Reading Hardboiled Mysteries Turned Me into a Tough Guy / It Was All Kanzaki Ryuji's Doing!

What do you think, Liang?

Looking at Karuizawa Kei a provocative smile in front of him, Kitagawa Ryo nodded silently with a calm expression, though his right leg unconsciously moved slightly to the left.

Indeed, this is the right way to spend a holiday!

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Chapter 242: Reading Hard-Hard-Guy Mysteries Turns You into a Hard-Guy

"Uh, so what's Hiyori doing here too?"

After whiling away some time elsewhere, Karuizawa Kei and Kitagawa Ryo, full of enthusiasm, arrived at the location indicated in the text message before the time stipulated by the school. To their surprise, they bumped into Shiina Hiyori, who seemed to be waiting there as well.

"Hmm? Of course they received a text message from the school, the one about being selected as a test subject for something. Didn't Ryo and Megumi receive a text message from the school before they came here? I remember this floor isn't open to students."

Shiina Hiyori, closed a book that she had been holding while talking, stood up and showed the text message page to Karuizawa Kei and Kitagawa Ryo.

"As expected, the school didn't choose Ryuen from Class C, but rather Hiyori. If we have to consider all four classes, then the candidates for Class D..."

Compared to Kitagawa Ryo, who was habitually speculating about the school's intentions in launching this test and the underlying logic of the selection process Karuizawa Kei felt a subtle sense of disappointment Shiina Hiyori subtly asked Shiina Hiyori:

"I didn't expect Hiyori to be interested in a place like this, especially since she came alone. When I received the text message this morning, I immediately asked Ryo about it. If he hadn't also gotten the qualification for this test, I don't think he would have come here alone."

"Actually, I overslept this morning. I only saw the text message after waking up around 10 o'clock. Later, I saw photos that some classmates sent me and found out that you two were together this morning, so I didn't think of bothering you. Besides, I can handle being in this kind of place by myself. Rather, I've been wanting to experience this kind of atmosphere in person for a while, and I hope the school can do a more realistic job of recreating it."

After saying that, Shiina Hiyori hugged the books in front of her chest a little tighter and winked playfully at Kitagawa Ryo:

"Liang should know the reason, right?"

"Doesn't the book you're holding already provide the answer? Ms. Hiyori, a devoted fan of hard-boiled mystery novels, are you here to imitate Ned Beaumont?"

Although Shiina Hiyori was still trying to conceal the book she was holding, Kitagawa Ryo, who had read countless mystery novels, easily recognized it from the exposed top half of the cover and spine as Dashiel Hammett's masterpiece, * the Glass Key *. As the pioneer and founder of the hard-boiled detective novel style, Hammett wrote only five mystery novels in his lifetime, but four of them were ranked in the Mystery Writers of America's United States 100 historical mystery novels. In terms of the number of novels included, he was second only to Conan Doyle, author of * the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes *, and on par with Agatha Christie. * the Glass Key * was one of those novels.

Although she has always appeared to be a quiet, literary young woman, Kitagawa Ryo knows that Shiina Hiyori is actually a big fan of hard-boiled detective novels. For example, the mystery novelist Lawrence Black and his novel "Eight Million Ways to Die," which she had talked about with him in previous simulations, are also top figures in the hard-boiled genre.

Just like the name "Hard-Boy School," the male protagonist in this type of novel, namely the detective, is generally associated with being tough, cold, independent, and good at fighting. The main focus is on a non-traditional approach of emphasizing language and fighting scenes while de-emphasizing mystery-solving. The story often takes place in the streets and alleys of the city.

Therefore, casinos are one of the most common Matoba in this type of work. For example, the book <The Glass Key> that Shiina Hiyori is holding now opens with the protagonist gambling in a casino, and Ned Beaumont, mentioned in Kitagawa Ryo's words, is his name.

Seeing that Kitagawa Ryo understood and caught the punchline she had thrown out almost instantly, Shiina Hiyori couldn't help but smile. What she had always enjoyed was the tacit understanding between the two of them in their shared interests. This spiritual resonance and communication was a symbol of happiness for her.

After Horikita Suzune on the Uninhabited Island, this time the one staring at each other was Karuizawa Kei. Although she had already accepted the reality of liking the same person as her best friend after the Acupressure Mat Race on the Uninhabited Island, she was still the one who came first today, wasn't she?

