2.1
Narrator: Kiyone
I was deep asleep when the girls started getting loud. I woke up to the whimpering of a voice that sounded familiar. I rubbed my eyes to shake off the drowsiness, then covered my mouth before yawning and getting up from the rather comfortable mat that softened the uncomfortable ground.
I looked around to find out who was crying. My eyes were fixed on Karuizawa, who was crying, though I didn't understand why. I could see Kushida, Satō, and other girls comforting her, trying to get her to calm down.
I approached Matsushita, who was already up and looking at Karuizawa near the exit with great concern.
"What's happening? Why is Karuizawa-san crying?" I asked while staring at Karuizawa.
From Karuizawa's actions, one would think that, instead of crying, a massacre could be carried out against the person who had done something to her. Looking at her body, I couldn't find any signs of physical harm, so physical assault was out of the question.
Matsushita shook her head in frustration. "I asked one of the girls, but they said she was fine a few moments ago and suddenly collapsed in tears. We're waiting for her to calm down so she can tell us what happened that put her in such a state."
I just nodded while muttering softly. Karuizawa was trembling; whatever had happened seemed to have triggered strong emotions in her. I was very curious about the reason she collapsed in that way.
Once Karuizawa calmed down enough, she told the girls that she was crying because someone stole her underwear. This seemed to infuriate most of the girls, especially Shinohara, who was red with anger.
"This is too much; the guys crossed the line. I'm going to find the culprit, and when I do..." Shinohara didn't finish the sentence, but it was clear that someone was going to be in serious trouble. Foaming at the mouth, Shinohara stormed out of the tent, stomping heavily on the ground.
Several girls followed her.
I glanced at Karuizawa one last time, analyzing the situation in my head. It seemed that Karuizawa's act soured the mood of the girls, and I was sure they would cause a scene without even analyzing and delving into the situation, letting their emotions take over. I sighed and left the tent to see how the situation unfolded.
"Hey, guys, gather around."
Shinohara didn't even finish speaking when everyone got up quickly and went out, full of rage.
"What the hell... I'm so damn tired."
An irritated Sudō came out of the tent, looking around at the others.
"What's going on?" Ike mumbled lowly as he rubbed his sleepy eyes before stretching his back until it made a small crack. Ike looked at the others with confusion written on his face as he scratched his head.
"What's up?" a groggy Hirata asked, clearly tired from trying to keep the class together. This new situation might leave a bad taste in his mouth.
"Um, Hirata-kun... Sorry, but can you wake up all the guys? It's serious." Shinohara notified Hirata with a look of apology. She had a look of both indignation and fury, but Shinohara's appearance wasn't the real problem for the guys. Alongside me, the girls were furious, giving the guys dagger-like looks.
"Understood. I think they'll come out soon; I'll call them." Hirata said confused, but with no reason to refuse, he agreed due to the seriousness on Shinohara's face.
Then, in a couple of minutes, the guys came out of their tents, rubbing their sleepy eyes. As they started looking at the girls gathered outside the tent, the half-asleep guys felt an alarming situation.
The girls' eyes were fixed on the guys, who were unusually scared due to the pressure from the girls' stares.
Ike's eyes opened momentarily; his look seemed like someone who expected this situation, but he was too drowsy to realize the exact moment. Still, Ike didn't seem worried about the situation and was just observing the guys' reactions.
"What's going on so early in the morning?" Hirata asked.
"I'm sorry, Hirata-kun. It's something you're not involved in, but... we've gathered here because there's something I must verify at all costs." Shinohara gave everyone, except Hirata, a look of disdain and then spoke. "This morning, well... Karuizawa-san's underwear was missing. Do you know what that means?"
"EH... UNDERWEAR?!" Even Hirata, who is always calm, seemed shaken and upset by this completely unexpected situation. It reminded me that Karuizawa was still inside the tent.
"Now, Karuizawa-san is inside the tent, crying. Kushida-san and others are consoling her, but..." Saying that, Shinohara looked toward the girls' tents.
