Chapter 143: Kei Karuizawa's Pouting, Cooperation Scheduled (2-in-1, 5k) (Patreon)

After parting ways with Asuka Shiraishi and Ryoko Nishikawa, Hikaru Naruse had barely stepped off the deck when his girlfriend called.

"Kei?"

His voice was gentle. The whole point was to soothe her.

By now, Kei Karuizawa should have learned she was a VIP. She'd be at her wits' end.

On the other end, Kei lowered her voice and spoke with real earnestness.

"Hikaru-kun, can I come find you now? Somewhere with no one else around?"

"Of course."

Naruse thought for a moment. "Kei, hold on a bit. I'll call my roommate, and then you can come to my room."

"…Is that okay?"

Kei froze for a second, then realized it was a very good choice.

"Of course it's fine. Wait for me."

After hanging up, Naruse called his roommate, Naoki Shimizu.

It was settled in no time. Shimizu admired Naruse, and ever since yesterday's announcement of the VIP exam, Class A, with Kohei Katsuragi taking the lead, had made it clear in the group chat that Naruse's authority was to be respected.

After all, his plan was to guess the [VIPs]. Of course everyone else had to clear the way for him.

"Sure thing. I've got lunch plans with a friend, so use the room however you like, Naruse-san. I won't be back until later."

"Mm."

A little while later, Naruse reached the guest-cabin level of the cruise ship. He'd just found his room when he spotted the girl waiting at the door.

"Hikaru-kun!"

Her eyes lit up, and she flung herself at him as if by instinct.

"Mm, I'm here."

Naruse opened his arms and caught her firmly. Her warm, soft body pressed against his chest, and a satisfied smile curled his lips.

"Let's go in first."

Keeping one arm around Kei's waist, he shut the door with the other hand and checked that the lock had clicked into place.

Once the door was closed, Kei lifted her head from his embrace. Her pretty face switched straight from "clingy" to "serious mode."

"Hikaru-kun… there's a secret I want to tell you."

"Heh."

Naruse studied her expression. He knew perfectly well what the secret was. It seemed Kei really had been under a lot of pressure.

So he drew her closer, cupped her small face in his hands, and said:

"I know, you know. What Kei's secret is."

"You know?" Kei trembled slightly.

"You're the Rabbit Group's [VIP], aren't you?" Naruse brought his mouth to her ear, his voice soft.

"What?!"

Kei reacted a little too loudly. She realized at once that she'd slipped and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Don't be so nervous. I just guessed."

"Hikaru-kun… how did you guess?"

With her secret seen through, the excitement and tension seemed to drain out of Kei. She went even softer in his arms, and Naruse had to hold her tighter.

"Because I figured out the pattern the school used to pick the [VIPs]. For fairness, they couldn't have picked them at random."

Holding the girl, Naruse sat down on the bed and explained slowly.

"This morning I got the information on our Class A's three VIPs. From what those people have in common, I worked out the rule."

"Really?"

Kei's eyes filled with admiration. She blinked and looked up at her man.

"Yeah. If things go smoothly, I plan to end this exam today."

Surprise and delight hit her at once, and she blurted out:

"Hikaru-kun, are you going to get every group to reach [Outcome Three]?"

She'd put on a carefree act when the rules were announced, but she was actually very attentive and had memorized all of them.

"That's my goal. But there are three classes whose results I can't control, silly."

Naruse pinched her soft cheek and went on.

"So there are still a few things to take care of."

"Oh."

Kei nodded. She'd never been keen on the exam itself. If Naruse wanted to end it, then let him. She wasn't about to worry about the interests of her class just because she happened to be in Class D.

The rumor incident on the deserted island had worn away the last bit of concern she had for Class D.

Now all she wanted was for her man to do well.

"Hikaru-kun, what's the rule?" The thought made her curious.

"It's actually really simple."

Naruse smiled, took his phone out of his pocket, and opened the notepad.

Since he was explaining a pattern, typing it out was easier.

"The school picks the [VIPs] by gojuon order of the first sound of each surname."

After he typed that line, Kei thought for a moment and seemed to catch on, but she still wanted him to explain it to her himself.

So he kept typing.

"Kei, your surname is Karuizawa, and its first sound is [ka]. Count the first sounds of the other surnames in the Rabbit Group, and yours comes out fourth."

"And the Rabbit Group is fourth in the numbering, so the [VIP] is naturally you."

When he finished typing, understanding dawned on Kei's face.

"So that's how it is. Hikaru-kun figured it out in such a short time. Amazing!"

"Of course. Do you even know who your man is?"

"Hmph, look at you, so full of yourself!"

