Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]
Disclaimer: I don't own Classroom of the Elite but if I did, there will be MAJOR CHANGES.
"Can you just tell me where you're taking me?" Kiyotaka asked the person who was with him today, Suzune, as she dragged him by the arm through the campus grounds to who-knows-where.
Last night, Suzune told him through a text that he should get ready for school earlier than usual, because she had something important to talk to him about. He was curious what it was about, but didn't ask her regarding it because it might annoy her. He would simply find out the next day.
Kiyotaka wasn't prepared for Suzune to grab his arm and drag him to the elevator, before they left the dorm building as if nothing else mattered. He couldn't even tell her that they should be waiting for Kikyo, because the girl looked like she wasn't even paying attention to him. It's like her mind was focused on something else entirely…
"No. You'll know when we get there," she said in a firm tone, making it known that her stance won't change.
Even after a week, Suzune still hasn't been able to buy him ice cream like she promised herself. She tried multiple times to ask him but somehow, she was always interrupted by something or someone. Last Wednesday, after they got back to the dorms where no one could possibly interrupt them, Kiyotaka excused himself and went back to his room because of a sudden stomachache. She didn't bother waiting for him to finish and simply went back to her room, accepting defeat.
There was also this past Friday, when she tried to ask him to go with her to the mall first, before buying him some ice cream later. However, that plan also went up in smoke when they encountered Matsushita there and asked what they were doing at the mall, before asking if she could come with them. Since she couldn't reveal the truth to their classmate, Suzune had no choice but to lie and say that she only wanted to check out what the place had to offer.
Suzune groaned.
Seriously, how difficult could asking Kiyotaka out for some ice cream be?
And so, today, Horikita Suzune decided that enough was enough and decided to simply drag her classmate all the way to the ice cream stall where they went during their first day. The same idea she had during the club fair last week.
"That doesn't seem fair," he argued.
"Life itself isn't fair."
Kiyotaka sighed in defeat. It's clear that she wasn't going to budge. All he could do right now is accept his fate and hope that this doesn't lead to anything bad.
"Okay, point taken. Could you at least stop dragging me by the arm? It hurts," he asked.
"We're nearly there, Ayanokouji-kun. Bear with it."
"Some heroine you are. This isn't how you should treat your significant other," he rolled his eyes quietly before deciding to bring up an important matter. "Did we really have to leave Kushida behind for this? We could have let her come along since we go to school together everyday, anyway."
The girl shook her head. "No. Kushida-san cannot be involved. This is between the two of us."
"Whatever you say. If she becomes upset because we left her behind, then you should be the one to explain why," he told her. For once, he wasn't going to do anything about this if it got out of hand. He didn't even do anything that would make this his fault, and even the system knows it. "Although it likely wouldn't do anything since Kushida hates you…"
"I will," said Horikita, although it can be seen that she didn't really care about Kushida and what she would feel about being left out.
As he got dragged by the clearly-frustrated Suzune to who-knows-where, Kiyotaka safely retreated into his thoughts.
It has been a week since he began to live with this weird superpower and so far, things were going well. At least as well as one would expect from a reality-bending power like his.
Thankfully, no 'special events' have taken place within that span of time and the system's broken skill hasn't been activated since the new dorm arrangements.
He took a glance at Suzune, especially her 'heroine screen' that displayed her current status. He didn't know why she was frustrated, but it's the reason why she's like this right now… he wondered what the 'determined' was for.
[Horikita Suzune: 'Frustrated Yet Determined Friend']
[Relationship Status: Strange Friends]
[Affection Points: 48/100]
Anyway, yeah, there was an increase in Suzune's Affection Points throughout the week, but not as big as Kikyo's. He still couldn't explain it, but it's strange how it's faster to gain Affection Points with her than Suzune.
Hmm, maybe it's because Kikyo was just hungry for affection while Suzune wasn't? He had no idea if that was a good thing, though. That girl was still crazy and he still had no idea why she's angry at Suzune but since she's a heroine, there might not be any need to worry.
Oh, who was he kidding? The system will definitely force him into a situation where he would have to work out a compromise between Suzune and Kikyo, because it's obvious that they'll be at each other's throats soon. Not just because of him, but because of the apparent history between them.
But, on a more positive note, Kiyotaka realized a handful of things about the system that would be very helpful from now on. The first was that the broken skill he dreaded would only activate if one of his heroines became sad and was in need of a smile. He understood it after reading through it again, and he realized that it wasn't the system itself that was screwing him over.
Because of that, he realized that in order to prevent it from happening, all he needed to do was keep his heroines happy… which would be very tiring to do, but worth it.
Secondly, he realized that while the 'heroine summary' screen shows up every time he looks at a potential heroine, the three choices don't exactly follow the same routine. He realized this after having a perfectly normal conversation with Sato, whom he noticed was a soon-to-be heroine since she lived on the same floor as him (and all the girls who resided there were more or less his heroines).
The entire time that they talked, the usual choices didn't appear once and by the end of it, Kiyotaka had let out a massive sigh of relief.