"Eh? Ehhhhh? What? Why are you staring at us, knowing that her underwear is missing?"
"We decided that someone, in the middle of the night, checked the suitcase and stole it. The luggage was outside, so if someone thought of stealing it, they could have."
The guys, still dazed by sleepiness, looked at each other at the same time.
"Hey, Yamauchi, it wasn't you, right?" Ike asked with a strange accent while giving him an analytical look.
"What?! Of course not! Why would I steal it?! I didn't even know her underwear was outside the luggage." Yamauchi nervously denied it, giving nasty looks to the other guys.
One of the guys, if I remember correctly, Kikuchi, coughed calmly.
"Come to think of it, Ike, yesterday... You went to the bathroom pretty late. You took a long time."
Ike gave them an offended look. "Hey, it's not my fault; it was dark. I had the bad luck that the flashlight ran out of battery halfway through the trip." He gave a reasonable excuse.
"I say it's an excuse. You were the one who stole Karuizawa's underwear." One of the guys accused him.
"Why are you talking like that?" another guy asked, confused, forgetting the situation because of Ike's new and strange way of speaking.
"You're wrong; I even tripped and hurt myself. Look closely." Ike lifted his chin and pointed to it. Indeed, his chin was injured with a rather large scrape.
Seeing that no one had more things to blame Ike for, the guys started blaming each other for this unpleasant and offensive crime.
"Anyway. This becomes a big problem, and now we can't feel safe, so it's impossible to live camping in the same place as the underwear thief." Shinohara, who seemed to be on the verge of losing her temper, gave this warning with her arms folded.
"So, Hirata-kun. Can you find the culprit, right?"
"That... but there's no evidence that the guys stole it. There's a possibility that Karuizawa-san might have lost it."
"It's true! We have nothing to do with this!"
Most guys shouted at the top of their lungs behind Hirata, proclaiming their innocence. But I noticed Ike, who strangely seemed thoughtful. Ike has been acting more withdrawn since yesterday. Although I'm not sure what could have caused this change. Not to mention the strange but attention-grabbing accent.
"I don't want to think there's a culprit here." Hirata, being the kind person he was, came to the defense of the guys. He seemed vile if he doubted our classmates and didn't step up to protect them.
"I know Hirata-kun is not the culprit. But, for now, let me check the luggage of the other guys."
The girls didn't change their minds and stuck with the idea that the culprit was one of the guys. Well, it's impossible not to think that in this context.
"EH? Stop talking nonsense. You don't need to do that. Hirata, just say no." Sudō spoke with irritation in his voice.
"For now, we'll gather and talk with all the guys. We can spare some time, right?"
"...If you say so, Hirata-kun..." she sighed. "I'll talk to Karuizawa-san. But if you don't find the culprit, we have an idea of who it is."
"An idea of who it is? Huh?" Ike murmured incredulously as his eyes traveled to a specific girl. Curious about whom he decided to look at, I looked to where his eyes were directed.
It was the Class C student who had a dispute with their class leader, Ryūen. Ibuki Mio, the girl our classmates allowed to stay in our camp.
"Hey, Kanji, don't just stand there. Let's gather to end this farce quickly."
Ike, who had stayed behind, distractedly looking at the Class C girl, snapped out of his reverie when Yamauchi put a hand on his shoulder.
"Eh?"
"What are you so distracted by?" Yamauchi looked to where Ike was looking before giving him a distasteful look. "Now's not the time to ogle the girls, Kanji. You can do that after we sort this out. Come on." With that said, Yamauchi walked away.
"I'm not looking at her because I liked her..." Ike muttered, frustrated, with a slight blush on his cheeks. He began to follow Yamauchi but glanced at Ibuki one last time. She noticed his gaze and looked him in the eyes.
Ike clicked his tongue before averting his gaze and following Yamauchi to gather in front of the entrance of the guys' tents, where they were meeting to agree on what to do next.
My eyes remained fixed on Ike's back as I watched him walk away.
