"Okay, since there's nothing else, we'll head back first."
"Oh, you're leaving already?"
Ichinose asked in surprise.
"There's nothing to do if we stay, so we're going back."
With that, Kiyotaka led Airi back.
That evening, the students of Class D gathered around the bonfire and chatted.
"Hey, did you know? Everyone from Class C went back to the ship." Ike said as he added fuel to the fire.
"No way. The whole class went back?" Sudo asked, baffled.
"Maybe they just couldn't take it anymore after partying, so they left," Karuizawa said.
"Surely not?"
"Don't ask me. How would I know?"
As everyone chattered back and forth, Kikyo approached Ibuki, who was sitting by herself off to one side.
"What are you planning to do, Ibuki?"
When Ibuki saw that it was Kikyo, her expression softened slightly, but she still answered coldly.
"I don't want to see them. I'm staying."
"Staying? I think you've got another reason," Sudo said irritably.
"Come on, this isn't the time for us to turn on each other," Hirata said, stepping in to smooth things over.
"Friends? You really are naive, aren't you?" Ibuki laughed scornfully.
"You're really ungrateful. You don't deserve to be our friend!"
Sudo had always been hot-tempered. He strode over, grabbed Ibuki by the collar, and lifted her up.
Just then, Kiyotaka appeared and pressed Sudo down. No matter how hard Sudo struggled, he couldn't break free.
"That's enough. Don't make more trouble."
When Sudo saw it was Kiyotaka, he gave a cold snort and went back to the tent.
After that, nobody felt like chatting anymore. They started heading back to their tents in pairs and groups to rest.
As the night grew deeper, everyone fell asleep. Apart from a few faint noises, nothing happened.
The fourth morning arrived quietly, but the Class D camp was anything but peaceful.
"Boys! Get up!"
"Come on, boys, get out here!"
"What's going on? Why is everyone making such a racket so early?"
The boys, roused from sleep, grumbled in annoyance.
The girls were gathered in front of the boys' tent, all looking indignant.
Hirata had also been woken up. He sat up, unzipped the tent, and saw the girls gathered outside. Confused, he asked,
"What happened?"
When the girls saw Hirata come out, their leader, Shinohara Satsuki, said sternly,
"Hirata, something terrible has happened!"
Before long, all the boys had been called outside. They stared blearily at the girls, who were glaring at them.
"Can someone tell us what happened now?"
Hirata asked calmly.
Shinohara immediately stepped forward.
"Hirata, we know this has nothing to do with you, but we want to search the boys' luggage!
"Kei's panties were stolen last night. We have to find out which boy did it. We can't stand having someone so disgusting stay in the same camp as us!
"Kei's been crying in her tent. Kikyo and the others are in there comforting her."
"What makes you so sure one of the boys stole them? That's discrimination."
"Exactly. Maybe Ibuki stole them."
Sudo, who already had a grudge against Ibuki, immediately spoke up.
"How could a girl do something like that!"
"Why would we do it? And what if she's trying to frame us?"
"Cut the excuses. You're all so nervous because the thief is one of you!"
"You!"
Seeing the boys and girls getting more and more worked up, Hirata stepped forward at once.
"Everyone, stop arguing! I'm sure none of the boys would do something like this. But to prove our innocence, we'll agree to let you search our luggage. For privacy reasons, though, let us boys do the searching ourselves. What do you think?"
Only after Hirata spoke did Shinohara reluctantly agree.
"If that's what you say, Hirata, then fine."
"Thanks for understanding. Everyone, I'll check. Take out all your luggage and line up. This won't take long. I trust the boys."
At Hirata's instruction, the boys grumbled as they took out their luggage and lined up for him to inspect.
At the back of the line, all the boys were checking their luggage. After looking through his, Ike suddenly grew flustered.
"Hey!"
Yamauchi, standing in front of Ike, turned around with an irritatingly smug look.
"What's with all the fuss, Ike? Don't tell me you really did steal them?"
