In fact, after the information is refreshed, they always want to attack me!

"Get out of here, get out of here! You think you can get something for nothing?" Kamuro Masumi waved her hand impatiently, the wind from her wrist carrying a sense of rejection.

Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly had a disorienting feeling of the universe being turned upside down—how could things have turned out this way?

As she had anticipated, manipulating Kamuro Masumi should have been an easy task, but now, despite using one method after another, the other party remained completely unmoved.

"I'll pay you! I'll hire you to help me this time, okay?" Now that things had come to this, she could only resort to her last resort, her voice carrying a barely perceptible tension.

Kamuro Masumi raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Speaking of which, you seemed to have received a reward of 20 points just now? By the way, how much did you bet with that guy last time?"

"fifty thousand."

"Transfer 30,000 points to me right now." Kamuro Masumi took a half step forward, raising her chin slightly. "It's not that I can't help you, but only this once. Otherwise, forget it, and don't bother me again next time."

"..." Sakayanagi Arisu stared at the other party's confident look, and her anger suddenly flared up.

(What's wrong with this woman! She asked me for 30,000 points, and she's only willing to help me once!)

(Could it be that you're just like Shimizu Akira, obsessed with numbers? Do you think I'd let you bully me?)

Chapter 114: 112 Sometimes, even bad women can be quite adorable.

The school bell rang on time after school.

Akira Shimizu gently closed his Chinese textbook, his fingertips pausing on the cover.

I've finally managed to cram in most of the key points from the first week of school—it seems like I'm not completely falling behind in the high school Chinese textbook.

He remembered the test papers he had gotten for free from senior Sato, but he didn't intend to rely on rote memorization to pass the exam.

After all, apart from Chinese, I consistently scored above 90 in all other subjects, so there was really no need to waste my energy on that.

As for Mandarin... it is indeed a weakness that needs attention.

However, it's only Wednesday today, and there are still more than three weeks until the next test, so there's no need to rush.

If you spend some time studying hard, passing shouldn't be a problem.

As I was tidying up the textbooks on the table, two figures suddenly approached.

Akira Shimizu looked up and saw Haruki Yamauchi and Kanji Ike, the duo among the three idiots.

"Shimizu-kun! I heard you're going on a date with Kushida-kun after school today? That's so enviable!" Ike Kanji's eyes were filled with obvious envy.

Haruki Yamauchi, who was standing next to him, wanted to join in the joke, but when he caught a glimpse of Akira Shimizu out of the corner of his eye and remembered the other's formidable fighting skills, he swallowed his words and just stood obediently next to Kanji Ike, but his eyes could not hide his jealousy.

"Hmm." Shimizu Akira responded, having a fairly good impression of Ike Kanji, and casually asked, "How did you know?"

Kanji Ike immediately replied, "It was Kushida who posted it on his WeChat Moments! A lot of people in the class saw it!"

Akira Shimizu swiped his phone screen and scrolled through Kikyo Kushida's latest Moments post.

[My first date was with my classmate Shimizu. My heart was pounding with nervousness!]

The accompanying picture is a girl's delicate selfie; her slightly trembling eyelashes are indeed endearing.

"Uh..." Shimizu Akira narrowed his eyes.

This Kushida-san is really... impatient. The date hasn't even started, but she's already putting on a show for public opinion.

This copywriting is so standard it's like a template directly copied from "The Social Handbook for High School Girls".

He casually scrolled up to check the other person's past posts and indeed found no trace of interaction with the opposite sex.

(First date...? Really?)

Regardless of whether it's true or not, this superficial act is done flawlessly.

"Hey, Shimizu!" Kanji Ike suddenly nudged him with his elbow. "Speaking of which, you should thank the two of us! If we hadn't specifically mentioned you to Kushida on Monday..."

Akira Shimizu raised an eyebrow: "Did you two act as matchmakers?"

"Well, it's actually for our own good too!" Ike Kanji started winking. "Kushida might be holding some kind of dating contest this month. If your date goes well this time... then we'll have a chance too, right?"

After saying this, Kanji Ike and Haruki Yamauchi exchanged a knowing smile.

(Are these two guys... serious?)

Akira Shimizu silently rubbed his forehead, looking at the two idiots in front of him who were immersed in their fantasies, and felt a sense of powerlessness welling up inside him.

Do they really think that Kikyo Kushida will give them a chance?

Recalling the competition last month—Kikyo Kushida had specifically approached him privately, asking him to be the predetermined winner.

This is clearly to prevent others from taking advantage of the situation.

As far as he knew, the two of them hadn't been campaigning seriously at all last month.

When Kushida was counting the votes, they actually counted Sudo Ken as two votes...

(With this level of effort... even if Kikyo Kushida held some kind of dating contest, the two of you wouldn't be number one.)

Akira Shimizu's lips twitched slightly; he simply couldn't comprehend the bizarre thought processes of these two.

However, he maintained a polite smile: "Anyway, I still have to thank you for your kindness. It's truly thanks to you that I was able to make the appointment with Kushida-kun."

(These days, there aren't many people willing to play matchmaker... although the motives are truly baffling.)

Haruki Yamauchi's expression instantly became quite interesting, as if he had been punched in the face. He instinctively clutched his chest, feeling an invisible needle piercing his heart—no man would feel too good hearing that the girl he had a crush on was going on a date with someone else.

(These are all necessary sacrifices... necessary sacrifices...)

(If Shimizu's date goes well this time, it'll be my turn next time!)

He silently repeated these words of self-comfort to himself, took several deep breaths, and barely managed to maintain a semblance of calm.