ᕕ (⌐ ■ _ ■) ᕗ ♪ ♬ ᕕ (⌐ ■ _ ■) ᕗ ♪ ♬ ᕕ (⌐ ■ _ ■) ᕗ ♪ ♬
2.2
Narrator: MC
The guys gathered near the entrance of the tent. While they discussed, I decided to try and act like Ike. If I remember correctly, he was against supporting the idea of people checking their suitcase, which contains their personal or not-so-personal belongings.
"We don't have to do what the girls say. It's obvious many of us are uncomfortable being falsely accused, so I vote we ignore them and continue our day," I commented, trying to play the part.
Besides, I was a bit in a bad mood, especially since I couldn't sleep well due to the discomfort of sleeping inside the tent because of the limited space, not to mention the stifling heat inside and the smell of sweat, making it difficult to sleep.
I unconsciously touched the scab that had formed on my chin after tripping over a branch and face-planting into the ground. At that moment, I cursed whoever brought me to this place, including my bad luck included.
"Exactly. There's no way one of us stole Karuizawa's underwear."
Yamauchi, following the rest of the guys, looked at each one of them. Not that Karuizawa isn't pretty. But since she is Hirata's "girlfriend," it's more convenient for guys to pursue Kushida or Sakura. Even then, it's unlikely that someone would be so foolish as to steal a girl's panties; it was obvious that the moment they disappeared, the search for the culprit would begin.
"I won't doubt you guys. But I think this problem will never be resolved like this..."
The girls, surely at this moment, are talking and conspiring together somewhere, waiting to jump us at any moment. Like a cat hunting a canary.
"To prove your innocence, it's better to agree to the inspection of your luggage safely and with dignity." Having said that, Hirata pulled out his suitcase. "As miserable as I am, I'll respond to the girls' request; that's why you guys have to do the same. Okay?"
"B-But..."
"Of course, I can go first."
None of the guys thought Hirata was the culprit who stole Karuizawa's underwear since she was "his girlfriend." So, if Hirata were the one who stole the underwear, it would be a bit contradictory and nonsensical. And since he would reveal what was in his luggage, the guys would be compelled to follow suit. Because it was inevitable that the suspects were those guys who didn't show the contents of their suitcase.
Naturally, Hirata's suitcase didn't have the underwear.
"There's no other choice..." Akito muttered with frustration, looking disdainfully at the guys, specifically those branded as perverts.
Influenced by Hirata's actions, one after another, all the guys began pulling their suitcases out of the tent.
Yamauchi was disgusted the whole time, but couldn't go against the flow of things. As planned, I stayed last in line with Yamauchi. One was to discover my suitcase, and two was because I was sure Ibuki hid it in my suitcase, so being the last would give me time to hide it.
"Damn, I'm angry. Men are suspicious, definitely and irrevocably. It's too irrational." Yamauchi commented with frustration.
I shrugged. "We just have to prove our innocence," I said as I grabbed what was probably my suitcase, then opened it and searched for something specific.
I froze.
The panties weren't there. Damn.
I searched several times, but I couldn't find Karuizawa's panties. I looked around before noticing that Yamauchi had frozen beside me, his face pale.
Double damn.
"Hey, Haruki, are you okay?" I asked nervously, hoping he wasn't the unlucky one.
"Ahh, it's nothing, haha..." He abruptly turned away from Hirata and the others and sat down. Checking inside his suitcase, he closed the zipper as if confused.
I approached cautiously, hoping he wouldn't do anything stupid. My muscles tensed just in case.
"Wait... don't tell me you stole it?" I made a joke that was considered in poor taste, given the situation.
"No!" Yamauchi shouted abruptly before snapping his mouth shut. I could tell he was nervous and pale; the poor guy looked like he was going to faint at any moment. A reaction that would be considered very suspicious to the girls.
My hackles rose, warning me, and then I felt someone burning a hole in me with their gaze, but I decided to ignore it for the moment and focus on the situation. Moving discreetly to shield Yamauchi with my back.
