"What are you doing? Don't just take pictures of me!"
Karuizawa suddenly snapped and smacked away the terminal pointed at her. It flew straight to the ground.
Her action immediately angered the trio. They surrounded her, glaring at her with hostile expressions.
"You... what exactly are you trying to do?"
Karuizawa asked, her expression wavering.
Manabe picked up the phone and looked at Karuizawa.
"If we've got the wrong person, you don't need to react so strongly! Just let us take a picture so we can check!"
As she spoke, she pointed the terminal at Karuizawa.
"I said no!"
Karuizawa covered her face with both hands and spoke in a panic.
"What's the matter? You think pretending to be a weak little girl will work?"
"I'll hold her down. Hurry up and take the picture, Manabe."
The other two girls chattered away before reaching for her.
"I said no! What are you doing?!"
The argument grew louder, drawing Machida and the others from Class A over.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Machida walked over with a stern expression.
"Machida..."
Karuizawa looked at Machida with a pitiful expression. Her adorable appearance made his heart flutter.
He looked at Manabe and the others.
"She said she doesn't want you to. Just stop."
"Th-this has nothing to do with you, does it?"
"Do you want me to call a teacher?"
"Tch, let's go."
Manabe led the other two away, muttering as she passed Karuizawa.
"Such a pretentious woman."
After Manabe and the others had left, Karuizawa smiled brightly at Machida.
"Thank you, Machida. I didn't know what I'd have done if you hadn't stepped in."
"It's fine. It was the right thing to do."
Machida bashfully rubbed the back of his head.
Kiyotaka thought the little incident was over, so he didn't pay it any mind.
The second discussion was just as tense. Even though Ichinose kept trying to liven things up, Machida led the others in shutting her down.
"Another fruitless discussion. What a waste of time. What a pain."
As Kiyotaka muttered to himself, the second discussion came to an end.
That evening.
The room was pitch-black, with only a little light shining from the bathroom.
Amid the swirling steam, hot water poured from the showerhead, drenching Karuizawa from head to toe.
Her wet golden hair hung over her body, and her shapely figure could be glimpsed through the steam. Her impressive breasts made her hair form two distinct mounds.
Karuizawa no longer wore her usual look of pride. Instead, her expression was filled with apprehension and worry. Her brows were tightly furrowed, a trace of sweat remained on her forehead, and her eyes revealed fear and unease.
Her body trembled slightly, as if she were struggling to control her emotions. She seemed dispirited, as though she were being weighed down by her past and unable to let it go.
Though she tried to stay calm, her expression and posture made it clear that she still felt uneasy and afraid deep down.
In the end, fear overwhelmed her. She slowly crouched down, wrapped her arms around her pure white legs, and began to sob softly.
The boys' lounge.
"Koenji, how about we exchange information?"
Hirata smiled warmly at Koenji, who was wearing swimming trunks and was still dripping wet.
"Sorry, Hirata boy. I'm currently pursuing the beauty of the human body, so I'm afraid I don't have time."
Koenji held a perfect handstand push-up position and spoke to Hirata at an unhurried pace.
Hirata's mouth twitched slightly as he replied awkwardly.
"I-I see. Then I guess there's nothing to be done."
He shook his head helplessly and went to sit at the table, where Kiyotaka and Yukimura were already seated.
"Then let's exchange information first."
Hirata thought for a moment before speaking.
"Actually, a girl from Class D told me she's a VIP."
"What? Who is it?" Yukimura asked in surprise.
"She's..."
Hirata took out his phone and typed a name. It was Kikyo.
Kiyotaka wasn't surprised at all. As soon as Kikyo learned about the situation, she had told him.
Hirata knew because Kiyotaka had instructed her to tell him.
"If the VIPs are distributed evenly among the classes, then there's another one in our class. Who could it be?" Yukimura said, analyzing the situation after his initial surprise.
"The exam is going to last two more days. This is nothing but a hassle. It's just a game of catch the thief, so why should I waste my precious time?"
Koenji appeared in front of them, waved his terminal, and gave them a radiant smile.
At that moment, all their terminals rang at once.
"The exam for the Saturn Group is now over. From this moment on, members of this group are no longer required to take part in the exam..."
"Koenji, what the hell did you do?!"