Kei snuggled into his arms. With her worry settled, all she wanted now was her boyfriend's comfort.

"Even though I know all this, I still have to go look for allies later."

"Oh… right."

Kei went over the rules again and immediately understood what he meant.

Students in the same class couldn't submit their own class's [VIP] answer early. Even if they sent it, the school would rule it invalid and the exam would continue.

"So have you decided yet, Hikaru-kun?"

Kei wasn't stupid. She spoke calmly.

"Your class's [VIPs] are spread across three groups. If you want to end the exam early, someone outside Class A has to submit the answers."

"I've decided. But we need someone to take the lead, so that I can make sure my plan goes through smoothly."

"And… Hikaru-kun, if you work with another class, your Class A will lose class evaluation points too. 150 points in total."

"Yeah, so that's where I'll have to bargain. I'm sure she'll be willing to pay that price."

The reason Naruse wanted to end the exam today was that, according to the original story, Rokusuke Koenji would make an early submission for the Monkey Group on his own tomorrow.

That man did whatever he pleased. He didn't care about anything like "teamwork," and the moment he guessed the answer, he'd act on pure instinct.

After all, whoever guessed correctly would earn 500,000 Private Points straight away. Which class lost points, Koenji couldn't care less.

It would disrupt Naruse's overall arrangements, so he had to strike first.

"I'm pretty good at bargaining."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Don't you trust me?"

Naruse held the girl and smiled warmly, but Kei's "cheating cat" radar was spinning at full speed.

She'd just heard him say "she."

A few seconds later, she reached a verdict.

"Hikaru-kun, that partner you mentioned… it's not someone from Class B, is it?" Her voice was wary.

"Hm?"

Naruse studied her face, as if a little surprised.

He cupped her small face and brushed his thumb lightly across her fair cheek.

"Kei, since when are you this sharp?"

He wasn't flustered in the least. He just smiled, perfectly calm.

"The partner I've settled on is Class B."

The moment he said it, Kei's face puffed up like an inflated pufferfish, her cheeks perfectly round.

"Hmph!"

Kei really didn't like Honami Ichinose. She could accept the Class A girls being "unclear" with her man, but not Ichinose.

Her old thinking was that Ichinose led Class B, and Class B and Class A should be the most direct rivals, since they ranked closest.

But Ichinose had joined the Student Council, and she was always around Naruse.

If those two kept seeing each other this often, something was bound to happen sooner or later.

"Class B is the best choice. I weighed it carefully. Want to hear my reasons, Kei?" Naruse poked her puffed-out cheek.

"Go on!"

"First, Class C is out. I don't want them making big gains in either of these two exams."

"Mm, that I get." Kei could understand that much.

"As for your Class D, Hirata is reliable, sure. But good guy though he is, his grip on Class D as a whole is too weak."

Naruse smiled and cut straight to the point.

"The partnership I'm proposing is class to class. All the information and communication has to be strictly secret, without a single leak along the way."

"But think about it, Kei. Your Hirata may be the class representative, but can he really guarantee everyone will obediently do what he says?"

"…"

Kei fell silent. Yosuke Hirata had been chosen as class representative because both the boys and the girls in the class listened to him.

But the deserted island exam had already shown what he could do. He could endure hardship with everyone and share the blame, but taking a hard line and ordering people around was absolutely beyond him.

Someone who smooths everything over is never a true enforcer.

"So that leaves Class B. Ichinose also uses a gentle management style, but she has a very firm grip on Class B."

That was true. After Naruse's pointers, Ichinose no longer kept a purely gentle attitude in running the class. Sometimes she could be quite strict.

And the good kids of Class B supported her fully. Once Ichinose agreed to a partnership, it meant no one would object.

Hirata would never dare promise on everyone's behalf, let alone with so many troublemakers in Class D that even he couldn't keep in line.

The partnership meant Class A losing 150 points. Naruse planned to make Class B bleed hard once, so that Class A could recoup the loss.

150 class evaluation points had to be worth several million Private Points, at least.

"Okay, you do have a point, Hikaru-kun."

After hearing his analysis, Kei was still a little jealous, but her mood had eased considerably.

She buried her head in his chest, pouting, her small hand drawing circles on his body.

"And if my talks with Class B go smoothly and we can end the exam today, we'll still have a few days left to enjoy on the cruise ship."

"Don't you want me to spend a few more days with you?"

"…"

Kei felt a flutter at that.

When the deserted island exam ended, she'd thought she would have several days to enjoy the luxurious summer cruise with her boyfriend. It would have been a wonderful memory.

But after three days of rest, the second Special Exam began, and it frustrated her.

