Chapter 251 Enjoying Kamuro's Feet and Thighs / The Rules of the V.I.P.
At 7:30 PM, while Kamuro Masumi was staying in her dorm, her phone suddenly vibrated. She picked it up casually and saw a familiar system notification pop up on the screen.
"The exam for Tiger Group has ended. Students of Tiger Group do not need to participate in the exam further. Please act carefully and do not disturb other students."
"Another group ended early... that makes four now, doesn't it?" she muttered softly to her phone.
From Monkey Group ending suddenly on the second day, to Ox Group yesterday, to Rooster Group wrapping up around 10:00 PM last night, and now Tiger Group today—in just three short days, four groups had already been eliminated early. These people really weren't idling around; were they that desperate to guess the V.I.P.? Even though a single wrong guess would cost the class 50 class points, they weren't even afraid of ending up in a point deficit.
However, Kamuro Masumi didn't care much about that.
The only one she truly kept in mind was Rabbit Group. As long as Rabbit Group didn't end early, the movements of other groups had nothing to do with her.
The reason was simple: she herself was the V.I.P. of Rabbit Group.
When she first received the exam notice, she thought she would just coast through the group as a regular member and get through the exam somehow. She never expected that upon clicking the email, the screen would explicitly show her selection as the V.I.P., instantly throwing her plans into disarray.
As the V.I.P., Kamuro Masumi naturally preferred Outcome 1. After all, it was the most beneficial ending for the entire group, and according to what the homeroom teacher said before, if she proactively revealed her identity and guided the group to reach the goal, she could receive up to 1,000,000 private points. 1,000,000 points! That was enough to let her catch up to the points Shimizu Akira earned on the deserted island in one go; just thinking about it was tempting.
But she also knew things would never be that simple.
Once she revealed her identity early, there was a high probability she would be anonymously reported by someone from another class.
People from other classes weren't stupid; "Outcome 3" was the most profitable for them.
They could deduct points from Class A, increase their own class points, and earn 500,000 private points for themselves. There was no reason not to do it. If it were her and she accidentally discovered the identity of a V.I.P. from another class, she would click the report button without hesitation. Anyway, the anonymity mechanism protected her; there was no need to worry about being found out.
Since Outcome 1 was too risky, Kamuro had to settle for the next best thing and set her sights on Outcome 2.
As long as a group member (other than herself and other Class A members) failed to answer or answered incorrectly, the school would pay her 500,000 private points. Fortunately, there happened to be two people from the Katsuragi faction in Rabbit Group this time. Katsuragi Kohei had already specifically instructed his subordinates to remain silent during meetings so as not to let other classes find an opening. Kamuro just went with the flow, following along with the low-profile approach, perfectly hiding her identity.
Just then, her phone rang. Kamuro quickly picked it up, thinking it was a message from Shimizu Akira, and the corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously. But when she saw the sender was Sakayanagi Arisu, that hint of a smile vanished instantly, replaced by an expression of slight disgust.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Kamuro, good evening. Remember not to speak recklessly during tomorrow's meeting. If another class catches an opening, Class A will lose 50 class points.
"Her again..." Kamuro frowned, muttering to herself.
She suddenly remembered the first day of the exam—when she had just received her V.I.P. status and was feeling anxious about accidentally exposing herself, Sakayanagi had suddenly called.
She said she was willing to pay Kamuro 200,000 private points and promised to help her come up with ideas to handle the meetings. At the time, partly because they were in the same class and she didn't have to worry about being betrayed, and partly because she couldn't resist the temptation of 200,000 points—after all, Akira had earned so much on the island and she didn't want to be left behind—she agreed to Sakayanagi's proposal.
To be honest, while Sakayanagi was annoying, her IQ was beyond reproach. If Sakayanagi hadn't messaged her with a strategy during the first meeting, Rabbit Group would likely have entered the reasoning phase long ago, and her identity might have already been sensed by Ichinose Honami from Class B.
