"Thump, thump, thump."
The sound of someone knocking on the tent pegs rang through the entire girls' area.
Akito and Hirata took turns pounding them in, and both of them were drenched in sweat.
"Sorry, Akito. If you're tired, you can go rest. I'll take care of it."
"No, I can't leave it all to you."
"I see. Thanks for all your hard work, Akito."
Their brief exchange ended there. Hirata hesitated for a moment, then spoke up.
"Um... Akito, it's about..."
"I know what you want to ask. Just like you thought, it's that."
"...So it really is the panties... What are you going to do with them, Akito?"
"No, Hirata, don't you suspect that I took them?"
"I trust you, Akito."
"Then I really do appreciate your trust."
"Akito, if you don't mind, could you let me hold on to the underwear?"
"...Are you sure that's a good idea?"
What a hopelessly good person... No, he's probably doing it for the sake of keeping the class together, too.
"If I'm treated as the culprit, the damage to the class will be minimized. After all, I'm publicly her boyfriend."
Publicly, huh...
"No... Hirata, you're wrong. I can't give them to you. Class D can't afford to lose you right now. If you're found out, the class will lose its backbone. I'll find a way to deal with this myself."
"...I see. Then what are you going to do, Akito?"
"I'll go scout Class B and Class A again. Just say you sent me. My presence is pretty faint, anyway, so people may not even remember me. Then I'll take the opportunity to get rid of them."
"...I understand. But, Akito, how did Karuizawa's panties end up with you? And who's the real culprit? I want you to help find