Repay?
Karuizawa was slightly stunned when she heard this word.
She felt something was off, but Amane's matter-of-fact demeanor made Karuizawa start to wonder what she could repay Amane with.
Personal points? Not to mention Amane probably wasn't lacking in such things, even if Karuizawa gave all the balance in her account to Amane, Karuizawa herself felt it wasn't presentable.
Her expenses were too high in the first month of summer vacation, and she spent so much that only a few thousand points remained. Even if Karuizawa spent carefully, those points would probably be almost gone by the time school started.
To offer them to Amane would definitely not be a suitable gift.
What about cosmetics and bags? She did have some nice bags and cosmetics, but without exception, they were all things she had used. Giving them to Amane would surely be rejected, and might even make Amane angry, not to mention these items weren't with her at the moment.
Karuizawa clutched her forehead in distress. She couldn't think of any way to repay Amane.
If Class C really did attack her, and Amane helped her resolve it, it was hard to imagine Karuizawa being able to offer a corresponding equivalent price.
As time passed minute by minute.
Karuizawa could only choose to ask Amane for some time.
After all, Class C might not attack immediately. During the free time, Karuizawa could carefully consider what she had that could be used to repay Amane.
But when she looked up to speak.
Amane's somewhat ambiguous gaze was fixed on something.
Karuizawa looked down and quickly covered her neckline.
Since there was no requirement to wear school uniforms today, everyone was still wearing casual clothes for the gathering.
Karuizawa was currently wearing a white cinched short dress she hadn't seen before.
The designer seemed to have made it quite revealing to allow women to fully display their physical advantages, which meant Amane could appreciate the beautiful scenery before her up close without any obstruction.
Karuizawa-san initially intended to cover her collar with her hand, but after seeing Amane's fervent and expectant gaze, she simply took her hand away, allowing Amane to admire the only part of herself she could be proud of when facing a mirror.
As long as her most unforgettable scar wasn't seen, Karuizawa Kei, as a girl, was still perfect.
Since coming to this school, Karuizawa-san had never attended a single swimming class, nor had she ever visited the swimming pool.
No matter what she wore, her abdomen was always tightly protected, hiding a secret beneath her clothes that she couldn't bear to recall.
"Since Kei, you can't think of anything to repay me with, then I'll just take it myself," Amane said, reaching out without hesitation.
Just as Amane was enjoying this unique sensation, he suddenly thought of something, a mischievous smile spreading across his face as he whispered into Karuizawa-san's ear, "Kei, what do you think Hirata-san would feel if he saw this?"
These words, like a fatal blow to the heart, made Kei's body stiffen abruptly, and her expression became a little flustered, showing that Karuizawa-san was very concerned about this matter.
It seemed Karuizawa-san clearly couldn't accept herself in her current state, let alone being seen by her boyfriend… that was absolutely unacceptable.
That's why Karuizawa-san reacted so strongly, but… it seemed her reaction was much smaller than Amane had anticipated, which was very strange.
Could it be that Karuizawa-san's sense of shame wasn't actually that strong? But she didn't look like it either.
Where was the problem?
While Amane was enjoying himself and pondering, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Originally, I was quite curious where you would go, Amane, after the briefing.
Your phone was on silent, and fearing something might have happened to you, I searched your dorm, the cafeteria, and every other place you might be, but I couldn't find you."
"I thought I'd try my luck on the deck, and I didn't expect to run into you two… Amane, are you being intimate with Karuizawa-san here?"
Horikita Suzune, wearing her standard school uniform, walked slowly towards the two, her arms crossed.
Karuizawa-san looked at the suddenly appearing Horikita-san, somewhat at a loss.
It was already quite a coincidence to encounter someone strolling on the stern deck at this hour, and the person who appeared before her happened to be Horikita Suzune, who had an extremely good relationship with Amane.
This was too much of a coincidence, and what was even harder for Karuizawa-san to accept was that Horikita-san appeared at a perfectly timed moment.
Not only were they caught red-handed, but neither Amane nor she could explain themselves, especially Amane, whose hand was still inside her clothes.
How could that be explained?
Although Karuizawa-san could be said to be somewhat poor in social skills, with her keen eye, it wasn't difficult for her to see that the current situation was basically a dead end.
