Chapter 217 – Isn’t it too fast?

A new day began, and the special exam continued. The members of Yukio's class were still out playing, occasionally spotting a yukata shop and trying Yukio's approach.

If they succeeded in selling, great; if not, they moved on, leaving a message for the shop owner. As minors, there wasn't much anyone could do about them.

Yukio was careful to keep things in check. As long as no massive number of shops reported them to the police simultaneously, Ishizaki, Manabe, and the sales team wouldn't be in any danger.

Ichinose's class continued to enthusiastically help out the merchants on the food street, earning consistent praise. Kiriyama's large event had also distributed flyers and was in full swing.

Horikita Manabu's team began dividing tasks and preparing for the yukata design competition at Takahashi's yukata shop to boost their reputation.

Meanwhile, Sakayanagi's class was working steadily, although they couldn't understand why Sakayanagi hadn't issued any specific money-making strategy and simply had them working quietly.

Class D was much more lively. With Matsushita now having a specific strategy, she no longer needed to stay in the small room with Sakayanagi, poring over reports. Instead, she and Horikita were selecting suitable candidates from Class D for the advertisement shoot.

The biggest change, however, was with Kei Karuizawa.

"Here, Maya, Satsuki, it's so hot. Have some iced drinks," Karuizawa cheerfully brought iced drinks to her two best friends.

Her friends were still sweating it out in the sun with the probiotics. Seeing the iced drinks, they were in high spirits. Shinohara took a big gulp and let out a satisfied breath of cool air. "Thanks, Kei. I'll transfer you some private points later."

"No need, it's on me," Karuizawa waved her hand, her eyes brimming with joy, her smile radiating the most beautiful expression of a young girl.

Her two best friends were mesmerized by her smile. Shinohara almost dropped her cold drink. "Kei, you're acting strange. What happened? You've been happy since last night."

Sato, on the other hand, let her imagination run wild, her mind going in all directions. "Oh! Did you secretly exchange points for cash and win the lottery?"

"What lottery? With my school uniform, do you think they'd sell me a ticket? I'm just in a good mood and wanted to buy you drinks," Karuizawa dodged, laughing it off and trying to brush it aside.

She had no choice. She knew her immense happiness made it easy to slip up. She should be more discreet and not show how elated she was.

But as much as she wanted to, the joy in her heart was overwhelming and impossible to hide. At this moment, Karuizawa felt the world was so wonderful. Why hadn't she noticed before? The ordinary leaves she'd seen for over ten years now seemed so clear and bright.

The few clouds drifting with the wind seemed to form a big smiling face. Today's sunlight felt especially gentle, and she wasn't worried about getting tanned. The mix of fishy and sea breeze smells at the fish farm, which she used to dislike, even seemed a bit refreshing now.

Such is the joy of a young girl, like the most dazzling fireworks illuminating the clear night sky of a summer evening. Even if they only bloom for a brief moment and then fade, they still burst forth, proclaiming their joy to the world.

Shinohara seemed to have guessed something. She first cautiously looked around, then lowered her voice deliberately: "Kei, have you made some new progress with your boyfriend?"

Inside Class D, everyone only knew that Karuizawa broke up with Hirata due to the sports festival incident with Sudo, but they had no idea she had a new love interest.

Only Shinohara and Satou knew about this, not even Matsushita, who was in the same small group. That's why Shinohara asked this question. Sato, loving gossip, immediately perked up her ears and looked at Karuizawa expectantly.

Karuizawa's face turned slightly red. Why were her two best friends never this sharp normally? They turned into detectives as soon as it was about romance.

But, a boyfriend? Hehe, yes, she had indeed become a couple with Yukio~ Although the relationship was a bit complicated and included Shiina.

Even so, Karuizawa couldn't help but feel sweet and uncontrollably happy. Repeatedly thinking about it, she couldn't help but smile foolishly, raising her hand to touch her lips.

"Already! Already kissed?!" Satou, usually carefree and bold, was unexpectedly sharp about these things. Seeing Karuizawa's little gesture, she directly exclaimed.

Luckily, Shinohara was quick to react, covering her mouth and nose with one hand, preventing her from shouting too loudly: "Are you crazy? Keep your voice down! There are classmates around the pond!"

"Mm-mm!" Satou nodded repeatedly, prompting Shinohara to release her hand.

Karuizawa knew she couldn't act so wildly anymore and quickly steadied her heart, which was racing with excitement: "It's, it's normal, right? For dating couples, kissing and all... Alright, stop asking."

"It's, it's not a big deal."

"But, but!" Satou, learning from her mistake, lowered her voice considerably but still looked excited: "But isn't this progress too fast? Kei, you broke up after the sports festival, and now it's only..."

As she spoke, Satou realized her mistake. The breakup was during the sports festival, but actually, around the end of September, she and Shinohara had seen Karuizawa meeting her new love in the woods.

Considering the actual timeline, it didn't seem too fast?

"Stop talking about this..." Karuizawa already wanted Satou to stop making a fuss.

At that moment, a cold voice came from behind: "Karuizawa? Her figure is quite fitting."

Karuizawa's heart tightened. Why was Horikita here? Did she hear anything? Her previously joyful expression immediately disappeared, replaced by her usual look of annoyance.

Steadying her expression, she turned around, just about to say something, but saw not only Horikita but also Matsushita and Hirata not far behind.

Karuizawa quickly scanned their faces and, seeing no change in their expressions, felt somewhat relieved. They probably didn't hear anything, but she would have to discipline Satou later. Those words couldn't be said carelessly.

Satou and Shinohara were also taken aback, not knowing what to do. They had just been discussing their friend's new boyfriend, and now her ex-boyfriend was here. It was mortifying.

The three approaching didn't seem to notice anything. After all, it was normal for students to gather and chat during a special exam, and feeling embarrassed about being caught was understandable.

Matsushita skipped over the earlier conversation and got straight to the point: "Here's the thing, Kei. We need to shoot a promotional video, right? I looked around for candidates, and among the boys in our class, Hirata-kun has the best image."

"As for the girls, after much thought, you're the most suitable, Kei."

In terms of appearance, Matsushita and Horikita could both be up to the task, but considering the needs of the shoot, Horikita's personality was unsuitable. Her lack of acting skills could turn the promotional video into something that might offend the audience rather than promote the message.

Matsushita herself would be a perfect fit, with her appearance and ability to handle the camera, but given that the male candidate is Hirata, a good friend of Karuizawa's ex, pairing them together could lead to Karuizawa overthinking things, which could be problematic.

It's not that Matsushita is afraid of Karuizawa, but she understands that girls sometimes don't listen to reason. She herself has these moments, so she can imagine how Karuizawa might react.

Therefore, Matsushita thought it would be better to have Kei shoot the video. After discussing it among the three of them, they decided to come over and talk to her.