Pool Peeping Scandal (1)

The aftershocks of the student council's judgment had yet to fully dissipate, and while daily life at Advanced Nurturing High School seemed to return to normal, the tension in the hearts of the first-year students remained taut. Class D had barely managed to extricate itself from the Sudo incident, and while the atmosphere in the class had softened slightly, unstable factors still lurked beneath the surface. Class C had suffered a massive blow to their reputation due to the unfavorable ruling; Kakeru Ryuen remained outwardly patient, yet the gloom in his eyes grew heavier with each passing day. Class A maintained its cold, detached observation as the elite, and Arisu Sakayanagi's gaze would often drift, intentionally or not, toward the direction of Class B.

The life of Yoshikage Kira remained as precise as a clock. He attended classes, took notes, followed a fixed route between the cafeteria and his dormitory, avoided idle chatter, steered clear of small cliques, and offered no opinions on any class conflicts. He kept his presence to an absolute minimum, as if the previous brawls, hearings, and rulings were nothing more than an inconsequential gust of wind.

Only he knew that a faint, persistent irritation had taken root in his heart.

It was not sympathy for Class D, nor concern for Sudo, and certainly not animosity toward Kakeru Ryuen.

It was simply because the constant stream of conflicts, framing, false accusations, and disturbances were all entirely unnecessary chaos.

They shattered the steady rhythm the campus should have maintained, created redundant noise, spread restless emotions, and invited unwanted attention.

For Yoshikage Kira, who desired nothing more than a peaceful life, this was the most direct of nuisances.

The final exams concluded smoothly, and summer vacation arrived on schedule. The campus was no longer filled with a packed curriculum, many facilities were opened for temporary use, and the air finally held a hint of relaxation. The first-year students, tense for an entire semester, finally found a moment to catch their breath.

Yoshikage Kira's rhythm remained unchanged: early to bed, early to rise, fixed routes, enjoying the peace. That was until a school-internal call in the afternoon disrupted his established plans.

The caller was Honami Ichinose.

"Kira-kun, sorry to bother you... The school pool is temporarily open for the summer break. It's not crowded, and the atmosphere is very quiet. Would you like to come over and change your mood? It's easy to get cabin fever staying in the dorms all the time."

Her invitation was gentle and perfectly measured, lacking the pressure of excessive enthusiasm or any sense of coercion; it landed exactly within the distance Yoshikage Kira found acceptable.

Yoshikage Kira was silent for a moment.

The pool area was open, quiet, and sparsely populated—it met his requirements for a "stable environment." Furthermore, Honami Ichinose was reliable and would not create unnecessary trouble. Accepting the invitation would neither violate his principles nor lead to the entanglement of repeated follow-up requests.

"Understood. I am heading over now."

He replied simply, hung up the phone, changed his clothes according to his routine, and walked toward the pool at his fixed pace. To him, this was merely a minor adjustment to his daily schedule, nothing more.

The pool area was quieter than he had imagined.

Sunlight fell upon the water, the ripples soft, with almost no clamor to be heard. Honami Ichinose was already waiting near the entrance, and upon seeing Yoshikage Kira appear, she immediately wore a look of relief.

"Kira-kun, over here. There are really very few people today; we should be able to rest quietly."

Yoshikage Kira nodded slightly, his gaze habitually sweeping across the area to confirm the environment was secure, free of disturbances or dangerous factors.

Just as his gaze swept over a corner by the poolside, his footsteps paused imperceptibly.

Several furtive figures were hiding behind a storage rack, peeking toward the direction of the women's locker room. Their movements were awkward, their eyes darting about, and they spoke in deliberately lowered voices, their body language clearly betraying ulterior motives.

It was Kanji Ike, Haruki Yamauchi, and the others from Class D.

Yoshikage Kira recognized them at a glance.

Irritation climbed back into his heart without warning.

Peeping.

And a remote-controlled camera plan targeting the women's locker room, at that.

Summer vacation, quiet, the pool, relaxation... all the conditions that allowed him to escape the clamor were about to be ruined by the base, vile acts of these few people.

[Unnecessary voyeurism.

Meaningless trouble.

Disturbing the peace.]

Yoshikage Kira's expression remained without a ripple, but internally, he had already made his judgment.

He would never allow such a filthy scheme to be successfully carried out before his eyes.

Honami Ichinose noticed his gaze lingering and asked softly, puzzled: "Kira-kun, what's wrong? Is there a problem over there?"

Yoshikage Kira withdrew his gaze, his tone calm and devoid of any emotional color, stating only the facts:

"Those people from Class D are acting abnormally. Their target should be the women's locker room. I believe I saw a video camera."

Honami Ichinose's face turned pale instantly, her pupils constricting slightly.

"Peep, peeping? How could... in a place like this?"

"They have hidden something," Yoshikage Kira continued calmly. "It wouldn't be a standard camera; it's small, mobile, and remote-controlled. The ventilation duct is the most likely location."

He needed no evidence, no probing; he reached the most logical conclusion based solely on behavioral patterns.

Though flustered, Honami Ichinose remained composed. She knew that Yoshikage Kira never spoke without certainty, nor would he make baseless accusations.

"I... I'll go check the locker room right now!"

Yoshikage Kira nodded slightly. "Do not alert anyone. Do not engage in direct confrontation. Once inside, pretend to be organizing your things, pay attention to the ventilation ducts, and locate the mobile camera equipment. Do not act as if you are intentionally searching."

He paused, adding a sentence to maintain his consistent stance:

"I will not go near the locker room. You handling it is the most natural and safest way."

"I understand!" Honami Ichinose took a deep breath, suppressing her panic, and nodded firmly.

She turned and walked quickly toward the women's locker room, her steps steady and without a hint of hesitation.

Yoshikage Kira remained where he was, his gaze resting on the distant water, as if he were merely quietly enjoying the tranquility of summer vacation.

From beginning to end, he did not approach the group from Class D, did not make eye contact with them, and did not reveal a shred of vigilance or anger.

It was as if he were completely unaware of the filth about to unfold.

At the same time, in the shadows on the other side of the pool.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji stood quietly, appearing to watch casually while in reality having already grasped the entire plan of Kanji Ike and his group.

He did not stop them, nor did he expose them; instead, he went along with their invitation, feigning participation in the scheme to lower their guard.

While Kanji Ike and the others were busy calibrating the remote-controlled car and confirming the route, Ayanokoji had already silently completed his own layout.

He contacted Suzune Horikita.

He provided the confirmed information:

"There is a plan to film the girls' changing room. Someone is preparing to send in a remote-controlled camera car."

Suzune Horikita understood the gravity of the situation almost instantly; without asking for the reason, she immediately set off to arrive at the scene.

Ayanokoji's goal was clear.

By using Suzune Horikita's hand to stop the voyeurism and protect the girls of the class, he would simultaneously gain complete control over the destabilizing elements within Class D.

He hid behind the scenes, pushing everything forward, yet he would never leave a single trace behind.