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

"Well, actually, that's why I came to you." Shimizu Akira organized his thoughts and said, "On the list, four students in Class 1-B have purchased computers."

"I see—you want me to ask these four students what they're specifically going to do with the computers?" Ichinose Honami quickly realized what she meant, then smiled somewhat awkwardly as if she had suddenly thought of something. "But speaking of which, one of these four is me. I bought the computers to install a surveillance system, Shimizu-kun, do you believe me? If that's the case, I guess I'm one of the suspects too."

“How could that be!” Shimizu Akira replied without hesitation, his tone filled with undisguised certainty. “Of course I believe you—you would never do such a thing.”

He knew perfectly well that he was the one who rented the surveillance footage, so how could it have been Ichinose who did it?

When Ichinose Honami heard these words, which were uttered almost without hesitation, she unconsciously glanced at the other person.

She was not unaware of the other person's personality.

She perceived Shimizu Akira as a rational and calm type who always planned things out in his mind before doing anything.

But this time, he didn't hesitate for even half a second and simply chose to believe her.

It feels really good to be trusted, especially when the person who trusts you is Akira Shimizu.

The awkwardness Ichinose Honami felt because of being a "suspect" completely dissipated. She looked up at Shimizu Akira, her tone tentative and excited: "I understand, then leave this to me! By the way—I've thought of a way, should I call those classmates now? You tell me the questions you want to ask quietly, and I'll ask them. This way we can avoid unnecessary probing and it'll be more efficient, what do you think?"

“Sure, of course.” Shimizu Akira agreed without hesitation, even finding the idea particularly appropriate. “Or rather, this is indeed more efficient. Thank you.”

If it were him asking, he would inevitably have to lay out some irrelevant things to introduce himself; but Ichinose is the class representative of Class B in the first year, so it is indeed the best choice for her to speak first.

Thinking this, a thought suddenly flashed through Shimizu Akira's mind—Ichinose Honami really cares about him.

Chapter 138: 136 Horikita-kun, you didn't want this either...

However, before the two could even take action, many passing students greeted Ichinose Honami.

It was Friday, and people were coming and going at the entrance of the teaching building. They were already easy to be noticed because they were standing in a conspicuous place. Soon, several boys who looked like they were from Class B of the first year walked over. Their eyes swept over Shimizu Akira intentionally or unintentionally, with a hint of vigilance that was not easily detected. They naturally surrounded Ichinose, as if they were silently protecting her.

This girl, who is quite popular throughout the school, already knows a lot of people.

Seeing this, Akira Shimizu knew it wasn't convenient to chat anymore, so he took out his phone and sent her a message.

Akira Shimizu: You go ahead and do your work. There's no rush. We can do it later.

Akira Shimizu: Consider this a favor I owe you. If you ever need anything in the future, please let me know as soon as possible.

Not far away, Ichinose Honami felt the vibration in his pocket, glanced down at the message, hesitated for a moment, then looked up and nodded slightly before turning to respond to the classmates who had gathered around him.

Akira Shimizu didn't linger any longer and turned to walk towards the classroom.

By the time he returned to the classroom, it was almost 1:30.

My deskmate, Horikita Suzune, was reading an extracurricular book, but her expression wasn't good. She was turning the pages faster than usual, and the way she gripped the pages with her fingertips seemed unnatural.

(This person... could it be that they haven't gone to the toilet yet?)

A sense of exasperation rose within Shimizu Akira—he had clearly warned her so clearly, yet she wouldn't listen! Was it really necessary to be so stubborn just to prove that his bento box was fine?

Before we knew it, it was time for the first class of the afternoon, math class.

Akira Shimizu had a solid foundation in mathematics, so he didn't need to concentrate on the blackboard; his peripheral vision would involuntarily fall on his deskmate.

Horikita Suzune's back hunched over, and she unconsciously shrank back into the chair. Her complexion was even worse than before, and her jawline was taut, clearly showing that she was trying to endure but could hardly bear it.

Her hand, which was under the table, had unconsciously started moving, her fingertips gently curling above her knee, as if she were massaging something.

After a moment's thought, Shimizu Akira realized: he was probably rubbing his stomach.

After all, the way she was trying to suppress her discomfort just now must have meant she ate a problematic lunchbox. It's perfectly normal to feel uncomfortable and want to rub your stomach.

(He's looking at me again!)

(Could it be that they noticed my stomach was upset?)

Horikita Suzune had actually noticed Shimizu Akira's gaze long ago—she was always exceptionally sensitive to other people's stares, otherwise she wouldn't have directly questioned Shimizu Akira and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka about why they were staring at her on the first day of school.