'Speaking of which, Akira's surprised and shocked little look back then was quite interesting.'
Kamuro's thoughts drifted to Shimizu Akira.
Her originally cold expression softened considerably, and she even gave a light laugh.
Although that response was an idea Sakayanagi came up with behind the scenes, she was quite happy to have been able to perform well in front of Akira.
She quickly suppressed her smile, stared at her phone screen, and replied with disgust: I know, I don't need you barking orders here.
She wasn't Sakayanagi's subordinate; why should she obediently follow her arrangements?
Sakayanagi Arisu: It's fine if you don't listen to me. Do you think I don't know? Don't you only want to listen to Shimizu Akira?
Looking at this sentence, Kamuro froze for a moment.
An uncontrollable heat rose to her cheeks, followed by a surge of irritation. What right did this person have to frame her out of thin air? What did she mean, she only listens to Akira?
Kamuro Masumi: What kind of nonsense are you talking! Isn't it the other way around?! That guy actually listens to me quite well!
Wasn't it true? If she called him to eat together, he came; if she gave him points to use, he didn't refuse; last time she told him to do push-ups, he didn't even dare to stop.
And then there was the deserted island; he specifically bought her so many snacks, giving her a huge amount of reputation in front of the Class A students.
Just thinking about it, she couldn't help but happily shake her leg slightly.
Sakayanagi Arisu: That's his usual method! He always makes every girl feel like he's obedient, while in reality, he holds the initiative from the start. You've already been coaxed into a "upturned mouth" (smiling) by him and you haven't realized it yet~
She immediately retorted.
Kamuro Masumi: Hey! Don't try to blacken his name on purpose, okay? If you want to be blocked, just say so!
Akira was clearly a very good person. Last time in the crowd, his attitude toward her was the same as always, and he was willing to agree to whatever she said.
How could he be the kind of person Sakayanagi described? In her view, it was clearly because Sakayanagi had lost to Akira too many times and held a grudge, which is why she was making things up.
She absolutely could not tolerate Akira being deliberately slandered, not even a single complaint.
Sakayanagi Arisu: Alas, I only teased you with a test sentence, and you got this angry? Tsk tsk~
Kamuro rolled her eyes, too lazy to deal with her anymore. It was always like this, teasing her on purpose.
Ever since the first day when she hadn't become Sakayanagi's subordinate like the others because of Akira, Sakayanagi always loved to approach her deliberately, which was incredibly annoying.
Every time Kamuro showed her disgust, the other girl just kept crowding into her space. However, every time Sakayanagi looked for her, she would obediently offer up a good amount
of points. The two of them maintained a "transactional" relationship; for the sake of the points, she turned a blind eye to it.
Kamuro glanced at the time on her phone and saw it was almost 8:00 PM. She had no more heart to tangle with Sakayanagi Arisu; she had to go see Akira!
Actually, she had prepared for this meeting long ago. She had taken a shower at 6:00 PM. At this moment, she was wearing her usual school uniform.
She looked down at her smooth calves, not feeling anything special. When an ordinary high school girl went out, the leg-wear options usually didn't escape three types: bare legs, white stockings, or black stockings.
As for nude stockings... for a high school girl her age, they were too mature after all, so few people chose them. But since Akira liked black stockings... a look of disgust appeared on her face, but her hands didn't stop, skillfully putting on the black stockings.
After changing, she walked to the dressing table. Looking at herself in the mirror with a hint of joy hidden in her eyes, she deliberately pulled at the corners of her mouth, forcing the usual cold "unhappiness written all over her face" expression. Next, she opened a small box containing cute hair clips. After hesitating for a long time, she picked a pink one and pinned it in her hair.
"Kamuro, are you going out?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her. Kamuro's body stiffened.
She turned around to see her roommate, Yamamura Miki, looking at her curiously. They happened to be assigned to the same dorm. Their other two roommates were Morishita Ai and Nishikawa Ryoko.