Yukimura shouted in despair.
"Hahaha! See you later. I'm going to take a bath."
Koenji paid him no mind and turned to leave the room.
"Koenji really is something. Nothing he does surprises me anymore."
Kiyotaka watched Koenji leave and thought calmly.
"Are you an idiot? Why didn't you stop Koenji from doing whatever he wanted?"
At the bar on the deck, Horikita slapped away Kiyotaka's hand, which he had secretly placed on her chest, and laid into him.
"Can you stop making a fuss? We're talking about Koenji."
"Sigh. Next time I see him, I'm definitely going to give him a piece of my mind."
Horikita knew Kiyotaka was right. She sighed helplessly.
"Instead of getting mad, you should focus on your own group. It'll be very difficult to make sure every member of Class D wins."
Kiyotaka analyzed the situation calmly.
"Neither you nor I have friends, so we can't get much information... Speaking of which, do you know anything about Karuizawa?"
"What? Do you think she's a VIP? I can handle Doctor and Yukimura, but I don't know much about Karuizawa. Her behavior is a little strange."
"Her behavior has always been strange. She never does what you'd expect."
Horikita said coolly.
"Suzune, everyone has an outward impression and a hidden side. I do, and so do you. When it comes to Karuizawa, the first impression she gives is that she's selfish and disobedient. But she has a uniquely strong presence in Class D, doesn't she?"
"I admit you have a point. Maybe that's just her own way of leading."
Kiyotaka's eyes darkened, then he opened them again.
"But in this exam, I haven't seen any of the qualities unique to her. She's even completely hidden her usual forceful manner."
"I see what you mean. So what do you want to do? Get her on our side?"
"Yeah. What should I do...?"
For Class D to move up, its students needed to unite, and Karuizawa played an indispensable role in that. If possible, he needed to win her over.
Kiyotaka thought to himself but didn't tell Horikita.
"Hey, Suzune. Are you two on a date?"
Ryuen's sinister voice rang out behind them.
"I was going to talk to you about the identities, but judging by that troubled look on your face, I guess you haven't made much progress."
Ryuen chuckled and casually sat down.
"Don't talk as if you know everything. You're just as confused as the rest of us."
Horikita looked at Ryuen coolly.
"No. I've figured out the rules, and I'm slowly getting to the heart of it. Suzune, who knows? Maybe our Class C will come out on top this time."
"What? How is that possible?"
Horikita asked in surprise.
No, it was possible. The school usually followed some kind of rule when it set its exams. If Ryuen had figured it out, he could become the big winner. So now it was a race between Ryuen and me.
Kiyotaka thought to himself. He wasn't going to give up the chance to earn a huge number of points. It would push his plan forward by a big step and save him a lot of effort. How could he let such an opportunity slip by?
Kiyotaka was deep in thought and didn't even notice when Ryuen left.
"It's getting late. Let's go back and rest."
Horikita had composed herself and spoke to Kiyotaka.
"Okay."
But after agreeing, Kiyotaka didn't move. Horikita glanced at him in confusion, then understood what he meant. Her cheeks immediately flushed. She secretly led him to a dark corner, and they passionately stole each other's kisses. Only after they finally parted, a thin strand of saliva between their lips, did they head back to their own rooms.
Inside Karuizawa's room.
Karuizawa leaned over the sink, retching from a physical reaction and bringing up bitter fluid. She wiped her mouth and laughed at herself.
"In the end, I'm still the same. I have no friends, and I can't survive without someone to rely on. I'd do anything for my own sake. I'm nothing but a parasite, after all..."
Karuizawa picked up the terminal lying nearby and made a call.
"Hello, Hirata. Can we meet...?"
"When you stare into the abyss"
"Hirata, you're my boyfriend. You'll help protect me, right?"
"Of course I'll help you."
On the way back to his room, Kiyotaka heard Karuizawa and Hirata talking, then instinctively stepped aside to hide.
"Wait, why am I hiding? This makes me look like I'm up to something. But it'd be awkward to go out there now, wouldn't it? Whatever. I'll stay here."
Kiyotaka muttered to himself.
"Then hurry up and teach them a lesson! Judging by the way they acted, they definitely won't let this go."
Before you continue