This could only mean one thing, and that is the system isn't letting him 'unlock' every heroine's route all at once, which is a good thing. He honestly thought that this dating simulator system wouldn't have a problem with dumping every heroine onto him and letting him handle it, but it looks like he was wrong.
It's like the dating simulator games that he had played from Eiichiro's collection. Every heroine route in those games weren't unlocked right away, and there was a specific requirement for each one. He wondered if the same applied for this dating system.
It actually happened with Chabashira-sensei and Asahina-senpai already. He saw their 'summaries' when he looked at them and that's it. While he did talk with Nazuna, the choices never appeared.
Maybe the one who granted him this weird power had a heart, after all.
Lastly, after thinking about it for days, Kiyotaka finally realized the true benefit behind this dating simulator. It was so obvious that he couldn't believe he didn't notice it at the beginning, but that's because he was in despair over it at first.
It was to make him feel love.
Throughout the week, he noticed that he was becoming comfortable with Suzune and Kikyo to the point that it almost didn't bother him anymore that they walk to school altogether in the morning as if they were a couple. The only thing is that they should learn how to keep up appearances, because they acted as if the three of them being seen altogether wouldn't result in further complications.
He had raised his 'Affection Points' with them a lot of times each time they talked, though Kiyotaka didn't really care about it anymore. As long as it means preventing the system's broken skill from triggering and giving him a massive headache, then he could deal with it.
Plus, those 'Affection Points' was actually a good thing, because he realized that the system was helping him achieve one of the biggest things he had wanted to achieve ever since he escaped that place, and that is to piss the ever-loving shit off his father.
What other way of doing so other than the 'Masterpiece' becoming a normal person?
While the White Room did give him abilities and intellect the likes that no one has ever seen before, he would never forgive that man for what he's done which is taking the chance of a normal life away from him.
Who knows? Maybe the system would help him enough to the point that he would be able to show emotions willingly and without a problem? But that would be getting ahead of himself. He still had no control over the system and he doubted that he would.
"Here we are," spoke Suzune, snapping her companion out of his thoughts.
"Huh?" the young man muttered as he took a quick look at where they were. One look at the ice cream stall, popcorn stand, and the taiyaki stall was all he needed to realize where they were. "This is the same place where we went last week… why are we here?"
Suzune let go of the boy's arm before scanning her surroundings for any possible interruptions to what she was about to do. God, if there was something that might interrupt her, then she might actually lose it.
"Nothing out of the ordinary… I'm also sure neither Kushida-san nor Matsushita-san know where we are."
Once she was satisfied and completely sure that the coast was clear, she turned back towards Kiyotaka.
"I wanted to ask you something, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Which is?" he raised an eyebrow at her slightly. "This better be important…"
She cleared her throat. "Would you mind if I buy you ice cream? I wanted to repay you for helping me last week, and I recall that you really liked ice cream."
"That's it?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.
Suzune nodded.
He sighed. He should have seen this coming. Well, maybe not the part about buying him ice cream, but the fact that Horikita brought him all the way here for such a simple reason.
"If you wanted to invite me for some ice cream, then couldn't you have said it over the text you sent last night? Did you really have to drag me all the way here?"
Speaking of which, they had exchanged contact information in the past week, so the two could talk whenever they want, even if they're not together. Kiyotaka did the same for Kikyo, which made the girl jump around in joy afterwards. For obvious reasons, the two girls immediately rejected the idea of exchanging contact info. Well, it was more on Suzune's side while Kikyo 'respected' her wishes, although it's pretty obvious that she would rather lock herself in her room for a week than get the black-haired girl's number.
"No. It wouldn't be the same if it's one of those."
"Why is that?"
She glared at him, switching into her 'ice mode'. "Enough questions. Do you want ice cream or not?" she asked.
"I do," he replied without hesitation. Free food was still free food, and this was ice cream they're talking about. He'd be a fool to turn this offer down.
"Then wait here."
With that, Suzune took off for the ice cream stall to buy one for the two of them. She felt like she could use one to calm her nerves.
Deep down, the girl was overcome with relief and joy that she finally got to ask him the question that's been bothering since last week. This time, there were no interruptions and Kiyotaka gave her an answer.
Meanwhile, the young man only stood there and stared at the girl, wondering what the hell was this all about.
After getting ice cream for two people, Suzune returned and handed over a vanilla cone to her classmate, who muttered a quick thanks before accepting it.
The two sat down at a nearby bench as they ate their snacks. There was still an hour before their class starts, so they were free to take their time out here.
Kiyotaka decided to break the silence between them by speaking out his mind at the moment. "Horikita, you didn't have to do this, you know."
Suzune dropped her glare and adopted a more thoughtful look, remembering how much she was struggling to ask him a simple question throughout the past week. It was completely stressful and distracted her during class several times, to the point that she felt she had to put the issue to rest.
The girl looked down as she ate her ice cream quietly. "You don't understand. I have wanted to ask you about this ever since last week but for some reason, I kept on getting interrupted by things that were out of my control."
"I'm sorry that happened to you."
"It's not your fault. I'm just relieved that I've finally gotten this off my chest. It would leave angry and frustrated to owe someone a debt after he helped me with my own problems… especially because I'm supposed to be his friend."