Morishita Ai spent all day wandering around the cruise ship and was rarely in the dorm, and Nishikawa Ryoko wasn't there right now, so only the two of them remained.
Speaking of which, she and Miki had been friends for a long time, but the other girl always seemed to have a stealth ability; many times Kamuro didn't even notice she was in the dorm, only reacting when she heard her speak.
"Um... going to see that guy," Kamuro thought about it and just said it directly.
Anyway, it wasn't something she needed to hide.
Miki was a friend; she could say whatever she wanted without being shy. Moreover, in her view, going to see Akira wasn't anything to be ashamed of. That guy was now somewhat famous among the four classes. Lately, many female classmates in her class were secretly jealous of her being able to get close to him.
"You're going to see Shimizu-kun, right?" Yamamura Miki nodded, then suddenly lowered her voice and leaned in closer to ask, "By the way, does he know you're the V.I.P.?"
Besides Sakayanagi, Yamamura Miki was one of the few people who knew Kamuro's identity.
It wasn't that she had told her proactively; it was just that once while she was looking at the exam email, Miki suddenly popped up behind her, scaring her so much her hand shook and her phone dropped on the floor, accidentally revealing her status.
However, since Miki's mistake was unintentional, Kamuro didn't make a fuss, only instructing her not to tell anyone.
"He doesn't know," Kamuro Masumi answered flatly. She truly hadn't mentioned it to Akira yet.
"Are you worried Shimizu-kun will report you?" Yamamura Miki asked again.
"No way!" Kamuro denied it without thinking.
"I'm afraid he'll be worried about my feelings and find it hard to act when the time comes."
She never felt from the beginning that Akira would report her.
The situation on the deserted island was complicated: the recording pen matter was known to everyone, and Class A was teaming up with Class C to V.I.P. the Class D V.I.P.. She was forced to switch identities in the end.
From Class D's perspective, they couldn't possibly let the Class A person go. Akira had no choice but to vote for her.
But this time was different; there were no messy entanglements, and many aspects were hidden in secrecy.
With their current relationship in the same group, if Akira wanted to protect her, he could do it. But Kamuro was still a bit worried; if this somehow got known by the Class D group, it would only put Akira in a difficult position.
That's why she hadn't told him she was the V.I.P..
"Um... Kamuro-san, Shimizu-kun suddenly added me as a friend yesterday. Can I add him?" Yamamura Miki seemed to suddenly remember something, her voice small and filled with uncertainty.
"Huh? Why would he add you?" Kamuro frowned. After a moment of silence, she still nodded. "Add him. After adding, ask him what exactly he wants to do."
Anyone with eyes could see that Kamuro was already a bit unhappy. If there was something, couldn't he just find her directly? Why did he have to go through Miki?
However, after Yamamura Miki glanced at Kamuro, she just sat down next to her, deliberately placed her phone where both could see, and clicked accept. Within a few seconds, a message from Akira came through:
Shimizu Akira: Thank you so much for helping out during the deserted island matter last time.
Shimizu Akira: I know you only helped me because of Kamuro.
Shimizu Akira: I plan to give you 100,000 private points. Please accept it; I can't let your efforts go unrewarded.
"So it was for this." Kamuro's expression softened instantly.
Akira indeed owed Yamamura Miki a thank-you gift; that matter had helped him earn 500,000 points.
"Kamuro, should I take it?" Yamamura Miki looked at the message and turned to ask her.
"If he gives it to you, take it. It's no big deal," Kamuro Masumi nodded. But just as she finished speaking, Akira's second message popped up.
Shimizu Akira: If it's convenient, could you ask a bit about how Kamuro is doing in Class A? Besides you, are there any other classmates she can talk to?
Miki saw this message and froze for a moment, muttering softly: "This must be the real reason Shimizu-kun added me..."
Kamuro naturally saw it too. Her face went black in a flash, and her tone carried a hint of fury: "That guy!" What did he mean? Why was he secretly digging into these things? Was he worried she didn't have friends at school?
