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Despite the sudden accusation, I remained calm. My eyes scanned Murayama from head to toe, and I asked:
"Do you realize what you're saying?"
She gulped briefly and backed away, because I wasn't as easily frightened by her as most boys were.
"You heard me right. I can't believe you're just here by coincidence," she said and crossed her arms as she stared at me. "I think you were here to warn them by message in case anyone showed up."
I raised an index finger. "First of all, if I was going to do something as pathetic as spy on girls, I'd be a lot more discreet," I said, then held up another finger. "Secondly, who would be stupid enough to just watch while they got the good part?"
"The good part?" At that moment, her cheeks flushed.
Just as she was about to continue, Katase, the vice-president of the Kendo Club, approached softly, tugged on the sleeve of Murayama's kimono, and leaned over to whisper something in her ear.
Even without effort, I managed to pick up a few key words: "Akihiro Nishihara", "third year", and "Student Council".
Murayama blinked, and the expression of irritation on her face was quickly replaced by a mix of embarrassment and surprise. I could see her cheeks turning a deep shade of red as she slowly turned her face back to me.
"Ah... Are you by any chance Akihiro Nishihara, from the third year?" she asked, casting a sidelong glance with embarrassment.
"That's my name, yes," I confirmed, allowing a short but confident smile to play on my lips.
"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed and bowed deeply. "I really didn't know it was you!"
This is why I said that about reputation earlier. I took a deep breath and calmed down too, adopting my quiet boy persona.
"No problem. You were defending your club, after all. I can't blame you for that."
While she seemed to sink further into her own embarrassment, Katase was staring at me now with her chin slightly dropped and her eyes shining.
'Must be the Greek god charm I'm inheriting,' I deduced.
"Anyway," I continued, taking advantage of the uncomfortable pause, "I think we can prevent something like this from happening again. I'll talk to the Student Council about repairs to the locker room. Perhaps installing more secure locks or reinforcing the walls. Nothing big because the council has a lot of clubs to help, but enough to keep the perverts out."
Murayama looked up at me, and for a moment, she seemed on the verge of tears — tears of gratitude, not sadness.
"You would!?" she asked.
"Of course. You deserve peace."
"Thank you. Really." Murayama bowed again, and this time the bow was even deeper, almost reverent.
"There's no need for so much formality," I joked, making a hand gesture as if to lift an invisible weight from her shoulders.
[Ding! The Owner got "Confidence of the Kendo Club." Reward: 5 fusion points!]
As I walked away, still feeling the stares of the two girls piercing my back, I smiled at the points I'd earned just for lying.
However, there was still one issue that needed to be resolved.
I passed through the garden that separated the gym from the woods and spotted that trio of boys staggering out of the tree line. They were in a sorry state.
Matsuda had leaves stuck in his hair, Motohama was holding his glasses with one hand to keep them from falling off, and Issei's uniform was dirty, sweat running down his face. They were exhausted, and the slight panting of their breaths showed how hard they'd run to escape the girls.
"You guys look great," I commented, halting in their path. "Seriously, you look like you've been through military training."
The three of them froze.
"We weren't spying th-!" exclaimed Issei.
"Hey, we didn't even do anything wrong! We were just passing by when—" Matsuda intervened, raising his hands like someone trying to prevent an imminent explosion.
"Forget them!" Motohama interrupted them both. "We won't say anything until it's proven!"
I raised an eyebrow. "You were spying on the girls' changing room at the Kendo Club, and now you look like you've been kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Are you going to try and convince me that you were in the woods because you're from the Gardening Club?"
"Who do you think you are? You have no right to judge us!" Issei snapped, already impatient.
"Actually, I do. My name is Akihiro Nishihara. Third year. Student Council."
At that moment, Matsuda and Motohama looked at each other, pale as ghosts. Issei... well, he had a more complicated temperament.
"Student Council?" he muttered, crossing his arms.
I let out a short laugh. "Don't worry, Issei. The whole school already knows you don't give a damn about anything. A first-rate pervert. I really wanted to talk to you. I'm glad I found you here."
Matsuda tried to duck out. "Look, since you two need to talk, I think we'd better go, eh, Motohama?"
"Yeah... yeah, we'd better go." Motohama nodded quickly, and the two started to walk away.
"Hey, you're not leaving me here!" complained Issei, but the two didn't even bother to look back.
"Looks like your elite troop abandoned you," I commented, turning fully toward Issei.
He clenched his fists. "This was all their idea! They're the ones who dragged me into this."
"From what I've heard, you already have a history of getting into this kind of trouble. I'm not sure I believe this 'they made me do it' story."
I sighed and rubbed my temples. "Look, Issei, I'll be blunt. You can continue acting like the king of perverts and end up being expelled from this academy, or you can try to do something better with your life."
"You're very nosy, you know that?" he muttered, but it was more to himself than to me. "But fine, I can do what you, or the council, want me to do. Is it clean a few rooms or toilets to get out of the warning?"
I smiled slightly, a mischievous glint in my eyes. "Actually, I need a different favor. Raise your left hand and say 'Boost,' please."
"Eh?"
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