Kiyotaka waved off her concerns. "It was nothing. You were going through something and like any decent person out there, I asked what's wrong."
"Don't talk about it like it's nothing significant," she retorted. "I've never talked about my brother to other people before, let alone how I see myself compared to him. I don't know how to explain it, but it feels better to tell someone else about it. And if I had to be honest, not many people would listen if I told them about my problems."
"So you decided to buy me ice cream as thanks," he concluded.
Suzune nodded quietly.
Kiyotaka stared at her afterwards. The system may be the reason why, but it's almost amazing to see how much this girl had changed in the span of a week. When they met, he immediately thought that they wouldn't get along because of her personality.
He wasn't prepared to see how wrong he was. And now, the same girl whom the system described as someone with a superiority complex who could never have a friend to save her life, had bought him ice cream as a sign of gratitude for what he had done for her.
He had no idea what it's like to fall in love but with this dating sim power, there may really be hope for him to learn.
"Then thank you for being thoughtful," he bowed slightly in gratitude before reaching out to pat her head kindly, shocking the girl with his gesture. Kiyotaka's hand somehow felt incredibly warm and comforting as Suzune felt her face heating up.
[Your Heroine is becoming more comfortable around you! You gained +3 in Charm!]
[You have gained 10 Affection Points with Horikita Suzune!]
[Congratulations! The Skill 'Headpats are the Best' has been Created!]
[Headpats are the Best] (Passive Skill): Grants you and your heroine a soothing feeling when you pat one of your Heroines' heads. Every headpat you give will be filled with love and affection that can only be seen in anime and manga.
Kiyotaka stared blankly at the new notifications that popped up in front of him.
"Maybe I should have thought twice about doing that. For some reason, it just felt like the right thing to do… but now, I have another skill which is just about as useful as that smile one," he thought to himself.
He quickly removed his hand from her head, which snapped the girl out of her temporary trance and made her turn towards him.
"Sorry about that," he said, looking away to prevent this situation from becoming any more awkward than it already is.
Similarly, the girl also looked away, though out of embarrassment. "N-No, I… I didn't hate it…"
Hearing the girl's words made Kiyotaka consider doing it again, but threw that idea out of the window immediately. "Am I actually blushing?" he asked himself, feeling a weird heat in his face that he could only attribute to embarrassment.
Yep. Definitely a superpower that can piss his father off if he sees it.
"We should finish up here and head to class. You still have to explain to Kushida why we left her behind," he coughed.
"R-Right," muttered Suzune as she shook her head in an attempt to calm herself.
Romance sure is complicated.
After finishing their ice cream, the two Class-D students headed straight to the school building, and to their classroom. But to their surprise, someone was waiting for them outside. When she noticed their arrival, Kikyo bore a sad look on her face. However, even from a distance, Kiyotaka could notice the brief look of anger on her face before it quickly morphed back into a sad expression.
"Where were you two, Ayanokouji-kun? I was really lonely, because you two left without me…" she asked them as they stopped right in front of her.
One look at Kikyo's current 'status' was enough to convince the young man that Suzune's decision to leave without telling her was wrong, even if she did it for a good reason.
[Kushida Kikyo: 'Sad and Angry Friend']
[Relationship Status: A Rocky Relationship]
[Affection Points: 61/100]
Kiyotaka took a quick glance at Suzune to remind her of what she has to do. Fortunately, the black-haired girl noticed it and cleared her throat before speaking.
"I must apologize, Kushida-san. I wanted Ayanokouji-kun to accompany me for something important and it would be wrong to have someone else there with us. I asked him to wake up earlier than usual so that we could leave for our destination and make it to class on time," she said in an almost-robotic voice.
"At least she's honest," the young man thought, a bit unsure about that tone she used.
"O-Oh, is that so? It's just that… when we were about to go to school together, you wanted to go with us, Horikita-san… and after that, we always waited for you…" she mumbled, although her thoughts were different from what she's showing them. "You no-good bitch! You're really trying to be a thorn in my plans, aren't you?! Oh, just wait… once I get Ayanokouji-kun on my side completely, you're out of here!"
Suzune sighed. "Again, it would have defeated the purpose of why I wanted him to accompany me if you were there, Kushida-san. All I can do is apologize for my actions and reassure you that it will not happen again."
"That's not really a good way of explaining things, Horikita…" Kiyotaka deadpanned.
"It would have been fun to hang out with you both, though…" Kikyo smiled sadly, as she let out a little sniffle.
Kiyotaka's eyes widened in panic the moment he heard that. If she becomes sad, then his broken skill will activate once again and who knows what it will do? With its power to alter reality itself, then he wouldn't be surprised if it teleports him and these two girls to an amusement park in order to make them both happy.
Not wanting to stick around and find out if that would be the case, he quickly thought of a solution. After remembering a certain action he did earlier, Kiyotaka was hit with an idea. He could only hope that this would work. Never mind how embarrassing it is.
"Don't worry, Kushida," he quickly said, which gained him her attention. "If you want, we can also hang out together as well, just the two of us."