"How should I answer?" Yamamura Miki asked helplessly, looking at Kamuro's darkening face.
"Give me the phone," Kamuro gritted her teeth.
"Oh!" Yamamura Miki quickly handed the phone over. Next, she watched as Kamuro angrily typed a line on the screen and sent it.
Yamamura Miki: Shimizu Akira, you're dead!
Within two seconds, Akira's message exploded back.
Shimizu Akira: Ah?!! Are you Kamuro?
Shimizu Akira: After all that, it turns out you two are in the same dorm! My mistake!
Watching this series of panicked replies, Yamamura Miki couldn't help but laugh softly.
These two seemed quite close, especially Akira, who realized instantly that the person sending the message wasn't her but Kamuro Masumi.
Seeing that Kamuro's expression was still not great, she gently advised: "Kamuro, don't be so angry. Actually, Shimizu-kun probably asked because he cares about you."
"Tsk..." Kamuro curled her lip and didn't speak.
How could she not know? If he didn't care, who would specifically ask about such things? But Akira had hit her sore spot. In Class A, Yamamura Miki was her only friend. Being called out on that made her fly into a rage out of shame.
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Shimizu Akira put away his phone, his face still carrying a bit of lingering embarrassment.
After all, he was caught red-handed secretly asking about someone's affairs; it was truly a bit awkward. He arrived early at the agreed-upon lounge. Checking the time, it was just past 8:20 PM. Before long, there was a knock at the door.
Shimizu Akira stood up to open it and saw Kamuro Masumi walk in with an "I am very unhappy" face. She was wearing her familiar school uniform on top, and on the bottom, she had indeed changed into black stockings as promised, though she was still wearing slippers, clearly having just come from the dorm.
Shimizu Akira's gaze unconsciously lingered on her black stockings for a second.
"What happened before was my fault. I shouldn't have secretly asked about your affairs," Shimizu Akira apologized proactively before she could speak, his tone sincere.
"Hmph, I'll let you off this time, but there won't be a next time." Kamuro rolled her eyes. She closed the door behind her, walked straight to the sofa, and sat down. She decisively took off her slippers and pulled a small pair of scissors from her pocket. With a snip, the scissors "clicked" and cut open the tight black stockings, revealing her smooth, fair feet underneath. Her toes were rounded with a faint pink tint, clearly having been specifically washed.
"Come here," she looked up at Akira and said two words.
Shimizu Akira froze for a moment, thought about it, and then walked over to sit next to her on the sofa. The next second, Kamuro Masumi lifted her legs and placed them gently on his thighs, bringing those newly exposed little feet right in front of him. A faint fragrance seemed to float in the air—the scent of her body after a bath, which inexplicably made his heart race.
Shimizu Akira felt a weight on his legs, and the fragrance near his nose grew closer. He could clearly feel the delicate texture of the stocking fabric and the weight of her calves resting on his legs. He could even see the faint pink on her toes very clearly. Shimizu Akira wasn't a foot person, but he found himself inexplicably understanding the mindset of those seniors who were obsessed with this.
"What are you dazing for?" Kamuro saw him frozen without moving. Her tone carried a bit of forced urgency.
"Do I have to teach you what to do? My feet, my legs—haven't you been eyeing them for a long time? I'll give you half an hour, is that enough? Hurry up and finish; I still have to go back and rest."
Though her words were blunt, the tips of her ears had turned a faint red. This was the first time in her life she had ever proactively presented her feet to a boy. Her heart was far from being as calm as she looked on the surface; her breathing was half a beat faster than usual. If she hadn't promised to reward him, and if Miki had been advising her on the side, she wouldn't have been so uninhibited.
"It's enough!" Shimizu Akira reacted and quickly responded. Eyeling them? That was certainly true. He hadn't expected Kamuro to be so bold this time, actually following through on her previous words.