"Hey, calm down, you're making us look suspicious," I reassured him.
"I just don't understand. Why is there... underwear... underwear in my suitcase?" Yamauchi released my shoulders before grabbing his suitcase with trembling hands. "You believe me, right? Kanji?"
"From the look on your face, it's clear it wasn't you. The culprit wants to frame you. Although I wonder for what reason," I said, putting a hand on my chin, pretending to think.
Thanks to my knowledge, I knew why Ibuki made this move, even if it was risky. It was to cause a stir and be able to search for the leader of the class, as she still hasn't figured out that Horikita is the leader of our class at this point in the exam. However, I wasn't worried, even if Ibuki found out who the leader was, because I was sure Kiyone would make her next move.
Anyway, I couldn't let Yamauchi look guilty at this moment. It might not seem necessary to have someone like Yamauchi, but I thought about it, and he would make a good scapegoat, someone I could rely on to maintain my idiot facade while making moves in the shadows. Not to mention, he was a good flesh shield in case things went south; I could just throw him under the bus.
A bit cruel on my part, but if I wanted to prevail in this new school, some sacrifices had to be made. And because Yamauchi is an irredeemable pervert, I wouldn't feel guilty about betraying him. Or at least, that's my thinking.
Even though I have a ruined reputation with girls and some guys, it's not entirely bad, as that same reputation will serve as a temporary shield before anyone realizes my new self. I have to make it seem like Ike's behavior was just a facade on my part to hide my true self.
It will be a slow process, but at least I can repair my reputation with certain people.
"Thanks, Kanji. I regret commenting with other guys about how weird you were acting and saying that your weird and silly accent is just to impress the girls." Yamauchi gave me a look as if he expected me to have a plan and save him from his inevitable doom.
This guy... my eye twitched, and I gave him a cold smile. On second thought, maybe it's not a bad idea to let him go to his imminent doom by throwing him under the bus and proclaiming myself as the person who found the "culprit."
"Hey! Hurry up!" When a voice came from Hirata's companions, both of us tensed.
"W-What am I going to do? I'm in serious trouble."
If what was stolen is discovered here, no matter what the guys say, the girls will say that Yamauchi is the culprit.
"Put it in your back pocket and act normal. There's no way to hide it. We already look suspicious for taking too long," I advised him given our current situation.
There was no time to hide it in my underwear or even tuck it into my shoe, and we can't hide the underwear right now. If we go to the bathrooms or the tents, the girls watching that place will suspect our movements and maybe demand to search us. And as I said before, we've been spending too much time here. The girls might already be suspecting us.
"I... I don't think I can do it... I'm too nervous," Yamauchi said, sweating bullets due to the mental pressure he was under.
We stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments. The idiot Yamauchi didn't put it in his back pockets; instead, he was frozen, staring at the panties as if he were thinking about something.
"Hurry up!" A voice snapped Yamauchi out of his reverie.
"Damn, I can't do this! I'll leave it to you!" Yamauchi quickly took the underwear from his suitcase and put it in my hands before running off, wishing me good luck.
I blinked in shock at Yamauchi's quick and sudden movement. That son of a bitch!
"Is this for real?" I couldn't help but mutter to no one in particular.
If the stupid panties were in my suitcase, then I would have had time to hide them, but it seems fate is being cruel to me. Despite starting to sweat from the pressure that suddenly hit me, I calmed down and tucked the panties into my back pocket.
Everything was going to be fine; I'm sure Hirata won't rat me out. With that, I grabbed my suitcase and headed toward Hirata's group. But even with those thoughts, something was wrong with the situation because the discomfort in my stomach didn't subside, and the feeling that someone was spying on us didn't disappear.
"What took you so long?" Shinohara narrowed her eyes at me. If looks could kill, I'm sure not even my corpse would remain with the one she was giving me.
I was going to make a joke about getting lost on the path of life, but it probably wasn't the right time for jokes. I didn't want to test my luck by exhausting the little patience the girls had at the moment.