Fortunately, this somewhat delicate atmosphere did not last long. As time slowly passed, it was 11:00 a. m., and the door to room 6001, which had been tightly closed, opened on time to the three people in the corridor. The school staff responsible for receiving them came out and confirmed the contents of the text message with each of them before leading them inside.

"Huh? Is it just the three of us?"

Karuizawa Kei asked, somewhat surprised, and the school staff member leading the way nodded slightly in response:

"We originally only sent invitation text messages to four students from four classes, but it seems that Katsuragi from Class D had more urgent personal matters to attend to, and he even replied to us with a formal apology text message."

"Giving up from Class A to Class D in one fell swoop must be incredibly stressful for Katsuragi, who is also the class Leader. I've heard that some students in Class D are already dissatisfied with Katsuragi leading the class."

Shiina Hiyori and added that although she wasn't particularly fond of gathering this kind of information, the Uninhabited Island Special Exam had given her several new admirers, including the information that Kitagawa Ryo and Karuizawa Kei were suspected of having a date that morning, all of which were sent to her by these students.

Kitagawa Ryo didn't respond to that, because he knew that the more important thing Katsuragi Kohei was talking about wasn't actually calming down the students in the class, but rather that he was busy finding the mole within his own class.

Unlike the situations he had encountered in simulations, with Sakayanagi Arisu no longer in Class A but now Class D genuinely couldn't find another suitable class Leader besides Katsuragi Kohei. Moreover, to be honest, Katsuragi Kohei himself hadn't made any overly obvious mistakes in his command during this Uninhabited Island Special Exam. The overall public opinion in Class D was actually quite stable. Most of these so-called conflicts were just a pretext deliberately exposed to other classes, intended as a cover to find the mole hidden within the class before the next Special Exam.

After the school staff lifted a curtain, what appeared before them was a Matoba set that they had only ever seen in movies and TV shows: playing cards, chips, gambling plates, gambling tables, and a dark color scheme of red and black.

After leading them to their destination, the school staff quickly turned and left. Then, two people slowly emerged from the shadows beside them. They were Chabashira Sae and Hoshinomiya Chie, the homeroom teachers of Class 1-A and Class D, respectively.

"Welcome to the three of you for this facility test."

"I am Hoshinomiya Chie, the class advisor for Class 1-A, and I am here to guide you through this test. I hope we can have a pleasant time together in the coming days."

The first to approach the three and bow slightly to introduce herself was Hoshinomiya Chie. Although Kitagawa Ryo felt that the title of "Class 1-A's homeroom teacher" was a bit redundant, judging from the deliberately emphasized, cheerful tone in her voice, it seemed that she was just trying to provoke Chabashira Sae next to her.

Moreover, despite the title of "guide," just looking at that red dress that was different from her usual attire, she clearly looked like a so-called online dealer dealing cards.

But the most significant event was yet to come. Although he had briefly imagined what Karuizawa Kei would look like in a bunny girl outfit after hearing her remarks, he never expected that just a few hours later, a real bunny girl would actually appear before Kitagawa Ryo's eyes.

High heels, leg rings, fishnet stockings, three-piece bodysuit...

Sorry, my eyes were covered as soon as I glanced over there.

"What on earth is the school doing?"

"This element isn't even found in hard-boiled, hard-boiled mystery novels!"

Although her vision was blocked by two small hands on either side, Kitagawa Ryo could almost picture Karuizawa Kei and Shiina Hiyori blushing with embarrassment just by listening to their halting voices.

"... It's just a job requirement, and you guys don't think I'm wearing this just because I think it looks good or to satisfy some weird personal interest, do you? Can you please cooperate properly? I'm the one under the most pressure."

As if she had anticipated this reaction, Chabashira Sae rubbed her temples and muttered a helpless complaint. But in reality, she wasn't as panicked as she said. Instead, she seemed quite satisfied with Kitagawa Ryo's reaction, and even felt a strange and twisted sense of satisfaction.

Although Chabashira Sae looked quite innocent and helpless like a corporate slave, Karuizawa Kei and Shiina Hiyori unanimously chose to have Kitagawa Ryo withdraw from the school's test.