Kikyo blinked a few times, as if she was trying to process what he just said. "What…?"
Kiyotaka grimaced. It's times like this that the system taking over his actions would be the better option, but he was on his own with this. Hopefully, his charm was already high enough so that he wouldn't sound like an idiot with his next words.
"Like me and Horikita, we can also hang out together, just the two of us. That is, if you want to. I won't force you if you don't want it," he then reached out with his arm and patted Kikyo's head the same way he did for Suzune.
"W-What is this? It feels so good…" Kikyo's eyes widened as she felt him touch her head, but relaxed right away and even surrendered to the warmth and comfort that it gave her. For a moment, she didn't seem like a person with mental issues but rather, a normal one. "It feels good when he touches my hair like that…! I don't know why, but I want him to do it more!"
[You have gained 15 Affection Points with Kushida Kikyo!]
Taking that as a confirmation that he averted the potential crisis, Kiyotaka stopped patting her head. In response, Kikyo actually let out a little whine because he stopped, having liked the feeling of his hand going through her hair. The girl quickly realized what came out of her mouth and blushed, before covering it up with her usual smile.
"Okay! I'll hold you to that, Ayanokouji-kun!" she smiled brightly.
Kiyotaka nodded. It seems that every interaction he has with Kikyo will result in gaining Affection Points with her. At this rate, she'll be the first to reach a hundred Affection Points among his heroines, and who knows what will happen when that time comes?
Meanwhile, a certain black-haired girl watched the interaction between them with a certain glint in her eye, one that was saying she didn't like what she just saw.
"It feels wrong to see Ayanokouji-kun doing that to another girl…" she thought to herself, frowning at the scene before her. She then redirected her gaze solely towards Kushida. "He did it to me first, only I should be the one receiving those pats."
"Thank you, Kushida. We'll be going inside now, if you don't mind."
Realizing that the two were still outside of the classroom, Kikyo chuckled nervously before stepping aside to let them enter. "O-Oh, right! Come inside!" she told them.
Kiyotaka let Suzune enter the classroom first and remained where he was until he saw her taking her seat at her desk. There was no way he'd go inside with her, lest he risk one of their classmates seeing them together and start asking questions.
He finally went inside a few moments later and headed for his seat. Thankfully, no one was paying attention to him, so he was able to get to his desk without any troubles.
The young man let out a sigh of relief as he leaned back against his chair. "Finally here… but the problem now is that there's still about half an hour before class starts. I could take a nap until the bell rings but unfortunately, I don't really feel sleepy. I had a cup of coffee earlier because Horikita wanted me to wake up early… what to do…"
While Kiyotaka was thinking of what he could do to pass the time, two particular boys on the other side of the room were laughing together in glee and excitement.
"Oh, boy. I was so excited for today that I barely got any sleep! I sure hope I don't fall asleep later, hehehe!" Ike laughed.
Yamauchi grinned. "Yeah, this school is just the best, isn't it? First, there's the monthly allowance of points and now we get to have swimming classes with the girls! It's like I'm in heaven!"
Kiyotaka blinked as he heard what they were discussing. That's right, they'll have a swimming class today (it must have slipped his mind because of earlier events), which makes sense for Yamauchi and Ike to be more excited than usual since those two are perverts. They're usually lazy and unmotivated during lessons, so it was a bit weird to see them looking forward to their classes.
Swimming classes were generally rare in high schools, despite the high demand for it. Not every school in the country had access to a swimming pool within their premises. With its reputation, it's not surprising for this school to have a swimming pool for teachers to conduct swimming classes in.
Plus, there's the girls themselves. Horikita, Kushida, Matsushita, and all of the other girls in the class were gonna be showing a lot of skin later on. It's expected behavior for the boys to be excited, including Kiyotaka himself.
"Horikita, Kushida, and Matsushita in swimsuits…" the young man thought to himself as his imagination began to go places, before quickly shaking it off. What was he doing? He's not supposed to think like this! Or is the system doing it for him? He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
He turned his attention towards the two perverts instead. He could go over to where they were and ask what they were doing, instead of keeping these thoughts to himself. It's not like he had anything else to do, right? At least this way, he wouldn't be as embarrassed because there's two other guys who are into this subject more than him.
Sighing to himself, Kiyotaka walked over towards the two boys, but they were too engaged in their discussion to hear him. "What are you two talking about?" he asked.
The two jumped in surprise when they heard someone cutting into their conversation, as though they were caught red-handed. They slowly turned their heads to face him, looking nervous.
"A-Ayanokouji! W-W-What do you want?" asked Yamauchi.
"What were you two talking about?" he repeated.
"W-We're not talking about anything!"
"You two look more excited than usual, and you're not normally the type to get excited over class," he pointed out. Before either of them could even think of making up an excuse, he quickly spoke again. "Is it about swimming class today?"
The two boys blanched, knowing that they had no way out of this one.
"W-Why should we tell you that? You just might snitch on us!" Yamauchi exclaimed, practically admitting that Kiyotaka was right by getting defensive all of a sudden.