If Horikita-san leaked this matter, not only would her reputation be ruined, but the school might even consider the negative impact she caused and potentially expel her.
"Horikita-san…" In her panic, Karuizawa-san was about to beg Horikita-san when she felt the pressure from Amane's hand.
Karuizawa-san looked at Amane in surprise; she hadn't expected Amane to still be so audacious in such a situation.
"Suzune, why are you so angry?" Amane asked Horikita-san in a somewhat languid tone.
Immediately, Horikita-san glared at Amane, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, brimming with anger.
"You did something like this and still have the nerve to ask me why I'm so angry? Amane, do you understand what you're asking?"
Facing Horikita-san's furious interrogation, Karuizawa-san was so scared that she could only lower her head to look at her toes.
Even she, who was usually arrogant and domineering, would retreat when encountering an enraged Horikita Suzune, showing the immense pressure Horikita-san was exerting at that moment.
"I believe I'm doing something reasonable," Amane said, meeting Horikita-san's gaze without changing his expression.
This action directly made Horikita-san laugh in anger.
"Fine, then let me hear how you're going to explain your actions, Amane."
Horikita-san glanced at the hand that was clearly still moving, then looked at Amane's calm expression, wishing she could punch Amane in the face immediately and loudly accuse him of such immoral behavior.
It was important to know that Karuizawa-san had a boyfriend! And he was Amane's ally.
Hirata-san had bravely fought Ryuuen for Class D, ending up with a broken bone, and was still in the hospital.
Amane, on the other hand, was actually poaching Hirata-san's girlfriend.
Horikita-san wasn't unable to accept Amane being close to other girls, or even overstepping boundaries.
But Karuizawa-san was absolutely off-limits!
Amane should know better than she how important Karuizawa-san and Hirata-san were to Class D.
Amane usually had good control over his desires, and because of this, Horikita-san hadn't restrained Amane much.
Why couldn't Amane control his desires today?
"Perhaps, Suzune, what you see is Kei and I doing something shameful, but in reality, this is an equal exchange of value."
Amane's tone remained as steady as ever.
Karuizawa-san also admired Amane at this moment.
Admired Amane for what? Admired Amane for his stubbornness.
Even after being caught red-handed, Amane could still try to bluff his way through with a poker face.
It was important to know that once Horikita-san thought Amane was quibbling, their relationship would immediately plummet.
It would be more direct to simply admit he had done wrong.
Although Horikita-san might say a few things, Amane always had a way to cheer Horikita-san up.
Karuizawa-san now didn't dare to say a word, even though she was the victim, she was as anxious as a criminal awaiting judgment.
If Horikita-san won, then her and Amane's actions would probably be considered extremely egregious and violate social morality.
It seemed… they should have been categorized that way from the start.
But if Amane won, then her and Amane's actions would become an exchange of equivalent interests.
Although it didn't sound great, it was still much better than terms like "adultery."
"Equivalent exchange? Isn't that an even worse act? Karuizawa-san, are you selling your dignity for some points?" Horikita-san looked at Karuizawa-san with disgust.
Karuizawa-san, who had been looking down, quickly spoke up to refute Horikita-san's statement.
Although she was very short on points, she wasn't someone who could be manipulated with points.
"It's not like that, Horikita-san, we're not doing that kind of thing, we, we're just…"
Karuizawa-san searched her meager knowledge base, thinking of every word she could, and then reluctantly realized that she couldn't find any even slightly positive explanation to cover up their physical contact.
"Suzune, your statement is too much! Is equivalent exchange just an exchange of money and dignity? Suzune, don't you think it's extremely excessive to unilaterally pass judgment on Kei like that?"
Seeing Amane actually speak up for Karuizawa-san, Horikita-san became even more furious.
"What does that have to do with me? I only trust my own eyes.
I saw clearly what you two were doing.
The evidence is irrefutable.
I'd like to see how you'll still quibble, Amane."
Horikita-san crossed her arms, her serious expression still tinged with the anger from before, but her overall emotions were somewhat controlled, because she wanted Amane to admit defeat wholeheartedly.
She didn't believe Amane's eloquence was good enough to turn black into white.
With something like this happening, no matter what, Amane was still secretly cheating on her!
Moreover, she currently had irrefutable evidence.
Once Amane's excuses and reasons were all exposed, she'd see how she would deal with this bastard who was cheating on her!
