When It Comes to Handprints, I'm the Expert / What an Interesting Man...

Sensing Shiina Hiyori's confusion, Kitagawa Ryo reached out and hugged her.

Although she has always been perceived as a literary girl, Shiina Hiyori has never been the slender and thin type. Rather, she is quite well-endowed, with both her thighs and chest being ample. Her face also has a touch of baby fat. Especially after being carefully cared for by Kitagawa Ryo for half a year, her weight has undoubtedly increased compared to when she started school. However, it has not reached the point where she feels the need to lose weight. Instead, she gives people a reassuringly full and plump feeling.

However, it's also possible that it's because the girl he just came into close contact with is named Sakayanagi Arisu, and compared to her, even Yuki, who has been lying in the hospital for so many years, seems to be twice as bad.

"Hiyori just needs to act according to her own ideas."

Even though he once used Sherlock Holmes's comment to Watson, "You are the only constant in a changing world," to define all his feelings for Shiina Hiyori, it doesn't mean that Kitagawa Ryo felt that Hiyori would never and never need to change. He also wouldn't stop liking her just because she changed. This statement never describes the physical appearance, but rather the underlying character of her soul.

In fact Shiina Hiyori's physical strength was only weaker than that of an average person. Kitagawa Ryo himself had the talent of a 'Physician' and knew very well that there was nothing wrong with the other party's physique, and he was not in a sub-healthy state at all. The reason why he had such thoughts at the moment was mainly because he was assigned to a group with Sakayanagi Arisu and had witnessed the other party's long-term progress in these few days of Special Exam.

In Amasawa Ichika's words, this might also be a kind of anxiety.

"Hiyori can choose to work harder, or she can continue to be lazy. She can learn from Arisu and exercise actively, or she can not. It doesn't matter. Just like that ring, no matter how Hiyori wants to put it on my hand, it won't affect the fact that decades later, when we are an old man and an old woman, we will still lie there and talk about the latest published or century-old mystery novels."

"Um."

Kitagawa Ryo saw the girl in his arms nod, then look up, and finally smile. The bright moonlight and her silver hair complemented each other, making him gasp for breath.

"I always feel a sudden sense of Matsushita."

"I still like coolness the most."

Chapter 410: You should see me before you put your handprint.

"... If it were summer, I would be bitten to death by mosquitoes."

"That's what happens when you like to stalk and spy on Ichika, because you've been hiding there and refusing to come out."

"Wow, Ryo actually said that about me? I was clearly keeping watch to ensure your safety, okay?"

I believe it.

After spending a long, tender time with Shiina Hiyori, until she was so sleepy that she kept yawning, Kitagawa Ryo took the initiative to end their nighttime rendezvous. He had just watched Hiyori walk back to her room, and before he could even go looking for her, Amasawa Ichika, who had been waiting for almost an hour, suddenly popped out from the bushes nearby, which led to the series of conversations mentioned above.

"But Liang is really bold, daring to climb over from the boys' dormitory to our Girls' Dormitory. If she gets caught, she'll at least get a reprimand and a serious punishment. So, aren't you going to thank me for keeping watch for you until now? Look, look, my hands are freezing cold."

Looking at Amasawa Ichika, whose little face was red from the cold but whose spirits were still very high, and who in the blink of an eye moved closer to him and naturally placed her two little hands on his neck, Kitagawa Ryo also reached out and rubbed the other's little head:

"Okay, thank you, Ichika, is that alright?"

That's more like it.

After absorbing some warmth from Kitagawa Ryo, Amasawa Ichika pulled her hand back and vigorously rubbed her face before continuing to smile and say:

"What did Liang talk about with them just now? Can you tell me?"

When faced with Ichika's deliberate attempt to act cute, Kitagawa Ryo could only admit that he was indeed susceptible to it. He quickly repeated what Horikita Suzune had said to Amasawa Ichika, who nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"I see. These second-year girls are really going all out."

"Yes, isn't there a saying that 'when women get wild, men have nothing to do'? That's something I'm quite worried about myself."

