Chapter 042 Like I Said, Those Two Are Hooking Up / Yagami Takuya's "Intellectual" Maneuver
Despite the heavy rain, Housen Kazuomi pulled out his tablet and casually checked Shimizu Akira's location.
"Over by the B3 beach, huh..."
He glanced at Nanase Tsubasa's GPS; she was also at B3, and their coordinates were practically overlapping.
"That Nanase woman actually performed pretty well this time," Housen sneered.
To be honest, he hadn't expected that thick-headed woman to actually understand what "a girl's weapon" meant. He had only mentioned it in passing that day and hadn't held much hope. Who knew she'd actually listen, go off to seduce Shimizu Akira, and stay with him for several days straight?
When Housen ran into her a couple of days ago, he found she had even proactively bought a volleyball and towels, and was even secretly practicing her volleyball skills. Looking at her expression, far from hating it, she clearly looked like she was looking forward to her "date" with the guy.
"Shimizu Akira's getting a hell of a deal," Housen muttered, somewhat annoyed.
He didn't have any special feelings for Nanase Tsubasa—in fact, her serious personality kind of irritated him. But credit where it's due: her figure was flawless, voted number one among the first-year girls. The thought of Shimizu Akira enjoying a beautiful girl throwing herself at him for days made Housen's teeth itch with frustration.
Then again, given Nanase's soft attitude toward Shimizu, even if he hadn't told her to make a move, she probably would have been completely won over by him in another two or three months anyway.
"That guy really gets all the good things, doesn't he?"
Not only was he strong, but his luck with women was insane. A serious woman like Nanase, who usually ignored everyone, turned as soft as a Husky in front of Shimizu Akira.
The more Housen thought about it, the angrier he got, yet he had to admit he really couldn't do anything against Shimizu. The guy's OAA data was like he was using cheats. He remembered their last encounter clearly: he wanted to give the guy a warning, but ended up forced to kneel and apologize. He never wanted to experience that kind of humiliation again.
"So, it's all Ayanokouji's fault!" Housen kicked a rock by the roadside in a rage. "If it weren't for him, would I have been forced to kneel? Would I have had to pay 5 million private points to the 2nd Year Class B?"
Naturally, he resented Ayanokouji Kiyotaka far more than Shimizu Akira. His leg injury, which forced him to run around in a cast for over a month, was also thanks to that guy.
"Hmph!" He looked ahead. The rain was torrential, making it impossible to see figures in the distance. "Since Nanase has stalled Shimizu, and he shows no sign of coming this way, I can finally start my plan."
He pulled out his tablet and checked Ayanokouji's location again. About fifty meters away. Perfect. From start to finish, his target in this special exam was Ayanokouji.
Just like Nanase.
However, since it was a rare rainy day and Ayanokouji was unusually alone, the normally hot-headed Housen didn't rush in. Instead, he gripped his transceiver and waited patiently.
Three or four minutes later.
"Housen! I'm here!" Amasawa Ichika ran through the curtain of rain, smiling. "I heard you're going to move against Ayanokouji-senpai?"
Housen finally cracked a smile. "Good timing, I was waiting for you!"
These two—one a White Room assassin, the other a brutish muscle-head—didn't care about the rain at all. They were soaked to the bone but completely unfazed.
"Waiting for me?" Amasawa blinked curiously. "By the way, I haven't known your plan from the start. Give me the details?"
The three of them had been acting separately since the first day. If Housen hadn't suddenly contacted her on the transceiver saying he needed coordination, she wouldn't have bothered running out in the rain.
"Hmph! The plan is simple!" Housen said smugly. "You go first and deliberately provoke Ayanokouji Kiyotaka into laying a hand on you. You'll be responsible for recording audio and video to preserve evidence." He clenched his fist menacingly. "Then I'll make my entrance as the hero saving you and beat Ayanokouji up fair and square. We'll take the evidence to report him—we get him expelled and vent our frustrations. Isn't it a perfect plan?"
Amasawa Ichika was completely floored.
'What kind of bullshit plan is this?'
Have Ayanokouji lay a hand on her while she records? What if he was secretly recording like last time? Wouldn't they both be finished? And this guy wants to play the "hero" while beating him up? Quite a dreamer!
"Housen-kun," she couldn't help but roll her eyes, "are you sure this plan will work?"