"Suzune, you should know that sometimes your eyes can deceive you.
The reason I say this is an equivalent exchange is because Kei asked me to deal with Class C, and as a price, she allowed me to do something like this.
Otherwise, how could Kei possibly agree to such an excessive thing?"
Amane's words made Horikita-san frown. She really hadn't expected Karuizawa-san to ask Amane to deal with Class C.
Karuizawa-san usually didn't have much interaction with anyone from Class C, so why had a conflict suddenly erupted with Class C?
To the point of needing Amane to resolve it.
Horikita-san knew nothing about this matter. Horikita-san always believed that everything had a cause and effect, and Karuizawa-san didn't seem like someone who liked to act alone. If a conflict broke out with Class C, someone should have told her.
Yet today, she heard about it first from Amane, which made Horikita-san dissatisfied with some of the two-faced people in Class D.
Coming back to the topic, even if Karuizawa-san really sought out Amane to deal with Class C, it would be very easy for Amane to achieve the principle of equivalent exchange.
Amane must have been full of unhealthy thoughts at the time to choose such an unpleasant equivalent exchange.
"Leaving aside whether you will fight against Class C, which Shiina-san is temporarily managing, couldn't the content of the equivalent exchange just be modified a bit? I'm sure Amane, you abused your power for personal gain, deliberately making Karuizawa-san satisfy your desires in this way."
It must be said that Horikita-san understood Amane very well. Starting with Class C, the mere fact that Amane agreed to attack Class C made Horikita-san feel it was unlikely. If it were a normal special exam, mutual hostility would be one thing.
Under Shiina Hiyori's leadership, Class C's usual style had undergone earth-shattering changes.
Originally, under Ryuuen's leadership, Class C was like a mad dog, eager to bite anyone they saw, even deliberately provoking conflicts between their class and other classes, then using a series of methods to provoke the other party, thereby causing the other class members to act first, leading to a situation deemed a violent conflict by the school. Class C would then take the prepared evidence to the school to complain and receive a considerable reward. In the end, under Ryuuen's leadership, Class C's reputation plummeted, almost reaching the point where any student in the entire grade who encountered someone from Class C trying to deliberately provoke them would universally condemn them.
Although such behavior was utterly shameless, Ryuuen profited handsomely from it, only failing repeatedly when he encountered Amane.
Dealing with Ryuuen only required everything to proceed normally, because Ryuuen, after realizing there was no opportunity, would try to use a surprise move to decide the outcome of the exam. While a surprise move might yield huge gains, it also carried huge risks, so it often happened that Ryuuen's surprise move failed, and Amane easily handled him.
Class C, led by Shiina Hiyori, gave people a nearly impregnable defense. After Ichinose lost some control over Class B, Shiina Hiyori became the epitome of unity, replacing Ichinose.
Facing a class primarily composed of delinquents and highly united, even if Class D wanted to take a bite now, they would undoubtedly chip their front teeth.
So when Karuizawa-san made this suggestion, Horikita-san's first reaction was that Amane couldn't possibly agree.
Because Amane had frequent contact with Shiina-san recently, and their relationship was warming up, almost forming an alliance between the two classes. If at this time, for the sake of Karuizawa-san alone, all previous efforts were to go to waste, it wouldn't be Amane's style.
"Modify the content? Suzune, what kind of price do you think Kei can pay?"
Amane finally pulled his hand out, casually pointing to Karuizawa-san beside him.
Karuizawa-san smiled bitterly and shook her head.
"I don't have anything that can pay the price, which is why I allowed Amane to do such an excessive thing to me. If Horikita-san feels uncomfortable, then this transaction can end here."
Karuizawa-san had already sensed the hint Amane gave her just now.
After refuting Horikita-san, Karuizawa-san immediately pretended to be furious, and before Horikita-san could react, she quickly fled back.
Looking at the fleeing Karuizawa-san, Horikita-san had no intention of stopping her, because what was the point of stopping her now that the deed was done?
"Amane, tell me the truth, was it really because of Class C that she reached an equivalent exchange agreement with you? I can't understand why she would target Class C; it's clearly a thankless task."
Amane smiled.
Amane had long prepared a backup plan for such an inquiry.
"Have you forgotten how Hirata-san ended up in the hospital?"
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