"I'll tell Ryo about the specific details of the test once it's out."

"Okay, Liang can wait for me and Hui outside. Here's the book, read this to pass the time."

Seeing that Karuizawa Kei and Shiina Hiyori had reached a subtle consensus in an instant, Kitagawa Ryo had no choice but to surrender. He accepted the Glass Key handed to him by the latter and left the room, sitting alone on the bench outside the corridor.

To be honest, even now, Kitagawa Ryo is still completely bewildered. But since he didn't witness or participate in the test, he could only sit there listlessly and open the first page of the novel. Looking at the opening lines, "Two green dice rolled across the same-colored table, hit the raised edge of the table, and bounced back. One quickly stopped, revealing six white dots arranged in six rows, while the other rolled to the center of the table before stopping, with only one dot on it," he began to ponder again.

Although Chabashira Sae dressed as a bunny girl had indeed left a deep impression on him, Kitagawa Ryo still hadn't forgotten the content related to 'money values and consumption views' in the text message sent by the school.

In fact, since the beginning of their studies, all the students have actually experienced Special Exam in this regard that is easily overlooked. That test was conducted silently from the first day of school until the end of the first month, before the concept of Class Points was announced.

The school gave each student 100,000 Private Points as living expenses in the first month. If these Private Points are used frugally, they can easily last for several months, since there are no expenses such as rent and utilities.

From this perspective, even if Class D had deducted all of its Class Points after the first month, the students in the class shouldn't have had such a hard time. However, the reality was that many students couldn't help but start spending excessively in the first month after acquiring 100,000 points. Class D was just the most serious case; the other three classes actually experienced similar phenomena.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but get up and walk to the nearby window, looking down at the lower decks of the cruise ship from the sixth floor. Because it was close to noon, even those who had taken a nap were starting to leave their dormitories First Year after another, calling their friends. Everywhere you could see boys and girls chatting and laughing as they entered various restaurants or entertainment facilities. The Private Points they had earned through the Uninhabited Island Special Exam were often spent before they even had a chance to warm up.

Kitagawa Ryo didn't see anything wrong with this kind of retaliatory spending. After all, they had indeed spent two weeks living in the wilderness on Uninhabited Island, and he himself had planned to spend tens of thousands of points that morning to book a private date with Karuizawa Kei. However, combined with the facility test he had inexplicably participated in today, he couldn't help but feel a subtle sense of unease.

However, this hypothesis still needs to be further verified upon returning to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

... I was thinking about having a carefree and enjoyable holiday this morning, but I didn't expect to start thinking about these things again just a few hours later.

After briefly sorting out the jumbled thoughts in his mind, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't help but scold himself, shook his head, and threw all these things that shouldn't be considered during the holidays to the back of his mind. He then leaned back lazily on the bench and began to reread the book that he had already read several times.

Although people often comment that Dashiel Hammett's hard-boiled detective protagonists are unusually tough, such as the scene in this book where the protagonist Ned is thrown into a torture chamber and subjected to torture—a plot rarely seen in other types of detective novels.

The protagonist is a tough-guy detective, his best friend who was framed and has a secret he can't tell, a seemingly harmless murderer, and at least two female characters with whom he has romantic interactions.

Indeed, just like the book he discussed with Shiina Hiyori on the Uninhabited Island, "The Riddle of the Two-Wheeled Carriage," this book also ended with a love story. This contrast between a tough guy and a tender heart is still touching even now, making Kitagawa Ryo's lips unconsciously curl into a smile.

Perhaps he should learn to face his own feelings more openly and honestly. After all, lust is not necessarily a symbol of love, but without lust, that feeling is not love, but something else entirely.

It's time for his relationship with them to move forward and take that step.

Chapter 243: It was all Kanzaki Ryuji's doing!

Karuizawa Kei and Shiina Hiyori came out faster than Kitagawa Ryo had expected. He had just quickly skimmed through <The Glass Key> and was about to take out his phone to check the group messages when the two of them were politely escorted out by school staff.

"So? Who won and who lost?"

Because Karuizawa Kei and Shiina Hiyori had faint, relaxed smiles on their faces, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't immediately judge the outcome of their match based on their facial expressions, so he casually asked this question.