Unconsciously, he recalled the awkward situation he had been in not long ago when Chabashira Sae and Hoshinomiya Chie had a conflict. He didn't know where to look or where to put his hands. Kitagawa Ryo sighed helplessly. After all, if the second-year girls really went all out to target him, he would have a hard time dealing with them. Once he started fighting, he would be finished, and who knew how he would be remembered in Chronicle of Time.

"It's actually quite simple. Let the girls handle the girls' affairs. I'll team up with Arisu to be Ryo's right and left protectors, and we'll definitely be able to protect Ryo and ensure she completes her mission safely."

Although Amasawa Ichika's tone was quite unreliable, more like a suggestion made on a whim just to run with him, Kitagawa Ryo thought about it and felt that it might actually be feasible. After all, just as Ichika said, girls should solve girls' problems. As the saying goes, let heroes deal with heroes, and good men deal with good men.

"That's a good suggestion, but as for the candidate, I have someone more suitable. Second-year matters... it's best to let the second-years handle it."

"Oh, Ryo is referring to that Asahina Nazuna, right? She's definitely popular among the second-year students. She even helped Suzune out of a tight spot in the cafeteria a few days ago, but it seems like you can't convince everyone just by talking."

"It's alright, I'm prepared to call another one who's really capable of fighting if necessary."

As he said this, Kitagawa Ryo's mind also conjured up the image of a white-haired upperclassman who had recently made a heroic appearance and physically separated his two homeroom teachers who were pulling each other's hair.

"By the way, does Ichika know which group Kiryuin is in?"

"Kiryuin Fuka from Class 2-B? Let me think... she's in Group 2, which means she's in the same group as Honami and Megumi. Her fighting ability is definitely one of the best in the school. I feel like I'd be in a tough spot against her."

As someone who witnessed firsthand how her opponent overcame all obstacles to surpass Miyabi Nagumo and become the second-year scoring champion at the Sports Festival, Amasawa Ichika rarely showed a serious expression when talking about Kiryuin Fuka. After all, in the entire Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, apart from Kitagawa Ryo and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, the only one who could defeat her head-on was this Kiryuin senior.

"I understand. I'll go look for it over there tomorrow... Well, you could say today. It should be around 2 PM now."

A slightly sleepy yawn escaped Kitagawa Ryo, who had been out for over an hour. Stretching lazily in the moonlight, he was about to say goodbye to Amasawa Ichika and head back to his dorm when the other suddenly tugged at his sleeve, a smirk playing on his lips, and tiptoed close to his ear:

"Hey--Ryo, you don't think I've been waiting here for so long just to say a few words to you, do you?"

If Sakayanagi Arisu only dared to make sneaky little moves and say strange things like "wanting to replenish Kitagawa Ryo's energy," then Amasawa Ichika, who has been enjoying this since the cruise ship, through winter break, and now, is a much more aggressive and proactive person. Counting the first day of travel and the Special Exam, five days have already passed, and it can be said that she has indeed reached her limit. If Kitagawa Ryo doesn't come tonight, she might even dare to sneak over to the boys' dormitory. After all, she did this kind of thing before on the Uninhabited Island.

"A place like this...?"

Although Kitagawa Ryo considered himself a seasoned veteran, this was his first time in such a desolate, freezing wilderness, where he might even be spotted by others. He hesitated slightly, but Amasawa Ichika seemed to have already decided on a place. She turned around and pulled Kitagawa Ryo in a few steps into a women's restroom. She deftly closed the stall door behind her, leaving only the two of them in the narrow space for a moment.

It has to be said that Amasawa Ichika's gameplay is always quite exciting.

Even though it was still late January, winter, she was forever like a rabbit whose time was locked in March.

Of course, Kitagawa Ryo doesn't dislike her.

After all, lust is not necessarily a symbol of love, but without lust, that feeling is certainly not love, but something else entirely.

Kitagawa Ryo reached out his hand, and with his touch, the skin that had been hidden under the pajamas gradually revealed its original shape, filling his palm little by little, softly enveloping and sinking into it.

He suddenly had a very impolite thought.