"Of course it will!" Housen beat his chest. "You provoke, I punch. Flawless!"
"What if Ayanokouji-senpai doesn't take the bait?"
"How could he not?" Housen said confidently. "You're a girl; if he dares to touch you, he's in the wrong. If he doesn't, you keep provoking him until he can't take it. According to school rules regarding sexual harassment, the moment he moves, he's done."
"But..." Amasawa frowned, "what if Ayanokouji-senpai is secretly recording again?"
Housen said as if it were obvious, "Just smash his tablet. That's what Yagami Takuya did."
Amasawa fell silent.
She suddenly felt that choosing to cooperate with this man at the start of the term was a huge mistake. But wait, was Yagami pulling strings in the background? No, that's not right. How could Yagami come up with such a clumsy plan? This felt even worse than her own "borrowed knife" trick from before. He was the top graduate of his White Room generation; she didn't believe he'd come up with this.
So... was he just trying to annoy Ayanokouji? Or just having some fun out of boredom?
She sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll go. But why didn't you ask Nanase to cooperate? She usually hates Ayanokouji the most. Why give this 'great opportunity' to me?"
Housen sneered. "She's busy seducing Shimizu Akira. Ayanokouji has a transceiver; what if he calls that guy for help? Shimizu is his only friend; as long as he's stalled, Ayanokouji alone is nothing to fear."
Remembering the overlapping GPS coordinates he just saw, he added:
"Those two are probably already hooking up. In this rain, Nanase invited him out in a swimsuit and asked him to rub on sunscreen—men never refuse a woman soaked in water. Shimizu Akira is a man; he has no reason to refuse."
"What did you say?!"
Amasawa was stunned. They were out in the rain to deal with Ayanokouji, while Nanase Tsubasa was enjoying herself with Shimizu Akira? The thought of those two pressed together right now made her die of jealousy!
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" she reflexively argued. "And why didn't you let me go seduce Shimizu-senpai instead of Nanase?!"
Housen looked her up and down. "You?" He snickered. "Is your figure as good as Nanase's? Are you as close to Shimizu as she is? It's true girls have natural weapons, but you couldn't seduce Shimizu Akira to save your life. What use are you!"
Amasawa felt like she'd taken a critical hit. She looked down at herself, then remembered Nanase's "illegal" figure, and for a moment, she couldn't even talk back.
"I-I might not have her figure... but I'm smarter!"
Housen said dismissively, "What's the use of being smart? That's the 'type' Shimizu Akira likes, got it?"
Amasawa: "..."
She'd seen the way that man looked at Nanase. He was lukewarm toward her, but his gaze always lingered a few seconds longer whenever Nanase appeared.
Dammit! Does having a big chest and a good figure really let you do whatever you want?
"Fine, fine, stop thinking about it." Housen waved his hand. "Your task now is Ayanokouji, not Shimizu. Get going, don't waste time."
Amasawa pouted. She turned toward Ayanokouji's direction, but after a few steps, she couldn't help but look back. "Housen."
"Yeah?"
"What do you think... Nanase is doing right now?"
Housen waved his hand impatiently. "I already told you, they're hooking up! They've probably started 'round two' by now! Stop asking."
Amasawa froze, then her face twisted with rage.
'Ahhh! I'm so mad!'
"That husband-stealing dog Nanase Tsubasa... acting all serious normally, but she moves faster than anyone...
And saying 'I have no interest in Shimizu-senpai'... who is she kidding!
"Dammit... next time I see her, I'm going to interrogate her..."
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Ayanokouji Kiyotaka deliberately slowed his pace. He could clearly feel that the person following him had increased from one to two. After being on alert for a while, he realized they had no intention of approaching immediately.
"I wonder what Shimizu is doing..." he murmured.
He had already mentioned being followed over the transceiver. Given Shimizu Akira's personality, he should have dropped everything to come and support him. His friend was just that kind-hearted!
He picked up the transceiver and quickly said, "Shimizu, the rain is heavy and we're far apart; no need to come support me. Just focus on your own business."
"Uh..." Shimizu Akira's voice came back sounding a bit awkward, "The thing is, I didn't actually plan on going to you. Nanase is right here with me, and she's mostly explained the situation. The people following you are Amasawa Ichika and Housen Kazuomi; you should be able to handle those two alone, right?"