"Who won and who lost? If I had to say, I guess I was just a little luckier? But it doesn't matter, since we all ended up getting the Private Points from the school as a thank you for participating in the test, so it should be considered a win-win situation."

Judging from her light and playful tone, Karuizawa Kei seemed to be in a really good mood. She had completely shaken off the gloom she felt an hour earlier, standing like a third wheel at the doorway listening to those difficult-to-pronounce foreign names. With a bright smile, she stepped forward and hugged Kitagawa Ryo's arm.

"It's already twelve o'clock, let's go eat, we're getting a little hungry."

It was unclear whether Karuizawa Kei and Shiina Hiyori had reached any agreement or made any deal during this so-called testing period. Just as Kitagawa Ryo was hesitating whether to invite Hiyori to lunch, she had already waved her hand dismissively.

"I've already made plans with Ibuki, so I'll be going now--"

Watching Shiina Hiyori's rather decisive figure disappear from his sight, Kitagawa Ryo subconsciously raised the book <The Glass Key> in his hand:

"The book, the book hasn't been taken yet."

"Leave it there to cool for now, I'll come get it next time."

It has to be said that Shiina Hiyori is very good at creating opportunities for the two of them to meet, whether intentionally or unintentionally, when borrowing and returning books. After all, they can meet once when borrowing and once when returning the books, and then talk about the plot and content of the books. They will naturally have common topics to discuss. In a sense, she has Kitagawa Ryo completely under her thumb.

And so, after saying goodbye to Shiina Hiyori but now with a detective novel in their hands, Kitagawa Ryo and Karuizawa Kei went downstairs to a restaurant on the lower floors to have lunch.

Unlike the free breakfast and dinner provided by the school, students had to buy their own lunch with points for the past seven days. In addition, since today was the first day of the holiday, most of the exhausted students had slept through breakfast and were basically starving. As soon as the two of them walked down, they could clearly feel the enthusiasm of the food-hunting team.

Open-air cafes are popular dining spots for students. Although lunch sets with drinks cost at least 2,000 Private Points, most students won't skimp on their food at this time. Even students in Class D who failed the Uninhabited Island Special Exam can indulge themselves with the Private Points they've accumulated over the past Class Points, using the food and scenery to temporarily heal their wounded souls.

"... all the seats are full."

Looking at the bustling queue in front of her with a bit of a headache, Karuizawa Kei, holding a tray of food, shook her head helplessly.

Although many students from Class A who came out to eat in groups noticed their class monitor's situation and wanted to make room for her, it was the busiest lunchtime, and Karuizawa Kei felt bad about making the other students in her class stand to eat just to make room for her, so they all shook their heads and refused.

Kitagawa Ryo's situation was similar. While queuing to order, he bumped into Ken Sudō from his class, who excitedly raised his arm and invited him to eat with him. However, their table was already full of Yamada Albert and others, so he politely declined.

"How about we eat on the benches over on the deck? We can see the sea view there."

After thinking for a moment, Kitagawa Ryo thought of the deck at the stern of the ship that he had walked to during his stroll the night before, and took the initiative to make a suggestion.

"Um."

Karuizawa Kei nodded obediently in agreement. She didn't really care where they ate, as long as they were together. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made a deal with Shiina Hiyori in the room earlier to get this time alone together.

Just as Kitagawa Ryo had anticipated, perhaps because the students had only just boarded the Luxury Cruise Ship for the first time, this beautiful place with its wide view and pleasant scenery had not yet been noticed by many people. Apart from the familiar background noise of the waves and engine, it was definitely a quiet and pleasant place.

After setting down their trays of food, Kitagawa Ryo and Karuizawa Kei didn't immediately start eating. Instead, they both leaned against the railing and gazed into the distance at the azure sea where the sky met the water and the white waves crashing against the shore. After a while Karuizawa Kei subconsciously exclaimed, "So beautiful."

As she spoke, she shifted slightly to the right, gently nudging Kitagawa Ryo with her elbow resting on the railing, and turned to him with a toothy smile:

"How about I arrange all the afternoon and evening activities, Liang?"

Hearing this, Kitagawa Ryo turned his head slightly to the side. The first thing he saw was Karuizawa Kei's honey-colored hair, flowing freely in the wind. The golden hue shone captivatingly in the midday sun. A little to the right, her smile, even brighter than the summer sun, made Kitagawa Ryo instinctively gasp. After a moment of stunned silence, he replied:

"... I told you this morning that I'd give all my time to Hui today, and she can do whatever she wants with it."