"Sorry. My suitcase was a bit dirty, so I had to clean it. Isn't that right, Haruki?" I glared at him, but discreetly. (The food I owed you is gone with this stupidity you pulled) I tried to convey with my gaze, although I was sure he didn't understand.
"Oh yes. It looked like a pig had walked over the suitcase and pooped on it," Yamauchi gave an exaggerated and unbelievable response as he nodded disappointedly at his answer, but I kept my composure despite the internal nerves.
Seeing that the girls seemed skeptical, I added, "You can check my suitcase, but you won't find anything because I'm innocent."
Yamauchi had already proudly presented his suitcase. I also placed mine and then stepped away from the inspection area. Hirata seemed reluctant at first, but he had no choice.
After finishing inspecting everyone's belongings, Shinohara was waiting for the results with her arms crossed.
"We checked everyone. But we found nothing," Hirata told the girls.
"Really?" Shinohara was skeptical.
"Yes. We are sure now. None of the guys is guilty." Hirata seemed relieved.
"Wait a minute."
When Shinohara approached the boys' tent and began looking inside, it seemed like she had suspicions and thought we were keeping something hidden inside the tent. But, of course, she found nothing. After inspecting both tents, Shinohara returned to the girls and whispered something to them.
"You know, that Hirata. Maybe he hid it in his pocket or something? I'm curious to know what Ike and Yamauchi were whispering about."
Of course, we had to whisper because the girls had started searching the entire camp. It was logical that we couldn't talk as we normally do while the girls were like wolves searching for the defenseless sheep.
"That's enough!"
Shinohara and the girls, except Kiyone, began to attack Yamauchi and me.
"Wasn't Yamauchi acting suspicious a while ago? Maybe he's hiding something!"
"That's not true! You can check my pockets if you want!" Yamauchi extended his arms, pleading innocence.
"Fine, let's search. Hey, Nishimura, could you please do it?" Shinohara asked the black-haired girl with purple eyes that were quite attractive; her body was also quite appealing. She was a very beautiful woman that any man would dream of.
[Imagen]
But that couldn't bother me right now. I paled and opened my eyes momentarily before quickly regaining composure.
I wanted to curse the world for its injustice. She wasn't supposed to be the one checking our pockets; Hirata was supposed to inspect Yamauchi and Ike. Come on, I have to come up with an excuse before they catch me.
Nishimura just raised one of her beautiful eyebrows at Shinohara but said nothing and began to approach to check Yamauchi.
My thoughts raced as I tried to formulate something to make the girls forget they were going to search us.
"Don't you think this is silly?" I said loudly, drawing the girls' attention. "Even if you check our pockets, you won't find anything on any of the guys." I took a step forward, trying to appear intimidating.
"Silly? Then you wouldn't mind if we checked your pockets, right? Since if you don't have them, there wouldn't be a problem," Shinohara gave me a smile promising pain, but I didn't let myself be intimidated and crossed my arms, glaring at her.
"Besides being ugly, deaf," I teased her. It seemed to have an impact because she recoiled while blushing with pure rage. Before she could do anything, I continued. "As I said, even if you check the pockets of all the guys, you won't find anything. The person who stole Karuizawa-san's underwear knew that the search for the thief would start as soon as the victim realized. So the thief wouldn't be so dumb and stupid as to keep it in their suitcase or pockets. They probably hid it in a place where no one could find it. Hey, Hirata, do you think one of us guys would keep the underwear in our pockets?" I asked, hoping he'd go along and give me a free pass.
"Girls, Ike-kun is right. I don't think the guys stole Karuizawa's underwear. We've already checked everyone's suitcases and found nothing. Likely, the thief didn't hide it in their pockets either," Hirata said.
If Hirata sees and tells them.
The girls looked at each other with conflicted expressions. If the argument came from someone like Hirata, they would probably listen and back off, seeing that my words probably had some truth if Hirata supported me. That's why I had to involve him in the conversation.
"If we didn't steal anything."
"We are innocent!"
"Why do you take us for idiots!?"
