Inside the women's changing room.
Following Kira's instructions, Honami Ichinose didn't look around or appear nervous. She simply walked naturally to an empty spot in the corner, set down her things, and discreetly glanced at the ventilation vent.
Just inside the vent overhead, a tiny black shape was slowly moving.
A remote-controlled camera car.
Her heart clenched, but she remained composed.
She hurried out of the changing room and returned to Kira to report what she'd found.
"Kira... I found it. It really is inside the ventilation duct."
Honami Ichinose immediately turned, ready to head straight to the teachers' office and put an end to the plan to secretly film the girls.
Kira glanced up calmly. "All right. Go ahead with what you originally planned."
"I'm going to the teachers' office right now—"
"Wait."
Kira's gaze drifted toward the pool entrance.
A sharp, cold figure was striding closer, her presence cutting and her destination clear: the women's changing room.
It was Suzune Horikita.
Honami Ichinose froze. "Horikita... What is she doing here?"
Kira quickly ruled out coincidence. "She didn't come here by chance. There's another group in Class D making a move."
At the same moment, at the edge of the shadows,
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji leaned quietly against the wall, like a shadow that didn't exist. He watched Suzune Horikita enter the changing-room area, his expression unmoved.
He had pretended to go along with Kanji Ike and the others' plan to secretly film the girls, lowering their guard. Then he'd secretly passed precise information to Suzune Horikita, using her to retrieve the SD card and put an end to the whole scheme.
At the entrance to the changing-room corridor,
Suzune Horikita moved swiftly and calmly. Her goal was clear: retrieve the SD card from the remote-controlled camera car.
As long as she removed the storage chip, there would be no evidence of the secret filming. She could protect the girls and keep the incident contained, preventing Class D from suffering another devastating blow because of a few people's foolish behavior.
Just as she approached the vent and began retrieving the card, a quiet, clear reminder came from behind her.
"Horikita."
Suzune Horikita whipped around, her eyes instantly tightening.
Honami Ichinose stood not far away, her expression serious.
"You... came to take the SD card, didn't you?"
Honami Ichinose's voice was soft, but carried a seriousness that couldn't be brushed aside. She hadn't said it outright, yet Suzune Horikita immediately understood—
Her attempt to quietly retrieve the SD card and cover up Class D's disgrace had been seen through.
Suzune Horikita's brows knitted slightly. For the first time, her cool expression showed unmistakable hesitation.
She hadn't expected someone from Class B to uncover the secret plan known only to her and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Suzune Horikita kept her composure, trying to conceal her intentions behind a cold tone.
But Honami simply shook her head gently, her gaze kind but resolute.
"Horikita, I know you're trying to protect Class D. You don't want the class to suffer another serious setback because of a few people's actions. But... secretly filming people is not the kind of mistake you can solve by 'covering it up.'"
Honami Ichinose looked around, then led Suzune Horikita outside so they could talk further.
To Suzune Horikita's surprise, Yoshikage Kira walked over at an unhurried pace.
He didn't approach the changing-room entrance. He simply stopped a few steps away, at a safe distance from the two of them.
The three formed a quiet, inconspicuous little circle in a corner of the pool. After Honami Ichinose explained what had happened in the changing room to Yoshikage Kira,
Kira spoke in his usual even tone. He wasn't accusing anyone, only stating the facts.
"She came to take the SD card to destroy the evidence and suppress the incident.
You intend to report it to the school and make sure it never happens again.
You have the same goal, but opposite methods."
Suzune Horikita looked sharply at Kira, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
"How much do you know?"
"I don't know anything that doesn't concern me," Kira replied calmly. "I'm only judging one thing: will this turn into a disturbance and disrupt the peace?"
Honami Ichinose took a deep breath and turned to Suzune Horikita, her tone earnest, almost pleading.
"Horikita, I'm not trying to attack Class D.
But what Kanji Ike and the others did seriously violated other people's privacy.
If we quietly bury this, they won't reflect on what they did. They'll just think they got away with it.
Next time, they'll definitely do something even worse."
She paused, her voice soft but especially clear.
"I can hold off on going to the teachers' office for now.
But I have one condition."
Suzune Horikita looked up.
"The SD card must be destroyed, and the camera car must be dealt with.
You have to make it clear to them that there absolutely cannot be a second time.
If anything like this happens again, I'll report it to the school immediately, no matter how you try to cover it up."
This wasn't a threat.
It was a line she wouldn't let them cross.
Suzune Horikita fell silent.
She had always hoped to lead Class D to Class A with the belief that even defective products could still be good enough. But only now did she clearly realize for the first time—
In the class she fought so hard to protect, there truly were reprehensible actions that reason could not excuse.
Secret filming.
Peeping.
Malice.
It wasn't recklessness. It was sheer depravity.
She looked at the earnest expression in Honami Ichinose's eyes, then at Yoshikage Kira, who remained calm at her side, as if he could see through everything. Slowly, she clenched her fingertips.
"...I understand."
For the first time, exhaustion crept into Suzune Horikita's voice. "I'll take care of the SD card.
They... won't do it again."
Kira spoke calmly, offering a final resolution.
"Let this end here.
It's best for everyone."
Honami nodded gently, relieved.
"That's a relief... I hope it really doesn't happen again."
Suzune Horikita gave Kira a long look.
He hadn't been directly involved at any point, yet he'd kept the situation firmly under control.
He had only stood by one principle: "Don't let it spread, don't cause a disturbance, don't disrupt the peace."
His calmness was almost frightening.
"I'll handle things within Class D."
Leaving those words behind, Suzune Horikita turned, removed the remote-controlled car from the vent, checked that all the SD cards had been taken out, and hurried away from the pool.
Her retreating figure was cold and tense, yet carried a heaviness she'd never shown before.
The pool grew quiet again.
Honami looked at Kira with a hint of apology.
"I'm sorry, Kira... I asked you to come over so you could relax, but things turned out like this."
Kira's tone was even.
"It has nothing to do with you. They're the ones who chose to make trouble."
"But if I hadn't asked you to come—"
"Calling me was the right choice," Kira interrupted. "The sooner trouble is dealt with, the smaller and quieter it stays."
He paused, once again emphasizing the only position he cared about.
"I just don't want unrelated people's prying to disturb the peace."
Honami looked at him and gave a small, reassured smile.
"Okay. I understand.
I'll make sure it stays that way."
Kira nodded slightly and said nothing more.
Sunlight fell across the water, and its surface returned to its original softness.
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