Perhaps, this is what truly counts as pressing handprints.

Chapter 411: An Interesting Man

On the fifth day of the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam, Kitagawa Ryo from Third Group overslept in his dormitory for the first time.

Thanks to a certain red-haired girl with twin ponytails, he released all the stress of the past week last night. Although the result was that he stayed up until almost four o'clock, and even experienced a rollercoaster of an electrocardiogram in the next cubicle because a certain girl, whose identity is still unknown, got up at night. So he really can't get up at four o'clock sharp to help make breakfast like he did in the previous days.

However, on the other hand, the reason he had worked so diligently to make breakfast before was not only to gain favor with the senior students, but also to guard against Mizowaki and Tonokawa, two of Miyabi Nagumo's confidants, from tripping him up. Now that they had already pledged allegiance to him, there was naturally no need to be on guard anymore. With no psychological burden, Kitagawa Ryo slept soundly until six o'clock, when the school's wake-up announcement came on, and he and the other members of the Third Group leisurely woke up from their beds.

The other students in the dormitory didn't have any objections to Kitagawa Ryo not making breakfast this morning. After all, helping is a favor and not helping is within their rights. Besides, he just fought with a wild boar yesterday, so it's normal for him to rest for a day.

However, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka did not think so.

In fact, ever since Kitagawa Ryo slipped out last night, he had been keeping an eye on when he would return. As a result, he waited for nearly three hours. If he didn't have a lot of trust in Kitagawa Ryo's abilities, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would have almost suspected that Kitagawa Ryo had encountered some kind of accident outside, such as being attacked by a herd of wild boars.

Good morning Ayanokoji.

Kitagawa Ryo was unaware that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had seriously considered his relationship with the wild boar for quite some time last night. However, if he had known, he probably would have remarked that fighting the wild boar might not have consumed as much energy as 'hand-to-hand combat' with Ichika. As an outstanding graduate of the White Room, Ichika's physical abilities were indeed the closest to his among the girls. Even in the small toilet stall, there was absolutely no limitation on Ichika's performance.

"Good morning."

After a friendly "Good morning" to start the day, Kitagawa Ryo, unusually, kept in step with the other students in the Third Group. After washing up together, they chatted and laughed as they headed to the Outdoor Cooking Area.

Without Kitagawa Ryo's cooking, the Third Large Group's breakfast today could only be described as barely edible. However, just like the First Year Third Group, the second and third-year students were understanding, though they still looked somewhat disappointed. After all, tomorrow is Sunday, and the day after tomorrow is the official Final Exam. With this Special Exam coming to an end, there would be no more chances to enjoy Kitagawa Ryo's cooking.

After breakfast, the familiar meditation session began. After four or five days of practice, even the worst students were able to do it quite well, and the number of times the patrolling teachers swung their rulers had visibly decreased.

Just like yesterday, the morning classes were canceled and replaced with a physical education class involving field training. However, the sheer number of students gathered by ANHS was far greater than that of a single large group yesterday. After all, if you include both boys and girls, there are twelve large groups, a twelve-fold difference in size that is clearly visible.

Of course, if we consider this field training as a marathon, it's not a big deal that so many people gathered at the starting line. After all, as everyone sets off, they will naturally break into small groups due to their speed and relationships. However, given the sheer number of people, it's unlikely that there will be any more situations like yesterday where one or two people are left out. It's always safer for a dozen or so boys and girls to stick together.

After finding the location of the Second Main Group girls, Kitagawa Ryo easily spotted Kiryuin Fuka headed straight for her, gave her a wink, and sped up, signaling her to leave the others behind and catch up.

After running for about two kilometers, and making sure that no one else was following them, Kitagawa Ryo pulled Kiryuin Fuka into a grove of trees by the roadside.

"Huh? What's wrong with you? You weren't satisfied with hunting wild boars by yourself yesterday, and now you want to drag me along for another one?"

It has to be said that Kiryuin is indeed the most unconventional Kiryuin in the second year. When faced with being dragged into the woods by a boy, his first reaction was to have sex with the wild boar again. This boldness made Kitagawa Ryo a little embarrassed, and he quickly explained his situation.