One by one, the guys started to raise their voices to protest their innocence.
Shinohara gave me a frustrated look, but being herself, she refused to back down. "Come on, Hirata, I'm sure Ike or Yamauchi stole the underwear. I'm sure they have it in their pockets."
Hirata seemed like he was about to say something, but I intervened before he could go on.
"All right, but Hirata-kun should be the one to check us. I'm sure he would be impartial and fair. Since Hirata-kun is Karuizawa's boyfriend, he probably also wants to know who stole his girlfriend's underwear. Besides..." I gave Nishimura a cheeky wink. "I would feel a little nervous if a beautiful woman like you were checking me." I gave her a bold smile while raising my eyebrows playfully, making Nishimura step back and ignore the disgusted look from the other girls.
"Fine," Shinohara said through gritted teeth, looking at me with barely contained anger. "Hirata, would you please check them?"
"Very well. However, you girls must understand one thing. If we don't find anything here, then I would like you to stop investigating the guys," Hirata gave them a condition that the girls accepted.
Under the supervision of the girls, the physical inspection of Yamauchi and me began. Of course, no underwear was found on Yamauchi. They didn't move against Hirata's careful inspection and could examine every nook. Finally, it was my turn.
I raised my arms high for everyone to see, a sign of surrender that would make several people lower their guard for a moment. "Hirata won't find anything, girls," I affirmed, sounding confident. "Because neither Yamauchi nor I stole Karuizawa-san's underwear. I swear."
I decided to stay still like a stick and be examined by Hirata while he slowly checked the upper part of my body. And then, Hirata put his hand into the back pocket where I put the underwear.
"Are you done?"
I was calm because I knew Hirata wouldn't throw me under the bus to my imminent death, or at least I hoped. I was sweating, praying to God that Hirata's attitude would be the same as in the canon because if not, the little reputation I had would go down the drain, and I'd probably fall into negative numbers.
Undoubtedly, Hirata's arm was conveying the sensation of the underwear in my pocket. Although Hirata wasn't sure if it was really the underwear and not just the sensation, it was quite suspicious that a rolled-up piece of fabric was in the pocket. Hirata, whose body stiffened for a moment, looked me in the eyes. But not even a second after our gazes met, Hirata, without taking out the underwear, turned his head to the girl.
"Ike-kun doesn't have it either."
Saying this, he began to walk towards Shinohara. Yamauchi, who had given me a pitiful look a few seconds ago, now looked at me with wide eyes in surprise.
"These guys don't have it."
"That's strange... I thought it would be one of those two. But if Hirata-kun says so..."
If Hirata, who is overwhelmed by his sense of justice, isn't telling a "lie," Shinohara has no choice but to believe him.
My body relaxed in total relief. My muscles, which were too tense, screamed in total joy when I finally relaxed them. I licked my lips, trying to moisten them, as nerves had started to dry my mouth and throat.
"It should be fine once I've sorted out the luggage. We can discuss this from that point onward."
After the inspection was over, knowing what was going to happen next, I quickly went back into the boys' tent. Since Hirata probably wanted to talk to me about the underwear. Just like in the novel, Hirata appeared shortly after.
"Thanks, Hirata, you saved my life," I said, giving him a grateful smile.
"Ike-kun, was the underwear in your pocket, right?" Hirata asked me without accusation in his voice.
"Yes, but I swear I didn't take it. Someone tried to frame Yamauchi," I replied sincerely.
"And did Yamauchi have the underwear first?"
"Yes. But neither of us stole the underwear. When we were checking our suitcases, the underwear was in Yamauchi's suitcase, but the bastard panicked and handed me the underwear at the last minute."
"I see, then I trust you. I don't think Yamauchi or you stole the underwear. If there's a culprit, I wonder if they would put it in their suitcase. I'll have to say they hid it somewhere else." Without saying a difficult explanation, Hirata saved me with his usual sharpness. "I can take care of the underwear if you want."
