Chapter 297 Karuizawa Kei: A 100% Reliable Method to Make Shimizu Akira Obey / Splashing Juice
Shimizu Akira set aside two days every week, two hours each time, specifically to tutor Karuizawa Kei. The sessions focused primarily on the subjects she struggled with, such as math and physics.
This was quite different from their previous study groups. In a regular study group, several people would work on test papers together and raise their hands if they got stuck, but Shimizu Akira wouldn't just give the answer.
Instead, he would write out the complete problem-solving logic, carefully asking which step or knowledge point she didn't understand, then breaking it down step-by-step.
For instance, when Karuizawa didn't understand a math problem from the very beginning, he taught her from scratch.
Considering her weak foundation, he even helped her review relevant middle school concepts. Recently, after she sent him her small test results, he compiled highly targeted study notes for her based on where she lost points.
'Hmph, you don't get this kind of treatment at a public study group. Only Akira-kun would go to such trouble.'
As a result, even though tutoring had only started three weeks ago—whether it was because he taught well or she worked hard—she felt a significant improvement in math alone.
"Aki-kun~ I'm stuck on a problem here!"
A flirtatious voice suddenly rang out. Karuizawa Kei looked up sharply to see Hasabe Haruka smiling and waving her hand, calling out to Shimizu Akira, who sat to her left.
Beside her, Sakura Airi timidly glanced at Akira, her face turning red before she quickly looked down.
'Why are these two always swarming around him asking questions?!'
A surge of irritation rose in Karuizawa's heart.
She didn't know how they had convinced Akira, but Hasabe and Sakura had been tagging along since the first session.
Sakura was fine—she was introverted and rarely asked questions proactively—but this Hasabe Haruka was a total eyesore! Every ten minutes, she'd raise her hand. Even on problems that didn't look difficult, she insisted on pestering him.
Shimizu Akira turned.
"What is it, Hasabe? Which one got you?"
Hasabe Haruka immediately pushed her workbook toward him, leaning her body toward his. She pointed at a geometry problem and said in a sweet voice, "It's the auxiliary lines for this one. I've been thinking about it for so long but have no clue. You explain things the most clearly, Aki-kun!"
'Just talk! Why are you intentionally pushing out those "illegal" breasts!'
Karuizawa watched in disbelief as the shameless woman, seeing Akira lean in, deliberately leaned forward to rest her chest on the table. It was the first time Kei had seen such a move in real life. Even more infuriatingly, Akira actually took a glance!
'Well, he's a boy, it's hard to avoid in that situation...'
Even as she tried to comfort herself, her grip on her pen tightened, leaving a deep scratch on her notebook. Akira's gaze swept past and retracted instantly. His finger landed on the workbook. "Look here. Connect BD first to split the quadrilateral into two triangles. The core of auxiliary lines is transformation..."
Karuizawa wasn't listening to the explanation anymore. She glared at Hasabe's chest, her cheeks burning with anger.
She peeked down at her own, feeling even worse.
'We're both girls, how can the difference be this huge?!'
Hasabe seemed oblivious to the fury, moving even closer to Akira. "I see! It makes sense when you explain it~ For the next step, do we use the congruence criteria we discussed before?"
As she spoke, her shoulder brushed against his arm.
'She's definitely trying to seduce him!'
Akira didn't seem to mind the contact, nodding patiently.
"Yes, but pay attention to the corresponding sides..."
Karuizawa couldn't take it anymore. She slammed her pen onto the table—not loud enough to cause a scene, but enough to make them look. She stood up, grabbed her workbook, and sat down right next to Akira, nudging Hasabe aside slightly.
"Shimizu, I've been stuck on this for ages. Can you teach me after her? I haven't fully grasped the logic you mentioned earlier."
As she spoke, she also puffed out her chest. Though it paled in comparison to Hasabe's, she was doing her best to assert her presence.
Hasabe's smile faltered slightly, but she acted generous.
"Fine, teach Karuizawa-san first~ But Aki-kun, I have two more questions after, and Airi needs help too!"
Akira looked at Karuizawa's clearly angry face, then at Hasabe's chest still resting on the table. His mouth twitched.
"Wait! I've been wanting to ask... are you two really here for tutoring?"
"Huh?! What else would we be here for!" Hasabe blinked.
"Aki-kun says such strange things~"
Karuizawa chimed in competitively,
"We're tutoring partners! What else would we be doing?!"
'You two look more like you're here to compete with each other!'
"Then study properly."