Kiyotaka shrugged. "If you're not going to tell me, then that's fine. I'm just curious, that's all."
"Well, I suppose we could tell ya. It's not like hiding it is gonna do any good at this point," Ike sighed, causing his friend to look at him in shock.
"Wait, seriously? Why should we trust him? He's close to the girls, isn't he? He'll just snitch on us!"
"I'm not close to any girl."
"Oh yeah? Then how do you explain Horikita? She's always with you when you get to class! Did you think we wouldn't notice?!" Yamauchi accused him.
"I almost thought that they had figured me out, but it looks like we're still safe," Kiyotaka said in his thoughts. He was worried that they would start bombarding him with questions about "He only mentioned Horikita, but not Kushida. I can still turn this around."
He calmly rejected the accusation by waving his hand. "You always see Horikita and I together because we are seatmates, as you can see." To prove his point, he pointed towards his desk near the window, where Suzune was calmly reading through a book next to it.
Yamauchi didn't look convinced. "Yeah, so?! That doesn't prove anything!"
"Calm down, Yamauchi. There's nothing wrong with relaying our plan to a fellow curious mind! If Ayanokouji decides to join us, then that's even better, right? Another pair of hands to help us if we need it!" Ike placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, before explaining the benefits if they do include Kiyotaka in their little escapade.
Yamauchi's mood changed instantly, going from skeptical to eager within a fraction of a second. "Ah, I getcha! Let's go for it, then!"
"Join them? What exactly are they planning?" the young man thought to himself. For sure, it would be something perverted because it's Yamauchi and Ike. It's all they talk about ever since classes began, girls and their fantasies.
"Come closer, Ayanokouji. We can't risk anyone else knowing about our plan!" Ike whispered loud enough that only Kiyotaka could hear him.
Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow, but followed what Ike said anyway and walked closer to the two boys. He had a feeling that this would be a big issue considering that they didn't want anyone else hearing what they had in mind…
"Professor's gonna be helping us record the chest sizes of the girls. He'll pretend to be sick and watch everything from the sidelines, while recording the sizes of the girls' boobs!"
Kiyotaka could only stare blankly at them. The worst part was that both boys looked so sure and confident about themselves that they didn't think something would go wrong. There was one part of their 'plan' that did catch his attention, though. "Professor?" he asked, wondering who that could be.
"That would be me," spoke a new voice.
The young man turned slightly to see another boy approaching them who was of average height with spiky black hair and green eyes. He was also a bit chubby in terms of body shape and wore a pair of glasses like any average otaku.
"Ah, so it's you. Sotomura, was it?" asked Kiyotaka, trying to remember his classmate's name during the class introductions.
"That's me," the teen known as 'Professor' chuckled, before turning to the two boys who were part of the 'plan'. "I believe there will be a few miscalculations like the number of girls participating in swimming class, but that's only a slight mishap. I'm quite certain that there will still be participants who'll give me plenty of data to work with."
"Awesome!"
"Oh man, I can't wait!"
"I get why they're excited but I really don't see why they're acting like this," Kiyotaka thought, observing the two boys' behavior closely. "Have they been completely alone for their whole lives that this is the first time they're seeing girls in swimsuits? Hmm… who knows? I'm not an expert in these things, even though I have a dating simulator superpower that's helping me win girls over."
"Who do you think has the biggest boobs in our class?" asked Ike, a trail of blood coming out of his nose as his imagination began to run wild.
"Hah, I don't know about you, but my money is on Sakura! Damn it, I wish she could have been my neighbor instead of that damn Koenji…"
Kiyotaka felt tempted to laugh at the mere fact that Yamauchi was neighbors with Koenji, of all people, while he was the one who lived close to Sakura. He just didn't know what unit she belonged to on the 4th floor, but he had a feeling that he would know very soon.
"Really? I'm putting my bet on Kushida-chan!" Ike then turned towards Kiyotaka with an eager grin. "Wanna join us, Ayanokouji? We'll have a bigger chance of success that way!"
The young man put his arms up and backed away. "I'll pass. I don't want to be hated by the girls and ruin my image in their eyes."
"Come on, this could be your only chance of knowing some juicy facts about the girls! With the four of us working together, we can get that information for ourselves!"
"Count me out of it. But don't worry, I won't get in your way. I'll also stay quiet and I won't tell anyone about what you're planning. If this fails, though, it will be all on you. It's not my problem," he explained before walking away, heading back to his desk. At the very least, he killed some time by talking to them, even if the topic wasn't something that he was comfortable with.
"Oh, come on!"
"Suit yourself. I guess we'll have all the juicy data to ourselves then!"
While Ike was distraught over the loss of a potential comrade who could help them out with the plan, Yamauchi didn't really care about it and only thought about getting to keep the girls' information to themselves.
As more students arrived at the classroom, Yamauchi and Ike tried to recruit more boys to their cause and even talked about it like it was some kind of super secret mission. They tried to ask Sudo, but he only ignored them. Some boys like Miyamoto and Hondou were the opposite though, as they too wanted to know more about the girls' measurements, especially those who were the most attractive in their class. Some of them even made bets on who had the biggest pair.
