Welcome to the Paradise of Freedom

"You guys finally made it."

Hirata smiled as he spoke to the ones pushing through the door.

Kiyotaka swept his gaze across the room. The lighting was dim, making it hard to make out faces, but he could clearly sense that the number of people was off.

"Hirata, why does it feel like there are so many people here?"

"Hello, Ayanokoji-kun."

Before Hirata could explain, Ichinose had already walked over and greeted Kiyotaka.

"Ah, we ran into Class B on the way here. They were planning a group activity too, so we figured we'd join forces and make it livelier."

Hirata said with a smile.

"Oh, I see. A livelier crowd is nice."

Kiyotaka replied flatly.

"Kiyotaka, what are you dawdling at the door for? Get over here quick."

Sudo, already inside, shouted in his booming voice at Kiyotaka standing by the entrance.

"Yeah, coming."

With that, Kiyotaka ignored the others and headed straight over to Sudo.

Meanwhile, Ichinose dragged Kikyo and the others off to have fun.

Horikita had initially refused, but they coaxed and cajoled her into joining.

"Hey, Kiyotaka, should I go apologize to Horikita? I mean, it's because of me she got a fever and passed out. The way she looked at me just now was terrifying."

As soon as Kiyotaka sat down, Yamauchi scooted over and whispered.

"Huh, really? That's your imagination. She probably wasn't looking this way."

Kiyotaka glanced in Horikita's direction as he spoke.

"It's not my imagination! If you hadn't told me to smear that mud on her, I wouldn't be getting glared at like this. Her eyes were murderous, man."

"Ah... I see. Then go apologize to her."

Kiyotaka shrugged.

"No way. You have to come with me. Even if it's just to give me some courage!"

Yamauchi grabbed Kiyotaka and dragged him toward Horikita.

As Kiyotaka and Yamauchi approached, Horikita noticed them. She looked at Kiyotaka with a puzzled expression, as if asking what was going on.

Kiyotaka just shrugged and said nothing.

"Heh heh, um, Horikita."

Yamauchi rubbed his hands together awkwardly.

"Is something the matter?"

"Well, um, I'm sorry! If I hadn't smeared mud on your head, you wouldn't have gotten a fever and passed out. Please forgive me!"

Yamauchi bowed at a ninety-degree angle to apologize.

Horikita gave a meaningful glance at Kiyotaka beside Yamauchi, then said.

"It's fine. Didn't I give you a shoulder throw in return? It's over now."

"Really? That's a relief! Heh heh, I'll head back then."

With that, Yamauchi abandoned Kiyotaka and went back alone. Just as Kiyotaka turned to follow, Horikita grabbed him and said with a forced smile.

"Ayanokoji-kun, where are you rushing off to? Why don't you hang out with us?"

Airi and Kikyo were covering their mouths, snickering as they watched. Ichinose blinked with curious eyes from the side.

Kiyotaka silently sighed, found a relatively empty spot, and sat down.

Seeing him sit, Horikita lowered her voice so Ichinose couldn't hear and said.

"I was wondering why he suddenly smeared mud all over my head. So it was your doing, huh."

Kiyotaka picked up a drink, stared straight ahead, and took a sip with complete focus.

Horikita couldn't do much to him here, so she could only pinch his arm in frustration before being dragged off by Class D to play.

Kikyo and Airi, seeing Horikita pulled away, followed along. They knew Horikita wasn't good at handling these situations, and Kikyo would need to smooth things over.

In an instant, Kiyotaka had barely sat down before the only person left beside him was Ichinose.

The two sat in silence, sipping their drinks. Finally, Ichinose couldn't hold back and spoke.

"Ayanokoji-kun, about that exam... do you know who the holder is in our Class B?"

"Are you ready for it?"

Kiyotaka didn't answer her question, instead countering with one of his own.

Hearing this, Ichinose pouted and let out a coquettish little huff.

"What's with you? You're impossible to get through to. I'm just curious, that's all."

"Curiosity killed the cat. Curiosity comes at a price."

In the dim environment, Ichinose felt that Kiyotaka's golden eyes were especially bright. She could clearly sense that he was staring intently at her right now, and his gaze was burning hot.

"Then... can you... take a little less? The price is too steep."

Ichinose didn't know why she said that. As soon as the words left her mouth, her face flushed red.

Kiyotaka was stunned for a moment too. He had said all that just to scare Ichinose off, but he never expected her to actually agree?

"No. At least the same as last time, or I'm not interested in answering."

At those words, Ichinose fell silent for a moment. Kiyotaka thought that would be the end of it.

But who would've guessed that Ichinose directly took off her jacket, draped it over her legs, and said in a voice as quiet as a mosquito.

"Then... go ahead. But you have to promise that everything you say will be the truth."

Kiyotaka looked at her face, a mix of shyness and stubbornness, and couldn't help but feel intrigued.

He reached straight through the jacket and placed his hand on Ichinose's smooth thigh. He clearly felt her entire body tense up instantly.

Kiyotaka wasn't in a hurry. He slowly roamed over her thigh, savoring the sensation of her silky skin.

