Class D's Gender Divide

"Hmm... if I guess right, is there a reward?"

"Sorry, there isn't." Hasebe said as she reached out to pinch Takahashi's cheek. "Besides, weren't you the one who told me to watch Ibuki? I didn't sleep at all last night, and now I'm dead tired."

"Come on, give me the details. What exactly happened?"

"Oh, she started by going through Horikita, Kushida, and Karuizawa's luggage. She was probably looking for the representative card, but she didn't find it."

"So she was trying to stir up chaos inside our class. Do you know where Horikita hid the representative card?"

"Hmm... it seems like she keeps it on her at all times, because I've never seen her take it out except to punch in."

"Alright, you head back first. Remember, don't tell anyone else."

"Got it!"

Watching Hasebe's retreating figure, Takahashi thought: once the special exam is over and we're back at school, I'll take Hasebe out to have some fun. After all, Ryuuen's providing the points.

By the time Takahashi returned to the campsite, all the classmates had already gathered together.

Standing beside Hirata was Karuizawa, supported by Kushida. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she was trembling with anger—she must have been crying for quite a while.

Takahashi thought: ←_← Tsk tsk, it's just a pair of panties, right? Wait up, tonight your big bro Takahashi will swipe Ayanokouji's underwear and stash it in your luggage.

Of course, that was a joke.

"Even though we didn't find anything, you boys can't clear your names because of that. If we keep living in the same place, what if another girl's underwear gets stolen?" Shinohara shouted at the boys.

"But we're one class. Wouldn't it be troublesome to split into two camps and have the boys and girls live separately? Besides, the exam will be over soon. We're all comrades here—shouldn't we trust and help each other?" Hirata reasoned.

"That's true, but I really can't stand living in the same place as a panty thief. What if he strikes again? No one can guarantee he won't, right?"

"I absolutely can't stand it either." Karuizawa shook her head as she spoke. Since the victim herself said so, Hirata couldn't be too forceful. Shinohara, meanwhile, picked up a branch from the side and drew a line on the ground.

"We still believe the panty thief is among the boys, so we're going to mark off zones here to separate the boys' and girls' activity areas. Boys are forbidden from entering the girls' zone without permission."

"What the hell? You're pinning the label of 'panty thief' on us! We already submitted to luggage checks and body searches, didn't we? Is there even a need to divide activity zones?"

"It's not necessarily hidden in luggage or pockets, right? You boys are just perverts anyway. In short, until the panty thief is found, none of you boys except Hirata are allowed into the girls' zone. Hurry up, get the hell over there."

After Shinohara finished, she started demanding the boys move their tents.

There was no way the boys would accept moving tents over something like this, so some of them started snapping back at Shinohara.

"If you suspect us, then move your own tents. Your tents were set up by the boys. Do you have any idea how much trouble big tents are? We're not moving ours for some ridiculous reason like this."

"Yeah, if you girls think you're too close to us boys, then move your own tents. But if you mess up our luggage while moving, we won't stand for it."

"If you suspect us, then move your own tents. We're not helping you."

"So what? We do suspect you. And from now on, don't use the shower room anymore. Sharing a shower room with a group of boys who might include a pervert is just unbearable."

What followed was an exceptionally fierce barrage of colorful language from the boys.

Sensing the situation was turning bad, Shinohara quickly appealed to Hirata for help: "Hirata, this is for Karuizawa's sake. Isn't Karuizawa your girlfriend? You need to help!"

"I understand. I'll help. But please, you girls should think it over carefully before making a decision."

"Thank you, Hirata. That's really great, isn't it, Karuizawa?"

"Mm. The only one I can trust is Hirata."

Karuizawa was delighted by Shinohara and her friends' words, blushing shyly as she lowered her head.

"Heh, 'the only one you can trust is Hirata'—maybe Hirata is the panty thief you're all talking about." Whether provoked by the girls' words or not, one of the boys said this.

"What the hell? How could Hirata possibly be the panty thief? Are you stupid?"

"Why not? Just because Hirata is the victim's boyfriend, that doesn't mean he can't be the culprit. That's not evidence at all."

The boy voiced his grievance, but in this situation, the boys' words fell on deaf ears. Since every boy except Hirata was under suspicion, there was no helping it. The scene quickly reached its final stage. Karuizawa and Shinohara had taken the lead.

"Hold on. I object to your plan. Especially you, Shinohara and Karuizawa."

In that tense, frigid atmosphere, Horikita casually voiced her strong dissatisfaction toward Karuizawa.

"What's wrong, Horikita? Do you have a problem with what just happened?" Since they were both girls, Shinohara's tone toward Horikita was still fairly calm.

"I don't mind dividing the living areas by gender. Since the culprit hasn't been found, keeping distance from the boys who are likely suspects is only natural. However, I don't trust Hirata. In other words, I can't rule out the possibility that he's the panty thief. So I can't accept a rule that lets only him enter the girls' zone."

"How could Hirata ever do something like that? He's Karuizawa's boyfriend. Don't you understand that?"

"That's your personal opinion. Don't force me to think the same way."

Karuizawa couldn't accept Horikita's attitude and stepped a pace closer to her.

"Hirata is absolutely not the culprit. You don't even have a proper boyfriend, or even a decent friend for that matter. How could you possibly understand?"

"Don't make me repeat myself. If you can't accept the boys coming over, then I'm saying I can't accept only him coming over. Is there a problem with that?" Horikita remained unmoved even when provoked, replying calmly.

"Then let me ask you. Is there any other boy besides Hirata who's trustworthy? Is there?"

"I don't make mindless statements without thinking. The solution is simple—just add one more boy. That way, things we girls can't do alone will be easy with two boys, and having the boys monitor each other would also be very effective."

"Don't be ridiculous! My panties were stolen! I was humiliated by a boy! Do you understand? If we let the culprit in, who knows what he might do to us!"

"You bear some responsibility yourself. Maybe it was because you let your guard down that your panties got stolen."

"Everyone put their luggage together, so why are you singling me out for letting my guard down!"

"In other words, you probably live with the attitude that 'it doesn't matter if my underwear gets stolen' or 'there's nothing I can do if it happens.' And it seems quite a few people dislike you."

In other words, Horikita was considering that the thief's motive might not be purely objective—perhaps someone wanted to take the chance to vent their usual resentment toward Karuizawa and deliberately embarrass her. She was likely following this line of reasoning to deduce the culprit.

The method of deduction was Horikita's prerogative, but forcing that line of thought onto Karuizawa in public was clearly inappropriate.

Being able to think of this showed Horikita's sharp mind, but her weakness in handling interpersonal relationships was exposed by this very action.