They couldn't wait for early morning classes to end, because the fun would only begin after lunch.
After the morning classes ended, lunchtime came. Kiyotaka tried to sit alone for a little rest from everything that happened earlier, but that didn't last long when Suzune and Kikyo showed up at his table with their own trays of food. Before he could say anything, both girls took their seats like it was nothing and began to eat, making him sigh in defeat and roll with it.
He was completely lucky that every single one of his classmates were too busy talking to each other at their own tables to notice his current dilemma. If only the system can make it so that anything he does with his heroines is completely invisible to everyone else, but his superpower is more of the type to put him in complicated situations and he has to be the one to figure out how to deal with it.
Honestly, it's only a matter of time before someone takes notice of him growing closer to some of the girls in class. It's also only a matter of time before everyone in class becomes aware that he lives on a floor where the residents are mostly girls (with one adult).
As the afternoon bell rang, it was finally time for their swimming class. A lot of the boys were very eager to get to the swimming pool right away, and they took off like a bunch of rockets upon leaving the classroom, despite the teacher's words to form straight lines and head there in an organized formation.
Most of the boys changed considerably fast in the locker room at the pool area, before they headed to the 50-meter swimming pool. Some were in awe of the pool and the area itself, including Kiyotaka, Yosuke and Ken, but the others didn't really care about that and waited for something else…
"Where are the girls? They should be here by now!" Ike complained.
"Yeah, it shouldn't be hard to change into their swimsuits, right?" Yamauchi agreed.
"Well, I mean, they're girls… they're normally really slow when changing clothes, right?"
"Yeah, you're right! Let's wait for a bit more!"
The boys who were part of Yamauchi and Ike's 'plan' gathered at the edge of the pool and they waited for the girls to arrive, which took about five minutes.
"They're here! They're finally here! Let's go- wait, what the hell?!" Ike's face went from excited to dumbfounded in a matter of seconds, as he stared at the girls in confusion.
Then, much to Ike and some of the boys' complete disappointment, only about a quarter of the girls in their class decided to participate when they finally came out of the locker room in their school swimsuits. The rest were either nowhere to be found, or they're just too shy to come out in a swimsuit.
"You gotta be kidding me… where are the tits?! Don't tell me this is all that we waited for!"
Kiyotaka approached Ike and tapped him on the shoulder, gaining the latter's attention. "If you're looking for our other classmates, they're over there."
He pointed to the bleachers, where the rest of the girls were sitting along with Sotomura who was pretending to write down notes. Hasebe was one of the girls who decided not to participate, which struck a massive blow towards the boys who were in on the plan. She was actually one of the top bets on who had the biggest chest among the girls, but now they had no way of knowing the truth.
Despite this, the two perverts didn't look discouraged, at least that's what they were trying to show.
"N-No big deal! We'll just be satisfied with whoever's swimming with us! Right, Ike?"
"A-Ah, yeah, yeah! We'll make do with the girls who are here! At least there's still some girls who want to swim!"
Kiyotaka sighed at their behavior. "They're not going to stop, are they? Well, it's their problem. If they get beaten up by the girls, it's on them."
"You two are unbelievable. Don't you realize that your antics caused those girls over there to be scared of joining today's class?" Sudo walked closer to the two perverts and sent them a disapproving look. "Seriously, keep your mouths shut next time."
His words didn't sit well with the two almost immediately.
"Shut up! You could never understand how we feel, Sudo!" Yamauchi retorted.
"Yeah! Don't think we haven't noticed you making goo-goo eyes with Onodera-chan! That's why you didn't want to join us, right? So you can score some points with her!" added Ike.
Something snapped inside of Ken the moment he heard Ike mention a particular person. "The hell did you just say to me…?" he growled, cracking his knuckles as he advanced towards them like a bear that came out of its cage.
The rest of the boys who were involved in the 'plan' had already moved away from the scene, having sensed the impending danger from a mile away. It was only at this moment that Ike and Yamauchi realized what they did was completely wrong. Poking a bear is always a bad idea, after all.
"Uh… I think we pissed him off," Yamauchi mumbled, his face turning white in fear instantly.
"RUN FOR IT!" Ike screamed, as he and his friend ran away with Sudo hot on their trail.
"Get back here, you idiots! I'll teach you not to mess with me!"
"Screw you! Don't chase us just because you're embarrassed about your girlfriend!"
"Stop pissing him off, Yamauchi!"
"You started it!"
"He's gaining on us!"
"Run faster!"
As Kiyotaka watched the two idiots being chased around the area by an angry Ken, he heard someone's voice call out to him from behind.
"Ayanokouji-kun! Are you excited for today's class?"
The young man turned around to see Kushida approaching him with Horikita beside her. Like with the rest of the girls, they were clad in school swimsuits. Like a perfectly normal teenager, Kiyotaka's gaze went not to their faces, but to their bodies.
Kikyo's voluptuous figure was on full display for other people to see, since she was only wearing a swimsuit. She was already beautiful while wearing her school uniform, but this only highlighted her looks even more. If she didn't have that hidden side to her underneath that fake mask she puts up, then she would be the perfect girlfriend for anyone.
