest."

"Tch, you big pervert."

Kikyo made a face, then, to avoid another slap on her rear, scurried off like a rabbit.

Kiyotaka shook his head and headed back to his tent to turn in.

Chapter 40: The Frail Horikita

On the fifth day of the exam, the sky gradually darkened. Thick clouds gathered, blocking the sunlight. The gentle breeze turned sharp, leaves rustling harshly in the wind.

Faint thunder rumbled in the distance, as if heralding an impending downpour. The humidity in the air grew heavier, making everything feel stuffy and oppressive.

On the far horizon, a wall of deep gray clouds was rapidly spreading toward them.