Perhaps because his relationship with Megumi had always been absolutely dominant in both of the other person's simulations, and even in the Ichinose Honami, the reborn Kitagawa Ryo is now more willing to experience being gently enveloped and dominated by the other person in their interactions.

If we really have to find a starting point, it probably started with the performance of Macbeth that the two of them co-starred in. But Kitagawa Ryo also knows in his heart that, in fact, it was because Karuizawa Kei's personality had undergone a complete change compared to the simulation, or rather, she had grown up.

If you are no longer at a disadvantage, you naturally won't need to resort to scheming or show awe to test the rules of the relationship.

"Okay, then I'll contact the teacher in charge of booking the venue now."

"So you were prepared all along?"

"Hmph--Of course, I've planned everything out from now until midnight."

"... Is it really that exaggerated?"

Seeing Karuizawa Kei who had just experienced Special Exam on Uninhabited Island, Kitagawa Ryo shook his head and extended his hand to her:

"Hui, don't try to be strong. I'll be staying with you all day anyway. Let's plan some relaxing activities this afternoon. We just came from Uninhabited Island, and I could tell you were pushing yourself this morning."

If the guy who had the hardest time on the Uninhabited Island in the first half was Ryuen Kakeru, a real-life wilderness survivalist, then the girl who had the hardest time was definitely Karuizawa Kei. As the only girl in the only three solo groups on the Uninhabited Island, even though Kitagawa Ryo hadn't met Karuizawa Kei a few times in the previous days, he could imagine the kind of physical and mental pressure she was under.

Even though the three girls in Kitagawa Group had a high-quality camping experience throughout, they didn't ask him out last night or this morning because they were all exhausted. This was evident from the fact that they only bumped into Shiina Hiyori, who was practically being driven around the second half of the trip and wasn't as tired.

Don't be fooled by the bustling activity on the deck outside during lunchtime. Once this period is over, I estimate that three-quarters of the students will go back to lying around like corpses. It won't get really lively until at least tomorrow, after everyone has caught their breath.

Therefore, Kitagawa Ryo was well aware that unlike him, who trained regularly and had a host of talents, Karuizawa Kei's physical strength and condition were not as good as the other party's current performance, which is why he chose to speak.

"Okay, okay, but I'm not trying to be tough. The schedule for this afternoon... well, you'll see when the time comes."

It seemed to suit Kitagawa Ryo's concern very well; Karuizawa Kei smiled and her eyes curved like crescent moons, and she even pretended to be mysterious and kept everyone in suspense.

"Alright."

Seeing that Karuizawa Kei looked confident, Kitagawa Ryo didn't say anything more. He sat on the bench and started eating the lunch they had bought while chatting about everyday topics.

"Speaking of which, does Liang know about the gym in the Keyaki Mall?"

"I know, I even got a membership card there. I go there sometimes to exercise, and I always see Mashima, the homeroom teacher. He seems to be a regular there."

"I see. No wonder I always hear people talking about Class D —no, it should be Class B now—saying that Class B's homeroom teacher Mashima, is an English teacher, but looks like she teaches physical education."

After making that subtle comment, Karuizawa Kei then asked Kitagawa Ryo a question:

"So, Liang must know a lot about fitness?"

"I wouldn't say I'm an expert, more like an insider's view of an expert. What, are you planning to get a gym membership when you go back to school, Hui? If so, I suggest you spend more Private Points to get a premium membership. That way you'll have a dedicated female personal trainer and a private, enclosed workout area."

"I did have that thought, after all, I was really scared by Amasawa from your class during the second half of the Uninhabited Island Special Exam... I originally thought my physical strength was among the better ones for girls."

At this point, Karuizawa Kei shook her head with a touch of melancholy. After using the 'Reinforcement' card and merging with Sakura Airi and Amasawa Ichika's duo, she witnessed firsthand how terrifying this girl was. Although it wasn't quite to the point of damaging her self-esteem, she was still slightly stimulated.

"Ichika, well, her situation is different from yours, so honestly there's no need to compare yourself to her in this regard."