"... No wonder this Special Exam was so peaceful on my end. Turns out it was all directed at you. It seems Nagumo hates you more than he hates me. He used to be very careful about his reputation, at most he would just hint at it. This is the first time he's given such an open instruction."

After listening to Kitagawa Ryo's explanation, Kiryuin Fuka nodded in understanding. Before the Special Exam, she had always thought that she would be messed with by Nagumo. She even took the opportunity of helping Kitagawa Ryo deal with the two homeroom teachers to make a special trip to greet him. She didn't expect that he would do even better than she imagined, and actually managed to attract all of Miyabi Nagumo's hatred points by himself.

"Anyway, you've taken the blame for me this time. Fine, I'll take the blame."

Kiryuin Fuka nodded in agreement at first, but then, a little slow on the uptake, she subconsciously asked:

"But if you really want to shake off those girls, why don't you just keep charging forward like you did before? There shouldn't be anyone in the second year who can keep up with your speed except me, and to be honest, I'm already struggling to keep up myself."

"Kiryuin, is it possible... that this field training exercise is a round trip, and even if I don't run into anyone on the first half, I'll inevitably run into someone on the way back?"

"Oh, I really did forget about that."

After saying that, Kiryuin Fuka asked again:

"So what do we do now?"

"Wait a minute Asahina Nazuna- senpai. I've sent someone to tell her. They should catch up soon, and then the three of us can act together."

"OK."

Perhaps because Kitagawa Ryo suddenly mentioned Asahina Nazuna, Kiryuin Fuka asked another question with great interest:

"By the way, how's your relationship with her going? How far have you gotten?"

"Who? Asahina Nazuna- senpai?"

"Otherwise, I saw her name in the latest replies to that ever-popular trending topic about you last time."

"Hmm... I think we went out for drinks alone quite often, and other students saw us. My relationship with my senior is still a purely platonic friendship."

Faced with Kitagawa Ryo's explanation, Kiryuin Fuka couldn't help but shake her head with a slight chuckle. In fact, judging by appearance alone, this senior was definitely a stunning beauty. However, because of her personality, Kitagawa Ryo always felt more like a buddy than a friend, a completely different feeling from when he was with another senior Asahina Nazuna.

"Someone in the post said they saw you take her back to your dorm."

"That time was just to see Hotaru do a backflip."

"Haha--Since you've said so, then I have no choice but to believe you."

After laughing rather rudely twice, Kiryuin Fuka put her hands back into her pockets, glanced at Kitagawa Ryo, suddenly stopped laughing, and asked a question out of the blue:

"At times like these, will you start to like your identity as the heir to a conglomerate again?"

"If Kiryuin wants to search, you can find it on my own social media accounts. Long before I was approached by that tycoon with the same surname as me, but with whom I had no connection for the first ten years of my life, I was already entangled in complicated relationships with several girls at the same time."

Faced with Kitagawa Ryo's immediate reply, Kiryuin Fuka smiled again:

"You're quite interesting, Kitagawa."

Chapter 412: Don't Trust Anyone

After intentionally slowing down their pace, Kitagawa Ryo and Kiryuin Fuka quickly met up with Asahina Nazuna, who had rushed over, and together they officially formed a temporary team for this field training exercise.

The girls chasing Kitagawa Ryo arrived faster than he expected. Before he could even exchange a few words with Asahina Nazuna, a group of about seven or eight girls had already surrounded them aggressively, blocking their way.

Because he didn't want the other classmates and girls to worry about him and affect this Special Exam, Kitagawa Ryo didn't resist and let the second-year girls push and shove them into the nearby forest.

Of course, Kitagawa Ryo, who was thinking of using courtesy first and then force, didn't immediately put on a villainous face like "no surveillance cameras or cell phone recordings, what are you being so arrogant about?" Rather, he had specifically called Asahina Nazuna to his side to deal with the current situation, and now it was just the right time for her to make her appearance.