Akira picked up Karuizawa's workbook and moved his chair slightly to put distance between himself and the two girls, beginning a serious explanation. However, Karuizawa couldn't concentrate. Her eyes kept drifting to Hasabe, who was now fixing her hair to expose her neck.
Akira stopped writing and looked at her.
"Did you understand this step?"
Being called out, Karuizawa snapped back, her cheeks flushing.
"Ah... I'm still not quite sure."
"I'll explain it one last time. Listen carefully." Akira didn't ask why she was distracted and started calculating on the scrap paper again.
Seeing his attention focused on Karuizawa, Hasabe cleared her throat.
"Aki-kun, should we go over the extension for that last problem? Just in case it's on the exam~"
"Once you understand the basic one," Akira replied. "Learning takes steps. Don't rush."
Hasabe pouted and stayed quiet, resting her chin on the table and poking her workbook while her eyes remained glued to Akira. Karuizawa felt a secret sense of triumph. She focused with 120% effort, following his logic and asking questions. Gradually, she actually entered a proper study state.
Shortly after, Hasabe found another chance.
"Oh, Aki-kun, my pen ran out of ink. Can I borrow one?" She stood up and leaned over his desk to reach for a pen, her curves swaying again.
Karuizawa's eyelid twitched. Before Akira could speak, she threw a pen from her own pouch. "Here! Don't keep bothering our club member; he's busy teaching me."
The two had argued about tutoring back at the start of the term, but today was the first time Akira truly experienced their "edge-to-edge" confrontation.
'Honestly, no matter how you look at it, they're fighting over me.'
Akira wasn't a dense light-novel protagonist; he realized it immediately. He knew Hasabe liked to tease him, but his manager? When did she become so proactive? It wasn't like her usual self.
Truth be told, being surrounded by girls felt pretty good.
'I guess that's just a man's nature!'
However, this was a library rest area. They were supposed to be quiet. Many students were already staring.
"Ahem, you two." Akira cleared his throat, looking at them seriously.
"While this makes me feel pretty good, finals are next week. Class A set the questions, and I really don't want to see anyone get expelled. Can we be a bit more serious?"
"...Since Aki-kun said so," Hasabe pouted.
"Mhm, I get it," Karuizawa lowered her head.
Under his serious gaze, neither could find a word to argue. It was Wednesday, late November.
Counting Thursday through Sunday, they only had four days left to review. Akira had started this group to help their grades, and since both girls were in the lower-middle tier, it was time to work.
The two finally focused, joining Sakura Airi, who had been silently solving problems the whole time.
However, Hasabe couldn't help smiling to herself.
'He said being fought over felt good. Boys are so simple; I didn't think he'd like that! Next time, I have to drag Airi along to tease him more!'
-
-
-
"Shimizu-kun... goodbye." Sakura Airi kept her head down and hurried after Hasabe.
"Bye-bye, Aki-kun!" Hasabe waved.
"Airi and I are going to buy sunscreen and cute swimsuits, so we're heading out~"
Karuizawa let out a visible sigh of relief as they left.
'Finally, those two annoying people are gone!'
Since November, they had attended several study groups together, and usually, all three girls would leave with him. Since boxing club activities were paused for exams, this was the first time Karuizawa was alone with him.
'Buying sunscreen? And swimsuits?'
She rolled her eyes. It was the middle of winter; who would go to a pool now? And who uses sunscreen in this weather!
'I used to think Hasabe was a serious rival!'
Coupled with Sakura's timid nature, it was impossible for them to be real threats.
"Hehe..." Karuizawa started looking happy again.
Akira facepalmed. He didn't know exactly what was in her head, but he knew she was being "embarrassing" again.
"Shimizu! Akira!" Karuizawa snapped out of it and grabbed his arm.
"Wait! I remember your Japanese Literature grades aren't that great! Do you want to come to my dorm? I can tutor you one-on-one. I'm way better at it than you!"
Ever since the VIP exam, she would instinctively grab his shoulder or arm when acting spoiled.
"Mhm... no need." Akira looked at her and patted her head.
"The questions Class A set for Japanese should be quite easy."
His manager was a bit of a dunderhead, but she always cared for him.
"Mhm..." Karuizawa's cheeks reddened as she rubbed her head against his palm. She actually quite liked these small gestures. Then, she realized something.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?!"
"Didn't I tell you guys on the first day?" Akira said helplessly.
"Weren't you listening, Manager?"
"Th-that... ahem, I wasn't feeling well that day!" she defended herself in a small voice.
'The first day?'
She had been so excited for one-on-one tutoring that she had worn a sexy jacket under the guidance of her boxing club senpais. But when she arrived, she saw those two "chesty" girls. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't beat "natural talent."