If the exam ended today, they'd still have at least four days to relax together on the ship.

But…

Another thought crossed her mind, and her little face flushed.

"The cruise ship's nice and all, but I'd still rather go back to school with you, Hikaru-kun, and spend the summer break there."

"Is that so."

Naruse looked at her pretty face and understood exactly what she meant.

Cruise ship or not, two people to a room was never convenient, no matter how you looked at it.

If they went back to school together, Kei could spend the night in his dorm. What would a young couple get up to at night? You know how it is.

On the ship they could do some intimate things, but anything more daring was out of the question.

So Naruse smiled, patted her head, and said gently:

"Then there's nothing we can do. It's only a few days. Kei can hold out a little longer~"

"What are you talking about!"

Kei turned shy and rapped her little fist against his chest several times, though there was no strength behind it.

"You're the one who's about to lose it, aren't you, Hikaru-kun? Just now, when you were holding me…"

"…Mm, then we'll hold out together, and when we're back at school, I'll make it up to you properly!"

"Hmph!"

Kei nestled against him and said on purpose:

"All this time… it must have been rough on you too, Hikaru-kun?"

"Uh… yeah, it's rough."

It wasn't, really. He couldn't have what he wanted, but Naruse had plenty of other options.

Kikyo Kushida and Airi Sakura, for instance. Now and then the two of them took the initiative and did something bold, and that helped him unwind.

"If you want it, you have to coax me properly first, got it?"

Kei lifted her head and stared at her man's face, spelling out each word.

"Got it."

Naruse held the girl. Kei's jealousy flared up fast and faded just as fast, and a few soothing words had her all smoothed over.

"Good, as long as you know."

Kei arched her slender waist, leaned up, and nipped his cheek, grinning.

"That's your reward."

"Mm, mm."

*

Since the exam rules called for a one-hour discussion every day at eight in the morning and eight at night, once Naruse had his plan clear, he called Kohei Katsuragi right away.

"Naruse-san, what is it?"

Katsuragi's voice was steady. He'd done a lot today too, gathering intelligence nonstop.

"I've got the VIP information for all the groups."

"…"

At that, the line went silent for a good few seconds. Even someone as level-headed as Katsuragi had his mind blank for a moment.

After a while, he lowered his voice and asked:

"Really?"

"Really." Naruse spoke slowly. "Since the rules don't allow classmates to send answers early, I plan to pick an ally for our class."

"…Good. Since you've got the information, Naruse-san, we'll support you fully in whatever comes next."

"Mm. In this exam too, we'll still be the ones who gain the most in the end. I'll adjust the details."

"Understood."

Katsuragi didn't waste words. After the deserted island exam, he'd fully recognized the gap between his ability and Naruse's.

He was still Class A's representative, but Naruse was its true core.

Since Naruse could lead the class to victory, what Katsuragi had to do was support him from behind with everything he had.

Katsuragi was no careerist. As long as it was good for Class A, he had no objections.

"After the exam ends, I'll explain everything to the class and make your contributions known, Naruse-san."

"Mm, got it."

After finishing with Katsuragi, Naruse arranged a time and place with Honami Ichinose, ready to negotiate with her.

A little past six in the evening, he arrived at the girls' cabin area. He'd just pushed open Ichinose's door when he froze.

Besides Ichinose, there were three other Class B girls inside: Sayo Ando, Yuki Himeno, and Mako Amikura.

"Huh? That's quite a lineup."

Naruse ran a hand through his hair, his tone teasing. The number of girls didn't bother him. They couldn't eat him alive, could they?

Hearing that, Honami Ichinose came over at once, smiling.

"You said on the phone that this partnership was crucial, Naruse-san, so they all wanted to hear it too. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course I mind."

Naruse shrugged and joked.

"Four of you. What if you gang up on me?"

"Of course we won't."

After everything they'd been through together, Ichinose was very familiar with him now. She took his arm and pulled him straight into the room.

"Come on in, Naruse-san. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thanks."

Naruse waved a hand and stepped into Ichinose's room on the cruise ship.

She shared it with Sayo Ando, and the air was thick with a blend of fruity floral shampoo and the scent of young girls.

"Don't look around like that… Naruse-san, I haven't tidied up yet. It's a bit messy."

Seeing the way he was looking around, Ichinose got a little shy.

"I'm checking for an ambush. What if it's more than just the four of you?"

"If there really were an ambush, we wouldn't let you leave today."

Sayo Ando, standing nearby, smiled and chimed in on purpose.

"That's terrifying. Ichinose, as the host, you'd better protect me well."

"Of course!"