Ayanokouji nodded calmly. "I see." If it was those two, he didn't need to be on high alert. "So, you're with Nanase Tsubasa right now?"
"Well, she explained why she was hostile toward you. Anyway, let's talk in detail when the rain stops."
"Alright."
Ayanokouji hung up. He was actually more curious about why Shimizu was with Nanase than about Amasawa and Housen.
Strange... he had clearly told Amasawa to try and build a good relationship with Shimizu, so why was Nanase getting closer instead? How odd!
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On the other side, through the rain, Amasawa Ichika walked dozens of meters until she finally saw the familiar figure. She took a deep breath and stepped up.
"Ayanokouji-senpai, good morning."
Ayanokouji looked at her. "Amasawa? What do you want?"
"Housen teamed up with that Nanase woman to set you up," Amasawa blurted out. "He planned for me to make you angry so you'd hit me, then frame you for harassment to get you expelled."
Ayanokouji looked at her with some confusion. "Amasawa, why did you just spill the whole plan?"
Amasawa said righteously, "How could such a sketchy plan ever succeed? Besides, Ayanokouji-senpai promised me that if I could win over Shimizu Akira, you'd help me negotiate with Acting Chairman Tsukishiro to stay at this school. Obviously, I want to stay here more."
Ayanokouji watched her for several seconds. After confirming she wasn't lying, he pulled a small silver object from his track jacket and quietly put it back in his pocket.
Amasawa broke into a cold sweat. "Senpai... did you prepare a voice recorder in advance?"
"Better safe than sorry," Ayanokouji said plainly. "That's a lesson Shimizu taught me." He asked back, "What's going on with you and Shimizu? Why hasn't there been any progress?"
Amasawa's smile instantly collapsed. "Senpai, that question really stings..."
Ayanokouji looked at her expressionlessly. "So what exactly happened?"
Amasawa sighed and dropped the act, leaning against a large tree. "Shimizu-senpai is too hard to chase. Even though you spoke for me and he knows I don't have malicious intent, every time I try to ask him out or initiate physical contact, he looks at me like I'm a little kid! Like I'm some bratty junior!"
Ayanokouji thought about it. "You are a junior."
"That's not the point!" Amasawa countered. "I mean, he doesn't see me as... as a girl!"
"Then you need to show your side as a girl," Ayanokouji said calmly. "Just like Nanase, use some appropriate seduction. No one refuses a girl who takes the initiative."
Amasawa blinked. "Ayanokouji-senpai sounds very experienced. Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No." Ayanokouji paused. "But I've seen a lot."
"What do you mean?"
"Many of Shimizu's girlfriends used that trick."
Amasawa: "Ugh!"
Fine.
.
.
.
Ten minutes passed like this.
"Ah! So that's how it is! Got it, got it."
Amasawa finally understood the "correct" way to conquer Shimizu Akira from Ayanokouji. Just as she was about to say something, a loud roar came from behind them.
"Stop right there! Ayanokouji! What are you trying to do to my classmate!"
The two turned simultaneously to see Housen Kazuomi rushing over, standing aggressively before them. Being stared at by two people as if he were an idiot, Housen himself was a bit dazed. They were standing at least forty or fifty centimeters apart—forget laying a hand on her, they didn't even have physical contact.
What was going on? Wasn't that "Ah!" just now the signal to move?
"Amasawa, what the hell is this?! Where's our perfect plan?!"
"Perfect?" Amasawa pouted. "More like a plan full of holes. Who would cooperate with you! I never agreed to deal with Ayanokouji-senpai; I only came here to discuss 'conquest techniques' with him."
"You helped me deal with him months ago!" Housen glared at her. "You woman, you actually betrayed me!"
Caught in the middle, Ayanokouji felt he'd said all he needed to say to Amasawa. He didn't care to watch them fall out, so he turned to leave.
"Wait!" Housen grabbed his shoulder. "Since Amasawa's plan failed, I don't care about plans anymore. Fight me fair and square! I've hated your guts for a long time!"
Amasawa immediately looked annoyed. "Fighting again? Men are so boring." Leaving those words, she turned and left.
Housen ignored her; his eyes were only on Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji stopped and looked back at Housen, as if looking at a dog baring its teeth.
"Are you sure?"
