Kamuro Masumi at a Dead End

Next came the Girls' Division.

When Kamuro Masumi's name was called and she stepped up to the starting block.

She mounted the block, bent down, gripped the edge with both hands, and settled into her ready stance.

From Kazehara Tetsu's angle, he could clearly see the taut lines of her back and the slight tremble in her hands from the strain.

Her eyes had changed.

Her gaze was locked on the finish line at the far end of the pool, as if her mortal enemy stood there.

"Ready—"

The instant the whistle blew, Kamuro Masumi's body shot forward like a cannonball, plunging into the water with explosive ferocity.

Her explosive power was even greater than many of the boys from the earlier heat.

Once in the water, she held nothing back, launching into a frantic sprint from the very first second.

Her arms churned like an untiring motor, stroking at an astonishing rhythm.

There was no grace in her swimming—only a savage intensity.

It wasn't swimming. It was catharsis.

The other girls were quickly left far behind.

They stared in shock at the figure charging ahead like a madwoman.

Kazehara Tetsu watched quietly.

He understood. He could see the fury in every stroke she took.

He could even imagine what was playing in her mind—Shannei Chunshu's disgusting face, shoved underwater, struggling, suffocating.

"Creepy... but it seems to be working..."

Thud!

Kamuro Masumi's palm slammed into the pool wall at the finish line, producing a heavy, muffled sound.

Fifty meters. Done.

She won, with an overwhelming, undeniable advantage.

Yet there was no trace of joy on her face.

She ignored the teacher's congratulations and the astonished stares from her classmates.

Mustering her last shred of strength, she pulled herself up onto the pool deck.

She stumbled a few steps from sheer exhaustion.

Grabbing her towel, she wrapped herself up tightly, then walked toward the changing room without a word.

The day after swimming class, a strange atmosphere began to ferment in Class A.

At first, it was just a few girls huddling together, their gazes occasionally drifting toward Kamuro Masumi as they whispered.

Soon, the murmurs spread like a virus through the entire class.

"Did you hear? About Kamuro..."

"Seriously? She stole something?"

"There's a video. Someone from Class D leaked it. A lot of people know..."

"No way, she doesn't seem like that kind of person..."

"You never really know someone, do you? There are bad apples in every school..."

Kazehara Tetsu sat at his desk, propping his chin on one hand, half-listening to Hashimoto Masayoshi's chatter beside him while staring out the window.

His ears caught every last word of the gossip.

Kamuro Masumi sat motionless at her desk.

But the hand gripping her pen, knuckles white from strain, betrayed her inner state.

The storm didn't stay confined to the classroom.

During lunch break, Majima Tomoya walked into the room, his usual stern expression in place.

"Kamuro Masumi, come with me."

The classroom fell into deathly silence.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look.

Kamuro Masumi stood up, her face blank, and followed Majima-sensei out of the room.

In the student council office, the atmosphere was heavy.

Horikita Manabu sat in the main seat, his expression cold. Tachibana Akane sat to the side, taking notes.

Shannei Chunshu was embellishing his account of how he had "accidentally" discovered Kamuro Masumi from Class A committing theft, and declared with righteous indignation that, to uphold the school's atmosphere, he had to step forward and expose such corrupt behavior.

Then, brimming with pride, he pulled out his phone, opened the video, and handed it to Tachibana Akane.

Tachibana Akane took it and watched it first, confirming there were no issues, before passing it to Horikita Manabu.

In the video, Kamuro Masumi's furtive motion of sliding a lipstick into her pocket was crystal clear, the evidence irrefutable.

Horikita Manabu watched the video with a blank expression, as if its contents held no interest for him whatsoever.

Yet, when he reached certain segments, his brow furrowed slightly, signaling his attention to those details.

Even so, he didn't immediately voice his thoughts. Instead, he chose to continue watching the video, even playing it through a second time.

Throughout this process, he remained silent, his focus fixed solely on the screen.

After watching it three times, Horikita Manabu seemed to finally snap out of the video.

He slowly shifted his gaze from the screen, then turned to Kamuro Masumi, who had been sitting nearby, silent from start to finish.

"Kamuro, do you have anything to explain regarding this video?"

"No."

Kamuro Masumi's voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm.

Her eyes met Horikita Manabu's without any evasion. "I didn't steal anything."

"But the video..."

Tachibana Akane couldn't help but speak up, her face filled with confusion.

"The video proves nothing." Kamuro Masumi cut her off coldly.

She offered no explanation, nor did she deign to give one.

In this situation, any defense would seem feeble.

She knew she had already been pushed to the edge of a cliff.

Seeing this, Shannei Chunshu grew even more smug. "President, look! She's too guilty to even speak! Caught red-handed, what more is there to say! I suggest we immediately impose a severe punishment on her!"

Horikita Manabu's fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, producing a steady rhythm.

He pondered for a moment. "There are many doubts about this matter. A single video of unknown origin cannot lead to an immediate conclusion. The Student Council needs to conduct a further investigation. Until the results are out, I don't want to hear any related rumors. The two of you may leave now."

Shannei Chunshu hadn't expected this outcome and wanted to say more, but meeting Horikita Manabu's icy gaze, he had no choice but to shut his mouth and leave.

After leaving the Student Council Office, Kamuro Masumi didn't return to the classroom.

It was as if all her strength had been drained from her, and she wandered aimlessly around the campus.

She didn't know where she should go, nor where she could go.

Though no one was around, it felt as if people everywhere were pointing fingers at her.

Eventually, she reached the secluded grove behind the Teaching Building.

She leaned against the trunk of a large tree, her body slowly sliding down until she slumped to the ground in defeat.

She buried her face deep between her knees, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Anger, helplessness, fear... all the negative emotions, like a flood, completely engulfed her.

She didn't cry. She just bit down hard on her lip until she tasted a hint of blood.