"Ohh, you really couldn't tell. Sakura was actually this pretty."
Ike stared at Sakura's bright, sunny appearance on his phone and clicked his tongue in amazement.
"But I still think Little Kikyo seems a bit cuter."
As always, Ike divided girls into two categories: Little Angel Kushida and every other girl.
Although Suzuki Tsubame knew he was a die-hard Kushida fan, he still wanted to ask: wasn't he worried that saying that would ruin Kushida's popularity?
He was starting to suspect that Ike had known Kushida's secret all along and was deliberately pretending to be an anti-fan.
Fortunately, everyone had long grown used to his scatterbrained behavior.
Other than Kushida herself, no one paid him any attention at all.
"Kanji, you shouldn't say that."
Kushida's tone was exceptionally gentle.
She looked like she was lecturing a kindergarten child. She was treating Ike like an unenlightened little kid.
"Okay!"
But Ike seemed to lap that right up.
If he had a tail behind him, it would probably have spun like a propeller by now.
Suzuki Tsubame would call this scene: Kushida training a dog.
"So... Sakura, you were being harassed by someone from the school, right?"
Sakura hid half of Hasebe's body behind herself and nodded shyly.
If Hasebe had not agreed to attend the gathering too, Sakura probably would not have dared to come alone.
After getting a rough understanding of Sakura's situation, Horikita calmly analyzed it.
"If it's someone from the school, shouldn't it be fine to report them to a teacher or the Student Council?"
For an ordinary student facing something like this, that really was the best solution.
But with Sakura's ostrich-like personality, being able to tell Hasebe about it already counted as incredibly brave.
"Um... well..."
Sakura's expression was complicated, and she hesitated to speak.
"Sakura probably doesn't want everyone to know that she's an idol."
Suzuki Tsubame spoke up at the right moment and explained for her.
"Mm!"
Sakura nodded forcefully, her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked at Suzuki Tsubame.
Having a friend who understood her and was willing to speak up for her was practically a blessing for someone with social anxiety!
"Besides... with just these few direct messages, it'll probably be difficult to catch the culprit. We might even alert him."
Matsushita spoke with a serious expression.
This matter really was somewhat difficult to handle.
With only a few direct messages, it was uncertain whether they could even bring the other party to justice.
Everyone fell silent one after another, thinking of a way to break the deadlock.
They could not make too big a fuss, but they also needed to pinpoint the suspect precisely.
Unlike the original story, Sakura's part there did not come until after the Sudo fighting incident.
Kushida had accidentally knocked over her camera, allowing that sleazy Shop Clerk to identify her directly.
At this stage, it should still only be harassment. The Shop Clerk could only judge from the backgrounds in Sakura's photos that she was a student at Advanced Nurturing.
In other words... the stalking and secret-photography incidents had not happened yet. Even if they caught him, at most he would lose his job as a Shop Clerk.
Unlike Yamaguchi, who had the desire but not the nerve, leaving such trash loose in society would inevitably be a danger.
If possible, Suzuki Tsubame still felt that prison was a more suitable place for him.
Just as everyone was at their wits' end and Suzuki Tsubame was about to propose a solution—
A voice that none of them had expected suddenly rang out.
"Hey! I've got an idea. It'll definitely catch that pervert."
Everyone looked up. To their surprise, the person who had spoken was Sudo!
"You have an idea too?"
Everyone looked doubtful, yet they were oddly curious about what kind of good plan Sudo could come up with.
Under everyone's curious gazes, Sudo nervously rubbed his nose.
Then, somewhat embarrassed, he said,
"Since that guy's a pervert, why don't we use Sakura's account to lure him out?"
Then... Sudo raised his hand and waved his fist.
Brimming with enthusiasm, he said,
"There are so many of us. When the time comes, we'll beat him so badly he won't be able to take care of himself, and make him too scared to harass anyone ever again."
After Sudo finished speaking, everyone looked at him as though he were a stranger.
"I don't care who you are, get off Ken right now!"
Ike grabbed Sudo by the shoulders and shook him with all his strength, trying to shake the original Sudo back out.
Just like the over-the-top Ike,
no one could have imagined that hot-tempered Sudo actually possessed this kind of talent.
"I never expected Sudo to be so smart."
Kushida wore a sweet expression, with a hint of delight in her voice.
"Now Sakura can finally rest easy."
Ike and Hasebe also began praising him, making Sudo scratch his head shyly.
Unlike the highly enthusiastic group, Horikita and Matsushita both frowned one after the other.
Sudo's plan did sound quite good. If it went smoothly, it would definitely teach the other party an unforgettable lesson.
But... the plan seemed to have quite a few flaws. For example, if the other party was not stupid, he would probably realize that it was a trap meant to lure him out.
On top of that, this kind of behavior seemed to count as entrapment. If the other party had some backing, they might even get bitten back.
Horikita then voiced her concerns.
Horikita's analysis was like a basin of cold water dumped over everyone's heads.
Sudo had originally been very happy. He had always received help from everyone else, and this time he could finally contribute to the group.
Yet he had not expected... his idea to be completely unworkable, leaving him a little depressed.
The others might not have known, but how could Suzuki Tsubame not?
The target was just a nobody. There was no need to go through so much trouble.
Sudo's plan was indeed rough, but it still had some worthwhile aspects.
He then explained his own line of thinking.
Before you continue