He slowly raised his hand. Just as his fingertips gently touched the top of her foot, he felt Kamuro's toes curl slightly, as if startled by a tickling sensation, showing a bit of cute panic.
As he slowly stroked the smooth bridge of her foot, a slightly cool sensation from her recently washed skin came through. It was delicate and smooth; his palm could clearly feel the soft curve, and the touch was even better than imagined.
They say a girl's feet possess a unique attraction. Previously, he only considered it a preference of others, but until this moment when his fingertips touched Kamuro's foot, he finally truly realized that it was indeed very nice.
Ordinarily, feet are always wrapped in shoes, hidden out of sight. Now, that delicate skin was exposed before him without reservation—the faint pink at the tips of the toes, the arch of the foot pulled into a curve—it was all clearly visible. In fact, this sense of exposure that broke the daily concealment carried an invisible temptation of its own.
At least for Akira, he was completely captivated.
Whether it was the subtle throb in his heart or the soft touch in his palm, it was very hard to refuse.
Kamuro's toes curled again, tighter this time, and even the arch of her foot tensed slightly. She turned her face away, pretending not to care, the red at the tips of her ears spreading down her neck.
'Does he like touching here this much? He should touch other places too!'
Shimizu Akira's movements were too light. The warmth of his finger pads transferred through her cool skin like tiny electric currents, making her want to pull her feet back, yet she endured it. Only this little complaint of a mutter rose in her heart.
As if he had heard her inner thoughts, his fingertips moved to brush against her ankle, where the skin was thinner and faint blue veins could be vaguely felt. He followed the ankle up, slowly moving to her calf. The stocking fabric wrapped the delicate skin; he felt the curve of
her calf and the slight rise of the muscles. He gave a light squeeze; the soft sensation mixed with the silkiness of the fabric provided a subtle texture more nuanced than touching skin directly.
"Black stockings... suit you well," Shimizu Akira couldn't help but say. His gaze rested on her calves; the black stockings made her legs look thinner and whiter, indeed more striking than imagined.
Kamuro's face turned even redder, and even her voice had a bit of a breathy quality: "Save the nonsense."
She quietly relaxed her calf, no longer tensing it on purpose, and even lifted her leg slightly to make it easier for him to touch.
Shimizu Akira didn't speak again. His fingertips moved gently to the back of her calf, squeezing lightly through the thin black stockings. The soft flesh moved slightly under the fabric, like kneading a ball of cotton wrapped in fine down. That delicate sensation shot up from his fingertips, making his heart tremble. The touch of her feet was certainly good, but the feel of her thighs was not inferior in the least.
So this was the logic behind what people often call "legs to play with for a year"; the touch felt somewhat addictive.
"Your thoughts?"
Suddenly, Kamuro's foot lightly kicked his knee. The force carried a bit of deliberate dissatisfaction, like a prompt, yet also like acting spoiled.
"Very good," Shimizu Akira's voice was lower than usual. His fingertips remained on her calf. "In fact, one could say it's excellent."
"Hmph!" Kamuro gave a light snort, but the coldness on her face had clearly dissipated for the most part, and a faint curve had quietly appeared at the corners of her mouth.
Actually, she had been tense just now.
Being touched on the legs and feet by a member of the opposite sex was a first in her life. But Akira's blunt and honest praise made her inner awkwardness quietly melt away, turning instead into a sense of pleasure.
Calculated this way, the half-hour she spent carefully bathing and preparing wasn't in vain.
Shimizu Akira added, "Yes, the black stockings really complement you. They make your legs look even thinner and softer."
Kamuro suddenly turned her face away. "Don't talk nonsense! They were just something I put on casually..."
Shimizu Akira stopped talking. His fingertips followed the knee and slowly moved upward, only stopping gently when they neared the base of her thigh. The black stockings here were
warmed slightly deeper by her body heat. As he pressed lightly with his finger pads, he could clearly feel the subtle rebound of the soft flesh under the fabric—it wasn't a superficial softness, but a tenderness wrapped in a bit of resilience. Even the feel of different parts of the thigh had subtle differences. Near the knee was firmer, while moving toward the base added several degrees of dense softness. The layered sensations were actually more alluring.