Suzune isn't one to be ignored, though. She's a definite contender when it comes to who is the most beautiful in the class when only considering looks. Almost every part of her body was perfect, like it can be compared to a goddess. She must be blessed with good genes, for sure… Kiyotaka could stare at that body of hers all day, and he wouldn't get tired of it.
Kiyotaka's reaction to seeing his two heroines was his mouth hanging open, and his eyes looking like they were hypnotized by some unknown force. For the next few moments, he stared at them without blinking, almost as if he was frozen in place.
"Ayanokouji-kun? Are you okay?" asked Kikyo out of concern, with Suzune raising an eyebrow at the expression on his face.
"I'm okay…" he mumbled as he continued to stare at them.
"Oh? It appears that Ayanokouji-kun is speechless from the sight of girls wearing their swimsuits. Is this the first time you've seen such a thing?" said the unmistakable voice of Chiaki.
The brown-haired teen joined the two girls and giggled at the sight of Kiyotaka's dumbfounded expression. As soon as she was within range of his eyesight, the young man looked at her as well.
If Kikyo was voluptuous and Suzune looked divine, then Chiaki radiated elegance. Even though she was only a teenager, one can easily mistake her for a young maiden. Never mind her swimsuit, her body figure alone speaks for itself. She wasn't too skinny, nor was she fat. The smile on her face as well as her eyes only added to her appeal, giving her a mature vibe.
"You three are beautiful…" he whispered to himself, although it didn't escape the girls' hearing.
The effect of his words was instantaneous.
"W-What…?" Suzune muttered, her eyes growing wide out of shock as her face began to heat up. Kikyo and Chiaki were completely silent, but they bore the same expression that Suzune had; their faces red, and their eyes wide.
[You have gained 2 Affection Points with Horikita Suzune!]
[You have gained 10 Affection Points with Kushida Kikyo!]
[You have gained 5 Affection Points with Matsushita Chiaki!]
[You complimented your Heroines on their bodies! You gained +5 in Charm!]
The several notifications that Kiyotaka received was enough to snap him out of his trance, but that didn't make him forget what he just said. His eyes widened when he realized it, and he quickly turned to his stunned heroines so he could explain himself.
"Uh… sorry about that," he quickly spoke, before raising his arms as though he was surrendering. "I didn't mean it in a depraved way, if that's what you're thinking."
Kiyotaka cursed himself in his thoughts. This must be the work of the system, there's no doubt about it! He would never say something like that in front of other people, much less three girls who are only wearing swimsuits! The worst part was that he wasn't even being controlled, which is what the system does whenever he chooses from the three options. He said it because it was what's on his mind!
On the bright side, as much as it embarrassed him, this does confirm his hypothesis about the system helping him become a normal person again… though he didn't expect it to 'help' in this way… influencing him in some way to say things like this. But maybe it's okay? After all, these three are his heroines, so… it's fine to say something like what he did, right…?
The girls remained completely silent for the next few seconds, making the young man fear for the worst. If any of them get angry, the broken skill might activate and he didn't want that to happen. Maybe being away from them for a bit would do some good and let both parties take a deep breath to calm themselves.
"I'm going to talk with Sudo," he told them as he turned around and walked away, his eyes roaming around quickly in search of his red-haired friend.
He saw Sudo near the far end of the pool, where he was standing over the beaten-up forms of Yamauchi and Ike. He quickly headed towards where Sudo was while keeping himself from taking a glance at his heroines who were behind him.
"Tch. That's what you get for messing with me," he scoffed, looking down at the two idiots who bore Xs for their eyes, and had big lumps on their heads. It was clear that Ken didn't let them off the hook easily.
"Sudo."
Hearing his name being called, the red-haired teen turned to whoever just spoke. The scowl on his face disappeared right away and was replaced with a grin when he saw who it was.
After Kiyotaka had saved him from those Class-C students at the convenience store last week, the two talked a lot more and eventually became friends. Kiyotaka found him easy to get along with once you get past his tough exterior, while Ken saw his act of helping him as something that couldn't be repaid with simple words.
"Yo, Ayanokouji. What's up?"
Kiyotaka opened his mouth to say something, but thought twice about it. There's no way he could tell his friend about his little problem with Suzune, Kikyo, and Chiaki.
"I shouldn't tell him anything about those three…" he thought to himself. "He wouldn't understand. At best, he would laugh and accidentally reveal it to someone else. I can see him apologizing and telling me that he doesn't know what to give me as an answer, though."
Deciding that it would be for the best to keep the issue to himself, Kiyotaka decided to ask about something else. Something that can spark a conversation between them, at least. "What happened to those two?" he asked, pointing to the two perverts who were still out of it.
"Ah, these two were running their mouths, so I decided to teach them a little lesson."
"I doubt that these two will learn from this."
Sudo grinned. "Same, but that just means I'll have to beat it harder into their skulls next time."
"Please don't make a habit out of it. You might get in trouble, and there's a chance that I might not be there to save you from being stupid," Kiyotaka sighed, shaking his head.
