Swimming Pool Incident (2)

Ichinose, who had been playing volleyball on the beach just a moment ago, was drawn by the commotion over there and spoke up.

"It sounds like it's coming from the direction of the restrooms," Amikura, standing nearby, remarked.

"Did something happen? I'll go take a look," Shiranami said, preparing to head over.

"Wait, now isn't the time to worry about what's happening over there. Focus on the match, focus!" Ike blocked her path, his eyes reddening as he spoke.

Kushida, witnessing this scene from the side, asked Ayanokoji, "What's wrong with Ike?"

"I don't know. Maybe he has an upset stomach."

"That looks like Kitahara over there," Kanzaki said, looking toward the person squeezing out of the crowd.

"What? Is that Kitahara?" Upon hearing Kanzaki, Ichinose and the others looked over as well. Realizing it was indeed him, they waved to get his attention.

Kitahara, having finally pushed his way out of the crowd, let out a long sigh of relief and prepared to run toward the changing rooms, completely oblivious to their waving.

Seeing Kitahara leave in such a hurry, Ichinose and the others felt a bit puzzled.

Coupled with the possibility that something had happened at the restrooms, Ichinose and her group held a brief discussion.

They bid farewell to Horikita and the others, then hurried off in the direction Kitahara had taken to see what was going on.

Across the way, Class D found it strange that the people from Class B had suddenly left.

Ayanokoji, standing at the back, noticed that the direction Kitahara had run toward was indeed the changing rooms, so he turned to look at Ike and the others, who were already at a loss for what to do.

However, he had no intention of doing anything more.

Although he had a rough idea of what had happened, there was no way to change it now; after all, Kitahara had already rushed over.

The only remaining opportunity was to get to the scene and see if there was still a chance to handle the situation.

Even though it didn't have much to do with him, he still needed to provide himself with some insurance, so he took out his phone and sent a message to Chabashira.

"Shall we go see what's going on, too?" Kushida suggested, standing to the side.

"Hmm..."

"I won't forgive this. You guys, don't just barge in! Isn't there a 'No Entry' sign hanging on the door?" Sudo, who had arrived just in time after being alerted by Sotomura, shouted at Ryuen and his group.

"I didn't see it. Going where I want to go—that's just who I am." With that, Albert, standing next to Ryuen, stepped forward, preparing to drive him away.

"The squabbles of the social dregs are truly unsightly."

"Is that Sakayanagi?"

"I wasn't talking to you. Take your dog and get lost."

"Oh my, then I shall keep you as a pet instead."

Just as they were arguing, Kitahara came running from a distance and hurriedly asked, "What are you doing here?"

Seeing Kitahara appear, Ryuen curled his lips into a mocking smile and said, "Yo, isn't this the Student Council disciplinary committee member? What are you doing here?"

"Huh?" Hearing Ryuen's tone, Kitahara felt a bit strange for a moment.

He actually went out of his way to emphasize my status.

Did Banjo tell him about what happened at the deliberation meeting? Kitahara wondered.

Seeing that Kitahara didn't answer, Ryuen continued:

"Heh, Kitahara, are you here to check on your former classmates? Guarding this pathetic door like a loyal watchdog—wouldn't you agree?"

Before Kitahara could reply, Sudo, standing to the side, glared with wide eyes, veins bulging on his forehead, and made a move to rush forward and strike.

"Heh, Ryuen, have you not learned your lesson from your last failure?"

Hearing Kitahara's words, the angry Sudo realized he had been impulsive again.

"Hmph..."

At this moment, Ichinose and the others rushed over. Seeing the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere, Ichinose frowned slightly, stepped forward, and said, "Everyone, please calm down. Whatever the issue is, we can discuss it slowly. There's no need for this; we are all..."

Before Ichinose could finish.

Ryuen scoffed, "Hmph, Ichinose, this has nothing to do with you. Don't meddle here."

"..."

"What are you all arguing about?" Horikita Manabu asked, jumping down from the second floor.

"Even though this facility is open to the public for entertainment, don't forget that this is still on school grounds."

"Oh my, if it isn't the Student Council President," Sakayanagi said with a smile upon seeing who had arrived.

Sudo, still standing where he was, became even more nervous at the sight of him.

"Very well, this student, please step aside. The Student Council has received reports that someone falsely claimed the changing rooms were being cleaned, with the intent of installing cameras inside to peep."

Upon hearing Horikita Manabu's words, everyone around felt a chill in their hearts.

Ryuen, however, crossed his arms and said with a playful expression, "Mr. President, we were just passing by and happened to check what kind of trickery was hidden in this 'No Entry' area. Who knew this Sudo would act like a mad dog, ready to bite as soon as he came up?"

Horikita Manabu looked into Ryuen's eyes and, realizing he wasn't lying, turned to look at Sakayanagi across from him.

Yanagihara toyed with her hair, saying nonchalantly, "President, I only just arrived myself, so I have no idea what happened here."

"Is that so? Kitahara, explain what is going on."

"Uh... President, I just got here too and am not yet clear on the situation, but I can confirm that they truly know nothing about this matter."

Kitahara paused, then continued, "However, judging by the scene, there are indeed some suspicious aspects."

"The 'No Entry' sign at the door has been tampered with, and there are messy footprints on the ground, so someone must have snuck inside."

Upon hearing Kitahara's explanation, Horikita Manabu nodded and looked at Sudo once more, saying:

"Please step aside; the Student Council needs to conduct an inspection."

However, Sudo was already stunned, as the President's words made it clear that their plan had been reported by someone else.

Seeing Sudo's current state, everyone already knew the outcome.

"Sigh, there is no escaping it now. You just survived one crisis only to court death again like this; even Ayanokoji won't be able to do anything this time."

From the information the President had just revealed, Kitahara had already guessed how Ayanokoji had managed to extricate himself.

After all, the only person capable of contacting the Student Council President and helping him so tirelessly was Chabashira.

"It seems she is also prepared to abandon them to put more pressure on Class D, so that they might promote to Class A."

"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and come in."

Just as Kitahara was lost in thought, Horikita Manabu spoke from the doorway.

"Oh... I'm coming right away."