"Hey..." Kamuro's voice was muffled in the sofa cushion, her trailing tone carrying a light tremor. "This is the lounge... don't go higher... this time, I only, only allowed you to touch my thighs and feet!"
Shimizu Akira immediately withdrew the upward-exploring movement and settled back on the middle section of her thigh. "I know. I won't go higher."
His time spent with Kamuro Masumi today could be counted as a solid step of progress in their relationship. No need to rush; after all, it was only the fourth month since school started. There would be plenty of time to get along in the future. This kind of gradual pace was already just right.
"Earlier... losing my temper with you in the dorm, that was my fault," Kamuro suddenly spoke, her voice still muffled.
"I shouldn't have gotten angry just because you were asking about my affairs in class."
Shimizu Akira looked up at the back of her head buried in the cushion and smiled.
"It's fine. I shouldn't have asked secretly; I should apologize to you. In the future, if you're willing to tell me anything, I'm all ears."
Kamuro Masumi didn't reply, but her shoulders moved slightly, as if nodding. After a few seconds, she slowly raised her head. The red on the tips of her ears hadn't faded, yet she dared to look straight into his eyes, though her tone was still a bit awkward: "...Then don't always ask Yamamura. If you have something to say, can't you just ask me directly?"
"I understand," Shimizu Akira nodded in response. After a few seconds of silence, he decided to be blunt.
"So Kamuro, the V.I.P. of Rabbit Group... it should be you, right?"
Kamuro froze, not expecting her little secret to be seen through. "Tsk! So what if it is!"
After saying it, she couldn't help but press further, "Since you know it's me, why hasn't Rabbit Group ended early? This time... why didn't you report me like you did on the deserted island?"
For some answers, she insisted on hearing them from his mouth to be satisfied.
"50 class points and 500,000 private points—those aren't as important as you." Shimizu Akira's answer came quickly.
"Hmph!" The corners of Kamuro's mouth turned up slightly. She shook her feet resting on Shimizu Akira's legs.
"So, Kamuro, do you want to reach the Outcome 2 ending? Do you want those 500,000 private points?"
"Umu."
"Outcome 2 isn't that easy to reach."
"Then what choice do I have!"
Kamuro Masumi was actually secretly worried about being seen through.
After all, Shiina Hiyori from Class 1-C was also in the group.
She was very quick-witted and had shown a key role during the island exam; this forced Kamuro to be more careful. But she wasn't actually that panicked. Based on her understanding of Akira, this guy wouldn't easily mention her identity unless he had figured out a plan.
Sure enough, before she could ask further, Shimizu Akira said in a deep voice: "I plan to have Rabbit Group reach Outcome 1. During the last meeting tomorrow, you just expose yourself directly and announce your V.I.P. identity. That way, you should be the key person guiding Outcome 1, and you can get 1,000,000 private points in one go. It's much more profitable than Outcome 2."
"Huh?!" Kamuro suddenly sat up straight, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Rabbit Group reaches Outcome 1? And she has to proactively reveal her identity?
She instinctively wanted to object, but then suddenly paused.
Shimizu Akira couldn't possibly be unaware that after the fourth day ends, from 9:00 to 9:30 PM, group members can still anonymously vote for the V.I.P.. Since he dared to say this, he must have a follow-up move.
After all, the person in front of her was Shimizu Akira, who used a single recording pen on the island to play other classes for fools.
"Where does your confidence come from?" Although she told herself not to pry, Kamuro couldn't help but ask.
Unexpectedly, the other party threw back an answer: "Because I have 'good luck.' Not only did I discover your V.I.P. status, but I have three V.I.P.s in my own hand. So, I've roughly figured out the school's rules for allocating V.I.P.s, and so... I've thought of a pretty good plan."
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