As the queen of social life standing at the top of the second-year social circle, Asahina Nazuna herself never denies that a large part of her many friends in the past was due to Miyabi Nagumo. But even setting that aside, there were indeed many students who genuinely wanted to be her friends. After all, Asahina Nazuna's personality and looks speak for themselves. In a sense, even the well-informed Kitagawa Ryo fulfilled all his fantasies about older sister-type high school girls in her.

Although the vast majority of second-year girls had a very high opinion of Miyabi Nagumo, they were certainly not all students who were willing to do anything for him, even if it meant breaking school rules. It was just that the momentum of fighting against Kitagawa Ryo for Nagumo's sake had already been created, and they could only be swept along to this point. What Asahina Nazuna had to do was to persuade these students to leave.

Commonly known as "talking away".

However, the process was even more difficult than Kitagawa Ryo had imagined.

Perhaps because the first group of girls who caught up with him were the purest crystallized fans, although Kitagawa Ryo could keenly sense that a few of them did show some wavering on their faces because of Asahina Nazuna's words, they regained their original determination as soon as the leader said, "Asahina Nazuna, to put it bluntly, aren't you also speaking up for your own little boyfriend?"

As it turned out, the other party's words were indeed incredibly damaging, leaving Asahina Nazuna speechless for quite some time, unable to find a rebuttal. This only fueled the arrogance of the girls, and the leader, a girl named Suzuki, immediately shifted her target to Kitagawa Ryo, uttering the familiar phrase, "What kind of skill is it to hide behind a girl?"

Kitagawa Ryo simply retorted with a nonchalant remark:

"According to you, isn't Nagumo hiding behind you girls and afraid to show himself?"

Seeing the negotiations break down, Suzuki let out a cold laugh:

"No matter what, you can't finish this long-distance running lesson today. Just stay here and wait until the time is up."

As they spoke, the eight girls formed a human wall, completely surrounding Kitagawa Ryo, and adopted a posture that said they would immediately shout at the top of their lungs if anyone dared to touch them.

"Sigh, well... Kiryuin, it's your turn to step in."

Since the etiquette step had proven to be a dead end, Kitagawa Ryo could only accelerate to the soldier step, directly calling out Kiryuin Fuka, who had been hiding nearby. As soon as her imposing figure (referring to her height) appeared, the second-year girls all frowned and felt their hearts skip a beat.

In theory, they should hate Kiryuin Fuka a little more, since last year at the Sports Festival, she not only destroyed Miyabi Nagumo Masashi's invincible image on a spiritual level, stepping on him to become the second-year top scorer, but also caused them to lose a lot of Private Points in terms of real benefits.

Of course, if we delve deeper into the reasons, it is also related to the jealousy of these second-grade girls.

After all, in an environment where everyone has signed a contract with Miyabi Nagumo, hopes to build a good relationship with her, and takes pride in flirting or even dating her, why should Kiryuin Fuka be able to be so independent and do whatever she wants without paying anything and live such a carefree life?

It can only be said that if Miyabi Nagumo's order this time wasn't specifically aimed at Kitagawa Ryo, their first target would definitely be Kiryuin Fuka. After all, their revenge against her has never stopped since last year's Sports Festival. Kitagawa Ryo had witnessed a second-year student faking an accident against Kiryuin before and after the Cultural Festival.

"Hey hey--it's no fun just sitting around with people here."

With Kiryuin Fuka's arrival, the girls' gender advantage in preventing Kitagawa Ryo from making a move vanished without a trace. However, their strategy changed just as quickly, and they immediately prepared to turn the molestation into a fight. The moment Kiryuin himself tried to break through their human wall, several of them pounced on him, trying to trick Kiryuin into actually attacking them. The others accelerated towards Kitagawa Ryo's location, seemingly intending to deliberately cause a collision.

"I thought you'd understand after the Sports Festival, but it seems you still haven't realized the huge gap between us?"

Facing several girls of the same grade rushing towards her, Kiryuin Fuka even casually remarked, then nimbly dodged attacks from three directions, even causing two of the attackers to collide and roll on the ground by accident. She then caught a straight punch aimed at her, raising the corners of her mouth with a disdainful smile.