At that moment, she really had no mind to care about the other person's gaze.

The cramps in her stomach came in waves, so intense that she almost clenched her fists under the table.

Thinking back carefully, the discomfort actually started right after I finished eating the bento.

That's right, Akira Shimizu was right—there was indeed a problem with the bento she made.

Yesterday, I received free ingredients from the supermarket, including sausages, pickled mustard greens, and tomatoes. Today's lunchbox, apart from rice and chicken nuggets I bought separately, consisted entirely of those free ingredients.

She felt inexplicably annoyed: she should have listened to his advice.

Horikita Suzune bit her lower lip inwardly. At first, she thought he was just saying alarmist things because he wanted to eat a bento box—after all, the way he enjoyed the barbecue last time couldn't be faked.

(If only I could go to the restroom once at noon.)

Regret washed over me again.

My stomach wasn't hurting this much just now, but it started getting worse during class. My body was protesting loudly, and I could barely suppress the urge to go to the bathroom.

But she couldn't move.

The reason couldn't be simpler: she had told Akira Shimizu that she "wouldn't go to the toilet because of lunchbox issues." If she actually got up now, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting that she was right and going back on her word? It would also be a passive admission that there was a problem with the lunchbox she made.

(He clearly ate my lunchbox and seemed to enjoy it, so how come he's perfectly fine?)

Horikita Suzune couldn't help but secretly glance up and quickly roll her eyes at Shimizu Akira.

The other person was looking down at his textbook, his profile calm and composed—it seemed he really wasn't lying; his physique was as strong as a monster, and he wasn't affected by the lunchbox at all.

Her fingers tightened around the pen, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

Suddenly, my stomach churned and made a "gurgling" sound.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet classroom.

Horikita Suzune froze instantly, her ears turning bright red, and her cheeks flushed crimson.

Shameful, so shameful.

She could tell that although the sound wasn't loud, it was definitely audible to those at the tables to her left and right.

I instinctively glanced at Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, who was staring at the blackboard, sitting motionless, seemingly unaware of what was happening.

But when he turned to look in the other direction, he was met with Kiyomizu Akira's gaze—he had already turned his head to the side, his eyes showing obvious surprise, clearly having heard him.

She turned her head quickly, even her breathing became lighter, and she felt her neck burning.

“…I’m hungry.” She muttered to herself, trying to act nonchalant.

"You're such a little glutton—did you think I'd say that?" Shimizu Akira looked at her reddened ears, his tone teasing with a hint of helplessness. "Stop pretending, go to the bathroom."

“…You!” Horikita Suzune suddenly looked up, wanting to retort but choked by a stomachache and only managed to utter half a sentence.

"Stop 'you,' go now!" Shimizu Akira leaned forward, lowering his voice even further. "If you don't go, when I go to see your brother after school, I'll tell him that you were holding back from going to the bathroom. Horikita-kun, you don't want your brother to know about something so embarrassing, do you?"

"..." Horikita Suzune stared at him with wide eyes, somewhat annoyed, but finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth, "I know! Don't tell my brother! I promise you."

As she spoke, she grabbed the tissues from the table with lightning speed, stood up abruptly, and said in a slightly tense voice, "Teacher, I need to go to the toilet!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she didn't even wait for the teacher to nod completely before she lowered her head and rushed out of the classroom.

(Why are you shouting so loudly?)

Shimizu Akira watched her almost "hasty" departure, then glanced at the teacher and classmates around him who were stunned by the sudden shout.

He usually speaks with a distant and cold air, but now it's as if he's afraid others won't hear him clearly.

Ultimately, they just pushed themselves to the limit and didn't even bother to cover it up anymore.

Akira Shimizu subconsciously glanced around and happened to meet Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's gaze—a gaze that carried a subtle "admiration," as if he were looking at some formidable character.

(This person... probably misunderstood something.)

Chapter 139: 137 Holding hands under the table... people will misunderstand our relationship.

When Horikita Suzune returned to the classroom, the bell had just rung.

She had just settled into her seat when she turned to look at Shimizu Akira, her brows still furrowed. "Don't mention this to my brother."

Looking at the lingering embarrassment in her eyes, Shimizu Akira suddenly understood—Horikita Suzune's weakness was undoubtedly her brother.

In a sense, as long as her brother is mentioned, even if the other party is so stubborn, they will comply.

Akira Shimizu glanced at her: "That depends on whether you listen to advice or not, Horikita."

Horikita Suzune immediately glared at her: "When did I ever refuse to listen to advice?"

Although his words were firm, he seemed inexplicably lacking in confidence—probably because he was recalling how he had forced himself to stand up in class earlier.