"Obviously!" Housen let go and stepped back, taking a stance. "I'm going to beat you senseless today!"
Ayanokouji looked at Housen quietly and began to think.
"Hey!" Housen got impatient. "Are we fighting or not?"
"We are," Ayanokouji said. "But not here."
Housen blinked. "What do you mean?"
Ayanokouji pointed around. "The rain is too heavy and the ground is slippery. Also, this area is too open; it's easy for others to see. Let's change locations."
Housen thought it over and found it reasonable. "Fine! Where?"
Ayanokouji turned and walked in another direction. "Follow me."
Housen followed without hesitation. The two walked through the rain. After about five minutes, Ayanokouji stopped at a reef area. It was much more secluded.
"Here." Ayanokouji turned around. "Come."
Housen looked around and nodded with satisfaction. "Fine, here it is!" He cracked his knuckles. "Ayanokouji, I'm warning you, I won't hold back."
Ayanokouji stood still, watching him. Housen took a deep breath and lunged. He was fast, his fist whistling through the air, aimed straight at Ayanokouji's face.
Then...
Ayanokouji tilted his head slightly and dodged. Housen's fist grazed his ear, hitting nothing.
"What?"
Before he could react, Ayanokouji raised his leg and kicked the back of Housen's knee. Housen's body tilted, and he fell to one knee.
"You bastard!" He roared and swung a punch back, only for Ayanokouji to catch his wrist effortlessly. The strength was astonishing; Housen struggled but couldn't break free.
"..."
"Do you still want to fight?" Ayanokouji asked.
Housen's face turned bright red. He hadn't expected the gap to be this large. Last time they were alone, he'd been played from start to finish. He'd thought Ayanokouji just had a fast brain, but he didn't expect him to be this capable in a fight.
"Yes!" he gritted his teeth. "I'm not giving up!"
Ayanokouji let go and stepped back. "Then continue."
Housen scrambled up and lunged again. This time he was smarter, using a feint before throwing a roundhouse kick. Ayanokouji stepped back half a pace, dodged the kick, then stepped forward and punched Housen in the stomach. Housen doubled over like a shrimp, stumbling back. But he didn't fall.
"Again!"
He lunged again. Over and over.
"Hmph! Is this all you've got?" Housen gasped for air, though he was in a sorry state, he was still talking tough. "I'm going to tear you apart!"
Ayanokouji suddenly understood how Shimizu Akira felt when he faced Ryuuen Kakeru on the rooftop last year. Dealing with an opponent who isn't particularly strong but has incredible willpower is indeed a hassle.
"What?! Are you still holding back?" Seeing him not moving, Housen shouted even more arrogantly. "Ayanokouji, let me tell you, after I tear you apart, I'll find Shimizu Akira and beat you both up to soothe my heart—"
Before he could finish, a fist suddenly struck the center of his chest. Housen's breath hitched, the words stuck in his throat, and he fell straight to the ground, completely unconscious.
Ayanokouji retracted his fist and shook his head. "I wonder if the move Shimizu used last year was the same as mine..."
No, Shimizu didn't have White Room training; he probably didn't know these specific strikes.
"Next time I see him, maybe I should teach him a few moves?" After all, his friend was like a max-level account with incredible physical stats but very few skills. Sometimes when facing a persistent opponent, relying only on basic boxing could lead to a tough fight.
He knelt down and checked Housen's body; no voice recorders. He opened the guy's tablet and found nothing unusual either. At that moment, the alarm on Housen's wristband went off. Ayanokouji looked toward the distance, thought for a moment, and turned to leave the scene.
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Yagami Takuya lowered his binoculars and retracted his gaze. Although the binoculars were waterproof, the rain was too heavy, creating a white mist. Combined with GPS, he roughly knew who was with whom, but he couldn't see exactly what happened.
By the time the alarm went off, five or six minutes had passed since the confrontation began.
"It seems after a year, Senpai really has weakened quite a bit."
Since enrollment, he had been observing Ayanokouji from the shadows. He discovered the guy didn't do morning runs or go to the gym; he had almost no exercise plan throughout the day. In contrast, that guy named Shimizu Akira was running around from morning till night. Now, seeing Ayanokouji unable to instantly KO an opponent of Housen's level—what was that if not weakening?