"I would appreciate that. It wouldn't be a good idea if I kept Karuizawa-san's underwear. The girls are likely watching me at all times." I commented on the situation I would be in if I kept the underwear.
"That's very likely. Then I'll keep it. Even if it turns out I'm the culprit, it'll have minimal damage to me. They'll probably think I'm just her boyfriend." Saying this, Hirata put the underwear inside a plastic bag used for the toilet.
"You know, Hirata, one would think you'd be furious with the person who stole your girlfriend's underwear since she's your girlfriend."
"Really?" Hirata laughed nervously.
"Yes, you've been with her for almost four months, but you haven't even spoken to each other by name. This is strange because couples usually call each other by their names even before becoming couple. Unless you're one of those couples who get together for mutual benefits. You're not one of those, right?"
"That's an interesting theory. Although, do people think that way about Karuizawa and me?" Hirata was somewhat nervous about where the conversation was going. As I was satisfied to know that there probably wasn't a divergence, I decided to change the subject.
"No, it's just my idea, nothing more. Anyway, I don't think you're one of those people. By the way, Hirata, you know the culprit is still out there, right?"
"Yes... I suppose so."
"I have a suspicion about who the culprit is; I just have to make sure first," I confessed.
Hirata looked at me wide-eyed. "Really? Who?"
"I don't want to say the name until I'm sure. But what do I do once I confirm it? Do I inform our classmates?" I asked.
"No!" Hirata shook his head, making me raise an eyebrow in intrigue. "I want you to tell me first. Don't tell anyone else. If it becomes public, our class will suffer another big blow. I want to avoid that happening. That's why I want to think of a method to achieve a peaceful agreement by talking to the culprit. And if they reflect, we might end this story with it being my fault."
"In other words, you'll hide the truth?" As I commented, I tilted my head, smiling with amusement.
"Hiding, huh... It's a poor choice of words, but even if it's taken that way, it can't be helped. If someone from the guys is the culprit, I think the truth should be hidden." Hirata fixed his pupils intensely on me. It seems he's willing to protect the perpetrator from the consequences so that the trust within the class isn't broken.
"Well, I'll respect your decision then; you saved my life, it's the least I can do."
"Ike-kun, you're smarter than you let on, aren't you?" Hirata asked, still looking into my eyes.
"What makes you think that?" I asked with curiosity and some surprise. I thought I was more discreet, so I was curious about how he came to that conclusion.
"When Nishimura-san was about to check Yamauchi and then you. You intervened and gave quite reasonable explanations. Moreover, you only agreed to let us check your pockets if I was the one questioning you about the underwear. Tell me, was it because you knew I wouldn't expose you?" Hirata surprised me with his astute and reasonable deduction.
I hadn't expected him to see through my intentions. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised since Hirata also realized or at least suspected what Kiyotaka was doing behind the scenes to make the class victorious.
"So, you noticed, huh? I'm sorry for putting you in that position; I didn't see another way to save myself," I replied sincerely as I ran a hand through my hair.
"No, it's okay, it was for the best. By the way, thanks for being honest, Ike-kun; I'll get back to work."
Leaving the boys' tent, Hirata called the other students to start something. I'm curious about what they'll be thinking about my new self. But this moment wasn't the time to plan theories or hypotheses.
Despite the brief scare I had a few minutes ago, I was pleased with my level of quick thinking and how I managed to stay calm in an incredible way. The only thing that bothered me about all this is that if Hirata could see through my intentions, other people could too.
Although something told me that wasn't the case right now, as to see through my intentions, they would at least have to know what Hirata would be willing to do to protect his classmates and prevent trust from breaking among us.
So far, I knew that not even Kiyone knew Hirata too well for her to see through my motives, as she hadn't used the cold reading on Hirata, or at least Kiyotaka hadn't analyzed it at this stage of the novel. So I wasn't sure how much the female version knew at that moment. What I didn't doubt was that she wouldn't take long to piece the puzzle together.
A shiver ran down my spine. I shook my head to push those thoughts out of my head and left the boys' tent to start the day.