Chapter 317: Exposing Kamuro as a Thief!
In the surveillance video, Hikigaya was seen walking toward Sakayanagi Arisu like an idiot, bending over, bowing his head, and reaching out. It looked entirely like the clownish behavior of a gloomy, virgin loner trying to hit on a cute girl.
"That Hikigaya actually has a side like this?" Nagumo Miyabi widened his eyes, his face written over with disbelief.
In his understanding, Hikigaya was a guy with extreme "women luck." Not only did he have ambiguous relationships with girls in every class of the first year, but he had even stretched his reach into the second year. Such a "master of the field" didn't seem like the type to act like this kind of loser.
Since there was no audio in the footage, Nagumo didn't know what they were saying. He only saw that Sakayanagi Arisu looked very unhappy, as if someone had ruined a specific plan of hers.
"Eh? Could it be... I see. So that was the goal."
When Nagumo saw the purple-haired girl panic because of Hikigaya's sudden "approach" and quickly put the beer bottle hidden in her sleeve back onto the shelf, he understood everything.
"To cover up that purple-haired girl's crime of theft?
Hehe~ The guy known as the Great Demon King in the first year actually has such a kind heart."
As if he had finally found Hikigaya's soft underbelly, a playful smile curled the corner of Nagumo's mouth.
"Even someone as strong as President Horikita Manabu has a weakness like Tachibana Akane. Although I can't be sure yet if this woman is Hikigaya's weakness, let's give it a test for now!"
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The storm of rumors regarding Ichinose Honami had just ended. Now, a new explosive piece of news rapidly spread throughout the entire grade: Kamuro Masumi of first-year Class A is a thief!
Moreover, compared to Ichinose's case of "nine parts fake, one part true" rumors, this time the news came with several blurry photos. However, judging from the silhouette, it was definitely Kamuro Masumi herself.
Now it was Class A's turn to explode!
"Kamuro is a thief? That... no matter how you look at it, that shouldn't be possible, right?"
Unlike the students of Class B who firmly trusted Ichinose, Kamuro Masumi didn't have much of a reputation in Class A. Consequently, many people were casting suspicious glances at her. More interestingly, Kamuro Masumi, the person involved, kept a cold face and remained silent, not offering a single word of defense.
The crowd had no choice but to turn their questioning gazes toward Sakayanagi Arisu. Sakayanagi remained equally silent, seemingly deep in thought. She knew very well that this wasn't a fabricated rumor, but actual proof of Kamuro's theft.
Clearing her name was impossible; for now, she could only think about how to minimize the impact.
"Everyone, please calm down. This... is very likely a counterattack from Class B." Hashimoto Masayoshi quickly stood up to speak in her defense. They had recently used rumors to attack Ichinose, so it was perfectly reasonable for the other side to "repay an eye for an eye."
"Hmph, are you trying to say this is all fabricated by Class B?"
"It's hard to believe that kind Ichinose would do such a thing!"
"Also, how do you explain these photos? They can't all be Photoshopped!" Yahiko had a rare moment of intelligence, refuting the argument logically.
"..." Hashimoto was momentarily speechless and threw the problem back to the source: "Well, Kamuro, do you want to explain it to everyone?"
"...I have nothing to say."
Kamuro Masumi appeared calm, but her fingers were clenched tight, and her heart was in total panic. In her knowledge, the only people who knew the secret of her shoplifting habit were Hikigaya and Sakayanagi.
Hikigaya could be ruled out first—no reason, no explanation needed. As for Sakayanagi, although she occasionally used it to tease her, she hadn't taken evidence at the time and had no reason to sabotage her now.
'Then who exactly... could it really be Class B's retaliation?'
"Hey, Kamuro, say something!"
"Theft is a crime; you'll be expelled!"
"And when that happens, Class A will be dragged down with a massive class point deduction!"
The people of Class A were agitated. Rather than worrying about Kamuro being expelled, they cared more about the massive point deduction that would cause them to drop in rank. Facing the verbal siege, Kamuro remained silent, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Just as
she was about to reach her limit, the bell rang. Mashima-sensei's timely arrival temporarily suppressed the crowd's attack.
"Hmph! What are you all crowding around for?
Didn't you hear the bell? Everyone, get back to your seats!"
Mashima-sensei's stern reprimand temporarily broke the siege for Kamuro. As the homeroom teacher, he had learned about this even earlier than the students. Through faculty channels, he had confirmed the authenticity of the incident. Kamuro Masumi had indeed committed theft... Things had become very troublesome.
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Class D classroom.
Everyone had been "eating melon" since early morning, discussing the news fervently.
"Kamuro from Class A looks quite pretty; I didn't expect her to be a thief."
"You can know a person's face but not their heart. Who would have thought Ichinose stole things too?"
"That's different. Ichinose stole back in middle school and has since reformed. This Kamuro is different; she stole during this school year."
The quality of one's popularity determines how much others are willing to tolerate their mistakes. People could forgive the kind and friendly Ichinose Honami, but their attitude toward the aloof and solitary Kamuro Masumi was completely different!
Besides that, there was another important reason why Class D ostracized Kamuro: her close relationship with Hikigaya. Out of internal jealousy, some people who couldn't touch Hikigaya chose to attack those around him.
"Everyone, you'd better check your dorm rooms carefully when you get back to see if anything is missing." Shinohara Satsuki said in a sarcastic, instigating tone. "After all, thieves are very good at picking locks..."
"BAM!"
Hikigaya slammed his fist onto his desk, producing a loud crash.
"Shut up!
A bunch of flies. What are you buzzing about?"
"!!!"
The Class D classroom shook. Everyone turned their eyes toward Hikigaya in disbelief.
"Hachiman-kun..." Even Horikita and the other girls who knew him well were stunned. This was the first time they had seen Hikigaya lose his temper like this!