A thought suddenly flashed through her mind—Shimizu Akira had indeed warned her at the beginning.

Thinking about it this way, it seems that from beginning to end, the problem lies in my own unwillingness to listen.

But she also felt that she couldn't be entirely blamed.

From childhood to adulthood, she only ever listened to her brother's arrangements, besides her father's.

Now, if a man of the same age suddenly appears and tells her out of the blue not to eat the bento box he made, how could she possibly obediently comply?

She secretly glanced at Shimizu Akira, who was packing up his textbooks next to her. Anyone would probably not easily listen to the orders of a peer.

But remembering how much pain she was in and could barely stand in the toilet stall, she couldn't help but purse her lips—next time… maybe she could listen a little bit?

"By the way, you should throw away those free ingredients you got yesterday when you get back." Shimizu Akira glanced at her, his tone indifferent. "After all, you got an upset stomach today, so there must have been something wrong with the ingredients."

“…I understand.” Horikita Suzune replied softly.

“When you left just now, the math teacher went over a new problem.” He suddenly pushed his notebook over. “I wrote it down on this page. The steps are written in detail. Take a look for yourself.”

The handwriting in the notebook was neat, and the steps to solve the problem were clearly listed in points.

Horikita Suzune stared at the handwriting on the notebook for a few seconds, then suddenly looked up at Shimizu Akira, her tone unusually decisive: "Give me your hand."

"?" Despite his doubts, Shimizu Akira still extended his hand as instructed.

The next second, Horikita Suzune extended her palm, her fingertips slightly curled, but she did not flinch: "You can hold my hand for ten seconds."

"What are you doing?" Shimizu Akira's hand hovered in mid-air, looking completely bewildered.

“An equal exchange.” Horikita Suzune’s voice was even softer than when she thanked me earlier. “I don’t know if you’re being nice to me because you want to pursue me—but I have no plans to have a boyfriend right now.”

She paused, her fingertips subtly curling in her palm: "But you seemed to have mentioned last time that you like handshakes... This is the response I can give you."

Noticing the surprised look in Shimizu Akira's eyes, she quickly added, "Don't treat me like a casual person. I just can't think of any other way to repay you right now, and owing someone a favor makes me very uncomfortable."

She doesn't actually treat everyone like that.

After all, the other person was Shimizu Akira—someone her brother approved of, and one of the few boys she had never disliked in her life.

And she remembered very clearly: during the last swimming lesson, he said he was very interested in girls' bodies.

During her previous dates with Kushida, the two seemed to have had closer interactions.

Thinking about it that way, it's just a handshake, which she should be able to do too.

Moreover... she vaguely felt that this might make Shimizu Akira trust her a little more.

If there is a need for cooperation in the future, it will be easier.

She still wants to invite Akira Shimizu to be her collaborator.

She has no intention of giving up on this idea at the moment.

"...Did you wash your hands?" Shimizu Akira asked casually.

"You—!" Horikita Suzune suddenly looked up, her eyes almost overflowing with embarrassment and anger. Her hand, which was suspended in mid-air, clenched unconsciously, as if she wanted to pull it back.

"Don't be angry." Shimizu Akira chuckled softly, his fingertips gently touching the back of her hand. "Just kidding. You're so tense, you need to loosen up a bit."

When he withdrew his hand, his tone had returned to calm: "So you thought I was pursuing you? But don't worry, what I did to you was perfectly normal behavior between friends. Since you don't plan to have a boyfriend, I naturally respect your decision."

He tapped the notebook he had just pushed over with his fingertips, his voice naturally candid: "Like taking notes for you, reminding you to throw away bad ingredients—these have nothing to do with 'pursuing' anything, it's just that I feel friends should do these things. After all, you've tutored me before, and your brother has taken good care of me and helped look after his sister, isn't that reasonable?"

After a pause, Akira Shimizu added, "The reason I treated you to dinner last time was actually because the student council president helped me a lot, and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank him."

Horikita Suzune stared into his calm eyes, and the anger that had been stirred up by that joke seemed to be gently soothed by the warmth of his fingertips.

But when she heard that "the dinner was because of my brother," she couldn't help but frown slightly—so it wasn't a dinner specifically for her?

Wait a minute! Could it be that Shimizu Akira is being so nice to her all because of her brother?

The moment this thought popped into her head, her feelings became inexplicably more complicated.

Before this emotion could even take hold, Shimizu Akira suddenly chuckled: "However, since you've said we can shake hands, I certainly won't stand on ceremony."

As soon as she finished speaking, her hand was gently grasped.

"Wait a minute!" Horikita Suzune abruptly pulled her hand back as if she had been burned.