Special Exam 8

Manabe stared warily at Horikita Etsuka. "You... what exactly do you mean?"

Horikita Etsuka spread his hands. "It's simple. Tell me the Secret Key, and you won't have to drop out."

"But Ryuen will make me pay if he finds out!"

"Would that really be worse than dropping out?" Horikita Etsuka said, then turned to Yamashita and the other girl. "And don't think you're off the hook. You were both in the photo, too. If anyone drops out, it'll be all three of you."

Yamashita's face fell at once, while the other girl's legs trembled. She seemed unable to accept the situation.

"Sh... Shiho, why don't we just tell him? I'm really scared of dropping out..." Yamashita said quietly.

"Yeah... Shiho, tell him," the other girl said, her voice almost breaking into tears.

"Fine, I'll tell you. But... after I do, you have to delete the photos." Manabe gritted her teeth.

"Don't worry about that." Horikita Suzune came over. "If the Secret Key really is useful, I'll delete the photos."

Seeing there was no room left to negotiate, Manabe sighed in resignation. Hugging her knees, she said softly:

"Our Secret Key is [Conquest]."

"[Conquest]?" Suzune murmured, and Karuizawa Kei did too.

"Good. The last Secret Key for Class D is [Ryuen Big Bastard]. Make sure you let Ryuen hear it." Horikita Etsuka slowly stood up.

Horikita Suzune frowned. "Will Ryuen believe a Secret Key like that?"

Etsuka shrugged. "Whatever the Secret Key is, there's a chance he'll believe it. After all, it's one of the options he chose."

As Manabe listened to their conversation, her expression gradually darkened. "If I lied, things would get even worse."

Etsuka bent down and looked Manabe in the eye.

Manabe stared back at Etsuka, her gaze defiant.

Suddenly, Etsuka reached out.

Thinking Etsuka was about to hit her again, Manabe hurriedly shut her eyes.

To her surprise, a sharp blow landed on her forehead.

Etsuka flicked her right between the brows.

"Ow!" Manabe clutched her forehead and looked up at Etsuka, grimacing.

Etsuka folded his arms, his tone a little impatient.

"I think you need to get a grip on the situation. Besides, why not just say Karuizawa tricked you?"

He had no patience for people who used violence to bully others. If Karuizawa hadn't escaped without any serious injuries, he would've wanted to make all three of them drop out.

Rubbing her forehead, Manabe realized there was no point arguing now. If she refused again, Etsuka would probably do more than flick her forehead.

"I... I understand."

"Good. You can go."

The three girls' faces lit up at once. They quickly stood and headed for the exit.

Watching them walk away, Suzune spoke up.

"You're just letting them go?"

She wasn't only asking Etsuka. She was also asking Karuizawa Kei, who stood nearby.

Etsuka first glanced at Karuizawa. She had her head slightly bowed and said nothing, as if something was troubling her.

With the stick of an empty lollipop in his mouth, Etsuka said:

"We have to let them go. They didn't do anything too outrageous, and you can use the three of them to keep tabs on Ryuen."

"Mm, you're right." Suzune nodded thoughtfully.

"Ahh..." Etsuka stretched. "Well, if that's everything, I'll get going."

With that, he started to leave.

Karuizawa's mind was in turmoil. She watched Etsuka leave, then called out despite herself.

"W-wait!"

"Hmm? Is something else wrong?" Etsuka turned to look at Karuizawa, who seemed flustered.

"Since Manabe and the others gave you a fake Secret Key, what if Ryuen tries it and realizes it's wrong? What if he comes after me?"

As Karuizawa spoke, her voice grew quieter and less confident, and her face turned redder.

"Hmm, that is a problem. Then ask my sister for my Student Terminal number." He turned his back to Karuizawa and Suzune and waved. "And hey, I like sticking my nose into other people's business. If anything comes up, just come find me."

With that, he slowly disappeared around the stairwell corner.

Karuizawa clasped her Student Terminal in both hands and stared at the empty stairwell, lost in thought.

Horikita Suzune sighed. "I'll give you Etsuka's Student Terminal number."

Only then did Karuizawa snap out of it.

"Oh, right." Her usual assertiveness in class seemed to have vanished. She took out her Student Terminal, looking a little dazed.

Looking at Horikita Suzune, the blonde girl had no idea how she was supposed to face her in class from now on.

[Horikita Suzune is Etsuka's older sister...]

Neither Suzune nor Karuizawa knew that, around the corner, Etsuka had taken out a voice recorder and pressed pause.

That night, inside the dormitory.

In front of the mirror,

Yamauchi Haruki had dressed himself up to the nines. He even spritzed himself with cologne.

As he straightened his clothes, he muttered:

"Honestly, what was Karuizawa's problem today? She kept throwing my stationery. Damn it, just because she's a woman, she thinks she can go around acting crazy. What a bitch."

Yamauchi Haruki fussed with his hair, the corners of his mouth lifting. "Still, I'm not going to stoop to her level. I'm losing my virginity tonight, after all."

Whistling, Yamauchi Haruki walked out of his room, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

Before long, he arrived at the door of Room 312.

He looked left and right, then scratched the back of his head.

"Isn't this the boys' floor?"

But then he seemed to remember something, and a smile spread across his face.

"If they're single rooms, it shouldn't matter which floor she's on. There can't be that much difference, right?"

Yamauchi Haruki seemed pleased with his reasoning and nodded.

"That's probably it."

He pulled a rose from his back pocket, then knocked on the door with a lovestruck expression. In a bubbly voice that sounded like a tractor starting up, he said, "Baby~ I'm here!"

One second, two seconds...

"Didn't she hear me?" Yamauchi thought. He leaned toward the peephole and peered inside. "She probably didn't hear me. Hello! Baby~ Is anyone in there?"

As he spoke, he swayed his hips.

Just then, the door suddenly opened. Since Yamauchi was leaning against it and it opened inward, his momentum sent him stumbling inside.

Fortunately, he didn't fall. His cheek landed against something soft, and he caught the scent of body wash, as if the person had just finished showering.

[Could it be...]

Thinking lewdly, Yamauchi closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the other person.

"Baby~ Did you miss me?"

As he felt around, something seemed off.

"Hm? That's weird. Why is her waist so wide?"

Puzzled, Yamauchi slowly opened his eyes.

It was as if a wall stood before him.

Looking up, he saw a burly Black man, built like a bear, standing in a bathrobe and staring at him calmly.

Yamauchi's expression shifted from confusion to shock, then finally to terror...

"B-big brother, I didn't mean to!" Yamauchi stammered, backing away nervously as he waved his hands.

"Listen, let me explain..."

The Black man reached out, grabbed Yamauchi by the clothes, and tried to pull him into the room.

"No! Don't!" Yamauchi's eyes filled with fear as he clung desperately to the doorframe.

But there was no way his strength could match the man's.

Struggling to hold on to the doorframe, Yamauchi wailed through his tears and snot:

"I-I'm sorry! Just... don't pull down my pants!"

To his horror, the man didn't ease up. He pulled even harder, dragging Yamauchi into the room.

A clatter of crashing and banging came from Room 312.

Then came a wail...

Crash, bang... thud, thud, thud!

Smack, smack, smack!