But that stiff smile looked like a forced smile.

Kanji Ike's reaction was even more straightforward.

His whole face was scrunched up.

"Ha, haha..." He chuckled dryly, mechanically patting Shimizu Akira on the shoulder, "Bro, brother, good luck..."

His voice clearly carried a hint of gritted teeth; this time, he genuinely couldn't bear to see his brother doing well.

(Damn it! Why did it have to be Shimizu Akira... But oh well! He won.)

(But if even he can't handle me, Kushida will probably look down on me even less...)

Ike Kanji scratched his head, his eyes darting around.

"Remember...remember to take lots of photos!" He finally managed to say, then immediately regretted it.

This request sounds like something a stalker with unrequited love would ask for.

Speaking of which, isn't Shimizu Akira himself in the photo that was sent? It makes it even more pathetic for no reason!

“I won’t post the photos, but Kushida will probably post them on his WeChat Moments. You can go check it out,” Shimizu Akira replied without hesitation.

He had no interest in sending photos to other men; it just felt too strange.

It's not suitable in many ways.

"Uh... okay!" The two of them replied awkwardly and left the scene.

...

"correct!"

Akira Shimizu suddenly remembered the information he had received that morning and turned to look at Suzune Horikita, who was reading a book.

"Horikita, did you know Kikyo Kushida before?"

"...I don't know her." Horikita Suzune's fingers paused slightly as she turned the pages of her book, then she shook her head.

"I see." Shimizu Akira nodded thoughtfully.

Horikita's reaction was genuine, and there was no reason for him to lie, so it seemed that he really did not know Kushida.

"Where did you go to junior high school?"

“xxxxx”.

"Okay, I get it now."

"So, you're going on a date with Kikyo Kushida tonight?"

"Yes, we have an appointment."

"...What exactly is she planning?"

"Intentions? Of course there were, but they're irrelevant." Shimizu Akira waved his hand with a smile. "After all, Kushida Kikyo has been quite good to me."

How could he not know what Kikyo Kushida was planning?

It's all just to gamble on the words of those classmates who lost the game last month.

However! This doesn't stop Kushida Kikyo from being very good to him on the surface.

Sometimes, bad women can be quite adorable, can't they?

Chapter 115: 113 She's so childish!

Akira Shimizu leaned against a pillar at the entrance of the mall and glanced at the time on his phone—4:10.

He swiped open the chat interface; the last message was still from Kikyo Kushida:

[Meet at 4 o'clock! I'm going back to change my clothes, wait for me~]

(Am I late...?)

Just as he was hesitating whether to send a message to inquire, he suddenly heard light footsteps behind him.

"Shimizu-kun! Sorry to keep you waiting~"

The moment he turned around, a delicate fragrance of gardenias wafted towards him.

Kikyo Kushida jogged up to him, slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed.

She was wearing a pale yellow dress today, and her hair was still slightly damp, indicating that she had just taken a shower.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." She clasped her hands together and winked playfully. "It took me a while to choose my clothes. What do you think of my outfit today, Shimizu-san?"

"This outfit suits you very well today." Shimizu Akira's gaze lingered briefly on Kushida, his tone carrying a hint of genuine appreciation.

Pale yellow is indeed a color that's hard to pull off, but it looked surprisingly harmonious on her, giving her a bright, spring-like aura.

"Thank you~" Kikyo Kushida tilted her head slightly.

Her gaze also swept over Akira Shimizu's attire—a simple white short-sleeved shirt paired with a light blue casual jacket, a seemingly casual combination that perfectly accentuated his tall and upright figure.

"Shimizu-kun looks very handsome today too."

"Thank you for telling me the truth."

With her hands behind her back, Kikyo Kushida took a small half-step forward: "Well... can I arrange today's itinerary? My plan is to go to the dessert shop on the second floor to grab something to eat, and then go sing karaoke—is that alright?"

“Okay,” Shimizu Akira replied.

He went over the itinerary in his mind and thought it was quite suitable.

After all, it's already May and the weather is getting warmer. Indoor dates like this are definitely more comfortable than outdoor ones.

The two walked into the mall side by side, and the cool air blew in their faces, dispelling the heat of early summer.

Kikyo Kushida led Akira Shimizu to the second floor with practiced ease, where a dessert shop decorated with pink macaron-shaped lights came into view.

"This shop's giant matcha parfait is famous at school! They say if you finish it in ten minutes, it's free! Shimizu, want to try it?"

Kikyo Kushida's eyes lit up, and before Akira Shimizu could respond, she excitedly ordered the signature dessert.

When the enormous parfait was served, Akira Shimizu couldn't help but widen his eyes—it was two or three times the size of a regular parfait, topped with vibrant strawberries and mangoes, and piled high with matcha ice cream like a small mountain.

"Wait... can we really finish this?" Akira Shimizu pointed at the "dessert tower" in front of him.

Kushida, who was holding up her phone to take a picture, winked playfully at the comment: "It's clearly written on the sign~"

Following the direction of her finger, Akira Shimizu did indeed see the activity description for the "Ten-Minute Challenge".

The waiter thoughtfully started the countdown timer on the table—the numbers were ticking from 9:59.

"But isn't this a two-person challenge?!" Shimizu Akira couldn't help but look at the leisurely girl opposite him. "You're not planning to let me handle this alone, are you?"

The event description clearly states that it's a two-person challenge.

Akira Shimizu pointed to the seats not far from them: "Look at the other guests, they're all sharing with two people..."

Before they finished speaking, their gazes simultaneously fell on the eye-catching couple not far away.