Your Maid Outfit Looks a Little Strange

But, to her surprise, she waited for a long time, and nothing happened beside her. It was as if Kiyotaka had vanished into thin air.

Karuizawa opened her eyes a little, curious, only to see Kiyotaka watching her with a gaze as calm and still as a mirror. His eyes were crystal clear, revealing not the slightest trace of desire.

"Why... are you looking at me like that?"

The unexpected turn of events made Karuizawa breathe a sigh of relief, but at the same time, a little disappointment welled up inside her.

"Instead, why are you dressed like that?"

Since the lights had come on, Kiyotaka had been studying Karuizawa. She was now wearing a bikini, its thin fabric almost transparent against her skin. It perfectly outlined her graceful figure. In particular, her ample breasts were barely covered at the center by two pieces of floral fabric, and she pressed them tightly together with her arms, creating a deep, plunging cleavage. Below, a tiny piece of fabric was tied around her waist with two strings so thin they looked ready to snap. It showed off her long legs to the fullest. Since she wasn't the athletic type, her thighs had a soft, slightly fleshy look to them.

But on her, that softness seemed just right.

Kiyotaka's sharp eyes also noticed that the sheer fabric between Karuizawa's legs offered him a tantalizing glimpse of what lay beneath. A few stray hairs had even sprung free, seemingly rebelling against their confinement.

Karuizawa blinked as she looked into Kiyotaka's placid eyes. A stubborn defiance rose in her for no reason.

She twirled gracefully in front of him and asked,

"Do you really think I don't look good? Why aren't you reacting at all?"

But Kiyotaka pointed at her body and said,

"The fabric at the back of your bikini bottoms is stuck between your cheeks. Your whole butt is exposed."

"Ah!!!"

Kiyotaka's words completely shattered Karuizawa's composure. She dropped into a crouch in an instant, her pretty face so red it looked as though it might drip.

"Are you some kind of straight-laced guy?!"

Karuizawa complained from her crouched position.

"Why do you say that?"

Kiyotaka asked calmly, whether genuinely confused or merely pretending.

"I stood in front of you dressed like this. Do you know how much courage that took? Because of the promise between us, you protected me, and I said I'd give you my body and soul. But now, when I'm standing right in front of you, you don't react at all. That really hurts! Am I that ugly?"

Her tone gradually returned to its usual haughty self, making her feel like the Kei Karuizawa everyone knew.

"You know, I felt the same way when you saw that I was the one next to you in the room and quietly moved your chair away."

Kiyotaka looked at Karuizawa and told her a secret.

"So you're getting back at me?"

Kiyotaka shook his head.

"Getting back at you would do me no good. Or you can think of this as something I'm keeping in reserve. Just know that I might need it at any time, and you can give it to me whenever I do."

Kiyotaka looked at Karuizawa indifferently as he spoke.

"You really are a devil. Being your partner is like dancing on the edge of a knife."

At Karuizawa's words, a faint smile appeared on Kiyotaka's face.

"That's exciting too, isn't it?"

With that, he pulled Karuizawa to her feet, leaned in, and forcefully claimed her saliva. Then Karuizawa felt her breasts being roughly fondled, and her eyes grew hazy.

"Bzzz, bzzz."

The sound of the terminal jolted Karuizawa out of her daze. It startled her.

Kiyotaka calmly took out his terminal and saw a message from the school. It contained the results of this Special Exam.

"Wow, what happened to Class A? They got slaughtered!"

On the scoreboard, Class A's deduction of 200 points was displayed in huge, blood-red figures, as if they had been nailed to a pillar of shame. Class B's score had neither increased nor decreased.

Class C was the biggest winner, earning 200 class points.

Class D had gained 100 points.

Kiyotaka looked at the scores and couldn't help narrowing his eyes. Everything had gone just as Ryuen had predicted, making him the big winner.

Just then, Kiyotaka's terminal rang.

It was a call from Horikita.

"Hello?"

"Meet at the cafeteria. Hirata wants us there."

"Okay, got it."

Putting away his terminal, Kiyotaka turned to leave, but Karuizawa grabbed him and asked pitifully,

"Where are you going?"

"The cafeteria. Hirata probably saw the results and is gathering everyone."

At that, Karuizawa immediately said,

"Then I'll come too. Wait for me!"

Karuizawa hurriedly pulled on her uniform and followed Kiyotaka toward the cafeteria.

By the time Kiyotaka and Karuizawa arrived, Horikita, Kikyo, and Hirata were already seated.

The others looked a little puzzled to see Kiyotaka arrive with Karuizawa, but they didn't say anything.

After the two sat down, Hirata spoke up.

"Everyone's seen the exam results, right?"

"I didn't expect Ryuen to be right about everything. He really did come out the big winner."

Horikita said, unable to hide her frustration, though she had to admit his skill.

"What happened with your group?"

Kiyotaka looked at Horikita and Kikyo. The two of them had been assigned to the Earth Group with Hirata. The Earth Group had essentially gathered the leaders from each class, while Ichinose was the odd one out.