The blow was so big she hadn't processed a word he said.
"Class A is split into the Sakayanagi and Katsuragi factions," Akira explained patiently.
"The papers are split too. My guess is Sakayanagi will suppress the Katsuragi faction, so four subjects won't require intense study. Japanese is one of them."
"Oh?! How do you know that?!"
"I happened to run into Katsuragi and his group at the bookstore," Akira recalled.
"They bought a lot of study guides, but only for four specific subjects. They only discussed those four. They're likely in charge of those papers."
"Ah? You noticed that?! Akira, you're way too smart!" To notice such details... if it were her, she wouldn't even have gone to a bookstore, let alone watched what others were buying.
"It was just a coincidence, no need to praise me so much."
To be held by the arm and looked at with such adoration felt quite good, though Akira felt a bit unnatural and coughed to cover it.
'Is it just me, or is Karuizawa getting better at acting spoiled?'
She didn't let go; instead, she leaned in until their shoulders were touching.
"It wasn't a coincidence! You're just observant! Who else would notice small things like that?"
Her hair brushed his arm, tickling it. Akira turned his head.
"Alright, enough praise or I'll get a big head. Go back and review; we can't slack off these last few days."
"I know~" She still didn't let go, looking up at him.
"Wait... you promised my request this time, and you're my partner and tutoring me... you've done so much for me. I want to go out with you alone after the finals to thank you. Is that okay?"
She watched his reaction closely, her fingers tightening on his shoulder. She was genuinely worried he might refuse.
Akira smiled. "Okay, I promise."
"Yay!" Her eyes lit up, and she jumped in place.
"I thought you'd say no!"
'She's like a kid, literally jumping for joy. But... it's pretty cute.'
"When have I ever refused you?"
"Huh?! But at the Sports Festival, didn't you refuse our date request!"
'Our?' Akira thought for a bit and realized she meant the time with Matsushita Chiaki.
"I refused Matsushita, not you." He looked at her and explained, "Besides that time you came to my dorm asking for protection at the start, when have I ever refused you? Think about it, Manager—your 'protection fee' hasn't been paid for months."
Karuizawa looked embarrassed. Right! He had refused Matsushita, not her! How did she mix that up? It was Chiaki's fault for talking about it so much.
'Has Akira always been saying yes to my requests?'
Well, there was one exception—when she skipped her manager duties for days, and he refused her plea for mercy to teach her a lesson. But other than that?
When Ryuen called her out, he showed up within minutes to back her up. When she was bullied by those three girls from Class D, he protected her. In the group exam, she got 500,000 points thanks to him. During the Sports Festival, he stayed with her while she ran. And now, he was tutoring her...
"Th-that... the protection fee... it's been three or four months, hasn't it?" she asked guiltily. If he hadn't mentioned it, she would have forgotten. She hadn't paid since the boxing practice match.
"That... wait!" She pulled out her phone, but her face fell when she saw the balance: only 30,000 points.
"I... I'm out of points... Akira..." She grabbed his shoulder and looked up. "Can you wait a bit longer?"
"Forget it, no need." Akira patted her head. "You need to buy things too; keep the points. I'll keep my promise to protect you."
Karuizawa gave a relieved smile and rubbed her head against his hand for a full seven or eight seconds before realizing and blushing.
"O-okay!"
She wasn't as insecure as she was at the start of the term. She knew Akira always kept his word.
'Wait!' A thought struck her.
Ever since she started acting spoiled by holding his arm, her requests were successful 100% of the time!
She decided to test it.
"Then... can I call you Aki-kun? You can call me Kei! We're partners and manager/member, it's time to change the titles!"
"Sure, okay," Akira agreed immediately.
"Then... Aki-kun, can you come with me to buy snacks? I really want donuts!"
She pushed further in a low voice: "Then... can you say a few bad things about Hasabe Haruka?!"
"I'm not in the habit of badmouthing people, Kei. You know that."
Akira looked at her with a hint of disdain.
"My 'embarrassing' manager, you don't actually think that grabbing my arm and acting spoiled lets you ask for anything, do you?"
'Ah! Caught! What do I do?'
She had an idea. She circled behind Akira and hugged him tight from behind.
"I'm sorry!"
"?! Why are you suddenly apologizing from behind?"
"Mhm... because Aki-kun should like this, right?" She pressed her cheek to his back.
"I've been rubbing your arm, now it's time for the back!"
'My manager is getting better and better at this. For a fake gyaru, she knows a lot of tricks.'