Ichinose hadn't expected that just his hand on her thigh would trigger such a strong reaction. As Kiyotaka's hand wandered, her body felt stranger and stranger. Occasionally, when the KTV lights hit her face, a faint blush was clearly spreading across her cheeks.

When Kiyotaka lightly brushed the center, he found that Ichinose had clamped her legs tightly together, leaving no gap at all. He made a token attempt to push through twice, and when there was no movement, he simply withdrew his hand and acted as if nothing had happened, sipping his drink.

Ichinose knew exactly why Kiyotaka had suddenly pulled back. It was because she had been too shy and nervous, keeping her legs tightly shut.

"Can you... not touch there?"

Ichinose blinked, looking pitiful as she asked.

"Can I not answer your question?"

Kiyotaka replied flatly.

With that response, Ichinose already knew the answer. She wrestled with herself internally for a long time, but to get to the truth and plan for the future, she gritted her teeth and made up her mind. She slightly parted her legs and directly grabbed Kiyotaka's hand, placing it there.

But Ichinose used too much force, and Kiyotaka's large hand slammed hard into that spot.

"Mmm~ Ah!"

The intense stimulation made her cry out involuntarily, but she quickly realized they were in the room and covered her mouth.

But by then, Kiyotaka's devilish hand had started causing trouble, restlessly teasing that place.

A strange sensation sent a shiver through Ichinose, and she unconsciously clamped her legs together again.

But this time, Kiyotaka's hand was already inside, and the sudden clenching trapped it tightly.

"Can't take much, can you."

Kiyotaka murmured softly, sensing Ichinose's state.

Those words made Ichinose burn with shame and anger. Her eyes, glistening like water, shot him a glare.

Kiyotaka shrugged, unafraid of her harmless glare. That devilish hand continued its wanton destruction.

Ichinose felt this time was even more intense than before. Maybe it was because their classmates were nearby, or because her clothes were thinner this time.

She felt her whole body tingling and numb, as if countless ants were crawling over her. She kept wanting to rub her legs together, but the last shred of reason stopped her. If she actually did that, the consequences would probably be even worse.

Finally, Kiyotaka judged the time, and when it felt about the same as last time, he pulled his hand out.

As his hand withdrew, Ichinose felt a cool breeze sweep past, making her shiver involuntarily. And when she saw Kiyotaka looking at his hand, pulling away some silvery threads, Ichinose was so embarrassed she could have died.

But strangely, besides the shame, Ichinose felt more reluctance inside. She inexplicably wished it could continue.

Ichinose shook her head, casting aside those absurd thoughts, and said.

"I've... paid the price. So can you answer my question now?"

Kiyotaka glanced at Ichinose and said flatly.

"Shiranami Chihiro."

"So you're saying you wrote about our class?"

Kiyotaka gave Ichinose a strange look and said nothing.

"What's with that look?"

Ichinose was annoyed by Kiyotaka's gaze and asked indignantly.

Kiyotaka found it amusing.

"First of all, our Class B column is blank. We don't want to ruin the friendship between our two classes. Second, have you forgotten about Kinta from Class C? Or do you think you all wouldn't slip up after so many days?"

At that, Ichinose slapped her forehead. Lately, she had been so focused on Kiyotaka that she had overlooked a lot of obvious things. She deserved Kiyotaka's mockery—it was only fair.

But even though she thought that, she couldn't help saying indignantly.

"You don't have to look at me like I'm an idiot, do you?"

"Then how should I look at you? As the leader of Class B, if this is your level of thinking, don't you think it's worrying?"

Ichinose was stumped. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

Chapter 48: Airi Is Such a Good Girl (Revised)

For the first time, Ichinose felt her eloquence had been outmatched. She couldn't bring herself to explain the reason to Kiyotaka, so she had no choice but to silently swallow this bitter loss.

At the same time, her interest in Kiyotaka grew stronger and stronger. She always felt there were unfathomable mysteries about him. Usually, he seemed as transparent as air, but once she started paying attention to him, it was as if she couldn't tear her gaze away.

As the old saying goes, curiosity really does kill the cat.

This curious cat, Ichinose, might one day stumble and fall into the abyss if she wasn't careful.

"Attention all students. A special exam will begin shortly. The exam format has been sent to each student's terminal via text message. Please read it carefully and act accordingly. I repeat..."

Suddenly, the sound in the room was directly taken over, followed by the announcement of the special exam.

"You've got to be kidding me. Again? I thought it was over."

"Oh my god, what exactly are they trying to do?"

Even Kiyotaka was taken aback for a moment when he heard the announcement. Then he narrowed his eyes, took out his terminal, and sure enough, found a text message on it.

"The tricks just keep coming, one nuisance after another. They don't give anyone a moment's rest, do they?"

Kiyotaka let out a helpless sigh and said.

"Everyone, since there's a special exam coming up, let's call it here for now. How about we all focus on preparing for the exam?"

Hirata stepped forward and said to the group.

His suggestion was met with agreement from everyone, so soon the crowd dispersed in twos and threes.

"Well then, Ayanokoji-kun, I'll be going too."

By now, Ichinose had returned to normal, showing no sign of the flushed face she'd had moments ago. She waved at Kiyotaka and then left.

"Kiyotaka, should we head off too?"