"In the end, we cleared it with the result 1."

Kikyo smiled as she spoke.

As expected of Kikyo. Even under such immense pressure, she had managed to clear it in the safest way possible at the last moment. Her methods were truly impressive. Kiyotaka knew that Horikita and Hirata alone wouldn't have been able to handle the situation, which only made Kikyo seem all the more formidable.

Kiyotaka silently admired her.

Kiyotaka then explained everything that had happened in his group. With Hirata there, he simply attributed the entire plan to Horikita. Horikita shot him a subtle glare.

"So the extra fifty points we got were because Koenji's rash move turned out to be right?"

Hirata worked out the score and asked in surprise.

Kiyotaka kept his distance from Koenji. Of all the students in Class D, he was the most unconventional—and the one who made Kiyotaka feel most in danger.

"Hey, what are you all chatting about? Mind if I join in?"

Ryuen's voice came from behind them.

He walked straight over to Horikita, lifted a lock of her hair, and said,

"Suzune, why won't you even look me in the face? Is it because I got the result right and you're embarrassed?"

"Smack."

Horikita slapped Ryuen's hand away from her hair and said coldly,

"I have nothing to discuss with you."

Ryuen didn't take offense. He gave a wicked grin.

"Doesn't matter. This time, I only used Class A to test the waters. Next time, you'll be my target, Suzune. I'm very interested in you. Hahahaha."

Laughing maniacally, Ryuen slowly left with his group.

Before leaving, Ibuki glanced silently at Kiyotaka, her expression complicated.

Horikita stared in Ryuen's direction, her brows tightly furrowed. Although he acted arrogantly, the pressure he put on her was simply too great.

Kiyotaka sat there silently throughout. His gaze seemed unfocused, fixed on nothing in particular. But if one looked closely, they would see a sharp glint in his eyes as he watched Ryuen's direction.

With the exam over, the cruise ship that had been at sea for so long finally reached shore.

Even the finest cruise ship could leave people feeling unsteady after spending so long at sea. Now that they were back on solid ground, Karuizawa stretched with relief.

"Ah, we're finally back."

Since the first-years had spent almost a month away, the school gave everyone five days off to recover after they returned.

Once they got back to school by bus, the students dispersed in small groups.

"Ayanokoji, do you have any plans for the next few days?"

As Kiyotaka looked up at the scorching sun, Karuizawa came over and asked.

"Nothing much. The only thing that might count as a plan is sleeping all day."

Kiyotaka replied indifferently.

"Then... would you go shopping with me tomorrow?"

Karuizawa asked cautiously.

"Is that a good idea?"

Kiyotaka glanced toward Hirata and asked.

"What's the problem? We'll announce it when we get back anyway. Or are you scared?"

Karuizawa tilted her head back and looked at Kiyotaka.

"I am. I'm afraid of trouble."

With that, he walked away without looking back.

Karuizawa watched him leave and stamped her feet in anger.

"You jerk!"

Chapter 56: Your Maid Outfit Looks a Little Strange

As he walked along, Kiyotaka felt as though he were melting. If he had to pick a natural enemy, he would choose summer without hesitation.

"Why does this awful weather even exist? Is its only purpose to make me feel weak all over?"

Kiyotaka tried to stick to the shade, but the heat seemed to follow him everywhere, leaving him no place to hide.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."

Just as Kiyotaka was trudging back to the dorms under the blazing sun like a walking corpse, someone called out to him.

He glanced to the side and saw that it was none other than Student Council President Manabu Horikita. The secretary, Tachibana, was standing behind him.

Tachibana had never liked Kiyotaka. She couldn't understand why the president had patiently waited for him under the scorching sun.

"Ah, it's the Student Council President. What can I do for you?"

Manabu Horikita pushed up his glasses and walked toward Kiyotaka.

"I've been following your performance, including how you became the holder of the Ghost Card at the end of the Uninhabited Island exam, helped Class D win, and helped Kei Karuizawa escape during the Special Exam on the ship, tricking Class A with a double trap."

Kiyotaka replied with the same vacant look.

"The Student Council has a lot of power, huh? You even know about all that. Is there anything in this school you don't know?"

"Don't worry. Only Tachibana and I know about this. It's just a little privilege of mine."

Manabu Horikita stared at Kiyotaka, expressionless.

"So, what exactly does the Student Council President want from me? If there's nothing else, I'd like to go back and take a nice, comfortable bath. Not to sound ridiculous, but I really can't stand the heat."

This wasn't an excuse. Kiyotaka meant what he said. In fact, getting back to his dorm and taking a bath mattered more to him than hearing what Manabu Horikita had to say.

Manabu Horikita chuckled softly.

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, would you be interested in joining the Student Council as vice president?"

The sheer weight of that question left Kiyotaka unable to respond for a moment. Behind Manabu Horikita, Tachibana hurriedly protested,

"President, that's against the rules! The Student Council is already fully staffed. Didn't we fill the open positions with students from the first and second years over summer vacation?"