"I know, I know…" Sudo laughed heartily. "So is there something else you need?"
Kiyotaka was about to bring up the topic of swimming and their class today, only for the two to hear someone else's voice cutting into their little discussion.
"Sudo-kun! You never told me you work out! Man, look at you… I'm jealous!" exclaimed Onodera Kayano as she walked closer towards the red-haired basketball player, marveling at his toned physique.
Ken's entire demeanor changed immediately upon seeing the girl, going from confident to uneasy. "That's not exactly something that I tell anyone I meet, Onodera…" he muttered, scratching the back of his head.
Kayano laughed, before she began pulling on his arm. "Well, too bad because now I know! Come on, you gotta share your workout routine with me! Maybe we can even do it together when you have time."
Completely out of options at the moment, Sudo turned to his friend with a pleading look. "Help me," he mouthed, which Kiyotaka understood right away.
However, instead of helping his friend like what he wanted, Kiyotaka had something else in mind.
"I'm going to the restroom for a bit. See you in a bit, Sudo," he turned around and began to head for the restroom, "I'm not getting involved in that, Sudo. I already have enough on my hands with three, and more to come…"
He took a little glance behind him, where he saw Sudo throwing an angry look in his direction, and he simply responded with a thumbs-up before continuing on his way.
"At first, I thought I would have to keep a close eye on Sudo because he seems to be a rebellious person, but it looks like Onodera can keep him under control. If this keeps up, he'll eventually get to experience what I feel when I'm around those three heroines and perhaps, maybe I'll even tell him about what I'm going through."
Yes, Kiyotaka was glad that Ken was going through the same thing as him, having his own issues regarding girls. Because so far, among the boys, Ken was the only one whom he can call a friend. Yosuke was naturally with everyone, but he wouldn't say that they were friends yet. Plus, he might have a lot of fangirls among their female classmates, but he wasn't really having any problem of any sort with them. Kiyotaka needed someone who shared his pain.
Apart from those two, there really isn't anyone else. There's no way he's going to befriend Koenji, as well as the boys who cared more about being a pervert. The only other guys whom he didn't really see any problem with were Miyake and Yukimura, but he didn't think they would be of much help…
Whatever. He could think about this some other time. Right now, he needs to get his mind off of his little mishap with his three heroines earlier, and then apologize to them later on. Surely by that time, they'd have calmed down as well and they'll be able to talk normally again.
As he got to the restroom right next to the pool area, he opened the door with the intention of heading to the sink so he could wash his face, but he wouldn't even be able to get there because of what he's seeing in front of him.
"You've got to be kidding me… this is the men's restroom," he thought, his mouth hanging open in complete disbelief.
A girl with long, red hair was bending over in front of him, having just finished taking off her red lacy bra, giving the young man a full view of her naked breasts. Her glasses were resting on the nearby sink. She only had her panties on as a result, just as she looked up at the person who suddenly entered the restroom.
Sakura Airi's face turned red immediately, even reaching the point that steam began coming out of her head. On the other hand, Kiyotaka only stared at her, especially those two big masses of flesh on her chest that were each capped with beautiful pink nipples.
['Airi's Bountiful Airis' was added to the gallery!]
He didn't even pay attention to the sound of the system's camera snapping a photo, nor the image of Airi's nearly-naked body appearing as a notification, because he was too focused on the fact that he was seeing a girl's naked body for the first time… well, nearly-naked body, at least.
Of course, being a perfectly normal teenager, he couldn't help but stare at the girl, particularly her massive chest that was being burned into his mind. In the same way, Airi reacted to Kiyotaka's presence similar to how every girl would react whenever a boy peeks on her.
"K-K-K-K-KYAAAAAAAAA…!"
Kiyotaka made no move to dodge the incoming uniform that headed for his head, which hit him directly on the face. Even though he couldn't see anything, he heard the sound of footsteps leaving the restroom in a hurry.
Once he was sure that he was all alone inside, Kiyotaka slowly removed the uniform from his face and looked behind him. It didn't seem like anyone heard the girl's scream a while ago, so no one should be coming here.
"Right after I got myself in an awkward situation with Horikita, Kushida, and Matsushita… the system decides to throw this at me," he thought as he folded the girl's clothes neatly before heading to the sink, ignoring the new notifications that popped up at the same time.
[Airi Route has been Unlocked! You can now see 'Heroine Status' with Sakura Airi!]
[Your current status with Airi has changed to 'An Accidental Misunderstanding'!]
[Congratulations! You unlocked the Achievement: 'Taste of What's To Come'! You gained +5 in Aura!]
Kiyotaka raised his fist, ready to punch the mirror in front of him and shatter it out of frustration, before taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. Letting his arm fall beside him, he leaned forward and looked down.
He should have seen something like this coming, but it's impossible. He was wrong about this whole thing in the first place, especially at what he initially thought this was. God, he should have gotten the hint when he was left speechless at seeing his three heroines in their swimsuits earlier!
Because it was at this moment that Kiyotaka remembered… his 'superpower' wasn't a normal dating simulator at all.
It was an eroge.
MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*
-Lance