"Hi-Hikigaya, why are you being so fierce with us..." Shinohara shrank her neck, but still stubborn, she added, "Besides, this news has pictures and proof..."
"What can a few blurry photos prove?"
"Maybe she was just curious, picked it up to look... then it accidentally slipped into her bag... and finally, she put it back on the shelf." Hikigaya offered a straight-faced, forced defense.
Actually, he wasn't entirely making it up to exonerate her.
That day, due to his intervention, Kamuro really had stopped her theft and put the beer can back. However, the person spreading the news was incredibly malicious, deliberately omitting the footage where she returned the can.
If things really escalated, at most she could only be charged with "attempted crime" or "abandonment of crime." But regardless, she had attempted theft, and her reputation would inevitably be devastated.
"Accidentally slipped into her bag... isn't that a bit too far-fetched?" Shinohara didn't believe it.
"None of your business!
The Student Council will investigate the truth; it's not up to a gossip like you to run your mouth!" Hikigaya had no interest in debating her. He swept the room with a threatening gaze, warning everyone in Class D.
"If I hear anyone else spreading unconfirmed, false information... in the name of the Public Morals, I will absolutely not forgive them!!"
As soon as these words were out, Class D fell silent as a tomb. No one doubted Hikigaya's word. This was the ruthless guy who dared to go head-to-head with the Student Council President!
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Lunch break.
"Hachiman, do you want to go eat together..." Kushida Kikyo approached with a forced smile.
Hikigaya, with a dark face, rushed out of the classroom without a word, leaving her frozen in place.
"Kushida, are you an idiot?
Don't disturb Hachiman at a time like this." Horikita Suzune criticized coldly.
"I just wanted to comfort him..." Kushida curled her lip, her face turning dark. "Damn it! Which bastard started this mess?"
"Kamuro-san is quite pitiful..." Karuizawa Kei sighed.
"She is pitiful, yes. But also very lucky." Matsushita Chiaki said something meaningful.
"Lucky? What do you mean?" Sato Maya was confused.
"Lucky to have Hachiman. In the end, he will definitely resolve the trouble." Matsushita replied.
"Ohh, as expected of Hachiman-kun!" Karuizawa's eyes lit up; she also believed he could handle it.
"A hero saving a beauty..." Sakura Airi looked envious.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Hasebe Haruka furrowed her brows.
"A bad feeling... that is indeed possible!" Horikita widened her eyes, her expression becoming worried.
"..." Matsushita Chiaki looked troubled. "Can Hachiman-kun really hold his ground?"
"Hey, hey! What riddles are you guys playing? If you have something to say, say it clearly, you bunch of schemers!!" Kushida was losing her mind, unable to follow the conversation.
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On the other side, Hikigaya sprinted straight to the Class A classroom.
"Hachiman-kun, you've arrived as expected." Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes flickered; she had anticipated his arrival.
"Where is Masumi?" Hikigaya didn't waste time.
"I don't know. Probably hiding in some remote corner, secretly wiping away tears." A rare trace of worry appeared on Sakayanagi's face, but with her limited mobility, she was unable to chase after her.
"Hachiman-kun, I leave Masumi to you. As long as you can comfort her, I'll even allow you to use some... intense methods~" Sakayanagi joked lightly, clearly trusting that he could save Kamuro.
"Tch! She's your servant, yet I have to save her. I don't know how you manage as a master." Hikigaya gave her an annoyed look.
"You have a stake in this too, don't you?" Sakayanagi winked playfully, as if testing something.
Hikigaya didn't dare answer that. He turned and left.
He searched the teaching building, the cafeteria, and the playground, turning almost everything upside down, but he still couldn't find a trace of Kamuro Masumi. Lunch break ended quickly, and the afternoon bell rang. Hikigaya skipped his afternoon classes and continued searching. He checked his phone; all the messages he sent to Kamuro had gone unanswered.
"That stubborn mule... she really needs some discipline!" Hikigaya felt a surge of frustration.
At this time, a commonly criticized flaw of Japanese messaging apps became an "advantage": the messages showed a "Read" status. This meant Kamuro was safe; she was just hiding in some corner, secretly looking at her phone.
"Where did she go?" Hikigaya took a deep breath to calm himself.
He thought carefully—from Kamuro's perspective, where would she hide when something like this happened? He quickly thought of the girls' dormitory and rushed back immediately.
"You brat, you dare lie to me?"
"..."
Hikigaya had used the excuse of Kamuro being sick to trick the dorm auntie into opening the door. Since she wasn't there, he was naturally scolded harshly!
Just as he was thinking about whether to ask a teacher for help, his phone ran out of battery. He had to return to his own room to grab a power bank.
Click~
The door opened. Hikigaya immediately sensed something was wrong.
'Someone was here?'
He keenly noticed that the rug in the entryway was slightly askew. This was a habit he had developed since childhood; because both his parents worked, they were often busy. To protect his sister's safety, Hikigaya would straighten the rug when leaving—if someone broke in, it would cause a slight shift.
Hikigaya walked into the living room and found nothing unusual, except that there was a bulge under the covers on his bed.
Hikigaya's mouth twitched. He remembered that a few months ago, when Kamuro's shoplifting addiction flared up, she had taken his dorm key and made a duplicate without permission.
'Why isn't this woman in her own room? Why did she crawl into my dorm? What kind of move is this?'
"Sigh~ where did Masumi hide?" Hikigaya muttered to himself, then sat down on the edge of the bed. "When I find her, I'm definitely going to give that disobedient maid a good spanking!"
The bulge under the covers trembled slightly.
'Really, girl? You're still not coming out?'
Hikigaya was speechless; he was actually amused by Kamuro's "head-in-the-sand" ostrich-like attitude.
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