Ike hurriedly closed his luggage and said,
"How could it be me? Don't accuse me of something I didn't do!"
Watching Ike, Yamauchi narrowed his eyes.
"I don't believe you. Let me see!"
With that, he snatched Ike's luggage.
"Hey! Don't mess with my stuff!"
Watching Yamauchi rummage through Ike's luggage, Ike cried out in panic.
"Hm? What's this?"
Yamauchi suddenly felt something. He pulled it out and took a look. It was pink and triangular.
"Ike... I didn't know you were that kind of person. Good luck."
After saying that, Yamauchi put the panties back in Ike's hand and turned around to get ready for the inspection.
"Hey! No, it wasn't me!"
Ike looked frantic, then turned to Kiyotaka.
"Kiyotaka, what's with that look? Do you think I did it too?"
Kiyotaka looked at Ike calmly and said,
"Well... there's no proof that you didn't do it. But if you really did, you'd have to be pretty stupid."
Ike looked as if he'd found his savior.
"Right! I really didn't do it. What should I do, Kiyotaka?"
"Uh, shouldn't you hide it first?"
Just then, Sudo turned around and said,
"What are you two dawdling for? Hurry up."
The urging made Ike even more flustered.
"Hide it? Where should I hide it? What do I do, Kiyotaka? Since you think hiding it is better, you must have a plan. I'm counting on you!"
After saying that, Ike shoved the panties into Kiyotaka's hand and hurried to catch up with the line.
Kiyotaka stared blankly at the panties in his hand.
"Ah... No way. How did things end up like this?"
With everyone urging him along, Kiyotaka had no chance to deal with them, so he casually stuffed the panties into his pocket and went over to be inspected.
"Shinohara, I've checked the boys' luggage. I didn't find anything."
After checking all the boys' luggage, Hirata stood and reported to the girls.
Shinohara crossed her arms and said, looking doubtful,
"Search their bodies! Anyone who would steal panties is a pervert. How can we know where he might have hidden them?"
"Aren't you going too far? Why do you keep assuming one of the boys did it?" Ike said angrily.
"Don't you think Ike's been acting weird this whole time?"
"Yeah. Could Ike be the one who stole them?"
The girls couldn't help suspecting Ike because of his strange behavior.
"What are you talking about? Search me if you want! I'm not afraid!"
With that, Ike turned out his pockets to prove his innocence.
Watching all this, Kiyotaka felt like he wanted to beat Ike to death.
"You're innocent now, but you've drawn everyone's attention to yourself. What am I supposed to do?"
Under the pressure and public suspicion, the boys were forced to undergo body searches. Kiyotaka's turn was coming up soon.
"Ah... What do I do? If I confess now, will they at least let me die quickly?"
While Kiyotaka was thinking, his turn came.
"I'm sorry. I'll be quick, so please bear with me a little longer."
Hirata knew the boys felt aggrieved, so he said this before each search.
When it was Kiyotaka's turn, Hirata searched him as usual, pausing only briefly when he touched his pocket.
"Shinohara, everyone, there's nothing on any of them. The boys really didn't do this."
Hirata stood up and spoke calmly.
When nothing turned up, the girls were dissatisfied but didn't press the matter again. They chose to leave instead.
Afterward, everyone returned to their usual duties, but it was clear that a wall had grown between the boys and girls.
"Hirata, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Kiyotaka found Hirata while he was working.
Once they were some distance from the camp, Kiyotaka looked at Hirata and asked,
"Why didn't you expose me? You felt it, didn't you?"
"So those really were panties? Can you tell me if you stole them?"
"No."
"I didn't think you did it either, so there was no need for me to say anything. But just to be safe, could you give them to me? If I'm the one caught with them, the damage will be minimal. After all, she's my girlfriend."
At that, Kiyotaka handed the panties to Hirata.
After taking them, Hirata looked at Kiyotaka and said,
"This may be asking too much, but can you help me find the culprit behind this incident?"
"Find the culprit? I can..."
Kiyotaka pondered for a moment, then agreed.
Before you continue