Karuizawa smiled happily behind him. She would never tell him she learned these "conquering techniques" online! Becoming his first girlfriend was only a matter of time!
-
-
-
The cake shop they went to was famous; many girls traveled there specifically for it.
Akira didn't care for sweets, so he only knew about it because of Kei. Since it was Thursday, it wasn't packed, but they still had to queue. Inside, he noticed it wasn't just girls—there were many couples.
Kei hadn't told him that her boxing club senpais called this place a "couple's sanctuary." While not a formal date, bringing him here was a "pre-date warm-up."
Akira scanned the room and stopped.
'Yamauchi Haruki and Manabe Shiho!'
The two sat opposite each other, but the atmosphere was subtle. Yamauchi had returned to school last week, his face still bruised and swollen.
Chabashira-sensei had held a meeting forbidding internal fighting, so people like Sudo Ken had lost interest in hitting him—it wasn't worth the trouble. Surprisingly, a few days later, he was here on a date.
Nearby, a waiter brought a Black Forest cake. Yamauchi pushed the plate toward Manabe with a grin. "Manabe-san, this place is super famous! Try it!"
"Tsk, I know." Manabe frowned. "Don't touch my dessert!"
Karuizawa pulled Akira's sleeve.
"Aki-kun! How could Yamauchi get a date with that woman?!"
Akira raised an eyebrow.
"Likely some kind of trade."
Yamauchi's flattery was overflowing. He ignored her coldness and kept talking.
"I queued for half an hour. I heard the Black Forest cake is the signature dish. The chocolate isn't greasy at all, try it."
"So annoying." Manabe impatiently took a bite.
"It's just okay. Nothing special." Despite her words, she kept eating.
Karuizawa whispered to Akira, "Manabe is usually so arrogant in class. Why would she come out with Yamauchi? And Yamauchi has no backbone, sucking up to her like that."
"Maybe Ryuen Kakeru ordered it," Akira guessed. "Maybe Yamauchi requested a date with a girl."
"Huh?" Karuizawa blinked, then realized.
"That's possible! He was harassing girls like a monkey in heat at the start of school."
The line moved forward. Akira pulled her arm.
"It's our turn. What do you want?"
Karuizawa's eyes lit up at the menu.
"I want a strawberry soufflé! And a hot coco! What about you, Aki-kun? Want to try the tiramisu? I heard it's not too sweet."
"No, just a hot milk for me."
They found a seat that gave them a diagonal view of Yamauchi and Manabe. Yamauchi said something, and Manabe's expression changed. She slammed her fork down.
"Don't push it! Who wants to go shopping with you? What are you talking about!"
Yamauchi smirked.
"But Ryuen-kun agreed that you would satisfy my requests as much as possible. Don't worry, I have the date money from Ryuen; you won't have to spend a cent. Just pick out some pretty clothes!"
"Who wants to date a disgusting guy like you! I can barely stand this meal!" Manabe couldn't hold back anymore. She grabbed her juice and splashed it all over Yamauchi.
"Oh... no!" She realized what she did, her face turning pale.
"Yamauchi! I... I'm sorry! I was too impulsive! I don't want Ryuen-kun to find out!"
"Hehe, I'm not mad." Yamauchi looked excited.
"In fact, being splashed with juice by a girl... I'm actually quite happy!"
"I... I'll agree to go out with you!" Manabe's voice trembled with urgency.
"But you can't tell Ryuen! And... your uniform, I'll wash it for you, okay?"
"Eh? Really?! I won't refuse a girl's request!" Yamauchi's eyes lit up.
"Having a girl wash my clothes by hand... that's amazing! Hehe~"
Karuizawa whispered in Akira's ear, "See? Definitely Ryuen's orders! That woman is so unlucky!"
Akira took a sip of milk. He stared at Yamauchi's stained jacket, thinking the stain looked a bit intentional.
Suddenly, Yamauchi looked over and saw them. He raised an eyebrow triumphantly.
"Shimizu Akira! See that? I can go on dates with girls too!"
Manabe followed his gaze. When she saw Karuizawa, her face darkened, and she turned away with a cold huff. Karuizawa glared back.
"Don't lower yourself to their level, eat your soufflé," Akira said, holding her hand.
"Okay." She obeyed, but kept peeking. Once Manabe hurried out and Yamauchi followed like a lapdog, she pouted.
"Yamauchi is so lucky! If she hadn't accidentally splashed him, no one would bother with him."
She peeked at Akira.
Compared to that weird pair, she and her Aki-kun were the perfect match.
Read ahead (160 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting