Muttering inwardly, Is there something wrong with this guy? Hoshinomiya couldn't help but feel dismayed. She had just made up her mind to do whatever Yukio wanted—yet in return, he brought up printers? Was she really less appealing than some cold, unfeeling machine? Honestly! Did that printer have her warmth or her softness?
At this moment, Hoshinomiya probably had a lot in common with Matsushita, who'd been unceremoniously offloaded the moment they entered the building.
Still, being the adult she was, Hoshinomiya didn't bluntly ask him whether she was inferior to a printer. Instead, she quickly grasped his intentions.
"You want to get your hands on the exam papers in advance, right?"
Yukio merely nodded in tacit agreement. Otherwise, why would he have gone to all the trouble of bringing Matsushita to the infirmary?
"Tsk, tsk." Realizing his plan, Hoshinomiya relaxed and teased, "So, you're determined to dominate this forest-camp exam, huh? But if you want Sensei's help, injuring just Matsushita might not be enough."
Now that she knew what Yukio wanted, of course she'd seize the chance to negotiate. This was Advanced Nurturing High School, after all—nobody ever passed up an opportunity.
But hearing her, Yukio only shrugged dismissively.
"Determined to dominate might be an exaggeration. My class already has more than enough Class Points. Even if we don't come in first, we'll still be sitting at the top. On the other hand, Class D might keep performing better and better, you know?"
Both of them had been wearing polite smiles, but that last comment brought a moment of silence. Hoshinomiya suddenly realized that he held the real power here, not her. She might want to bargain, but the choice was his.
Indeed, for Yukio, whether he took first place or not this time didn't really matter. His class was already in a comfortable position. But for Hoshinomiya, letting Class D climb higher and higher was absolutely unacceptable. She wanted to crush them—along with Chabashira—so they'd never make any progress!
Hence her repeated efforts to team up with Yukio. Technically, if Class D ever got strong enough to threaten Yukio's class, he'd naturally suppress them. But because of her personal grudge against Chabashira, Hoshinomiya was too impatient to wait for that day to come. She didn't want to see Class D rise at all, not even a bit. Call it a woman's grudge: while she might be easygoing about some things, her stubborn streak was razor-sharp.
"Fine." After a brief pause, Hoshinomiya made her decision. "I'll help you with the exam papers. But if Yukio-kun wants to inflict even more losses on Class D, Sensei can offer you even more help."
With that, she released Yukio's arm, circled behind him, and stretched up on tiptoes, pressing her thumbs gently into the stiff muscles of his shoulders—a reminder that she'd gladly help without negotiating a price. But if Yukio wanted to revisit their previous arrangement or even more…? As long as he kept D Class pinned down, Hoshinomiya wouldn't mind granting him those benefits.
What an unexpected windfall indeed.
Yukio didn't turn around; he simply let her massage his shoulders. His brows lifted slightly in comfort, and internally, he made a small calculation:
"In that case, Sensei, you can just watch. The students of Class D will be coming to your infirmary one by one, from here on out."
With that settled, the two of them made a quick show of fetching ice packs and other medical supplies—just enough to keep up appearances in front of Matsushita—then returned to the infirmary. Only after that did Yukio finally take his leave.
…
Once outside, Yukio immediately took out his phone. Confirming no one else was around, he called Kushida. On the other end, Kushida's heart skipped a beat. She had memorized this number by sight and never saved it in her contacts—she was too afraid a classmate might discover it.
Walking out of her dorm room, she cautiously answered, "Hello?"
Yukio wasted no time, explaining how Matsushita had sprained her ankle, and how he had carried her back—emphasizing that it was a ploy to sow discord. However, he kept silent about his deal with Hoshinomiya. Kushida sounded a bit puzzled.
"…You want me to stir the pot and make the class resent Chiaki more?"
Except for Horikita, everyone in Class D was Kushida's friend, so she casually called them by their first names.
"No," Yukio replied. He merely wanted to keep up a show for Hoshinomiya and claim the rewards, which he couldn't exactly admit out loud. "I'm just concerned about you."
"Look, outdoor training can be tough, right? You might get hurt or exhausted. If you ever feel worn out, you can do what Matsushita did—pretend to twist your ankle, go to the infirmary, and let Hoshinomiya-sensei write you an excuse note so you can skip training.
"After all, a mild sprain doesn't show easily. Even if there's no swelling, saying it hurts is enough. Nobody's going to doubt you."
"!"
Phone still in hand, Kushida darted her eyes left and right to ensure the hallway was empty; everyone else was exhausted from training and resting in their rooms. Relieved, she let out a giggle—a light, sugary laugh.
"Aww, thanks for worrying about me. I really appreciate it!"
She went on, sounding bubbly and sweet. She recalled how, after joining the student council, Yukio's attitude toward her had gradually grown warmer. Remembering her games with him in the student council office, Kushida's cheeks reddened.
"I get it. I'm not going to get injured. But I appreciate the concern."
Finding Kushida's tone a bit too syrupy, Yukio was nonetheless relieved she seemed receptive.
"By the way, feel free to bring others along, too. Have them pop in one by one for that sprain excuse. If it's only you, people might talk, right?"
"Yeah, gotcha."
Kushida sounded more cheerful by the second. Her luck really had changed. After those three humiliating encounters early on, she'd felt he was terribly biased. Now, seeing him show genuine thoughtfulness, she felt content—enough that she even missed him a little. Glancing around again to be absolutely sure no one was near, she lowered her voice, pressing the phone close to her lips:
"Next time we're alone in the student council office, I could wear those black thigh-highs you like."
Yukio was, of course, all for it. Keeping conversation to a minimum to avoid being overheard, he ended the call. Then he dialed another number.
"Hey, Kei? Listen…yeah, exactly, I'm just looking out for you. Don't forget, if you don't feel like training, head to the infirmary."
Hanging up from that call, Yukio gave a satisfied chuckle—this was a major profit on his end. He could already picture the days to come, with Hoshinomiya seeing a steady stream of Class D students hobbling in for medical notes, thanking him generously in the process…
....
1 extra chapter every 50 stones