"Amasawa's side... they talked for over ten minutes, I wonder what they said."
But it didn't seem like there was anything to worry about. He had always been a step ahead of Amasawa in their generation. Plus, after her last "borrowed knife" plan full of holes, he didn't take her seriously at all.
He put away his binoculars and checked Kushida Kikyo's location. She was still at her original point, at least half an hour away, unmoved.
"Kushida-senpai... you didn't come?" he picked up the transceiver and spoke with some displeasure.
"It's raining this hard, only an idiot would go," Kushida replied as if it were obvious.
"But I clearly ordered you to come and record the scene of Ayanokouji-senpai hitting someone."
"Why should I listen to you? How funny," Kushida mocked. "Ayanokouji is also from the White Room; even if I went, I'd probably be discovered by him, right?"
"You're joking, Senpai." Yagami suppressed his temper. "Ayanokouji and Shimizu are good friends, and you are Shimizu's girlfriend; he wouldn't do anything to you."
"That's interesting," Kushida sneered. "Isn't Ayanokouji my Aki-kun's friend then? What if Aki-kun misunderstands? I don't want him to misunderstand me, not even once."
Yagami released the talk button and couldn't help but swear. "That damn love-brain! Every three sentences are about Shimizu Akira now, huh?"
This? Was this the same black-hearted woman who self-destructed her whole class for her own selfish desires? For one man—who even had a harem she was just a part of—isn't she ashamed! Just what method did Shimizu Akira use to "tame" the selfish Kushida Kikyo into this?
He felt inexplicably irritated. Plus, observing that Ayanokouji's combat power didn't seem as strong as imagined, he smiled and spoke.
"Senpai, your behavior is bothering me. If I get in a bad mood, I might do something to embarrass you. You don't want me telling everyone about your dark past, do you?"
To his surprise, Kushida snapped back. "Try saying it once, and I'll have Aki-kun punch that ugly face of yours. Let me tell you, as of now, you're slated to be beaten four times because you told four people. Get ready for it."
"Senpai doesn't care about her past anymore?"
"I've thought it through. You already know my past. You say you only told four people, but you've probably spread it around privately already, right? Why should I keep caring about you telling more people? I'd rather think about how to deal with the rumors once they spread."
Yagami's face immediately darkened. He actually had only told those four people. His threat to Kushida was never meant as anything more than a way to have some fun; he never expected it to truly threaten Ayanokouji. Even though it was for "fun," he hated it when things didn't go according to plan.
Now even her past couldn't threaten her. Even a clay figurine has a bit of temper. This person had insulted him several times now. His hands felt inexplicably itchy.
"Senpai, you and Nagumo Miyabi are both quite disrespectful to me," he said slowly. "It seems I need to teach you a lesson personally."
"Come then, who's afraid of who?" Kushida wasn't backing down at all. "You're the same—always disrespectful to your elders, looking down on all the ordinary students at this school. My Aki-kun is one of those ordinary students; I'm going to have him beat your stupid face into a pig's head and send the photo to every school year, so everyone can see how useless a so-called White Room elite is."
Yagami's eyes turned cold. "Do you dare say that again?"
"I'll say it. I said I'll have Aki-kun beat you into a pig's head—what, can't hear me? Need a repeat?
You've been hiding in the shadows like a rat; have the guts to find him directly! Can you act like a man for once?"
Yagami stood there, the veins on the hand holding the transceiver bulging. "I don't believe it... that Shimizu Akira is really that good of a fighter..."
In a fit of rage, he really wanted to go find Shimizu Akira and have it out with him. But after a few seconds, he looked down at the new watch he had just put on.
Crack...
He crushed it with force. Then he picked up the transceiver and switched to another channel. "Tsubaki Sakurako, are you there?"
A calm female voice came back. "Here."
"After this rain passes, it's time for our other plan."
"Oh."
Yagami Takuya put down the transceiver and calmed himself.
'No rush, no rush.'
Since Ayanokouji's strength had been tested, next he should see what level Shimizu Akira is really at. Then he would continue his series of actions.
As for why he broke the watch? If it were accidentally found by Shimizu, Ayanokouji, or someone else, his plan would go up in smoke.
Letting others deal with Shimizu Akira first isn't "cowardice"—it's an "intellectual" maneuver. And how can an intellectual maneuver be called "fear"?
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