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The next day, when classes finally ended, most of the students were leaving Kuoh Academy.
Despite this, many students stayed behind for extracurricular activities, such as sports clubs, hobby clubs, and other activities that Kuoh Academy offered its students.
In my case, I was heading to the Occult Research Club building to help out with whatever I could. Sona Sitri had asked me to continue doing this.
I was walking through the courtyard when I noticed a trio of boys sneaking into some bushes. Normally, I wouldn't have cared. However, this trio was not a normal trio. One of the boys was Hyoudou Issei, the boy who had been occupying my mind for the past few days.
Next to Issei were his best friends, Motohama and Matsuda.
It was obvious what they were doing. The muffled sound of laughter and whispering confirmed that the three of them were trying to peek into the girls' locker room of the Kendo Club.
And they weren't acting without thinking. This was the perfect time for them to do this, as the campus was considerably emptier and the girls were changing out of their normal uniforms into their kendo clothes.
"Too bad one of the captains of the Kendo Club will catch them soon, and they'll get beaten up. I'd better get out of here," I thought aloud.
[Ding! The system proposes the mission "Snitch!"]
1 - Join Issei and his friends to spy on the locker room. (Reward: 1 Fusion Point)
2 - Tell someone from the Kendo Club about Issei, Motohama, and Matsuda. (Reward: 5 Fusion Points)
3 - Help Issei and the others avoid the beating. (Reward: 20 Fusion Points)
I furrowed my brow and put a hand on my chin. All three options would lead me down paths very different from what I would normally do, which was to simply ignore them and go on with my own life. But these were Fusion Points, and I was very close to Level 3.
Now interested, I watched as Issei and his friends squeezed into the bushes by the side of the gym, trying to get the best angle.
The excited way they "whispered" made it clear that they would be caught in no time.
"Let me go first! I deserve to see it first!" Matsuda said.
"But I was the one who found the hole!" protested Motohama.
Issei put his hands on both of their heads and pushed them aside. "I'm the oldest here, so I'll see first!"
Part of me felt contempt for them, but it was also comical. Here was the boy who possessed one of the most powerful weapons in the world, acting like a perverted idiot.
I had two options now: tell someone from the club or help him and his friends, because I definitely wasn't going to join them. That would ruin my reputation.
On the other hand, if I told the girls what they were doing, I could boost my reputation. I didn't care much about that, but it can be surprising how much having a good reputation makes a difference in gaining privileges.
Earning 20 Fusion Points instead of just 5 for helping them wouldn't be a bad deal either.
As I debated what to do, I saw a brown-haired girl open the front door of the gym and look both ways. Five other girls followed her, all dressed in Kendo Club uniforms —black and white kimonos — and holding wooden swords, the famous shinai.
The one with brown hair was called Murayama, and she was closely followed by Katase — the president and vice president of the Kendo Club. Both had furrowed brows and were communicating using hand signals to avoid speaking aloud. It was obvious they already suspected someone was trying to spy on the club's locker room.
At that moment, I felt a little sorry for the boys and decided to help them. Sure, the main reason was still the Fusion Points.
It was impossible to go up to them and warn them because the girls from the Kendo Club would get there first. So, the best course of action was to alert them from a distance. Throwing something to get their attention and make them run wasn't a bad idea.
I looked around and assessed my options. Among small branches, gravel, and dry leaves, I found a common, slightly rounded stone.
I picked up the stone, assessing its weight and shape before carefully aiming at the bush where the three were hiding. It would be too easy to hit them, but my intention wasn't to hurt them — just to get their attention so they'd realize the imminent danger.
Since I didn't want to miss, I used Artemis' Blessing and Athena's Tenuous Resilience before throwing the rock.
The rock flew like a baseball and hit the tree trunk that shaded Matsuda, Motohama, and Issei, causing several leaves to fall from the tree and startle them.
"Ehhh!? W-What was that?" Matsuda asked, his eyes wide.
"Did a rock fall from the tree?"
"Shhh! Be quiet!" Issei replied, gesturing frantically as he raised his head above the bush instead of putting his eye to the hole to peek into the locker room.
In that glance over the bush, he saw the girls looking for them perfectly and quickly ducked back down.
"We have to get out of here! They found us," whispered Issei, already starting to crawl out of the bush.
"Damn..." Motohama muttered, grabbing Matsuda's shoulders and pulling his friend out.
The three of them clumsily climbed out of the bush and ran as fast as they could into the woods behind the gym.
The girls heard the noise and immediately set off in pursuit.
"Come back here, you perverts!" Murayama shouted furiously.
[Ding! The Owner chose option 3! Reward: 20 Fusion Points]
With my task accomplished, I put my hands in the pockets of my black blazer and resumed walking as if nothing had happened.
"Hey!" Suddenly, one of the girls from the Kendo Club yelled at me.
"Are you talking to me?" I asked, pointing at myself with a cynical expression of surprise.
"Did you see who they were?" she asked, pointing in the direction of the bushes where Issei and the others had been hiding.
Some girls were trying to run after them, but their kimonos were thick and got caught in the bushes, which made Murayama give up the chase.
"I'm not sure, but I think they were three second-year students. I couldn't see their faces," I said with a shrug.
Murayama frowned. "Are you sure? Or are you just covering for them?" she asked, stepping closer to me.
I widened my eyes, genuinely surprised. 'What the hell is this? Aren't people supposed to be dumb here like in every low-quality anime?'
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